Pacific Coast Properties

Available Inventories Fall Drastically

Steve Holderfield — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:29:00 +0000

Well, here goes that real estate roller coaster again. Inventories of available homes have dropped drastically in most markets from a year ago, For example, Oakland homes for sale have dropped nearly 52% from a year ago. Currently, the entire City of Pleasant Hill has only 25 available single family homes for sale. Prior to the crash in 1996 of home values, we got down to only 13 available listings in Pleasant Hill. I blogged at the time that we had almost sold them all! I expect some needed relief in improving home values. Expect values to start rising in the next 6 months as improving values lag the market 3 to 6 months as people make buying decisions and they then go through the escrow process. Read More: http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2012/04/17/inventory-for-sale-homes-posts-big-drop
Related articles

Supply of distressed home listings cut in half (lansner.ocregister.com)

The importance of positive thinking

Anne Skeffington — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 23:15:00 +0000

Its hard to believe that the father of positive thinking, Norman Vincent Peale, was once a young boy plagued by an inferiority complex. But through faith, and his realization that people take you at your own self-appraisal, Peale began a journey to a new way of thinking. If your self-appraisal needs some refinement, incorporate Peale’s timeless truths into your life:
Start thinking you can do things. When people believe in themselves they learn the first secret of success.
Practice hope. As hopefulness becomes a habit, you can achieve a permanently happy spirit.
Get fired up with enthusiasm. Those fired with an enthusiastic idea, and who allow it to take hold and dominate their thoughts, find that new worlds open for them.
Stretch beyond your current limits. We can do just about anything that we really want and make up our minds to do. We are all capable of greater things than we realize.
Practice happy thinking. Our happiness depends on the habit of mind we cultivate. Cultivate the merry heart, develop the happiness habit, and life will become a continual feast.
Like attracts like. If you have zest and enthusiasm you attract zest and enthusiasm. Life does give back in kind.
Maintain enthusiasm through tough times. Cushion the painful effects of hard blows by keeping the enthusiasm going strong.
Believe things will turn out well. Believe it is possible to solve your problem. Tremendous things happen to the believer. So believe the answer will come. It will.

The Most Affordable 5 Bedroom/3 Bath Home in Hecules

Steve Holderfield — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 22:37:00 +0000

Short Sales Rise, More Banks View it as a Better Option

Steve Holderfield — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 23:32:00 +0000

They have said that 2012 will be called the year of the short sale. Here’s more evidence: http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2012/03/01/short-sales-rise-more-banks-view-it-better-option I’m closing 2 short sales

right now. One of them the bank is allowing the seller to receive $25,000! If you know somebody who is in distress with their property and would like to learn what options they have, please send me their name and contact info to steve@realtyworldpcp.com or direct them to www.morethanashortsale. To learn more about associating with our fine company go to:
info. http://careersrwpcp.com/
Related articles

Short Sale Incentives in the News Again (agbeat.com)
Short Sales Will Explode in 2012 (steveholderfield.com)
DSnews.com: Short Sales Bring 24% Greater Returns than Foreclosures (foreclosure-avoidance.com)

THE NATIONAL MORTGAGE SETTLEMENT

Steve Holderfield — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:24:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia
Nearly two years ago the State’s Attorneys General across the country along with Federal Officials collectively began to investigate the largest lenders regarding the foreclosure practices of the banks. This led to the “Robo-Signer Scandal”, the discovery that many lenders were just ramming foreclosures through with falsified and fraudulent documentation.
In response, the Attorneys General of many States filed lawsuits against the five largest banks: Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, and Ally Financial (formerly GMAC). Yesterday they reached a Settlement. Although the details of the Settlement are still being worked out, here is what we know so far:
1. The Banks will pay $25 Billion – While this sounds like a large amount of money, the allocation of these funds to solving the nation’s housing problems will be what matters. Here are the designated allocations:
(1) $10 Billion for Loan Modifications & Principal Reduction for up to 1 Million Homeowners – if evenly allocated, this would provide at best a principal reduction of $10,000 per homeowner. California will receive $430 Million of these funds. But with California alone having 2 million homeowners upside-down an average of $50,000 or more, this is unlikely to enable very many people to keep their homes.
(2) $3 Billion for Refinancing of Loans – for those who can qualify for loan refinancing, these funds will effectively result in principal reduction of existing balances. It is unclear how this will be handled.
(3) $1.5 Billion for People who were by Robo-Signer Foreclosure Abuse – this fund will provide a payment on $2,000 to up to 750,000 homeowners who were improperly foreclosed upon.
(4) $10.5 Billion to the States and Federal Government – the highest portion of Settlement funds will go to Government agencies – not homeowners – to compensate for loss of public funds related to servicer misconduct. It is unclear what these “losses” are but they may include loss of property tax revenue, legal costs, public housing, etc.
2. The Settlement Does Not Apply to Loans Owned by FNMA and Freddie Mac – These two Government Sponsored Agencies (GSE’s) agencies now own approx. 50% of all loans in the U.S. and up to 80% of all the subprime loans that are in the most trouble. This Settlement will provide no help for these homeowners. Even though FNMA is under a Government Conservatorship, FNMA actively opposes any principal reduction of its loans.
3. The Settlement Money will NOT be Available Immediately – While the website touting the Settlement talks about “Immediate Aid” and “Immediate Payments”, that will not be the case. It will be 30-60 days before anyone is designated to Administer the Settlement and start working out the details. After that, it will be 6-9 months to somehow identify those homeowners who were affected by the lending abuses and contact them with details on how they might apply for benefits through the Settlement. The Banks have 3 years to perform their obligations in paying the Settlement Money.
4. The Banks Will Gain Immunity from Government Prosecution for Robo-Signer Abuse – The biggest beneficiary of the Settlement may well be the Banks who for a relatively small sum of $25 Billion (they earned $317 Billion last year) will end the existing litigation and be protected from any more State or Federal claims related to the Robo-Signer scandal. This will not stop any individual claims by homeowners nor will it stop any claims for other lending abuses.
The bottom-line: This Settlement is only a drop in the bucket of the monetary relief that is truly needed to enable upside-down owners to keep their homes and get our nation’s real estate and economy back on track. It will have no real or lasting effect except for the few lucky homeowners that get enough funds to make a difference. For the lenders, this relatively small penalty will not be likely to punish them for their abuses nor deter them from such conduct in the future. So, who wins from this Settlement? Once again, it’s not the homeowners.
Meanwhile, if you or someone you know is struggling with an upside-down property and don’t know what to do, our Consultation Program can offer knowledge of what to expect and form strategies to either keep the property or move on with as little financial risk as possible. To schedule a Consultation, please contact our office at 916 966-2260.
The information presented in this Article is not to be taken as legal advice. Every person’s situation is different. If you are upside-down on your loan(s), especially if you’re facing a lender lawsuit, get competent legal advice in your State immediately so that you can determine your best options.
Related articles

What the foreclosure settlement means for you (money.cnn.com)
Final – Do you get anything? (mortgagedispatch.wordpress.com)
Mortgage Servicing Settlement Is Final – What Does it Mean To You? (mickdoesloans.wordpress.com)
Mortgate Settlement Could Bring Relief For Homeowners (chicago.cbslocal.com)

Tax Law Change Coming On Short Sales

Steve Holderfield — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:31:00 +0000

Image by 401K via Flickr
Did you know that if you are upside down on your home and process a short sale, that the amount that the bank forgives is scheduled to become taxable in 2013? That means that, for example, if the bank forgives say, $100,000 in order for you to sell you home, that $100,000 would be taxed at your tax rate. For a person in the 25% tax bracket that means they would owe $25,000 to Uncle Sam. If you are having trouble making your payments, I can think of no better reason to do a short sale in 2012. Contact us today. You do have options!

Short Sales Will Explode in 2012

Steve Holderfield — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:14:00 +0000

Here’s a great article that is well worth your attention as you face the new year. Banks are embracing and staffing up for the coming short sale boom. The banks are embracing the short sale as a way for them to save money as they have found that they lose significantly less on a short sale vs a foreclosure. There will be more short sale opportunities 2012 than there were in 2011. Read more about it here: Short sales set to explode in 2012. If you know anybody who is upside down on their home and can’t afford their payment, there is hope for them. Do to www.morethanashortsale.info or call us at 925-408-2911. People who are underwater in terms of their mortgage vs value do have options. Contact us and let us help. Collectively we have successfully packgae over 500 short sales. Our broker, Steve Holderfield, has received a certification a CDPE, Certified Distressed Property Expert and has personally packaged over 500 short sales. The sooner we are contacted the more options we can pursue for you. So don’t delay. Contact us today.
Related articles

Short sale before you foreclose! (realtorkaera.wordpress.com)
Short sale settlement statements – pay attention (agbeat.com)
What is a Short Sale? (librarealtygroup.wordpress.com)
Short Sales and Federal Taxes (chrisbeachybeach.wordpress.com)
What’s in Store for Housing in 2012? (steveholderfield.com)

States With the Highest Foreclosure Rates

Steve Holderfield — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:27:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia
For the fifth consecutive year, Nevada continues to have the highest foreclosure rate in the country, despite a 31 percent drop in the state’s foreclosure activity from 2010 to 2011, RealtyTrac reports.
Several states continue to see a large amount of foreclosures, which are putting downward pressure on overall home prices.
The states with the highest foreclosure rates for 2011 are:
1. Nevada: 6 percent (1 in 16 housing units received at least one foreclosure filing in 2011)
2. Arizona: 4.14 percent (or 1 in 24)
3. California: 3.19 percent (or 1 in 31)
4. Georgia: 2.71 percent (or 1 in 37)
5. Utah: 2.32 percent (or 1 in 43)
6. Michigan: 2.21 percent
7. Florida: 2.06 percent
8. Illinois: 1.95 percent
9. Colorado: 1.78 percent
10. Idaho: 1.77 percent
Nationwide, 1 in 69 housing units or 1.45 percent of home owners received at least one foreclosure filing during 2011, which is down from 2.23 percent in 2010, RealtyTrac reports.
Source: RealtyTrac

Successful Habits

Anne Skeffington — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:38:00 +0000

Whatever you do again and again turns into a habit. And your habits have a profound effect on the quality of your life. Look honestly at what you do each day. What things are moving you forward, and what things are you doing that keep holding you back? Example – do you come to class or do you skip it? That’s also habit just like Someone with a gym membership who has a goal to lose weight exercising, however they never go the gym and wonder why they remain overweight.
Your actions are yours to control. and your habits are yours to develop or abandon. Make sure when you are working by referral that you leave no stone unturned because doing so becomes a habit. Though habits rarely come or go overnight you can indeed choose and control them. Add an empowering habit, or get rid of the destructive one, to dramatic improve your life. Even a small positive habit will make a big difference. Because each time you do it, you steadily add more power to it. Think of what you can do, beginning right now, to add a habit of success to your life. And watch as that small success, done again and again, turns into plenty of big achievements. I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they do their lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change. Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day, while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day. Is the cumulative weight of our disciplines that lead us either to fortune or failure. Success is neither magical or mysterious, is that natural consequences of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.

12 tips for maximum productivity

Anne Skeffington — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:25:00 +0000

welcome to 2012 it’s a new year and lets make the most of this new year.
whether you work for yourself or work for somebody we can all benefit from being more productive, so here are my top 12 tips for higher productivity.
Number one health. Everything hinges on as being healthy so it’s vital to take care of oneself enough, exercise frequently, sleep well, eating right. In order to best in the game of life we must take care of our health without our health we have nothing.
Number two make a schedule for the week. I suggest on a Sunday evening take an hour or so and write out your schedule for the week so that you know what you’re doing and you can keep your commitments.
Number three work in time blocks. Try concentrating really hard on one task at a time for about one half hours to two hours. you will find your focus increases when you eliminate all distractions and you will be more productive.
Number four eliminate distractions. What I mean by that is don’t get distracted by answering e-mails when you are working your timeblocks, don’t pick up the phone let it go to voicemail, don’t let a coworker start talking to you don’t get up and get coffee. Focus in on this time..
Number five learn to say no. Pretty simple learn to say no so you can continue on your path to success you don’t have to say yes to everything saying no is very powerful.
Number six avoid office energy drainers. Well we all deal with these, for example, people that come and start gossiping to you, office politics, she said he said, they are things that really have nothing to do with the work at hand. But can certainly delay you into getting your work done.
Number seven steer clear of time zappers. time zappers are people or things that distract you. Checking your Facebook and spending way more time on Facebook then you should. Answering emails, surfing for best travel deals, online shopping etc….you get the picture, anything that takes away time from what we doing.
Number eight concentrate on the most important not the most urgent. In other words first things first, you get the most important things out-of-the-way then you can attend to the everyday “urgent” things, people always say urgent urgent urgent but the truth is nothing is ever never that urgent and you must focus on the most important things that make you money.
Number nine recharge. Recharge recharge recharge. When you have focused your energy on doing important things and working in time blocks. You need to take time to recharge, we all have different ideas of what that might be, for me it definitely going outside, taking a walk at least 30 min, doing yoga stretches, making sure I rest for at least a couple of hours a day and making sure that I sleep well. We expect a lot of ourselves so recharging is number one important thing to do so that we can be our very best when focusing in on making money.
Number 10 invest in yourself. We want to be successful so if there’s opportunity to learn more about whatever trade we’re in, spend the money, learn to earn more. Don’t be shy when it comes to investing in yourself and your progress, sometimes it’s money, sometimes it spending time with other people, mentors, going to seminars, further education, invest in yourself, it always pays off.
Number 11 don’t go it alone. Find people that are like-minded people that can be mentors or accountability partners. Find support for what ever your journey is
And finally number 12 enjoy the journey yes please enjoy the journey, it’s the only one we have.
Thank you for reading, peace, love and happiness and true prosperity