Today’s News Synopsis:
Altera Real Estate foresees significant improvement in the Orange County real estate market. According to IAS, national home prices have returned to 2004 levels. Forecasters from iEmergent expect approximately $580 billion in mortgage refinancing during 2010.
In The News:
Orange County Register – “Housing market warming along south coast?” (2-9-10)
“Steven Thomas of Altera Real Estate claims in his latest biweekly report that this is the strongest demand has looked in Orange County’s real estate market since 2005.”
Housing Wire – “Pulte Posts Loss Despite $917m Tax Refund” (2-9-10)
“Pulte Homes (PHM: 11.08 -0.45%) posted a net loss of $117m, $0.31 per share, in Q409, even though it will receive a $917m tax refund later this year. The Michigan-based homebuilder said $800m of the tax refund comes from the extension of the net operating loss (NOL) carryback allowance”
Housing Wire – “New Program Rewards Current Mortgage Borrowers” (2-9-10)
“if a borrower has a $200,000 mortgage and the value dropped to $150,000, a bank using the RH Reward program could give a $25,000 incentive to the borrower if the borrower remains current. How that reward is monetized depends on the borrower.”
Housing Wire – “December Drop Brings IAS Index Back to 2004 Levels” (2-9-10)
“The index is a county-level measure of median sales price of single-family residences in five US Census Bureau regions, nine Census divisions and 360 counties. After five months of declines, the index is now 5.3% below its 2008 level. In 2008, the index declined 11.7% from its 2007 level. The index is now at a level last seen in mid-2004, IAS said.”
Housing Wire – “Mortgage Financing Poised to Drop in 2010: iEmergent” (2-9-10)
“Mortgage volumes in 2010 will not reach the same levels as 2009 as the slide toward the collapse-curve bottom continues, according to iEmergent, the market research and advisory firm for the financial services industry. The firm projects the purchase-to-refinancing ratio will reach a 49% to 51% split in 2010. Forecasters predict between $531bn and $643bn in refinancing volume in 2010. Refinance volumes will be less than half of 2009 levels, and lenders relying on those transactions in 2009 will be at a great risk in 2010, according to the report.”
Wall Street Journal – “No Exit in Sight for U.S. As Fannie, Freddie Flail” (2-9-10)
“Nearly a year and a half after the outbreak of the global economic crisis, many of the problems that contributed to it haven’t yet been tamed. The U.S. has no system in place to tackle a failure of its largest financial institutions. Derivatives contracts of the kind that crippled American International Group Inc. still trade in the shadows. And investors remain heavily reliant on the same credit-ratings firms that gave AAA ratings to lousy mortgage securities.”
Looking Back:
One year ago, two thirds of Americans expressed support for the $15,000 first time home buyer program, which the senate was considering. The MBA expected $171 billion in mortgages to mature in 2009. A government official announced plans to buy troubled assets.
California Real Estate Investing News is a post from: The Norris Group