Blog

by Ruth Mantell | “States where lenders must go through the court system to move a borrower into foreclosure have the highest rates of troubled properties, according to data released Wednesday. In April the three states with the highest foreclosure inventory as a percentage of all mortgaged homes in April were Florida, New Jersey andRead more

By Michael Estrin of Bankrate.com “You dream of taking ownership of a vacant home by living in it. Then legal reality sets in. Describing himself as a “savvy investor,” a man used an arcane property-law doctrine known as adverse possession to squat in a vacant Dallas-area home. Kenneth Robinson’s gambit cost him $16 in filing fees paid to theRead more

The neighbors are outraged, but the Texas resident says his takeover is legal and will eventually give him title to the suburban Dallas home. By Teresa at MSN Real Estate “We all dream of scoring a great deal on a house. But a $330,000 house for $16? Kenneth Robinson of the Dallas suburb of Flower Mound, Texas,Read more

By: Amy Green | May 13, 2013 | WMFE – A consumer advocacy group is calling on Gov. Rick Scott to veto legislation aimed at accelerating the foreclosure process. Advocates say the bill should focus on banks and funding for judges, not homeowners. The bill allows more parties – like homeowners and condominium associations –Read more

A few lenders are offering loans to borrowers with damaged credit. But, unlike during the boom, they are asking for big down payments and lots of documentation. By Teresa at MSN Real Estate They’re ba-ack. We don’t mean ghosts. But some may see the ghosts of the real-estate crash past in the reappearance of subprime loans.Read more

By: Associated Press | “TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The senator sponsoring a bill that would overhaul the state’s mortgage foreclosure system has temporarily yanked it from consideration. Sen. Jack Latvala on Monday withdrew the bill (SB 1666) as 10 minutes remained in the Senate Judiciary committee meeting on Monday. The Clearwater Republican later said the billRead more

  Written by: Brian O’Connell | Daren Blomquist, a vice-president at RealtyTrac, sees an interesting trend in the U.S. real estate market: The emergence of the “zombie” home. Blomquist laid it out in a recent “state of the real industry” presentation in Las Vegas describing how zombie homes are rising, bringing down the value of neighboring homes inRead more

By  ILYCE GLINK / MONEYWATCH/ (MoneyWatch) So-called zombie homes are appearing on the real estate market, but they’re not built to keep out the walking dead. Hundreds of thousands of homes in the U.S. are now labeled as “zombie” foreclosures. That’s when the owner of a foreclosed home leaves only to find out years later that heRead more

Big banks are finding a way to benefit from what was supposed to be their punishment in the robo-signing scandal. In Florida, they have spent 75 percent of $7.7 billion in settlement outlays approving short sales and forgiving home-equity loans, earning credit for debts they were unlikely to collect or sales that would have happenedRead more

By Kenneth R. Harney, Special to the Times |   “WASHINGTON — Jeanette Ogle, a 92-year-old widow with a reverse mortgage on her house, got a birthday surprise last week: She did not lose her home at a scheduled foreclosure auction that had drawn scrutiny from federal and state agencies and consumer advocates. Because ofRead more