Thursday, December 22, 2011

10 Cities Where List Prices Soared Last Month

10 Cities Where List Prices Soared Last Month
Daily Real Estate News | Thursday, December 22, 2011

Median list prices nationwide have risen 4.05 percent on a year-over-year basis, according to November housing data of 146 metro areas from Realtor.com. Fewer cities are reporting year-over-year list price declines, “suggesting a growing optimism on the part of sellers about 2012 market conditions,” according to Realtor.com.

So where have prices risen the most in the last month? The following are the 10 cities that saw the largest median list price increases from October to November.

1. Central Fla.-Regional Statistical Area

Month-to-month median increase: 5.63 percent

Year-over-year increase: 14.27 percent

Median list price: $169,000
2. Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz.

Month-to-month increase: 4.46 percent

Year-over-year increase: 10.54 percent

Median list price: $164,700

3. Miami, Fla.

Month-to-month increase: 3.60 percent

Year-over-year increase: 29.50 percent

Median list price: $259,000
4. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla.

Month-to-month increase: 3 percent

Year-over-year decrease: -2.50 percent

Median list price: $144,200
5. New York, N.Y.

Month-to-month increase: 2.71 percent

Year-over-year decrease: -2.57 percent

Median list price: $379,000
6. Fort Myers-Cape Coral, Fla.

Month-to-month increase: 2.69 percent

Year-over-year increase: 21.63 percent

Median list price: $224,900
7. Iowa City, Iowa

Month-to-month increase: 2.50 percent

Year-over-year increase: 3.02 percent

Median list price: $204,900
8. Tucson, Ariz.

Month-to-month increase: 2.41 percent

Year-over-year increase: 2.41 percent

Median list price: $174,000
9. Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla.

Month-to-month increase: 2.13 percent

Year-over-year increase: 16.56 percent

Median list price: $240,000
10. West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, Fla.

Month-to-month increase: 1.86 percent

Year-over-year increase: 15.26 percent

Median list price: $219,000

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey for REALTOR® Magazine’s Daily News

Arizona Property Management and Investments
If you are interested in purchasing investment properties or receiving a free quote for our property management services, please call us at (888)777.6664 for immediate assistance.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Phoenix-area declines in foreclosures, home supply bode well for 2012

Phoenix-area declines in foreclosures, home supply bode well for 2012

by Lesley Wright - Sept. 14, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2010/09/14/20100914real-estate-scheme-sun-city.html#ixzz1gXJkavbg

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

BofA developing foreclosure rental programs to deal with distressed properties

BofA developing foreclosure rental programs to deal with distressed properties
by JON PRIOR
Housing Wire
Friday, December 9th, 2011, 3:35 pm

Bank of America is looking at a new program to rent a home back to the borrower after foreclosure.

"There are programs that we are quite interested in," said Ron Sturzenegger, who leads the bank's legacy asset servicing division, in an interview with HousingWire. "We are talking with investors that would come in and buy these houses and would lease them back to who would now be the now tenant."

In February, BofA formed the division to handle the servicing for delinquent mortgages, loans no longer being written, and to sort out outstanding representation and warranty claims. Currently, more than 35,000 employees at the bank are sorting through 1.1 million loans 60 days delinquent or worse, according to its third-quarter financial statement.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is working on an REO rental program for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It received more than 4,000 ideas on how to do it.

But private banks own $50.4 billion worth of REO properties, too, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., and millions of these homes are sitting vacant.

Sturzenegger described how their idea would work.

"We are looking at programs where you can capture somebody before the REO process and offer a deed-for-lease. We would go to the customer and say, 'We'll do a short sale. Will you be interested in leasing your property back? We're still going to sell the property. You will no longer be the owner. But you can be a tenant now in that same property and save you from moving on,'" he said.

Sturzenegger stressed the bank would still sell the REO as before in areas where there is a market for them and they can still get reasonable bids. But some areas are so saturated with inventory, there isn't enough investor or homebuyer demand and properties can sit for years uninhabited.

Rick Sharga, the executive vice president at Carrington Mortgage Holdings, said in an interview that many firms, including Carrington are preparing to participate.

"We already have the infrastructure and assets in place to participate effectively," he said. "Everyone is waiting on final direction from the FHFA."

Sturzenegger stressed the private program at BofA is in its infancy.

"It's in the very early stages," he said.

Jacob Gaffney contributed to this report.

Arizona Property Management and Investments
If you are interested in purchasing investment properties or receiving a free quote for our property management services, please call us at (888)777.6664 for immediate assistance.

Monday, December 12, 2011

After drop, home prices on the rise in Valley

After drop, home prices on the rise in Valley
by Catherine Reagor - Dec. 9, 2011 04:04 PM
The Arizona Republic

In August, as metro Phoenix home prices dipped to another new low, some real-estate analysts predicted the area's home values would keep falling. Other analysts disagreed, saying all the indicators, besides home prices, were heading in the right direction for values to climb before year's end.

The median price for an existing Phoenix-area home climbed to $119,900 in November, according to a new report from the Information Market. It's the region's highest median home price since November 2010.

In October, Phoenix's median home price was $115,000, which is where it had hovered most of the first half of this year. But when it fell to $112,000 in August, some market watchers thought it would drop all the way down to $100,000 by the end of this year. Of course, some panic ensued.

But the housing analysts who were watching foreclosures fall, sales climb ahead of last year's pace and listings plummet, stood firm in their opinion that home prices would begin to rise again.

During the past few months, not only short-sale prices but the prices for foreclosure resales known as REOs, or real-estate owned, have been steadily climbing. In some areas of metro Phoenix, REOs are now selling for more than houses sold through lender-approved short-sale deals. In 2008 and 2009, REOs were dragging down the area's home values as lenders took back houses through foreclosure and then resold them quickly for bargain prices to get the properties off their books.

Home prices are also climbing at foreclosure auctions, also known as trustee sales, held daily in front of the Maricopa County Courthouse. The auctions are Arizona's method for lenders to foreclose.

In 2008, when foreclosures started to climb, few properties sold at these trustee auctions. Back then, lenders weren't lowering prices beyond what was owed on a house, so investors weren't interested in purchasing a house for at least twice what it was actually worth. But once lenders started lowering prices to much less than what they were owed, bidding picked up quickly.

Competition is also driving up prices at the trustee auctions. Each month this year, more than 1,000 foreclosure homes have been bought at Maricopa County trustee auctions. That compares with 100 per month at the beginning of the crash.

Arizona Property Management and Investments
If you are interested in purchasing investment properties or receiving a free quote for our property management services, please call us at (888)777.6664 for immediate assistance.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Phoenix: Good Time to Buy?

Good Time to Buy? Housing Cheaper to Own vs. Rent in 12 U.S. Metro Areas: WSJ
By Peter Gorenstein | Daily Ticker – Mon, Nov 28, 2011 12:30 PM EST

Five years after the market peaked, the housing market remains depressed. October new home sales, released this morning, totaled 307,000, slightly below estimates. Meanwhile, prices rose slightly.

But, as your real estate broker will happily mention - 'Now is a great time to buy!' Unlike 2007, when that obviously was not the case for most, now it might actually be true. Ironically, the reluctance for many to buy a home is what makes it a good (relatively) time to purchase.

As Aaron and Henry discuss in the accompanying clip, owning a home is now more affordable than any time in the last 15 years, based on a new Wall Street Journal survey. In fact -- with the average price of a home $242,300 -- it is now cheaper to own than rent in 12 metro areas including Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, Miami, Orlando and Phoenix.

As the WSJ article points out, the discrepancy between buying and renting can be extreme in some areas:

"In Atlanta, which had the most favorable values for owning versus renting, the monthly payment on the average home was $539 assuming a 20% down payment during the third quarter. By contrast, the average asking rent stood at $840."

Sagging prices and sub-4% interest on a 30-year fixed mortgage are the biggest drivers behind the trend of record housing affordability. However, unlike the glory days when buying a home merely took a pulse, securing a loan today is much tougher. And, flipping property is a dead game.

Arizona Property Management and Investments
If you are interested in purchasing investment properties or receiving a free quote for our property management services, please call us at (888)777.6664 for immediate assistance.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Second Half Of The Financial Crisis Is Approaching Soon.

Payam Raouf
Owner/Associate Broker
Arizona Property Management and Investments
Toll Free: (888)777.6664
If you are interested in receiving a free quote for our property management services,
please CONTACT US.

Investors,

We are approaching the second half of the storm (financial crisis). We have been in the eye of the storm for a year now making everyone feeling good. We are ¾ over, approaching the second half. If you missed the first half, this is your chance to pick up some nice properties in more established areas at a very reasonable price.

1/3 of variable mortgages has or is coming due soon in areas where prices have yet to come down another 10 to 20 percent such as in Scottsdale, N Peoria, Cave Creek, Chandler, Ahwatukee and Gilbert.

Institutional investors are yet to consider these areas. They hover more and less in the 80k to 120k range where there are already too many rentals in the market.

If you are looking for some solid investment properties, it is time to keep an eye on the areas I mentioned above.

If you have any questions, call 888-777-6664 and ask for Payam Raouf.

Phoenix metro housing is on steroid. Take refuge! 7 to 9 percentage mortgages are around the corner.

A+ with BBB CALL TOLL FREE: (888)7776664 Get a free Quote Payam Raouf Designated broker Phoenix metro housing is on steroid. Take refuge! 7 ...