Market Trends and Condition

In a December 5, 2013 article, zillow.com has posted "Four Bold Predictions" and Ten "Hottest Housing Market" Locations for 2014. Here is the complete link for details:
http://www.zillow.com/blog/2013-12-05/2014-real-estate-predictions/

The Four Bold Predictions
1) U.S. Home Values will Increase by 3%
2) Mortgage rates will reach 5% by the end of the year.
3) It will be easier for borrowers to get a mortgage in 2014.
4) Home Ownership rates will fall to their lowest point in nearly 2 decades.

The Ten 2014 Hottest Housing Markets
1) Salt Lake City, UT
2) Seattle, WA
3) Austin, TX
4) San Jose, CA
5) Miami, FL
6) Raleigh, NC
7) Jacksonville, FL
San Diego, CA
9) Portland, OR
10) Boston, MA

Over the past couple of years, the numbers of foreclosures around the country have been steadily falling.

For investors and families searching for low cost opportunities, it can be difficult to pinpoint the right state or city to choose. It’s important to stay ahead of the trends, news, and constant law changes.

Recently, we have been hearing a lot about the number foreclosed homes dropping rapidly – specifically Florida even though they still have the national high – but the trend isn’t true everywhere.

Why New York and New Jersey Are Loaded with Foreclosures

As the national inventory of foreclosed homes is at a five year low, New York and New Jersey are currently very close to peak levels.

As markets have picked up and will continue to pick up over time more and more people will be asking how to succeed in such "hard" markets.

One of the keys that is very important to understand is that if there is competition you will need to find a way to your perspective clients in a way that your competition is not.

The more opportunistic ways of getting to your clients (the sellers) is by marketing.

Working with pre-foreclosures, probate, divorce or possibly those that are behind on their taxes through marketing can give you availability to get to deals before anyone else.

As the real estate market begins to shift, some towns have a stronger impact than others.

REALTOR.com recently posted an article that listed the top 10 rebounding cities;

1. Detroit — Once the poster child for America’s ailing auto industry, Detroit has turned around its housing markets. Instead of sinking when the city of Detroit had just filed for bankruptcy, its housing markets took on a quiet resurgence. In the second quarter of this year it ranked seventh in the report, and this rapid jump to number one speaks volumes about its pace of acceleration.

Great News Investors!
Ready to Flip?
I found this article that was discussing the very best markets to invest in. I hope it helps you consider areas where property values are booming. And if you live in any of these areas,,,,,,,, GET BUSY!!!

Happy Investing!

The Best Metro Areas To Flip A House

~ By Alexander E.M. Hess and Thomas C. Frohlich

Home flips, an important measure of housing market activity, declined 35% in the third quarter of 2013. Flipping a house — which involves buying, renovating and then reselling it within six months — peaked in popularity in the fourth quarter of 2012, when more than 67,000 homes were flipped. As of the third quarter of this year, nearly 33,000 homes were flipped.

Hello All,

Investors choosing remote marketplaces for investing use a variety of criteria to make that determination. Rental rate increases is an indication of low vacancy rate and high demand for rental properties. If you are a buy and hold investor who looks at other areas, or a wholesaler looking for remote areas to find and market properties, the following markets are at the top of the U.S. listings for rental rate increases for 2013, and projected into 2014. The first area on the list shows a 6% rental rate increase year over year, while the others all show rates in the 4% range.
1) Seattle
2) Nashville
3) San Jose
4) Houston
5) San Francisco
6) Portland
7) Minneapolis
Dallas
9) Denver
10) Fort Lauderdale
11) Austin

One of the advantages I have as one of Dean's trainers is that deals can be found everywhere. I will admit that some places may not require as much time as others, but if you are serious and ALWAYS looking and working, you will find deals.

Within the past tow weeks I have dealt with two students that were involved in deals where they made over $50,000 on deals. Both cities would be considered very hot and many would say there are no good properties in either place. These students proved otherwise.

Both of these students were diligent and spent a great deal of time, but the rewards were great.

Work and watching will find deals.

Beginning of the year mortgage rates were dropping but as with all things in real estate, it’s cyclical … they’ll starting to increase…

Neal J. Leitereg wrote an article noting the rates on a 30 year fixed mortgage on Realtor.com

“The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose 0.05 percentage point, according to the latest survey from mortgage buyer Freddie Mac, increasing from 4.23 percent to 4.28 percent. The rate had dropped to 4.22 percent two weeks ago, its lowest mark since June 20. A year ago, the 30-year-fixed average was 3.37 percent.

The average rate on a 15-year fixed loan saw an uptick of 0.02 percentage point, inching upward from 3.31 percent to 3.33 percent. Compared to a year ago, the 15-year average has gained 0.67 percentage point.

When the housing market imploded in 2007 and took the economy with it, experts said the real estate market would never look the same again. Now, nearly six years after the crash, the dust has finally cleared and we have a true picture of the new housing landscape.

While investors may still be leery of hopping back into the market, housing starts, prices and confidence are on an upward trend and the tide may be turning this year to favor homesellers.