Residential Real Estate

Foreclosure Rate Leveling Off

Finally, the nation’s foreclosure epidemic has started to plateau and dwindle. RealtyTrac, the online marketer of foreclosed properties recently reported that the America’s foreclosure rate dropped by about 5 percent during he first half of 2010. Their information includes the full array of foreclosure variations such as notes of delinquency, auction notices and repossessions.

This is a small glimmer of hope for the real estate industry, especially since experts are predicting that the 2010 Foreclosure rate is expected to eclipse the numbers reached in 2009. In a separate article, RealtyTrac reported that at this time, the country is on target to experience more than 1,000,000 foreclosures by year-end.

According to RealtyTrac CEO James Saccacio, the dichotomy of the information is revealing the “tale of two trends” and it is being fueled by lenders working with homeowners more aggressively to stave foreclosure proceeding. Mortgage providers are in the business of loaning money, not property management or sales. Lenders are currently in the process of cleaning up their records and removing foreclosed properties from the book.

Prevention is the only way to control the trend and lenders are finally committing their efforts to either modifying mortgages on the verge of default or accepting more short sale bids. The move is extremely important, as decreased home values have put many homeowners underwater on their mortgages. Simply put, these unfortunate borrowers owe more money on their homes than they are currently worth. Until recently lenders have been extremely stubborn in assisting that client base, but they’re new found flexibility is helping curb the trend.

If you previously tried to refinance your underwater mortgage without success, now is the time to give it another shot.

Article Source: Mary-Jane Olson

Donna Sanford

Phone: 888 381 8654
Email: donna@yoursolution4re.com

Real Estate Investor | Short Sale Professional
Real Estate Transaction Negotiator | Real Estate Investing Services


Your Solution 4 Real Estate, Inc.
Bauer Hill & Associates, LLC
Area Short Sale Pros, LLC
Tri-County Capital Partners, LLC


Twitter - Donna Sanford
Twitter - Short Sale Pro

Area Short Sale Pros, LLC negotiates short sales on behalf of homeowners, Realtors and buyers/investors and we act as a neutral third party in the transaction. We have partnered with the best short sale negotiators who have over 50 years of combined industry experience and focus specifically on Short Sales. What makes us unique is our extensive contacts with lenders who know we are working for both buyer and seller as a third party negotiator and this gives us the “edge” over others. We service customers in all 50 states and work with all lenders and mortgage servicers. We are professionals with a proven track record for achieving positive outcomes for our clients. Call us now at 888-381-8654.

Short Sale Flips and Seasoning

Recently many of the financial institutions are expressing concern about flips by investors in general and specifically short sale flips.

A flip is when an investor gets control of a piece of property as the buyer and they find a third party who purchases the real estate shortly after closing. Let’s take a look at how this relates to the real estate investor who is doing a short sale flip. The investor takes control of a property from a distressed property owner. The investor negotiates a sales price which is submitted to the lending institution. The lending institution agrees on a fair market price for the property. Once the fair market price is established, the investor finds a buyer to purchase the property at a fair market value. The distressed property owner has reduced his liability by the investor taking control of the property. The lender has reduced their liability by removing the distressed property from their inventory and the ultimate buyer has received a property which is the fair market value as they see it. This seems like a very workable and smart business decision on all participants.

The banking institutions find something sinister about these transactions so they have decided to add a clause in their documentation requiring “seasoning”. This seasoning can result in the investor being required to hold the property in inventory for between 30 to 90 days before you can sell the property to the third party. In addition, they are requesting that the investor notify the lender, seller and buyer how much the investor initially paid for the property as well as how much they sold the property to the end buyer. This spread is the investor’s profit in the transaction.

Many of the business books I have studied indicate the free market system is “Where buyers and sellers can make the deals they wish to make without any interference, except by the forces of demand and supply. A stock market comes closest to this ideal.” (BusinessDictionary.com)

Now let me try to understand what the “Law of Supply and Demand” looks like. BusinessDictionary.com’s definition for “Law of Supply and Demand” is as follows: “Common sense principle which defines the generally observed relationship between demand, supply, and prices: as demand increases the price goes up which attracts new suppliers who increase the supply bringing the price back to normal. However, in the marketing, of high price (prestige) goods, such as perfumes, jewelry, watches, cars, liquor, a low price may be associated with low quality, and may reduce demand.”

Now let’s ask several questions – Why would a firm (banking institution) who sold their distressed product want to retain liability on the product for 30 – 90 days? Why would an individual, who has been distressed while owning a product, want to know what happened to the product after they no longer have responsibility for that product.

Let’s close with this: The free market system is where buyers and sellers make deals they wish to make without any interference except by the common sense principle defined as the generally observed relationship between demand, supply and prices.

Are these recent moves prolonging the recession in general and the housing crisis in particular?

Article Source: Tom Fitzgerald with Ezine Articles

Donna Sanford

Phone: 888 381 8654
Email: donna@yoursolution4re.com

Real Estate Investor | Short Sale Professional
Real Estate Transaction Negotiator | Real Estate Investing Services


Your Solution 4 Real Estate, Inc.
Bauer Hill & Associates, LLC
Area Short Sale Pros, LLC
Tri-County Capital Partners, LLC


Twitter - Donna Sanford
Twitter - Short Sale Pro

Area Short Sale Pros, LLC negotiates short sales on behalf of homeowners, Realtors and buyers/investors and we act as a neutral third party in the transaction. We have partnered with the best short sale negotiators who have over 50 years of combined industry experience and focus specifically on Short Sales. What makes us unique is our extensive contacts with lenders who know we are working for both buyer and seller as a third party negotiator and this gives us the “edge” over others. We service customers in all 50 states and work with all lenders and mortgage servicers. We are professionals with a proven track record for achieving positive outcomes for our clients. Call us now at 888-381-8654.

Joint Venture in Real Estate

Joint Venture is termed for a venture or a project achieved jointly or combined, a project which has been achieved by the collaboration of two or more parties. In real estate, joint venture means that a project is developed by two parties jointly. This generally happens where one party would have his land and the other party would be interested to develop a project on that land.

Some time the owner of the land could not develop it because of many reasons such as he doesn’t have the expertise or he doesn’t have the fund and likewise for the other party who want to develop might not have a land in the prime location where he can build up a nice project.

So, if these two parties join together on a mutual understanding they sign an agreement which is termed as joint venture agreement. This agreement comprises legal understand like will there be any advance or good-will money be paid by developer to land owner? Advance is the amount which a developer needs to pay to land owner which would be refunded by the land owner after completion of the project. If any problem arises while constructing, because of which they couldn’t complete the project, then that advance Amount will not be paid back.

Good-will money is the amount which a developer need to pay to land owner for developing the project and this is not refundable. This would remain with the land owner even after completion of project.

Now when the project is completed, the property will be divided between the land owner and builder, the ratio is worked out between 60-40 or 50-50 which mean that builder will keep 60% and owner will keep 40% or both will keep 50%. This division done is basis of the built up area. Built up area dependents on the site area and the road width where the site is situated, for a 30ft road width one can maximum have build up area as 1.6 times the site area, following are the regularities for different roads

30ft road 1.6

40ft road 2.0

40ft-60ft road 2.5

60ft to 100ft 3

above 100ft more than 3 and generally more than 100ft won’t be there for residential purpose

So now lets take this example to even simplify of what we have said above:-

Let take a site which is 20000 sqft and the road width is 40ft road so maximum built-up area should be 40000 sqft. Lets assume the joint venture agreement between owner and builder is fixed as 50-50 ratio and also the owner of the land get 1cr as advance. Generally the property building cost would be Rs. 1000 per sqft, so to build 40000sqft it is 40000*1000 = Rs 40000000. After completely building the apartment, the builder would get to sell his 50% share of the total 40000 sqft which is 20000 sqft. Lets assume the apartment selling rate is worked out to be Rs. 2200 per sqft, then he will earn 20000*2200= Rs. 44000000, so builder’s total earnings for this apartment will come to Rs 4000000 minus the interest rates for the 1cr advance. Let say construction take 2 yrs to complete, so builder would lose the interest for 1cr for 2 yrs, which would come around 2400000, if he takes an interest rate of 12%. So finally builder’s total earning for this property would be 40l-24l=16l which is not good for his 2 years of work.

Likewise, lets take the land owner’s point of view, Let say that the land rate is Rs 2500 per sqft so by selling land owner will get 5cr and by doing joint venture he will earn 4.4cr + the interest on 1cr which would be 4.66cr which is 34l less than what he would have got without doing Joint Venture so its not feasible. So, eventually this deal wont work out for both the land owner and builder.

All the above calculation goes into paper to decide whether to go into joint venture or not. A sample copy of joint venture agreement can be drafted with a help of lawyer.

Article Source: Jeni Relo

Donna Sanford

Phone: 888 381 8654
Email: donna@yoursolution4re.com

Real Estate Investor | Short Sale Professional
Real Estate Transaction Negotiator | Real Estate Investing Services


Your Solution 4 Real Estate, Inc.
Bauer Hill & Associates, LLC
Area Short Sale Pros, LLC
Tri-County Capital Partners, LLC


Twitter - Donna Sanford
Twitter - Short Sale Pro

Area Short Sale Pros, LLC negotiates short sales on behalf of homeowners, Realtors and buyers/investors and we act as a neutral third party in the transaction. We have partnered with the best short sale negotiators who have over 50 years of combined industry experience and focus specifically on Short Sales. What makes us unique is our extensive contacts with lenders who know we are working for both buyer and seller as a third party negotiator and this gives us the “edge” over others. We service customers in all 50 states and work with all lenders and mortgage servicers. We are professionals with a proven track record for achieving positive outcomes for our clients. Call us now at 888-381-8654.

What Every Agent and Investor Should Know About Real Estate Closings

It is essential for all agents and investors to understand the basics of real estate closings.. Closings are a ceremonial process in the realm of real estate. Closings occur at an attorney’s office by appointment, not as a spontaneous act. While in other industries, the sales close may happen at the cash register or in a back office on an immediate buying decision, real estate closings require a minimum of 48 hours to setup and often can take up to four weeks. You should begin planning a close several days to weeks in advance of the actual date for closing. Each party should be notified at the proper point in order to have all of the required pieces come together at the appropriate time. Think of a closing as cooking a meal. You must know how much time in advance to start preparing each dish or all of the food will not be complete when it is time to eat.

Without a doubt, lenders will cause more delays to closing than any other source. The paperwork prepare does not usually take more than a few hours to put together, but they often demand documents from the attorney, buyer, and insurance agent. The time spent going back and forth connecting the lender and the other parties is what can shove a back a closing date. The best way to ensure that a lender will be on time is for you to know in advance what they will need and make sure that it is easily available to them. As we discuss the other parties to a closing there will be particular references to what you will need to do in advance so that the lender is not waiting.

When the attorney goes to the courthouse to review the historical documentation of ownership it is called “title work”. The attorney looks to see who is the legal owner and what liens (mortgages, construction liens, unpaid tax liens, etc) are held against the property. He then brings this information back to his office and writes up a Title Report listing everything that he has found. Often attorneys will refer to a title as “clean” if there are no surprises. If something comes up the report is referred to as clouded and the setbacks must be addressed in order to continue with the closing.

Do not wait to order title work. Title work can take two to five days to get back and if the title is clouded it can take several more days to tidy up the problems. You should order title work the day that you sign a contract. This gives you the most time possible to fix any problems that may arise and guarantees that the lender will have the title work as soon as they request it. We have seen numerous agents miss their closing dates because they forgot to order title work until a day or two before closing. The attorney could not get everything together on such abrupt notice and the lender needed a few extra days because they did not have the title work to examine. One agent set up a closing with an out of town seller that had to purchase airline tickets to come to the closing. Two days before closing, when the agent remembered to order title work, they found out that the closing date needed to be pushed back a week. The seller’s tickets were nonrefundable, and needless to say, they were not very excited.

Because title work often comes back clean in a couple of days, agents commonly make the mistake of waiting to order it until the last minute. Do not make this mistake. Order title work as soon as possible.

Edwin D Brown trains real estate investors on how to cash out their Lease Option buyers and Subject-to buyers as well as normal tenants using Credit Repair. His site offers free information for investors on how to grow their business along with case studies from his clients around the country.

Article Source: Edwin D Brown

Donna Sanford

Phone: 888 381 8654
Email: donna@yoursolution4re.com

Real Estate Investor | Short Sale Professional
Real Estate Transaction Negotiator | Real Estate Investing Services


Your Solution 4 Real Estate, Inc.
Bauer Hill & Associates, LLC
Area Short Sale Pros, LLC
Tri-County Capital Partners, LLC


Twitter - Donna Sanford
Twitter - Short Sale Pro

Area Short Sale Pros, LLC negotiates short sales on behalf of homeowners, Realtors and buyers/investors and we act as a neutral third party in the transaction. We have partnered with the best short sale negotiators who have over 50 years of combined industry experience and focus specifically on Short Sales. What makes us unique is our extensive contacts with lenders who know we are working for both buyer and seller as a third party negotiator and this gives us the “edge” over others. We service customers in all 50 states and work with all lenders and mortgage servicers. We are professionals with a proven track record for achieving positive outcomes for our clients. Call us now at 888-381-8654.

Smart Investors Are Choosing Real Estate

There’s no question that the US has seen better times in terms of financial stability than the current economic conditions. Many investors lost their shirts last year when the stock market plummeted. This has left a lot of investors a bit gun shy and afraid to invest any more money. A lot of people are holding their money close to their chests in fear of another big stock market down turn.

Ironically enough, this is the one of he worst things that they could possible do with their money considering the current economic conditions. Basic investing principles teach us that we should do all we can to purchase investments at the lowest possible price. It can be tough to time the market properly and know when the best time to buy certain investments is. After all, an investment can either go up or down in the blink of an eye.

We are in a very interesting time for investors right now. Smart investors are seeing real estate as a very appealing investment because so many of the real estate markets are in a slump. It’s not hard at all to find undervalued land at amazing prices right now.

We’re in the middle of one of the best “buyers markets” in recent history. A smart investor can almost name their price on properties that they are interested in purchasing. Now is a great time to pick up undeveloped land to hold onto until the market rebounds.

One thing that is almost as certain as death and taxes is that real estate purchased now at undervalued prices will quickly go up in value. Those who are wise enough to buy land now will be laughing all the way to the bank in the coming years.

Article Source: Patty Hahne

Donna Sanford

Phone: 888 381 8654
Email: donna@yoursolution4re.com

Real Estate Investor | Short Sale Professional
Real Estate Transaction Negotiator | Real Estate Investing Services


Your Solution 4 Real Estate, Inc.
Bauer Hill & Associates, LLC
Area Short Sale Pros, LLC
Tri-County Capital Partners, LLC


Twitter - Donna Sanford
Twitter - Short Sale Pro

Area Short Sale Pros, LLC negotiates short sales on behalf of homeowners, Realtors and buyers/investors and we act as a neutral third party in the transaction. We have partnered with the best short sale negotiators who have over 50 years of combined industry experience and focus specifically on Short Sales. What makes us unique is our extensive contacts with lenders who know we are working for both buyer and seller as a third party negotiator and this gives us the “edge” over others. We service customers in all 50 states and work with all lenders and mortgage servicers. We are professionals with a proven track record for achieving positive outcomes for our clients. Call us now at 888-381-8654.

Investing in Mortgages, Trust Deeds, Or Contracts

It is not difficult. It’s just you loaning your money to another party. The loan is secured by a Mortgage, Trust Deed or Contract, on Real Estate. There are different ways you can invest in these loans. You can make the loan yourself to another party or you can buy an existing loan. There are several different names for these security instruments, and they are structured differently as well. Let’s briefly examine some of them. Mortgages and Trust Deeds are the documents securing the loan on the Real Estate. These documents are recorded showing the evidence of debt. There is one significant difference between the two. With the Trust Deed there is a separate note which is not recorded. With Mortgages and Trust Deeds, the borrower owns and has a deed to the Real Estate.

There are other debt instruments which have different names (depending on what part of the country you are in). They may be called Contracts For Deed, Agreement For Sale, Land Contract, or perhaps other names I am not familiar with.

The significant difference between these instruments and Mortgage and Trust Deeds is that the borrower DOES NOT have a deed to the Real Estate until the loan is paid off. The lender holds the title to the property and when the loan is paid, the lender deeds the property to the borrower. Sometimes these instruments are recorded but most often probably not.

In our subsequent discussions, to keep it simple, let’s just refer to all these debt instruments as mortgages. Investing in mortgages can be very lucrative with yields (return on your investment) that can range anywhere from 10% to 18% (more or less). Obviously the greater yields will normally go along with greater risk. However, if the investor is prudent and does proper “due diligence”, I can’t think of any investment today which offers a better and more predictable return.

Now, let’s talk about that “due diligence”. With investing in mortgages as with any investment, there are some risks. However, these risks can be minimized if the investor takes prudent precautionary measures.

So, lets discuss the preliminary steps to take to substantially reduce the risk.

1. Be sure you get Title Insurance -normally paid by the borrower if you are making a direct loan or by the mortgage seller if you are buying a loan; however, this is negotiable.

2. Have an independent Escrow company, Title company or an attorney prepare the correct documents to ensure that the necessary documents are recorded in your name.

3. It is a good idea to have the property securing the loan appraised unless you as the investor are knowledgeable enough to know that you have adequate security and equity above the loan.

4. If it is an improved property (has buildings on it – not just land) insist on Fire insurance on the property.

Article Source: Ezine Articles by Jack Rogers

Donna Sanford

Phone: 888 381 8654
Email: donna@yoursolution4re.com

Real Estate Investor | Short Sale Professional
Real Estate Transaction Negotiator | Real Estate Investing Services


Your Solution 4 Real Estate, Inc.
Bauer Hill & Associates, LLC
Area Short Sale Pros, LLC
Tri-County Capital Partners, LLC


Twitter - Donna Sanford
Twitter - Short Sale Pro

Area Short Sale Pros, LLC negotiates short sales on behalf of homeowners, Realtors and buyers/investors and we act as a neutral third party in the transaction. We have partnered with the best short sale negotiators who have over 50 years of combined industry experience and focus specifically on Short Sales. What makes us unique is our extensive contacts with lenders who know we are working for both buyer and seller as a third party negotiator and this gives us the “edge” over others. We service customers in all 50 states and work with all lenders and mortgage servicers. We are professionals with a proven track record for achieving positive outcomes for our clients. Call us now at 888-381-8654.