| By Dennis Norman,on February 2nd,2012 Well,I guess my wife and kids aren’t the only people that want to move to Florida! According to a report released by Trulia,house hunters from all over the country are searching for homes in Florida. In fact,of the top 10 metro areas where demand among online house hunters is strongest,seven are located in Florida! Florida also,according to the report,leads the list of states existing residents don’t want to leave as well with many times more people from outside of Florida searching for homes in Florida than searches outside the state by people living in Florida. The metro in the number 1 slot is Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville,Florida with 8.8 times more “inbound”property searches than “outbound”property searches. Wow! [...] By Gerry Loesch,on January 30th,2012 Have you ever thought about the similarities between houses and the human body? For example as our bodies age,things are not quite as straight,square and firm as they once were in our younger years. At one time I had a 44 inch chest and now with age it seems that chest dimension is closer to my waist line. In most cases,this aging in homes translates into floors not being totally level and windows and doors being skewed slightly or not latching. While this may create slight operational issues these conditions are quite common in older homes,some more so than others depending on the age,floor plan,design etc. While one could,in theory go through and re-level the floors,in my opinion in most cases this would be an unnecessary expense and cause additional problems. Quite frankly many look at these conditions as part of the “character” and “charm” of an older home. [...] By News Desk,on January 7th,2012 An Austin,Texas,man pleaded guilty today in the Western District of Texas for his role in operating a foreclosure-rescue scam in Southern California and elsewhere that charged distressed homeowners fees in exchange for fraudulently postponing foreclosure sales. [...] By News Desk,on December 16th,2011 The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a father and son in Utah with securities fraud for selling purported investments in their real estate business that turned out to be nothing more than a wide-scale $220 million Ponzi scheme. [...] By Dennis Norman,on December 15th,2011 The Mortgage Fraud Index from MortgageDaily.com has California at the top of the list for mortgage fraud activity during the third quarter of 2011. The mortgage fraud index for third quarter was at 1173,down almost seven percent from the prior quarter when the index was at 1261,but up over 16 percent from a year ago when the index was at 1007. [...] By Dennis Norman,on December 13th,2011 Today CNBC reported that the National Association of REALTORS,the country’s leading source of existing home sales data,will be revising their home sales numbers from 2007 through October of this year downward because of “double counting,indicating a much weaker housing market than previously thought”. [...] By Dennis Norman,on December 1st,2011 Want to buy a house but a little short on cash? If your parents or grandparents are of the baby boomer generation then no problem,they’ll give you the cash! Well,at least one in five will according to a recent survey by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. [...] By News Desk,on November 11th,2011 Candidate positions on housing will be important considerations to nearly seven of 10 Americans (69.6%) in the 2012 presidential and congressional elections,according to a new national survey on housing released today by Move,Inc. This is especially true for Millennials(1) (70.7%),the next generation of homebuyers and the segment expected to play as important a role in the 2012 elections as they did in 2008. [...] By News Desk,on November 4th,2011 WASHINGTON – Two individuals – a loan officer and a title agent – have been sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William P. Dimitrouleas in Ft. Lauderdale,Fla.,for their participation in a nationwide $2.5 million reverse mortgage fraud scheme,the Justice Department announced today. [...] By Dennis Norman,on November 3rd,2011 In late September I wrote about a plan presented by acting Comptroller of the Currency,John Walsh,to address the “robo-signing”issue as well as other improper practices in the foreclosure process that have surfaced. Mr. Walsh’s plan includes an independent review of the files of borrowers that feel they were a victim of a wrongful foreclosure practice as well as the potential for compensation or other relief for borrowers that were found to have been subject to improper foreclosure practices. Just this week it was announced that eligible borrowers may not apply for a review of their file and,if irregularities are found,file a claim for compensation. [...] By Dennis Norman,on October 21st,2011 Between interest rates falling to record lows and home prices falling back to levels from 8 years ago,the housing market is starting to look like a very attractive investment opportunity. [...] By Dennis Norman,on October 17th,2011 Today U.S. News Media Group unveiled The 10 Best Places to Retire in 2012 with top locations in 10 key categories that are most often considered as key factors by people when choosing where to retire. Many of the categories focus on how to achieve the retirement lifestyle you want on a fixed income,such as the best place for water views on a budget (Traverse City,Mich.),an affordable mountain town for retirees (Boone,N.C.),and the best place to find affordable housing (Port Charlotte,Fla.). [...] By Thomas J. Lucier,on October 5th,2011 As far as I’m concerned,the Internet is one of the greatest inventions of all time,and ranks right up there with flush toilets,sliced bread and basketball! For real estate investors,the Internet is the single best property due diligence research tool available. Especially for investors who are located in counties where property tax rolls are online. [...] By News Desk,on September 30th,2011 WASHINGTON – Alexander Otis Matthews,a Virginia real estate businessman,was sentenced today to 10 years in prison in connection with mortgage and investment schemes to obtain more than $12 million in fraudulent loans. The sentencing was announced by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division,U.S. Attorney Neil H. [...] By Dennis Norman,on September 12th,2011 Minnesota has emerged as the state with the highest amount of mortgage fraud (in total dollar amount) according to the second-quarter 2011 Mortgage Fraud Index from MortgageDaily.com. With $184,715,000 of mortgage fraud activity in the 2nd quarter Minnesota inched out the first place spot from Florida which had $184,009,434 in loans with mortgage fraud involved. [...] By News Desk,on September 10th,2011 TUCSON,AZ—A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging four defendants in a mortgage fraud conspiracy. The indictment charged 20-counts including conspiracy to commit bank fraud,false statement to influence a financial institution,and conspiracy to commit transactional money laundering. [...] By News Desk,on September 10th,2011 MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier this week in federal court,a 52-year-old man was charged for his role in a $20 million mortgage fraud scheme that involved 57 properties. Douglas Rex Butler was charged via an information with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. [...] By Dennis Norman,on September 6th,2011 It is not uncommon when performing an inspection,not be able to have ready access to the electric panel cabinet. Items are stored in front of it,it is located behind the laundry equipment,it is covered by a finished wall,it is located in a closet with limited space and yes even it [...] By News Desk,on September 1st,2011 WASHINGTON –Thomas E. Parenteau of Hilliard,Ohio,was sentenced today to 22 years in prison for conspiring with his wife,his mistress and their accountant,to commit tax fraud and money laundering,the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. Parenteau was also sentenced for conspiring to obstruct justice and tamper with witnesses. [...] By News Desk,on August 22nd,2011 Four Florida men were arrested on charges that they defrauded homeowners in Massachusetts and elsewhere in connection with a home loan modification scam. Earlier this month,a 20-count indictment was unsealed in federal court in Boston,charging Christopher S. Godfrey,42,of Delray Beach,Fla.;Dennis Fischer,40,of Highland Beach,Fla.;Vernell Burris [...] By News Desk,on August 22nd,2011 HOUSTON—Two Houston businessmen,a mortgage company loan officer,and a title company attorney and escrow officer have been indicted for their alleged involvement in a scheme to defraud residential mortgage lenders of more than $22 million in loans. [...] By News Desk,on August 19th,2011 CINCINNATI—A federal grand jury has indicted four people who ran a Cincinnati real estate business known as American Equity Group (AEG) with fraudulently obtaining more than $13 million in loans through a loan fraud scheme that targeted homeowners or builders in or near foreclosure. The scheme allegedly caused a loss of $6 million. Carter [...] By News Desk,on August 19th,2011 CHICAGO—A former South Holland man was sentenced to 17½ years in federal prison for directing a $35 million mortgage fraud scheme involving more than 120 residences on the city’s south side. The scheme caused various lenders and financial institutions to lose approximately $16 million on mortgage loans that were not repaid by the borrowers or [...] By Dennis Norman,on August 17th,2011 A report released by Trulia shows that,based on current market conditions,it is cheaper to buy a home than rent in 74 percent of major U.S. cities. At the top of the list is Las Vegas with a price rent ratio of 6 (the lower the number,the more affordable it is). At the [...] By Dennis Norman,on August 16th,2011 Today,CNN Money published their 2011 list of the best places to live in the U.S. At the top of the list is Louisville,Colorado. The criteria for selection of the best places to live include jobs,schools,crime,local economy,weather and activities. The top 10 places to live,according to CNN Money,are: [...] By Dennis Norman,on August 16th,2011 The FBI released it’s Mortgage Fraud Report for 2010 showing that mortgage fraud continued at elevated levels in 2010 and was consistent with levels seen in 2009. The top states for mortgage fraud activity in 2010 were Florida,California,Arizona,Nevada,Illinois,Michigan,New York,Georgia,New Jersey,and Maryland. [...] By News Desk,on August 15th,2011 SACRAMENTO,Calif. — A real estate investor pleaded guilty last Friday in U.S. District Court in Sacramento to conspiring to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions held in San Joaquin County,Sharis A. Pozen,Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division,and Benjamin B. Wagner,[...] By News Desk,on August 7th,2011 WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice today filed a lawsuit against the city of Joliet,Ill.,alleging that the city violated the Fair Housing Act and the Housing and Community Development Act by taking a series of actions,culminating in the taking through eminent domain a federally-subsidized affordable housing development,that would displace more [...] By News Desk,on August 4th,2011 MIAMI – Louis Gendason of Delray Beach,Fla.; Kimberly Mackey of Pittsburgh;and John Incandela,of Palm Beach,Fla.,pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for their participation in a $2.5 million Home Equity Conversion Mortgage,or reverse mortgage,fraud scheme . [...] By News Desk,on July 27th,2011 MINNEAPOLIS—This past Friday in federal court,an Edina mortgage broker was charged for his role in a $20 million mortgage fraud scheme that involved 57 properties. Derrick Ivan Lance,age 40,of Edina,was charged via an information with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. [...] | |