As a serious, full-time real estate investor, you need to constantly have your feelers out for new methods to find good deals. I can almost guarantee that you won't be able to find a sufficient amount of deals just by looking on Zillow.com and your local MLS. There are a ton of different ONLINE methods […]
Have you been using the 21 simple and FREE online methods to find great real estate investments I told you about last week? You should be! If you missed it you can download and listen to it here. If you have access to the internet, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be browsing those […]
Are you getting into your real estate investing career and feeling a little stuck on where to find great properties to invest in? Does it seem like there isn’t really anything available in your market? That isn’t true and you just aren’t looking in the right places or looking at ENOUGH prospects. As my brother […]
TWO NEW REAL ESTATE INVESTING CASE STUDIES FROM JOSH CANTWELL: Today I'm going to walk you through two brand new personal case studies we have of homes we sold in record time last week and yielded a profit of $86,000. I knew this spring selling season was going to be hot, but so far I’m blown […]
In this podcast, Josh Cantwell covers how to use HomePath.com. HomePath.com is a website where you can search thousands of foreclosed Fannie Mae homes instantly. You do not have to be a licensed real estate agent to buy homes from this site. You can search through specific criteria to find properties that fit your location and budget. […]
Hey guys, Josh here. You know I love to be on top of real estate news and trends, so I've decided to start sharing my favorite posts of the week so you can stay in the loop with me. Real Estate in 60 Seconds with Josh Cantwell Check out our latest edition of Real Estate in […]
Discover a little-known method to make a killing investing in real estate – the answer might surprise you. The way to make a lot of money investing in real estate is by imitating Donald Trump, right? Wrong. Buying and selling hotels on the strip, developing a few golf courses, and building shopping […]
We’re just a few weeks from putting this house on Melody Lane on the market. This is another Fannie Mae bank-owned foreclosure that we are rehabbing. We’ve done a lot of work in this house, but when it’s done, it will be move-in ready for the new owners. We completely redid the bathrooms and kitchen, […]
I’m back at the house on Bailey Road in Cuyahoga Falls, OH that we purchased for $31,000. It was a Fannie Mae bank-owned foreclosure, and I bought it using none of my own cash or credit. The house needed a lot of work, but much of it just cosmetic. Our rehab budget was $22,000, and […]
Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are teaming up to form a new company that will focus on securitizing home loans. This is part of an effort to reduce the role that the government plays in the overall mortgage market. Together, Freddie and Fannie finance 2/3 of all new home loans in the US. According to […]
Having successfully completed over 58,000 short sales in 2012, Fannie Mae announced that they are taking additional steps to speed up the short sale process and help troubled homeowners avoid foreclosure. They will do this through their newly introduced HomePath for Short Sales tool, which is designed to help overcome common short sale challenges. Available […]
As of Nov. 1, the new short sale guidelines announced by Freddie Mac went into effect. These guidelines now ensure that Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have the same rules regarding short sales. There are three main things to be aware of in these guidelines that are designed to speed up the traditionally long, slow […]
This one is hot off the presses, and we’ll be learning more as the days come. On Wednesday it was announced that, in a civil mortgage fraud lawsuit, the US is accusing Bank of America of “selling thousands of toxic home loans to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae that went into default and caused more […]
Beginning Nov. 1, the GSEs, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, will implement new short sale guidelines, designed to make the approval process easier for eligible borrowers. This is part of the Servicing Alignment Initiative that results in a decrease in documentation requirements. There are a number of additional changes included, all designed to ease the […]
There is another great housing foreclosure debate raging in governments – this time over the issue of eminent domain. Some local governments are throwing around the idea of condemning mortgages through eminent domain. It would work like this – a town or county “would seek court approval to pay a ‘fair market’ value to a […]
In February, for the first time, Fannie Mae announced that they would be selling bulk homes in specific metro areas – namely Florida, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, Atlanta and Phoenix. It’s the first time they are agreeing to sell a large block of homes in one concentrated area. Previously, any bulk sales would include […]
In February, the Federal Housing Finance Agency started a pilot program to solicit bids from qualified investors to buy 2,500 single-family Fannie Mae foreclosed homes. The sale pools were offered in geographically concentrated areas around the country. Investors were thoroughly vetted in a rigorous evaluation process on several factors, including financial strength, asset management experience, […]
As of a couple of months ago, short sales accounted for nearly 15% of all home sales in the country. That number continues to grow as homeowners see short sales as a viable alternative to foreclosure. While foreclosures still make up ¼ of all home sales, that figure is down from the previous two years. […]
More and more, Americans aren’t letting a foreclosure, bankruptcy or short sale prevent them from becoming homeowners again, and quickly. In year’s past, the only option seemed to be renting. But today, as rental prices are on the rise, they want to take advantage of low home prices. So where is the help coming from […]
Taxpayers are getting a little breather as Fannie Mae turned a profit at $3.1 billion, passing the $2.8 billion required Treasury payment. This is the first time since going into conservatorship in 2008 that the GSE hasn’t required a draw. Fannie’s CFO, Susan McFarland, is anticipating continued strong performance results. "Our credit performance is headed […]
RealtyTrac recently put together a list outlining which lenders/servicers move through the short sale process the fastest and the cheapest. The frontrunners? Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and FHA have the shortest timelines with 193 days, followed by Ally Financial at 321 days and PNC Financial at 353 days. The short sale timeline being used as […]
This is big news for real estate investors, specifically anyone who does short sales. As of June 15, real estate agents working on short sale offers with loans backed by Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae should expect to receive a decision on the short sale within 15-30 days. This is part of the overall process […]
Acting Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency Edward DeMarco released preliminary findings from an FHFA analysis earlier this week, and stated, “principal reductions done under large incentive payments from the Treasury Department would save Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac enough money to begin an umbrella write-down program,” – up to $1.7 billion. Despite this, […]
I just got this article from Jerry Kayser, my broker at Sharp Concepts Realty and one of my SREC coaches, and I had to pass it along to you – this is really big news! Right now, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae own 3.3 million of the 11.1 million mortgages where borrowers own more than […]
Even though there are signs of hope in the economic recovery, the housing market still has a long way to go. Of the 55 million mortgage holders in the US, industry experts predict that as many as 10 million will default by 2018. While there have been some attempts by the government to reduce the […]
Attention private real estate investors: The FHFA recently released a 3-step plan to lessen the role of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae in the mortgage industry and shift it to private investors. Since 2008, when Freddie and Fannie were placed in conservatorship by the US Treasury, they have received more than $180 billion in taxpayer […]
A report that was released recently is putting Freddie Mac in the spotlight again, and not in a good way. After reviewing public documents, NPR and ProPublica revealed that Freddie Mac has actually been betting against the homeowners they claim to be helping. “The investment division of Freddie Mac placed millions of dollars of bets […]
Origination fees. Title fees. Appraisals. Title insurance. Survey charges. Even postage. All these fees add up to the total cost of homeownership for the potential buyer. While we know those additional costs are there, did you know they are on the rise? On average, the origination fees (underwriting, processing) from lenders have increased over 10% […]
Officials at Freddie Mac have maintained that the new single-family business the company acquired in 2009 and 2010 “continues to demonstrate strong credit quality based on borrower credit scores and loan-to-value ratios.” The percentage of home loans going unpaid is steadily declining for the nation’s second largest mortgage company. Freddie Mac reported Tuesday that its […]
The credit assessment firm FICO says it’s developed a method, using consumer behavior analytics, that will allow lenders to identify borrowers who are a risk for strategic default. As home prices began heading further and further south, the term “strategic default” made its way into industry jargon…and into the minds of lending and servicing professionals […]
Did you see the latest report on the salaries paid to the heads of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae in 2009 and 2010? You're not going to believe this one. "The heads of bailed-out mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae (FNMA.OB) and Freddie Mac (FMCC.OB) were paid fat salaries without proper written procedures or analysis, according […]
So I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news today but there’s some data I have in my hands that I must reveal to you. Read this carefully please. *Short Sale flips are tougher to do than ever. There simply aren’t enough people who can get bank loans to “cash you out” once you […]
Hey, It's Josh. I sent you an email the other day of how to profit next year with my 4 “Silver Bullet Investing Strategies” for 2011. The best part about this is that the entire money making process doesn’t require any banks. No loans for you. No loans for the buyer’s. No loans for the […]
Hey it’s Josh here. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. I had a blast with my wife, kids and the family, really memorable experiences. We shared some awesome times, ate good food and opened a bunch of gifts. But with 2011 closing in fast, it is time to get back to business. During this […]
It’s really a sign of the times – we’re so embedded in this housing crisis, and it’s becoming such a part of our culture that it’s actually losing some of its stigma. Get this – 36% of Americans now view strategic default – simply walking away from a mortgage – is acceptable, at least under […]
Through their new HomePath program, troubled GSE giant Fannie Mae is offering their foreclosed homes for sale with as little as 3% down. What’s more, that 3% can be a gift from a family member of third party, or a loan from a non-profit, state or local government. Doesn’t this remind you of the “deals” […]
Last night was HISTORIC. More than 700 people last night logged on to hear mission critical GSE reform updates from Jeff Watson and John Grant. If you weren’t on the webinar, you missed out on important industry updates that direct impact you as a real estate investor (and as a homeowner). Because of the importance […]
Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae reform is inevitable. Together they have amassed trillions of dollars of assets, and billions of dollars of liability. The question is what is going to happen, and who is going to get what? How we buy and sell real estate in America will change forever. This just doesn’t impact real […]
My Partner Jeff Watson, and real estate investing industry advocate John Grant are holding an urgent industry update call this Thursday night at 8:30pm Eastern, 5:30pm Pacific. Their mission: to make you aware of and education you on the latest information regarding Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and help establish a voice for real estate […]
At this very moment there are closed door meetings in Washington D.C. that will determine not only your fate as a real estate investor, but the future of the American Dream of homeownership. Real estate as we know it will change forever. (I don’t say this lightly.) Fortunately, we have advocates fighting for our voice. […]
Good morning, Before I get my day going, I wanted to take a minute and wish you a Happy Labor Day. For me, this weekend is all about family and friends - perfect in my book. Saturday morning I went out to breakfast with my family to celebrate my wife's birthday and we had a […]
The housing market’s shadow inventory continues to be the real unknown, and the real threat to recovery. It’s a scary thing, and helps paint the true picture of what is going on with real estate. Listen to this. The government doesn’t report on how many homes are held by the banks on their books or […]
Wow, we still have a long way to go before this whole housing crisis is striaghtened out. Homeowners are getting desparate, and getting more creative in how they deal with their underwater homes... Even after Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae increased their standards against mortgage fraud, a practice known as “buy and bail” is taking […]
This is something to keep you eyes on... ~ josh An Obama administration summit of housing industry leaders next week may yield clues on the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac , the two mortgage heavyweights that so far have sucked up close to $150 billion in taxpayer bailout funds. The administration has vowed […]
Next week’s housing finance forum is sure to be closely watched, and surely the model for home financing will change. Of course, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae will be the center of attention during the conference. The goal behind the conference is to gather input from industry stakeholders that will guide the Administration’s decisions in […]
Freddie Mac is asking the government for an additional $1.8 billion in aid following another big loss in the second quarter of the year. From April to June, Freddie reported a loss of $1.3 billion, up from $840 million at the same time last year. Freddie is losing money from bad loans it backed, many […]
The world of short sales is changing yet again. It is occurring in a behind-the-scenes way that most investors won't realize until months from now, and by then it is too late. That’s why it’s imperative that you plan on attending Jeff Watson’s foreclosure investor update Webinar on Thursday Aug. 12 at 7:00pm EDT. Register […]
Fannie Mae has launched an online resource for homeowners who are struggling with their mortgage payments. KnowYourOptions.com is designed to be a one-stop-shop for anyone facing financial hardship and in need of a foreclosure prevention solution. It provides guidance on how homeowners can work with their mortgage company to identify alternatives to foreclosure for their […]
There has been so much going on in the world of real estate investing and government regulations that Jeff Watson felt compelled to host a Webinar on Thursday Aug. 12 at 7:00pm EDT. You know Watson’s Webinars fill up fast, so register to reserve your spot now. Jeff will cover four main topics in this […]
Weekly Real Estate Kick-Off for August 2, 2010 Follow me on Facebook and on Twitter! August 2, 2010 - This Week’s Topics: Reasons Why The Housing Market Hasn’t Recovered Sidelined Sellers Impacting the Housing Recovery Treasury to Hold Conference on Fannie, Freddie Future Foreclosures Rising in Most Metro Areas Declaring Bankruptcy to Prevent Foreclosure Fannie’s […]
Geithner: Fannie and Freddie Need To Be Changed... But We Don't Know How From The Huffington Post The Congressional panel tasked with overseeing the nation's financial system and the Treasury Secretary both agree that there's a problem with the nation's system of housing finance. Fixing it, though, may be the biggest problem of all -- […]
