Dave Halpern, Broker, SRES

Freddie Mac is turning down short sale closings and forcing houses into foreclosure. The addendum requires that all parties: The closing attorney, the seller, the buyer, the Realtors and anyone who facilitated the transaction be liable for the deficiency if any mistakes were made by anyone in the...

Never mind that the banks are sitting on trillions of dollars of non-performing loans. Never mind that sellers and their Realtors are trying to replenish the banks' treasuries by getting short sales done. It's Columbus Day! Banks are closed! Short Sale Departments are closed! No worries for the b...

With the charm of older neighborhoods comes the charm of yesteryear's amenities such as coal shoots in the basement and driveways and garages just wide enough for a horse and small carriage. The allure of living in a time capsule. The result of the clash of eras can be seen here. Taken in the his...

  Bank of America is downsizing 30,000 employees. Click here for article.   Is this good or bad for the housing market? Will this help BOA process short sales faster? Will this help BOA process REO's faster?   Realtors nationwide are trying to help the banks mitigate their losses by processing sh...

Should buyers bother to buy a short sale? Yes. Here’s why; House values are not going up with consistency, yet. It Costs Money To Resell a House. If You Buy Today, How Will You Pay Resale Closing Costs Later? Buyers know that buying a house is not automatically a successful investment anymore. If...

Hurricane Irene is taking aim at millions of Americans. Power outages are everywhere. How do you keep cell phones, laptops and tablets charged so you can stay connected to the world? Did you know there are small and portable solar panels that can be used to charge your devices. The power is gener...

Behind on payments? Owe too much on your house? Can't afford commissions? There is hope. You have options. You don't have to lose your house to the bank. You can sell it for less than you owe. The bank calls it a "short sale". They accept an amount short of what you owe. In most cases your lender...

I call the Top Producer CRM tech support line pretty often when I can't figure out some of their non-intuitive functions. I really should keep track of my questions as a basis for evaluating the functionality of my next choice of Realtor CRM system. I give Top Producer the benefit of the doubt an...

Banks often turn down valid short sale offers, then turn around and send the house into a 2 year foreclosure tailspin. Banks also yank sellers around with loan modification processes that take a year for denial, then turn around and foreclose on the borrowers who are willing and able to make mont...

I have not run into such a brick wall in the hundreds of liens I have negotiated. 5th 3rd prefers ZERO dollars over $4,500 in a short sale now. Any suggestions? I am helping my client with a short sale on an investment property. Sales price is $175,000. The first mortgage, Citi, is taking a short...