foreclosure

Getting A Mortgage if you have had a Short Sale in the Past

September 10, 2013

Getting a mortgage might be easier than expected even if you had a short sale.  In this episode of Arizona Mortgage News Insider Update, Mike Goblet discusses the various paths a person can take to get the mortgage they are looking for.  Conditions in the mortgage market are changing.  If you are looking to get […]

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What It Means When More Than Half Of The Delinquent Homeowners Go Delinquent Again

December 9, 2008

Earlier this year and under pressure from the government, mortgage lenders made more than 200,000 loan modifications to delinquent homeowners. The modifications came in one of three forms, or a combination: Interest rate reduction Loan term extension Principal forgiveness But despite the modifications, as of October 1, more than half of the homeowners that received assistance were already two months behind on their modified monthly payments.

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Existing Home Sales Are Relatively Unchanged Going On 14 Months Now

November 25, 2008

In real estate, the term existing home refers to a “used” property; one that can’t be classified as new construction. The number of existing homes sold each month is tracked by the National Association of REALTORS. The report is often used as a gauge for the health of the real estate market nationwide. In October, […]

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4 States Account For 51 Percent Of The Nation’s October 2008 Foreclosures

November 15, 2008

Foreclosure is a hot topic among the press lately. It’s hard to turn on the television or open up a newspaper without seeing a story about it. But what’s most interesting about foreclosures is that they appear to be concentrated in certain areas of the country. According to the foreclosure-tracking service RealtyTrac, 4 states accounted […]

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Foreclosures Fell 12 Percent in September 2008

October 23, 2008

According to foreclosure-tracking service RealtyTrac, the foreclosure rate is falling nationwide. Versus August, foreclosures fell by 12 percent in September 2008 as more than half of the states showed month-over-month improvement. Most interesting in the data is that several states that led the foreclosure boom in 2007 now appear to be leading the charge out of it. For […]

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Foreclosures Fell 12 Percent in September 2008

October 10, 2008

According to foreclosure-tracking service RealtyTrac, the foreclosure rate is falling nationwide. Versus August, foreclosures fell by 12 percent in September 2008 as more than half of the states showed month-over-month improvement. Most interesting in the data is that several states that led the foreclosure boom in 2007 now appear to be leading the charge out […]

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Fannie Mae Halves One Of Its Mandatory Loan Fees

October 3, 2008

In an effort to provide “the most market support possible”, Fannie Mae is cutting one of its mandatory loan fees by 0.250 percent, effective immediately. Fannie Mae introduced the Adverse Market Delivery Charge in December 2007 to offset foreclosure and delinquency losses.  The initial fee was a quarter-percent of the amount borrowed. Then, as market conditions […]

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The Pros and Cons Of Making A 401(k) Hardship Withdrawal

October 2, 2008

As household budgets get pinched and credit markets tighten, a growing number of Americans are making “hardship withdrawals” from their 401(k) plans. One major fund group cites a 15 percent increase in activity from this time last year for various reasons including staving off foreclosure and medical emergency. However, 401(k) loans should only be made with careful […]

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Converting Your Primary Residence To An Investment Property? You May Not Qualify For Your Next Mortgage.

August 26, 2008

When a homeowner buys a new home, he has 3 options of what to do with his current residence: Sell the home, paying off the mortgage in full Keep the home as a second/vacation home Convert the home to an investment property The most common action plan is the first one — sell the home and pay […]

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The Median Home Sales Price Fell Nationally, But “National” Data Is Irrelevant

August 15, 2008

Each month, the National Association of Realtors® releases a study called the Existing Home Sales report.  It’s a detailed look at “used” home sales data from all four regions of the country. One of the key findings in each Existing Home Sales report is something called the “median sales price”, the statistical price point at which half […]

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Foreclosure Rates Are Falling (Despite What You See In The Headlines)

July 10, 2008

According to RealtyTrac, the rate of foreclosures across the U.S. is slowing.  Versus May, June foreclosures fell at a 3 percent clip. 25 states showed improvement month-over-month, led by many of the same areas that had fueled foreclosure activity in 2007. A sampling of RealtyTrac’s data includes: California : Foreclosures down 4.54 percent Georgia : […]

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Guess Which 4 States Accounted For More Than 50 Percent Of May 2008 Foreclosures

June 13, 2008

RealtyTrac released its most recent foreclosure statistics and if you only read the headlines, you think the entire country was on the verge of losing its homes. The underlying data tells a different story, however. More than half of the country’s foreclosure activity in May 2008 was tied to just 4 states in the union: California (28 […]

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The 80/20 Rule Applies To Foreclosures

April 29, 2008

RealtyTrac released Q1 2008 foreclosure statistics and the data follows an interesting statistical phenomenon most commonly known as the “80/20 Rule”. The 80/20 Rule states that 80 percent of the effects come from 20 percent of the causes. In this case, 80 percent of bank repossessions in the first three months of 2008 came from […]

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Before Co-Signing For A Mortgage, Consider The Deeper Implications

April 22, 2008

As mortgage lenders limit how much money they will lend and to whom, co-signing home loans is growing in popularity. “Co-signing” a home loan is when a third-party — usually a parent or relative — promises to make repayments to the bank in the event that the borrower falls behind on his obligations. Money experts usually […]

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How Picking Up The Telephone Can Reduce The National Foreclosure Rate

March 7, 2008

“Foreclosure” is the legal process by which a bank repossesses a home from a borrower and, according to RealtyTrac, 1 out of every 100 homes were in some stage of the foreclosure process in 2007. This figure is astounding because foreclosure is expensive to both homeowners and banks.  Both parties have an interest in avoiding […]

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Recession or Inflation? Even Fed Members Don’t Know For Sure.

March 5, 2008

With Friday’s jobs report looming, mortgage markets are especially skittish about whether the economy is in a recession, or facing inflation. Four Fed speakers Tuesday did little to quell the debate: 9:00 A.M.: Fed Chairman Bernanke stayed on message that foreclosures and falling home values are dragging down the economy. 10:00 A.M.: Fed Vice Chairman […]

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Consider Protecting Against Injury Before Protecting Against Death

January 9, 2008

Some quick statistics: 13% of Americans will die before age 65 28% of Americans will face a long-term disability before age 65 and be unable to work and/or earn an income Despite these facts, Americans are twice as likely to be insured on their lives as on their long-term health. Life insurance is important, but is much […]

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Where You Find Speculators, You May Also Find Failures

November 14, 2007

This morning, RealtyTrac released its Q3 2007 foreclosure data for the United States. The leading cities for foreclosures are: Stockton, CA (1 per 31 households) Detroit, MI (1 per 33 households) Riverside/San Bernardino, CA (1 per 43 households) Fort Lauderdale, FL (1 per 48 households) Las Vegas, NV (1 per 48 households) Sacramento, CA (1 […]

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Just Because You Can Borrow From a 401(k) Plan Doesn’t Mean That You Should

October 19, 2007

According to the Wall Street Journal, the number of Americans taking loans against their 401(k) plans is increasing because most plans allow participants to borrow funds to purchase a home or to avoid foreclosure. But just because the avenue is there, though, doesn’t mean that borrowing from a 401(k) is a good idea. Here’s why: When you […]

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Why Alerting Your Mortgage Lender About Bad News In Advance Is Better Than Surprising Them

July 31, 2007

Having trouble paying your mortgage?  You aren’t alone.  According to RealtyTrac, 1 out of every 134 homes filed for foreclosure in the first half of 2007. More and more, though, mortgage companies are doing their best to work things out with delinquent homeowners. Loss of a job or a sudden medical emergency are just some […]

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