Archive for the ‘Economics’ Category

Loan modification programs - all of which, until now, have focused on those who are delinquent - have been talked about ad nauseam on discussion boards and in the comments sections of blogs all across the real estate “blogosphere.” Many have become so fed up that they’re ready to dismiss the entire country as one [...]

For those who didn’t hear of the news yesterday that the Federal Reserve plans on pumping $1.2 trillion in the U.S. economy, let me assure you that this is BIG news. It was no surprise that the Federal Open Market Committee kept the federal funds rate at .25%, and economists expect that rate to stay [...]

There has been a lot of griping about the federal housing bailout, primarily centered on the fact that only those who have irresponsibly borrowed more than they could afford are the only folks who will receive any help. Many is the article I’ve read where someone comments by saying, “well, I’ll just stop paying my [...]

While we’re all waiting to see what kind of change, if any, President Barack Obama and his administration will bring to the economy in general, those of us that are closely tied to real estate and the housing market are especially curious about what is in our immediate future. Without going too far out on [...]

Stated income mortgages, sometimes referred to “liar loans” because they do not require that the borrower provide proof of income (in the form of two years’ tax documents), are coming back to haunt some homeowners who are now having trouble and wish to modify their mortgages.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal Article, the Hope [...]

Everything to do with mortgage loans is a hot topic these days. From the three consecutive weeks of lower rates for the 30-year fixed rate mortgage, to the collapse of mortgage companies and the federal stewardship of formerly quasi-public companies Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, mortgages have gotten almost as much play in the media [...]

Forgive me for being a bit late to post on this topic, but given that the news was announced on New Year’s Eve and I, like most of the western world, was celebrating the coming of 2009 (or, more to the point, a good riddance to 2008), perhaps my tardiness is understandable.
The long and short [...]

It’s 2009, so I say it’s time for nothing but good news. Well, I won’t actually hesitate to talk about the bad things that are happening in the real estate and credit markets (and there is going to be a lot more bad news). I will, however, always make sure to see the glass as [...]

I love it when writers for national and local newspapers and magazines back me up. I’ve been preaching (more like screaming at a brick wall) in this space that it’s a great time to buy a home. Not only is this good for me as an agent and a homeowner with my own house on [...]

I wrote yesterday about my Christmas wish list. The news that 2008 will see the evaporation of $2 Trillion worth of home value goes right against the grain of everything warm and fuzzy and “holiday-like,” but I’m going to write about it here anyway. And hope that a lot of that value comes back in [...]