Review of recent house sales in my area::find out what house sold for in my area
Review of recent house sales in my area::find out what house sold for in my area
As I spoke with my mother recently, we talked about the current state of finances. She is aware of many people struggling with Forclosures right now. She has helped as many as she could. She worked part time for a bit after she retired. She stopped her part time work well over a decade ago. She was able to stay with the same job for quite some time. She stated that when she retired she made $39,000. This was in the early 90's. She asked me if I thought that was good. I said yes. It was good for the time. She and her husband continue to do well with a nice sized home with equity in an upwardly mobile community in Maryland. They are both retired and live off of the retirement fixed income. It amazes me how many now that salary doubled would be looked at by many as barley getting by to make ends meet. New Home Values in the New Foreclosure Climate in MD In fact, my neighborhood most homes are valued at over $600,000. On the real property search which is Maryland's tax assessment system, the median value on my block was over $630,000. With that tax value being the basis for real estate property taxes, appraisers are having a tough time in some cases getting a value over 600,000. I recall a case where a client had work done to there house. They got and appraisal for $400,000. They had 50,000 worth of real work done to there house. They updated their kitchen and bathroom and added a new 2 car garage. The appraiser came back and said the new value was $390,000. In this case, the local sales dropped the value of the home. In spite of all the work, the home dropped in value during the 2 months it took to complete the work. Luckily this person had several hundred's of thousand of dollars in equity. In many cases with people this would have lead right to Foreclosure. To qualify for their homes, most couples had to earn roughly $200,000. There are many homes in my neighborhood that go for well over 1 million. Those whom qualify for those loans are dealing with different kinds of jumbo loan borrowing strategies. The income of those in the million dollar homes is also something that its hard to ascertain. Most have done stated income deals which allow you to show lower amounts of table income, but based upon good credit history you can state your income with minimum income verification. Its brings me back to question, in an area with so much prosperity, why are so many families struggling with foreclosure? When I take a closer look, I see many house are up for sale. One of the recent local Realtor housing statistics showed that homes in my zip code this summer were being sold for 5% less than their listing price. So if a home was listed at $500,000 it sold for $475,000. It would be great if you have $200,000 in equity. However most people I know are mortgaged to the max. That $25,000 might have been all the equity they had in the home. As I considered those factors, I read the new outline for Bush's Aid for Mortgages. What I thought would be an interesting take on a solution turned out to be an example of why some politicians need a perspective change Who are some of the New Foreclosure Climate in MD The administration seems to challenge those speculative investors whom are facing foreclosure. The current administration indicated the government is not business of bailing out speculative investors. The aminstration does not have a policy to support those whom gambled and turned out wrong. The current administration also stated that they were interested in working with FHA to build policy to give loans to those will good credit whom are faced with rising interest rate. Those whom have good credit with a slight fiancial challenge will be able to get a loan, with or without the administrations help. Though there are few Stated Income deals, they have not gone completely away. The people I know facing foreclosure are doing so because they are going through a traumatic experiences. Some have just gone through or continue to go through a divorce. Some had a recent job loss and can not find a job paying and equivalent amount. Some have seen unexpected deaths in their immediate family for various reasons. The big picture is that these people have has some issue as a distraction and now are behind on the mortgage. The New Foreclosure climate, also prevents investors from being. I know one woman that has a home valued at $450,000 in December. She has been attempting to sell her house at 390,000 since March. She is now in foreclosure and is frustrated. She stated she was simply willing to walk away from the property for the mortgage balance, which is slightly over $300,000. Her problem is so many other homes in her area have sole for just over 300, 000 that here home in 8 month as dropped tremendously in value. She had a house on her block in July sell for $315,000 which is less than she owes on the house. If she were to sell it at fair market value, she would have to come to the table with money. There are many other cases like her situation. What can be done in the New Foreclosure Climate in MD Quite honestly, I don't know. I know that investors have the pick of the litter. They are able to swoop in and pick and choose what deals they will do. Most are only looking for situation that they can get in and out of quickly. When the Fall & he holiday season fast approaching, a slow housing market is about to get slower. I have faith that we can get out of this quagmire. My belief is that while this is a correction, we can and will survive. I know that many will go through much pain right now, but things will get better. My thoughts on a solution start with education. The more people are aware of what they sign up front the better we all are. Many people bought $600,000 homes with low interest payment ARMs. The ARM loans expired and people were not prepared to make the new payment. Two people that might have made a combined 100,000 a year can afford a 3000 note on a home. Where clauses allow new payments to adjust up to 4500 in interest rate environment, many people were not prepare. When you add the fact that some still continue to be laid off, it makes a touch situation more of a challenge. That said, education is key. Sometimes experience is the best teacher. Its a tough price to pay but people hopefully learn there lesson well. My hope is that the solution is: 1) Education of the consumer base about best lending practices 2) New life experience that parents of this generation can pass down to others I hope and pray that this challenge get much better. While I do not know the solution, I do know things can and will improve. |
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Labels: Home Sales in My Area, Home Sales in My Neighborhood, House Sales by Zip Code, House Values by Zip Code, Houses Sold in My Street, Recent Sales by Zip Code, Recent Sales in My Neighborhood, Sold Properties in My Area
Review of house sale prices in my street::What Homes Sold for on My Street
Review of house sale prices in my street::What Homes Sold for on My Street
Reader Question: I purchased my home eight years ago expecting some appreciation in the value before I retire within the next year. However, now my home is worth 35-50 thousand less than I owe. What choices do I have, since at retirement I am not sure if I will any longer be able to afford a mortgage with my retirement funds? Is there a respectable way out of this? Larry. Monty's Answer: Hello Larry. Many people are asking this question. In my opinion, there may be multiple choices to consider. The "respectable way" has different meanings to different people today. Some people in this situation have no choices; they lose the home in foreclosure, they declare bankruptcy, or both. However, there are many people who have means to choose what course of action to take. What will drive their decisions depends on a variety of circumstances and attitudes. State and Federal laws, their overall financial position, the attitude and financial strength of the lender, the mortgage document, the presence of a private mortgage insurance company in the transaction and its financial strength are the main considerations. The bankruptcy and foreclosure route may be an unwise decision if it can be avoided. What I have observed through my research and anecdotal evidence is all homeowners have unique circumstances. As I follow this saga I have noticed the people with the resources to make choices have different attitudes and convictions. I see three different groups. Here, is a brief description of each: Ride it out. This group will keep the property and continue to pay the mortgage, if they have a mortgage, as long as the property fits into their original plan. Most of the people in this group believe housing prices will recover over time, and they are prepared to accept responsibility for any loss. They want to maintain their credit. They believe by having made the buying decision on the property, they are responsible for the consequences. Negotiate a settlement. This group wants out of the mortgage. The group believes the lender, because they played a role, should share the pain. The method employed to facilitate this "out" is the short sale. The lender participates in lieu of the possibility of foreclosure and the fear of Federal backlash if they do not participate in the solution. Walk away from the house. This group believes the primary fault lies with lenders, Wall Street, regulators and Federal government policies. They simply stop paying and wait for the lender to take the house back. In some states, there is no recourse available to the lender as the home is the sole collateral. Other states allow the lender to take a deficiency judgment. This means the lender has the right to collect the difference between the mortgage due and the sale price at foreclosure from the defaulting homeowner. Which group is correct? I am not judge or jury to take a position. Each group believes their actions are proper. Every player in this debacle has culpability with where we are today in the housing market. There are no winners. I have authored several articles along the way that provide more detailed information to consider and links to other sources. The article closest to yours, is "Our home is underwater; what should we do?". The article runs through the gamut of solutions that homeowners face. It will be helpful for you to learn the basics. This real estate work out situation is constantly evolving. Learn about the choices and consult your attorney and/or your accountant to understand your options. Then, decide for yourself what is respectable and act on that decision. Thanks for asking. Let me know if I can answer other questions. Good luck to you, Larry. Monty |
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Labels: Find My House Price, Home Prices by Street, House Prices, House Prices in My Street, Houses Sold in My Street, Sold House Prices My Street, The Price of My House, Up My Street House Prices