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As it has in times past, real estate has led this nation into recession, and it will lead us out as well — when the signs are there for a recovery. We’re now mid-way through 2008 and the signs aren’t there yet to say for certain that we’re over the hump and on the way out of recession….(read more)

U.S. foreclosure activity in June decreased 3 percent from the previous month but was still up 53 percent from June 2007, according to the RealtyTrac U.S. Foreclosure Market Report released today. The 3 percent decrease may lead some to speculate that the upward trend in foreclosure activity may be nearing an end, but as RealtyTrac CEO James J. Saccacio pointed out in a statement, the year-over-year change is a more indicative number of the overall trend.

“The year-over-year increase of more than 50 percent indicates we have not yet reached the top of this foreclosure cycle,” he said.

In fact, the RealtyTrac report has shown month-to-month decreases in previous months, even during the dramatic run-up in foreclosure activity that has occurred over the past year and a half: in February 2008, November 2007, September 2007, June 2007, April 2007, and February 2007.

At present, approximately two percent of the outstanding mortgage loans in the U.S. are in some stage of foreclosure, according to RealtyTrac. And who knows how many more may be on the verge of going over the edge anytime soon as subprime loans adjust up to higher interest rates in the next couple of years….(read more)

Three top indices of economic health in the U.S. came out with negative reports this month, supporting the idea that the nation’s inventory of available properties — particularly the supply of properties in foreclosure — will remain elevated for at least the immediate future.

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The Federal Open Market Committee took the advice Wednesday of all the financial analysts and market watchers and did absolutely nothing with the short term Federal Funds Rate (FFR)….(read more)

The nation’s housing slump, crippled by falling prices and rising inventories of unsold homes, is the worst in a generation and still hasn’t run its full course, according to Harvard University’s annual housing report.

Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies painted a bleak picture of the current housing downturn, claiming that “the nation is in the throes of a housing downturn that is shaping up to be the worst in a generation.”

The study,  the “State of the Nation’s Housing 2008,” noted that housing starts, new home sales and existing home sales are at all-time lows since after World War II, while home price declines and foreclosure filings are the worst on record.

A recession followed six of the last seven housing downturns, said Nicolas P. Retsinas, director of Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. The report concludes that the high levels of foreclosures will continue to exert downward pressure on housing prices, especially in low-income and minority communities, where subprime loans are heavily concentrated.

So far in 2008 nearly 240,000 households have been facing some stage of the foreclosure process on average every month. Even those homeowners who are not currently facing foreclosure may be at some point in time if they can’t sell their home. And then there’s those homeowners who just want to sell but don’t necessarily have to….(read more)

In today’s world where foreclosure numbers are running rampant, especially in parts of Florida (where 37,364 properties with foreclosure filings were reported in May), distressed homeowners can use a superhero of their own to help them avoid or stop the foreclosure process.
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Foreclosure activity continued its upward climb in May, increasing on a year-over-year basis for the 29th consecutive month, according to the RealtyTrac U.S. Foreclosure Market Report released today. The report showed one in every 483 U.S. households received a foreclosure filing during the month, the highest monthly foreclosure rate since RealtyTrac began issuing its report in January 2005….(read more)

A non-profit group has launched a program to turn former foreclosures into farmland….(read more)