Calhoun County Real Estate

New Upgraded Website

2009-06-18T13:15:00.001-07:00

I am pleased to announce that www.richardgarzahomes.com has undergone a complete upgrade. The upgrade to the site has incorporated new features such as enhanced search capability.

So come on over and take a look. We are always striving to make the site better.

2009-06-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

First time buyers account for over 50% of the sales - over 50% of the home’s sold were in foreclosure of short sale status!

New Video of 1520 E 9th Anniston AL

2009-05-24T22:12:00.000-07:00

This is the newest video of spacious 3 Bedroom, Saltwater pool in Anniston's Clubview Heights Neighborhood.

Seller is very motivated. Make Offer. Interior video to follow

Price Reduction - 308 Ashton Place Jacksonville AL

2009-05-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

Best Buy in Jacksonville AL just got better. Price Reduced to $209,500

New Video of Landscaped Backyard

Wonderful 3bed/2bath brick home.

Hardwood floors, carpet in bedroom, ceramic tile kitchen and baths.

Vaulted ceiling in open living room.

Large master with jetted tub. Screened in sun room.

Tax Credit Can Be Used for Down Payment

2009-05-13T23:03:00.000-07:00

Shaun Donovan, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, on Tuesday said that the Federal Housing Administration is going to permit its lenders to allow home buyers to use the $8,000 tax credit as a down payment.

Previously, most buyers wouldn't receive the funds until after they filed their tax return, and that deterred some people from using the credit. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® has been calling for the change.

“We all want to enable FHA consumers to access the home buyer tax credit funds when they close on their home loans so that the cash can be used as a down payment,” Donovan says. His remarks came in an address to several thousand REALTORS® gathered Tuesday morning at "The Real Estate Summit: Advancing the U.S. Economy," at the 2009 REALTORS® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington, D.C..

He says FHA’s approved lenders will be permitted to “monetize” the tax credit through short-term bridge loans. This will allow eligible home buyers to access the funds immediately at the closing table.

Open House this Sunday - Jacksonville AL

2009-05-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

Open House this Sunday 308 Ashton Place Jacksonville AL

Motivated Seller.

http://tinyurl.com/d7kkrg

Time: 2-4 PM. See you there!!

Directions:

Hwy 21N, turn R at Post office, turn L into Ashton Place, L at stop sign, home on L

Spacious and secluded within Anniston Great Price

2009-04-09T10:50:00.000-07:00

This 3 Bedroom 2 Bath Ranch Style home has been customized to enlarge the living room and dining room. Customized handcrafted hardwood floors in the dining room.

Sunroom opens up onto a patio that couvers the entire back side. Enjoy the patio from the Master. Gazebo in backyard and extensive landscaping makes this a very quite secluded area. Your own nature preserve in Anniston and close to Jacksonville and old Ft. McClellan area.

Low traffic in area due to Mountain Drive being a dead end street. You have to see this house to truly appreciate the size and amenities.

Location: 803 Mountain Drive, Anniston AL
Video Tour

$102,000 MLS# 423667

3 BDR, 3 Bath Salwater Pool, Must See!!

2009-04-06T13:20:00.000-07:00

Spacious large 3 bedroom home, 3 full bathrooms. Formal Living and Dining Room. 2 Extra rooms can be Den, office or music room.

Finished basement has an additional family room. Step out to a large sunroom overlooking saltwater in ground pool and extensive landscaping. Walking Path and a Gazebo.

Comes with large storage building. All of this and more comes with a 1 Year Home Warranty

See More at http://tinyurl.com/dfbfwr
MLS# 423441

Video Interview: Tax Economist Answers Questions About the Home Buyer Credit

2009-03-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

Rob Dietz, Ph.D., director of tax issues for the National Association of Home Builders, discusses the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit in this videotaped interview.

Mortgage rates hit record low, may fall further

2009-03-24T19:48:00.000-07:00

Rates on 30-year mortgages plunged to a record low Thursday after the Federal Reserve launched a new effort to prop up the flailing housing market.

The national average rate on 30-year, fixed mortgages was 4.94 percent on Thursday, according to financial publisher HSH Associates, down nearly a quarter point from a day earlier. That’s the lowest on HSH’s records, which date back to 1979.

For borrowers with stable jobs and good credit, it represents an opportunity to refinance at the lowest rates in decades. But people with less-than-perfect credit are likely to pay higher rates.

Plus, some mortgage brokers were disappointed on Thursday, saying lenders had not pushed down rates as dramatically as they had hoped. Lenders that are not connected to banks and must rely on short-term funding are having trouble raising cash.

“The problem is: We’re still not seeing the injection of capital from the private sector,” said Douglas Braden, a broker with Northern Colorado Mortgage Co.

Plus many lenders, after laying off workers in droves, don’t have the capacity to keep up with a refinancing boom.

“They’re already swimming in applications,” said Greg McBride, senior financial analyst with Bankrate.com. “You could keep reducing mortgage rates, but if the lender’s already got a stack of files on his desk, he’s not going to answer the phone.”

Interest rates have drifted lower since November when the Federal Reserve pledged to buy up mortgage-backed securities in an effort to bolster the long-suffering housing market.

Earlier Thursday, mortgage finance giant Freddie Mac said average rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages dropped this week to 4.98 percent, down from 5.03 percent last week.

It was the lowest since the week of Jan. 15, when it was at 4.96 percent, the lowest point in the history of Freddie Mac’s survey, which goes back to 1971.

Freddie Mac’s survey included rate quotes taken before the Fed said Wednesday it will pump $1.2 trillion into the economy in an effort to lower rates on mortgages and other and loosen credit.

The average rate on a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped to 4.61 percent, down from 4.64 percent last week, Freddie Mac said.

Rates on five-year, adjustable-rate mortgages fell to 4.98 percent, compared with 4.99 percent last week. Rates on one-year, adjustable-rate mortgages rose to 4.91 percent, from 4.8 percent last week.

The rates do not include add-on fees known as points. The nationwide fee for fixed and adjustable rate mortgages averaged 0.7 point last week.

updated 6:40 p.m. CT, Thurs., March. 19, 2009

Birmingham-area home sales jump 28% in February

2009-03-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

Birmingham-area homes sales rose 28 percent in February over the previous month, according the Birmingham Association of Realtors.

Compiled with data from the Birmingham Area Multiple Listing Service, the area saw 725 homes sold last month, up 28 percent from January, but down 26 percent from February 2008.
Average price decreased 4 percent to $171,062 from a year ago and median price decreased 15 percent.

Without foreclosure sales in the area, average price for the month would have been $230,983, said the association in a news release. The average price of a foreclosed home in the area last month was $78,044.

Inventory of homes for sale is still headed in the right direction. Inventory totaled 10,475 in February, compared to 11,919 a year ago.

Year-to-date sales were down 30 percent compared to the first two months of last year, while average price decreased 13 percent and median price decreased 15 percent.

For the month, the southern portion of the city had the most sales, with a total of 310 sold. That was followed by the eastern portion with 215, the western portion with 147 and the northern portion with 53.

Birmingham Business Journal - by Lauren B. Cooper Staff

Facebook Page Calhoun County Alabama Real Estate

2009-03-08T22:29:00.001-07:00

Justed wanted to announce a new facebook page called Calhoun County Alabama Real Estate. You can find it by clicking the link or going to http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=7446&uid=67936269120#/group.php?gid=67936269120

This Group is intended to be a place where we can discuss real estate happenings within Anniston, Weaver, Oxford and surrounding areas. Please be free to announce anything you feel would be of intrest such as new listings, open houses or auctions. The question of the day is: What are your feelings on the local market conditions? Have we seen the bottom of downward slide? Will days on Market increase?

Ambitious Foreclosure Plan Revealed - How Will It Help?

2009-03-06T23:00:00.000-08:00

March 6, 2009-(MCT/RISMedia)-The Obama administration on Wednesday detailed its ambitious $275 billion plan to halt soaring foreclosures nationwide, outlining the financial incentives it’s offering investors, lenders and their bill collectors to lure them into modifying distressed mortgages to keep Americans in their homes. The slump in home prices is the root cause of the global financial meltdown, so the success or failure of the administration’s housing plan is vital to ending the deepening economic recession.

Shortly before financial markets opened, the Treasury Department provided its long-awaited update to the Making Home Affordable program, which the administration thinks can help up to 9 million homeowners.

“It’s a major break with the past because it really takes up a multifaceted approach. It used several different carrots and a stick to come at a comprehensive plan to reduce the number of foreclosures,” said Kathleen Day, a spokeswoman for the advocacy group Center for Responsible Lending in Durham, N.C. “That’s the only way you’re going to stabilize the financial system.”

The plan’s details came out a day before the House of Representatives is expected to pass compromise legislation giving bankruptcy judges power that they now lack to modify the terms of certain mortgages. Bankruptcy changes are the stick to go along with the carrots-new financial incentives for lenders to modify mortgages instead of moving to foreclosure.

The Obama housing plan attacks two problems that are creating a vicious cycle in the nation’s housing market.

First, it offers $200 billion to provide refinancing for some homeowners who owe more than their homes are now worth-shorthanded as being “underwater” on their mortgages. To qualify, these homeowners-5 million of them by administration estimates-must have their mortgages in the hands of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, the mortgage finance giants that the government seized last September.

“We have been advocating for one unified approach to help modify or refinance delinquent and underwater loans and thus we think this program will undoubtedly help servicers keep more at-risk borrowers in their homes, which is a crucial step to helping stabilize the mortgage and housing markets,” stated John A. Courson, president and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA).

Many of these homeowners would like to take advantage of today’s historically low interest rates and refinance but can’t, since the law prohibits refinancing if the current mortgages reflects less than 80% of the homes’ values. These homeowners now can seek to refinance if their mortgages are up to 5% higher than the present-day values of their homes. That helps some, but it won’t reach lots of homeowners in California, Florida and elsewhere whose homes are now worth substantially less than their mortgages.

Because most mortgages are bundled into securities and sold into a secondary market, it’s often difficult for homeowners to find out whether Fannie or Freddie owns their loans or whether they’ve been pooled with other loans and sold by an investment bank to other investors.

The other pillar of Obama’s plan attacks the problem of affordability. The administration provides another $75 billion in incentives to help prevent foreclosures in cases in which the homeowners, up to 4 million of them, are about to lose their homes. The money comes from the $700 billion bailout fund approved last October.

Under this complex portion of the plan, the president offers a stream of financial incentives to mortgage servicers, who are essentially bill collectors for private investors who own pools of U.S. mortgages. Some incentives stay with the servicers while others flow through to investors.

In exchange for the incentives, a servicer would modify a mortgage so that no more than 38% of a homeowner’s monthly after-tax income was taken by the monthly mortgage payment. The government then would step in and share the cost of reworking that mortgage so that no more than 31% of the borrower’s monthly income was tied up in the payment.

This could result in some mortgages carrying interest rates as low as 2% for five years. Critics think that this mortgage subsidy interferes with the natural process of letting the marketplace find the floor on home prices.

“Not only do these gimmicks prevent home prices from falling to the market-clearing levels that would give private lenders the confidence to loan, but the continued specter of subsequent government-mandated modification will keep lenders out of the game,” said Peter Schiff, the president of investment strategist Euro Pacific Capital.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told lawmakers Wednesday that the administration plan offers “a powerful set of incentives” and “persuasive force and some economic inducements to provide substantial improvements in affordability. With those changes you will be put in an economically viable position and stay in your home.”

Although lenders have worked over the past year to freeze mortgage rates that were about to adjust to higher monthly payments, few have been willing to take losses and significantly rework the loan terms. This has led to a high percentage of re-defaults on modified mortgages and avoided tackling the problem of affordability.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair pushed unsuccessfully during the Bush administration to rework loans with an eye toward affordability, and the Obama administration is implementing her ideas.

Any lender that takes new taxpayer bailout money under the administration’s Financial Stability Plan will be required to participate. The Obama team also is betting that requiring a standard guideline for mortgage modification will provide more protection to mortgage servicers, who are bound by contract to investors, not homeowners, and can be sued if they modify mortgages.

The Obama plan got a strong endorsement Wednesday from the Financial Services Roundtable, which represents many of the largest mortgage lenders.

“Our member companies intend to implement the program for all at-risk borrowers consistent with program guidelines and contractual requirements,” the group said in a statement. “For the benefit of at-risk borrowers who are facing the loss of their homes, for communities and for our nation in this time of extraordinary economic challenges, it is imperative that investors and servicers that choose to participate in the program adopt a national standard model.”

In an administration background briefing that was conducted under the administration’s insistence on anonymity in order to speak freely, it was clear that the plan is far from a panacea.

Senior government and industry officials confirmed that homeowners who seek to refinance to the new low interest rates will have to foot the bill for a range of new fees that Fannie and Freddie require. It’s not clear whether these will have to be paid upfront or can be folded into the loans.

The officials also confirmed that there’s no standard procedure for lenders under the Fannie and Freddie portion of the plan. It will be up to each lender to determine whether the refinances go through them or whether mortgage brokers and other intermediaries can help homeowners seek refinanced loans under the program.

Officials were also careful to note that mortgage servicers won’t be able to modify mortgages if the terms of their contracts with the investors who own the pools of mortgages don’t allow it. That leaves matters at square one for many homeowners, since many investors, like lenders, have been reluctant to take losses in hopes of an eventual government bailout.

Officials confirmed that they have no reliable data on how many of these investors are on the other ends of contracts that prohibit mortgage modifications. That question is important, since many of the weakest loans underwritten during the height of the housing boom, from 2004 to 2006, were sold by now-defunct investment banks to investors abroad, many in Europe.

These pools of mortgages, called mortgage-backed securities, are the so-called toxic assets that are at the heart of the global banking meltdown. This unresolved question about their contract terms is relevant to recovery in housing and the financial sector.

So, who qualifies for help of what kind? Here are some answers for consumers:

Q: How do I know if I qualify?

A: Your mortgage must predate the start of 2009, you must live in the home and you’ll have to provide proof of income. Then ask two questions. First, are you already behind on payments or even in the foreclosure process? If the answer is no, then ask yourself whether your current mortgage rate is high enough to make it worth your while to refinance to take advantage of today’s low rates for 15-year and 30-year fixed-rate mortgages.

Q: That’s it?

A: No. If you think it’s advantageous to refinance, you must find out who owns your loan. Most mortgages are bundled together and sold into a secondary market, where investors technically own them. If Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac placed your loan into the secondary market, you can contact the company that sends your monthly mortgage statement to discuss the new program. If your mortgage is in the portion of the secondary market where the private sector issued the mortgage-backed securities, you don’t qualify.

Q: How do I know who owns my loan?

A: You’ll have to ask the company that sends your monthly statement. These companies are sure to be swamped with calls this week, so be patient. And be warned: Borrowers have found in the past that mortgage-bill collectors-called servicers-often are less than forthcoming with answers as to who owns the loans.

Q: What if my loan is owned by Fannie or Freddie but I have negative equity?

A: You’re not alone. Researcher First American CoreLogic reported Wednesday that one in five homeowners nationwide now owes more than his or her home is worth. To qualify under the refinance portion of the Obama plan, you can owe up to 5% more than your home is now worth. Thus, many homeowners in California, Florida, Arizona and Nevada, where home prices have plunged, won’t qualify.

Homeowners in 250 high-cost U.S. counties can seek help under either track, however, provided that they qualify, even if the mortgage is worth up to $729,750. This could help high-income homeowners in Middle America and the Northeast, where home prices haven’t fallen as much.

Q: What about those of us who are about to lose our homes?

A: A lot will depend on whether the mortgage bill collectors, the servicers, think that they have leeway from investors to modify the loans. They’re being offered an upfront fee of $1,000 and will get “pay for success” fees for three years if a borrower’s modified loan remains in good standing. They’re being offered even more fees if they get homeowners into this program before they fall behind on payments.

Q: What happens if the servicer agrees to modify my mortgage?

A: First, the servicer has to get your monthly payment down to 38% of your monthly after-tax income. It can do this by taking a loss on the loan or stretching a 30-year loan into a 40-year, for example. It’s allowed to reduce interest rates as low as 2%.

Once the 38% threshold is met, the government matches lenders dollar for dollar to get the payment even lower, to 31% of monthly after-tax income.

This percentage is calculated on the value of a first-lien mortgage. If a home carries a second lien-often called a second, or junior, lien-the servicer will get another $250 if it extinguishes the second mortgage.

Q: Is the modification a permanent fix?

A: The new interest rate would be valid for five years. Afterward, it can rise 1% a year until the lending rate hits the conforming loan survey rate at the time of the modification. Given that mortgage rates today are low by historical standards, the loan survey rate is likely to be well below the punishing adjustable rates that are at the heart of many distressed mortgages.

Q: Do lenders have to participate in Making Home Affordable?

A: If they’re getting Wall Street bailout money and hope to get any more, then they have to play ball. Many mortgage servicers are outside this realm, however, and their trade group, the American Securitization Forum, gave only lukewarm, qualified support to the Obama administration’s plan.

Q: Is there any way to force servicers to help homeowners?

A: The House of Representatives is expected to pass legislation this week that would allow bankruptcy judges to modify mortgages. This measure, which seems to have support in the Senate, too, would let judges shave off of mortgages the difference between what homeowners owe and what their homes are now worth. This would give homeowners some leverage in negotiations.

Q: But don’t these homeowners deserve what they get for overextending themselves?

A: Some think so. There are two parties to a bad deal, however-people who bought too much home and lenders who let their underwriting standards fail in lending to them. Somebody has to lose. The Obama administration is betting that keeping owners in their homes helps set a floor under prices. Critics think that only the marketplace can find a floor for home prices.

© 2009, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

2009-02-27T13:09:00.000-08:00

Updated First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit: 6 Things to Know

2009-02-22T13:48:00.000-08:00

While the proposed $15,000 home-buyer tax credit died in negotiations between the House and the Senate, the $787 billion stimulus bill that President Barack Obama signed into law Tuesday includes a similar--albeit smaller--measure designed to help revive the real estate market. Here are six things you need to know about the freshly-enacted $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit.

1. Eight grand, new buyers: The tax credit included in the economic stimulus legislation is much narrower than the $15,000 proposal. This credit is equivalent to 10 percent of the purchase price of the home--although it's capped at $8,000--and applies only to first-time home buyers and principal residences. But unlike an earlier $7,500 home buyer tax credit, this one does not have to be repaid.

2. First time buyers defined: For the purpose of this legislation, a "first-time home buyer" is someone who hasn't owned a principal residence for three years before buying a house. (The date of purchase is considered the day that the title is transferred.) That means if you've owned a vacation home--but not a principal residence--within the past three years, you would still qualify for the credit.

3. 2009 buyers only: Only those who purchase a home on or after January 1 and before December 1, 2009 are eligible for the credit. Anyone who bought a home last year won't be able to take advantage of it.

4. Income limits: The tax credit is subject to income limitations. Single buyers need a modified adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less to qualify for the full credit, that's $150,000 for married couples. Those earning more than these thresholds may be eligible for reduced credits.
5. Refundable: Because the tax credit is "refundable," qualified buyers can take advantage of it even if they don't have much tax liability.

6. Recapture: Buyers have to own the home for at least three years in order to capitalize on the credit. If they sell the home before then, they will have to return the credit to the government. (Exceptions will be made in certain cases, such as death or divorce.)

Richard Garza Earns REALTOR e-PRO® Certification

2009-01-29T23:11:00.000-08:00

(January 30, 2009) – Richard Garza of Billy Isom GMAC has successfully completed the REALTOR e-PRO course to become one of a select few real estate professionals to earn the prestigious certification offered through the National Association of REALTORS.®

The REALTOR e-PROÒ certification course is an educational program unlike any other professional certification or designation course available, comprehensive and interactive. It is specifically designed to provide real estate professionals with the technology tools needed to assist consumers in the purchase or sale of a home.

With more than 70% of consumers beginning their real estate research on the Internet, e-PRO certified agents have the experience and expertise to meet the demands of today’s buyer and seller.

“The real estate industry has undergone a fundamental change over the past several years,” said Richard of Billy Isom GMAC Real Estate. “A majority of consumers are taking the time to conduct their own research prior to contacting an agent. In turn, real estate professionals must be knowledgeable of how technology can assist them in serving the needs of the buying and selling public.”

The exclusive REALTOR e-PROÒ certification course is presented entirely online and certifies real estate agents and brokers as Internet professionals. Because of its innovative design, students are able to complete the course at their own pace, when and where they want, via any Internet connection. The course is designed to help REALTORSÒ stay at the leading edge of technology and identify, evaluate and implement new Internet business models.

Once completed, the e-PRO certified real estate professional joins the ranks of a special community of highly skilled and continuously trained professionals who provide high quality and innovative online-based real estate services. Consumers can identify the e-PRO through the exclusive e-PRO Internet Professional logo.

Both the content and the delivery platform were created by San Diego-based technology company InternetCrusade®. The course instructs participants in the professional use of e-mail, the development of an interactive Web site, and the use of online research tools. Graduates use the skills they've acquired to provide clients information on properties for sale, local communities, and the local real estate market.

Housing Markets Will Roar Back in 2009

2009-01-14T21:41:00.000-08:00

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Dec 09, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The nation's foreclosure hemorrhage has finally slowed and 2009 should see a significant decline in foreclosures as buyers return, pushing home prices up and fueling a real estate recovery, according to the 2009 Outlook from ForeclosureS.com, the leading real estate and property information and education specialists.
"Recovery is underway. Affordable is back in the housing market," says Alexis McGee, real estate expert, educator, and president of ForeclosureS.com. "In 2009, housing will not only recover, but we'll see buyers leap into this market in droves, depleting our housing oversupply, and actually put higher price pressures on the market."

"With 4.5% fixed mortgage rates, housing prices lower than they were 'pre-housing bubble', commodity prices lower, tax credits available for homebuyers, and the government eager to stimulate our economy, for the first time in years I can see prices rising again in 2009," adds McGee. "This is a great time to buy properties for investors -- to buy properties at wholesale prices below today's already low prices -- rent them out for positive cash flow and then sell them for big profits in late 2009 once price appreciation kicks in."

The latest U.S. Foreclosure Index by ForeclosureS.com shows a slight drop from 84,534 to 84,291 in the number of properties repossessed by lenders following foreclosure last month over October. These are REOs or lender-owned real estate. But that's off nearly 21% from September's 106,415 REO filings. (Year to date 12.6 of every 1,000 households nationwide have been lost to foreclosure.)

"Certainly some of the drop reflects growing results of government and private efforts to keep homeowners in their homes," says McGee. "But the recovery takes shape when you factor in other things like what the National Association of Realtors calls 'solid' gains from a year ago in existing home sales in some key areas, and the fact that many of the same areas are seeing dropping home prices. Fewer foreclosure actions were initiated in the last quarter, too, according to the latest Mortgage Delinquency Survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association," McGee adds.

"California is a great example of what's happening now and what lies ahead for the housing sector. Long a leader in the subprime mortgage mess and rising numbers of foreclosures, the state's foreclosures have slowed significantly," says McGee.

The latest U.S. Foreclosure Index numbers show November REO filings in the state down to 15,978 in November, down 6.55% from October and off nearly 50% from September. Home prices there have come down, too, as much as 39.4% from the third quarter from a year ago in some areas like Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, according to National Association of Realtors numbers. That's left many homeowners that bought their homes at high price points with upside down mortgages--they owe more than the value of the home. But it's also made homes more affordable for plenty of other people. Solid and in many cases rising existing homes sales support that, adds McGee.

In November, another perennial leader in foreclosures, Arizona, saw its REOs and pre-foreclosure filings drop (down 5.19% and 5% respectively), according to U.S. Foreclosure Index numbers.

The pre-foreclosure picture when averaged nationally isn't quite as bright. Pre-foreclosures include notice of mortgage default and/or foreclosure auction. Amid all the negative economic news across the nation, pre-foreclosures for November were up 5.57% from October with 27.1 of every 1,000 households across the country facing some kind of foreclosure action (177,254 vs. 167,906 filings in October). But that's still down nearly 2% and more than 7.5% from March's high, according to U.S. Foreclosure Index analysis.

"Pre-foreclosure numbers likely climb in early 2009 (albeit at a much slower rate than in 2008)," says McGee. "Too many homeowners already are just too overextended and likely won't seek help to work out their delinquent mortgages until after a pre-foreclosure filing against their property. That filing, it seems, is the wake-up call for many to get the help they need and sell," McGee adds.

"Potential homebuyers and investors on the other hand, will find the bargains growing in 2009," says McGee. "As the year progresses more bright spots will emerge, too, both in terms of foreclosure numbers and housing markets as efforts to work with strapped homeowners really begin to take root."

"I wish my crystal ball could pinpoint everything that's going to happen with housing markets in the next 12 months, but there are just too many variables. What I can tell, though, is that hardest hit housing markets have already hit bottom and others will follow in 2009. Third-quarter National Association of Realtor numbers actually show existing home sales picking up in about 20 percent of the areas studied. And, given the uncertainty and volatility of the stock market combined with all time low interest rates, extremely affordable low priced homes, and all the choices out there, 2009 is an excellent time to buy real estate. Properties, especially foreclosed ones, will be highly discounted, lenders are motivated to work with buyers, and the opportunities are abound. The bottom line to keep in mind: What goes down absolutely positively will go back up again.

"The return of solid housing markets is an important part of restoring stability to financial markets. The market will return when mortgage rates and home prices are down, and that's exactly what is happening now in the hardest-hit areas of the country," adds McGee.
ForeclosureS.com has been the professional's source for accurate foreclosure property information for more than 20 years. The company bases its analysis on the number of formal notices filed against a property during the foreclosure process. That can include notice of default, notice of foreclosure auction, and/or notice of REO (lender-owned real estate that occurs after a foreclosed property fails to sell at auction and reverts back to the lender). Pre-foreclosure filings are initial notices that all do not end up as foreclosure.

For more Foreclosure Statistics and Information for your area, as well as expert commentary from Alexis McGee, president of ForeclosureS.com, please contact Sofia Gutierrez, ForeclosureS.com, 916-781-0648 or sofia@halldinpr.com
SOURCE: ForeclosureS.com

Surviving the mortgage meltdown

2008-12-04T19:59:00.000-08:00

On the Record with Rob Henger, President of Henger Rast Mortgage

Sunday, November 23, 2008: Mortgage banking veteran Rob Henger, owner of Henger-Rast Mortgage in Cahaba Heights, says his business has largely avoided the subprime loans that led to the current financial crisis, but it couldn't avert the slowdown plaguing the real estate industry.

Henger is hopeful that the $700 billion economic bailout bill passed by Congress in late September will soon boost the economy. He shared his views of the Birmingham real estate environment and his thoughts on how long he thinks it will take to turn things around.

How tough of an environment is this for those trying to market mortgages and sell homes?

The numbers are similar to the market we saw in 2003. Due to these reductions in home sale numbers, the current trend in the real estate industry is one of purging the part-time or hobby Realtors and companies, and the stronger, more experienced ones will survive.

Birmingham residents should find confidence that these surviving Realtors and companies are highly qualified professionals that can best represent their clients' needs. This is a great time to buy a new home. If you make a family decision to investigate selling your existing home, you may find some disappointment in what your current home is worth and your equity is smaller than you may have thought.

However, there are many homes on the market that are significantly under-priced for the value. Hence, what you may perceive as low equity in your current home, you may pick up twofold in a good deal on a new home.

How have things changed for you as a mortgage banker now compared to a few years ago when the housing market was booming?

The credit criteria that we follow in 2008 significantly mirrors what we saw in 1998. This correction in our industry was a result of the greed of Wall Street mortgage-backed security traders that systematically lowered credit standards to inadequate levels from 1999 to 2006.

This easy financing significantly increased the numbers of possible home buyers and lowered the qualification for high-priced home purchases. Ultimately, the performance of these ill-underwritten loans began to come to the surface in 2006 by the bond rating agencies, and our industry has been working through corrective measures ever since.

Have you had to turn down a larger percentage of applicants than in the past?

Yes and no. The single biggest segment of home buyers that are finding difficulty are the self-employed that employ aggressive income and expense tax strategies. Those self-employed who under-report income to lower taxes are being hurt by that when it comes to getting loans.

... Today, we underwrite loans just like we did 10 years ago. If you have good credit, a small down payment, possibly as low as 3.5 percent, and documentable income, not much has changed for this borrower's ability to obtain a standard conventional or FHA mortgage.

Have you tightened lending standards?

Prior to the U.S. Treasury taking receivership of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, we were finding periodic tightening of lending standards that restricted the number of loans that were being approved due to possible liquidity issues. Now that the government has taken over these agencies, we are finding a repeal of some of the over corrections to underwriting standards.

Today's credit standards are getting back to realistic, common-sense levels that we saw for many years prior to Wall Street's meddling in our industry.

Birmingham has largely avoided many of the foreclosures taking place across the country, but numbers are up this year. Do you expect that trend to continue here and nationally?

Regretfully, we will see further increase to foreclosures as our industry corrects itself. New national estimates project foreclosures to exceed 2 million homes in 2009. It took Wall Street roughly six years to push the envelope beyond good business practices. I believe it will take half that time to weed through the corrections. The good news is we are two years into what I believe will be a three- to four-year correction.

Birmingham housing prices are off slightly but holding their own compared to other cities. Why is that?

Our city is not significantly driven by a single industry, natural resource or advantageous location. Therefore, Birmingham does not see the highs or the lows of other regions.

How has your company fared in the midst of this housing meltdown?

The liquidity crisis has impacted our ability to provide aggressively priced low mortgage rates on loans over $650,000. To fill this void in our business model, we were very fortunate to be granted our license to underwrite government insured mortgagees for the Federal Housing Administration. With the recent increase in the maximum FHA loan size to $271,050, our company managed to post a moderate profit for our fiscal year ending Oct. 31.

The bank bailout bill has failed to alleviate the credit crunch so far. What are your thoughts on that?

The unselfish answer: As a taxpayer, I am very supportive of the change in direction from the bad mortgage bailout to leveraged investments in publicly traded companies and banks. The public perception was our government was going to spend $700 billion to correct the sins of Wall Street.

Rather than spending taxpayer money, (Treasury Secretary Henry) Paulson has redirected his efforts to investing our tax dollars in what he believes are sound companies that will eventually recover and repay or provide significant investments returns on our tax dollars.

The selfish answer: As a mortgage banker, I would love to see a portion of these funds allocated to subsidize lending, to drive down interest rates, to stimulate home buying. This stimulus will bring back consumer confidence that our home is not only a shelter, but a great investment.

How do you relax away from work?

I love to spend quality time with my wife, Tiffany, 8-year-old daughter, Sophia, and 5-year-old son, Nick. Between work and family life, there is not much time left for personal relaxation.

I do not golf, but have a motocross motorcycle that I occasionally ride in the woods to get exercise and relieve tension.

Reprinted from the Birmingham News by ROY L. WILLIAMS - News staff writer

New Alabama Tax Law: Nonresidents to withhold 3% for Certain Real Estate Transactions

2008-11-12T11:05:00.000-08:00

The summary of this tax law is: In the past it was the sellers responsibility to report, now that has been changed so that it is now the BUYERS responsibility.

A new Alabama tax law requires real estate investors to withhold 3% of the sales price for the purpose of fulfilling capital gains tax requirements. The Act applies specifically to the sale of real property by sellers who are nonresidents of the State of Alabama. If the following conditions are met, the seller will be deemed to be a resident of Alabama and the 3% withholding requirement will not apply:
the seller must have filed income tax returns or certain extensions each of the two years preceding the sale; the seller must be in business in Alabama and continuing “substantially the same business in Alabama” after the sale, or have additional real property in the state at the time of closing that is of “equal or greater value than the withholding tax liability as measured by the 100 percent property tax assessment of such remaining property;” and the seller must report the sale on their current year Alabama income tax return and file accordingly.

Additional requirements should receive careful consideration to avoid penalties. For example, in some instances, failure to withhold and file the correct amount by the seller causes the buyer to be held liable.

There are some exemptions to this act as well

Report: Housing recovery possible in 2010 - What do you think?

2008-10-10T20:08:00.000-07:00

I was reading the following story I came across:

By Inman News, Monday, October 6, 2008

Until the excess inventory of 950,000 single-family homes and condos sitting vacant in the United States has been depleted, no significant housing upturn is likely until 2010 at the earliest, according to a housing market analysis. In its latest issue of Research Notes, the National Multi Housing Council estimated there are approximately 825,000 excess vacant single-family homes and 125,000 excess vacant condos beyond normal vacancy levels in the United States. Add to that some 2 million in excess houses and condos that are occupied and on the market, and the housing market faces incredibly rough times over at least the next 14 months. To put these figures in perspective, the current excess inventory of 825,000 single-family homes is actually greater than an average year of production in the 1990s, which was 725,000 units per year. The excess inventory will continue to push prices lower, according to NMHC.

The question I have is: What do you think is the outlook within Calhoun County? Do you think the worse is over and things are getting better or will the seller market get worse?

I would be intrested in hearing comments.

2008-10-04T00:33:00.000-07:00

I thought that a good version of Sweet Home Alabama would be good way to start off the weekend. Like I said, this is mainly Real Estate driven, but from time to time, you can add anything Alabama related that one would like.

Links to Calhoun County

2008-10-02T10:41:00.000-07:00

I have compiled a list of site that would help someone that is relocationg to the calhoun county area. It consist of City, Education and Recreation links. I hope it helps.

Official City Websites

City of Anniston
City of Oxford
City of Jacksonville
City of Piedmont
City of Weaver

Calhoun County Government Sites

Calhoun County: Very Helpful Site. You can access Tax Records for most properties.
Calhoun County Sheriff
Education Websites
Jacksonville State University
Gadsden State Community College (Ayers Campus)
Anniston City School System
Calhoun County Board of Educationconsists of the following schools: Alexandria, DeArmanville, Ohatchee, Pleasant Valley, Saks, Weaver, and White Plains
The Donoho School
Faith Christian School
Jacksonville City School System
Oxford City School System
Piedmont City School System
Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School

Recreational Sites

Silver Lakes Golf Course
Anniston Museum of Natural History
Janney Furnace Memorial Park
The Chief Ladiga Trail - A Rails-to-Trails Project
Calhoun County Sports Hall of Fame

Local Agencies

Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce
Anniston Water Works and Sewer Board
Calhoun County 911
Alabama Cooperative Extension Service, Calhoun County Office
Joint Powers Authority (JPA) at McClellan
Public Library of Anniston and Calhoun County
Calhoun County Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP)

$7500 First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit Explained

2008-09-24T19:04:00.000-07:00

The Housing Bill (H.R. 3221) signed into law by President Bush in July offers first time home buyers a tax credit equal to 10% of the cost of their home up to $7500. This tax credit is available to first time home buyers who purchase a home in the United States as their principal residence on or after April 9, 2008 and before July 1, 2009.

To qualify as a first time home buyer, the buyer cannot have owned an interest in a principal residence in the past three years from the date of the qualifying purchase.

To qualify for the full amount of the tax credit the buyer must earn no more than $75,000 if filing as Single or Head of Household. If filing a Joint return, the buyers may have income of no more than $150,000. There is a phase out of the credit if reported income is more than $75,000. Consult with a tax advisor to see how much of the tax credit your buyer could qualify to receive.

The tax credit allows the buyer to deduct the credit from the total tax liability for the year in which the credit is taken. So, if the total tax liability is $8,000 for 2008 and the buyer qualify’s for the full $7500 first time home buyers tax credit, deduct the $7500 from the tax bill and the buyer only pays $500. Also, the tax credit is "refundable". This means that if the total tax liability for 2008 is $4000 and the buyer qualify’s for the full $7500 first time home buyers tax credit, the credit would be used to pay the $4000 tax bill and the buyer would receive a tax refund check from the IRS for the $3500 difference. Consult with a tax advisor to see how the tax credit would impact the buyer’s tax return.

This tax credit must be repaid. However, the repayment period is 15 years unless the home is resold before the end of that period and there is no interest on the amount of the credit that is received. Repayment of the credit begins two years after the credit is claimed and is repaid in increments of 6.67% per year of the credit amount. Consult with a tax advisor to learn how the tax credit repayment plan works.

Essentially, the tax credit is a 15 year interest free loan from the government. Since money today is worth more than an equal amount of money in the future, the tax credit it is a fantastic opportunity that a buyer can’t afford to miss. Any money used to pay a tax bill and any refundable portion of the tax credit that is received can be invested to earn interest. Any interest earned is kept by the borrower after the principal has been repaid. Consult with a tax advisor or financial planner to understand how the tax credit can earn money.

Calhoun County Tax Records

2008-09-24T08:40:00.001-07:00

It will be at least another month before the Birmingham MLS integrates the Calhoun County Tax records into the MLS. In the meantime you can look up individual tax records at: http://gis.calhouncounty.org/

Introduction To Calhoun County Real Estate

2008-09-23T22:59:00.000-07:00

This is my first post to this blog. My intent for this blog is to discuss the real estate market in Calhoun County Alabama. I will not limit myself to only the real estate market but to many other items that would be of interest to people living in this part of the state.