Tag: income property investing
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Real Estate Scams Trap Buyers, Sellers – and Renters
The aftermath of the housing collapse of a few years ago created fertile ground for con artists of all kinds. The chaotic mix of bank fraud and mismanagement, the flood of foreclosures and millions of confused and desperate homeowners opened doors for a variety of sachems and scams. If the Nigerian money transfer scheme weren’t…
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Are Big Banks Winning the LIBOR Trials?
Fraud isn’t fraud if it’s done in the spirit of cooperation. That appears the be the message behind a ruling affecting the numerous lawsuits involving major US banks and charges of manipulating LIBOR (London interbank offered rates) daily ratings for fun and profit. This new ruling by a US District Court judge allows this group…
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Zombie Apocalypse for the Housing Market?
As if the shadow inventory weren’t menace enough, now the housing industry faces another threat straight out of a grade B horror flick: the zombie inventory. Those houses trapped in limbo when banks issue foreclosure notices but don’t follow through account for nearly half the inventory in some states, and, like the walking dead they’re…
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Women Make Their Mark in the Market
Among the many explanations for the upswing in the housing market in general, and the expanding rental market in particular, the shifting demographics of American society take center stage. And as current population studies reveal, it’s women – young, old, and all across the spectrum – who wield unexpected clout in many areas of the…
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When Demographics Collide: A New Housing Crisis?
The landscape of American society continues to shift, with large numbers of the so-called baby boom generation headed toward retirement and minority populations becoming the majority in many areas.As these and other subsets of the US population intersect in various slices of the economy and culture, doors open to new opportunities– and, some researchers fear,…
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New Shadows Threaten the Housing Recovery?
Most anyone following news of the housing industry’s progress out of the 2008 collapse now knows about the shadow inventory of foreclosed homes being held back from the market. Now, according to reports by DataQuick and Altos Research, a new shadow looms, threatening to undermine the still struggling rebound: the “shadow demand.” The shadow inventory…
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Who Are the Investors Today?
In the years following the historic housing collapse of 2008, “investors” have been alternately blamed and praised for their contributions to the emerging recovery from that mortgage meltdown. But the term “investor” is a catch-all that can encompass a wide range of individuals, commercial entities and groups with varying agendas and behaviors. In today”s housing…
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The Sequester: Fallout for the Housing Market?
On March 1, the other budget shoe dropped, as the dreaded sequester kicked in after lawmakers failed to resolve financial issues lingering after the January 1 fiscal cliff compromise. While predictions about the outcome of the sequester range from disastrous to relatively mild, these budget cuts are likely to cut a wide swath through government-backed…
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The New Renters: Redefining the American Dream
p>Is the American Dream of homeownership becoming a thing of the past? Many real estate professionals and economists think so, pointing to new demographic studies that suggest that the US housing market may be undergoing a profound shift from a homeowner society to a culture of permanent renters – a shift that, if true, could…
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Are Mortgae Lenders Abusing Homeowner Assistance Programs?
p>Despite the settlement between the nation’s leading mortgage lenders and the attorneys general of every state in the union and even more legislation aimed at cleaning up fraudulent lending practices, major banks still seem to be finding ways to take advantage of struggling homeowners. One such way, according to a recent article in The New…