Many of our readers ask us if appraisers use distressed properties (short sales and foreclosures) as comparables when doing an appraisal on non-distressed properties. We have posted on this issue on several occasions (examples: here and here). Last month, the Appraisal Institute issued a paper on the subject. In the paper, the Institute explained that: […]
Our founder, Steve Harney, occasionally asks to do a personal post on what he sees as important to our industry. Today is one of those days. Enjoy! – The KCM Crew I have great respect for Suze Orman. She has dedicated her life to educating consumers on financial matters and has built a sensational personal brand […]
Given that it’s Superbowl Week (Go Giants!), I thought we might go with a football theme today. I can’t tell you how many different people I hear proclaim that they are the quarterback of the real estate transaction – the agent, the loan officer, an attorney, accountant or financial planner. But for goodness sake, the […]
We have reported that almost six million adults between the ages of 25 to 34 are currently living with their parents. That number reflects an almost 50% increase since 2003. These young adults are now being advised to jump into homeownership. Who are the people selling them on the American Dream? Their parents! It seems […]
Today, we are honored to have Ken H. Johnson, Ph.D. — Florida International University (FIU) and Editor of the Journal of Housing Research as our guest blogger. To view other research from FIU, visit http://realestate.fiu.edu/. – The KCM Crew Last week’s posting (Creating Wealth Through Homeownership – The Proof) concentrated on how homeowners, on average, […]
Warren Buffet is seen by many as the greatest investor of our time. When he speaks, people listen. Like anyone else in his position of influence, he is criticized by some for using his bullhorn to promote his own business agendas at times. That makes it very interesting when we occasionally learn of how he […]
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I have seen estimates stating that 29% of deals that go to contract and require a mortgage, don’t close. That number boggles my mind. It means that even after a buyer and seller come to terms on a sale (not an easy feat these days), 3 out of 10 transactions fall apart. What are some […]
Two weeks ago, we posted When the Prophet Says Buy – BUY! In that post, we explained that a major bear on housing, John R. Talbott, is now bullish on the real estate market. Last week, another bear turned bull. Chris Thornberg, a former UCLA economist and a founding principal of Beacon Economics, was very […]
There is a growing belief among many experts that 2012 will be the year housing turns the corner and starts heading in a more positive direction. Whenever we write a post like this, we unleash the hordes of critics who say we are again wearing rose colored glasses or are puppets being controlled by the […]
For the longest time, I have listened to other loan officers talk about why people should do business with them; and 95% of the time their presentations boil down to three things – price, product, and service. On the pricing front, they talk about low interest rates and/or closing costs; on the product side, they […]
There is no shortage of opinions as to where home prices are headed in 2012. From Clear Capital’s expectation that prices will show a ‘slight uptick’ this year to Fitch’s projection that prices ‘will fall another 13 percent’, there seems to be no consensus as to where real estate values are headed. How can there […]
Today, we are honored to have Ken H. Johnson, Ph.D. — Florida International University (FIU) and Editor of the Journal of Housing Research as our guest blogger. To view other research from FIU, visit http://realestate.fiu.edu/. – The KCM Crew Several real estate economists have shown that the average homeowner accumulates more overall wealth than the […]
Our founder, Steve Harney, occasionally asks to do a personal post on what he sees as important to our industry. Today is one of those days. Enjoy! – The KCM Crew My wife and I have vacationed on the beautiful island of Aruba for the last nine years. We are strongly considering buying a winter […]
InfoGraphic
One of the rarely touted advantages of people taking FHA mortgages today is the fact that they are assumable. What that means is, when the FHA homebuyer of today is looking to sell his home, a qualified purchaser can “take over” their loan. Most people believe that interest rates will return to a “normal” range […]
Many believe that very few houses are selling and that almost no one can get a mortgage. We want to let everyone know that neither of these assumptions is true. Recently, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) released their Existing Homes Sales Report. According to the report there are, on average, 12,109 homes selling in […]
There is too much misinformation being spread about today’s real estate market. Studies are being misinterpreted. Prominent names are being used to foster a point even if their quote is from years ago. As an example, we want to look at a story published last week by The Fiscal Times titled The New American Dream: […]
John R. Talbott, previously a Goldman Sachs investment banker, is a bestselling author and economic consultant. When it comes to the housing market he is also a prophet. When housing prices started to skyrocket in 2003, he published The Coming Crash in the Housing Market correctly warning us that a real estate bubble was forming. […]
The above map shows the percentage of homes with a mortgage in each state that are in a ‘negative equity’ situation meaning that the value of the home is less than the mortgage amount. Approximately 30% of the homes in the country don’t have a mortgage on them.
It’s the time of year that we look ahead and attempt to give our best guesses about the market, the industry, and the effects they may have. So, here are my thoughts about the mortgage world: Interest Rates Should Be Stable With a faltering economy nationally and worldwide, including pessimistic estimates for employment, there is […]
We recently posted Real Estate: Today’s Golden Opportunity comparing the current housing market to the market for gold about a decade ago. Some commented on the fact that you can’t compare gold to real estate as an investment as gold is a very liquid asset and it would take more time and effort to sell […]
Predicting trends during the most volatile housing market in American real estate history is no easy task. We strongly believe these are the five real estate items we should keep an eye on in 2012: 1. Buyers Will Return In 2011, a lack of consumer confidence in the overall economy dramatically impacted the housing market. […]
