The Cascade Team Blog - Real Estate News

Seattle Homes Hit Lowest Point Since Housing Bust

Posted by The Cascade Team Real Estate on February 22nd, 2011

By DEREK KRAVITZ, AP Real Estate Writer Derek Kravitz, Ap Real Estate Writer –

WASHINGTON – Home prices in a majority of major U.S. cities tracked by a private trade group have fallen to their lowest levels since the housing bubble burst.

The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index fell in December from November in all but one of the 20 cities it tracks. The 20-city index declined 1 percent.

The only market to see a gain was Washington, D.C.

Eleven of the markets hit their lowest point since the housing bust, in 2006 and 2007: Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, Miami, New York, Phoenix, Portland, Ore., Seattle and Tampa, Fla.

The damage from the real estate bubble now spreads well beyond Las Vegas, Phoenix and…

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Tips to Avoid Foreclosure Scams

Posted by Cary Porter on February 18th, 2011

More home owners are falling prey to scams that promise to “stop the foreclosure” and “save your home.”

The Federal Trade Commission has released a report to help borrowers avoid falling victim to such scams, here are a few of its tips:

1. Watch for outlandish claims. "Eliminate your debt!" and "We guarantee to stop the auction" are too good to be true. If it sounds like an easy way out, don’t believe it, the FTC warns.

2. Don't pay up-front costs. Consumer investigator Dale Cardwell warns home owners to beware of any deal that requires you to pay up-front fees. Cardwell says you shouldn’t pay any business or person who promises to modify your loan because only your lender can do that.

3. Beware of those imitating government agencies. Watch out for…

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Slash mortgage deductions for the rich? Fat chance

Posted by Cary Porter on February 15th, 2011

  By Tami Luhby, senior writerFebruary 15, 2011: 8:08 AM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- President Obama's plan to limit two popular deductions for wealthy taxpayers will hit a wall of resistance from entrenched special interests.

The president once again proposed in his budget to curtail high-income earners' tax deduction for mortgage interest payments and charitable contributions.

Under his proposal, taxpayers in the 33% and 35% tax brackets would only be able to deduct their contributions and mortgage interest payments at the 28% rate. It would affect those with taxable income of $250,000 and up and bring in $321 billion over 10 years, according to the White House.

The Obama administration, as well as several tax and deficit commissions,…

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Dream of Home Ownership Still Strong

Posted by The Cascade Team Real Estate on February 14th, 2011

Three out of four home owners — or 78 percent — say their homes are the best investment they ever made, according to Trulia.com’s biannual American Dream survey, which has tracked attitudes toward home ownership since 2009.

Despite foreclosures and underwater homes continuing to batter the real estate market, about 70 percent of Americans say they still view home ownership as being part of their American Dream, according to the survey.

“Contrary to popular belief, the American Dream of homeownership has not turned into an American nightmare,” says Pete Flint, CEO of Trulia.

The millennial generation is expected to drive the housing recovery. Eighty-eight percent of 18-34 year old renters say they want to be home owners one day, according to the survey.

…

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The Cascade Team & Bank of America Buyer Program

Posted by Cary Porter on February 10th, 2011

The Cascade Team Real Estate is pleased to announce the launch of our NEW strategic partnership with Bank of America Home Loans.  As a valued client of The Cascade Team Real Estate, you'll recieve no loan origination fee (usually up to 1% of the loan value) and $1000 off your closing costs with Bank of America Home Loans.  In addition, to our 1/2% buyer rebate program, this can substantially reduce your out of pocket expenses in closing your new home purchase.  In addition, there is an additional $1000 credit if you are purchasing an energy rated home (ask your loan officer for more details). With no origination fees, Bank of America and The Cascade Team Real Estate can save you thousands of dollars on your next home purchase.  Be sure to submit your…

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Mortgage Rates Above 5% for First Time in Nearly a Year

Posted by Cary Porter on February 10th, 2011

    More signs that NOW is the time to buy! By JANNA HERRON, AP Real Estate Writer Janna Herron, Ap Real Estate Writer – 19 mins ago

NEW YORK – The average rate on the 30-year mortgage topped 5 percent this week for the first time since April. Higher rates could further hamper the struggling housing market ahead of the spring's prime home-buying season

Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate rose to 5.05 percent from 4.81 percent last week. It hit a 40-year low of 4.17 percent in November. The average rate on the 15-year home loan, a popular refinance option, increased to 4.29 percent from 4.08 percent. It reached 3.57 percent in November, the lowest level on records starting in 1991.

Rates are following the yields on the…

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Buying a Home Is 'as Affordable as it Gets'

Posted by The Cascade Team Real Estate on February 9th, 2011

Now is a good time to buy real estate, according to data from Moody’s Analytics. Home affordability has returned to pre-housing bubble levels or even fallen below the average in many U.S. markets.

In fact, housing affordability by the end of September had returned to or fallen below the average reached between 1989-2003 in 47 of the 74 housing markets that Moody Analytics tracked.

In September 2010, the ratio of home prices to annual household income had fallen to 1.6--below the historical average of 1.9 between 1989 and 2003. The ratio peaked in 2005 at 2.3.

"Based on incomes, this is as affordable as it gets," says Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics. "If you can get a loan, these are pretty good times to buy."

Some of the most undervalued…

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Home Ownership Offers Plenty of Tax Benefits

Posted by Cary Porter on February 8th, 2011

While renting offers zero tax breaks, buying a home offers several tax benefits that can make homeownership more affordable. Real estate professionals need to be careful in providing detailed tax advice to clients to avoid lawsuits, but you can ensure clients have the information they need to understand the all of the tax benefits of home ownership.

The following is a few of the tax benefits to home ownership, according to Stephen Fishman, an author and lawyer who specializes in small business, tax and intellectual property law.

▪ Home mortgage interest deduction: Home owners can take an itemized deduction on interest paid on a mortgage or mortgages of up to $1 million for a principal residence and/or second home. This deduction could potentially reduce…

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Motivated Buyers Returning To The Seattle Real Estate Market

Posted by Cary Porter on February 5th, 2011

 

KIRKLAND, Wash. (Feb. 3, 2011) – Dramatic increases in open house activity and shrinking inventory are fueling optimism among members of the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. Commenting on the just-released MLS report on January’s housing activity, one director stated, "There is a strong belief in the industry that the worst is behind us and we can look forward with confidence."

Darin Stenvers, managing broker at John L. Scott in Bellingham, who made that comment, also noted consumers are gaining confidence and buyers may be seeing what they believe is the bottoming of the market. "I’m very optimistic about the housing market for 2011 and the buyers and sellers should be as well," he exclaimed.

Year-over-year pending sales were down…

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Reverse Offers/ The Sellers New Option

Posted by Cary Porter on February 3rd, 2011

 

At the beginning of the housing crisis, sellers turned to gimmicky tricks like YouTube love letters about their homes and burying St. Christopher's figurines upside down in the front yard to try to move their homes off the market. These days, though, many sellers are getting smarter and more strategic, turning the transaction on its head to get buyers off the fence with a phenomenon called the reverse offer.

Usually, the buyer makes an offer for a certain price and on certain terms. A reverse offer goes in the opposite direction: from seller to buyer. In some cases, a seller whose home has been on the market for ages with lots of viewers, but no offers, may enlist their agent to go back and approach several or even all of the buyers who have come to…

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