Jeff Adams Foreclosures - Real Estate Investors Paradise for 2016

If you have taken a look at the tabloids lately, you probably know that 2016 is a promising year for real estate investors. The market is slowly recovering from the slump in previous years and investors are confident about the road that lies ahead. Home prices will remain lower as compared to last year, therefore the investment opportunities are attractive. Interest rates continue to remain highly inviting in 2016.

But how should you go about with foreclosure investing this year? Read on to find out…

Foreclosure Investing Strategy – 2016
This year will be extremely promising for investing in foreclosures. By devising an effective strategy and making quick, well-informed decisions, you are bound to achieve success in the foreclosures investing arena.

Get A Broker

It is a known fact that home buying rules are common in most situations. However, this does not mean complacency in making buying decisions. There is nothing wrong with seeking a broker’s help to scan for houses. Where you will start house searching from scratch, brokers will already have a database of January 2016 foreclosure homes. Avail of their services and save precious time.

Know The Market

Knowing the houses is not enough. You must also carefully examine the localities that you are looking at. Remember, it is the area that creates the market. Features such as school systems, complexes, other attractions and key features of the area add a whole lot of value to the property. Veteran, real estate investor, Jeff Adams recommends learning about the complete ins and outs of the market.

Understand the Scenario

Making buying decisions is a challenging task only for investors who choose to play smart. Understand the property scenario in 2016. It is predicted that home prices will continue increasing steadily this year. But do not take this for granted. The 2006 estate market slump reminds us that we must always be prepared for market fluctuations. Start your recee early and carry it throughout to keep track of price trends.

Cost-Benefit Analysis
Do not take over ambitious decisions just because they seem promising from a distance. 2016 will prove to be highly lucrative for the foreclosure investor, but do not let the price trends bedazzle you. Simply because you get a $250,000 loan approved at low interest, does not mean that you have to avail it. Look for the most financially viable option. Remember, the aim is to invest in foreclosed homes, not to undergo foreclosure yourself.

Overhead Evaluation
You are bound to encounter foreclosed houses that are no short of being the ‘perfect deal’. But keep in mind that appearances can be deceptive. Home repair costs are an extremely important factor that sellers will try to avoid. Make sure that you budget the cost of these repairs and adds them to the total property cost in order to get the complete picture.

There is nothing better than getting a clear cut view of what lies ahead in the property market. Jeff Adams real estate provides you with the most common real estate trends that will help you ace the foreclosures investing game in 2016.

Tenant Demand 2016

Single-family homes for rent will be in high demand in 2016. The extent of demand is predicted to be so high that it will overshoot the availability within the first quarter. The markets that were strongly hit with foreclosures will see a rise.in demand greater than 25% as compared to 2015.

This may be a great sector for the foreclosure investors seeking to re-sell foreclosed homes within short periods. Another interesting trend is the increase in leases continuing since consecutive years, particularly in markets such as Tucson, Port St. Lucie, Riverside, and others.

Short Sales & Supplies 2016
The tenant demands in 2016 will be stronger than ever, at its peak since 2010. That is a definite area of interest for foreclosure buyers. Coupled with this is the over 8 cap rates all across the country. They will be noticeably stable since year 2011. Given these conditions, how will supply position itself?

Fewer foreclosures were sealed and completed in 2012 as compared to 2011, as contrary to mass expectation. There was a straight drop of 80,000 completed foreclosures. The 2012 figures closed at 860,000 as compared to a 780,000 in 2011.

Short sales have risen in popularity with lenders. This implies a decrease in completed foreclosures as the year 2012 witnessed. There were many first-time buyers who missed the price slump last year. Realizing this, numerous new buyers will enter the foreclosures market owing to discounted prices of properties. This trend is expected to continue till the latter half of the second quarter.

Hence, it is safe to conclude that the year 2016 will be highly lucrative for investing in foreclosures. Jeff Adams hopes that you can make the best of these opportunities using the above strategies and predictions.

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Foreclosures – An opportunity in distress

Foreclosure is a specific legal process through which a lender attempts to recover the balance amount of a defaulted loan by forcing the sale of the asset used as collateral against the loan. Large scale foreclosures signal an economy in distress and have significant implications to the real estate market.

Usually the lender is not into the real estate business and does not want to go on accumulating he foreclosed property.  The lender does not have the resources to manage real estate property. Moreover, accumulating bad debts does not reflect well on the lending institution. Therefore, the lender is eager to sell off the property at a discounted price so as to close the account by booking partial loss.

The Economic Recession
The occasional foreclosures are individual failures. These can occur because of a variety of reasons affecting a particular individual, such as divorce, relocation, arrest or plain inability of the borrower to repay the interest and the balance of the principal amount of the loan. Such incidents become the subject of common gossip.

However, when foreclosures occur on a wider scale, it signals an alarming recessionary trend in the economy.  It indicates slowing down of business and industry, a rise in unemployment and an economy in distress. During the recessionary period no one dares to borrow money and make new investments.  There are few t takers of loans and. consequently, the interest rates fall.

An Opportunity to Invest
Large scale foreclosures offer a great opportunity to buy properties at heavily discounted prices. Everyone shuns away from buying property at such times. Few have the daring to take risk. However, according to Jeff Adams, a seasoned advisor for investing in real estate, it is the right time to take a plunge.

Of course, an opportunity to make quick and huge profits attracts big sharks to the dark waters. The hedge funds, with their full access to technology and information, have already sniffed their meaty nourishment in the troubled waters and waste no time in getting there. They elbow out all small investors and, with their huge capital resources, leave no room to small players.

Hedge Funds
Hedge funds constitute a group of high net worth investors. Collectively, they have huge funds at their disposal. This gives them the great power to manipulate the markets to their advantage.  The hedge fund managers have a free hand in making investment decisions unlike other publicly accountable funds, such as mutual funds, pension funds etc.

The only concern of the hedge funds is not to keep the funds locked in idle investments for too long. Therefore, they have to reap quick profits and to move out well before the scenario changes.

The small investors, however, can exercise speed and daring to buy good properties in the adjoining area.  They can hold the property a little longer till the demand picks up.

Interest Rates
The interest rates play an important role in property investment decisions.  Apart from the ability to borrow money, they also indicate the demand for property.  The central monetary agency uses the leverage of interest rates to nurse the sick economy back to health. They use this leverage to regulate the flow of gross savings into developmental investments and also into real estate or the housing sector.

Foreclosure Terms and Explanations

·         Foreclosure: The buyers make fixed payments to the lender every year towards eventual ownership of the mortgaged property. In the event of defaults, the lenders exercise their right to take possession of the mortgaged property, which is technically known as foreclosure.

·         Pre-Foreclosure:  This stage precedes foreclosure, where the lending bank sends a notice to the owner giving a stipulated time to pay up the amount in default.  The failure to comply will follow foreclosure. The owner, however, has the right to sell the property during the notice period and pay the dues preventing foreclosure.

·         REO’s: Here the lending institution repossesses the foreclosed property put up for auction in case there are no bidders. Hence it is known as REO or the Real Estate Owned .

The foreclosures are of following two types:

·         Judiciary:  These are legal property transfer records which permit the owner to reclaim the property after paying the amount due within the stipulated period of time.

·          Non-Judiciary:  Here the auction process is handled by an independent third party. There are no redemption periods in such cases unless agreed upon by the owner and/or buyer.

Conclusion:

 It is highly profitable to buy foreclosed property at auctions. Large scale foreclosures often throw up a gem of opportunities to buy properties at highly discounted prices.

A low interest rates regime has been prevailing in the market for quite some time. Borrowing money now at fixed rates of interest is very much advisable, as the current rates are unlikely to go further down.

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Didn’t Someone Tell You We Are in a Recession?

We are all aware that the economy has taken a nosedive over the past couple of years. Businesses are closing their doors, employees are being downsized, and the current market value of houses has been consistently dropping. Although, the recession is damaging the current market, it does offer a plus side to the real estate investor.

Buying real estate during a recession allows buyers to thrive during a recession. They have the opportunity to make substantial financial growth. Falling prices and less activity in the current market can benefit the buyer in many ways. A recession typically lasts for about two years so investors should think about not just how low the prices will go, but also how much they can invest until it is over.

Upon deciding to invest, you should consider a variety of factors. Realize if each house in question is functional to your particular needs. Buying because you fear the recession will end is not wise. The current market should not sway your judgment in this way. But since prices are typically down by three to five percent, buying does offer many advantages.

Buyers stand to pay less for homes, usually five percent of more, during time of distress. In addition, sellers are often more anxious and motivated to sell just for the shear fact that they do not want their houses on the market for too long.

Before investing in a down market, it is critical that you research the comparable housing prices in the area, remodeling records for the home, and any financial situations attached to the home. Websites such as zillow.com or trulia.com are excellent resources for gather such information. The general location and overall condition of the house should also be taken into account.

Timing is everything if you plan to capitalize on the falling prices of houses and property. If you are a seller and you wish to move to a more expensive home, now is the time to buy. The longer you wait, the lower the value of your currently owned home will go. Savings to you on a new house are also available as it is being sold for less. Interest rates are also much lower and are gradually increasing, which is another reason to buy now.

Borrowing cheap is another benefit. Interest rates are very low, and even though banks may not be lending to risky buyers, investors with good credit are welcomed. Foreclosures, Short Sales, and Real Estate Owned (REOs) properties are an excellent way to potentially profit from an investment during a distressed economy.

When a notice of default has been filed in public records because the owner has stopped making payments on the mortgage, and a lender has given notice that the house will be sold at public auction if the payments are not made current, the house becomes foreclosed upon. If payments are not made and the house goes to public auction, a buyer can usually purchase the house for the amount of money remaining on the loan.

There is substantial profit to be made by only paying the amount owed on the mortgage and the owner’s equity can be picked up for free. One thing to consider though, when going the foreclosure route is that a house being sold at auction is not just a steal. Due diligence and thorough inspection of the house should be done prior to any bidding on any home.

Short Sales or Pre-foreclosures are also an option. These are homes that are in foreclosure but before the property goes to public auction. The lender must agree to accept an offer less than the amount owed on the property. Since the lender agrees to take less money in order to avoid foreclosure, the transaction is better for the investor. REOs are similar to Short Sales, but the lender already owns the house due to foreclosure proceedings. The house has been auctioned publically and did not receive a bid. This offers a benefit to the investor because the lender will usually sell for less than what is owed on the mortgage.

This is the best way to buy because the seller is no longer involved in the transaction. The deal is made between the lender, the seller, and the agents that represent them. At times the agents are not even necessary.

Overpriced homes are another investment opportunity to consider. An inflated price is the number one reason a house does not sell. A home that has been previously overlooked because is has been overpriced, has been on the market for a long period of time, and has not sold because of its price, should be revisited. A motivated seller could lower the price in a hot seller’s market where there are many buyers and less inventory.

Offering the seller a sizable earnest money deposit or “Good Faith Deposit,” which is a portion of the down payment attached to the purchase agreement, and a list of prices for other homes is the area could also encourage a price reduction. Offering a “Good Faith Deposit” can also offer less risk to the seller because most contain provisions that give this initial deposit to the seller if the buyer backs out of the deal without cause. The money is usually held in a trust until of the necessary negotiations have been made and contracts have been signed.

Finding real estate to invest in can be easier said than done. Don’t wait for these homes to show up in traditional real estate listing services. Look for information on bank websites and county loan offices that know of foreclosures. You can also ask local real estate agents that are familiar with the area. Realtors can also offer insight on overpriced homes.

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Buying Beats Renting in 80 Percent of U.S. Cities

Thanks to falling home prices and rising rents, would-be home buyers have the upper hand this house-hunting season. In nearly 4 out of 5 major U.S. cities, it’s now cheaper to buy a home than to rent. That’s up from 72 percent of cities last quarter, based on the Rent vs. Buy Index released by online real estate resource Trulia.

“With home prices nearing a double-dip and more foreclosures expected to flood the housing market over the next two years, the decision between renting and buying a home across most of the country has clearly moved in favor of buying,” said Ken Shuman, head of communications at Trulia, in a press release. “As we head into the summer buying season, those looking to buy a home should be encouraged by improvements in the market and feel optimistic about their chances of finding an affordable home, much more so than in previous years.”

Areas with the most affordable housing market conditions tend to be cities hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis, including Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Miami. Meanwhile, those with more affordable rental markets included New York City, Los Angeles, and Seattle. Omaha, San Jose, and Detroit had some of the largest quarter-over-quarter jumps in favor of homeownership.

Despite the overwhelming data supporting home buying this season, experts emphasize that above all, the real estate market is local. “This metric is a good baseline for the rent versus buy decision, but it doesn’t capture everything,” says Jonathan Miller, president of New York City-based Miller Samuel Real Estate Appraisers. “Locally, it may be cheaper to buy then rent, but that doesn’t speak to your investment. In other words, how many years before I can ‘get above water,’ or see a return?”

The time factor is one of many stumbling blocks preventing house hunters from making the jump from window shoppers to homeowners, Miller says. During the housing boom, homeowners were virtually guaranteed to make money or at least break even on their home sales, regardless of the period they owned the home.

In today’s market, experts see home prices appreciating much slower, therefore home owners will have to make a longer commitment to their housing investments than in previous years. “The future upside is much farther down the road,” he says. “You’re looking at five, maybe 10 years out of this sort of rocky bottom.”

Until consumers regain confidence in the housing market and economy, Miller and others expect the rental market will continue to benefit from apprehensive house hunters. “There’s been some erosion in attitudes toward homeownership,” says Eric Belsky, managing director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University. “There’s two parts to the home buying decision: the will and the way.”

Belsky says the spike in home prices and increased housing market activity following the first-time home buyer tax credit in 2010 demonstrates pent-up demand, but that the market isn’t currently providing enough incentive for house hunters to make a move.

“The ‘way’ right now is really being blocked by the underwriting standards being applied to loans,” he says. Even if some of the slack in the market tightens, the rebound won’t be as strong as it would otherwise have been, Belsky says, primarily because many would-be home buyers won’t be able to qualify for a loan with favorable terms.

Despite the numerous obstacles for prospective home buyers, experts remain confident that improving employment and economic data will breathe life into the housing market this spring and summer. More Americans signed contracts to buy homes in March, according to the National Association of Realtors’ pending homes sales index–up 5.1 percent–a signal that could mean more house hunters are snapping up bargains. “We’re sort of in that in-between phase,” says Heather Fernandez, vice president of marketing at Trulia. “People aren’t running out to buy that dream house yet because they’re not that confident.

But we’re starting to see consumer confidence shift, people are more interested in home buying, rental rates are still high, and therefore, just based on the numbers, increasingly homeownership is becoming more affordable across the U.S.” – Meg Handley.

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