Unemployment Causes More Foreclosures

High Levels of Unemployment Deepen the Foreclosure Crisis

The foreclosure crisis continues to get worse as a slow job market forces many homeowners into the worst financial situation of their lives.

In cities like Seattle, Houston and Chicago, who seemed to be dealing with the foreclosure bust quite well, are now having a more difficult time keeping up with their mortgage payments.  Many have already seen their homes repossessed by lenders.

All told, foreclosure activity jumped in 149 of the country’s 206 largest metropolitan areas last year, foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday.

Questions Regarding Your Home?

Unemployment has been the main cause of foreclosures, rather than the time-bomb mortgages resetting to higher payments.

Just to show you a quick example of what I am talking about:

The Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown metropolitan area in Texas saw its foreclosure rate jump 26 percent from 2009, the largest increase among the top 20 biggest metro areas, the firm said.

Still, foreclosure activity in many of the metro areas in these states actually declined last year.

Three California metro areas posted among the biggest annual drops in foreclosure activity: Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, down 20 percent; San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, down 17 percent; and, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, down 16 percent.

A large reason for the reasonable decline is that lenders took steps to delay foreclosure actions in these states as they sought to manage the flow of troubled properties coming onto their books. In the closing months of last year, several lenders went further, temporarily halting foreclosure activity to deal with allegations of improper evictions.

Currently many of the banks have resumed their foreclosure activity, and have begun taking action once again.  The pace of foreclosures is expected to pick up this year and most definitely outpace the rate of foreclosures from 2010.

We will most likely see the values of homes plummet even more so this next year.  More borrowers will be in negative equity this year, forcing more foreclosures.

Lenders took back 1 million properties in 2010, and no metro area saw more homes repossessed by lenders than Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale in Arizona.

Some 55,372 properties were taken back by lenders there last year, up 17 percent from the year before.

The Chicago metro area was second, followed by the Detroit-Warren-Livonia metro area in Michigan. Its home repossessions rose 19 percent.

Foreclosures Continue to Bring Down The Housing Market

Foreclosures continue to bring down the housing market despite a recent decline in underwater mortgages

By Joshua C Anderson, Lexington Realty Correspondent

As the holidays approach, many Americans are considering relocating to take advantage of the low prices available in the market. However, the savings are not a result of an amazing deal, there the aftermath of the worst housing crisis in history. For the miniscule market of qualified buyers, there are some great opportunities, but for the rest of the nation the turmoil continues. Just last week Forbes online magazine released an article of the worst hit cities in the nation, and that list continues to grow.

Cleveland Ohio was the top city to have the sharpest decline in home values, followed closely by Minneapolis and Portland. The nation however has seen somewhat of a decrease in underwater mortgage holders. But the problem of underwater homeowners still has an adverse effect on the market. The underwater homes carry the highest risk of default and foreclosures. The only realistic solution for these homeowners is a short sale. The short sale process has several benefits for the homeowners as well as the lender. The market will continue decline regardless of new buyers as long as there are foreclosures. Many delinquent borrowers do not want to face the fact that they will lose the house to foreclosure if they do not short sale, and there are still many holding on to the idea of the failed modification program.

In addition to the devastating consequences of foreclosure, many homeowners are opting for bankruptcy, deed in lieu and abandonment. All of which will continue to drive down the economy. If all of these delinquent borrowers choose a short sale, they will avoid all of these problems. Housing Assist of America is a southern California based company that has been named number one and is platinum certified through equator. HAA also has an immaculate rating with the better business bureau and doesn’t charge fees to facilitate the transaction. To learn more about them you can visit www.housingassist.com In these uncertain economic times its prudent to make the right decisions for the long run.

A Grim Reality

A Grim Reality

Why this holiday season won’t be so jovial for millions of Americans

Joshua Anderson, Lexington Realty correspondent. Thursday December 2^nd 2010 9:55 PST

This holiday season, retail stores will be packed beyond capacity, just as they are every year. Hot items like the Apple iPad, Xbox gaming system and the latest in children’s toys will fill shopping bags. But not so distant from the dreamlike ambience of the mall there lies a grim reality. Millions of families will not be at the malls and outlets; they will be without heat, electricity, food and of course, without Christmas festivities. One of the main reasons for this is the fact that unemployment benefits will run out for more than two million Americans. The maximum time allowed for unemployment benefits is 99 weeks. In addition to the record unemployment, there is a large surplus of foreclosures. This is the highest ever record of foreclosures in the nations history, probably in the world. When you factor in losing a job and losing a home, the hope for a person can decline very sharply. Many just want to find a way to put all of this behind them, there are a few small options that just might be able to salvage what’s left.

When economic times are at the worst, there are very limited options as to what’s available. When you factor in job loss and foreclosure risk, the main concern should be cutting your losses before it spirals out of control. Bankruptcy obviously has long term ramifications and foreclosure is not much different. A boutique firm in Los Angeles has been advising nearly all of there clients to short sale. In that process the lender agrees to accept less than what’s owed on the loan. Most of the time, the homeowner can walk away with very little damage and is usually eligible to purchase again within 14-18 months. Whichever direction the homeowner decides to go there is still the issue of unemployment that needs to be resolved.

Job seekers need to maximize their resources and find ways to stand out amongst the crowd. Thousand of seasonal retail jobs are available every year and it’s usually on a first come first serve basis. In large metropolitan cites like Los Angeles, Chicago or New York, there are many opportunities, even at a temporary level. An employees performance during the holidays season could dictate weather or not they will be rehired the following year or even be eligible for a full time position. In the end it is up to the job seeker to make a lasting impression that will insure their job security.

Innocent Bystanders

Innocent Bystanders

Monday November 29, 2010 at 12:00 pm PST by Joshua Anderson, Lexington Realty Correspondent

Los Angeles—We have all heard the stories, a once vibrant neighborhood goes to the dumps because every other house on the block is either bank owned or currently in foreclosure. Everyone looks around and points fingers and asks who’s to blame?  Well from the top we of course by default blame Wall Street, the banks and the government. But by taking a more in depth look at the whole scenario, we realize there were a chain of events that eventually lead us to where we are today, and the unfortunate outcome, are those who suffered because of someone else’s mistakes.

Take 60 year old Sherrilynn Palladino, a ten year homeowner in the California community of Grover beach.  A responsible borrower who never missed a payment, Palladino could only stand by and watch as the price of her home plummeted until it was too underwater to do anything about it. This scenario had been played out over a million times in thousands of communities across the nation. It’s almost like a domino effect, one block falls, and sets off a chain reaction. Palladino had dreams of selling her home and cashing out. A home with good equity would have made for a secure retirement, but instead, the values declined. Between all of the underwater mortgages and rising rates, foreclosures were inevitable. In the case of Palladino though, she never missed a payment, even after being laid off from her job as an administrative assistant. Unlike her situation, most families could not afford to salvage the basic necessities just to keep up with the mortgage payment. This is where the real trouble began. Almost everyone who had an adjustable rate mortgage was bound to default at some point or another, and just as it was predicted, they did. On top of the defaulted loan, many homeowners lost there jobs, thus creating an even deeper financial burden.

Now that we are somewhat nearing the tail end of this foreclosure mess, we need to have a better understanding of what got us here in the first place. Prices will still drop for the next couple of years and lenders are stepping up there foreclosure efforts. So before the smoke dissipates there will be even more collateral damage. Sherrilynn Palladino was just one case, but there are thousands more just like her. One of the best things you can do in a situation like this short sale. The process allows you to alleviate the negative debt and does minimal damage to your credit, pending your not severely in default. Upon completing the short sale you may be entitled to up to $3,500 from the Obama driven HAFA program. The benefits are endless; however the most significant is avoiding foreclosure. After just 18 months the homeowner can be eligible to take out a new home loan and take advantage while prices and interest rates are still historically low.

Being a victim of this housing crisis doesn’t mean you need to be a casualty, in many cases it takes risk and a small amount damage to rectify the situation, but in the end it may be worth it.

The Invisible Recession

The Invisible Recession

“An in depth look into what really happened after the economic collapse”

Joshua Anderson. Lexington Realty Correspondent.

We have all seen the apparent signs of the big recession. First there was the mortgage crisis, the failed banks, the Wall Street scandals and of course the unemployment rate. All of this began when the housing market began to collapse and continued on a downward spiral. The more homes that were foreclosed, the less equity became available. Small businesses began to take a dive and within a matter of months the entire financial infrastructure of the United States was faltering at a record rate. As the smoke began to clear, massive layoffs ensued and corporate giants began to buckle.

One of the highlights in this crisis was the big Wall Street bailout. Stronger banks acquired the weaker banks and we all believed that we, the American people, were somehow going to benefit from this. The outcome, we didn’t, not at all in fact. The only noticeable signs we saw of this bailout was that Wamu’s became Chase and Merrill Lynch became Bank of America. Aside form the obvious acquisitions in the news; we were left waiting for a savior. Homeowners who were delinquent were expecting modifications that never came to fruition, and the unemployed waiting to be hired again. In the midst of this fiasco, several large banks were compensating there executives with skyrocketing incomes & bonuses.

While the rest of the economy was struggling to keep up, Bank of America CEO Thomas Montag received a total compensation of $29,930.431. This was considered only slightly larger that that of Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf who made just over $21,000,000.  These numbers are astronomical and completely unfair to the American people who are barely able to stay in their homes. The most terrifying factor is that for those who are facing foreclosure thought they had a fighting chance. However, the Obama administration made it clear that stepping up foreclosures is the only way to stabilize the doomed housing market.

At this point in time, there are not many options available to those who are struggling. There is however some long term tips to keep in mind. Continuing education may be the best way to secure a great career and of course smart savings and investments. There may be a recession but as you can see there is a dramatic difference between those who are feeling the effects, and those who aren’t.

Foreclosures Crippling the Economic Recovery

Home prices & sales are up but foreclosures are still crippling the economic recovery.

By Joshua C Anderson, Lexington Realty correspondent. October 26, 2010

Los Angeles-It’s been more than a few weeks since the major lenders have enacted the foreclosure moratorium. “We are looking intensively at the firms’ policies, procedures, and internal controls related to foreclosures and seeking to determine whether systematic weaknesses are leading to improper foreclosures,” said Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke. Many homeowners are still clinging on to the idea that they will not be foreclosed as a result of this investigation. The reality of the situation is that only ten percent of at risk homeowners will get out the situation there in.

Several key factors that are adding to the demise of the housing market include the fact that the housing recession is nowhere near over. Most of the nation’s communities have not yet bottomed out and optimistic speculation is merely opinion driven. Once the market does officially bottom out, prices will not rebound automatically. It will take quite some time for the rest of the economy to get up to speed, and even then it will be a long recovery. Another common misconception is that the worst is in the past. Rick Sharga from Realty Trac, an online foreclosure company, says he does not envision foreclosure activity stabilizing until late 2011. There are still those who will continue to believe that there loans will be modified, even though several reports from the top news and government agencies confirmed that it was a huge failure.  One of the realistic solutions in this market is to mitigate as much as loss as possible. Many of the homeowners who are facing foreclosure do have an opportunity to salvage what’s left of there credit and financial future by attempting a short sale.

Knowing that are very few positive solutions to this crises, it would behoove homeowners to seek out reputable companies, attorneys and accountants. By doing adequate research, the average homeowner can avoid fraud and even foreclosure. According to the California department of real estate, companies that are conducting modifications, loans, short sale and forensic loan audits, arte required to be registered and certified with the department. It is up to the homeowner to seek out this information and make the right decision based on there situation.

Foreclosure Freeze Loosens Up

Foreclosure Freeze Loosens

The foreclosure freeze that has been threatening to paralyze the housing market recently may be coming to an end. Two of the nation’s largest mortgage lenders Bank of America and GMAC Mortgage announced on Monday, plans to resume foreclosure cases, despite concerns about document processing.

B of A will resume processes for claiming 102,000 homes along with GMAC who did not specify how many homes they will be claiming. Renewed foreclosure efforts are a part of the movement to demonstrate that regardless of some procedural issues, the majority of foreclosure and evictions are in fact legitimate, and that the banks have the paperwork to prove it.

Underwater Homeowners Buying New Homes

Underwater Homeowners Purchasing New Homes

Blame the America dream for the ingenuity in this new trend that we are now seeing.  People are fixated on the fact of owning a home, even if they are currently upside down on their existing property.   Some people are trying to sell their existing homes at a loss (short sale) and purchase bigger homes at a similar cost in today’s market.

Some experts say it makes a lot of sense, since homeowners can get out of bad, old mortgages and get into fresh, larger ones, without raising their monthly payment much. That’s because home prices have dropped and interest rates have gone so low.  What are your thoughts?

Lender

A lender is a private or public entity which loans money to borrowers.

Deficiency Judgement

A deficiency judgment is a judgment is when a lien is held against a borrowers.  This happens when the foreclosure sale does not produce enough money for the mortgage to be paid in full.  Generally, the lender may come after you for this deficiency depending on whether or not this is a non-recourse loan.

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