Sunday, December 2, 2007

Subprime Loans Can Work

by Broderick Perkins
© 2007 DeadlineNews.Com

Deadline Newsroom - Subprime loans can be risky mortgages in the wrong hands, but you can learn to live with them.

Education is the key.

Subprime mortgages are home loans that provide a home financing option for those who don't qualify for more conventional prime mortgages. Subprime loans typically are more expensive than prime loans, and they carry more risk.

But that's what makes education critical -- before you sign on the dotted line -- according to NeighborWorks America.

NeighborWorks America is a nonprofit organization that delivers financial aid and training to troubled urban communities.

A NeighborWorks-backed loan program serves 3,000 customers from subprime demographic groups. Yet it has a loan success rate that's nearly on par with the loan success rate for PRIME mortgages nationwide.

As of June 30, only 3.3 percent of Neighbor work's borrowers were 30 days or more delinquent on their home loans. That's only slightly higher than the 2.6 percent delinquency rate, nationwide, for PRIME mortgages tracked by the Mortgage Bankers Association.

And, when compared with subprime loans nationwide, NeighborWorks loans really outperform. NeighborWorks' 3.3 percent delinquency rate is far below the more than 14 percent national delinquency rate for subprime loans.

How is that possible?

Education. Not just cursory class on home ownership before you buy, but continuing education that spans the duration of home ownership.

Through NeighborWorks' Center for Homeownership Education and Counseling, home owners learn home ownership readiness; budgeting and credit; mortgage finance; home shopping; home maintenance, even community involvement.

As a result, more NeighborWorks home owners remain home owners -- even through tough times.

Advertise on DeadlineNews.Com

© 2007 DeadlineNews.Com

Broderick Perkins, an award-winning consumer journalist of 30 years, is publisher and executive editor of San Jose, CA-based DeadlineNews.Com, a real estate news and consulting service, and the new Deadline Newsroom, DeadlineNews.Com's new backshop. In both cases, it's where all the news really hits home.



DeadlineNews.Com's Editorial Content Is Intellectual Property • Unauthorized Use Is A Federal Crime


Read more!

'Tis The Season, Defer Maintenance No Longer

Holiday News That Really Hits Home

by Broderick Perkins
© 2007 DeadlineNews.Com

Deadline Newsroom - Things get crazy around the holidays.

All the shopping, decking the halls and visions of sugar plums can cause homeowners to lose focus and overlook issues that can turn a season of joy into a season of oops.

The American Society of Homeowners (ASHI) says it doesn't have to be that way and offers a Top 10 list to remind busy homeowners that just a few minutes a day can help keep the ghost of deferred maintenance away.

"Homes are the centers of activity during the holidays," said Frank Lesh, ASHI president.

"You can't take them for granted or take unnecessary risks - even if you want your house to be the brightest, most festive on the street. By following these simple tips you can help protect your home against the rigors of winter and the pitfalls of the season."

• Clean your gutters and downspouts. Gutters and downspouts play an important role in diverting water away from foundation walls. That means less water and moisture related damage. If you clean before winter weather moves in you can keep your basement and crawl spaces dry and leak free.

• Drain exterior water lines. Frozen pipes that can crack the lines are history if you remove, drain and store outdoor hoses now.

• Give your garbage disposal a hot water bath. Cooking for crowds puts additional stress on garbage disposals. Flushing the garbage disposal with one pot of hot water and a half cup of baking soda now and after the holidays can help prevent plumbing problems and costly repairs. Grinding citrus fruits with a dish soap solution can remove the smell of decay.

• Inspect your home heating systems. Nearly half, 44 percent of all home heating fires happen in December. Schedule a professional inspection of your home's heating systems, including furnaces, boilers, fireplaces and water heaters every year before winter weather sets in. Stock up on furnace filters and change them regularly.

• Re-caulk and weather-strip all doors and windows. Save energy and energy costs by sealing air leaks around doors, windows, corner boards and joints. Make it a habit.

• Trim back tree limbs. Over hanging tree limbs are both a falling hazard and a chimney or flue blockage hazard. Also consider installing a battery-operated carbon monoxide detector. Replace batteries when Daylight Saving Time begins and when it ends.

• Keep a fire extinguisher handy. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the nation. Buy and place a fire extinguishers away from potential fire sources so that you can reach the extinguisher in an emergency. Make sure it's charged and ready to go.

• Test your electrical circuit shut-off switch. Plug outdoor decorations only into circuits protected by ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). Ensure that the circuit shuts-off properly by using a nightlight or radio. Click the circuit button. If it clicks and the nightlight or radio stays on, the circuit has not shut off. Consider contacting an electrician to check for problems.

• Be steady on the ladder. Falls account for an average of 5.1 million injuries and nearly 6,000 deaths a year. Before hanging Christmas lights, wrap pipe insulation around your ladder beams (vertical members that the rungs are attached to). The insulation helps prevent the ladder from slipping and provides insulation against electrical shock.

• Use extension cords sparingly. Avoid using extension cords except when absolutely necessary. If you do be sure they are the proper gauge and don't run them across hallways or doorways, under carpeting or furniture or through walls. Never, ever staple them in place.

Advertise on DeadlineNews.Com

© 2007 DeadlineNews.Com

Broderick Perkins, an award-winning consumer journalist of 30 years, is publisher and executive editor of San Jose, CA-based DeadlineNews.Com, a real estate news and consulting service, and the new Deadline Newsroom, DeadlineNews.Com's new backshop. In both cases, it's where all the news really hits home.



DeadlineNews.Com's Editorial Content Is Intellectual Property • Unauthorized Use Is A Federal Crime


Read more!

Deadline Newsroom Feed 11/30/07

Compiled by Broderick Perkins
© 2007 DeadlineNews.Com

Deadline Newsroom Feed – DeadlineNews.Com offers a look at all the news that really hit home last week, as well as coverage outside the Deadline Newsroom. This week? Brutal. Record-setting home price declines from New England to Southern California. Some refinancing relief for those who can navigate the new hard money system. Failing FSBOs. Drought (as in climate change AND a withering housing market). And on the brighter side, a gutter-cleaning robot winner and, if you've still got enough equity money left, gifts that really hit home. Happy holidays.

Our weekly Deadline Newsroom Feed is looking for an advertising sponsor. Contact us at editor@deadlinenews.com and put "Deadline Newsroom Feed Sponsor" in the subject line. The rate is $200 per month on a month-to-month basis; $150 per month with a long-term contract, billed monthly.

Be Sure To Visit The Deadline Newsroom Open House

DeadlineNews.Com Digest Recent news that hit home.
Advertise with the DeadlineNews Group Three options: Web site, blog, Google.
DeadlineNews.Com Retail Outlet Real estate, housing related items from A to Z.
We Produce Newsletters Too See our samples.

FROM THE DEADLINE NEWSROOM

Historic Home Price Declines Shadow Housing Market
A host of history-making home price declines announced this week portend a prolonged downturn.

Silicon Valley's Micro Markets
If you are buying or selling a home in Silicon Valley, now is the time, perhaps more than ever, to be sure you hire someone who has his or her finger on the pulse of a specific micro-market.

Smoothing The Rough Road To Refinancing
How to slip through the window of low rates to slam the door on ARM resets.

Give Thanks For Lower Rates
Don't stop giving thanks just yet. Home mortgage interest rates have been flat or falling since early October.

More Gifts That Really Hit Home
We've got a list for you and we've checked it twice to make sure you get the most housing bang for your holiday spending bucks.

Gutter-Cleaning Robot Honored
iRobot's "Looj" (you guessed it, sounds like "luge") cleaned up in the Best of Innovations Design and Engineering Award category at the 2008 International Consumer Electronic Showcase.

Buyers, Sellers: Realty Agents Rule
From the feel-good real estate news department: real estate agents continue to get the job done even in the softer housing market, according to buyers and sellers who hire them.

FSBOs Fall Flat
For-sale-by-owner or 'FSBO' transactions in the softening real estate market experienced zero growth last year, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

Buying A Home Remains Good Deal
Spread the word. Whatever happens in Las Vegas doesn't necessarily stay in Las Vegas. But that's a good thing when it comes to home buying.

Droughts Impact 'Location' Buying Factor
If you are considering a move to a growing number of regions, be prepared to live a lifestyle heavily influenced by dry weather conditions.

© 2007 DeadlineNews.Com

DeadlineNews.Com's Editorial Content Is Intellectual Property - Unauthorized Use Is A Federal Crime



News from elsewhere...

CONSUMER

Ins, Outs With 2008 Homebuyers
What do home buyers want, not want?

FINANCE

FTC Releases Survey of Identity Theft: 8.3 Million Victims in 2005
San Diego, CA. - The Federal Trade Commission today released a survey showing that 8.3 million American adults, or 3.7 percent of all American adults, were victims of identity theft in 2005.

Mortgage Crisis Jeopardizing Working Class Families
Before millions of mortgages reset, Congress should freeze all balloon payments and convert them into mortgage extensions at reduced interest.

Legislators Look To Resolve Subprime Crisis Quickly. That Would Be a First
In general, the government and the coalition have largely agreed to extend the lower introductory rate on home loans for certain borrowers
who will have trouble making payments once their mortgages increase.

Banks Join To Consider Freezing Subprimes
A coalition of major banks with exposure to problem subprime mortgages is finalizing a plan to freeze hundreds of thousands
of adjustable-rate home loans at low introductory rates.

MARKETS

Mortgage Crisis Hits Home For Troops, Veterans
Except in very rare cases, VA does not refinance mortgages it didn't sell.

Home Prices Falling Everywhere Says S&P
U.S. home prices were falling in every region of the country in September, according to a closely watched index of home prices released Tuesday.

California First In, Last Out
As California goes, so goes the country. Only in the case of falling off the housing precipice the country went first.

Cool Market Slowdown With Carefully Applied Aid
How it's done.

Economist Sees Housing Market Improvement In 2008
Lawrence Yun, the new chief economist of the National Association of Realtors, during his organization's fall conference, and said there should be improvement in 2008 as problems with the credit crunch are overcome.

Third Quarter Multihousing Numbers Mixed, Better for Rentals
The most recent quarterly data show condo activity and prices on the decline, especially among existing condos, while the rental market is sending mixed signals.

DeadlineNews.Com: 'Best Repurposing Of A Realty Journalist'
"Fun, credible, astute and up to date."

TRENDS/COMMENTARY

Climate Change May Cost Florida $345
If nothing is done to combat global warming.

Optimism Only Hope For Real Estate
Of course, if cheap money isn't enough to keep the housing markets from slumping further, there's always another factor that can be used to goose sales.

BUSINESS/COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

Targeting the Internet Generation
Prudential California Realty Associate Broker Linnette Edwards is a GenY-er who targets her peers - a population that is second in size only to the Baby Boomers. Her first real estate transaction was an e-lead and since then, she’s built her business entirely on Web-based marketing.

The Holidays Are Upon Us. Is Your Housing Client, Professional or Friend On The List?
St. Joseph The Home Seller kits. Clock houses. Monopoly. House warming gifts. Come 'n' get 'em.



Broderick Perkins, an award-winning consumer journalist of 30 years, is publisher and executive editor of San Jose, CA-based DeadlineNews.Com, a real estate news and consulting service, and the new Deadline Newsroom, DeadlineNews.Com's new backshop. In both cases, it's where all the news really hits home.

DeadlineNews.Com's Editorial Content Is Intellectual Property - Unauthorized Use Is A Federal Crime


Read more!