From the Wall Street Journal Dec. 2009
By JAMES R. HAGERTY
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Four years after the collapse of the U.S. housing bubble, flipping homes is back in fashion.
Jon Mirmelli, a Phoenix real-estate investor, learned late in the morning of Sept. 28 that a never-occupied custom house on the northern fringes of this Phoenix suburb was going up for auction around noon the same day. The six-bedroom home, built on a three-acre desert plot, has a kitchen with two dishwashers, four ovens, "antibacterial" copper sinks, and a master "spa" bathroom with space for a flat-screen TV visible from the tub.
Flipping Foreclosures
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[SB10001424052748703558004574582221685703130]
Joshua Lott for The Wall Street Journal
Avraham Azoulay, left, and Donna Valva looked over their list of foreclosed houses outside the Maricopa County Court building during an auction in Phoenix, Dec. 3, 2009.
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The minimum bid, as set by a unit of Citigroup Inc., which had a $1.3 million mortgage on the home, was $379,900. After several minutes of bidding among investors and their representatives, some wearing shorts and flip-flops, Mr. Mirmelli won the home for $486,300. A week later, he agreed to sell it for $690,000 to a woman who moved in this month.
During the housing boom, millions of Americans tried to make money by buying and then quickly reselling new houses and condominiums. That kind of flipping stopped several years ago as home sales stalled amid a surge in foreclosures and curtailed lending.
Now, a different breed of flipper is proliferating: one who seeks bargains at foreclosure auctions. Unlike the boom-time flippers, the latest generation needs cold cash, lots of local-market knowledge and strong nerves.
Investors compete mostly with other full-time professionals who monitor foreclosure auctions at county courthouses across the country. The bidders often haven't had a chance to inspect the property or determine whether it's occupied by tenants, who may be hard to evict.
Sometimes "you have half an hour to make a half-million-dollar decision," says Damon Lines, an executive at PostedProperties.com, a Phoenix firm that provides information to foreclosure investors and bids on their behalf. "That's something most people can't or aren't willing to do."
In the states where home prices have fallen the most, many local real-estate markets are dominated by foreclosed property, dragging down the value of neighboring homes. Barclays Capital estimates that banks and mortgage investors have 639,000 foreclosed homes for sale across the U.S., largely concentrated in Florida, California, Arizona and Nevada. That's equivalent to more than 10% of expected U.S. home sales this year.
Journal Community
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“ Don't try this at home kids. It's still a risky business. ”
— Charlie Rose
Flippers swoop in at public auctions of foreclosed homes, known as trustee or sheriff sales. In many states, the lender sets the minimum bid, and takes possession of the property only if no one bids more. In the past, the minimum generally was about equal to the mortgage balance due. But in today's market, in which many home values have dropped far below the loan balance, lenders wouldn't attract investors if they set the minimum at that level.
So lenders, or the loan-servicing firms that represent banks and investors, are increasingly likely to set the minimum much lower. Their goal is to tempt others to buy the house and spare banks the headaches and costs that come with taking possession
Friday, December 11, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Truth Time! I’ve been forecasting market conditions and telling people not to sell unless they absolutely have to. Thank goodness for us
… we don’t have to. BUT, if we did, we’d have to face the harsh reality that many people are, unfortunately, faced with today.
We’ve owned our home for almost 10 years. We thought we had a great equity position. A recent sale of a property in our neighborhood
was so low that, IF we HAD TO SELL, we’d be affected terribly. IF we HAD TO SELL today, it’s clear that our mortgage balance is greater
than what the market would value our home. What a mess. 10 years of stability is all down the drain, IF we HAD TO SELL today.
Every property is subject to general market conditions, especially appraisals. Even if a Buyer agreed to pay what we wanted, chances are,
they couldn’t get a loan based on the recent sale of that property in our neighborhood. Now what?
Many of us are now faced with this dilemma, even though we want to stick our head in the sand. Through it all, I haven’t changed my
position. If you don’t have to sell now, don’t! If you must sell, you have no choice but to accept the current market conditions and price
your home competitively against the competition or else you will be like too many other homeowners … simply sitting on the market
with no offers.
But what if you owe more than you can get on the open market? Well, if you must sell, you have two choices. 1) Bring cash to closing; or
2) See if you qualify for a Short Sale. Obviously, neither option is exciting, but … if you must sell, you have to face this harsh reality.
In order to help our customers assess their situation, we have teamed up with a large Foreclosure Defense Law Firm and have worked out
a deal to offer our customers a FREE – NO OBLIGATION Attorney Consultation to help them decide what is best. Should they sell now
or later? Should they try and stay in house? Is a short sale a good option? How can they prevent foreclosure? Is it best to simply allow
the lender to foreclose? Is a Loan Modification a possibility? How about a refinance? Should they continue or stop making payments?
Is bankruptcy a good option? Should they stay in house or get out and rent or just do nothing? These are serious questions and our
customers deserve solid advice on these matters; advice that a real estate agent should not give.
It’s all so scary and confusing that most people who lose their homes do so WITHOUT any contact with their lender. We can help and we
will help when you speak to us without ANY obligation or initial cost. Every situation is unique and the rules are changing daily. Please
give the agent who delivered you this newsletter a call and let us help you determine your options.
I’m sorry for the overall negative tone of this issue, but its truth time. If you must sell now, you have to face the current situation. If you
don’t have to sell, be thankful and consider buying. While prices may not have hit rock bottom, they are certainly dragging close to it
and the fact remains that we are selling hundreds of homes each month, many within days of listing and many with multiple offers. The
good ones are going fast and once they’ve sold, they are no longer available. Let’s face it. Florida is a great place to live, and for now,
it’s on sale at 50% off! Call it Black Friday if you want, but there are deals happening now that we’ll look back at and kick ourselves for
not having taken advantage of.
Until next time, may you have fair weather and following seas!
CraigBeggins@C21Beggins.com
… we don’t have to. BUT, if we did, we’d have to face the harsh reality that many people are, unfortunately, faced with today.
We’ve owned our home for almost 10 years. We thought we had a great equity position. A recent sale of a property in our neighborhood
was so low that, IF we HAD TO SELL, we’d be affected terribly. IF we HAD TO SELL today, it’s clear that our mortgage balance is greater
than what the market would value our home. What a mess. 10 years of stability is all down the drain, IF we HAD TO SELL today.
Every property is subject to general market conditions, especially appraisals. Even if a Buyer agreed to pay what we wanted, chances are,
they couldn’t get a loan based on the recent sale of that property in our neighborhood. Now what?
Many of us are now faced with this dilemma, even though we want to stick our head in the sand. Through it all, I haven’t changed my
position. If you don’t have to sell now, don’t! If you must sell, you have no choice but to accept the current market conditions and price
your home competitively against the competition or else you will be like too many other homeowners … simply sitting on the market
with no offers.
But what if you owe more than you can get on the open market? Well, if you must sell, you have two choices. 1) Bring cash to closing; or
2) See if you qualify for a Short Sale. Obviously, neither option is exciting, but … if you must sell, you have to face this harsh reality.
In order to help our customers assess their situation, we have teamed up with a large Foreclosure Defense Law Firm and have worked out
a deal to offer our customers a FREE – NO OBLIGATION Attorney Consultation to help them decide what is best. Should they sell now
or later? Should they try and stay in house? Is a short sale a good option? How can they prevent foreclosure? Is it best to simply allow
the lender to foreclose? Is a Loan Modification a possibility? How about a refinance? Should they continue or stop making payments?
Is bankruptcy a good option? Should they stay in house or get out and rent or just do nothing? These are serious questions and our
customers deserve solid advice on these matters; advice that a real estate agent should not give.
It’s all so scary and confusing that most people who lose their homes do so WITHOUT any contact with their lender. We can help and we
will help when you speak to us without ANY obligation or initial cost. Every situation is unique and the rules are changing daily. Please
give the agent who delivered you this newsletter a call and let us help you determine your options.
I’m sorry for the overall negative tone of this issue, but its truth time. If you must sell now, you have to face the current situation. If you
don’t have to sell, be thankful and consider buying. While prices may not have hit rock bottom, they are certainly dragging close to it
and the fact remains that we are selling hundreds of homes each month, many within days of listing and many with multiple offers. The
good ones are going fast and once they’ve sold, they are no longer available. Let’s face it. Florida is a great place to live, and for now,
it’s on sale at 50% off! Call it Black Friday if you want, but there are deals happening now that we’ll look back at and kick ourselves for
not having taken advantage of.
Until next time, may you have fair weather and following seas!
CraigBeggins@C21Beggins.com
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Come join us for the fabulous Christmas lighted boat parade!!
Join us Here at lovely BellaSol Luxury Villas: Volunteer Judges needed for the Christmas Lighted Boat parade here in Apollo Beach on Tampa Bay Saturday the 12th of December!!