100 Top Foreclosure Zip Codes and Cities

April 2, 2008

Las Vegas, Nevada tops the list of the highest foreclosure rate in the nation with eight out of the top 10 zip codes coming from the gambling capital of the world. The worst zip code in the nation had 741 total foreclosure filings in December of 2007 and was in
North Las Vegas, zip code 89031.

Number eight on the list of top foreclosure filings in December 2007 was
Stockton California, zip code 95206, with 473 total filings. Another state but still in the top 10 was
Detroit Michigan, zip code 48228, with a total of 453 foreclosure filings.

Other cities on the top 100 foreclosure filings in December 2007 include Lehigh Acres  Florida, Cape Coral Florida, Phoenix Arizona, Cleveland Ohio, and
Woodbridge Virginia. For a complete list of the top 100 highest foreclosure zip codes you can check out the full story at CNNMoney.com

These are just the top 100 zip codes. There are many other cites and state with high foreclosure rates. Many people purchase homes and can now not afford their adjusted mortgage payment or the current economy is just not giving them the income they need to afford their mortgage.

If you are getting behind on your payments and the possibility of foreclosure is looming, contact your local real estate investor. Local real estate investors are still purchasing properties in some of the hardest hit areas of the nation. They know your local market and can show you many avenues to sell your house, lease options, short sales, owner finance, and cash offers are all possible solutions to your selling need.


Idaho Unemployment Rate and Idaho Real Estate – Sell Your House Fast

March 31, 2008

If you are in the market for a new home, you are most likely considering location to be one of your top factors. Take the location factor to the next level when you consider the state that you have chosen to live in. After all, having a number of career prospects and a growing local economy not only bodes well for you personally, it can have a significant impact on the financial value of your house. You want to live in an area that has ample job opportunity combined with a steady and solid real estate market that will provide protection and stability in a potentially shaky economy. Before you buy a new home in the area, it pays to check the unemployment rate locally.

One of the most stable areas for individual to consider purchasing or selling their home is
Idaho. The solid economy here has a number of benefits and factors that contribute to a stronger-than-average housing market. Unaffected by the price booms of places like California and Florida,
Idaho has a stronger housing market and an economy of interest to both locals and outsiders looking for a good place to move for their careers. Idahoans that sold their homes in the last quarters saw a stronger financial gain than those suffering from large real estate value losses in the coastal states where property values had risen sharply due to a real estate market inflation.

Currently,
Idaho boasts one of the lower unemployment rates in the country. As they say, location is everything and here,
Idaho becomes very enticing. With the rise of uncertainty and potential recession looming on our horizon, a low unemployment rate combined with a solid real estate market makes moving to
Idaho the wise financial move.

The chances of finding a great job in
Idaho are strong, but keeping your job can be even better. With a steady income and plenty of job security,
Idaho residents are enjoying a steady market with secure real estate prices, avoiding the stress of the shakier markets in other states nearby. With a low unemployment rate,
Idaho residents are able to enjoy less difficulty finding work and paying for their mortgage and bills on time, limiting delinquencies and other financial issues.
If you are looking for a state to find a solid real estate market and low unemployment rate combined,
Idaho is worth looking into. You want to be in a state with an unemployment rate lower than the national average, which is currently at around 5 percent. Idaho, on the other hand, has an unemployment rate of 3 percent, tying it for first with
South Dakota as one of the best places to live and work in the country. With top industries of trade, utilities and transportation,
Idaho’s solid market provides a steady growth rate for the real estate market. The low unemployment rate provides a wall of protection for individuals selling or buying a home in the state.
From this information it is obvious that many cities in Idaho including, Boise, Meridian, Eagle, Kuna, Nampa, Caldwell, Star,
Idaho Falls, and many others will continue to do well in the real estate arena. With a great job market
Idaho real estate will continue to flourish while the rest of the nations real estate declines.
If you are in the market for a new home in Idaho or have a home in
Idaho that you need to sell quickly contact your local home buyer. They buy and sell many homes each month.


The New Mortgage Plan – Who Qualifies?

March 27, 2008

The rate of foreclosures is at an all-time high and the real estate market is suffering as a result. As the market drops and a recession looms, mortgages and foreclosures are on the lips of anyone talking about the financial future of the county.

President Bush and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has announced their plans to help reduce the number of foreclosures and assist troubled homeowners nationwide. However, your next questions should be – what does this new plan entail and can I qualify?

The proposed new plan against foreclosures is set to address the issues of many struggling homeowners who have not been able to be reached by housing counselors who have had to individually monitor each homeowner case to determine whether or not assistance was needed.

Now, counselors will be able to more efficiently determine which mortgages need help and what type of help they could use. These counselors can look at a variety of factors like the type of mortgage they have, the size of their mortgage, their FICO scores and payment history to determine whether it would be beneficial to step in and make additional help with these mortgages before it is too late.

Roughly 1.2 million homeowners can qualify for this plan with some homeowners able to refinance into loans that will have better terms for them. Other homeowners can qualify for a five-year freeze on their current mortgage rates and see the boon in having stronger financial success. How do you know if this new plan against foreclosures can benefit you?

In order to qualify for the assistance from your mortgage servicer, you will need to have an ARM or Adjustable Rate Mortgage at subprime rates. The initial fixed-rate of the mortgage will need to be three or fewer years and your loan must have originated between January 1, 2005 – July 31, 2007.

Your initial reset needs to occur between January 1, 2008 and July 31, 2010. If you are one of the hundreds of thousands of homeowners who have already faced a rate reset, you are out of luck with this plan.

If you are currently behind on your loan, you won’t be able to qualify for a “fast” solution and will also be disqualified if the home is not your primary residence, like renters whose landlords face a foreclosure and the tenants face an immediate eviction.

If you are current with your loan payments, however, have some equity in your home and offer a good payment history and FICO score, you will be able to qualify for a refinance. Your mortgage servicer can work with your situation to get you a possible refinancing solution that better fits your financial outlook and avoids a significant rate increase.

You can qualify for a rate freeze if your loan-to-value ratio is 97 percent or higher, meaning you have less than 3 percent equity in your home. Your FICO score needs to be 660 or below and has not raised by more than 10 percent since you took out the loan as well.

If you are in a situation where you are thinking how can I sell my house fast myself then contact your local home buyer or local real estate investors. There are real estate investors who buy properties all over the nation; they are local to your area and professionals you can trust.


Where Are House Prices Hurting The Most?

March 21, 2008

In the last quarter of 2007, home prices in the
United States fell roughly 1.3%. That’s a new record fall and not a great sign for those of us involved in the housing industry.

A recent survey by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight shown that there are some local markets that are faring well, despite average housing drops. This stability can be hidden by the national survey figures and ignored when discussions about the dropping real estate market are made.

So who hurts the most in a housing drop? Coastal regions seem to fare worst of all.

In a report done on 291 cities, there were widespread declines around the area. However, some of the worst drops were found in
California. Here, homes dropped in price by 6.7% compared to their value the year before.
Florida was also hit hard with 4.7%. Is the bubble bursting for these real estate markets and reducing the real estate value to a more appropriate level, or are coastal regions just more susceptible during housing drops? Can it be a combination of these factors?
Are all the foreclosures causing the housing market to drop?
Despite these dramatic numbers, the rest of the country is holding on better than here. Homes throughout the rest of the country lost less than 2%, while some areas stayed the same. Remarkably, there were even some areas that improved despite national losses. The middle of the country saw more stability since they were never affected by the same rushing price increases seen in Florida, California, Arizona and
Nevada.

There were eight states that even saw house prices rise over the year, including:

  • Utah – 9.3%
  • Wyoming – 8.3%
  • North Dakota – 7.8%
  • Montana – 6.9%
  • Texas – 6.2%
  • New Mexico – 5.4%
  • Washington – 5.4%
  • Oklahoma – 5.1%

Of course, like any other market, there are a number of other economic developments that are still being watched to see how they will impact these housing numbers. Some of these factors include the number of unsold homes that are currently available in many markets. It seems the inventory for unsold houses is at a historic peak – and continuing to grow. Interest rates and the overall health of the
U.S. economy will directly impact these unsold homes and the comprehensive inventory rates for these homes.

What are some of the things to look out for when analyzing the housing market?

Inventory – The number of existing unsold homes rose to 10.3 months until they are sold. In a balanced market, it should take five to six months to sell these homes, indicating that we are currently seeing a swollen number of unsold homes.

Foreclosures – Default notices, auction sales and bank repossessions are continuing to grow.

Confidence with Home Builders – Each year, a survey is done with construction professionals to gain their views on the existing market conditions. A number over 50 will show positive optimism for the year ahead. October and November of 2007 saw a historic low of 18.

Delinquencies – 5.59% of mortgages had late payments as of third quarter 2007. It’s the highest delinquency rate since the report has been tracked in 22 years and an overall increase of .92%.

If you live in an area where the home prices continue to drop and you need to sell your house, contact your local home buyer to receive an offer right away. A local home buyer is a real estate investor who is local to your area and can help. If you are thinking how will I ever sell my house in this real estate market…Your local home buyer may be your only answer.


How Much Is My House Worth – House Assessment

March 8, 2008

The mortgage crisis continues to rock the real estate world and affect many home owners. In fact it was announced today that almost one million home owners are loosing their house to foreclosure. This does not include the over 380,000 home owners who fell behind on payment this last quarter.

With the continuation of increased foreclosures there is no doubt that home prices will continue to decline. The real estate market has many home owners asking themselves should I sell my house now or wait. Other home owners are asking themselves, now that I need to sell my house, how much is my house worth? Also what is the best way to get a house assessment?  

Well first things first. If you are not behind on payments, not going through a divorce, not in foreclosure, or not being relocated by your job, it is assumed you do not need to sell yours house. If that is the case, and you do not need to sell your house I suggest holing onto it for another 3 to 5 years before selling. By that time the real estate marketing should have settled and you will not have to take a loss

If you are in a home selling situation where you need to sell your house then you need to act quickly, because the real estate marketing continues to decline. Your first step should be to get a house assessment or find out your homes value.

The fastest and easiest way to get a house assessment or find out your homes value is to contact a local home buyer in your area. Local real estate home buyers are very knowledgeable of your local real estate market and can let you know your best selling option.

When it comes to selling your house fast you need to evaluate all your selling options, and there are many. Sell your house fast for cash, sell your house on the open real estate market with a real estate agent, sell your house quick to a real estate investor, lease option your house, sell it online, do a rent to own or sell it as an owner carry.

Bottom line, if you need to determine how much your house is worth contact your local home buyer.


Sell My House Myself FSBO – What is My House Value

March 8, 2008

When it comes to selling your house you have a few home selling options. You can sell your house with a real estate agent, you can sell your house for sale by owner, FSBO, or you can sell your house to a real estate investor.

No matter what you may think about these selling options all of them should be considered when you go to sell. Each selling option has its own benefits.

If you list with a realtor you will not have to put in much effort but you will definitely have to pay large commissions.

If you sell FSBO you will not have to pay large commissions but you will have to come out of pocket for your marketing expenses and you will have to put in lots of work. 

If you sell your house to a reputable real estate investor you can sell your house fast with no effort and save money. That’s right, not all real estate investors are looking to take advantage of home owners in distress. Many professional real estate investors are looking for a win, win situation.

Professional Real estate investors are always looking for ways to increase their real estate portfolio. Many of them hold properties for long term, meaning they do not have to buy at huge discounts.

When selling your house you should consider all your home selling options. The fastest way to find out what your home is worth is to contact your local real estate investor and get a free offer for your house.


Home Vacancy Rate Could Be Highest Since Great Depression

February 19, 2008

Continued foreclosures, the credit crisis, and a looming economic recession are fueling one of the largest community changes ever to hit your neighborhood, vacant houses. Empty houses for sale are popping up in all major communities and no one is immune to their affects.

The Census Bureau recently reported home vacancy rates rose to 2.8%. The home vacancy rate is the number of homes for sale that are sitting vacant. This is the highest vacancy rate since the government began tracking vacancy home rates in the 1960’s. Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Economy.com stated “this could be the highest vacancy rate since the Great Depression”.

Some cities like Cleveland are getting hit hard. Nearly 10% or 12,000 houses are sitting for sale and are vacant. Other major hit areas are in California, Nevada, and Florida. Most of the states with the highest vacancy rate can be contributed to speculator building by home builders and poor investment buying by real estate investors.

The high vacancy rate is getting the attention from many local governments across the U.S. The major reason is vacant houses depress even the greatest neighborhoods. When vacant houses exist in a community, vandalism and crime increase. Another reason many local governments are taking a look at the vacant house issue is the cost to maintain the houses.

When there is a vacant house that is abandoned by its owner someone has to maintain the property and that happens to be the local government. That is your tax money paying to have the lawn cut, the trees trimmed, the windows boarded up, and the pool drained. Vacant houses also decrease the property values of homes in the same neighborhood.

So next time you see a vacant house in your neighborhood while on your drive home from work, know that you will be affected. This vacant house is steeling your tax money, and decreasing the value of your house.

So what can you do to solve the vacant house problem in your neighborhood, get involved. If you know of someone who is getting behind on their payment and thinking of abandoning their house, get them help. Have them contact a local real estate investor or home buyer to determine their selling options. Have them call their mortgage company and try to work out a new loan with their bank.

If you see an empty house in your neighborhood, contact a local home buyer yourself. Local home buyers will track down the owner of a vacant house and buy. They will then fix any issues with the house and sell it to someone wanting to live in a great home. Local real estate investors are very savvy when it come to real estate. There are many ways homes can be purchase even if they are in foreclosure or have no equity.

Besides taking 2 minutes of your time to contact a local home buyer about an abandoned house in your neighborhood could make all the difference in your homes value when the time comes for you to sell.


Sell Your House Fast Needed Tips

February 10, 2008

When a person finally makes the decision to sell their home for whatever reason, one of the things that is most heard is “I want to sell my house fast.”  This is understandable.  Leaving behind a home you have lived in for a time is not easy, even if the decision to sell has been made for positive reasons.  It takes more than just a wish to help sell your house quickly; it takes commitment to a few simple rules.  To help you realize your goal, here are a few things you can do to make sure your have the best chance of your home selling. By following these, you will help convince a local home buyer to make an offer.

Tell yourself, “I will sell my house fast by de-cluttering”.  This may seem unnecessary; after all, you will be packing after you sell the house.  However, a house can be clean and still appear unappealing to a home buyer if there is a lot of clutter.  The house will appear smaller.  Taking the time to empty off bookshelves, pack knickknacks and clean off counters and tabletops will make these areas appear more open and thus allow each area to appear bigger.  This also enables a buyer to picture his or her own belongings in that space.

Tell yourself “I will sell my house by emotionally letting it go”.  Take the time before you show your house to take down all pictures.  Leaving the walls blank will allow a potential home buyer to picture his or her own art on the walls, making it appear more appealing.  Go through and pack away any family photos and items with sentimental value.  This will allow you to sell your house, not your home.  It is easier to sell a building than a place that is full of memories.

Tell yourself “I will sell my house quicker if I make minor repairs”.  Go through your house and look around objectively.  Repair any cracks and holes.  Repainting all the walls a neutral color will also help allow home buyers to see each room as they would like it to appear.  You may love your purple bedroom, but people looking for a new home may prefer blue or green.  Make sure all light bulbs are working, all leaks are fixed and all doors are in good repair.  When the minor things are taken care of, the house will look more appealing to potential home owners and they will make an offer.

Curb appeal is also another item that should be on your list to complete before selling your house. Go outside and look at how your house appears when you approach it.  You want potential home buyers to feel it is worth entering.  If paint is peeling or the house looks neglected, they will not even come inside and you have now lost a potential sale.

By implementing a few tasks you will have a much better chance of your home selling quickly rather than sitting on the marketing. This will allow you to feel in more control of the situation. When homes sit on the market and do not receive offers in the first few weeks you will have to drop your asking price, and no one likes to do that.

If you do not have the time or do not want to put in the effort of getting your home ready to sell you could always sell your house to a local real estate investor. Many people are not aware that real estate investors exist in every major city in the nation. They buy houses from people in all kinds of situations. Divorce, foreclosure, bankruptcy, relocation, inheritance, 100 percent financed homes, ugly homes and pretty homes.

If you need to sell your house quickly and do not have the time or money to deal with selling your house to picky buyers then contact your local home buyer. They will give you a free offer on your home and you have no obligation to accept it.


Walking Away From Homes Becoming Common

February 6, 2008

With the real estate market taking a steep decline, it is obvious to everyone home prices have declined. You either know someone who is going into foreclosure or is starting to fall behind on payments. You could know a friend, coworker or even a family member who is in default on their mortgage.

Many people purchased houses at the peak of the market or purchase houses with no money down. No their mortgages are adjusting and they can no longer afford the payments. The down turn in the real estate market has not helped either because now they owe more for their house that what it is worth.

With more and more people loosing their house to foreclosure the option of just walking away from a house that will not sell is becoming more accepted. Just this week I met a real estate investor who is walking away from 2 houses he purchased at the peak of the market. I also met a family who purchased a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, middle income home in a nice neighborhood who thought their only option was to accept foreclosure and walk away from their house.

If you own a house and have a larger mortgage balance that what it is worth you do have options. If you have a house with mortgage payment that you can not afford, again you have options. Do not make the mistake of walking away from your house, even though you may know someone who walked away from theirs.

If you need to sell your house fast to avoid foreclosure you have selling options. My advice is to contact a local home buying company who specializes in creative real estate transactions. A local home buying company can conduct a short sale or lease option your house at no cost to you. Your lender does not want your house back. They are in the banking business no real estate.

Local home buying companies negotiate with your lender to accept less than what you own on your house. They then purchase your house from you so you can get on with your life.

Bottom line: Walking away from your house leads to bad credit that will follow you for many years to come. Working with a local home buying company could allow you to sell your house fast, keep your credit and at no cost to you.


How Decorating Helped Me Sell My House Fast

February 2, 2008

When a person first sets out to sell their house, one of the first things you hear is “I want to sell my house fast.”  People will work on cleaning and repairing until they are exhausted.  These things are important, but a much over-looked strategy that will appeal to local homebuyers is the use of psychological decorating. 

To help me sell my house fast, I had to first decide on whom I wanted to target.  Local homebuyers can be divided into first-time buyers and buyers who are seeking to move into a larger house.  You may also want to take into account the income of your local homebuyers.  When using color to sell my house fast, I kept in mind that people who have higher educations and more income are often attracted to colors that are not easily defined, these are called complex colors and come in names like brick red and sage green.  First time local homebuyers are likely to be attracted more to simple colors such as yellow with blue or green trim.

When trying to sell my house fast, I also took into account that yellow houses seem to sell faster according to studies of local homebuyers.  Yellow appears warm and friendly.  This helps local homebuyers feel two of their home needs, comfort and connection, are taken care of.  Now, if your house is not yellow, that is no reason to panic.  Wanting to sell my house fast, I next did some research further into color psychology.  You don’t want to spend extra money at this time unless it will help sell your house.  Painting, both outdoors and inside can meet this need. 

Wanting to sell my house fast, I considered how I could make local homebuyers feel comfortable and good about the house.  Two colors can be dull and predictable, but add a third or fourth color in small amounts will help give the impression of fun and happy.  This will draw in local homebuyers at a higher rate.  It adds yet another advantage.

Local homebuyers will want a house that speaks of security.  Having four colors on the exterior enabled me to use only those colors inside, in various combinations.  Instead of plain white walls, which often appear too sterile and would have defeated my purposed to sell my house fast, I was able to use muted variations of the colors from the exterior.  Using a slightly tinted paint on the walls makes it appear more cheerful.  Color says happy and this appeals to local homebuyers.  Think pastel shades here.

I then started to think about individual rooms and what I could do to them to help sell my house fast.  Think about the function of each room.  Kitchens are often the family meeting place.  Many people automatically think of yellow in the kitchen, it will give the feel of happiness.  Bedrooms need to appear restful so pastel greens or blues will help with that impression.  Bathrooms are the only room that plain white will appeal to local homebuyers.  White says clean and sparkling. 

Following a few of the hints above will enable you to say “Color helped me sell my house fast!”


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