Posts Tagged ‘utah’

Foreclosures Badly Affecting Building Industry

Monday, October 20th, 2008

Foreclosures have been badly affecting the building industry. Many realtors in Washington have suffered huge losses. Some are now turning to the foreclosed market while many others have gone away.

The foreclosed houses have caused local builders to incur losses. Only 242 residential permits have been issued this year till September. Last year 521 housing permits had been sanctioned.

Mari Smith of Southern Utah Home Builders Association said that builders who are trying to sell the current batch of new houses are coming up with competition from the foreclosed units. In St. George there was a sharp increase in foreclosures according to a survey report released by First American CoreLogic.

Kent Frei has been operating as a realtor since the last 30 years. He has never seen such distress in the local housing market. He said, “We have gone through recessions before, but nothing like this. It is economic turmoil.” His firm has suffered a drop of 50% to 70% in business since the previous two years. This has forced many others to turn to other kinds of livelihood. He explained that from 15 full time agents his firm is now employing 5 agents. “They have either dropped their licenses or they are working in real estate part time,” he added. In order to keep running Frei and his remaining associates are now dealing primarily with foreclosed houses. These units are being sold at less the value than the loans tagged to it. Frei disclosed that a minimum of 75% of their dealings is with foreclosed houses. Only two years ago there were no such types of houses on their list. Potential buyers are interested in the foreclosed houses as the price is about 15% less than the market value. Frei further said that his takings in commissions are one third of the usual amount. However he is doing well in comparison to others connected with the industry. Frei apprehends that the trend will continue till the end of this decade.

Jeremy Larkin of Keller Williams Realty said soured mortgages comprise of 30% of his business volume. Nevertheless he is worried about the continued and increasing dominance of foreclosures in the market. Although his business is up he agrees that it does not mean that that work has not been hard. To make the best of the present mood of the market he is organizing guided conducted tour of the foreclosed houses on weekends. The goal is to get things moving.

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Utah Foreclosures for Sale

Friday, September 12th, 2008

Once the investor has determined the status of the property owner in a Utah foreclosures for sale and he wants to make an offer in the pre-foreclosure phase. He has to determine what the net equity in the property is. This is calculated by taking the market value of the property and deducting liens, the default amount and any repairs required.

It is possible for the investor to negotiate with lien holders and they are generally willing to settle the lien for a lesser amount than is owed. This is often as low as 20% of the value of the lien and is due to the fact that if the Utah foreclosures for sale was sold on auction the lien holder would probably not recoup any losses as the lender is the major lien holder and this wipes out all other liens. You might then ask why bother settling the homeowners liens? The reason is simple; this will place more equity in the property and more money in the investors pocket.

All costs have to be factored into the investors’ calculations; this means both purchase, and sale values, carrying or holding costs, the mortgage repayments, insurance, taxes, repairs and even sellers commission if a real estate agent is used to sell the property. Every legitimate expense involved with the purchase of the property has to be taken into consideration. If a big enough amount remains, it could mean that the investor has a really nice deal on his hands. The bottom line is that the amount has to be able to pay the homeowner for the Utah foreclosures for sale and allow a profit for the investor.

The big question I suppose is, how much do you actually offer the homeowner? Many investors will draw up a list of expenses and show them to the homeowner, then offer to split the profits. Others will make an offer that is relative to the bottom line and continue from there while others will itemize expenses and pay the owner the remainder. The investor will make his profits by obtaining discounts on the liens and making repairs himself at discounted prices.

Once the homeowner has made the decision to sell, the investor will draw up an Equity Purchase contract and they will both be required to sign this, and all of the other parties mentioned in the contract will also be required to sign. Before signing any contract the investor has to check it by his attorney, the attorney should be aux fait with estate equity purchases.

All terms of the agreement must be included in the contract in writing, nothing should be left to verbal agreement. This is the only defense against any problems in the future. One of the most important clauses to include in the equity purchase contract is the “contingency” or “subject to” clause. This has to be well thought out and cover every contingency.

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In Utah The Sun Peeps Out Behind Foreclosure Clouds

Monday, September 10th, 2007

During the second quarter of this year the foreclosure rate in Utah is down in comparison to what it was the previous year. It remains far behind the average national figures where the number of foreclosure units is staggering.

Towards the end of the June 2007 there were only 0.55% properties in Utah suffering the trauma of foreclosures. It meant a drop of 0.74% in comparison to the figures last year during the same quarter. Among the lowest rankers in the foreclosure race Utah ranks 7th and sits comfortably well below the national rate of 1.40%. During the second quarter lenders began to foreclose on 0.65% of USA mortgages – which was an all time record. In Utah the rate was only 0.29%.

Analysts opine that this is primarily due to the relatively strong economic health of the state and also because there has not been much sub-prime activity.

Delinquent loans are those that have dropped behind their payment schedule by 30 days. In this group Utah’s dropped by 3.45 % in the second quarter this year. This was a considerable drop by 3.56% in comparison to the same months in the previous year. Utah’s average was well below the national figure of 5.12%. California, Florida, Nevada and Arizona are the leaders in the slanderous race. There has also been a decline in 34 states. Except for the big four the increase in other states has been minimal. The big four with have been in the doldrums for quite a number of years.

The early years of the new century saw frenetic activity in the housing market. There was a great demand for loans. To satisfy all, risky loans were doled out willy-nilly. But during this time Utah had been relatively flat and staid. It was only from 2004 that some flutter took place in sub-prime lending but it was never much to sing about. The job market was also upbeat. People did not run out of funds and as the economy attracted more job seekers from outside more buyers were available. Another factor behind the sunshine is the relatively high valuation of property. This meant troubled borrowers would get some equity left over even after paying their dues, and start life anew. Of late however property rates have started to fall making it difficult to benefit from a quick sell off.

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Utah Escapes Foreclosure Virus

Friday, June 15th, 2007

The latest report is that Utah is not under the foreclosure cloud that has covered the rest of the country. Only 3.05% of outstanding dues were 30 days behind schedule. From last years this is 3.29 % less. Countrywide the rate during the first quarter was up by 4.41% during the same time in 2006. This rise shows that the real estate market is limping due mainly to the stumble in the sub-prime lending market.

The picture is Utah is not grim because it did not succumb to the sub-prime debacle. The economy is strong with the highest employment rate in the country. This has led to a favourable economic climate in comparison to the rest of the country. Only 11 other states have less number of foreclosure listings. The first indication of foreclosure is when the borrower becomes a delinquent one – that is fails to make monthly repayments. Then a notice is served asking the owner to vacate the premises.

According to national statistics 0.58% is facing foreclosures. It means that the rate has gone up by 0.41 since the previous years. Sub-prime loans entering foreclosures surged to an all time peak of 2.43%. On the other hand Utah’s figure dipped to 0.33%. During the same time the previous year the figures was 0.45%. Only 13 other states have foreclosure rates lower than this. The statistics covers government insured and traditional loans. The home-sale market and rate of foreclosure of a state are intertwined. In Utah, homes sell quickly. This means that owners can quickly save themselves from a financial crisis by selling their property at a price that will take care of their loans.

A second opinion is that slowly Utah too is coming under the cloud. Houses priced more than $350,000 are having trouble and concessions are being offered. The other alternative to sit and wait but mortgage defaulters cannot afford the time. But those below $30,000 are sailing through the market easily.

Advocates for consumers opine that strict lending regulations could have forestalled the crisis. Federal Rules should now strongly step in and not remain idle watchers as the economy spins into chaos. On the other side of the fence, lenders are asking the Feds not to interfere beyond the practice of giving advice. But the consumer group is not willing to buy this. They are saying that for the last seven years Federal Reserve has only made small insufficient gestures.

Via

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Home for Sale in Saratoga Springs, Utah

Wednesday, April 25th, 2007

Home For Sale By Owner - $249,900.00See more details and photos online!http://www.owners.com/DAA7004Contact Daniel W(801) 766-5575(801) 400-65773 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms1 Floor2507 Square FeetThis home in Saratoga Springs has a deck off the back of the home with beautiful views of Utah Lake, mountains and valleys. Wonderful quiet neighborhood with park just down the street. Kitchen and bathrooms have tile floors and counter tops. Cabinets are knotty alder. Open floor plan. Vaulted ceilings. Pergo flooring and carpet throughout. Master bath and walk in closet. Room to grow in unfinished daylight basement. Home is located 4 miles from golf course and 1 mile from boat launch to lake. Home also has RV parking.

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National Perspectives: Rail Line Drives Utah Development

Friday, April 20th, 2007

Birkhill at Fireclay, a 30-acre $140 million development in Murray City, Utah, will have 420 units of housing and 200,000 square feet of retail and office space.

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Utah Foreclosures

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2007

Learn about Utah foreclosures, foreclosure, HUD, Fannie Mae, VA, hud home for sale, Real Estate Investing, va home, bank foreclosure, foreclosure listing, Real Estate Investment, real estate foreclosure, government foreclosure, hud foreclosure, reo, home foreclosure, va foreclosure.

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