William Poole has long warned that mortgage titans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had grown so large that they posed a serious threat to the U.S. financial system. It looks like the former Federal Reserve policymaker had it right. Stocks of both companies are in meltdown mode this week, sending ripples through U.S. markets, on fears that they don't have the capital they'll need to survive rising mortgage defaults. So let's admit the obvious, Poole suggests: Fannie and Freddie should be nationalized. In America, nationalization is among the dirtiest of words. It conjures the image of the government grabbing control of private-sector assets. But Fannie and Freddie, which buy or guarantee mortgages to support the housing market, are strange animals. They are owned by shareholders, but they wer... 07/14/2008

Think about These Carrots When Buying a Home No matter what you do, there will always be a lot of things to think about, a lot of issues to consider, and a lot of matters out of your control when buying a home. You've surely asked yourself why do I need a home appraisal? What does that do for me when I want to buy a home? You want to know? We'll tell you, just keep reading. Get the Right Stuff When You're Buying a Home When you need a mortgage for your home buying needs from a bank, credit union or lending company, it is more than likely that the lender will want and need a home appraisal before you get any money to buy that home. From the perspective of the lending company, they want to know that if you stop paying your mortgage, they will be able to sell the home and get their money b... 06/26/2008

All over the country, many people have found themselves in a bad situation as far as paying for their house is concerned. They either took out a mortgage that was too big, got mixed up with the wrong type of loan, or are simply out of money due to a job loss, etc.Unfortunately, this can often times lead to the lender looking into forreclosure on your home. Although this is a scary experience if you are faced with it, there are some ways that you can get around it if you try hard enough. This is not to say that your lender is going to let you slide time and time again, but there are some things that you can do in order to stop foreclosure. Listed below are three details to consider if you are attempting to stop foreclosure. These are not guaranteed to work for you and your situation, but... 06/26/2008

First time real estate investors are often torn between investing in commercial real estate, or residential/multi-family property. A while back we wrote a post about Rentometer, a quick and dirty rent analysis tool apartment investors could use to gauge market rents. HotPads.com has gone one step further and introduced a Rent vs. Buy Heatmap showing areas which have a low (or high) ratio of Avg. Home Prices to Annual Rent. It is not exactly scientific, and the system is only as good as the data, but the heat maps provide some insight as to what areas might warrant further research. The system shows North Sunnyvale/Alviso as having a low ratio of Prices:Rent, but it seems the system has been gamed by limited availability of rental units and for sale housing that is mostly mobile homes. T... 06/11/2008

All over the country, many people have found themselves in a bad situation as far as paying for their house is concerned. They either took out a mortgage that was too big, got mixed up with the wrong type of loan, or are simply out of money due to a job loss, etc Although this is a scary experience if you are faced with it, there are some ways that you can get around it if you try hard enough. This is not to say that your lender is going to let you slide time and time again, but there are some things that you can do in order to stop foreclosure. Listed below are three details to consider if you are attempting to stop foreclosure. These are not guaranteed to work for you and your situation, but they are at least worth trying out. 1. One of the best ways to stop foreclosure is to make sur... 06/10/2008

If there is one place that there is much misinformation, it is in how much you need to save for retirement.  The mutual fund industry has spent much time and effort to propagandize to folks why they can accomplish this using mutual funds.  The truth is much different.  Now there is one caveat before I go into the numbers.  If you are fortunate to have a defined benefit pension, then you can make it work by putting monthly money aside into a mutual fund inside a IRA/401K wrapper.  Even better if you also qualify for social security.  But, if you really want to accumulate enough to have a comfortable retirement then pay attention.  If you don't have a defined benefit pension, then it is critical that you understand the following. Mutual funds have been sold as a safe/low risk investment. ... 06/07/2008

When you are first starting out with investing in houses, you should always look for ugly or bad houses that need a lot of work.  These homes are much cheaper to purchase, although they will take some work to improve.  You should start out by looking for houses that need some work, such as clean up, painting, and in some cases new carpet.  You don't want to buy something too run down, as it could cost a fortune to repair. If you think of yourself as a handyman and feel that you can do the repairs yourself, you can save a lot of money.  On the other hand, if you need to hire someone, you should always make sure that the individual or company that you hire is qualified to do the repairs. If you aren't comfortable with doing any of the repairs, you should inquire about a subcontractor or c... 06/07/2008

Welcometo the Information Age. It's here, it's not going away. I speak to manyReal Estate Professionals that simply don't want to deal with it. Theyhave been doing business the same way for years and it has worked outso far, why change?   Well, for starters, whether you want to face it, or not, homebuyers andsellers are. It's just that simple. Generation X has grown up, and theyare beginning to become active in the Real Estate Marketplace. Moreover,the 30 to 50 year old demographic has gotten much more comfortable withtechnology. Even the baby boomers are online in increasing numbers. Theycan check out properties 5,000 miles away, complete with satellite images,from the comfort of their living rooms.   They expect you, as real estate professionals to be up on all of thistechnology. If t... 06/07/2008

The new FHA risk based mortgage insurance guidelines are set to take effect on July 14, 2008. They were originally set to take effect on January 1, but FHA held off due to public comments. The new guidelines appear to answer most of the concerns that I had about the original proposal. The most notable part of this policy is that, although there is still substantial leniency, this is the first official adoption of minimum credit scores for the FHA program. HUD has removed the original MIP rate bump for down payment source which I felt unnecessarily penalized those who needed help most. Borrower's with non-traditional credit are still eligible for maximum financing as long as they qualify under the guidelines in Mortgagee Letter 2008-11. Below is the chart showing the new MIP schedule in ... 06/06/2008

Here is the current real estate market report for (37122) Mount Juliet, Tennessee reflecting March 2008 sales:There are currently 531 residential listings on the market, up 7% from October 2007There are currently 115 residential sales pending, dowm from 161 pending sales in October 200780 properties were sold during the month of March which is up 40% from the 50 sold in October Average listing price per square foot was $106.96 Average sales price per square foot was $105.13 68 days on market was the average sales time, which is down 10 days from October 2007.Average sales price was $234,333 -down 4% from October 2007.Correctly priced homes are selling and selling faster.  If you are planning on selling your home, please visit our site for a free neighborhood sales analysis.   04/12/2008

Wiloughby Station Market Report for January (edit/delete) Homes actively for sale( all figures are averages)List price per square foot - $92.80.Average sale price - $251,114.Average Days on Market - 56 Homes sold in the last 6 months.List price per square foot - $96.61.Average list price - $287,326.Sale price per square foot - $95.43.Average sale price - $283,818.Average days on market - 69 For a complete link of homes for sale go to http://www.willoughbystationnews.com/   01/31/2008

ONE OF THE HOTTEST PLACES TO LIVE! MOUNT JULIET, TN!! NEW CONSTRUCTION RANGING FROM $199,000+ NEAR PROVIDENCE MALL AND THE NASHVILLE STAR! RIDE THE NASHVILLE STAR TO WORK AND SAVE ON MONEY AND TIME FIGHTING TRAFFIC! MT JULIET IS ONE THE FASTEST GROWING TOWNS! VOTED TOP COUNTY TO LIVE IN! WILSON COUNTY HAS THE COUNTRY FEEL WITH THE CITY CONVENIENCE! VISIT WWW.NASHVILLEINVESTORS.COM TO LOCATE ALL NEW NEIGHBORHOODS IN MOUNT JULIET! 12/13/2007

Homes actively for sale( all figures are averages)Excluding Beazer HomesList price per square foot - $92.89.Average sale price - $257,958.Average Days on Market - 6714 homes Homes actively for sale.( all figures are averages)Including Beazer Homes.List price per square foot - $93.13.Average sale price - $274,932.Average Days on Market - 81Homes sold in the last 6 months.Including Beazer Homes.List price per square foot - $97.40.Average list price - $284,516.Sale price per square foot - $97.02.Average sale price - $283,382.Average days on market - 58 Homes sold in last 6 monthsExcluding Beazer homes.List price per square foot - $96.28.Average list price - $265,646.Sale price per square foot - $95.03.Average sales price - $262,188.Average days on market - 69For a complete link of homes fo... 11/27/2007

Here is the current real estate market report for (37122) Mount Juliet, Tennessee reflecting October 2007 sales:There are currently 499 residential listings on the market There are currently 161 residential sales pending 50 properties were sold during the month of October which is down approximately 50% from the 99 sold in SeptemberAverage listing price per square foot was $107.57 Average sales price per square foot was $105.39 78 days on market was the average sales time Average sales price was $243,877.Homes are still selling.  Beat the spring rush and sell your home today.  If you are planning on selling your home, please visit our site for a free neighborhood sales analysis.   11/25/2007

Homes actively for sale. Excluding Beazer HomesList price per square foot - $92.69Average sale price - $270,195.Average Days on Market - 5516 homes Homes actively for sale. Including Beazer Homes.List price per square foot - $94.66.Average sale price - $289,464.Days on Market - 6922 homes Homes sold in the last 6 months. Including Beazer Homes.List price per square foot - $97.42.Average list price - $283,110.Sale price per square foot - $96.85.Average sale price - $281,446.Average days on market - 58total of 61 homesHomes sold in last 6 months. Excluding Beazer homes.List price per square foot - $96.59.Average list price - $262,834.Sale price per square foot - $95.39.Average sales price - $259,562.Average days on market - 69total of 32 homes Shari ColemanColdwell Banker Barneswww.Willpo... 10/22/2007

Recognizing Predatory Mortgage Lenders; A predator is defined as one that preys on others, which is why some lenders have fittingly earned the title as predatory mortgage lenders.  Excessively high interest rates, questionable and/or hidden fees and high pressure tactics used to direct borrowers to a larger loan than they may be able to afford are trademark characteristics of a predatory mortgage lender.  Prey vs. Predator ; When it comes to obtaining a mortgage, the rules of the jungle often apply.  If you aren't careful, you may find yourself in the grasp of a questionable foe.  If you are someone who has had past credit problems or simply find yourself struggling to obtain a mortgage, it may seem like a good idea to sign on with any lender who can close the deal.   But wait, jungle e... 08/29/2007