The company reported that 70,051 notices of default were filed at county recorder offices in California during the second quarter, down 13.6 percent from the first quarter and down 43.8 percent compared to second-quarter 2009.

Also, the share of resale, foreclosed homes sold in the state dropped to 36 percent in the second quarter, down from 49.9 percent in second-quarter 2009 and 42.5 percent in first-quarter 2010. NODs, which mark the formal entry of a home into the foreclosure process in California, peaked at 135,431 in first-quarter 2009.

The share of foreclosure resales ranged from 9.5 percent in the San Francisco area to 61.7 percent in the Imperial Valley area during the second quarter, DataQuick reported.

“Obviously, motivated sellers and accommodating lenders have played a part in bringing the default filings down, especially when it comes to short sales,” said John Walsh, DataQuick president, in a statement. “Public policy has also been a factor. We also need to remember that prices have come up off bottom over the past year. If they continue to rise, fewer homeowners will find themselves underwater, which is a significant factor in letting a home go.”

Although no shortage of REOs and short sales, the demand is driving sale prices above the listing price. Last month the $355,000 average selling price of a typical short sale and the $295,000 average selling price for an REO exceeded their average listing price by 101 percent. Multiple offers are common. In contrast, the average selling price of a non-REO, non-short sale home was $425,000, which was 94 percent of their listed price.

Discounting the inflated monthly sales numbers, attributed to one time tax credits, the most significant market change this summer is the number of sellers attempting to sell their home through a short sale process.  At best, negotiating a short sale with the ultimate decision maker, the lender, is a frustrating time-consuming process that can go sideways for a variety of reasons. Currently, more than one of every four listings is marketed as a short sale.

Other information and data for the Placerville, El Dorado County, California areas is available at www.sierraproperties.com

KEEP THIS IN MIND

• There are three basic stages of foreclosure in California: Pre-foreclosure, trustee’s sale, and repossession, often called an REO or real estate owned by the bank.

• Pre-foreclosure homes are in the foreclosure process, but have not yet been auctioned. Owners of pre-foreclosed homes often try to sell the properties because they are “underwater,” meaning they owe more on the mortgage than the home currently is worth. Many homeowners attempt to sell via short sale, where the lender must agree to accept less than the amount owed on the mortgage. Buying at this stage of foreclosure often is a complicated and slow process. However, buyers of pre-foreclosed properties often are given the opportunity to inspect the home prior to purchasing, whereas this is not always the case when buying at other stages of foreclosures.

• The second basic stage of foreclosure is the public auction at a trustee’s or foreclosure sale. Homes in this stage often are well priced, but also come with challenges to buy. These homes may not be available for inspection and buyers may later discover the property needs numerous repairs. As a result, many of the homes at auction are purchased by investors and contractors who have experience working with homes needing numerous repairs, or taken back as REO by the foreclosing lenders.

• If a home does not sell to a third party at the trustee’s auction, the bank takes the property–the final stage of the foreclosure process. Although homes in this stage typically do not offer buyers the best prices, buyers generally can perform a thorough inspection of the property prior to closing.

To read the full story, please click here:

http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/04/real_estate/how_to_buy_a_foreclosure/index.htm?source=cnn_bin&hpt=Sbin

The foreclosure process is likely to take longer in the future, the report said, since banks delayed sending notice of trustee sale filings to borrowers until an average of 188 days had passed since the notice of default, up from 142 days in February.

That extra delay pushed ForeclosureRadar’s preforeclosure inventory estimate up 12.6 percent to 157,768, compared to February. The inventory estimate fell 12.1 percent year-over-year in March.

The inventory of bank-owned properties (REOs) in California dropped 26.5 percent year-over-year and 1.4 percent month-to-month, ForeclosureRadar reported.

Foreclosure filings have dived since last year, “when lenders caught up on a backlog of filings after delays caused by new notice requirements introduced in California Senate Bill 1137,” ForeclosureRadar’s report said.

The bill prevented lenders from issuing a notice of default before contacting the homeowner to explore options to avoid foreclosure and delayed filings for 30 days after that first contact.

“Qualified principal residence” indebtedness is defined as debt incurred in acquiring, constructing, or substantially improving a principal residence.  It includes both first and second trust deeds.  It also includes a refinance loan to the extent the funds were used to payoff a previous loan that would have qualified.

The tax breaks apply to debts discharged from 2009 through 2012.  Californians who have already filed their 2009 tax returns may claim the exemption by filing a Form 540X amendment.

Taxpayers who do not qualify for the above exemptions (e.g., second home or rental property) may nevertheless be exempt under other provisions.  Most notably, taxpayers who are bankrupt are exempt from debt relief income tax.  Also, taxpayers who are insolvent are exempt from debt relief income tax to the extent their current liabilities exceed current assets.

For more information about mortgage forgiveness tax consequences, go to California Franchise Tax Board’s Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Extended webpage and the Internal Revenue Service’s Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act and Debt Cancellation webpage.  The full text of Senate Bill 401 is available at www.leginfo.ca.gov.

Leases under the new program may be up to 12 months, with the possibility of term renewal or month-to-month extensions after that period. For additional information about the Deed for Lease Program, including full details on program eligibility, please review the Guide Announcement on www.efanniemae.com.

Sounds like an admirable and helpful concept for many families facing foreclosure. However, if the feds are becoming a “National Landlord”, will their next step be renting all the vacant homes they own from foreclosures? That competition with the private sector of landlords and investors who own rental properties would be an interesting dilemma! 

“Mortgage rates fell back this week pulling interest rates on 30-year fixed mortgages under 5 percent,” said Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac vice president and chief economist. “Lower mortgage rates should help homeowners lower their monthly payments and feed the ongoing recovery in the housing market.” For instance, the Federal Housing Finance Agency reported that Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have financed more than 3.5 million refinance loans during the first nine months of 2009. Freddie Mac estimates that borrowers who refinanced their conventional loan during the third quarter reduced their interest rate by a median of 1.1 percentage points, which will save these borrowers an aggregate of $3 billion in mortgage payments over the next 12 months.

California Housing Finance Agencies acting executive director,  Steve Spears, said the initiative will “help revive CalHFA lending programs and give California first-time home buyers a chance to take advantage of the highest affordability levels that have been seen in almost two decades.” 

So is this an indication the current $8,000. credit for first-time home buyers is not going to be extended? Why is the “Housing and Economic Recovery Act” passed last year seemingly only going to first-time buyers?

The Small Business Commerce Association (SBCA) is pleased to announce that Realty World has been selected for the 2009 Best of Business Award in the Real Estate category.

The SBCA 2009 Award Program recognizes the top 5% of small businesses throughout the country. Using consumer feedback, the SBCA identifies companies that we believe have demonstrated what makes small businesses a vital part of the American economy. The selection committee chooses the award winners from nominees based off information taken from monthly surveys administered by the SBCA, a review of consumer rankings, and other consumer reports. Award winners are a valuable asset to their community and exemplify what makes small businesses great.

Small Business Commerce Association (SBCA) is a San Francisco based organization. The SBCA is a private sector entity that aims to provide tactical guidance with many day to day issues that small business owners face. In addition to our main goal of providing a central repository of small business operational advice; we use consumer feedback to identify companies that exemplify what makes small business a vital part of the American economy.

SOURCE: Small Business Commerce Association

The “next round” of foreclosures, now beginning? 

Are delinquent loans being helped by congressional actions? 

JOB losses are the primary causes for foreclosures. A huge number of adjustable-rate loans of “prime” (not subprime) borrowers is now beginning to “reset to higher loan payments”. Many of these are job holders of “White Collar Workers” facing or already unemployed. Therefore, future monthly record delinquency rates are likely, until the right answers are discovered by Congress. 

Government “Fix” programs are not making a dent in resolving the real problems. “Loan modifications”, one of the pipe dreams, is one of the classic examples. Home owners who want to pursue affordable payments and conditions believed available seek this choice. Months later, they are waiting for approval but find out the lender foreclosed. 

Other options considered also typically encounter chaos, frustration endless delays or no responses! Foreclosures add thousands of dollars to the lenders losses. Typically, when they get the home back, it may be worth half the original loan amount. Plus, the borrower often remains in the home for over a year, not making payments. (Good for them!) 

Obviously, jobs must be retained and created! Additionally, let’s face reality. Unemployment nationwide for many months has not been under 10%. True unemployment is at least 20% when including the “self employed and independent contractors” who are not entitled to unemployment benefits!