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Innovative Artistic Touches Transforming the Complexion of Foreclosed Houses

Julie Parker — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:37:46 +0000

Innovative artistic touches are transforming the complexion of foreclosed houses and the entire neighbourhood. It is a ray of sunshine in the middle of a decaying automobile industry, increasing unemployment and thousands of foreclosures in Detroit. But Mitch Cope together with his wife Gina is endeavouring to change the scene tackling the houses one by one.

About four years ago the couple had bought a house in the northern parts of Detroit. Since then they have been taking the help of artists from across the globe to buy the foreclosed units in the locality and give it a new touch.

The house of the Copes was a 1920 brick one – a Polish delicatessen. The garage has retained its distinct look of a deli storefront. The house is a mile distant from their own design store. The residents are mostly Polish and Ukrainian with a recent sprinkling of Bangladeshi immigrants.

Mitch Cope remarked, “People who have been in the neighborhood for a long time talk about how great the neighborhood used to be; you didn’t have to lock your doors.” But he did not let the matter rest on a negative note and said, “OK, so it’s gotten worse. … But now what? Let’s do something. Let’s have fun.”

The couple started off in a small way. Tired of looking at the discoloured gray fence across the street they started to paint it a bubblegum pink. Some neighbours also joined in. Next they focused on a foreclosed unit standing a little further on. It was single-family house put up for sale with an asking price of $1,900. The property had been badly vandalized and stripped of any scrap that could be resold – copper wires, plumbing, radiators, electricity lines etc. The decided to convert it into a “Power House Project.” Cope explained, “Our idea — instead of putting it all back and connecting to the grid, we wanted to keep it off the grid and get enough solar and wind turbines and batteries to power this house and power the next-door house.” He is optimistic that it can be done with a budget of $60,000 – an amount that he expects to recover from grants.

Cope has more plans. He wants the first floor of this Power Hose to operate as a local art centre and the second floor as living quarters for the visiting artists. He is confident that once he can tempt the artists to visit the locality they will want to stay on and the cheap property prices will be an added incentive.

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From The Womb of Foreclosure Begins New Hope of another Housing Boom

Julie Parker — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:58:31 +0000

As lenders drastically slash prices of foreclosed units, the neighbouring houses too become undervalued leading to a bonanza for buyers. And from out of the dark wombs of foreclosure new hope is born as many can buy affordable houses. Moreover with sales picking up, the real estate market shows possibility of getting back on its tracks. These glimmerings of hope are most noticeable in many regions of California, Florida, Nevada and Arizona – areas that had seen the best of times and the worst of times in housing markets booming and falling.

Houses are being sold for peanuts because the lenders are burdened with too many foreclosed units. Also people are shifting to new places in search of jobs and selling their houses. Banks are sparking off multiple offers by offering a house that had once been sold for $350,000 for as low as $175,000. On such deals it is not surprising to get 10 to 20 people vying with each other to clinch it. This causes the value to push beyond the market price and allows the bank to pick and choose buyers. This year banks are saddled with more than double the number of foreclosed houses than the previous year. In April the figure stood at a staggering 60,000 as compared to 254,000 in April 2007.

Across the country one out of every four sale comes from the distressed category during the first quarter of this year. That figure makes a double jump in the worst foreclosed areas like Las Vegas, Detroit and suburbs of Los Angeles as well as Detroit. Mark Zandy of Moody’s Economy.com says that the number can even be 90% in some newly built area where the lending standards had been especially lax.

However it is too early to be over optimistic because the sales figure might be over swamped by the new wave of foreclosed units about to hit the market in the forthcoming months and spilling over to the next year. About 1 million houses in America were in default during the first quarter of 2008. Another 450,000 are being foreclosed upon.

Nevertheless buyers are finding a bonanza in hunting for cheap foreclosed houses. Intense competition is disappointing the hopes of many. Experts feel that such competitions are good signs for the market. The market is getting stimulated. For instance in Orlando more than a third of the bank units are getting more than one offer.

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Washington Unsheaths Sword Against Foreclosure

Julie Parker — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 12:27:43 +0000

One can hear the clink of the sword – it is expected to be brandished any moment. The Bush administration has come to an understanding with jumbo lenders and a freeze will be announced for five years. These are the lines of expectation. No details are as yet available.

The reaction to the news in Detroit even without official confirmation is positive. At least the government is doing something. In Michigan the foreclosure problem is exacerbated with unemployment issues –7.7% unemployed. It is the highest in the nation. This point alone will determine how effective other palliative efforts on foreclosures will be. The problem is jobs. Let the people have jobs and foreclosures will automatically be arrested – is the view of many.
In Lansing the state legislature passed a law lowering fixed rate loans but it is unsure what its fate will be in the Senate. Lately Washington has been showing increasing interest. The Federal Housing Administration has been modernized. It can raise more amounts for lending purposes and stringent laws have been passed to rope in predatory lending. Democrat Debbie Stabenow from Michigan has brought another proposal for waiving taxes on those mortgages that are settled for less the original value of the loan. Stabenow rues the slow pace of action because it is speed that is of vital importance in this matter. The delay is also being questioned. Some want quick fixes while others decry hasty action might lead to more foreclosures. Republican Walberg voted against a law that would curb aggressive lending saying that this would result in less money being available for loans, which would have an adverse effect on the entire market. However he clarified that he was in general for regulating the industry. This is especially required in Michigan that has no controls over agents.

An appropriation bill is most likely to be passed for sanctioning $200 million to non-profit organizations engaged in foreclosure counseling. Counselors play a key role in resolving the delicate issue of bringing together borrowers and lenders to thrash out matters amicably.
Meanwhile everyone is waiting with bated breath for the final announcement by Bush. The President has always harped on the fact that the taxpayer’s money should not be used to bail out those who had made lousy loans. It leaves many questions unanswered – who are going to benefit and how are the lenders going to react?

Foreclosure Crisis Trickling Down From Cities To Towns

Kevin Simpson — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 15:45:58 +0000

The local and state governments will be gathering down for the budget session for the fiscal years 2008-09. But they are in a tizzy and huddling together over the newsbreak that foreclosures will soon seep into the smaller communities. This will worsen the situation with another 1.4 million houses being caught in the foreclosure net. Real estate prices are expected to fall further.

The worst affected are Florida and California – the two states that lapped in the luxury of escalating housing prices during the boom. The Associated Press reports that the Global Insight, an economic consulting firm, had compiled a study for the US Conference of Mayors that held a meeting in Detroit last week. The focus was on the foreclosure crisis and its related problems of crime and misery in the locality. The foreclosure net is spreading to include the general economy, according to some of the mayors. It is telling on the social fabric by breaking the backbone of society – the families.

Global Insight apprehends that property values will dip by $1.2 trillion in the coming year. California will account for half the figure. Here prices will go down by 16% whereas in the rest the drop will be by 7%.

The problem is from the drinking of a witch’s brew consisting of lending to high-risk borrowers in the sub-prime mortgage category. Now the poison is beginning to work and spreading like toxic fumes over all who made and took the drink and hapless bystanders also. With interests doubling, the borrowers just cannot manage. The inevitable result is foreclosure.

Politicians and lenders are in a scramble to help borrowers – in an attempt to save their own skins. ACORN – Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now is a consumer advocacy group operating across the county. It has recommended three suggestions to the mayors. Firstly to make the lenders agree to a 30 year fixed rate loan by modifying the existing loan so as to make the loan affordable to the borrowers. Secondly to finance counseling so that vulnerable families can be assisted and thirdly to call a moratorium on ongoing foreclosures.

Given the present scenario it is to everybody’s interest to halt the dreaded forward march of foreclosures. That includes the federal government, as overzealous lenders have been primarily responsible for this catastrophe. However the communities should be cautious about any tax-payer-subsidized plans.

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Michigan Foreclosed Homes

Kevin Simpson — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 12:21:22 +0000

In the Michigan real estate business the top option by many home buyers is to go in for Michigan foreclosed homes. This is based on sound reasoning that the Michigan foreclosure process is caused by many eventualities, namely bankruptcy, financial strain, death of house owner or shifting of residence to another place and the like, thereby the property owners defaults in repayment of the mortgage. The mortgage lenders are initiating the process of foreclosure for retrieval of their loan. Here the point to be noted is that the lender would have already got back a portion of the loan through paid installments and the remaining portion should only be recovered. So the mortgage lenders, private and public sector institutions like HUD, Banks and Insurance Companies, are ready to dispose of the property through foreclosure and are keen on getting back only the amount due to them. Michigan foreclosed homes also have this unique advantage.

Selecting the best location for purchase of a property is of paramount importance. The State of Michigan gets the merit of location ideal for investment as explained below:

The mid-western State of Michigan of the U.S.A. located in the east north central portion of the country, bounded by four great lakes, is blessed with the longest shoreline of freshwater in the world and second best in U.S., next only to Alaska. This is the only bi-peninsular state divided into Upper Peninsula and Lower Peninsula.

The State capital is Lansing and the largest city is the famous Detroit, a world-renowned automobile manufacturing venue. Michigan ranks 8th in the U.S. population-wise and has nearly 10 million people available for the realty market business.

Michigan has a humid continental climate throughout the state, irrespective of the two peninsular divisions, the Upper Peninsula being densely surrounded by green forests. More than 80% of the population is white Americans descended from Europe and the realty business is designed to suit their tastes in housing properties.

Economy wise Michigan State houses for high-tech employment in information technology, life sciences, engineering and heavy manufacturing inclusive of automotives. Apart from automobiles the State holds a pivotal position in manufacturing technology equipments like computers, hardware and software, bio-technology, Research and Development of technologies, aero-space equipments, which are mostly white-color jobs. The state provides ample scope for tourism development with its natural resources of forests in abundance and the related opportunities of employment. The personal per-capita income is assessed to be of 20th rank in the country. The important information for realty business is that Property taxes are assessed on the local level and not State level.

Hence, arising out of the factual advantages of location described above, Michigan also right on timing for realty business, particularly in Michigan foreclosed homes. The fact that increased availability of foreclosed homes due to downward trend in economy and mortgage lending interest rates, as prevalent elsewhere in the country is catching up Michigan also.

There are totally 143,918 foreclosed homes available for sale, listed in the MLS of Michigan at an average price of $169,900 and the Michigan foreclosed homes available are 39,169 Nos. at an average price of $96,999. With the above basic information, you are invited to get all the help, guidance and assistance in locating the exact Michigan foreclosed home of your choice as well as finalizing the deal amicably by visiting www.foreclosurelistings.com

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Minorities Worst Affected By Foreclosures

Julie Parker — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 12:49:50 +0000

According to a survey in 2006 Detroit recorded the highest high-cost mortgages in the previous year. A community activist organization, Acorn, has been studying in depth the fall out of mortgages. They have concluded that relatively more Afro-American and Hispanic borrowers have been victims of high-cost mortgage schemes in comparison to the whites. Thus more of the minorities are buckling under the pressure of increased mortgages and losing their houses. The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) has a website of its own and caters to the needs of low and medium income groups.

The study has been conducted on 172 American cities. Afro-Americans are 2.7 times and Hispanics 2.3 times more susceptible to avail of high cost loans than the whites. These minorities were also more prone to get high-cost refinancing loans – Afro-Americans 1.8 times and Latinos 1.4 times.

68 of the 178 cities had the same story to tell. On an average one out of three loans fell under the high-cost category with the interest being reset at a higher level. The high cost loans clustered around Detroit, Laredo, Texas, Mcallen, Jackson and others.

The president of Acorn, Maude Hurd is of the opinion that it was because the minorities had less chance than their white brothers to avail of prime loans that they had no alternative but to opt for the sub-prime category. The irony is that it is this deprived group that needs the maximum help to live under their own roof.

Foreclosure listings are increasing by the day with more areas falling under its grip. Owners are helpless sandwiched between rising interests and falling property prices, which in turn affects equity. Acorn is keeping regular tabs and releasing regularly its findings. Acorn scrutinized facts detailed in 2006 availing of the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act. According to the latter (HMDA) lenders have to state the race, gender and census tract of their borrowers. From this it can be estimated whether the loan fell under the sub-prime or high-cost category. Information was got about 363 lenders. It represented 68.5% of all mortgages (residential units) that started off in 2006 and 50.5% of the sub-prime category. These facts were the materials for study.

According to Acorn loans having a percentage rate of a minimum of 3% per annum above the rate on US securities fall under the high-cost category.