KCM Blog

From the monthly archives:

January 2010

KCM Weekend Library Links

January 30, 2010

Good Saturday morning afternoon! We apologize for not being as active on our Twitter and Facebook accounts the past few days.  During our tour of New England & Western NY, we were hurdling one obstacle after the other: from cancelled flights, to non-stop-middle-of-the-night-blizzard driving (it’s a word, look it up), to abominable snowmen– you name [...]

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The Cost of Walking Away

January 29, 2010

There is a very interesting cultural change taking place throughout the country. And it is the direct result of the current challenges in the housing sector. It seems that there is a wave of support for the concept of walking away from your financial obligations in regard to your mortgage. The stigma attached to those [...]

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The Fed Sends Mixed Messages

January 28, 2010

First, let’s look at today’s announcements by the Fed…. As expected, they held the Fed Funds Rate constant (more on what that means later). They re-affirmed their prior pledge to stop purchasing Mortgage Backed Securities by March 31. They said that they expect rates to stay in this range for an extended time. As was [...]

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Moving on Up! Explaining Today’s Home Prices.

January 27, 2010

There are hundreds of news articles and blog posts each day pontificating on the current housing market. Many of these stories try to examine pricing to help determine whether home values are appreciating or depreciating. The authors want to try their best to call the ‘bottom’ of the market based on the data available. However, there [...]

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What Happens When the Fed Exits the Market?

January 26, 2010

The Fed is scheduled to exit the housing market this spring. The Home Buyer Tax Credit ends on April 30, 2010 (the date the house must be in contract). The Fed has already announced that their program purchasing mortgage-backed securities will expire on March 31, 2010. Most anticipate a quick and dramatic rise in interest [...]

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New Short Sales Process Puzzle Coming Together

January 25, 2010

The Treasury Department has announced new guidelines to ensure ‘short sales’ will be more readily initiated. The program starts April 5, 2010; but servicers have the option of starting sooner. The administration is taking steps to prepare for the increase in short sales that the new guidelines will create in 2010. A short sale is a [...]

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Walking Away from Negative Equity

January 22, 2010

Today let’s look at negative equity and attempt to determine what impact it will have on a housing recovery in 2010. Negative equity, often referred to as “underwater” or “upside down,” means that borrowers owe more on their mortgage than their homes are worth. Negative equity can occur because of a decline in value, an [...]

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New FHA Rules

January 21, 2010

Today, after weeks of speculation, the FHA announced their plan to secure the solvency of the Insurance Fund.  And it is NOT good news for Homebuyers, and therefore, NOT good news for sellers either.  I’ll discuss the particulars in a minute; but first, let’s look at how this is the THIRD nail in the coffin [...]

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Stephen Colbert: Walking Away & Being Honor Bound

January 21, 2010

Hello KCM Community, Steve Harney had scheduled to post on the impact of walking away from mortgages today, but with the release of the new FHA guidelines we called an audible and brought in our guest blogger, Dean Hartman, for a special report. If you were anticipating Steve’s post for today, we apologize.  But we [...]

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Delinquencies: Roadblock to a Housing Recovery?

January 20, 2010

The current economy has devastated the finances of so many families in every income bracket and in almost every neighborhood in this country. More and more people are falling further and further behind in their mortgage payments. In the past people would take a second job or borrow money from family to catch up. Today, [...]

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