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Excluding foreclosures, delinquency of at least 30 days increased 7 basis points between the end of last year and the end of last month, LPS reported. But the rate was down more than 200 BPS from a year earlier. The number of loans in this category finished January at 4,719,000.

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Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – The nation’s largest bank, Bank of America, on Friday halted foreclosures in all 50 states, becoming the first major bank to take that action.

Bending to mounting political pressure, Bank of America (BAC) announced it would stop all foreclosure proceedings and pending sales of homes indefinitely. It had taken that action last week in 23 states that require court approval for foreclosures.

At issue is the practice of beginning the foreclosure process using so-called “robo-signers,” people who signed hundreds or thousands of documents every day without reviewing the details of any foreclosure.

Bank of America announced it would begin a nationwide review of all its foreclosures. The bank services about 14 million mortgages and approximately 14 percent of those loans are past due or in foreclosure.

The bank announced it would resume foreclosures once its review was complete, but also said that so far bank officials had found that their assessments in mortgages sent for foreclosure was accurate.

Mortgage lenders have been under investigation by the federal government and the attorneys general in several states for sloppy and inaccurate foreclosures. U.S. lawmakers on Friday called on other mortgage lenders to follow Bank of America’s action.

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Minorities are bearing the brunt of foreclosures, according to the Center for Responsible Lending.

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A spokesman for JPMorgan Chase & Co. said that the bank’s Chase unit is stopping some foreclosures. He explained that the move was being made to review how employees in its mortgage-foreclosure operations sign affidavits about loan documents. In some cases, employees “may have signed affidavits about loan documents on the basis of file reviews done by other personnel — without the signer personally having reviewed those loan files,” the spokesman explained.

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Mortgage delinquency of at least 30 days and including foreclosures was unchanged between the first and second quarters of this year. Completed foreclosures — including short sales and deeds-in-lieu — climbed 5 percent. Real-estate-owned filings have risen each period since the fourth-quarter 2008.

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Reports of short-cuts in GMAC’s foreclosure process raise ‘serious doubts’.

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There are different types of foreclosure auctions, but they all have some common denominators. (1) Foreclosed property in the form of a house, land and sometimes personal property, like jewelry, cars, or furniture. (2) A seller. This may be a bank or other lending institution or the city/county government for back taxes. (3) A bidder. These individual can be real estate agencies, other investment brokers, or private citizens.

The auction begins with the auctioneer reading a variety of legal notices and legal descriptions of the property being sold. The opening bid is set by the foreclosing lender. Most usually this bid is equal to the outstanding balance on the loan, the interest accrued, and attorney fees with any other fees connected with the sale. If no bids are higher than the opening bid set by the lender, then the property will be bought by the attorney carrying out the sale for the lender.

They will then begin taking bids on the foreclosed property as set by the opening bid from the lender. If a bidder has not already been pre-qualified by the auctioneer before the auction began, he/she will be asked to give their deposit check to the auctioneer. Most residential auctions require a deposit check of $5000. The auctioneer will then ask for the bidding to continue to get a higher price. This is usually done in increments of $100, $500, or $1000.

Bidding continues until the auctioneer assesses that the bidding has stopped and the highest price has been bid. He/she will then announce “going once, going twice, going three times, sold!” The auction is then ended.

Foreclosure deeds and purchase papers are drawn between the new purchaser of the property and the mortgage holder. A grace period to allow the purchaser to line up financing will be given. Most of the time this is thirty days.

Once financial arrangements have been secured, closing will take place and the new owner will officially take title to the property. read more…

Buying foreclosure property is a good way to make money for many people. But if you’re just starting out you need to look at some very important factors when buying. Here are five to keep in mind when you start your search for a property you want to invest in.

1. When you find a property in a listing that you think you’d be interested in, go and take a look at the neighborhood before going any further. The real estate slogan ‘location, location, location’ holds just as true for foreclosure property as it does for conventional house sales. The house may be beautiful, may be grand, but be sure to look at the other houses in the neighborhood. If they are in decline or are in poor condition your house will be more difficult to sell. That doesn’t mean that it won’t sell; it simply means that it may take more time to sell and you may have to decrease your selling price and take a lower profit. If this your first property it will be easier for you to start with a house in a better neighborhood.

2. Check to see how close schools are to the neighborhood you’re house is in. Does the school have a good reputation? Other amenities to consider are shopping, parks, and possible neighborhood upgrades. Is shopping close by? Is there a neighborhood park for the kids? Is the city going to revitalize this area of the city? All of these issues will have an impact on how quickly you can sell the house. They also make great selling points to prospective buyers.

3. The condition of the house is a key issue. If a house needs major repairs this is a house to be avoided. Paint, paper, small repairs are all you want to take on, otherwise you will be losing a large portion of your potential profit, if not all of it. You’re looking for a shabby house that’s structurally sound. No major plumbing, structural or electrical problems. Remember that the amount of money you spend on repairs comes out of your pocket right up front.

4. When buying a foreclosure property you need to do a title search to make sure you are paying for only one mortgage. If there is a second mortgage attached to the house that you didn’t know about before purchasing, you will have to resolve this second mortgage before taking possession. There may be other liens on the property, as well, and a title search will reveal this. read more…

Real estate investing has provided many of history’s great accumulations of wealth over the centuries. However, not many of us have millions of dollars lying around to start playing the real estate market. How can this great opportunity be made available to those of us with ordinary incomes? Foreclosures, particularly HUD foreclosures, provide a potential answer. This real estate is available at substantial discounts compared to property from other sources, and makes a good investment for the common man.

HUD homes are owned by the United States government through the Department of Housing and Urban Development. When a foreclosure is made on these homes, the ownership of the home reverts to the government, for use or disposal as they see fit. If you wish to invest in HUD foreclosures, it is good to have a basic understanding of the policies of this government agency.

Once foreclosure listings are listed on special Web sites that are contracted to the government almost anybody can buy one, providing they can either afford it or qualify for a sufficient loan. The government often sells some of those properties at reduced prices. Although people buying the house to live in have priority, eventually anybody can purchase hud foreclosures. The buying process is done via foreclosure auctions.

Each state has different requirements for housing websites. Usually, states have a variety of properties for sale and will list information about each property in an attempt to sell the house to a customer looking for specific features (number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, etc.) A picture is usually available to help potential customers decide, and you may sometimes be allowed to visit the property.

HUD houses come in all shapes and prices. When these foreclosure listings appear on the list for sale, their valuation is carried out on ‘as is’ condition and listed at estimated market prices. However, it is common to find them costing less than other houses would be. The reason is the prices take into account the cost of needed repair as very often these houses will require at least some repair work. read more…

Buying foreclosed property is one thing. Selling that same property is another thing altogether. Here are some tips that will help you turn that investment into cash.

Tip 1. Deal with small repairs. If a door hinge squeaks, lubricate it. Paint the walls and trim an attractive color. Replace vent covers if needed. Replace any torn screens or cracked windows. Make sure all bulbs are replaced and working in lighting fixtures. A bright presentation is cheerier and more inviting.

Tip 2. Do a thorough cleaning of the home. Check drapes; if they need cleaned, have them cleaned. If their condition is beyond cleaning, remove the them. Purchase inexpensive, but attractive blinds and put them up. Clean all carpets. Clean and buff hardwood and tile floors. Scrub any pet stains and use odor removers; call a professional for this task, if necessary. Brush out any trash and crumbs left in the cabinets. Make it shine. Make it smell good. A clean home will sell faster than one that isn’t clean.

Tip 3. Make small improvements that will increase the value of your investment. Know which ones will bring the most value for the dollar. Kitchen improvements usually prove to be a good place to start. As an example, a good garbage disposal costs less than $150, but could increase the sales value of the home by several hundred dollars or more. read more…