Monthly Archives: November 2011

New Short Sale Rules From Freddie Mac

Effective Jan, 1, 2012 everyone involved with Freddie Mac short sales will be required to sign an affidavit and be held liable for any misrepresentations they may have caused. This is purportedly to ensure that the transaction is at arms length.

In August, the government-sponsored enterprise alerted real estate agents to the rise in shady short sale deals. The main concern is flopping. There is a growing trend of real estate agents on the buy-side of the deal failing to disclose other bids on the property, rigging the sale at a lower price.

This was based on the theory that if a buyer flipped the property and made a profit, the deal must have defrauded the bank. If we extend this concept then every business that buys a product or service and re-sells it at a higher price would be committing fraud. We know that any merchant that doesn’t make a profit soon goes out of business.

We must realize that this absurd notion comes from the government where little makes any sense. But take care because they will look for any excuse to make an example of you.

This is from the same Fannie and Freddie that has already cost the taxpayers $169 billion and have paid huge bonuses to their executives for losing money.

How big are the paychecks going to top Fannie and Freddie executives? Big. Really, really big. Since the agencies went into conservatorship, Fannie and Freddie’s top six executives have received $35 million in compensation, including millions in bonuses, even as borrowers struggled to keep their homes and got no meaningful relief.

Read more:

You may also be interested in . . .

Reno, Wind, and Fire

As you probably already know from a myriad of sources,, and from just living here. We had some extremely strong winds yesterday. Along with those winds a large number of families lost their homes to fire. The last count I had heard was 22 homes destroyed. I won’t go into all the details because it is readily available elsewhere. My heart goes out to those who were harmed by the fires. The wind not only fanned the flames, but it also carried burning embers to start more fires. Trees were blown down, which also knocked down power lines that may have started more fires.

And now for my experience. I did not have any damage except for things blown around the yard making more work for clean up. When I went into the garage, I noticed that the double garage door was bowing outward and even had some small creases. The door is on the east side of the garage. The wind, coming out of the west southwest created enough negative pressure that I feared the closed door was about to collapse. I ultimately relieved the pressure on the door by opening the door. At first a short distance, and then completely. This resulted in a lot of dirt coming into the garage, but it saved the door.

You may also be interested in . . .

Canadians Think Las Vegas is Good Investment

Canadians must think Las Vegas is a good place to invest. Else, why would they be putting their own money there?
The reality is that Candadians are investing in Las Vegas, big time. Do they know something that we don’t? Or, are we so close to the problem that we can’t see the opportunity.

“Where in Canada can you currently buy a $50,000 property that you can turn around and rent for $1,000 a month?” says real estate broker Steve Martel of Martels Real Estate Inc. in Ottawa, who specializes in the U.S. realty market.

This may be an idea for investing – or or may also be an indication of opportunities here in Reno.

What do you think?

read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Invest+real+estate/5611525/story.html

You may also be interested in . . .