SEG Blog

Foreclosures are hitting record highs according to recent industry report submitted by RealtyTrac. As per RealtyTrac, an online firm specialized in foreclosure properties, states that foreclosure filings which includes auction sale notices, home-loan default notices and bank repossessions, were reported a record high in April, 2009. The study shows that one in every 374 U.S.

households received a foreclosure filing in April which is in fact the maximum monthly foreclosure rate ever posted since RealtyTrac began issuing its report in January 2005.

Some states have witnessed a steep record high in foreclosure activity in comparison to last year. Nevada continues to post the nation’s highest foreclosure activity rate. In April, one in every 68 housing units in the Nevada state received a foreclosure filing, which is actually five times more than the national average. Total foreclosure activity in Nevada was up 111% from April 2008. In addition to this, Florida is a second state that has shown second highest rise in foreclosure activity among the other states in April. Total foreclosure filing in Florida was up 75% from April 2008. With rise of 42% from April 2008, California posted the nation’s third highest foreclosure activity rate.

The continuous slow down in jobs market and price depreciation had a significant effect on foreclosure levels. New housing affordability has turn out to be the prime concern and as a result deeply discounted foreclosure market holds for more than half of home sales activity. In fact in coming few months, RealtyTrac even estimates the foreclosure filing will further continue to increase till the world’s largest economy struggles to overcome from its second year of recession.

Housing market in US will continue to fall and experts even expect the peak of foreclosure activity now. Though the house market is down and price will continue to decrease, but if you are looking to buy any of the foreclosure property, you must take several factors in consideration like the quality and amenities of the neighborhood and much more.

For more information on foreclosure or any guidance in foreclosure investment, contact Stone Equity Group (stoneeg.com). The group specializes in assisting busy professionals build profitable real estate portfolios in changing markets. Over the years, it has built relationships with banks and large lending institutions to help liquidate non-performing assets.

After a flurry of foreclosures over the last 18 months the fallout from toxic subprime loans has started to wain. Foreclosure investments all the rage have impacted REO portfolios held by banks to just under 900k. This fact does not note the second wave of foreclosures to hit the market between 2009 to 2011 expected to be around 4 million.

The reason for the second waive of REO and Foreclosures is the adjustable rate prime mortgages structures on 3, 5, 7 and 10 year fixed periods after which may reset into substantially larger payments based on 1 - 2 percent rate increases or balloon forcing an accelerated payment. While mortgage backed securities typically utilized a 3% default rate for valuations some lenders are finding 12% of their portfolios in some stage of delinquency or foreclosure.

The office of the Thrift Supervision and the Controller of Currency released a 3rd quarter report putting a scare into the already fragile housing market illustrating new findings. The report, which covers the third quarter of the year, was the second such indication of the effectiveness — or lack thereof — of new efforts at foreclosure mitigation. It examined the portfolios of nine national banks and five thrifts, including JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM), Citigroup (NYSE: C), Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC), and First Horizon (NYSE: FHN), representing more than 60% of all U.S. mortgages outstanding.

As detailed in the report, the first since the initial tabulation was put out in June, new foreclosure initiatives actually fell by 2.6% to 281,298 in the September quarter (largely due to mortgage relief programs). But a perhaps more important metric, foreclosures completed, increased by 8%, while the total number of foreclosures in process rose by 11% to 617,642.

There was also a disturbing new trend in the report released by Comptroller of the Currency John C. Dugan: More than half of the mortgages modified in the first quarter to benefit struggling borrowers had fallen back into delinquency, once again more than 30 days past due by the end of September.

Real estate investments in the foreclosure and reo space are heating up. For more information on Foreclosure investments contact Stone Equity Group

After 5 years of record setting apreciation causing areas to increase as much as 400% between 2002 – 2006 it struck me odd at first when I put the subject line “Foreclosures for Pennies on the Dollar” on a marketing piece. At one point I remember the cavalier speculators compacent in the days of 20% appreciation counting on its buffer to marginalize negative cash flow. How were most so remiss to our boom-bust reality. In the greatest country on earth we have minimized stagnant periods but amplified volatility creating millionaires and even billionaires at every spike.
Now because of our banking relations we are picking up foreclosure and reos properties for 10 – 40 cents of current market value, which has already tumbled in most areas. I am watching the SEG REO Program make millionaires while the masses are paralyzed with fear. Why can’t we sober the sheep to opportunity knocking at the door?
The answer is we are trying every day to erase retirement proverty one client at a time. jph