The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.83 percent for the week ending May 10, posting a new record low from last week’s 3.84 percent average. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage also posted a new record, averaging 3.05 percent this week.

Here’s a closer look at mortgage rates for the past week:

30-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 3.83 percent, with an average 0.7 point, down from last week’s previous record of 3.84 percent. A year ago at this time, 30-year mortgages averaged 4.63 percent. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, the most popular choice among home buyers, has averaged below 4 percent for nearly every week — except for one — since Dec. 8, 2011, according to Freddie Mac.

15-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 3.05 percent, with an average 0.7 point, dropping from last week’s previous record low of 3.07 percent. Last year at this time, the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.82 percent.

5-year adjustable-rate mortgages: averaged 2.81 percent, with a 0.5 point, dropping from last week’s 2.85 percent average. Last year, 5-year ARMs averaged 3.41 percent.

Source: Freddie Mac

Recent surveys have shown that foreclosure sales have dropped to their lowest point in more than two years. And while according to March data, 8 percent more homes did enter the foreclosure process from the previous month, that number is down more than 30 percent from a year ago, according to Lender Processing Services.

CNBC real estate reporter Diana Olick notes that it could be another delay in the foreclosure system “as banks try to modify more loans to meet some of the terms of the [$25 billion] servicing settlement . The foreclosure sales decline also appears to be exclusively in private and portfolio loans, which again points to the settlement.”

Meanwhile, banks are increasing their number of short-sale transactions, and some surveys have shown that short sales are actually now outpacing foreclosure sales— the first time that’s ever occurred.

“Lenders are increasingly recognizing that short sales may be a better alternative for them than foreclosure,” RealtyTrac’s Daren Blomquist told CNBC. “This trend began in markets with stronger demand and where the distressed inventory tends to be newer homes (Phoenix, Los Angeles, Las Vegas), but the trend appears to be spreading to other markets like Atlanta and Detroit.” Please provide thoughts about your local market.

Source: “Flood of Foreclosures Still Fails to Materialize,” CNBC (May 2, 2012)

1. Lowball offers won’t likely stick:  Buyers may be better off asking for seller concessions, such as closing cost assistance or making home repairs, rather than making offers way below the asking price. “Keep in mind that a lowball number may turn off the seller and close down any chance at negotiation,” the U.S. News & World Report article cautions potential buyers.

2. Get pre-approved: Getting a loan isn’t easy nowadays as lenders have tightened their credit standards in recent years. Serious buyers should check their credit and get pre-appoved for a loan to determine how much of a home they can even afford even before they start their home search.

3. Get realistic about the market: Real estate agents can show buyers comparable nearby sales to help educate them about local market conditions. Transactions from the last few months are the most important.

4. Expect some competition. Housing inventories are dropping in many of our areas and spurring an increase in demand. Home buyers may face increased competition for the home they want, particularly among short sales and foreclosed properties, in which they may be up against investors who are making all-cash offers.

5. Conduct property research: Real estate agents will help guide clients on what all they need to do when they find a property they like.  Other important efforts nowadays: we recommend hiring a home inspector, verifying the accuracy of the property line (by asking seller for the survey or having your own conducted), and make sure all necessary disclosures about the property, required by various sources, have been made.

Source: “Traditional ‘Rules’ of Home Buying Return,” US News & World Report (5/1/12)

Windows XP laptops and Android smartphones — even when reset to their original factory settings — were found to be the most vulnerable and still contained sensitive personal information that could be uncovered on the devices, Robert Sicilliano, a McAfee identity theft expert, told USA Today.

Sicilliano purchased 30 used devices off Craigslist. He found that half the devices were clean, but 15 of the devices still contained a lot of personal information. He was able to find bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, work documents, and court records on some of the devices.

Apple’s iPhone and iPad as well as Research in Motion’s BlackBerry were found to not pose the same risks as Android smartphones, Sicilliano notes (although he still recommends users reset the devices before giving them away).

Mary Ann Miller, financial fraud expert at Nice Actimize, told USA Today that device makers need to provide more guidance on how to responsibly get rid of old electronic devices to prevent security breeches.

Until then, Sicilliano says: “I would beat the thing to death.” What are your thoughts?

Source: “Discarded Digital Devices can Retain Sensitive Data,” USA Today (May 2, 2012)

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Some of the consequences of foreclosures are obvious: family displacements, crime in vacant properties, ruined credit, and the loss of equity. Other, less obvious consequences have emerged as well. About 8 million children could be affected, including kids of home owners and renters who were evicted due to a foreclosure. Julia Isaacs of the Brookings Institution calls these children the “invisible victims” of the foreclosure crisis, as foreclosures not only can cause emotional trauma, but also interfere with a child’s educational development.

Researchers also have found a connection between rising foreclosures and an increase in medical visits for mental health, such as anxiety, or preventable conditions such as high blood pressure. Plus, let’s don’t forget possible job related problems. 

Our region is strapped because of a loss of property tax revenue caused by foreclosures, which can lead to cuts in services — including fire protection, senior centers, and local law enforcement. Please provide comments about your local market contitions. 

Source: “Three Hidden Costs of the Foreclosure Crisis,” MarketWatch (4/ 24/12)

The FHFA, the regulator of Fannie and Freddie, says the new policy includes a revised timeline that will require mortgage servicers to respond to a request for a short sale offer within 30 days. Servicers also will be required to make a final decision on the short sale offer within 60 days.

For any short sale offer still under review after 30 days, banks will be required to provide weekly status updates to borrowers regarding the pending short sale offer.

The new policy, which will roll out in stages starting in June, aims to “prevent foreclosures, keep homes occupied, and help maintain stable communities,” says Edward DeMarco, the FHFA’s acting director. “These timeline and borrower communication announcements set minimum standards and provide clear expectations regarding these important foreclosure alternatives.”

The FHFA also says that by the end of the year there will be additional announcements from Fannie and Freddie that are aimed at addressing borrower eligibility and evaluation, simplifying documents, property valuation, fraud mitigation, payments to subordinate lien holders, and mortgage insurance. Please provide your thoughts about this policy?

Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency 

Pinterest, in particular, is growing rapidly, seeing its Web traffic surge nearly 50 percent in February compared to January, according to recent data from Experian Hitwise. The site now ranks as the third-most-popular social media site, behind Facebook and Twitter. What’s more, the site has been growing as a source for referrals to other Web sites: Pinterest users referred traffic to more Web sites in January than Google+, LinkedIn, and YouTube combined, according to a separate study by the site Shareholic.

Ninety-one percent of adults online use social media sites regularly, according to the report. Therefore, we feature daily info. on: www.sierraproperties.com, Trulia, etc!

Experian Hitwise reports the following top six social media Web sites, based on total visitors from March: Facebook: 7 billion, Twitter: 182 million, Pinterest: 104 million, LinkedIn: 86 million, Tagged: 72 million and Google+: 61 million

Source: “ The 2012 Digital Marketer: Benchmark and Trend Report,” Experian (2012) and “New Study Pegs Pinterest as the Number 3 Social Web site,” Forbes (April 9. 2012)

Existing home sales and pending sales are up about 9 percent compared to the same time year ago, according to recent data by the National Association of REALTORS®.

Paul Dales of Capital Economics told USA Today that he expects the spring selling season to “be the best in four or five years” for the real estate industry.

Our housing supply of for-sale homes has dropped the most and is more balanced which should be the potential of prices gaining this year. So, we’re optimistic!

Source: “Spring Home Sales Could be Omen,” USA Today (April 2, 2012)

“Principal reduction works,” says Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics. “If someone gets a reduction in their principal amount, it gives them a powerful hook to really fight to try to hang on to the home and not go into foreclosure.”

The Obama administration has increased incentives to lenders for write-downs, reimbursing half of what the lender writes off in some instances. Your comments?

More information at source: “ Fannie, Freddie Press for Mortgage Write-Downs,” WBUR.org (3/23/12)

The court’s decision is supported by the National Association of REALTORS®, which along with other organizations submitted a friend-of-the-court brief in the case.

The ruling is on a narrow procedural issue: whether the owners have the right to appeal the EPA’s wetlands determination or wait until they first restore the property to its original state and then institute expensive and time-consuming monitoring activities? Noncompliance with the directive can subject violators to fines of up to $75,000 a day!

Lower courts have sided with the EPA, saying the agency’s compliance orders aren’t subject to judicial review. Only when the agency goes before a judge to assess a fine for noncompliance is the order reviewable by a court. But the Supreme Court in its unanimous decision said it’s appropriate to allow parties to contest agency decisions before having to first comply with the order.

NAR argued in its brief that the property owners in this case were being denied due process because the compliance procedures take years to work through and the costs are significant — all before the main question of whether the property contains a wetlands is even considered.

In this case, Mike and Chantell Sackett bought a piece of property in an already developed subdivision near Priest Lake in Idaho with sewer infrastructure already in place. After they started to prepare the property for construction of their house, they were directed by the EPA to stop and mitigate the changes they had made to the land out of a concern that the property contained a wetland — even though the property was adjacent to other developed properties and there was no water on the site at the time.

The Sacketts sought a hearing for their case to determine whether the property contained a wetlands, but EPA said that question couldn’t be decided until after they undertook the restoration and monitoring activities, or refused to do that and were levied a fine.

With the Supreme Court decision, the Sacketts can now get their day in court.

We appreciate this source from Robert Freedman, REALTOR® Magazine