Blog

By Jeff Ostrowski – Palm Beach Post Staff Writer “Amid growing concerns about a housing affordability squeeze in Palm Beach County, a glimmer of hope emerged from this year’s legislative session. State lawmakers approved $200 million for the State Housing Initiatives Partnership, or SHIP, a program that offers mortgages and down payment assistance to middle-incomeRead more

Article: housingwire.com “It’s official. Confirming plans that HousingWire brought to light late last year and further revealed earlier this year, Nationstar Mortgage will indeed be launching a massive rebranding later this year and changing its name to Mr. Cooper. Nationstar CEO Jay Bray confirmed the company’s plan to rebrand as Mr. Cooper during a callRead more

Real Estate News : As investors scoop up older housing properties South Beach workers feeling the squeeze by: Nicholas Nehamas, Joey Flechas “Last week’s purchase of 15 older Art Deco-era apartment buildings in South Beach has workers fearing they won’t be able to remain in the area much longer, the Miami Herald is reporting. DevelopmentRead more

SUSAN TAYLOR MARTIN | Tampa Bay Times | “In February, a new company in Tampa called RE-710 got a terrific deal. It paid $5,700 for a five-bedroom home valued at $311,000. The same month, RE-710 acquired control of dozens of other houses and condos throughout the Tampa Bay area for just cents on the dollar.Read more

National Mortgage Professional Magazine | “RealtyTrac released its U.S. Foreclosure Market Report for May 2014, which shows foreclosure filings — default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — were reported on 109,824 U.S. properties in May, a five percent decrease from the previous month and a 26 percent decrease from May 2013 to the lowest monthlyRead more

By Marcie Geffner of Bankrate.com “Buying a home is a challenging goal for most hopeful homeowners. But for those who have experienced a bankruptcy, foreclosure or short sale, the hurdles are even higher. Still, it’s not impossible to buy a home after financial difficulties, says Dan Keller, a mortgage banker with Hometown Lending in Everett, Wash. In fact,Read more

Associated Press | “The House approved legislation Tuesday night to roll back a recently enacted overhaul of the federal flood insurance program, after homeowners in flood-prone areas complained about sharp premium increases. The bill would allow sellers to pass along their subsidized, below-market insurance rates to new buyers and lower the limit on how muchRead more

Paul Owers | Sun Sentinel | “Just 10 days before Christmas 2009, Ganel Appolon found an envelope taped to his front door. He and his family were being evicted from their Tamarac home. Appolon had fallen behind on his mortgage payments, and the lender repossessed the property under terms of his bankruptcy filing. Despite the financial setback, Appolon vowedRead more

MortgageOrb.com | “The end of 2013 showed broad improvements in delinquency and foreclosure rates, dropping to their lowest levels in six years, reports the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) in its Q4 2013 National Delinquency Survey. The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties decreased to a seasonally adjusted rate of 6.39% of all loans outstandingRead more

Drew Harwell | Tampa Bay Times | “Tampa Bay saw 20 percent fewer foreclosure filings last month than in January 2013, a sign that lingering distress from the housing crash continues to slowly fade from view, RealtyTrac data released today show. But the good news ends there. Tampa Bay posted the seventh-highest foreclosure rate inRead more