Although much has been said about the “housing market” in recent years, there isn’t a single housing market anywhere. The same can be said for what’s known as the “international market.” But the fact is, housing markets are made up of multiple markets in different...
Recent news that mortgage rates have dropped to around 2% has made headlines in some financial reports, bolstering claims that these near record low rates are creating an ideal market for investors to seek financing for income property. But those attractive bargain...
As if Hurricane Sandy and the promise of a new storm looming on the horizon wasn't enough to rattle the nerves of Northeastern property owners, New Jersey was struck by a small earthquake in the early hours of November 5, 2012. This news comes amid reports that...
Hurricane Sandy, the superstorm that whipped the Eastern seaboard over the last weekend in October, destroyed thousands of homes in several states. As a way to help homeowners whose properties were damaged by the storm, mortgage giant Freddie Mac has offered to...
Short sales – a sale in which a property is sold for less than the mortgage value to avoid foreclosure – can be a legitimate way to secure a viable investment property. But more than in other kinds of housing sales, the short sale market is especially vulnerable to...
Before the great housing collapse of 2008-2010, few people besides those directly involved in the real estate market knew much about specialized real estate deals such as short sales. But as mortgages collapsed and the number of foreclosures mounted, these kinds of...
Even in a volatile investment market, rental income property remains a relatively low-risk purchase, with the potential for long-term returns as long as tenants are in place to pay rents. One way to lower the risk on the investment even further is by purchasing rental...
Federal mortgage entities Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae played a major role in the housing collapse of 2008-2011, supporting a large number of the subprime loans that crashed, pushing massive numbers of homes into foreclosure. Now, Fannie Mae continues to play a major...
At the Financial Freedom Report, we have been warning about inflation for quite a while. For a long time, the Consumer Price Index has shown what appear to be very benign levels of price increases, leading some to believe that the monetary expansion required to...
A September 2012 report by CNBC on the state of mortgage lending in the US in the wake of the well-publicized housing collapse states that, although mortgage rates are nearing record lows, fewer mortgage applications are currently being processed. While the reasons...
