International Property Investment » foreclosure homes as investments

Commercial Property Bust – Yay or Nay?

Mark Knowles — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 10:52:50 +0000

An economics professor at the University of Chicago, Casey Mulligan, has just predicted that it is unlikley there will be a commercial property crisis, based on the fact that there was very little over-building in commercial real estate during the boom years.

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Want a free home? Does new carpet sound appealing? You can win both at the Orlando Foreclosures Expo

Mark Knowles — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:20:12 +0000

Now this is a good idea – Giving away a free house to entice people to the inaugural foreclosure expo in Orlando. It feels like a market stall in London. Just one word of caution – “Below-market rates.” This is very, very hard to determine right now. There is no market in Orlando. There may not be a market in Orlando for some time. “Market rate” is whatever some one is prepared to pay. Buyer beware. Do your home work. But I suspect if you are prepared to wait, or need property to live in, there should be some bargains to be had. This is their press release. Happy hunting !

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Property Prices in the USA see another Fall

Mark Knowles — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:21:29 +0000

For the 25th consecutive month in a row, US house prices saw a drop in August. 10 Major US markets have now seen a record 17.7 percent average fall in the last year, with some markets falling more than 30 percent for the year. Phoenix, Las Vegas, Miami and Los Angeles topped the list of losers, and no city on the S&P/Case Shiller Home Price 20-city Index saw a price increase over the last year.

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Australia’s Most Amenable Sellers?

Elisabeth Sowerbutts — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:49:09 +0000

Some interesting stats out this week for those of you hoping to get a bargain from a desperate seller. The latest RP Data figures compare average listing prices to actual settlement prices across Australia and makes for some interesting reading.

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Monday Morning News Roundup

Mark Knowles — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:06:03 +0000

Flipping FSBO Homes

Mark Knowles — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 21:48:50 +0000

What are FSBO homes, and can you really make money flipping them? First some definitions. “Flipping” refers to buying and selling real estate for a profit over a short period of time. Some “flippers” are looking only to make money from buying low and reselling quickly, while others repair and improve or otherwise add value to the property before selling it – an important distinction we’ll get back to in a moment.

Time to take a cut in price?

Mark Knowles — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 14:34:56 +0000

The US housing market is in dire straights, no one could argue with that. House prices are down, house sales are down and developers are cutting prices on new developments left, right and center. But where does that leave the homeowner who needs to sell, whether from financial difficulties or some other reason?

The US sub-prime crisis deepens

Mark Knowles — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 09:08:30 +0000

Quite apart from the small investors and home owners, it appears that some of the big boys are taking a hit or two in the sub prime crisis as well.

It’s unlikely that the chairman of Citigroup or Morgan Stanley will have their houses foreclosed upon, but, in a sick way, it’s nice to know the banks have been caught with their pants down as it were. According to Mike Mayo of Deutsch Bank, Morgan Stanley will be writing off $3 to $5 billion this coming quarter.

Fed Rate Cut – Too little too late?

Mark Knowles — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 20:36:45 +0000

The fed rate cut of one quarter of one percent this afternoon is the big news of the moment, but ¼ % hardly seems worth the effort. The Federal Reserve Board lowered the cost of borrowing Wednesday with a quarter-point drop in rates in hopes of energizing an economy troubled by a sagging housing market and soaring oil prices.

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Short Sale alternative to Foreclosure

Mark Knowles — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:30:54 +0000

When people talk real estate these days, there’s a whole bunch of ominous terms being bandied about. With some northern US states hit so hard by the housing downturn that over 30% of their houses are empty, and south Florida leading the state , if not the country in foreclosures, the increase in anxiety is to be expected. But homeowners need not panic, there are alternatives to foreclosure.

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