California home buying opportunities

California is a HOT place for great home buying deals. Not to mention, the weather is really great!

While we were there, we ate in Chinatown (great food), visited the Griffith Conservatory, and realized there was a high and low desert. Griffith has a planetarium which is really cool. Make sure you take the time to visit some of the great sites when you visit this area.

By the way, I took the Hollywood image right from the Conservatory.

If you are interested in great value properties, visit us at http://www.buyingforeclosurevirginia.com Regardless of the state you are located in, if you are interested in buying a home and getting a good deal, then we will hook you up with a partner that is knowledgeable about ALL properties that fit into the cbest categories for you . You can also email us.

HUD homes are the way to go for 1st time homebuyers

Take a look at the awesome training we are providing to you on HUD homes at http://www.hudhomes2.com/

But the onLy way to prove the value of this FREE Hud training is to try it yourself!

Purchased property 50% below appraisal from HUD

Can you believe it? We just bought a great HUD property that is 50% below the HUD appraisal.

Take advantage of this great opportunity and buy a home today before the market gets in front of you and you feel left out in the cold.

Click here to visit us and get the help you need to buy a home...today!

Now is a Fantastic Time to Buy a Home

With the current economic crisis and the failure of Washington Mutual, Wachovia, IndyMac and other banks, many people have decided to wait it out rather than to purchase a home now. The media is full of gloom and doom about the housing crisis and much of what they say is statistically accurate. Housing prices are down. Sales are down. The number of foreclosures has skyrocketed.

Additionally, obtaining loans has become more difficult. The death of the subprime mortgage business has certainly resulted in lenders tightening loan requirements. Moreover, many loan products, such as no document and stated income loans, are no longer being offered by a number of lenders. Those that are still offering these types of loan products have implemented very stringent approval requirements. However, this doesn't mean that a buyer cannot obtain a loan. It simply means that a buyer must have good credit, a solid employment history, and the clear ability to repay a loan.

What the media is not telling us is why these very market conditions make now a very good time to buy a home. It precisely because home prices are down and interest rates are low that makes now the best time to buy. Even though there is no guarantee that housing prices will go up within the next few years, if past trends are any indication of what the future will hold for the real estate market, chances are we will be experiencing an upturn in the next three to five years. So, by purchasing a home now, you will be taking a calculated risk that your property's value will have increased by the time you are ready to sell three or more years down the road.

Because of the tremendous increase in the number of foreclosures, buying a home has become much more affordable. Banks are not in the business of owning real estate. For this reason, many banks are willing to accept as much as 15-20% below the list price for properties upon which they have foreclosed and are currently trying to sell. This is significant because a buyer of a foreclosed property will be able to get into the house for less and will have built-in equity. Once the market turns around, the buyer will have even more equity than his counterparts who purchased from an individual seller.

Despite the fact that we are currently in a buyer's market, sellers, including banks, are unwilling to simply give their properties away. For this reason, it's important to have an experienced and knowledgeable realtor advising you and guiding you through the process. Your realtor will help you decide how much to offer and what other terms to include in your offer. Keep in mind that most sellers will reject low ball offers outright. So, be prepared to make a realistic offer and to negotiate in good faith.







For more information go to our buyer website

Las Vegas & Virginia Foreclosures First Hand

In Las Vegas, NV this week. This post will be on the housing market in this incredible place.

Las Vegas, NV has been one of the hardest hit foreclosure places in the entire country. Foreclosures are also heavy in the states of Florida and California.
Even though we are saddened by this awful economy, it is a good opportunity for buyers interested in long term investments to stock up. You will benefit from owning a house or two, but it also is a great gesture for the economy and adds an infusion every time someone steps up to the plate to buy one of these homes.
Also, turn around and rent your purchase to one of the folks that have had a foreclosure, they need the break and they are often one of the best quality renters you will ever have. It will also make you feel great to help another person that just needs a break.
We owe it to our fellow neighbors to help in this crisis. Those who have need to help those who need a little jump start.
We'll be in Los Angeles on Thursday night and will you a first hand account of what is going on there as well. Signing off.....................Cindy & Steve
For more information go to our buyer website

Understanding VA foreclosures (government-owned homes)

Any buyer who is considering purchasing a property at a foreclosure sale must understand the process. It can be quite daunting and rather complicated. So, buyer beware.Under Virginia law, there are two types of foreclosures, judicial and non-judicial. Judicial foreclosures, which require court approval before they are finalized and can take as long as a year, are not as common as non-judicial foreclosures.A non-judicial foreclosure is authorized whenever a lender has included a “power of sale” clause in the deed of trust signed by the borrower at closing. The power of sale clause essentially gives the borrower notice that the lender can move forward with foreclosure proceedings upon the borrower's default after giving the borrower the notice required by law. The power of sale clause gives the lender or its representative, usually a trustee, the authority to move forward with a non-judicial foreclosure sale.Virginia law requires that the foreclosure sale be advertised in a particular manner. If the deed of trust specifies the procedures for advertising and conducting the sale, those procedures must be followed. Even if the deed of trust specifies the procedure for advertising the sale, Virginia law requires the lender to advertise the sale once a day for three days which may be consecutive days. This is in addition to any advertising requirement set forth in the deed of trust.If the deed of trust does not specify the procedure for advertising the sale, the lender must advertise the sale once a week for the four weeks immediately before the sale. If the property being foreclosed is near a city, the lender may advertise the sale for five consecutive days. If for some reason, the sale is postponed, the postponement must be advertised in the same manner as the foreclosure sale.The foreclosure sale can take place no earlier than eight days after the first advertisement is published. Nor can it take place more than thirty days after the last advertisement is published. The foreclosure sale is an auction style sale where the highest bidder wins. Anyone other than the trustee may bid at the foreclosure sale, including written, one-price bidders. The trustee must announce all written, one-price bids at the foreclosure sale and anyone in attendance at the sale as the right to inspect written, one-price bids. The trustee can require the highest bidder at the foreclosure sale to make a cash deposit of 10% of the bid. If the deed of trust specifies a deposit of more or less than 10% of the bid, the trustee must collect a deposit in that amount.The lender must serve the defaulted borrower with notice of the sale at least fourteen days before the scheduled date of the foreclosure sale. The lender can serve the defaulted borrower with a copy of the advertisement or a notice that contains the same information as the advertisement.The foreclosure sale advertisement must include any information required by the deed of trust and may include the property address, the tax identification number, and the legal description. Additionally, it must include the date, time, and place of the foreclosure sale as well as the terms of the sale. The name, address, and telephone number of the trustee and the person who can answer questions about the sale must be included in the advertisement.At any time prior to the sale, a defaulted borrower may stop the foreclosure by curing the default (bringing the loan current) and by paying costs and reasonable attorney's fees. Once a non-judicial foreclosure sale has taken place, the defaulted borrower doesn't have a right to redeem the property.Virginia law requires that the proceeds from a foreclosure sale be applied as follows:n To the expenses of executing the trustn To pay all taxes, levies, and assessments, including costs and interest if they have priority over the foreclosed deed of trustn To pay, in their order of priority, the remaining debts and obligations secured by the deed and any inferior liens of records, such as second trust deedsn To the defaulted borrowerVirginia law does not set any limits on a lender's right or ability to obtain a deficiency judgment. This means that if highest bid at the foreclosure sale is not enough to payoff the deed of trust, the lender can attempt to collect the difference from the defaulted borrower.This article is meant to be an general overview of the non-judicial foreclosure process in Virginia. Anyone considering bidding on a property at a foreclosure sale is encouraged to seek the advice of an experienced real estate attorney before doing so.For more information go to our buyer website

The Truth on the current foreclosure rescue plan

Why are things so bad?
Because as lenders mark down their assets, the amount that they have loaned previously becomes much riskier in relation to their assets. For example, say a bank has $1 million in assets and say they have $15 million in loans outstanding. Their ratio is an acceptable 15 to 1. But should they take a paper write down of $500 thousand due to "mark to market" requirements, their ratio suddenly changes to 30 to 1. This is because their assets are now only $500 thousand after taking the paper loss, while their loans outstanding are $15 million. And at 30 to 1 this bank is viewed as a risky investment.
So the stock price starts to get hit, it becomes harder to borrow, and most importantly harder to make money. The bank is then forced to sell some of its loans to reduce its ratio...at cheap prices. And this makes the vicious cycle continue.
And a quick look at the holdings of these loans show that 95% are problem free. Additionally, the Credit Default Swaps (CDS) that are used with the pools of mortgages are relatively safe. But this requires a bit of understanding.You see, when a pool of mortgage loans is put together, it isn't just A paper or B paper etc….it's everything. It’s got some A paper, B paper, C paper…and even what looks like toilet paper. An "A" investor buys the whole pool but because they are an "A" investor their safety is greater because they can avoid the first 20% (an example) of defaults. So they own the whole pool but are sheltered from the first batch of defaults, and for this they get the lowest rate of return.
As you can figure from here the more risk investors want to take, the higher the return. So the investments are relatively safe, but the accounting rules currently place undue pressure on the banking institutions.
Now add to all this, the opportunistic “shorting” done on the financial stocks, much of it illegal because those shorts did not legitimately borrow shares (called naked shorting), and you exacerbate this whole problem. Thank goodness for the recent temporary ban on shorting in the financial sector.
As for the plan the government is the only one who can step in to do this. And they have to do this. And they will do this. The nauseating political posturing from both sides is just part of the process. This is not easy to understand for the general public. In fact most politicians don't get this either.

That's why this bill was difficult yet critical for them to vote on. Once this is done, it will take some time but the markets will stabilize. As for the real estate and mortgage industries, it will take a bit of time but we will make it through this. Rates will remain attractive and the influx of credit availability will help the housing market gradually improve.
This ultimately will be the medicine needed to improve the situation overall.

For more information go to our buyer website.

Contributor Susan Whitley, GMMC & Senior loan officer

Now Is a Great Time to Buy A Virginia Foreclosure Home

With the current economic crisis and the failure of Washington Mutual, Wachovia, IndyMac and other banks, many people have decided to wait it out rather than to purchase a home now. The media is full of gloom and doom about the housing crisis and much of what they say is statistically accurate. Housing prices are down. Sales are down. The number of foreclosures has skyrocketed.

Additionally, obtaining loans has become more difficult. The death of the subprime mortgage business has certainly resulted in lenders tightening loan requirements. Moreover, many loan products, such as no document and stated income loans, are no longer being offered by a number of lenders. Those that are still offering these types of loan products have implemented very stringent approval requirements. However, this doesn't mean that a buyer cannot obtain a loan. It simply means that a buyer must have good credit, a solid employment history, and the clear ability to repay a loan.

What the media is not telling us is why these very market conditions make now a very good time to buy a home. It precisely because home prices are down and interest rates are low that makes now the best time to buy. Even though there is no guarantee that housing prices will go up within the next few years, if past trends are any indication of what the future will hold for the real estate market, chances are we will be experiencing an upturn in the next three to five years. So, by purchasing a home now, you will be taking a calculated risk that your property's value will have increased by the time you are ready to sell three or more years down the road.

Because of the tremendous increase in the number of foreclosures, buying a home has become much more affordable. Banks are not in the business of owning real estate. For this reason, many banks are willing to accept as much as 15-20% below the list price for properties upon which they have foreclosed and are currently trying to sell. This is significant because a buyer of a foreclosed property will be able to get into the house for less and will have built-in equity. Once the market turns around, the buyer will have even more equity than his counterparts who purchased from an individual seller.

Despite the fact that we are currently in a buyer's market, sellers, including banks, are unwilling to simply give their properties away. For this reason, it's important to have an experienced and knowledgeable realtor advising you and guiding you through the process. Your realtor will help you decide how much to offer and what other terms to include in your offer. Keep in mind that most sellers will reject low ball offers outright. So, be prepared to make a realistic offer and to negotiate in good faith.

Is this bill going to help First time buyers resume home buying?

"1 hurdle down, many more to go for the economy". Bailout passed.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2008-10-05-rescue-bailout_N.htm

Renting? You've Got to be Kidding Me!

Many Renters believe they cannot afford to purchase a home. The usual reasons are not typically valid. For example, many renters feel their credit has suffered in some way or they can’t qualify for the monthly payment of a mortgage. Some even assume the monthly mortgage payments will be too much too handle over their current rental responsibilities. It’s so much easier than most people think to buy a home today. In fact, with the financial crisis currently setting a gloomy mood for the real estate and mortgage industry, it is the most fabulous time for 1st time homebuyers to take advantage of the best opportunity they may have ever had to purchase a home.

While it is true that a borrower’s credit history must be in decent enough shape for one of the loans available for 1st time buyers, in most cases there is one that will fit into each person’s profile.

A lot of first time buyers haven’t realized yet that they can pay about the same monthly mortgage payment as they are currently flushing down the toilet for rent. So, with the possible tax benefits of homeownership, it may be cheaper to own a home than to rent.
There are many purchase options for the 1st time homebuyer. Some of our favorites are Virginia foreclosure purchases. Many programs, such as HUD or VHDA, can offer great financing as well as incredible home prices for the first time homebuyer to take advantage of.

Owning a home is not only a lifelong dream for most people, but it is crucial to retirement survival. First time homebuyers may not be thinking about this right now, but a thirty year mortgage needs to start as early as possible. By planning adequately, you can have your mortgage paid off in time before that set retirement income starts. Retirement income, social security, and even annuities are not enough to cover future rental increases. No one really wants to live with their kids. Do you?

First time homebuyers need to look for specialists to help them so they can get the best bang for the buck. For example, if you are interested in buying a home well below its fair market value but you need it to be in good condition so you won’t fail to close due to conditional loan requirements, then you should only work with a foreclosure authority. Additionally, first time homebuyers need a lender and real estate agent that are familiar with their particular financing types. These specialists will understand what homes you can consider so you can avoid properties without adequate overall condition. Many buyers ask for a “fix up” home since the perception is a lower cost home. Unfortunately, many buyers don’t have enough money to buy a home without needing a mortgage. All mortgages have requirements that must be adhered to.

A lot of the foreclosure properties are in good condition and are loan worthy. Many of the foreclosures have been inspected to allow potential buyers the opportunity to uncover any repairs or conditions the home may need prior to making a purchase commitment. Also, most foreclosure companies allow for home inspections to be conducted and allow for that contingency.
On the other hand, just because a property is a foreclosure doesn’t make it a good deal. The sales cost may be low, but the buyer must consider the amount of money needed to return the home to a livable condition. Having an agent that is also an investor is helpful so you can properly assess these important variables accurately through their experienced eyes.

Considering the future cost of renting a home allows individuals to see how much money they are wasting every month. When renting a home, the money will never be recouped. It is like throwing money away every month. Even if the mortgage payment increases, the financial benefit is greater. Considering the average renter spends more on their monthly rent payment than a mortgage, it just doesn’t make sense to continue on this path.

Hundreds of thousands of foreclosed properties are waiting for a new owner. Many renters have found they can find a distressed, foreclosed, or HUD owned property for a bargain giving them plenty of room to turn their purchase into a home.

For more 1st time buyer information, click here.