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Tag Archives: financial crisis

Wayback Wednesday… The More Things Change…

Cook County Criminal Court House
Image by reallyboring via Flickr

the more they stay the same.

Two years ago this week I was writing about a Sheriff in Chicago (Cook County) that was refusing to do foreclosure evictions until the banks got their property information updated.  It seems that he was evicting some people that were tenants and COMPLETELY unaware of what was happening to the properties.  These folks had been making their rent payments as agreed with the landlords… and the landlords weren’t paying their mortgage, nor had they notified their renters that the property was going to be foreclosed by the banks.

Then, as now, I was not a fan of what the Sheriff was doing.  He was defying a Court Order to evict people from property that they no longer had a right to possess.  However, I also thought (and still do) that the landlords deserve jail time for defrauding their renters.

Now, we have banks committing fraud and illegally processing foreclosures.  In fact, several large processors have halted foreclosures nationwide, while others are halting them in multiple states.

But, regardless of which issue we are looking to confront, halting ALL foreclosures isn’t the right path.  Instead, the banks need to process them according to the law.  Don’t forget, that the bank employees that perjured themselves also need to be punished.  We also need to remember exactly WHO the victims are in this situation, and it isn’t the people that failed to pay their mortgage and are in the process of foreclosure.  Rather, it is the investors (not the banks, unless they own the note) that loaned for the purchase of the home.  The agreement was quite explicit… Pay the mortgage or LOSE THE HOUSE.

With the issue of the renters that were getting caught up in foreclosures in Chicago (and anywhere else), while current on their rent, they SHOULD have qualified as victims and not been forced out of the home for which they were paying.  And in that case, the landlords should have been prosecuted… and maybe sued.  Or both.

From the original post…

I may be an unsympathetic meanie… but I am also logical. First of all, I can see that in the case of renters that have been making their rental payments on time… those that the Sheriff of Cook County is trying to protect… they are the victims. They did what THEY were supposed to do. The owner didn’t do what THEY were supposed to do.

Link

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Flashback Friday… Bankrupt Subdivisions…

The gone bankrupt and destroyed bakery
Image via Wikipedia

This would be one of the posts that almost got me on the news.  A local TV station was doing a story on this very thing, and I was out of town on vacation when they needed someone on camera.  I might not have been pretty enough away…  ;^ )

To the post…

While the pace has slowed, there are still homes available in subdivisions that the builder abandoned, surrendered to the bank or defaulted on.  These represent danger and opportunity.  They are definitely  an option for some buyers, but not all… and there is NO blanket statement as to whether they are good or bad.  In fact, the only blanket statement I can come up with is the pay attention and don’t underestimate the risks or overestimate the rewards.

Take a look at the original post.

I’d love to hear what you think about this…

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Wayback Wednesday… Recovery?

Recovery Truck
Image by kenjonbro via Flickr

Recovery… In it or do we need to go to it?  That was my question two years ago this week… and it is STILL a valid question.  And two years ago, I don’t think there were many people (including me) that were expecting the housing slump to last this long.

But here we are, not knowing if a bottom to the market has been established or if there is more blood that needs to run in the streets.

At least now, more of us in the real estate community have figured out that stimulus and incentives aren’t the answer… JOBS are the answer.  There are too many potential buyers out there that are worried about the security of their jobs.  Demand can’t rise until buyers don’t feel threatened.

And that means that the Supply side of Supply/Demand will be out of whack… even thought the supplies have be mostly dropping for well over a year (compared to the previous year).  And even though supply has been coming down, there have been reports of a wave of foreclosures just out of sight over the horizon (those reports have been with us for well over a year, too).

On the flip side, there are some pretty good deals.  Mortgage rates are ROCKING… I heard a report today that rates hadn’t been this low in 60 years.  If you ARE in a position to buy, it might be the best time in a generation.  If not, I understand…

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There IS a New Real Estate Transfer Tax in the ObamaCare Law

Assorted international currency notes.
Image via Wikipedia

One of the forums in which I participate has had stories on both sides of this issue for a couple of months… with the more conservative members saying that there is a 3.8% sales tax on the sale of homes, and those that are more supportive of the President and his policies saying that there isn’t.

Neither side was real specific about their information source… talk radio for some, blogs for others… nobody seemed to be going to the source… the 20,000+ page law signed by the President.  In all fairness, there is a LOT of room in 20,000 pages to hide a lot of little Easter Eggs like this.  And being fair to the other side, if there isn’t a tax, the bill isn’t going to say “there is not a tax” anywhere…

I have an answer…

There is indeed a tax on the sale of real estate.  It doesn’t apply to many people, but it WILL apply to some people that have profit from the sale of their homes. Starting in 2013, those with incomes over $200,000 will have to pay a 3.8% tax on profit from the sale of their primary residence or investment properties.  The exact amount will be based on a formula that includes the profit from the property and the income above $200,000.  The tax is not an income tax, but rather it is a “payroll tax”… officially it is a Medicare Tax.

It does not just apply to real estate, but also applies to investment income and dividends.

The bottom line is that both groups are right… and both are wrong.

But…

It will drive another nail into the luxury real estate market.  It has been in the doldrums for a while.  Adding new taxes will not get it going again.  And if you are thinking that this only affects ‘the wealthy’, think again.  Those homes are not built by ‘the wealthy’.  Those homes are not renovated by ‘the wealthy’.  Those consumers are more likely to hire contractors to do improvements.  And they are more likely to update more often…  They are a driver in the housing sector.  This added tax is NOT putting gas in the tank…

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Wayback Wednesday… Don’t Hide in the Sand…

A couple of years ago I wrote about folks facing foreclosure.  I would love to say that things have really changed in the last couple of years, but I can’t…  They have actually gotten worse in many regards.  But we might be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel… but it is just a pinprick of light…recent numbers are showing that the tide of foreclosures might be easing… if only slightly… from record levels.

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