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DS News Webcast: Friday 2/13/2015

Foreclosure, REO, News, Webcast

A nationwide survey conducted by Auction.com, a leading online real estate marketplace, showed a continuation in January of a trend seen in the fourth quarter of 2014 – that of investors' preference to flip houses rather than rent them out. Even as the demand for rental housing has increased in most markets, investors continue to prefer to flip houses due to a recent combination of price appreciation and decreased inventory. About 50.2 percent of investors surveyed in January said they preferred to flip the homes they purchased, while 47.5 percent said they preferred a hold-to-rent strategy.

Though the survey found that more investors preferred flipping over renting overall in January, the results varied according to the investor profile and the type of auction. Investors making one-time purchases preferred to rent, while real estate investors preferred to flip. Those who purchased their properties through live auctions appeared to show a preference toward flipping, while investors who bought properties in online auctions showed a propensity for renting.

Residential mortgage servicing rights sales and valuation advisory services provider MountainView Servicing Group announced Thursday that it is acting as adviser for the sale of a Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac portfolio with an unpaid principal balance of about $3 billion. Quality features of the bulk servicing portfolio include 100 percent fixed-rate and first lien product, a weighted average original FICO score of 755, and a weighted average original LTV ratio of 80 percent. Bids are due for the portfolio on February 19.