Is The Housing Market Recovering?

In DSNEWS I read that there’s no question that the housing market is well along the road to recovery. Sales are going up, prices are increasing, and that’s good news for all of us. But for some folks, the nightmare is not even close to over yet. Instead, an estimated 2 million homeowners are in the land of the zombie foreclosure. The foreclosure process varies by state, but inevitably begins with the bank sending the homeowner a Notice of Default. That initial notice is then followed by the balance of the state’s foreclosure process, which is lengthy and can be prolonged by numerous delays. During that process, the homeowner still owns their home. Zombie foreclosures happen when the homeowner assumes they have lost their home and moves when the bank begins foreclosure, but the foreclosure process is never completed. So both the homeowner and their title are caught in between this world and the next, like a zombie. The problem is that once the homeowner leaves, there’s an opportunity for real estate taxes to go unpaid and the property to go un-maintained, which often leads to code enforcement violations, vandals, and even squatters. You wind up with a whole slew of new problems—which the homeowner, not the bank, can still be liable for without even knowing it. Traditionally, the point of foreclosing on a home was to sell it and pay back the loan, but a lot has changed. For example, in areas where property values went down, and costs and delays skyrocketed—like HOA fees or the time it takes to foreclose—it might not make financial sense anymore for the bank to foreclose. In other words, after they pay off those expenses, there might not be any money left to pay back the loan, so why bother? Another big issue has been all the new regulations. For example, we’ve had a $26 billion settlement in the attorney general robo-signer case, and another $9.3 billion settlement in the case with federal regulators. Banks can get in big trouble now if there are any errors in the foreclosure process, so in many cases, they’re afraid to move forward with those lawsuits. We’ve also seen some of the biggest foreclosure law firms shut down, and combined with huge backlogs in the courts, it can sometimes take 600 or 700 days to foreclose. These are all reasons behind zombie foreclosures. Homeowners can take steps though, as well as anyone else adversely impacted by a zombie foreclosure, such as HOAs or municipalities. Your first step when fighting back against a zombie foreclosure is to check the county or tax records. These are online in most areas now and will show you if you’re still on the title. Anyone who has been foreclosed on might want to do this, if only to be sure. If you see that the bank has started but not finished a foreclosure, contact the bank and try to find out what their plans are. The good news is that most banks are far more open nowadays to negotiate a short sale, deed in lieu of foreclosure, or agree to a loan modification than they were when most of these foreclosure cases were started. The next step is to review current records for past due taxes, code violations, or other liens, and check out the property condition. You want to make sure you do what you can to avoid any more damage than what has already occurred and to also secure the home. Depending on the circumstances, you may be able to rent the home or move back into it—a happier ending than most zombie movies get to see.

The Journey to excellance

Success is a journey. I am traveling toward this goal again; this, after diverse setbacks. It is assumed most of those in business have a desire for success. For my company this is defined by how each of us, in our office, respond to the needs of our individual clients, and they're sub-sequential loyalty to us. We must ask our self have we earned they're loyalty? Another evidence of our success, other than loyalty, is are we referred by our clients. My setbacks have not been in the result of creating loyalty, or in gaining referrals, but instead lies in the direction I have led those looking to me to learn. As a leader I have followers around me even though these may not knowingly follow. These simply live in search of another plowing the way and gaining success and the successful humbly and effortlessly are sharing the wealth of their journey. How? Encouraging those around them. Pointing out the followers obvious strength; be it communication, management, book work, organization, or simply a cheerful personality - these thrive with affirmation and notice and the true mark of a leader is there spurring others on with words. I missed these opportunities in the short past few years. Another setback is in planning. I find that I truly accomplish, or work to accomplish that which I plan. I have squandered time lately and have failed to plan. It has been said, "Fail to plan, and you plan to fail." So fortunately I see my tank needs re-fueling. I have the blessing of seeing these pitfalls and can now plan wisely, and plan to lead others in the same way.

Can We Realtors Help This Market?

So Many Homes Homes are Unsold, Thousands under FMV are sitting there. Like one of mine: a brand new 2400 ASF - amentities galore off I-75 South in Lamar Co. for $169k! What? Another is a 4400 ASF Goregeous Custom Home In Pike Co. W/Live in Basement too. Worth over $400k - but is in Low $300's. UNSOLD! Not Under Contract .
Are you kidding me?

Why?

I pinged a Blog the other day to sites like Active Rain, WP, and others; on the premise it is Will Snow Again; but this time snowing foreclosures.
This is adversely effecting the "other deals" out there like these.
I know-I know..."Duh" you are saying. Well hear me out. I am not trying to reveal anything we who do not live in a cave do not already know. My question is can we agents help? I believe we can.

My challenge on the other blog was let's not get lazy, discouraged, or over-whelmed. We can do something. Yes, we list, show, post, but many go unsold. Ok, that is the real life senario, but there are alot of Real Estate Agents - and if more of us post, list, load up those websites with pictures, videos, and other means of marketing they will get attention. I am not beating a dead horse -hahaha if you pardon the irony. I just see so many lisitings out there with no pictures or maybe just one. Come on guys this is the elementary procedure for Listing; let's go on from there and utilize our technology and market these homes & foreclosures more agressively. Video cameras can be bought for under $200.00, and are very easy to use. Multiple pictures are a simple thing too. Will this help? Little at first. If any. But if more of us; even ALL of us get crazy and aggressive, calling, follow up, blog, email, post, speak positive, yell it to the whole world with one little bitty contract; then slowly & probably we WILL help turn things around.

Our negative market needs to be over whelmed with positive marketing & attention & attitudes. I don't know - I think I am just sick and tired of the media's stump speeches on how bad it is. Shut up - I personally had 4 closings last month. I made a good living last year. I really did, but it could have been better. It will be better. Ok, snow come on! Hahaha. www.georgiapropertyLLC.com

Georgia Property Land & Homes

Homes like these Thousands under FMV are sitting unsold. The first is a brand new 2400 ASF - amentities galore off I-75 South in Lamar Co. for $169k! What? The other is a 4400 ASF Goregeous Custom Home In Pike Co. W/Live in Basement too.Worth over $400k - but is in Low $300's. UNSOLD! Not Under Contract Are you kidding me?

Why? I pinged a Blog the other day to sites like Active Rain, WP, and others; on the premise it is snowing again, but this time snowing foreclosures.
This is adversely effecting the "other deals" out there like these.
I know-I know..."Duh" you are saying. Well hear me out. I am not trying to reveal anything we who do not live in a cave do not already know. My question is can we agents help? I believe we can.


My challenge on the other blog was let's not get lazy, discouraged, or over-whelmed. We can do something. Yes, we list, show, post, but many go unsold. Ok, that is the real life senario, but there are alot of Real Estate Agents - and if more of us post, list, load up those websites with pictures, videos, and other means of marketing they will get attention. I am not beating a dead horse -hahaha if you pardon the irony. I just see so many lisitings out there with no pictures or maybe just one. Come on guys this is the elementary procedure for Listing; let's go on from there and utilize our technology and market these homes & foreclosures more agressively. Video cameras can be bought for under $200.00, and are very easy to use. Multiple pictures are a simple thing too. Will this help? Little at first. If any. But if more of us; even ALL of us get crazy and aggressive, calling, follow up, blog, email, post, speak positive, yell it to the whole world with one little bitty contract; then slowly & probably we WILL help turn things around.



Our negative market needs to be over whelmed with positive marketing & attention & attitudes. I don't know - I think I am just sick and tired of the media's stump speeches on how bad it is. Shut up - I personally had 4 closings last month. I made a good living last year. I really did, but it could have been better. It will be better.
Ok, snow come on! Hahaha. http://www.georgiapropertyllc.com/

Watch for the warning signs!

Well it did snow. She said it would. The weather lady I watch that is. I guess you could say she warned us. I did not believe her or the other reporters. Friday was 70 plus degrees here in Griffin, Georgia, so how could the temperature drop over thirty degrees over night and then snow? In my naivety or pessimism, call it what you may, I said “they are crazy”, “There is no way”, “yeah right.” You said it too. I saw you on the news; many of you pointing at the sky and recalling the times “they said it before”. Well this time they were right, man did it snow. In huge bold fluffy flakes the snow came down. Several inches settled on my deck making it difficult to even open the door. A large arching broom like swipe is left behind after I closed the door and stepped out into the blizzard. Yep, that there is snow; I’ll be dog gone. I called my wife and we began acting like teenagers. She won. My back was soaked! Hahaha, the ole snowball down the back trick. Yes, we did make a snow man. Just her and I. She brought the straw hat, sticks for the arms, and I used sweet gum balls for the eyes, and buttons. He was quite handsome for a big ball of snow. Now he is leaning over as if looking at the spot he is going to eventually wind up. One eye is missing and awaiting the rest of the body. He had to get a closer view I guess. Yes, we were warned. It was coming. As it turned out this snow was inevitable. They saw the signs, read the proof, and gave us the warning to stock up the groceries, park the cars, and watch it snow. I am glad it did. Not for their sake, but for ours. It was fun. Ok, here is another warning. It is going to snow again; this year too. Not in beautiful thin crystallized ice, but in foreclosures; another large blizzard of them. Why should we care? They are indeed everywhere. We have got to gear up and get ready for this inevitable blizzard of inventory again. Call your investors; call your leads, because we need to get them off the market. To the extent these are sitting on the market is to the extent that we will encounter our slow housing market. What do you see coming? How can we attack this mountain of inventory that is here, and that is coming? Do you see a concern, or do we just keep on keeping on? I feel we must be creative and aggressive. We can help turn this around, but we can not get lazy or burned out. Hey, vacation is coming, hang in there but in the mean time let’s try to get these things marketed and sold! I am open to your views, advice, and suggestions. Before I get snowed in!

The problem of mold in your home.

Have you found mold in your home that’s larger than a 3 foot by 3 foot patch? The first thing you must know: There's no easy way to get rid of it. This size problem may require a professional, because there is a danger of creating air born mold. Whoa you do not want that! Tips taken from HGTV reveals to us that If you've discovered a small area of mold and want to handle it yourself, you can follow these guidelines to protect yourself and your family:
Safety materials
· Goggles without air holes.
· Filter mask (rated N-95 or higher). The EPA suggests wearing sealed goggles without holes to guard against mold spores coming in contact with your eyes. And to keep from inhaling the spores, it's vital that you wear the mask. The rating of N-95 stands for the percentage of particles that will be captured and stopped from coming through the mask. (For example, with the N-95 filter mask, it captures 95 percent of the particles released when removing the mold.) Make sure the mask is comfortable but tight enough to eliminate any air leakage.
· Rubber gloves that extend to the middle of the forearm (select gloves made from natural rubber, neoprene, nitrile, polyurethane, or PVC if using a disinfectant, a biocide such as chlorine bleach or other cleaning solution). It's important to have sturdy gloves that have no rips because even the smallest amount of exposure to mold can cause skin irritations or rashes. And be sure to throw the gloves away once you're through. Don't reuse.

Tools

Soap and water (If you want to use a weak bleach solution, remember to never mix bleach with any other household chemical, especially ammonia.)Scraper or sponge and Small drywall saw for removing material that can't be cleaned
· To clean mold from a hard surface such as metal, the EPA recommends a scraper or sponge and a mixture of water and detergent.
· For a porous surface such as drywall or wood, there's no easy cleanup method. You probably have to remove the actual material — using a saw to cut it away — before replacing.

 If you suspect a larger mold problem lurking behind your cleanup, remember to call a professional.