The Real Estate Professional

Last year we kept hearing how the recession was over or almost over and things were going to look up at any moment. Well, 2009 came and went and we soon discovered that the recession was, in fact, not over. The question now is not if millions of people are going to lose their homes—which millions already have—but what the final toll of homes in foreclosure is going to be when this economic is finally over.

Part of the problem was that many people across the nation lost their jobs last year or had their hours severely cut back, leaving them with smaller household incomes. The concern for the current year is that number of unemployed people across the US is still very high and may in fact continue to rise this year. This will continue to be a problem until not only the official unemployment rate changes for the better, but also the rate of under-employed people across the country. read more

While the current recession languishes on, some states are suffering from a huge backlog of foreclosures in the process and large numbers of foreclosed homes on the market. Florida is one such state, having the third highest mortgage payment delinquency rate behind both the sunshine state of California and the silver state of Nevada.

Florida’s foreclosure rate for 2009 was up by 29% over the previous year, which was in itself up over 100% from the previous year. There are almost half a million pending foreclosures in Florida currently and the court system is clogged with them.

The Supreme Court of Florida has recently issued an order which will require foreclosures to go through a managed mediation process that will help to alleviate the pressures on the court system and provide some solutions to many home owners.

When managed mediation is ordered the read more

The economic climate of the past year or so has led to the proliferation of homes in distress, facing short sales and foreclosures; many of these homes have made it to market where buyers are hungry to snatch up deals. While many prospective home buyers are eager to lay claim to one of these possible bargains, the fact is that not all of these homes will be a bargain.

What is important to remember though, is that not all foreclosures or short sales are a good deal.

Properties that haven’t yet progressed to the foreclosure stage are called short sales. Short sales are homes that are worth less than what is left owing on them and are subsequently sold for less than what is owed on their mortgage. A short sale can free a homeowner from their debts from the home, but can leave them still owing if their lenders won’t negotiate a settlement on the funds owing. Short read more