3-year descent in home prices appears to be at end #realestate #VRN #VA

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According to recent reports and forecasts by housing analysts, the three-year descent in home prices appears to be at an end. Eight cities, including San Francisco, showed price increases in May, up from four in April, and one in March, according to Standard and Poor’s/Case-Shiller Index. For the first time since early 2007, the index of 20 major cities was virtually flat, rather than down.

KEEP THIS IN MIND

• Earlier reports show that sales of existing homes nationwide rose last month for the third consecutive month, while sales of new homes increased in June by the largest percentage in eight years, according to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR) and the U.S. Commerce Dept., respectively.

• Although some skeptics believe the market is pausing before home prices decline further, the median price in California’s housing market appears to be stabilizing. June marked the fourth consecutive month of rising home prices and the second largest gain on record for the month of June, based on statistics dating back to 1979. The year-to-year decline in June also was the smallest in the past 16 months.

• The S&P/Case-Shiller price index for 20 cities showed a half-percent gain when May was compared with April. It was the first month-over-month increase in the index in 34 months. “It is very possible that years from now we will say that April 2009 was the trough in home prices,” said Maureen Maitland, vice president for index services at Standard & Poor’s.

• One explanation for the increase in median prices is the rise in demand from buyers, especially first timers taking advantage of the $8,000 federal tax credit, which expires in December. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR) is lobbying for the tax credit to be extended and to be replaced with a $15,000 credit for all buyers.

• Another factor in the market’s resurgence is the prevalence of foreclosures, which make up about a third of all existing home sales. “Although another surge of foreclosures is expected later this year, demand remains strong, so the market may be able to absorb more distressed properties without significantly impacting the median price,” said C.A.R.’s Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young.

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The 2009 First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit: Bringing the Dream of Homeownership Within Reach from the National Association of REALTORS.

Bringing the Dream of Homeownership Within Reach

As part of its plan to stimulate the U.S. housing market and address the economic challenges facing our nation, Congress has passed legislation that grants a tax credit of up to $8,000 to first-time home buyers.

Here is more information about how the 2009 First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit can help prospective home buyers become part of the American dream.

Breaking news: Tax Credit Can Be Used on Closing Costs.

Who Qualifies?

First-time home buyers who purchase homes between January 1, 2009 and December 1, 2009.

To qualify as a “first-time home buyer” the purchaser or his/her spouse may not have owned a residence during the three years prior to the purchase.

Which Properties Are Eligible?

The 2009 First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit may be applied to primary residences, including: single-family homes, condos, townhomes, and co-ops.

How Much Will the Credit Be?

The maximum allowable credit for home buyers is $8,000. Each home buyer’s tax credit is determined by two factors:

The price of the home—the credit is equal to 10% of the purchase price of the home, up to $8,000.

The buyer’s income—single buyers with incomes up to $75,000 and married couples with incomes up to $150,000—may receive the maximum tax credit.

If the Buyer(s)’ Income Exceeds These Limits, Can He/She Still Get a Credit?

Yes, some buyers may still be eligible for the credit.

The credit decreases for buyers who earn between $75,000 and $95,000 for single buyers and between $150,000 and $170,000 for home buyers filing jointly. The amount of the tax credit decreases as his/her income approaches the maximum limit. Home buyers earning more than the maximum qualifying income—over $95,000 for singles and over $170,000 for couples are not eligible for the credit.

Will the Tax Credit Need to Be Repaid?

No. The buyer does not need to repay the tax credit, if he/she occupies the home for three years or more. However, if the property is sold during the three-year period, the credit will be recouped on the sale.

Greenspan Says Fed Isn’t to Blame for Housing Bubble

By BRIAN BLACKSTONE

WASHINGTON — Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan Tuesday brushed back critics who contend that easy monetary policy fueled the housing bubble and ensuing bust, saying, “I respectfully disagree; they’re wrong.”

Mr. Greenspan was asked after a speech to a National Association of Realtors conference whether, in hindsight, he thought interest rates should have risen more when he was chairman earlier this decade.

He responded that housing activity is driven by long-term rates, and not the overnight rates set by the Fed. The housing boom, he added, actually began in 2000, one year before the Fed started cutting interest rates in 2001.

“I think there is a recalibration of financial history that I find very puzzling,” Mr. Greenspan said.

In his speech, Mr. Greenspan said he is starting to see “seeds of bottoming” in the U.S. housing market, though that isn’t reflected yet in home prices.

He called home prices the “Achilles’ heel” of the U.S. economy, “which is otherwise running extraordinarily well in recent weeks.”

The economy could withstand a further 5% drop in home prices, Mr. Greenspan said. But if they fall much beyond that, more conventional mortgages will be underwater, he warned.

Commenting on the global nature of the financial and economic crisis, Mr. Greenspan said one surprising feature is how uniform the downturn has been. “For the first time I can recall, the U.S. looked like everybody else,” he said.

Mr. Greenspan added that his “fear” is that “we will draw in our horns” with protectionist trade policies.

Write to Brian Blackstone at brian.blackstone@dowjones.com

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Feeling For the Bottom: “April Gallup Poll reported that 71% of Americans thought it was a good time to buy a house.”

By Les Christie, CNNMoney.com staff writer
Last Updated: May 4, 2009: 1:59 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Is the housing meltdown ending?

• Buyers defy expectations with an increase in sales contracts signed during March.

Pending home sales rose in March for the second consecutive month and are up year over year. The Pending Home Sales Index from the National Association of Realtors showed a 3.2% gain to 84.6 from February, when it was 82. The index stands 1.6% higher than a year ago.

The consensus forecast of industry experts polled by Briefing.com had predicted no increase in the index.

It may still take a while before the market gains enough momentum to firmly state that the downturn has been reversed, according to Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. And, the upturn may have been boosted by the first-time homebuyers tax credit, a temporary measure that will lapse in December.

“We need several months of sustained growth to demonstrate a recovery in housing, which is necessary for the overall economy to turn around,” said Yun. “This increase could be the leading edge of first-time buyers responding to very favorable affordability conditions and an $8,000 tax credit, which increases buying power even more in areas where special programs allow buyers to use it as a down payment.”

The index is understood to be a forward indicator of home sales trends since it measures contracts signed, not completed sales. The up-tick may indicate that home prices have fallen low enough for buyers to get off the fence.

• Feeling for the bottom

Yun is not calling a bottom yet, however, because the index is still at a relatively low level. Instead, he’s looking toward the summer selling season to determine what direction the market will take. Plus, he would like the number of homes on the market to drop to a more normal level of six to seven months of supply.

“If inventory goes down – it’s at just under 10 months now – to below eight months, that would mean we’re on the way to a sustainable recovery,” Yun said.

Anecdotal evidence indicates that trend may be happening. Realtors and other industry insiders are seeing rising open house attendance and multiple bids on some particularly desirable properties. Plus, pricing has become sharper, according to Sherry Chris, the CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate.

“Overpricing seems to be ending,” she said. “Properties are coming onto the market and selling quickly.”

And buyers are feeling a little more urgency, she added. In many markets, buyers have not felt any pressure to make an offer. “They said to themselves, ‘I don’t have to act immediately. It will still be on the market two weeks from now,'” she said.

Today, buyers are more likely to bid because they perceive the market as at or near its bottom. An April Gallup Poll reported that 71% of Americans thought it was a good time to buy a house.

They don’t, however, believe there will be price increases soon; three of four buyers think prices will stabilize or even decline in their areas over the next 12 months, according to Gallup.

Pat Newport, a real estate analyst for IHS Global Insight, is putting less emphasis on pending home sales than he once did for his housing market analyses. There has been a disconnect lately, he said, between the number of properties going into contract (pending home sales) and the number that actually close (existing home sales).

He speculates that this is because buyers are making offers and signing contracts but, because of financing problems, many deals are falling through.

• Regional differences

The South saw the largest gain of any region, with pending home sales jumping 8.5%. Pending sales are 7.7% higher there compared with a year ago.

The Midwest gained 3.9% from February and 1.7% year-over-year. Northeast sales fell 5.7% and are off 24.1% compared with March 2008. The West dropped 1% for the month but are up 8.2% year-over-year.

Low home prices continued to help to drive sales, although NAR’s affordability index actually fell 2.3% from February, when it hit a historic high. This index is based on family income, home prices and mortgage rates.

“Compared to a year ago, the typical family can pay much less in mortgage costs for the same home, or buy a better home without necessarily increasing their monthly payment,” said NAR President Charles McMillan, in a prepared statement. “For buyers who’ve been on the sidelines and have good jobs, the market has never looked more favorable.

Source

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A Break in The Clouds – The U.S. Realty Market

Quit buying the media’s sensationalistic bad news because there’s a break in the clouds for a limited time only. Anyone taking advantage of this fact will have bragging rights in their new homes at BBQs for years to come.

Here’s four reasons why to buy and even sell if you have to:

First, The real estate “bubble” is now gone. Home prices have already corrected completely, retreating from their irrational bubble levels back to their consistent historical and increasing average line of approx 4% annually. Real estate is priced correctly more everyday. The sell-off that’s most likely still to come will be over-selling, and prices will correct back up to the aforementioned moving average when the economy improves as the recession ends over roughly the next three to five years. Not much room for flipping homes for investors but more certainty for new buyers looking for a measured rate of return who see the merit of living in their investment particularly as stocks, commodities futures like ETFs and bonds fall prey to bearish psychology and government backroom deal making.

Second, we are currently enjoying a perfect opportunity in the real estate market as usually there is an inverse relationship between home prices and mortgage rates (high prices accompanying low rates, or low prices with high rates). Usually a buyer has only two options, either paying too much for their home in a seller’s market or paying too high a mortgage rate in a buyer’s market. This relationship between price and interest rate determines affordability. 2009 is an aberration, with both home prices and their interest rates are low at the same time. As a result, housing is very affordable right now, making 2009 the best buying opportunity we’ve seen since the ’70s and the best we’ll see until rates creep up. Nearly two-thirds of current sales are first-time home buyers. For anyone looking to get into the market for the first time, right now is your chance while housing is affordable. There will not be a better buying opportunity than this year for the duration of the Obama Administration particularly with all the regulation it proposes to permanently correct the behavioral human error that contributed to this aberration along with its already implemented first time home buyer tax incentives and relinquished moratorium on foreclosures from November 08′ to March 31st of this year urging such correction. There is even a push for innovative programs like Rent-to-own programs, in which a portion of rent goes toward a down payment, which are also are being revived in some communities with too many foreclosed homes. Expect rates to creep up folks. The opportunity gap is closing. The government wants to stimulate the economy through the housing market so that as consumers are encouraged to borrow more money then banks may tap demand and raise their rates ahead of that demand to make profits again so they can start paying back their TARP funds.

Third, today’s historically low interest rates offer a refinancing opportunity. If you are currently paying more than 5%, give us a call. I can size up your situation and get you into a lower monthly payment with minimal effort on your part with the largest and most consolidated player in the market emerging after May 1st: Bank Of America’s Countrywide. And If you have investments or cash of 500k or more, then I have a banker for you offering even better competitive rates and floaters.

Fourth, if you’re thinking of selling, you have an opportunity right now to get your home listed and sold while prices are firmed up and buying activity is strong and encouraged. We’re coming into the optimal selling season, Spring and Summer, and the bulk of your would-be competition (bank REOs) are on hold until approx the Fall since, “Fannie Mae said in a brief statement from spokesman Brian Faith that ‘Fannie Mae’s suspension of foreclosure-related evictions concludes as of March 31, 2009. The company has in place special foreclosure sale requirements that take into account the Making Home Affordable program. A foreclosure sale may not occur on any Fannie Mae loan until the loan servicer verifies that the borrower is ineligible for a Home Affordable Modification and all other foreclosure prevention alternatives have been exhausted.'” If you plan to keep your property for years, call us for a refinance as stated above instead. But if you’re thinking of selling any time in the next year or two, you would do well to list your property right now. I’ll help you make the most of this window of opportunity and get your property sold before the banks are allowed to process foreclosures again.

Remember to Invest with Vision!

 

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California Association of Realtors launches new program for first-time buyers ( #CAR )

This Thursday, April 2, the California Association of Realtors will launch a new program designed to provide peace of mind to first-time buyers who are hesitant to enter the housing market due to concerns about potential job loss and subsequently being unable to meet their monthly mortgage obligations.

Through the C.A.R. Housing Affordability Fund Mortgage Protection Program (C.A.R.H.A.F. MPP), first-time home buyers who lose their jobs due to layoffs may be eligible to receive up to $1,500 per month for up to six months to help make their mortgage payments. A qualified co-buyer also can participate in the program, for a reduced monthly benefit of $750 per month for up to six months in the event of a job loss. Program benefits also include coverage for accidental disability and a $10,000 death benefit. C.A.R.’s Housing Affordability Fund is dedicating $1 million to the program this year, and estimates that as many as 3,000 families will benefit from the program throughout 2009.

To qualify for the Mortgage Protection Program, applicants must:

Be a first-time home buyer – someone who has not owned a home in the last three years

Open escrow April 2, 2009, or later, and close on or before Dec. 31, 2009.

Use a California REALTOR® in the transaction

Purchase the property in California

Be a W-2 employee (cannot be self-employed or military personnel)

First-time home buyers must request an application for the H.A.F. Mortgage Protection Program from their REALTOR®. For applications and other information on this exciting new program, go to www.car.org/aboutus/hafmainpage/ or contact Monica Rodriguez at (213) 739-8380 or monicar@car.org.

The Mortgage Protection Program is a proactive approach by C.A.R. to address consumers’ concerns about the real estate market and their ability to make their mortgage payments should they loose their jobs. There is no cost to participate.

 

extracted from a letter written by James Liptak – 2009 C.A.R. President – March 31, 2009.

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WeHo Real Estate Good News ( #weho )

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Thursday, July 31, 2008 – Real Estate By Sandy Arison, West Hollywood

This may come as a surprise, but the WeHo real estate news isn’t all bad. There is more housing inventory on the market now then there has been in a long time.

The good news for buyers is that prices continue to decline allowing for the purchase of some amazing properties that previously may have been unaffordable.

It is also interesting to see multiple bids on properties that are listed below their perceived values for the location.

I went to a few new developments this week at 1351 Havenhurst and at 1248 Laurel in West Hollywood.

The model units in both developments were beautifully done with open floor plans, state of the art appliances, top of the line fixtures, outside space and amazing architecture.

The development on Havenhurst features a landscaped public park by Katie Spitz, a nationally recognized landscape architect.

The asking price in both developments has been reduced making these new Condo/Townhouses a great deal for someone who wants to live in the lap of luxury with a great investment for the future.

There are more developments still under construction in West Hollywood. In the current housing market the buyer will have lots of choice and the opportunity to negotiate on the purchase price.

In spite of the fact that there is currently a moratorium on building in West Hollywood, developers are continuing to seek permits to build.

Carlo Capomazza, an agent at my KW office has developed a website, www.wehowego.com, which shows the locations and development status updates.

West Hollywood is a great place to live and work and continues to attract affluent buyers.

At the same time, the city must continue to be proactive in building much needed affordable housing and also consider the financial costs for residents that are being uprooted.

In the news, Congress has passed an extensive plan to relieve the devastation of the housing market by enacting legislation to help homeowners avoid foreclosure and stay in their homes.

The President has signed the bill which provides for Government backed mortgages to be made available to homeowners at risk of foreclosure at a lower cost.

The creation of a new agency will oversee Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

This legislation will also increase in government lending to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for 18 months.

In the long-term the bill provides $4 billion in block grants to communities to buy and fix up foreclosed properties.

The cap on mortgages eligible for backing by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be raised to $625,500.

Read this article on the WeHO News website

 

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