Archive for January, 2010
Burn Your Mortgage?
January 27th, 2010 categories: Market Trends, Real Estate News
Recently, I came across an article on AOL’s Real Estate page highlighting an article in the blog DailyKos. For those not familiar with the ‘Kos, it is devoted mainly to political and social commentary, along liberal lines. In the article AOL cited, the ‘Kos urged those homeowners struggling with their mortgage to, walk away from their unpaid mortgages. In their words:
“The real risk to the banks and investors is that the people in those homes might just decide to walk away. And that’s what we must do. Doesn’t have to be everybody, of course; but anyone who finds themselves seriously underwater with no hope of ever recouping their investment….just walk away Renee. Morality has nothing to do with it. You are a cog in the wheel of a machine that is killing this country and if you remain a cog you enable it. Remove your cog and the machine will not keep running. Remove millions of cogs and the machine gets replaced.”
In other words, the Kos is advocating mortgage debt anarchy; a revolution of sorts. It then cites Realtors from across the U.S. who seemingly justify the action. Why? In the words of one agent, since the economic and housing recovery is projected to take perhaps as long as a decade, “Isn’t it better to just cut the losses up front”?
According to a recent report by First American CoreLogic, nearly one in four are underwater or upside down with their home mortgage. In other words, they owe more for the property than it is worth. According to the N.Y. Times, the housing collapse left 10.7 million families owing more than their homes are worth. Is that a problem? Of course it is. Will walking away from a mortgage solve that problem? Not hardly. Have the Administration’s loan modification measures worked as fast or as well as hoped? No, they haven’t. Nonetheless, the programs were enacted for the affected homeowners to use. I have yet to hear of a homeowner not being able to remain in their home as they attempt to modify their payments.
How about you? If you know of a friend, relative, or client that has been forced out of their property despite the fact they’ve continued to make a payment, or partial payment, please let me know.
Is walking away from a mortgage debt justified? While its track record isn’t perfect, the short sale is getting its act together. Perhaps, for both the lender and the those upside down, it is a better alternative than burning the mortgage.
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Appraisal Changes Come Due
January 12th, 2010 categories: Market Trends, Relocating
In September of last year, the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) announced a change to FHA appraisal validity periods. The announcement was met with unanimous approval from all sectors; lenders, home owners & buyers, and yes, even appraisers.
The change to appraisal periods involved decreasing the validity time for FHA appraisals from six to four months for both existing homes and those under construction. Since the first of this calendar year, 2010, the new standard has been in effect. Why does the change matter?
For those of us that have faced selling properties, only to encounter difficulties with the appraisal, this reduced turn around time, or reduction of validity time, couldn’t have come sooner. Because, no matter the soundness of an agent’s estimation of a property’s value, it is the appraiser’s that matters most.
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Healthy Home Tips & Green Alternatives for Homeowners
January 5th, 2010 categories: Real Estate News, Relocating
I’ve recently been contacted by Mesothelioma Cancer Center and asked if I’d assist in spreading the word about this form of cancer, which is caused, almost always, by exposure to asbestos. Rarely, in life, do things happen by coincidence. We buried a friend of mine less than three weeks ago. He had been diagnosed with Mesothelioma less than four months ago. Please pay attention to the Center’s article that follows. Asbestos is a hazard. Be aware.
The home buying process is an exciting time, but one that may bring additional responsibilities into your life. Many homes may need renovations or inspections, especially in areas that are susceptible to natural disasters. Having the assistance of an experienced and honest real estate agent will make this process smooth and stress free.
Some older homes may still contain obsolete building materials. Citizens of this great state are striving to move to a green lifestyle, advocating environmentally sustainable methods to be used throughout the state. Building or remodeling your homes with eco-friendly materials can lower utility and water bills, higher real estate value, purer air quality, reduced waste sent to landfills and conservation of natural resources.
Asbestos + Healthy Tips
Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that was used in construction applications for the greater part of the 20th century. Often appearing as insulation, piping, roofing and flooring, homes and buildings could still contain asbestos materials if they were built prior to 1980.
If you locate any suspected asbestos in the home, most experts suggest leaving it un-disturbed until a home inspector can examine your property, take evaluations and determine the safest course of action. Sometimes the best action is no action at all. Disturbing asbestos in good condition may cause its fibers to be released into the air. The removal of asbestos must be undertaken by a professional abatement contractor who is trained in handling dangerous materials.
Exposure to this material can lead to the development of mesothelioma, a lung ailment associated with asbestos exposure. Though a cure does not exist, mesothelioma treatment options such as radiation, chemotherapy and surgery may be available to patients to battle the disease. Mesothelioma compensation has become tough to predict for victims and their families because diagnosis can take 20-50 years. For this reason, many people refer to it as a silent killer.
Removal of asbestos in public facilities, workplaces and homes should be performed by licensed abatement contractors as long as the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) are not violated. They must wear protective equipment such as masks and gloves to avoid any exposure. The materials should be removed in as large pieces as possible and places in disposable bags.
Green Building Benefits
Each and every human being would like clean air to breathe and crisp water to drink. It takes a lot of effort and political advocacy to achieve this on a macro level. The implementation of eco-construction, green energy solutions will play an important role in the transformation to a healthier and sustainable world. Many locations throughout Alabama are swiftly changing their construction practices to suit the environment and the health of human beings.
There are many green, eco-friendly materials that replace the need for asbestos and can reduce energy costs annually. These include the use of cotton fiber, lcynene foam and cellulose. Cotton fiber is quickly becoming a favorite for home builders and renovators. Made from recycled batted material, it is also treated to be fireproof. Research has demonstrated that the use of eco-friendly insulation alternatives can reduce annual energy costs by 25 percent.
Implementing green methods of building can have positive environmental, health and economic benefits. These include: Conservation of natural resources, enhancement of air quality, energy sustainability, increase property value, improve quality of life, improvement of pulmonary/cardiac health and reduction of waste.
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