Tag: Belmont

Home Prices Rebound According to CNN Money – enjoy this shared article…

Home prices rebound

By Chris Isidore CNNMoney

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — In another sign of a turnaround in the long-battered real estate market, average home prices rebounded in July to the same level as they were nine years ago.

According to the closely watched S&P/Case-Shiller national home price index, which covers more than 80% of the housing market in the United States, the typical home price in July rose 1.6% compared to the previous month.

It marked the third straight month that prices in all 20 major markets followed by the index improved, and it would have been the fourth straight month of improvement across the full spectrum if not for a slight decline in Detroit in April.

The index was up 1.2% compared to a year earlier, an improvement from the year-over-year change reported for June. While home prices have been showing a sequential change in recent months, it wasn’t until June that prices were higher than a year earlier.

The July reading matched levels last seen in summer 2003, when the market was marching toward its peak in 2006. The collapse of the market after that led to the financial crisis of 2008.

“The news on home prices in this report confirm recent good news about housing,” said David Blitzer, Chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices. “Single-family housing starts are well ahead of last year’s pace, existing home sales are up, the inventory of homes for sale is down and foreclosure activity is slowing.”

Record low mortgage rates and a tighter supply of homes available for sale have helped to lift home prices. Lower unemployment also has helped with home prices, although job growth in recent months has been slower than hoped.

Earlier this month, the Federal Reserve announced it would buy $40 billion in mortgage bonds a month for the foreseeable future. This third round of asset purchases by the central bank, popularly known as QE3, is its effort to jump start the economy through even lower home loan rates.

Related: Best home deals in Best Places

Mike Larson, real estate analyst with Weiss Research, said part of the improvement in the housing market is due to investors using the low mortgage rates to buy up homes that are in foreclosure and renting them in a strong rental market.

But he said that he doesn’t think there’s much chance of housing prices forming any kind of new bubble in the foreseeable future.

“Clearly the worst is behind us for this market., but this is not a market that is going to take off again,” he said. “While you have a firming up, you still have tight lending standards and people who have been burned are reluctant or unable to get back in the market.” He predicts it will take several more years before housing prices can gain more than 1% to 2% a year.

Related: Buy or rent? 10 major cities

But that is good news for a housing market that was plagued by plunging home values and high foreclosure rates for much of the last six years. And the good news has the potential to build on itself, said Joseph LaVorgna, chief U.S. economist for Deutsche Bank.

“Housing remains a rare bright spot in an economy that is otherwise muddling through,” he wrote in a note to clients Tuesday. “The price trend for housing is significant, because it provides economic stimulus via stronger household balance sheets.”

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported that home prices had reached a 9-year high. In fact, they rebounded to the level last seen in summer 2003, before their peak several years later.

Curious about the local real estate market on the San Francisco Peninsula?  Email me! 

I read this article at: http://money.cnn.com/2012/09/25/real_estate/home-prices/index.html?source=linkedin

Got Questions? – The Caton Team is here to help.

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Thanks for reading – Sabrina

Offer Subject to Inspection – What Does That Mean?

As a Realtor I have a whole dictionary for just real estate jargon.  One of the most confusing terms, and often buyers will get the wrong idea about their agent, is “offer subject to inspection.”  So allow me a moment to explain what on earth this means.

“Offer subject to inspection” is a typical hurdle for buyers to overcome when shopping for homes that are tenant occupied.  The term means – the buyer can physically go in and SEE the home AFTER an offer is accepted.  Sounds a little backwards right?

And no – your agent is NOT trying to strong arm you and force you to buy a home without evening seeing it!

Generally this clause is for homes which are tenant occupied.  In order to preserve the rights of the tenant to have the quite enjoyment of their home – the tenant has the right to refuse prospective buyers to come in and see the home.  That is – until an offer is accepted by the seller, then the buyers has the right to inspect the home.

How does this work you ask?  The buyer must write a REAL offer since the terms are binding once accepted.  When the seller accepts the offer, the buyer will have a certain amount of days which is written into the contract to actually go in and see the home for the first time.  If the home is to their liking and the buyer wants to proceed with the contract – they do.  If the home is NOT to the buyers liking – for just about any reason – during the agreed upon days – the buyer will have the right to cancel the deal and walk away without any harm to both buyer and seller.

So you found a home you like – how do you write an offer?  If there are inspections available before hand – it makes our job of writing the offer a bit easier since we have a good idea of what the condition is.  If there are no inspections, and we haven’t seen the home, we drive by and gather as much info as we can with our eyes from the safety of the car.  We write the offer as best we can with the information provided and once the buyer has seen the home and had inspections we proceed with the new information – either by moving forward or discussing the new information with all parties and find a common and suitable outcome for all parties.

As strange as it seems – it happens more than you know.  For some buyers, they cannot imagine writing an offer for a home without ever seeing the home.  For investment buyers, this very typical and generally have no issues writing up a fair offer to get in.  Of course, what happens after a buyer gets to see the home is a far different story.  I have experienced both follow throughs on the contract and recessions – so truly we cross that bridge together when we get to it.

Which is truly at the root of what us Realtors do.  We are the buyers and sellers guides through Real Estate – what can The Caton Team do for you?

Got Questions? – The Caton Team is here to help.  Email us at:

Info@TheCatonTeam.com

Visit our website at:   http://thecatonteam.com/

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Please enjoy my personal journey through homeownership at:

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A Quick Review on Short Sales

SHORT SALES

What is a “Short Sale”?

A short sale is a property that will go into foreclosure if not sold before the three month “non-payment mark” and “notice of default” is filed. When an owner is in distress and they know they can no longer afford their mortgage    payment – they should contact their Realtor and their bank immediately to discuss the possibility of the bank receiving less than what is owed. The term “short sale” refers to the agreement that the bank will accept less than the amount of the loan they have on the property. This course of action is the last chance an owner has to get out of the loan and keep their head above water. A bank will not agree to a short sale if the owner has other assets they can   liquidate to bring the loan current.

Why Would a Bank Accept a Short Sale?

Banks would much rather not hold foreclosed property. And in a short sale they will probably receive more money than at a foreclosure sale. However, not all owners will qualify for a short sale agreement. The circumstances around a short sale vary. For example, perhaps through a job loss or other reason they have been unable to make regular     mortgage payments and that balance due plus late fees are added to the total loan amount. Suddenly the owner may owe more on their loan than the home can sell for. If the owner forecasts that they can no longer manage their monthly payments they will need to contact their bank in advance to    begin negotiations. However, the owner cannot have any other assets available. If so, those resources will have to be exhausted first before the bank will agree to a short sale. In this case, before the 3-month mark of    foreclosure – the owner can place the home on the market and see how much they get. The home will be listed by a Realtor and advertised as a short sale – where time is very much of the essence. Interested buyers will need to act quickly in order to purchase before foreclosure proceedings begin.

Another reason a short sale can become an option is when, due to market changes, a seller owes more on the property than it is currently worth. For example – Let’s say the owner purchased the home 2 years ago and paid top dollar for it. Since buying a home is a long-term investment; 2 years generally doesn’t give the owner time for the property to appreciate. Suddenly, for whatever reason, they are unable to make their monthly mortgage payment and cannot sell their property for what they purchased it for. They find themselves “upside down”. Meaning the market has changed and the value of the property has dropped from where it was when they purchased it. As professional Realtors – we advise our clients when purchasing a property that they will need to hold their investment for a minimum of 5 years to see appreciation. In this particular case, no matter what, the loan on the property is greater than what the home can be sold for. If the bank agrees, the home will be listed by a Realtor and advertised as a short sale where interested parities will need to act quickly before foreclosure proceedings begin.

Why Should a Buyer Consider Purchasing a Short Sale?

Because the clock is ticking on short sales – it can be very advantageous for the new buyer to purchase under these   circumstances. Short sales are no fault of the property. Your Realtor will do a comparative market analysis to inform you of current home values to help you better decide your purchase price. Although disclosures and inspections may not be available for the property – the opportunity to perform inspections is allowed by the bank. Time is of the  essence, so a buyer will have to act quickly. The bank has agreed for a limited time to take the highest offer received – there is the opportunity for the buyer to purchase the property at below market value – thus having instant equity.

Before you get involved with a short sale purchase or sale – consult a Real Estate Attorney and a professional Realtor.

For all your real estate questions please contact The Caton Team  Email:  Info@TheCatonTeam.com  Website:  http://thecatonteam.com/

 

Visit us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sabrina-Susan-The-Caton-Team-Realtors/294970377834

To read my personal journey through homeownership – visit http://ajourneythroughhomeownership.wordpress.com/  Enjoy!

A Quick Review on Foreclosures

With all the media coverage surrounding foreclosures, auctions and short sales we hear our clients ask for clarification every day. So here are some quick answers to these confusing questions. Please feel free to contact us to explain this further by email at Info@TheCatonTeam.com

FORECLOSURES

 How Do You Fall into Foreclosure?

When an owner can no longer afford their mortgage and stops making payments all together – they are waiting for the bank to foreclose on them. (Highly unadvisable course of action – contact your Professional Realtor for advice if you can no longer pay your mortgage immediately!) After about 3 months of non-payment, the bank will file a “notice of default” and inform the owner that unless they bring their account current immediately – they will be foreclosed upon. Meaning, the owner will be evicted, their credit ruined and the bank will take possession of the property. Now the bank owns the property and needs to sell it. They will either list the property with a Realtor and sell it as a “REO” – a bank owned property – or they will sell the property at auction to the highest bidder.

How Do You Buy a Foreclosure?

For those who are inexperienced in Real Estate – buying a foreclosure at auction is NOT the way to start investing. Generally, when the property goes to auction – the buyer must have liquid assets to purchase the property immediately. Generally one cannot acquire a loan to buy a foreclosed property at auction. Another concern is disclosures. A      property being sold in a foreclosure auction usually does not have inspections or disclosures informing the potential purchaser of the condition of the property or the condition of title. A drive by of the property is allowed and rarely there is a date to view the property where the buyer can bring their own inspectors to view the home at their own cost. This type of transaction is truly a “Buyer Beware” scenario.

However, instead of the bank auctioning off the property – they may list the home with a Realtor and sell it as a “REO”. In this case, the home is placed on the market like any other home sale and available to view with your     Realtor. Usually there are no disclosures or inspections of the property – if the buyer were concerned they would have to pay for their own inspections to determine the condition of the home. In some cases limited disclosures are available to the buyer – nonetheless, this is still a “Buyer Beware” scenario and as professional Realtors we advise all our clients to go forward and pay for their own inspections before they write an offer – or incorporate time for inspections in the offer.

Final Thoughts on Foreclosures

Though they sounds so tempting on TV, foreclosures can be a messy business and we haven’t even touched on the issues of other lien holders, tax liens, other loans remaining on the home or “investor” purchase issues. Before you get involved with a foreclosure purchase – consult a Real Estate Attorney.

For all your real estate questions – contact The Caton Team Email: Info@TheCatonTeam.com Website:   http://thecatonteam.com/

To read my personal journey through homeownership – visit http://ajourneythroughhomeownership.wordpress.com/  Enjoy!