Housing Headed For Trouble

Housing Headed For Trouble

As a short sale specialist, my listings usually sell very quickly. However, since March 2010 began my short sale listings are selling more slowly than they did previously. I attribute this to the first-time home buyer tax credit since those buyers were the primary buyer pool in my market Middle Tennessee. I think this is particularly true for most markets in the US where the tax credit had a substantial short term impact (particularly in lower priced markets where the $8,000 tax credit is a fairly substantial percentage of the sale prices). Now that the first time home buyer tax credit is nearing expiration, those tax credit buyers are, apparently, not willing to buy new short sale listings (they will still buy pre-approved short sales that can be closed in 30-45 days with a reasonable degree of certainty) since there is no guarantee that they will be able to close by 6/30/2010 (the expiration of the tax credit). Therefore, the only way to sell these short sale listings is to lower the price. These increasingly lower priced short sale and pre-foreclosure listings will put downward pressure on new construction and other retail priced listings.

The next phase of the great real estate meltdown is beginning to unfold as I predicted it would over 1 year ago (see my blog post from 11/2009 for a detailed breakdown of the drivers of the real estate market: Our Phony Real Estate Market). Unfortunately, the tax credit was nothing more than a temporary band-aid solution (really a gimmick) that will ultimately result in the tax credit buyers ending up in foreclosure at a very high rate since they are underwater the moment of closing (most put little to nothing down and have very little cash reserves) and will be even more so as the market declines. The buyers who purchased short sales and foreclosures as substantial discounts will likely be fine. That is why I only sell those types of properties. Unfortunately, home buyers who purchased new construction or other retail priced listings will be in trouble in the next few years. The main problem is that the entire US economy was built on debt. Consumer spending, which was 70%+/- of the entire US economy, was built largely on consumer debt (think credit cards, home equity loans, HELOC's, personal loans, etc.). Without this debt there can be little to no growth in consumer spending, and by extension, little to no growth in the US economy, until personal incomes increase at least enough to pay down current debt and still leave enough to spend more. Given that unemployment still hovers near 10% (the real number is about 16%) this will not happen anytime soon. It is just a matter of simple accounting. In addition to the end of the tax credit buyer ear there is the Option ARM foreclosure wave coming. As a result, there will lots of foreclosures and short sales over the next 5-10 years.

Short Sale and Foreclosure Help and Assistance for Real Estate Investors, Home Builders and Developers in Nashville TN and Middle TN. If you are a Nashville Tennessee, Franklin Tennessee, Brentwood Tennessee, Nolensville Tennessee, Spring Hill Tennessee, Murfreesboro Tennessee, Smyrna Tennessee, La Vergne Tennessee, or Middle Tennessee real estate investor, home builder, condo developer or real estate developer who cannot pay the property/project mortgage payments (due to the poor economy, adverse financing conditions, slow sales, loss of investment property tenants, vacancy issues, lack of funds to complete the project, feuding business partners, etc.), have already defaulted on the mortgage, or are already in foreclosure, or owe more than the property/project is worth, please contact me to discuss your options including a short sale (a real estate short sale occurs when the sale proceeds are not sufficient to pay off all the mortgages and liens on the property/project). I am a Middle Tennessee distressed real estate, short sale, pre-foreclosure (preforeclosure) and foreclosure REALTOR and Expert. I primarily help sellers (property owners, real estate investors, home builders and real estate developers) of distressed real estate, short sales, pre-foreclosures, foreclosures, investment properties, failed new construction projects and struggling commercial real estate developments located in Middle Tennessee (Rutherford County TN, Williamson County TN, Davidson County TN, Murfreesboro TN, Smyrna TN, La Vergne TN, Eagleville TN, Lascassas TN, Rockvale TN, Christiana TN, Brentwood TN, Franklin TN, Nashville TN, Belle Meade TN, Nolensville TN, Springfield TN, Gallatin TN and Mt. Juliet TN). If you do need to short sell your home or property, or you need a quick sale due to being in foreclosure, you can request short sale and foreclosure help and assistance on my website at Get Short Sale and Foreclosure Help and Assistance from a Nashville Tennessee and Middle Tennessee Short Sale and Foreclosure REALTOR and Real Estate Expert.

Housing Faces Upcoming Challenges

Housing Faces Upcoming Challenges

According to this Real Estate Economy Watch article, The Last Days of the Homebuyer Tax Credit, there are 2 upcoming issues that will hurt housing.

1. Permanent Expiration of the Housing Tax Credit - According to the article, "This is it. No more extensions. When April 30 comes and goes, the tax credit for everyone is over and buyers have only until June 30 to close. With the prospect of getting more than they bargained for in the short term, the housing lobby agreed." In essence lawmakers made representatives of the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) promise that they would not come back and ask for another extension of the housing tax credit.  Therefore, buyers have until April 30, 2010 to sign a contract to buy a home and June 30, 2010 to close in order to get the tax credit.  That's it.
2. Government Mortgage Purchasing Will Decrease Dramatically - According to the article, "About the same time the credit goes away, something more serious will hit the housing markets, the end of the Federal Reserve’s programs to buy up $1.25 trillion of mortgage-backed securities and to lend as much as $175 billion to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to do the same. Mortgage-backed securities are sold to investors and the better the market for them, the lower the interests that consumers pay. These government programs to buy mortgage securities have helped to prop up the mortgage-backed securities markets and keep mortgage rates at record low levels for nearly a year. The Fed announced two weeks ago that both are going away April 10."

In my opinion, the effectiveness of the tax credit will wane much sooner than April 30, 2010.  After the first group of buyers took advantage of the tax credit, most of the buyers that did not do so were probably not interested in buying.  I will agree that some simply simply were not ready to buy the tax credit extension may spur some of them to buy now, but I believe that a majority simply felt that $8,000 was not enough.  The tax credit would have to be larger to get this next group of first time buyers off the fence.  Since the tax credit was not increased I predict a lesser tax credit effect this 2nd time around.  I believe that you will see an initial surge of tax credit buyers followed by a long lull followed by a surge near the end as procrastinators try to close before June 30, 1010.  The overall results will be disappointing.

The upcoming decrease in government mortgage is a much bigger problem.  Per my previous blog post, Our Phony Real Estate Market, right now the housing market is almost entirely being supported by artificial government intervention.  When that government intervention ends the housing market will have to survive based on the fundamentals (think jobs and income).  Therefore, it will be a difficult time for housing if unemployment is still around 10% or worse and all these government housing subsidies expire.  This does not even factor in the coming wave of Option ARM foreclosures caused by a large number of Option ARM mortgages resetting starting in the spring of 2010.  Because of these issues I predict another decline in housing beginning in 2010. The gist of the matter is that there will be more short sales and foreclosures and this will drive the price of homes down further. Some areas will be harder hit than others, but the effects will be felt nearly everywhere.

If you are a Middle TN homeowner, property owner, real estate investor, home builder or real estate developer who cannot pay your mortgage payments (due to losing your job, having your income reduced, illness, health problems, adverse business conditions, slow sales, loss of investment property tenants, vacancy issues, lack of funds to complete the project, feuding business partners, etc.), know that you will not be able to pay your mortgage, have defaulted on your mortgage, are already in foreclosure, or owe more than your home is worth, please contact me to discuss your options including a loan modification and a short sale (a real estate short sale occurs when the sale proceeds are not sufficient to pay off all the mortgages and liens on the property/home). I am a Middle Tennessee distressed real estate, short sale, pre-foreclosure (preforeclosure) and foreclosure REALTOR and Expert. I primarily help sellers (homeowners, property owners, real estate investors, home builders and real estate developers) of distressed real estate, short sales, pre-foreclosures, foreclosures, investment properties, failed new construction projects and struggling commercial real estate developments located in and around Middle Tennessee (Rutherford County TN, Williamson County TN, Davidson County TN, Murfreesboro TN, Smyrna TN, La Vergne TN, Eagleville TN, Lascassas TN, Rockvale TN, Christiana TN, Brentwood TN, Franklin TN, Nashville TN and Belle Meade TN).  If you do need to short sell your home or property, or you need a quick sale due to being in foreclosure, you can request short sale and foreclosure help and assistance on my website at Get Short Sale and Foreclosure Help and Assistance from a Middle Tennessee Short Sale and Foreclosure REALTOR and Real Estate Expert.

Buying a Foreclosure Is Harder Than It Should Be

Buying a Foreclosure Is Harder Than It Should Be

This video, How to Buy a Bank-Owned Home (see below), is both hilarious and infuriating because it is true. I really believe that banks choose the most incompetent and ignorant foreclosure and REO agents to market their bank owned foreclosures.



If you are a home buyer or real estate investor in Middle Tennessee who is interested in purchasing a Fannie Mae foreclosure, a Freddie Mac foreclosure, bank foreclosure or REO, a short sale, or other distressed real estate in order to get a great home or investment property at an attractive price without dealing with the difficult REO/foreclosure listing agents and you want aggressive and professional buyer representation, please contact me, or visit my website Search the Middle Tennessee MLS - Find Middle TN Short Sales, Pre-foreclosures, Foreclosures & REO's so that you can find foreclosures, short sales and other distressed real estate and homes in Middle TN. I help home buyers in Rutherford County TN, Williamson County TN, Davidson County TN, Murfreesboro TN, Smyrna TN, La Vergne TN, Eagleville TN, Lascassas TN, Rockvale TN, Christiana TN, Brentwood TN, Franklin TN, Nashville TN and Belle Meade TN.

Duplicating Disaster: A Lesson Not Learned

According to this New York Times article, Sweetening the Pot for Home Buyers, the $8,000 Federal Tax Credit for first time home buyers created by the Obama administration will not have much of an impact (I believe I told you this previously) due to most first time buyers not having enough money for a down payment and to cover closing costs.  The article trumpets a Missouri plan that allows home buyers to borrow that $8,000 to buy that home and then to repay it when they receive the tax credit.  In my opinion, this is a recipe for more disaster.  The problem was and is that TOO MANY FINANCIALLY UNQUALIFIED PEOPLE PURCHASED HOMES.  Offering this "loan" will only exacerbate the problem.  If a person cannot find a way to save $8,000 to buy a home then they should not be buying a home.  What happens when the roof leaks, or heating system needs replacement, etc.?  These "home buyers" do not save money, they spend.  That is why they could not even put together a measly sum like $8,000 to buy a home.  The problem is that we have turned owning a home from a privilege into an entitlement.  When will we learn!?

My prediction is that if this Missouri program gains traction we will see increased rates of foreclosures for these "home buyers".