South Florida Is Gearing Up For A Star Studded 2011

Now that the holidays are behind us, most of us are looking forward to a new year filled with opportunity and a renewed sense of purpose and direction. Many of us have developed agendas, plans and strategies focused on self-improvement in all areas of our lives, ranging from the professional to the financial to the personal. As South Floridians, our economy probably tops the list of critical items in need of development. Americans are renowned for their dynamism and resilience, and nowhere is that amazing quality more prevalent than in South Florida.

Our local media, however, seems unshakable in their profound obsession with pessimism over our economic future. Just this morning, I read a two page article in the local paper that chronologically rehashed the events of the last five years in the Florida real estate market. As if any of us need to be reminded at this point! If ever there was an industry that could be diagnosed with clinical depression and OCD, the media would be it. Unlike the traditional variety of bipolar disease and related maladies, however, this strain is potentially contagious through continued exposure! Unless they undergo treatment and soon, newspapers and other news sources may soon be required to come with a Surgeon General warning.

Fortunately, many of us have had our fill of the media’s attacks on our communities and our market. The incessant onslaught of negative coverage has served to inoculate us, and I believe that residents, businesses and local government are beginning to develop a mindset determined to categorically prove them wrong. Business and government leaders in our area seem to be coalescing in a way that has not happened at any time in recent memory.
On January 11th, JP Morgan Chase in conjunction with The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce is hosting the 2011 South Florida Economic Summit at the Jungle Island in Miami. The goal is to provide knowledge, insight and a clear outlook for opportunity and business prospects in South Florida throughout 2011. Governor Rick Scott and US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan headline the list of prominent speakers and distinguished guests from the South Florida business community and political arena. The Summit will feature no less than 20 leaders and visionaries from all key business sectors including commercial and residential real estate, healthcare and technology, banking, travel and tourism, retail and automotive sales, and international trade.

The film and entertainment industry is also alive and well in the Sunshine State, and South Florida is leading the way. Last year, the state approved a $242M incentive program to attract the film industry to our shores, and the results have been sensational. No less than four feature films and four television series are currently in production in South Florida alone, with numerous others slated for 2011. There’s even talk of a new Charlie’s Angels series being brought down to Miami. When film crews, production staff and celebrities go on location, the entire local economy gets a shot in the arm. They need transportation, hotels and hospitality services, real estate, professional services, warehousing and just about everything else to support their productions. In addition and as we know from previous experience, the amount of publicity and exposure that comes from being a preferred location for the film industry brings long term investment and drives businesses and individuals to live, invest and spend their vacation dollars as well.

They say the internet has sounded the death knell to print media. That is probably a true statement, for the most part. Beyond that, however, I truly believe the predominant gloom and doom they push has had a debilitating effect on their credibility, impact and business. I’m not saying they need to start believing in the tooth fairy again. I am saying they need to start believing in South Florida, and in the USA.

Luxury Home Inventory in Miami Dade = 2.4 yrs ($1.0M-2.5M) and 3.1yrs ($2.5M-5.0M). Time to buy is NOW.

A healthy real estate market is said to carry about 6 months of homes in inventory. This is called the absorption rate.

Of the 10 most expensive homes currently on the market for sale in the US, 5 are listed by Coldwell Banker Previews. www.HenryPedroso.com

HAFA Nice Day!!

Few phrases inspire the level of disdain in the hearts and minds of real estate professionals across the country as the term “Short Sale”. The slightest mention of the words is anathema to those of us who are committed to making the real estate experience a happy and satisfying one for our buyers and sellers. The complexities, potential pitfalls, delays and general difficulties in seeing them through to fruition have tested the resolve and patience of Buyers, Seller and Realtors alike. Engaging in a short sale has transformed the real estate experience into the psychological and emotional equivalent of a seemingly unending root canal procedure.

One of the most common complaints about the short sale process is the lack of standardization between the numerous lending institutions that have essentially created a labyrinth of ever-evolving documentation, rules, regulations and procedures that have turned the process of buying and selling a home into a nightmarish odyssey.

The federal government has responded by creating the Homeowner Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives program (HAFA). HAFA has it's genesis in the 2009 Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), which was developed to provide rules and incentives for loan modifications on distressed owner-occupied homes. While well-intentioned, the program, after receiving over 1.7M requests for loan modifications by January 2010, discovered that many of these applications failed to qualify for a loan modification.

Some of the reasons given for this were:

1. Many of the homes had lost so much value that the borrowers (homeowners) were no longer interested in pursuing a modification.
2. Many of the borrowers were now unemployed or underemployed.
3. Borrowers who qualified for a loan modification were failing to make their modified loan payments at a rate of over 50%.
4. Some borrowers had already moved on with their lives, were no longer interested in keeping the properties, and had made alternative living arrangements.

In order to prevent these homes from further clogging up the already besieged courts flooded by volumes of foreclosures, the federal government identified the short sale as a viable alternative, and on November 30, 2009, announced the creation of HAFA. HAFA is ostensibly a program that provides standardized policies, procedures, forms and much needed timeframes to establish short sales or deed in lieu of foreclosure (DIL) outlets for borrowers who did not qualify, were not interested in, or were not able to make timely payments under the HAMP program. The program became effective on April 5, 2010. The original November 30, 2009 program was revised on March 26, 2010, just 10 days before its implementation. All lenders and servicers participating in HAMP and all qualifying loans are required to participate in HAFA. The program is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2012.

Effective June 1, 2010 both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have released their own Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA) guidelines, forms and procedures. As expected the new Fannie and Freddie HAFA rules and forms are almost identical to the original HAFA program released by the U.S. Treasury Department. However, both agencies have their own forms that must be used and there are a few twists and differences from the original program that everyone should know about. With the release of the new Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac HAFA rules and forms, virtually all owner occupied properties in this country are now subject to the HAFA program.

General Features – HAFA

A. Allows Short Sale Borrowers to receive pre-approved short sale terms prior to the property listing.
B. Prohibits the servicer from requiring, as a condition of approving the short sale, a reduction in the real estate commission, agreed upon in the short sale agreement
C. Requires that borrowers be fully released of future liability for debts (No deficiency liability).
D. Provides financial incentives for borrowers, servicers and investors.
E. Buyers can receive notification of approval of their offer within 10 days of submittal.
HAFA does not alter or modify lender or investor guidelines. HAFA is a procedural overlay that standardizes processes, procedures and forms.

Owner-occupied homes will no longer automatically go into foreclosure. They must first be evaluated for a loan modification under HAMP. If the HAMP modification does not succeed, the borrower must be offered the HAFA short sale process before it can go into foreclosure.

Basic Eligibility Requirements

1. Must be Owner-Occupied Property
2. First Lien Mortgage must have been originated on or before January 1, 2009.
3. The mortgage is delinquent or default is reasonably foreseeable
4. The current unpaid balance on the home is $729,750 or less
5. The borrowers total monthly mortgage payment exceeds 31% of the borrower’s gross income.

Lenders and servicers are allegedly looking closely at the HAFA program as a short sale model for investor properties in the future. This will not be a part of the HAFA program, but may serve as a procedural inspiration for establishing a short sale channel for investor-owned properties.

For more information on HAFA short sales, do not hesitate to contact me at 305.282.1763, or email me at henry.pedroso@floridamoves.com.

Miami Dade County Online Foreclosure Auctions Are Not For the Faint-Hearted

Miami Dade County Foreclosure Cyber-Auction Is Potentially A Risky Proposition for the Inexperienced. Undisclosed mortgages and liens may pose staggering additional costs and the property you buy may still wind up being subject to foreclosure. Read the article.http://ping.fm/9ATGt

Solution:

1. Realize that there will be additional costs to purchasing distressed properties such as foreclosures, and online government auction sites may afford buyers the convenience of bidding on properties through the internet, but it does not remove the critical research that MUST be done prior to placing a bid.

2. Seek the guidance of an experienced and qualified Realtor who has developed a network of experts (title companies and attorneys, inspection companies, and appraisers). Property inspections and comprehensive lien and open permit searches must be conducted prior to entering into any bidding situation.

3. Calculate all additional costs into the total cost of acquiring the property. You may find that the opportunity is not quite what it appears to be.

4. Your Realtor will be able to provide information on recent sales of comparable properties in the area to help you determine whether the foreclosure route is the most prudent for you, and present potential alternatives for your consideration.

Most importantly, remember the old addage, "If it looks too good to be true, it probably is."

Feds Report 3 Months of Fastest GDP Growth in 6 Years

The U.S. economy grew at the fastest pace in more than six years during the fourth quarter of 2009, according to a government report Friday. Restocking of inventories and government stimulus led the way. CNN/Money reports - http://ping.fm/0xWml

EPA to Target Florida for Higher Water Quality Standards

EPA to recommend higher water quality standards for Florida that would increase production costs on agro businesses, and raise consumer prices on products. This would be funny if it weren't so tragic that the Feds would target water in a state that is so deeply under water. http://ping.fm/6MaJJ

FPL'S Proposed 30% Rate Increase Rejected!

FPL's Proposed 30% Rate Increase is TURNED DOWN!! http://www.miamiherald.com/news/top-stories/story/1424156.html

Big News for Short Sales!

10-day limit on short sales may spur housing market http://ping.fm/CPr7M

Senate Agrees to Extend and Expand Homebuyer Tax Credit

Breaking News: Senate agrees to extend and expand Homebuyer Tax Credit http://ping.fm/u0p4I