Forward this e-mail to your friends!

Then they can subscribe directly at the following link:

http://www.smartrealestatenews.com/

*** Join Chris’ Facebook Fan Page–>

http://www.mclaughlinchris.com

*** Follow Chris on Twitter–>

http://www.twitter.com/mclaughlinchris

************************************************************

NAR – existing home sales decline

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), Existing-home sales, (completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops), fell 3.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.81 million in May from a downwardly revised 5.00 million in April, and are 15.3% below a 5.68 million pace in May 2010 when sales were surging to beat the deadline for the home buyer tax credit.  There were notable regional differences in home sales. “A large decline in Midwestern existing-home sales can be attributed partly to the flooding and other severe weather patterns that occurred, but this also implies a temporary nature of soft market activity,” Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, explained.  The national median existing-home price for all housing types was $166,500 in May, down 4.6% from May 2010. Distressed homes³ – typically sold at a discount of about 20% – accounted for 31% of sales in May, down from 37% in April; they were 31% in May 2010.  NAR President Ron Phipps, broker-president of Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I., said a number of proposals being considered in Washington could further jeopardize the housing recovery. “We’re concerned about the flow of available capital, including a possible rule that would effectively raise minimum down payment requirements to 20%,” he said. “We don’t need to throw the baby out with the bath water – increasing down payment requirements would effectively shut many qualified families out of the market. What we critically need is a return to the basics of providing safe mortgages to creditworthy buyers willing to stay well within their budget.”

Bernanke not likely to make big changes

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is unlikely to announce a major change in monetary policy at his second-ever news conference later today, but investors will hang on his every word for clues on whether the Fed will scale back its presence in financial markets, analysts said.  The central bank will release quarterly economic forecasts and analysts expect them to be revised lower to reflect the recent weakness, but they said Bernanke will be quick to say he sees an acceleration in the recovery.  “I’m sure he’ll predict one,” John Wraith, fixed income strategist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML), said. “I’m sure he won’t announce any reversal of the stimulus.”  The Federal Open Market Committee is likely to take the formal decision to end the second round of quantitative easing – a program under which it pumps liquidity in markets by buying assets – at the end of June but to leave the reinvestment policy in place, according to analysts from Barclays Capital.  Mark Olson, former Fed governor, said he would be surprised if the FOMC did not vote unanimously to stay the course and that he does not expect big changes in the Fed’s statement.

The Fed’s statement is due at 12:30 pm New York time and Bernanke’s news conference is expected to start at 2:15 pm.  The statement is likely to say that headline inflation was pushed higher by a rise in commodity prices but that these have fallen back somewhat and inflation expectations remain stable, Barclays Capital analysts wrote.

MBA – mortgage applications drop

After experiencing a 13% surge in mortgage applications, the mortgage market lost steam last week with applications dropping 5.9% for the week ending June 17.  While homeowners rushed to refinance earlier in the month, that trend reversed itself, with the refinance index and purchase index falling 7.2% and 2.8%, respectively, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday.  In addition, the four-week moving averages for the market index and the refinance index are up 0.4% and 0.8%, respectively, while the seasonally adjusted purchase index is down 0.7%.  Refinancing activity cooled as the refinance share of mortgage activity fell to 69.2% of total applications from 70% the previous week. In addition, the adjustable-rate mortgage share of activity fell to 5.9% from 6.1% the prior week.  Meanwhile, the average interest rate on the 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage grew to 4.57%, up from 4.51% a week earlier. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage also rose to 3.70%, up from 3.67% a week earlier.

Mortgage lender CEO sentenced

Paul Allen, 55, the former CEO of Taylor, Bean & Whitaker, or TBW, pleaded guilty in April to one count of making false statements and one count of conspiring to commit bank and wire fraud.  He was sentenced to more than three years in prison.  The Justice Department said the fraud scheme contributed to the failure of TBW, which was one of the largest privately held U.S. mortgage lending companies, as well as the bankruptcy of Alabama-based Colonial Bank, which was one of the 50 largest U.S. banks.  Former TBW Chairman Lee Farkas, who was convicted on April 19 on 14 counts of fraud for his role in masterminding the scheme, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 27. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) also has a civil action pending against Farkas in the Eastern District of Virginia.  Allen’s co-conspirator Sean Ragland, a 37-year-old former senior financial analyst at TBW, was also sentenced today by Judge Leonie Brinkema to three months in prison.  Four other senior officials with TBW and Colonial Bank have also been sentenced to time in prison ranging from three months to eight years for their role in the fraud.

Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer said Allen “concealed TBW’s staggering deficits through false financial reports, which ultimately caused investors to lose more than $1.5 billion.”  He said the sentencing sent a “strong message that corporate fraud by senior executives will not be tolerated,” but also showed that plea deals like Allen’s — under which he provided “substantial assistance” to government investigators — would be taken into account at sentencing.  According to court documents and information presented at trial, Allen and Ragland distributed materially false documents to investors in Ocala Funding, a TBW multi-billion dollar lending facility, from early 2005 through August 2009.  As a result, investors in Ocala Funding lost more than $1.5 billion, while Colonial Bank lost $900 million.

Olick – on the distressed property sales drop

“The share of distressed sales in May, that is foreclosed properties and short sales (when the property is sold for less than the value of the loan), fell to 31% of all sales from 37% in April. Investors, who purchase a large share of these distressed properties, also represented a smaller share in May. So what’s going on?  We know there is still a huge supply of bank owned (REO) properties, and we also know that banks are pushing short sales on many more properties than ever before. But they are also pushing REO sales, thanks to new sales incentives from lenders and the GSE’s (Government-Sponsored Enterprises).  ‘Realtors and mortgage loan officers nationwide are driving mid-to-high end organic, short and distressed sales on the fear that buyers will be unable to qualify for loans once the QRM (Qualified Residential Mortgage) rules are in place requiring 20% down,’ says mortgage market analyst Mark Hanson, describing new rules being considered for risk retention by banks (part of the banking overhaul legislation passed last summer).

Some bloggers though, writing in to me after the existing home sales report, claimed that Fannie and Freddie are holding on to REOs, trying to game home prices. Fannie strongly disputes that.  ‘Fannie Mae doesn’t have a shadow inventory of REO properties that are available to be sold. As soon as we acquire a property, we quickly identify a market competitive price, determine whether to make any necessary repairs and list the property. In the first three months of 2011, we sold a record number of REO properties, selling more properties than we acquired,’ said Amy Bonitatibus, Fannie Mae spokeswoman.  ‘We watch taxpayer dollars like it’s our own money. We have an immense responsibility to get the most possible value from each REO property we sell. We are committed to stabilizing neighborhoods and preserving communities across the country,’ she added.

In fact, Fannie Mae recently launched another program of financial incentives to Realtors to sell REO properties. A note from analysts at Goldman Sachs, titled Foreclosure Sales: Federally Backed Lenders Shifting to Net Sellers, states:  ‘Although these entities could hold property off the market to reduce the negative effects of distressed properties on house prices, they do not appear to be doing so…in Q1 the GSEs and FHA became net suppliers of foreclosed properties to the market for the first time since 2009. Moreover, if the temporary slowdown in REO sales over the last two quarters ends, the federal entities seem likely to add roughly 30% to the sales of fore loses property over the next year as compared with the previous four quarters.’

Bottom line, in order for this housing market to recover, the distressed properties need to go, whether by short sales or REO sales. The distress is driving the fear, which in turn keeps buyers on the sidelines. We need investors, and we need first time buyers, and I will say it until I’m blue in the face: These buyers need better access to credit.”

Oil down

Oil prices fell below $94 a barrel today after a crude supply report reflected mixed signs about U.S. demand and the dollar strengthened against other currencies.  By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark oil for August delivery was down 82 cents to $93.35 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 54 cents to settle at $94.17 on Tuesday.  In London, Brent crude for August delivery was down 41 cents to $110.54 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.  The American Petroleum Institute (APA) said late Tuesday that crude inventories fell 81,000 barrels last week while analysts surveyed by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos., had predicted a drop of 2.0 million barrels.  Inventories of gasoline dropped 1.5 million barrels last week, surprising analysts who had forecast an increase of 1 million barrels. Distillates fell 541,000 barrels, the API said.

May delinquencies down

U.S. mortgage delinquencies are faring much better compared to one year ago, according to Lender Processing Services’ “First Look” report released yesterday.  The report provides month-end mortgage performance statistics from LPS’ loan-level database of nearly 40 million mortgages. The Jacksonville, Fla.-based firm will release more detailed reporting in its upcoming “Mortgage Monitor” report, which comes out at the end of this month.  According to the report, 7.96% of U.S. home loans were 30 days past due but not in foreclosure in May, down a staggering 18.3% compared to the same month in 2010. This figure is down a slight 0.1% from April. LPS estimates there are 4.2 million mortgages in delinquency status, with 1.9 million seriously delinquent, meaning 90-plus days past payment.  Foreclosure pre-sale inventory, on the other hand, continued to stay above last year’s averages. Inventory was up 4.11% last month compared to the year ago period, totaling 2.2 million homes.

Florida posted the highest percentage of noncurrent loans statewide in May, followed by Nevada, Mississippi, New Jersey and Illinois. The states with the least percentage were, in descending order, Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, South Dakota and North Dakota.  In other recent news, LPS recently lowered its second quarter earnings estimate by 31% based on the sluggish mortgage market.

See you at the top!
Chris McLaughlin

**************

Copyright Loss Mitigation Institute LLC 2010.
All Rights Reserved.

http://www.shortsalesriches.com

http://www.shortsalescoach.com

http://www.sixfigurebpo.com

http://www.reomillionaireclub.com

http://www.youtube.com/shortsalesriches

http://www.smartrealestatenews.com

(subscribe to this newsletter)

*************************************************

About the author:

Chris McLaughlin is widely known as America’s top
Real Estate Attorney and Investment Consultant.

* As the top Florida foreclosure and pre-
foreclosure expert, he oversees more than
100 short sale & REO closings each month

* Long-time authority on real estate investing
and rapid reselling of distressed homes.  Owns
portfolio of nearly 150 high-value, high-profit
properties

* Owner of one of Florida’s largest Real Estate firms,
running 4 different offices, supporting over
420 agents, uniquely positioning him to help
thousands of investors make money in the
biggest market opportunity ever!

* In 2010, Chris’ 4 Central Florida real estate offices
closed 2,786 sides for a closed sales volume of
$392,912,927!

* Highly sought-after speaker, consultant, and
seminar leader for current trends and hot topics
in Real Estate Investing, Entrepreneurship, and
Wealth Building

* Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mclaughlinchris
* Join my Facebook Fan Page: http://www.mclaughlinchris.com

Real Estate News & Commentary by Chris McLaughlin, July 10, 2009

http://www.shortsalesriches.com

* Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mclaughlinchris

“Lazy Person’s Way to Pre-Foreclousre Riches”

Since putting this system to work instead of me, I’m

slaving away at the beach with sun screen on my arms,

and my cell phone at my ear for a full, uh, 20 hours

a week.

Life’s not so tough when others willingly do your work.

And the earnings?  Out of this world!  See how I do it

anywhere I want from my iPhone… and it won’t cost you

a cent:

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/797992498

Mortgage firms asked to step up loan modification effort

In a letter to 25 mortgage-servicing firms, Timothy Geithner, the Treasury Secretary, and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, have urged the firms to modify more home loans. Analysts say the Obama administration’s loan modification program has not done enough to stem the rising tide of foreclosures so far. The program’s effectiveness has been hampered by mortgage firms not being able to keep pace with the applications received for loan modification. “We believe there is a general need for servicers to devote substantially more resources to this program for it to fully succeed and achieve the objectives we all share,” wrote Geithner and Donovan in their letter.

The administration exhorted the firms to provide “an escalation path for borrowers dissatisfied with the service they have received” and suggest ways of improving the design of the program. Industry experts have been disappointed with the pace of the program so far. “We are not getting anywhere near the level of resolutions we expected,” says Bruce Dorpalen, national director at Acorn Housing Corp. Housing counselors say there is a need to raise homeowners’ awareness of the program. “Homeowners on their own are not able to navigate the system,” says Maeve Elise Brown, executive director of Housing and Economic Rights Advocates.

Homeowners say downpayment and closing costs are far too high

According to the “2009 National Housing Pulse Survey,” conducted by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), homeowners consider high downpayments and closing costs as the greatest obstacles to home purchase. The survey participants said that they were highly concerned about their job security and their ability to get home loan. “Homeownership is an investment in your future; however, saving for a downpayment and closing costs is still too great of an obstacle for 82% of house hunters looking to take advantage of the current market,” said NAR President Charles McMillan.

Despite the concerns about the economy, 83% of the survey participants said they consider buying a home to be a good financial investment. Foreclosure remains an important concern for many homeowners with 51% of the survey participants saying foreclosures are a big problem in their area. About 70% said they are not confident of getting approval for a home loan and there are fewer mortgage options offered by banks. NAR has expressed concern about the continuing credit crunch. “While there has been some easing of credit in the mortgage market, the availability of credit continues to be an issue for many qualified home buyers,” said McMillan.

AIG seeks pay czar’s permission for bonus payment

American International Group (AIG), the beleaguered insurance firm, has sought permission to pay $2.4 million in bonus to 43 of its employees from Kenneth Feinberg, the Obama administration’s pay czar. Firms which have received bailout funds from the government need Feinberg’s permission to pay bonuses and retirement packages to their 100 highest-paid executives. Analysts say AIG will be seeking permission to pay about $235 million in retention bonus to employees in AIG’s Financial Products (FP) division next year. The FP division was responsible for the company’s near-collapse on account of its derivative losses. AIG paid $165 million in retention bonus to its FP employees earlier this year. That led to a scathing criticism by the public and Congress. A Treasury spokesperson suggested that Feinberg has the authority to deny permission to bonus payments which are deemed to be inappropriate and excessive. “Companies will need to convince Mr. Feinberg that they have struck the right balance to discourage excessive risk taking and reward performance for their top executives,” the spokesman added.

Borrowers say credit crunch is still on

Alan Greenspan, former Federal Reserve Chairman, says the credit crunch is nearing its end. Greenspan’s measure of credit crunch is what is called the LIBOR-OIS Spread, which fell to 0.33% points this week. The current spread is very close to what Greenspan calls “normal.” A decreasing LIBOR-OIS Spread means that banks believe the other banks they are lending to have a lower risk of defaulting on the loans. It also indicates that the credit markets are functioning smoothly—which is sign of potential economic expansion. So all’s well in credit markets? “It’s more complicated than that, obviously,” said Scott Anderson, senior economist at Wells Fargo. “Greenspan’s right in one respect: the liquidity crisis is over. But consumers’ and business’ access to credit remains extremely tight.” Analysts believe liquidity has been restored in the market but the credit crunch still exists. Banks are still unwilling to lend on account of the economic situation. “There’s a new normal as far as banks are concerned, in terms of tighter standards and the types of loan products offered,” said Anderson.

“Animal spirits” needed for economic revival

According to economists Robert Shiller and Nouriel Roubini, the negative sentiment prevailing now can have a deleterious effect on economic recovery. Shiller, a professor at Yale University, said: “The fundamental problem, as Franklin Delano Roosevelt said in 1933, is fear.” Shiller says the Great Depression was exacerbated due to a “sense of lost confidence or animal spirits that was a self-fulfilling prophecy. The worry is that we will have the same kind of issue arising again.” Shiller believes that the $787 billion stimulus package introduced by the Obama administration in not adequate to kick-start the economy and consumer sentiment has to improve sooner than later if the economy has to recover. Roubini predicts that more corporate bond defaults are likely. “The wave of corporate defaults is going to be massive,” Roubini said. “We’re not out of the woods.” Shiller and Roubini believe that lack of regulation in banking led to banks taking unmanageable risks, leading to credit crisis and government bailing out firms such as American International Group Inc.

Now on to our real estate investor education section…

Estimating Future Results

Short sales are partially a number game; you must get out there and make offers in order to generate a deal and each deal will tend to generate certain levels of profit. It’s important to keep track of all your efforts not only for tax purposes but also as a method of forecasting potential profits in the future. Not only will you attain valuable information on what works or doesn’t but also will be prepared for seasonal differences or other factors. Use this series of questions to get started:

1. Record all initial contact. For example, perhaps you decide to make contact with 100 potential sellers each month.
2. Response rate. Of that original 100, how many responded?
3. Of those that responded – how long did it take? 1 week? 1 month? 3 months?
4. Of those that responded, how many offers did you actually submit?
5. Of those offers – how many were accepted, rejected, countered or cancelled?
6. What was the average profit from each successful closure?
7. What was the average time required to resale/rent or otherwise turn a profit?
8. What was the average out of pocket expense associated with each successful sale?
9. What was the average out of pocket expense associated with each response?

10.  What was the average out of pocket expense associated with each contact?

11.  What was the average time invested in each successful transaction?

12.  What was the average profit on your time invested in each successful transaction?

13.  If you were to increase the number of initial contacts – what would the outcome be in estimated future profits?

14.  Would you be able to float the required funds or would you need to seek outside help?

15.  Would you have the time available to meet the increased demands for working with sellers and others or would you need to hire outside help?

16.  What would it cost to borrow additional funds or hire others?

17.  What would the tax considerations be for generating x amount of additional profit?

18.  Is it worth the additional time and effort? (Every person has a personal “sweet spot” where effort, taxes and profits make the most sense – find yours!).

See you at the top!
Chris McLaughlin

http://www.shortsalesriches.com

PS:

“You Thought Short Sales Were Hard to Close?

Sorry -  You Thought Wrong…”

This automation miracle finds listings, negotiates

low-ball price with the bank, and sells them to investors

without you doing anything more than signing the papers.

You don’t even pay for marketing!

Find out more for fr-ee right here:

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/797992498

Copyright Loss Mitigation Institute 2009.
All Rights Reserved.

http://www.shortsalesriches.com

http://www.shortsalescoach.com

http://www.sixfigurebpo.com

http://www.reomillionaireclub.com
Finally, a blog for Real Estate professionals
that want up-to-the-minute news, & how it impacts
us and our market…
http://www.shortsalesriches.com/blog

About the author:

Chris McLaughlin is widely known as America’s top
Real Estate Attorney and Investment Consultant.

* As the top Florida foreclosure and pre-
foreclosure expert, he oversees more than
100 short sale & REO closings each month
* Long-time authority on real estate investing
and rapid reselling of distressed homes.  Owns
portfolio of nearly 100 high-value, high-profit
properties
* Owner of one of Florida’s largest Real Estate firms,

running 4 different offices, supporting nearly

450 agents, uniquely positioning him to help

thousands of investors make money in the

biggest market opportunity ever!
* Highly sought-after speaker, consultant, and
seminar leader for current trends and hot topics
in Real Estate Investing, Entrepreneurship, and
Wealth Building
* Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mclaughlinchris
* Add me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mclaughlinchris