Commentary: Is now the time to buy real estate?
POSTED: Monday, May 17, 2010 at 02:31 PM PTBY: IBR Contributor
Tags: financing, Real Estate
by Phil Hardwick In March 2007 the average price for a new house in the United States was $329,400. By Jan. 2009, the average price had plunged to $245,200. In March 2010, that price had climbed to $258,600. So, is now the time to buy real estate? As always, the correct answer is “it depends.” [...]
Commentary: F is for financing – among other things
POSTED: Monday, April 19, 2010 at 03:26 PM PTBY: IBR Contributor
Tags: Commercial Real Estate, financing
Commercial real estate pros are no strangers to “the F word” these days. For developers and investors, “the F word” is “financing.” (What? Were you thinking of a different word?) Financing is the magic word for just about everyone in the business: developers hoping to build again, investors looking to buy property, or owners who [...]
Commentary: The good and bad news about private loans
POSTED: Monday, March 15, 2010 at 03:45 PM PTBY: IBR Contributor
Tags: banking, financing, homebuyers
As lending requirements stay relatively tight for most consumers, the chance of borrowing outside the banking system from family or friends can be attractive. After all, it’s rare to see a parent or sibling demand a credit check or other lengthy documentation. On the other hand, it could be one of the most dangerous financial [...]
Boise company busy buying, turning around, businesses 
POSTED: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 11:25 AM PTBY: Brad Carlson
Tags: Brigham Young University, financing, Harvard University, HB Ventures, Hewlett-Packard
HB Ventures, a year-old Boise business that buys other businesses and turns them around, sees the tough economy from all sides. The HB Ventures portfolio comprises two acquired Huntington Learning Centers locations in Boise, one in Eagle, and one in Draper, Utah; a recently launched Huntington Supplemental Education Services franchise serving Idaho and Utah; HB [...]
Recent federal rule changes aid mortgage industry
POSTED: Monday, March 8, 2010 at 03:45 PM PTBY: IBR Contributor
Tags: financing, first-time homebuyers, housing market
Good news: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs have issued several new rules that will help loosen the tight credit markets. 1. Waiver of flipping restrictions On Jan. 15, HUD announced a one-year waiver of the resale rules applicable to Federal Housing Administration-insured loans. FHA’s anti-flipping [...]
Report shows home buyers’ negotiating power gains
POSTED: Monday, February 8, 2010 at 05:28 PM PTBY: The Associated Press
Tags: financing, Real Estate
Home buyers in much of the United States paid thousands of dollars below asking prices in December and for the first time in 11 months gained negotiating power, real estate website Zillow.com said. According to December Zillow Real Estate Market Reports, buyers paid 2.7 percent less, or a median of $5,618 below the listing price [...]
Commentary: Borrowers bear responsibility in foreclosures
POSTED: Monday, February 8, 2010 at 05:22 PM PTBY: IBR Contributor
Tags: financing, legal, Real Estate
My practice is on the frontlines of the so-called foreclosure “crisis” representing mortgage lenders and servicers doing foreclosures, so I am able to comment on the one-sided slant of the article “Lawyers learning to cope with foreclosure crisis” The piece suggested that the lenders and servicers and their lawyers are disorganized and out to exploit [...]
