EROTIKUNLU

Archive for the ‘buy foreclosures’ Category

I am thinking of buying a cheap home. Is it a good idea to buy foreclosure. Can you buy cheap here or are there hidden costs? Anyone ever successfully buy one? Which is the best place to look for some?

In general foreclosed homes are price lower than comparable homes. They may range from move in condition to major repair, but the price reflects the condition. You are buying "as is" but have the right to inspect and cancel if you don’t like the results. There are no hidden costs per se, but there are additional costs. When you but a foreclosed home (usually FNMA) the seller doesn’t pay transfer tax, title insurance and related closing fees. Contact a local Realtor. Banks don’t sell their foreclosures direct (called REO’s) they list them with Realtors.

Realtor.sailor

just curious. don’t know an awful lot about foreclosures. i know that the the banks are trying to get rid of them by selling them cheaper than the actual market price but yeah..is there some downside to them that i don’t know of??
cheers

It’s because foreclosures can be a pain in the butt to deal with. Yes, they are cheap. However many are not in excellent condition (they haven’t been maintained, or the owners were ticked that they were getting foreclosed on and took fixtures, appliances and such they could sell, etc). Also, many can take a long time to get an offer approved because they have to wait for the bank to finally sign off on it, and they can also take a long time to close.

A foreclosure is a great deal if you can find one in good condition that the bank is anxious to get rid of. Sometimes though they aren’t worth the hassle.

While speaking to people at various events or network opportunities, every so often some one mentions about the increasing number of repossession, thanks to interest rates that have been creeping up slowly in the past year or so.

Recently some one mentioned, “do not why people let themselves into trouble”, he said,”I would just hand over the keys to the bank manager and save my credit history rather than going through repossession hell.”

Nice idea, only that this does not work in UK.

Many people I have spoken to often speak about the foreclosures and ‘how to buy these properties and also help people in trouble.’Unfortunately these people have been regarding far too many property books published for American audience. Foreclosure is a term used in the US. Law works differently in UK, and it refers to repossessions.

Same thing? Hardly!

Lets us talk about foreclosures versus repossessions first.

Myth 1: Foreclosures versus Repossessions

US housing lenders are allowed to apply to the court (and granted permission) to seize the house back, sell it and keep the whole proceeds. Normally court allows repossession but increasingly they are allowing foreclosures. This means that investors can buy the house from the company cheap and make a profit on by reselling it at full market price.

However in UK, companies are not allowed to seize the house. Courts allow them only to repossess the house to be sold at the fair market value, pay the owed amount (and expenses) from the proceeds and send the balance to the borrower.

The Building Societies Act 1997 directs companies to “take reasonable precautions to obtain the true market value of the mortgaged property.”

The true value of any property is often subjective – and depends on the opinion of a purchaser. So how can a mortgage company determine its true market value?

Auction is a route that many companies take.

However the mortgage company does not has to sell the property via auction to obtain the true market value. Courts generally accept this method as a determinant of fair value, but as long as a company can demonstrate, if questioned, that other methods were used, it is allowed.

Some companies sell the property via local estate agents without disclosing that he property is repossessed. By the way of like for like comparison, they can demonstrate that fair value was achieved.

Myth 2: Hand Over The Keys Myth
Many people believe that if they are struggling to keep up with paying the mortgage then handing over the keys to their bank manager will clear them of any further obligations of making payments – because they do not own the house, right?

Sadly this is far from the truth.

Mortgage company lends you the money (cash) and requires you to pay back the whole amount and interest in cash. If the company has to sell the house on your behalf then you are still liable for any interests incurred till all the dues are cleared.

Myth 3: Property repossession allows you to make a fresh start.
Only as long as all debts are cleared from the proceeds of your property!

If the proceeds from your property only pay back a part of the loan to your mortgage company then you are still liable to pay back the outstanding amount. These situations can happen if the property prices have crashed below the borrowing levels.

So if you are facing repossession threat then it is best to speak to some one competent about your situation. One advice is: do not ignore correspondence from your mortgage company. Second, get neutral advice as soon as you can. You do not always have to pay for the advice. Many free advice resources are listed on this link.

Remember,if property is sold via your lender (after repossession) then you not only become liable for further charges (e.g. bailiff etc), this also gets recorded against your credit score for future reference.

Many people prefer to sell the property to an investor who can buy the property fast. These investors can be located via doing a search on Internet, searching your local papers or speaking to those in the know.

Dan Shermann
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/common-myths-of-house-repossession-explained-131392.html

Most of us are well aware of the California Gold Rush of 1847. Thousands of people rushed to California in search of gold in hopes of gaining great fortune. It is true that many left disappointed and with significantly less than they arrived with. However, many people actually did find gold, lots of it and it dramatically changed their lives and the lives of their descendants, even those living today.

Over the past year or so, the number of houses for sale (inventory) has been increasing dramatically. For example, according to a chart provided by the Wall Street Journal1 , between October of 2006 and March of 2007 housing inventory in Los Vegas went from about 40,000 to about 120,000, Chicago went from about 46,000 to about 89,000, Miami went from about 25,000 to about 76,000, Pheonix went from about 17,000 to about 51,000. Housing sales is not dropping off significantly but the number of houses for sale is increasing very dramatically.

What does all this mean? Selling a house is very difficult in today’s market. According to the US Department of Labor2 inflation has gone up about 15.5% between 2002 and 2007. People are generally less able to pay bills than they were. According to an article published on RealtyTrac.com3, in the year 2005 alone, from the first quarter to the last quarter, the number of houses in some state of foreclosure throughout the United States increased about 25%. This means an awful lot of houses are going into foreclosure. This means an awful lot of people need to sell their houses quickly and cannot. This means an awful lot of houses are available for a whole lot less money than even their current market value.

So how do you go about finding a house that is in foreclosure? Finding *all* properties that are in foreclosure is very easy. Every County in the US has a records department where legal documents are recorded. Foreclosure documents are recorded in the County in which the house in question is located. These records are available to the public. Different States have different laws on foreclosure so you need to learn what documents are filed to initiate foreclosure proceedings in your State. In the State of Florida, the first document recorded is a Lis Pendens which officially notifies the owner/borrower that the lender intends to foreclose. By looking up the records you can learn the address of the property and usually the name and address of the owner/borrower. You can also subscribe to foreclosure listing services so you can look them up from the comfort of your home, at your convenience.

You may ask, ‘once I’ve found a house, how do I buy it?’. Especially if you don’t have any money. Many ways to get money exist but two exist that are most popular among real estate investors:

1. You can take existing loans ‘SUBJECT TO’ which means you just take over the loan’s payments, as is. You’d need to make up any back payments. This is not the same as to ‘assume’ a loan. You just take over the existing loan. Of course precautions exist: usually you’d put the house into a TRUST or something similar. Mortgage companies frown on it but it is legal. In fact most States have very strict laws (mostly concerning disclosure to the seller) about taking a loan SUBJECT TO. Real estate investors do it all the time and you can too.

2. HARD MONEY LENDERS – thousands of short term lenders exist who are more than happy to supply you with every dime you need to close a transaction. They’re not usually worried about your credit, they’re far more concerned with the feasability of the deal you have on the table. If they like the deal, they’ll lend you the money. Often, you pay NOTHING until you close the deal or sometimes even sell the house.

So, you can buy the house from the owner/borrower before it goes into foreclosure (which helps the seller) or you can buy it at the foreclosure auction. Most investors seem to prefer buying before the auction.

Real estate investors generally will not pay more than 70% of the current fair market value of the property minus repairs and renovations.

You may ask, ‘once I have the property, how can I sell it in this terrible housing market?’. Simple, don’t get GREEDY! Sell the property for 85% of it’s current fair market value. You’ll need to make sure it looks *real* good, usually paint and carpet (which should have been negotiated into your purchase price). Advertise in the news paper, real estate publications and with about 40 small signs around the neighborhood. Offer real estate agents 3% if they sell it for you. Alternatively, you can sell it very quickly to another investor for a lower price, say 75%.

The housing industry is in alot of trouble right now. But like most things, a balance is naturally being established and in a great part, by real estate investors. Yes, today foreclosures abound, but many people with a bit of initiative are rushing in and snapping them up, making a whole lot of money, changing their lives and their families lives and simultaneously helping to solve the problem.

1. http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-flash07.html?project=housingInv07-0604&h=540&w=750&hasAd=1

2. http://www.bls.gov/bls/inflation.htm

3. http://www.realtytrac.com/news/press/pressRelease.asp?PressReleaseID=86

Marl K. Atkins
http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/the-new-gold-rush-the-foreclosure-boom-182655.html

The information surrounding the real estate market in Atlanta might be getting a little hyperbolic.

We’ve been hearing it for months: A saturated market. Thousands of foreclosures. A stalled economy.

The root of the issue, according to realtors and economic experts, points toward property that was sold to people who couldn’t afford it. Banks issued large loans. Builders developed property at a record pace. And the real estate market boomed.

But when new homeowners started missing their payments, when new houses sat on the market for months, and when foreclosures piled up, the real estate market plummeted into a downward spiral out of which it has yet to climb.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution ran an article about the current state of the city’s market. Journalist Kevin Duffy interviewed Jim Crawford, a real estate agent with ReMAx Greater Atlanta.

Crawford got into real estate 16 years ago. The market was struggling then, too. He says that today’s unfortunate situation is due to a lack of common sense.

Crawford said builders, lenders, agents and buyers all created a fantasy world where anyone could get a loan to buy a house, and now the reckoning has arrived.

“What we have to acknowledge as a society is we got really stupid in the last couple years,” he said.

On top of that, rising joblessness and more foreclosures threaten to worsen the problem before the market makes a turnaround.

Crawford champions Internet marketing, blogs on the real estate network ActiveRain (which led to the quick sale of his own home last year) and speaks at seminars and retreats.

The problem now is that the Atlanta marketplace is saturated. People are hesitant to buy; they are worried about their jobs and their savings. Realtors, sellers and buyers must employ a certain amount of risk taking, as well as common sense.

Duffy asked Crawford what the key was to selling in today’s environment.

I started listing houses here [in 1992] that sat for 2 1/2 years. Pricing has to be dead on in this market. We are shooting a moving target. Maybe some granite. Maybe it needs a whole new paint job, starting with the ceilings. Sellers resist. My answer to them is, the same way you’re resisting is the same way buyers will resist.

Until the market makes a significant upswing, people in the Atlanta area are advised to rent. Rental properties remain available. The city’s numerous neighborhoods and cultural diversity lend the area an attractive cosmopolitan attitude. The news may be a little hyperbolic, but the facts don’t lie. The market is still shaky. But soon it will settle down.

michaelrussell
http://www.articlesbase.com/customer-service-articles/atlantas-realtors-discuss-recent-market-trends-720922.html

Some people choose to do it as a profession, others do it as a hobby, but one thing they all have in common is the desire to profit from it. `It` being the buying and selling of houses, or as some term it – house flipping. In other words – speculating.

So, with the current downturn in property prices, and the upturn in foreclosures, is it a good time to invest in property? What factors should you bear in mind if you are thinking about buying and selling houses?

Consideration of the following, though not an exhaustive list, should give you some guiding principles to help you before jumping in to real estate.

From what source will you find the funds to purchase the property? If it is going to be a bank loan, consider the rate of interest you will be paying the lender until the loan is repaid, usually at the point of the sale of the property. If it is your own money you are using, how much interest will you lose on it being in a bank? Might you need that money in an emergency?

How much are you prepared to buy the house for? The higher the value, potentially the greater the profit. Set yourself a ceiling, particularly when first starting out. Where will you look to locate the ideal property you wish to buy? From an auction, through a realtor, or even privately, are some of the more obvious options.

Once you see a house you think you could do things with, check how much similar properties go for in that neighborhood. Pay too much and if you can`t make sufficient profit you are wasting your time, and you could even lose money on the deal.

Will you be carrying out repairs, or remodelling, yourself, or, will you have to bring in contractors to do the work for you? If you do the work yourself, do you have the necessary expertise to carry out the work safely, and do a proper job? What about family commitments, will you have the support of those closest to you? If you can do the work yourself, or at least the majority of it, you can save yourself a lot of expense. But, you need to consider whether you can afford to take the time off work with the possibility of losing wages. You need the commitment to see the job through, and set a realistic time scale for completion.

It is absolutely essential to calculate how much profit you will receive after taking into account the initial cost of the property, interest on any loan needed to fund the purchase, selling costs (realtor fees, legal costs etc.), your own wages for the time spent on the house, and costs of materials and possibly employing a contractor to do any work needed to add value to the property.

If you have ticked all the boxes and feel confident that buying and selling houses is for you, then you could be on the road to making money in the property market.

Geoff Cummings
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-opportunities-articles/how-to-profit-by-buying-and-selling-homes-723326.html

BEING STREET SMART

___________________

Sy Harding

GOOD NEWS – CONDITIONS RESEMBLE 1973-74! December 5, 2008.

The recession of 1974-75 was the worst since the 1930’s Great Depression. The 1973-74 bear market in anticipation of that recession was the worst bear market since that of the 1929-32 bear market (which led to the Great Depression). The mid-1970’s were indeed a miserable period.

So how can it be good news that the prospects for the current recession, and the current bear market, resemble those of that period?

Because there are an increasing number of pundits predicting this economy is headed down into a second Great Depression, and that the current bear market will need to be as severe as that of 1929-32 (a decline of 90% by the Dow) in order to factor in that disaster.

But that is highly unlikely, and I’ll tell you why.

In my 1999 book Riding the Bear – How to Prosper in the Coming Bear Market, I did compare the 1999 market bubble, particularly in the Nasdaq, to the 1929 market bubble, and predicted the subsequent bear market (which turned out to be the 2000-2002 bear) would be the worst since that of 1929-32.

I made that comparison that time because the market of the 1990s had been so similar to that of the 1920s. Both had been preceded by a record bull market lasting almost 10 years, during which, without periodic corrections to relieve them, the excesses of stock overvaluations and investor euphoria had gotten wildly out of control. 

In both eras the thought that it was ‘a new era’, in which bear markets were a thing of the past, was inspired by a historical technological breakthrough that made such thinking seem reasonable. In the 1920s it was the introduction of electricity into homes and factories. That made for significant increases in factory and office productivity, resulting in thousands of new products being introduced, and exciting new start-up companies to produce them.  

In the 1990s it had been the introduction of powerful and inexpensive computers, automation products, and the Internet. That also made for significant increases in factory and office productivity, resulting in thousands of new products and services being introduced, and exciting new start-up companies to produce them. 

So in both eras the thought followed that the growth of new products and companies would continue unabated, and the prices of their stocks would just keep climbing for decades.

However, in each era the stock bubbles broke. In the 1929-32 bear market the Dow lost 90% of its value. In the 2000-2002 bear the Nasdaq lost 78% of its value.

The current bear market cannot be compared to either. Stock prices were certainly not in a bubble at the bull market top last October. It was the economy that was headed for trouble, the result of the bursting of the housing bubble, and the stock market rolled over into the current bear market in anticipation of a recession.

So the current bear market can more accurately be compared to previous bear markets that took place in anticipation of recessions, not to the two bear-markets that were related to stock market bubbles.

I believe it can be compared particularly to the period of 1973-75, when the worst recession since the 1930’s Great Depression took place.

At that time there was also a world-wide shortage of oil.

There was a war in the middle east (the Yom Kippur War between Israel and Egypt/Syria).

There was the Arab oil embargo, which quadrupled the price of oil and gasoline to record levels, causing despair among consumers and businesses, not only due to the quadrupled prices, but because vehicles had to wait in long lines at gas stations for limited rations of gas.

The spiked up price of oil, combined with other problems, sank the economy into its worst recession since the Great Depression.

A previously popular president (Nixon) had fallen sharply out of favor, and was pre-occupied with his own problems (Watergate scandal), not much interested in the economy, and made a number of blunders, including instituting wage and price controls.

Consumer and investor confidence reached extreme lows.

The media was full of gloom and doom. The consensus expectation was that the economy was definitely on its way into a second Great Depression.

It wasn’t a credit crunch that made it extremely difficult for businesses and consumers to pay their bills or get mortgages, resulting in spiraling foreclosures and bankruptcies. It was inflation, which spiraled wildly out of control, reaching 14% a year, interest and mortgage rates soaring to15%. It became an ugly period of ’stagflation’, when jobs were being lost in large numbers yet prices of everything were soaring, significantly affecting the ability of consumers to meet living expenses.

Meanwhile, until 1979, when Paul Volcker was named Chairman of the Federal Reserve, no policy makers were making any effort to halt the out-of-control inflation spiral.

However, by then, 1979, the stock market, always looking ahead, had already ended the 1973-74 bear market, surging up 73% from its November low in 1974 to its high in 1976.

That the current bear market may be factoring in a recession as severe as that of the mid 1970’s is not necessarily a reason for investors to despair now. (The time for that was at the year-ago top).

In factoring in the 1974-75 recession, the Dow declined 45.1% in the 1973-74 bear market, the worst bear market since the 1929-32 crash, and the next bull market began when fear and despair were at their most extreme.

The Dow was recently down 46.6% at its November low, the S&P 500 down 52.9%. And we’re all aware of the level of fear and despair.

Time to buy?

Sy Harding publishes the financial website http://www.streetsmartreport.com/ and a free daily Internet blog at http://www.syhardingblog.com/. In 1999 he authored Riding The Bear – How To Prosper In the Coming Bear Market. His latest book is Beat the Market the Easy Way! – Proven Seasonal Strategies Double Market’s Performance!

Sy Harding
http://www.articlesbase.com/investing-articles/good-news-conditions-resemble-197374-december-5-2008-672430.html

Many people would like to invest in bank foreclosures and look for basic information about foreclosure real estate. To get accurate and reliable data, they resort to a listing service, because online foreclosure listings are a very convenient way to keep informed. They provide extensive details about foreclosure homes available, concerning both the foreclosure properties as such and how to contact the owner. The interest in foreclosure real estate is very high, because foreclosure prices are usually below the real estate market prices. Homeowners who have secured a bank loan with their property and have failed to make several payments will have their home taken by the bank and included among other bank foreclosures.

The main benefit of buying foreclosure real estate is that foreclosure homes usually come with a great price. Bank foreclosures are sold below their market value, because the main objective of banks owning such properties is to recover the money they have loaned. The best offers of foreclosure properties can be found by searching online foreclosure listings. All areas of interest of potential foreclosure real estate buyers are covered here, and one can sort through available bank foreclosures according to numerous criteria, such as geographical region, property type and condition, or foreclosure prices.

Online foreclosure listings are essential for potential investors. Getting reliable information on foreclosure real estate means you can buy a good home for yourself by paying a low price. If you are a real estate investor and want to sell the property later on, you should definitely go for bank foreclosures. Not only are foreclosure prices lower than those of regular homes, but they are also negotiable. The banks who own foreclosure homes are usually open to discussions of contractual provisions, and this means you can gain significant advantages when you buy foreclosure real estate. Prices keep going up on the real estate market, but bank foreclosures never fail to attract potential buyers, because foreclosure properties are always sold below their market value.

It is common knowledge that bank foreclosures are an opportunity for anyone who could not afford to buy a home otherwise, given the high prices on the real estate market. Investing in foreclosure real estate means you actually get to save money, because you have the chance of buying a good home at a more than reasonable price. Look out for attractive offers of foreclosure properties by searching online foreclosure listings and you will certainly find your desired home among the bank foreclosures available in your region. Foreclosure real estate properties owned by banks are a safe and profitable investment, as the low foreclosure prices are more than appealing.

Subscribing to a service offering online foreclosure listings means you get exclusive information on foreclosure real estate that may be of interest to you. The offer of bank foreclosures covers a wide range of foreclosure homes, located all across the country. Experts in evaluating foreclosure properties sometimes advise potential buyers to focus their interest on bank foreclosures that are not in tiptop shape and which the bank is not planning on reconditioning. Foreclosure prices can get pretty low with this type of foreclosure real estate, and the buyers can make all the necessary repairs and improvements along the way.

Locating affordable bank foreclosures can be a tiresome business, unless you subscribe to a specialized listing service. Online foreclosure listings are a very useful tool for those who want to invest in foreclosure real estate, because they include a lot of information in one place, thus saving a lot of research time for potential buyers. Once someone decides to buy foreclosure homes, they need some guidelines in understanding the process, as well as tips that will help them locate the best foreclosure properties available and reliable information about foreclosure prices. You can find all the necessary details about the bank foreclosures you find attractive by searching through an online foreclosure real estate list.

Whatever the type of foreclosure real estate you may be interested in, you will certainly find good offers of bank foreclosures if you resort to online foreclosure listings. The offers of foreclosure homes can vary according to property condition and location, which also have an impact on general foreclosure prices. Such properties can come in a wide range of prices, depending not only on their location and condition, but also on the banks who own them, but they are generally sold below their market value anyway. Checking up a comprehensive list of foreclosure properties in your geographical region of interest will help you make a solid impression and develop your strategies, while also saving you a good deal of time.

Amelie Mag
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/how-to-locate-the-best-foreclosure-real-estate-properties-71188.html

I have been pre-approved and have contacted 2 real estate agents. 1 helped me put in an offer on a foreclosure and then never contacted me again to tell me the outcome or to even assist me in buying another home. The 2nd one met me at 3 properties (foreclosures) and the one I wanted to bid on (hud auction) she refused stating it would just end up going well over the list price which was then over my approval amount (identical home just went for 30K less). I’ve mentioned a couple of others well below my approval amount and she just replies that those are short sales and will take a very long time to close. Then, she sent me 6 old handy man specials to review in my price range when she knows I want a newer house. I then emailed 3 agents from the HUD website to bid on the auction house and none replied. Any suggestions on where to go from here and what is the major problem in trying to buy foreclosures/short sales?

It sounds like you are obviously not qualified to buy any of the houses you are calling on and all of these agents do not want to waste their time playing a game that will never end.

Instead of deciding what you want, go with your minimum requirements and how much you can afford to buy and have one tell you what that will buy in your market. A fixer may be the best you can do with your budget. If you qualified to bid at all on a HUD home you are low income, and most of that inventory has been bought up.

The trouble with gloom and doom is that when you’re surrounded by it, that’s all you can see. While most economists don’t predict a depression, the prevailing thought is that we’re in for a very bad recession with lots more foreclosures, job losses and many personal and business bankruptcies.

I’m not going to express my views about the insanity in Washington regarding the financial market and Detroit’s Big Three bailouts. I will say the new President sure has inherited a mess (some would say it’s a crime scene). His hands are full but I think he’s got the moral support of the general population and I wish him (and all of us) the best. On the bright side, if history teaches us anything it’s that this, too, shall pass. Everything changes, nothing is static. If you don’t like what you’re seeing right now, just wait a minute, it’ll change.

I’ve been telling anybody that’ll listen that it’s time to buy real estate. Great deals are made when the market is in the tank and everyone is trying to sell. In the residential market, the number of home sales is increasing but prices are still flat or falling, although at a much slower pace. This is a sign that we’re at or close to the bottom of the current real estate market cycle. Another sign of a market bottom is to look at who’s buying houses these days, and who are the sellers. In housing it’s mostly investors buying property directly from the banks.

I’ve been getting lots of calls lately from Realtors who know of commercial properties with owners that are in big trouble and need to sell. It’s definitely a buyer’s market and cash is king. We’re always looking for more great deals as we raise capital to make it happen. The market will probably slide along the bottom for all of next year before signs of life become evident, if then. However, until there is liquidity in the lending market, nothing will change. Since banks and other commercial lenders are not making loans these days, owners have become much more willing to hold a mortgage on their property and you can get great terms from a motivated seller.

The bottom line is, there’s lots of blood in the streets, with more to come, but the darkest hour is just before dawn. Sure, the market may languish for a while but when the recession ends and liquidity is restored to the financial markets, real estate prices will begin moving up again. And don’t forget, we’ll be seeing massive inflation in the next year or so. You can’t print dollars like the Fed has in the last couple of months (and will continue to in it’s battle to restore liquidity and end the recession) without increasing inflation. When inflation is on the rise, you’ll want to be in assets that move with inflation, like real estate. Buy at today’s super low prices and watch your wealth grow as inflation does its thing.

Take a look at the market cycle chart in my blog http://dougmitchell123.blospot.com/ to get an idea of where we are in the current real estate cycle and where the market will head as the economy recovers. The cycles usually repeat about every six to ten years, but because of the extent of the mess the economy is in right now, and Congress being clueless about what to do, I think this one will be long in duration. Remember, the time to buy anything is when everyone else selling, whether it’s real estate, stocks, cars, whatever. Those who move against the crowd now will be tomorrow’s millionaires. It happens in every recession and it’s happening again now. You can bet on it.

Doug Mitchel
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/gloom-doom-and-other-positive-signs-695145.html