05.08.2008 Online Auctions: Good Sense for Buyers and Sellers
It’s no secret that more people are buying more products through online auctions, and real estate is no exception. |
04.28.2008 Washington Profits From Foreclosures
There’s a new initiative on the table in Washington, one that could do a lot to reduce foreclosures nationwide while actually generating a profit for Uncle Sam. |
04.20.2008 Will The Paulson Plan Reduce Foreclosures
“A major concern regarding the Paulson Plan is that it would take months and years to implement,” says James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer at RealtyTrac. |
04.15.2008 Going Against the Grain, Investor Finds Bountiful Bank-Owned Bargains
Despite the abundance of negative buzz surrounding the real estate market, Kirk Leipzig decided to pursue foreclosures as investment properties. |
04.15.2008 FORECLOSURE ACTIVITY INCREASES 5 PERCENT IN MARCH 2008
Foreclosure filings were reported on 234,685 properties nationwide in March, a 5 percent increase from the previous month and a 57 percent increase from March 2007. |
03.30.2008 Should We Go Back To The Future With HUD
“The federal government has attempted to stem the mortgage crisis, by extending aid and concessions to big firms and huge investors on Wall Street,” says James J. Saccacio, Chairman and CEO at RealtyTrac. |
03.27.2008 Just A Little Help For Our Friends
“We’ll need to wait until later in the Spring to see what results are produced by the Fed’s $200 billion loan program,” says James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer at RealtyTrac. |
03.27.2008 Special Video Report: Renters in Foreclosure
CBS Evening News investigates the issue of renters being unexpectedly forced out of the homes they are living in because the owner has been foreclosed on. |
03.13.2008 As Bank Seizures Swell, Investors Seek Elusive Prey
Soaring foreclosures are raising the prospects that the worst housing slump in 16 years could drag on — and investors are waiting for the bottom to hit so they can snatch up bank-owned properties. |
03.12.2008 Politicians Ponder Foreclosure Intervention Policies
Should the federal government mandate a six-month moratorium on all foreclosures around the country in order to give affected homeowners a chance to “work it out?” |
03.09.2008 Whatever Happened To Savings
With all the headlines and debate regarding soaring foreclosure rates, it’s sometimes forgotten that most foreclosures can be easily prevented with a low-tech, unregulated, private solution. |
03.06.2008 Walking Away From Foreclosure Becoming Socially Acceptable
If walking away from a mortgage becomes socially acceptable then lenders will have more risk, interest rates will rise, monthly mortgage costs will increase and foreclosure levels will shoot up. |
03.06.2008 The Next Financial Crisis — Alt-A Mortgages
If prime mortgages are the holy grail of real estate financing then Alternative-A (Alt-A) financing can been seen as something of a step below. |
03.04.2008 Help Programs Grow, But Foreclosure Levels Remain High
You could hardly miss the attention given to the latest figures from Hope Now, the all-volunteer effort to rescue homeowners facing foreclosure. |
03.02.2008 The Bank of America-Countrywide Merger
The Bank of America’s $4 billion purchase of Countrywide Financial Corporation is now being scrutinized by just about every Wall Street analyst and financial columnist. |
02.29.2008 Project Lifeline: New Name, Old Story
It was on August 31st when President Bush introduced Hope Now, a plan to reduce foreclosures nationwide. |
02.28.2008 Foreclosure Prevention Numbers Don’t Add Up
Unfortunately, the grim reality is that while modifications and repayment plans can help many borrowers, a large percentage of those enrolled in such programs will lose their property. |
02.21.2008 Distressed Homeowners: Rules of Engagement
As foreclosures proliferate and home prices stagnate in many real estate markets across the country, more investors and buyers are considering foreclosures as an opportunity to find bargains. |
02.17.2008 Project Lifeline: New Name, Old Story
It was on August 31st when President Bush introduced Hope Now, a plan to reduce foreclosures nationwide. |
02.04.2008 Investor Training: Sorting It All Out
Training programs for real estate investors sometimes seem as numerous as real estate investors themselves |
02.03.2008 Finding Financing for Foreclosure Deals
If anyone has the inside track on financing for real estate deals, it would be Ram Perilall. |
01.31.2008 New Feature: Online Bidding, Online Offers
RealtyTrac users now have the ability to make offers directly to the lender or agent, bid in online auctions or contact agents who handle government foreclosures. |
01.29.2008 U.S. FORECLOSURE ACTIVITY UP 75 PERCENT IN 2007
A total of 2,203,295 foreclosure filings were reported on 1,285,873 properties nationwide during 2007, a 75 percent increase in total filings from 2006. |
01.09.2008 Investment Banks Shoulder Bigger Share of REO Burden
The bullish stock market began showing some cracks in the foundation in late July as fresh evidence revealed that real estate woes on Main Street are inflicting a bigger-than-expected toll their lenders. |
01.06.2008 The Art of the Foreclosure Deal
It may not be internationally recognized in the same stream of consciousness as a masterpiece by Goya, Monet or Picasso, but a well-constructed foreclosure investment deal can be a thing of beauty. |
01.01.2008 How Big Is The Mortgage Meltdown?
For the first time estimates are beginning to suggest the true size of the mortgage meltdown. The newest numbers are so large they dwarf the latest federal deficit, a total of $163 billion. |
12.30.2007 The New Foreclosure Prevention Plan
It sounds like a good idea. If the reason so many people are losing their homes is because interest rates are too high, then let's keep those rates low and prevent foreclosures. |
12.27.2007 Can the Fed Cut Foreclosures in 2008?
With the tough times of 2007 over and done, the big question in real estate is whether 2008 will be any better. |
12.11.2007 Outlawing Interest-Only Refinancing
Mortgage rates are down, really down. According to Freddie Mac, a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage can now be had for less than 6 percent interest. |
12.09.2007 How Foreclosures Will Change The Presidential Election
We have red states, we have blue states and increasingly we have purple states, beat-up states with substantial and growing numbers of foreclosures that may well decide the next presidential election. |
12.06.2007 Judge's Ruling May Slow Foreclosures Nationwide
With mortgage practices under fire on Capitol Hill and across the country, a federal court in Cleveland has now turned up the heat on lenders with a remarkable decision: |
12.04.2007 Why Aren't Predatory Loans Illegal?
It’s doubtful that anyone who has ever looked at the mortgage industry would disagree with the sentiments offered by HUD Secretary Jackson. Predatory loans are terrible, a scam and certainly a lie. |
12.04.2007 Can Inflated Appraisals Create More Foreclosures?
Until November few people would have regarded Albany, NY as the center of the foreclosure meltdown, yet in a single week the state's attorney general radically changed the national mortgage debate. |
12.03.2007 Have U.S. Banks Bet The House?
If you remember the good old days of the foreclosure crisis, say about six months ago, the problem was subprime loans, a blip on the financial radar and not a worry for you or your neighbors. |
12.02.2007 New Bankruptcy Laws Spur Foreclosures
Almost 30 years have passed since the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978, a time when mortgages typically had a fixed-rate and unchanging monthly costs. |
11.29.2007 How Much Disclosure Is Enough?
It's hardly a secret that few borrowers fully understand their mortgage options. A 2006 Federal Reserve study found that 20 percent of all ARM borrowers did not know their original loan rate. |
