Homeowners tend to walk away and accept foreclosure after a 15% in their home value

REALTOR® Magazine-Daily News-More Owners Walk Away When Underwater

More Owners Walk Away When Underwater
A study of the Massachusetts housing market by researchers from Northwestern University and the University of Chicago concludes that a home owner’s propensity to default increases the further their loan goes under water.

The study found that home owners begin to walk away after declines of 15 percent or more. More than 17 percent of households would default, even if they can afford to pay their mortgage, when the equity shortfall reaches 50 percent of the value of the house.

for more information on walk away plans and walkaway strategy

Wage Deflation in Our Midst | The Big Picture

If there is wage deflation then it will be interesting to if san diego real estate prices can stablize and recover for current levels.

As wages decrease the pool of qualified buyers is likely to shrink.



Wage Deflation in Our Midst | The Big Picture: "A survey conducted by YouGov for the Economist magazine found that 5% of respondents had taken a furlough this year and 15% had accepted a pay cut (see The Recession and Pay: The Quiet Americans on page 33 of this week’s edition).

As wages deflate, workers are looking for ways to supplement their shrinking income base, for example, by moonlighting. Indeed, a poll undertaken by CareerBuilder.com and cited in the USA Today found that one in every ten Americans took on an extra job over the last year; another one in five said they intend to do so in the coming year. These numbers are double for the 45 to 54 year olds who now see early retirement, once around the corner, as an elusive concept."

California Real Estate short sales and price trends

May sales and price report

Existing, single-family home sales increased 35.2 percent in May to a seasonally adjusted rate of
556,590 on an annualized basis.

· The statewide median price of an existing single-family home increased 4.2 percent in May to
$267,570, compared with April 2009.

Inventory on homes priced under 400,000 is very low.
In San Diego many of the lower priced homes are short sales and most of the short sales already have offers.

Lenders get immunity from foreclosure prevention act

7 lenders get immunity from state foreclosure prevention act - Sacramento Business, Housing Market News | Sacramento Bee

Bank of America Home Loans, CitiMortgage and Carrington Mortgage Services are among the first seven lenders and loan servicers granted immunity from the state's foreclosure prevention act launched this week in California.

The new law makes lenders prove to the state that they have a comprehensive loan-modification program that helps borrowers stay in their homes. Those that can't prove it to the state's satisfaction must wait an extra 90 days before foreclosing on borrowers.

More institutions that received quick exemptions from 90-day delays: EMC Mortgage, Select Portfolio Servicing and Kondaur Capital Corp., the state Department of Corporations reported on its Web site. The law, which took effect Monday, prompted 41 applications this week from lenders and loan servicers aiming to prove their modification programs meet the state's test. Many more are expected next week.

For more information on San Diego Short Sales

for more on foreclosures and short sales

Forelcosure crisis spreads to prime mortgages

Foreclosure crisis spreads from subprime to prime mortgages - USATODAY.com

The pace of prime borrowers going into foreclosure is accelerating, especially in states with mounting unemployment or property values that saw a big run-up during the housing boom.

It's a marked shift from earlier this year, when foreclosures were driven by defaults on subprime loans. And it has major implications — ravaging the credit scores of borrowers who once had unblemished records and dragging down property values in more affluent neighborhoods.

It also threatens to undermine the housing recovery.

"It's definitely a concern," says Brian Bethune at IHS Global Insight. "(Unemployment) is a major driver of foreclosures, and it will frustrate the housing recovery process."

In the first quarter, almost half of the overall increase in the start of foreclosures was due to the increase in prime, fixed-rate loans, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). At the end of the fourth quarter, 2.4% of prime mortgages were seriously delinquent, more than double the 1.1% at the end of March 2008, according to a report by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Office of Thrift Supervision.

"In the beginning, the higher-end (homes) were a bit isolated," says Kevin Marshall, president of Clear Capital, a provider of real estate asset valuation. "But in the last several months, we're seeing a significant erosion in the higher-end homes. It's reached into the prime loans."

California, Florida, Arizona and Nevada represent 56% of the increase in foreclosure starts, including half of the increase in prime fixed-rate foreclosure starts, according to the MBA.

Town in San Diego in Top 10 for mortgage fraud

In June of 2009 Fannie published a pdf which provides statistics related to mortgage fraud. Escondido which is in San Diego was in the top 10 for mortgage fraud.


https://www.efanniemae.com/utility/legal/pdf/fraudstats/fraudupdate0609.pdf

Mortgage Fraud update form Fannie

Mortgage Fraud Updates & Resources

Fannie Mae is committed to preventing mortgage fraud whether perpetrated by a borrower, a lender, or another person or institution. We offer a variety of resources to help you detect and prevent mortgage fraud. If you have any suggestions or questions, please contact the Mortgage Fraud Program or your Customer Account Manager.