Page Text: Rise in Zombie Foreclosures Points to Last Wave of ‘Strategic Default’
The share of ‘zombie foreclosures’ – homes in the foreclosure process where owners have vacated before the bank has repossessed the property – rose to 25 percent of all active foreclosures as of the end of January, according to foreclosure data firm RealtyTrac. The report found that although the total number of such defaults fell 6 percent to 142,462 from the previous year, the share of zombie foreclosures rose 21 percent from the same time in 2014.
Mortgage Rates Should Rise in 2015
Even though long-term mortgage interest rates declined for the majority of the last year, most analysts are predicting that higher rates will make a comeback in 2015. Most of those forecasts are based on the fact that the Federal Reserve has ended its bond-buying program and is likely to slowly start raising its target interest rates this year in order to combat inflation.
Banks Plan To Ease Lending Standards Ahead of Fannie, Freddie Rule Changes
After several years of ultra-tight mortgage standards, there may be a break in the clouds for borrowers with less-than-perfect credit soon. Mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac put into place new guidelines for home loan lenders that took effect December 1 and several big banks are already preparing to make some significant changes to their credit requirements.
Share of First-time Home Buyers Falls to 26 Year Low
Young would-be homebuyers are increasingly unable to make the dream of homeownership come true, according to the results of the latest survey from the National Association of Realtors. The Great Recession, student loans, and a strict lending climate seem to be the big problems for the nation’s young buyers.
No One Believes the Fed’s Promises to Raise Interest Rates
Although the Federal Reserve has been regularly broadcasting its plans to raise its target interest rate next year, no one seems to be listening. Two economists at the San Francisco Fed found that neither economists and investors nor the general public believe that the Fed will raise rates as soon as they say.
Top 20 Real Estate Markets Nationwide
Top real estate agents websites nationwide. Below is a list of real estate agent websites that are hot in the market