We would like to thank you all for your continued contribution to the KCM Community. From sharing our articles on Facebook and Twitter, to continually engaging our KCM authors with questions and comments, you have helped further our mission of helping people through this truly complex housing market. And for that we are deeply grateful. […]
You can’t pick up a paper or turn on a television today without hearing about the foreclosure situation in this country. There is no doubt the current economy and unemployment numbers have devastated the finances of many families and thus made it impossible for them to pay their mortgage. However, what many don’t realize is that […]
The two most important factors whenever you price anything is the demand for that item and the current supply of that item. It is well known as the supply and demand curve. Real estate is no different. So, as we are about to head into 2010, let’s look at the potential demand for residential housing […]
Being ‘in and around’ the real estate business for most of my adult life, I am still confused about the importance both sellers and real estate agents give to advertising. Decades ago, advertising a home was important to attract a buyer because there was no other way for an individual real estate office to announce to […]
Whether you are looking at a Foreclosed Home, Bank REO, a Short Sale, or any home really, you need to be aware of the FHA 203K Program. The general condition of real estate has taken a dip over the past few years, as homeowners are not sprucing up their homes as they have in the […]
Over the last couple of days, we have talked about real estate as an investment, financing costs (interest rates) and gave you reasons to buy now instead of waiting. It is important that we realize that this does not apply solely to the first time home buyer. The opportunity that exists in real estate today is […]
Hello KCM Community! It is our pleasure to introduce to you veteran mortgage planner (and today’s guest blogger) Dean Hartman. Yesterday we looked at interest rates and why buying now might be a good financial decision. Today, Dean will take us a few steps further and look at other reasons to move forward on the purchase […]
Ladies and Gentlemen, That is not MY headline but instead the headline of a BusinessWeek article today. It seemed appropriate to post this based on what we have been discussing this week. KCM Blog Posts Related to Info in Article:
Yesterday, we talked about real estate as an investment. At the conclusion of that post, we talked about the difference between the ‘cost’ of the home compared to the ‘price’ of the home. We established that the cost of the home had two major components: the price and the expense of the financing. Unless you […]
Last week, we posted on the challenges currently in the housing industry. But with challenges come opportunities. This week we want to concentrate on the possibilities available today in real estate. To begin with, we want to make sure we bring some reality to much of the talk out there. Is real estate truly a […]
This past week, we have discussed how the current economy is wreaking havoc on our housing industry, how many homeowners can no longer make their mortgage payments and can’t qualify for a loan modification. We reported that millions of these homes will eventually become foreclosures or, in a best case scenario, a short sale. You […]
In our last post, we discussed that, though the modification process has helped hundreds of thousands families keep their homes, there still will be millions of people who will still be faced with foreclosure. There is no avoiding this. And even though the administration is trying to get banks to be more flexible, the fact […]
As we have been reporting, the answer to the current housing crisis is to simplify the process of short sales. Well, finally, it is about to happen: ‘Short Sale’ process being simplified! I will be covering this indepth on this blog Thursday.
I want to begin by saying that modifications have saved hundreds of thousands of families from being forced from their homes. We should be thankful the process exists. If anyone is having trouble with their mortgage and thinks they may be eligible for a loan modification, call 888-995-HOPE or go to http://makinghomeaffordable.gov/. That being said, […]
Dear KCM Community, Many of you have been calling for Steve Harney’s leadership presentation from the 2009 NAR Convention. Unfortunately, NAR holds the rights to all audio distribution from the conference; but luckily (and because he authors this blog) Steve has been gracious enough to share the visuals! So without any further ado, we bring […]
In our last post, we discussed the possible impact distressed properties might have on the values of homes in the surrounding area. We documented how the current economy has devastated the finances of so many families in every income bracket and in almost every neighborhood in this country. In order to bring some insight to the […]
Our current economic difficulties have wreaked havoc on millions of households across this country. We all have either heard or read about families losing their homes to foreclosure. Obviously, that is a critical challenge at this time in history. However, I am not sure we realize that these tales of heartache not only effect the home that […]
Many of you asked us to make certain improvements to the blog… so we listened. As you navigate the site, you’ll see that there have been a number of changes, but here are the top three YOU called for. (We hope we made you proud.)
There were two lumberjacks that worked together up in the Pacific Northwest. One was the perfect stereotype of a lumberjack – big, burly and strong as an ox. The other was a rather small, almost frail man. Friday was their payday. This particular Friday, the larger man bet his paycheck against the smaller man’s paycheck […]
I hope everyone enjoys a safe and joyous holiday. My friend Mike Staver is a great speaker and business coach. He recently shared a point that I believe applies to this time of the year. “If you were sitting with 10 other people and everyone threw their problems on the table, there would be a good […]
Today’s Talking Point 11/25/09 The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) just came out with their 3rd Quarter Pricing Report (which covers the previous four quarters). If you go to the bottom of the home page, they have an interactive map where you can see how prices have changed in your state over the last year. […]
Today’s Talking Point 11/24/2009 NAR released their Existing Sales Report yesterday. The key points: Sales Existing-home sales – including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – surged 10.1 percent over last month’s numbers and is 23.5 percent above the level in October 2008. Inventory Total housing inventory at the end of October fell 3.7 percent to […]
Today’s Talking Point 11/23/09 Fear of Double Dip in Housing – Home Starts Tumble and Mortgage Delinquencies Rise, Casting Cloud Over Recovery That was the front page headline last Thursday in the Wall Street Journal. The article discussed what we have been addressing for several months now. The article highlighted a growing problem in housing […]
Here are the major points of a post on Market Watch (part of the Wall Street Journal digital network) Tips for buyers Interested in buying a home and claiming the home-buyer tax credit? Below are five tips: 1. Don’t procrastinate Get searching now. Getting an early start will give you a better chance of finding […]
Move.com survey results: Just more than 12% of potential home buyers surveyed plan to purchase a home as an investment property compared with less than 6% who said the same seven months ago. Of those interested in buying a foreclosure, 42% were investors. About 13% of those investors would turn their foreclosures into rentals, 11% […]
