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For Realty Professionals

Negative Equity Increasing

lisasheppard | March 6, 2012

Last Week, CoreLogic released their Negative Equity Report for the fourth quarter of 2011. The report delivered some important news. Let’s go over the key findings in the report. What Is Negative Equity? When a home’s current value is less ...

Will Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act Be Extended?

lisasheppard | February 21, 2012

Many of our readers have asked whether we believe the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 will be extended past its current expiration scheduled for the end of the year. As a reminder, the legislation ensures that homeowners who receiv...

Mortgage Settlement to Drive Increase in Foreclosures

lisasheppard | February 20, 2012

Last week, we explained that the National Mortgage Settlement gave banks a roadmap showing them how to proceed with the backlog of foreclosures (known as shadow inventory) that has been hanging over the housing market for more than a year. We b...

Two Things You May Have Missed

lisasheppard | February 16, 2012

Before the end of the year, Congress and the President agreed to extend the payroll tax cut. In that bill, there were two items of interest for those involved in real estate. 1.) The hike in the Guarantee Fees charged by the GSEs Fannie Mae an...

Finding a Nugget of Gold Buried in the Sand

lisasheppard | February 16, 2012

When the current foreclosure crisis first began, many tried to explain it away by pointing out that the majority of distressed properties were limited to what was then termed the four ‘sand states’ (Arizona, California, Nevada and Florida)....

Foreclosure Roadmap Included in Mortgage Settlement

lisasheppard | February 14, 2012

There has been much written on the recently negotiated National Mortgage Settlement. Most of the reporting has revolved around the $25 billion that will be issued to consumers and states that have been impacted by the robo-signing scandal of 20...

Do Appraisers Use Distressed Properties as Comparables?

lisasheppard | February 7, 2012

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). ...

What Does Warren Buffet Think About Buying A Home?

lisasheppard | January 30, 2012

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...

Why Deals Die

lisasheppard | January 26, 2012

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 ...

Another Bear Turns Bullish In Real Estate

lisasheppard | January 25, 2012

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 ...

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