Archive for 2010 Investing

The debate over the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac continues to heat up. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) released an unpublished proposal to DS News this week that advocates converting the two GSEs into government-chartered, non-profit corporations. NAR said in its proposal, “Unlike a federal agency, the new government non-profit authorities will [...]

The Obama administration may expand efforts to ease the housing crisis by banning all foreclosures on home loans unless they have been screened and rejected by the government’s Home Affordable Modification Program. The proposal, reviewed by lenders last week on a White House conference call, “prohibits referral to foreclosure until borrower is evaluated and found [...]

A comprehensive set of Investment Market Reports for over 60 markets, including Chicago, New York and Los Angeles are now available on LoopNet. Each report covers Office, Industrial, Retail and Multifamily transactions of $2.5 million and above. These Investment Market Reports serve as an excellent tool for analyzing current market trends and evaluating potential investments. [...]

Existing-home sales fell from December to January but were still above year-ago levels, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported Friday. According to NAR’s report, existing-home sales — including single-family, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops — declined 7.2 percent to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 5.05 million units in January 2010, down from a revised 5.44 million units [...]

Some homeowners who sign up for the government's mortgage assistance program are getting a nasty surprise: lower credit scores. For borrowers who are making their payments on time but are on the verge of default, the Obama administration's loan modification program can reduce their credit score as much as 100 points. That makes it harder [...]

The inventory of foreclosed homes that banks are sitting on is rising, threatening to push home prices down further in some parts of the country. Analysts at Barclays Capital estimated that banks and mortgage investors held about 645,800 foreclosed homes in January, up 4.6 percent from December. That is down significantly from the peak of [...]

Houses made of unconventional materials can be a tough sell when it comes time to refinance, especially if there are no comparable homes in the area. WSJ's Anton Troianovski reports.

Interesting article from DSNews – Looks like more inventory is coming on line…. FDIC Looks to Fast-Track Sales of Seized Assets as MBS.