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Tag Archives: Realtors

New FTC Rule Impacts Realtors’ Short Sale Business

A new rule from the Federal Trade Commission that aims to protect homeowners from mortgage relief scams may impact real estate professionals who represent clients involved in short sale transactions. The Mortgage Assistance Relief Services rule bans all upfront fees for renegotiating mortgage terms and mandates certain consumer disclosures. It is primarily directed at companies offering modification services, but the National Association of Realtors says certain conditions also apply to practitioners working with short sales.

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California’s MLSListings Offers Fannie Mae Short Sale Assistance Desk

MLSListings, Inc., a not-for-profit, California mutual benefit corporation formed by eight Northern California Realtor associations, will participate in the Fannie Mae Short Sale Assistance Desk program. MLSListings, which represents more than 18,000 subscribers in 6,000 firms in an area covering 28,000 square miles, is the first multiple listing service (MLS) in California to participate.

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Foreclosure Supply Numbers Point to Recovery in Texas

Texas continues to perform noticeably better than other states in the real estate market, local Realtors say, by avoiding an excess supply of foreclosures and other distressed properties. Economists say the state has managed to maintain balance between home inventory and demand, and this, combined with the fact that Texas has maintained strong property values, indicates the market is absorbing foreclosed and other distressed properties.

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Realtor iPad App ‘Opens Real Estate Up to Millions’

iPad is the latest mobile device with access to a Realtor.com app, according to details released Tuesday by Move, Inc., operator of the official site of the National Association of Realtors. Compatible with iPad iOS 4.0 or higher, the free app provides property listings with maps and GPS directions, among other features. Realtor.com mobile apps have been downloaded 3.6 million times with active users increasing by 79 percent in four months.

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Industry Data Points to Record-High Level of Short Sales

An industry study released Monday shows that nearly half of home sales activity last month involved distressed properties, a trend that is likely to continue as the backlog of foreclosures and mortgage defaults make their way through the pipeline. Within this distressed property segment, the market analysis shows a boom in short sales during the month of March to a record-high 19.6 percent, and a drop in the proportion of damaged REO, which the report says should be a positive for home values in future months.

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Realtors Report Fewer Distressed Sales in California

While the share of distressed sales - REOs and short sales - is on the rise when tallying numbers nationwide, it's falling in California. The California Association of Realtors reports that the total ratio of all distressed property types sold statewide declined in March to 51 percent, down from 56 percent in February. REOs sold last month went for 88 percent less than non-distressed properties, while short sales had a median discount of 41 percent.

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Foreclosures Account for 43% of Twin Cities Home Sales

Foreclosure sales accounted for roughly 43 percent of home sale closings in the Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minnesota last month, and 40 percent of pending home sales contracts. While those market shares are in line with recent trends, Brad Fisher, president of the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors, says they're still higher than what he'd like to see. While overall purchase activity in March was down 17 percent, the foreclosure segment saw a 30 percent jump in closed sales.

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Washington State Restricts Wall Street Home Resale Fees

Washington Governor Christine Gregoire recently signed legislation to restrict Wall Street home resale fees - also known as private transfer fees. The new law, sponsored by Sen. Nick Harper, places a ban on these fees. Rep. Roger Goodman sponsored the companion bill in the state's House of Representatives. Washington is the 25th state to restrict the use of these fees.

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Legislation Introduced to Speed Lender Response to Short Sales

Two lawmakers, one Republican and one Democrat, have joined forces to push federal legislation through that would facilitate wider use and shorter transaction timelines for a foreclosure alternative that some say could be a lifeline for millions of underwater homeowners while drastically reducing the number of empty, repossessed homes lining U.S. neighborhoods - the short sale. The bill would impose a deadline of 45 days on lenders to give an approval, disapproval, or status of a decision on an offer for a short sale.

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Texas Realtors Rally for Homeowner Rights at State Capitol

More than 2,000 Texas Realtors descended on the Texas Capitol in Austin April 12 for the 2011 Legislative Hill Visits. The governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the Texas House, and legislators met with the Realtors to discuss a range of consumer-protection legislation, including homeowner rights. Realtors say Texas has withstood the real estate bubble that ravaged the rest of the country largely because state leaders made protection of private-property rights a priority in recent sessions.

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