Real Estate Investment Content Index - Page 8

Seller closing costs generally come as a surprise to home sellers, particularly when home sellers find out that they’ll have to pay anywhere between 2 to 7 percent of the sales price in fees and costs. Here's an updated list of closing costs you may incur when you sell a house.

At the recent meeting of the National Association of Real Estate Editors in Washington, D.C., James Lockhart, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which oversees Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks, discussed how the housing market had changed from 2007 to 2009 and the strategy being used to stabilize the mortgage market. Read part of the speech here. [Link to Questions and Answers with James Lockhart.](http://www.thinkglink.com/article/2009/06/22/federal-housing-finance-agencys-james-lockhart-questions-and-answers)

What's the latest on streamline short sales, loan modifications, and loan refinancings? The Federal Housing Finance Agency's director James Lockhart took questions at the recent National Association of Real Estate Editors meeting about these topics, as well as FHFA's multi-family housing policy, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, principal loan forbearance vs. principal forgivemes, and whether the government will expand the loan-to-value ratio to permit refinancing.

How can you know when the housing market is recovering? The housing market crisis has to do with supply and demand being out of whack. At the moment (in 2009), there are too many sellers and not enough buyers. Fixing supply and demand is key, but there are many factors that go into supply and demand. The Appraisal Institute recently put out some factors that affect supply and demand and residential real estate. Recognizing these trends will help you understand when the housing market is recovering.

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan spoke at the National Association of Real Estate Editors Annual Conference. Secretary Donovan spoke about how HUD is involved in President Obama's plans for the economic crisis and the Making Home Affordable act, FHA reform and how that will affect the housing markets, consumer protection, and building more sustainable communities. The transcript of the speech is below. [See the blog for more details from Ilyce at the National Association of Real Estate Editors conference.](http://www.thinkglink.com/blog)

You know that the real estate market has hit bottom when buyers are starting to bid above the list price for homes. With the large number of homes on the real estate market, real estate investors and first time home buyers are looking at the best priced homes. At times, bidding wars arise and homes are sold above the list price. With the first time home buyer federal income tax credit of $8,000, quite a number of first time home buyers are out there looking.

Even if you have purchased a home in the past, you can still be considered a first time home buyer. In particular, if you are looking to take advantage of the $8,000 first time home buyer federal income tax credit, you might be in luck. To qualify as a first time home buyer for the tax credit, you must not have owned a home for the prior 3 years. But if you owned investment property or rental property, the circumstances of how a person owned any specific property and whether a person lived there might affect whether that person would still be considered a first time home buyer.

I had some interesting responses to a blog I wrote wondering, "Where Are All The Fantastic Real Estate Deals?"

Jessica said, "No great deals out here in CO either. Prices have remained steady except for a few foreclosures that go directly to investors with cash."

Mike said that the market is tough for…

Today on the Ilyce Glink Show, we're discussing the following:

Consumer Confidence Rose Again

US. Consumers' mood is the strongest in 9 months. Consumer confidence rose to a nine-month high, according to the Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. The preliminary index of confidence for…

For some, buying a fixer-upper and trying to flip it or refinance it is still the name of the game. But once you have fixed it, you need to find financing. You can try to refinance the home. Or you can try to get a conforming loan along with a home equity loan or line of credit (HELOC). You may have options, but you need to find the right lender. You need to make sure that the home has enough equity to refinance and that the appraisal of the home meets or exceeds the amount required to refinance the property.