DETROIT – Feb. 12, 2009 – Ralph R. Roberts, consumer advocate and spokesperson for Federal Loan Modification Law Center, LLP, released a list of the top 10 steps homeowners can take to negotiate an affordable loan modification. The following steps apply to homeowners working directly with a lender, as well as to those teaming up with an attorney or alternative third-party representative.

1. Come clean. It can be tempting to bend the truth when you are trying to convince a lender to approve a loan modification. Only by laying all your cards on the table and disclosing the truth can you begin to develop and implement solutions that will put you back on the path to long-term financial health.

2. Understand your lender’s point of view. As far as your lender is concerned, it all boils down to money. You are most likely to be approved if you can show modifying your loan will cost the lender less than a foreclosure.

3. Keep a cool head. Expressing anger toward your lender puts you in an extremely disadvantageous position. For example, your lender may decide that you are unreasonable and that foreclosing would be less costly overall.

4. Give them what they need. In order to expedite the situation, find out exactly which forms you need to fill out and which documents your lender needs to process your application. Make sure you provide everything to your lender or representative in the manner specified.

5. Ask for what you want. Before meeting with your lender, make sure you spend some time figuring out what you want and need. For example, how much can you realistically afford to pay each month?

6. Let them do their job. Loan modifications typically take between 30-90 days from start to finish. During this time, avoid the temptation to micromanage the process. To alleviate unnecessary anxiety, ask your lender for an anticipated timeline.

7. Get your financial house in order. Put a tracking system in place today and start developing a budget to ensure you are not spending more money than you are earning.

8. Keep everyone posted of any changes. If anything changes related to your financial situation, be sure to keep your loan modification representative or lender in the loop.

9. Make sure the lender’s offer is truly affordable. If the loan modification is unaffordable or makes your budget so tight that you are only one car repair or medical bill away from defaulting again, head back to the negotiating table to try to work out a better deal.

10. Hold up your end of the bargain. The key to success is discipline and commitment. All the effort you spend setting up a plan is of no use if you don’t follow the plan you created or agreed to.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Feb. 12, 2009 – Sales of existing single-family homes in Florida rose 13 percent in fourth quarter 2008 compared to the same period a year earlier, according to the latest housing statistics from the Florida Association of Realtors® (FAR). A total of 30,163 existing homes sold statewide in 4Q 2008; during the same period the year before, a total of 26,635 existing homes sold statewide. It marks the second consecutive quarter that Florida has reported higher existing home sales; sales activity rose 5 percent in 3Q 2008 compared to the same period the previous year, according to FAR.

Florida Realtors also reported a 3 percent gain in statewide sales of existing condominiums in the fourth quarter compared to the same time the previous year. This marks the first three-month period that has noted increased statewide sales in both the existing home and condo markets compared to year-ago levels.

Twelve of Florida’s metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) reported increased sales of existing homes in the fourth quarter compared to the same three-month-period a year earlier, while eight MSAs showed gains in condo sales. A growing number of local markets have reported increased sales activity over the past few months, according to FAR.

The statewide existing-home median sales price was $161,200 in the fourth quarter; a year earlier, it was $216,600 for a decrease of 26 percent. According to industry analysts with the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), there remains a significant downward distortion in the current median price due to many discounted sales, including a large number of foreclosures. The median is a typical market price where half the homes sold for more, half for less.

To gain insight into current trends in Florida’s real estate industry, the University of Florida’s Bergstrom Center for Real Estate Studies conducts a quarterly survey of industry executives, market research economists, real estate scholars and other experts. According to the fourth quarter 2008 survey, respondents’ increasing concerns about the economy have dampened the investment outlook for various types of properties.

However, one positive sign is the recent dramatic increase in refinancing with the availability of 5 percent mortgage rates in mid-December, according to Dr. Wayne Archer, center director. If additional programs are put into place that create 4.5 percent Federal Housing Administration mortgages for people who have difficulty making payments, he said, it will do even more to stabilize the housing industry.

In the year-to-year quarterly comparison for condo sales, 8,374 units sold statewide for the quarter compared to 8,098 in 4Q 2007 for a 3 percent increase. The statewide existing-condo median sales price was $136,400 for the three-month period; in 4Q 2007, it was $190,400 for a decrease of 28 percent.

Continuing low mortgage rates remain another favorable influence on the housing sector. According to Freddie Mac, the national commitment rate for a 30-year conventional fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.86 percent in 4Q 2008; one year earlier, it averaged 6.23 percent.

The outlook for housing and the economy remains clouded despite improved affordability conditions, according to NAR’s latest industry forecast. “For a sustainable housing market recovery and, thus a sustainable economic recovery, we need a significant housing stimulus and mortgage availability for qualified borrowers,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun.

WASHINGTON – Feb. 3, 2009 – Pending home sales increased as more buyers took advantage of improved affordability conditions, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). Big gains in the South and Midwest offset modest declines in other regions.

The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in December, rose 6.3 percent to 87.7 from an upwardly revised reading of 82.5 in November, and is 2.1 percent higher than December 2007 when it was 85.9.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, says the index shows a modest rebound. “The monthly gain in pending home sales, spurred by buyers responding to lower home prices and mortgage interest rates, more than offset an index decline in the previous month,” he says. “The biggest gains were in areas with the biggest improvements in affordability.”

NAR’s Housing Affordability index rose 10.9 percent in December to 158.8, the highest on record. The HAI shows that the relationship between home prices, mortgage interest rates and family income is the most favorable since tracking began in 1970.

“Significant uncertainty still clouds the housing market despite improved affordability conditions. For a sustainable housing market recovery and, hence, sustainable economic recovery, we need a significant housing stimulus and mortgage availability for qualified borrowers,” Yun added.

The PHSI in the Northeast slipped 1.7 percent to 62.1 in December and is 14.5 percent below a year ago. In the Midwest the index jumped 12.8 percent to 83.7 but remains 1.2 percent below December 2007. The index in the South surged 13.0 percent to 96.8 in December and is 1.6 percent above a year ago. In the West, the index fell 3.7 percent to 97.5 but remains 17.5 percent higher than December 2007.

“However, housing activity remains weak compared with potential demand, and the market is fragile given the economic backdrop,” says NAR President Charles McMillan. “We can’t take our eye off the need to stimulate housing, which can set the foundation for an economic recovery. Last week’s actions in the House to eliminate the repayment feature on the first-time home buyer tax credit, and to raise mortgage loan limits, are helpful. However, we need to take additional steps to meaningfully draw down inventory and stabilize home prices.”

McMillan says some enhancements that could bring more buyers into the market include expanding the $7,500 tax credit to all home buyers, extending it until the end of 2009, and making loan limit increases permanent. “We also need to direct funds in the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to add liquidity to the mortgage market, buy down mortgage interest rates and increase other forms of credit,” he says.

Yun says the outlook for housing and the economy is murky. “Although Congress and the Obama administration are taking steps to help the economy, the stimulus package must deal with the root cause of the economic downturn, and apply the right fix to turn it around. If housing is ignored, a significant downward overshooting of home prices would continue to drag the economy down independent of the scale of the stimulus,” Yun says.

WASHINGTON – Feb. 3, 2009 – Homebuyers could see lower mortgage rates and get tax credits as part of a sweeping economic stimulus package being considered on Capitol Hill.

Lawmakers are heeding the pleas of two powerful and well-heeled interest groups: real estate agents and homebuilders. Those industries have lobbied hard in recent weeks for more expansive assistance for their flailing members.

The Senate took up a $900 billion version of the stimulus legislation on Monday after an $819 billion version passed the House last week without a single Republican vote.

Any government aid for the housing sector should be temporary and apply to all buyers to help boost sales of expensive homes as well as low-priced ones, said Wachovia Corp. economist Mark Vitner.

“Nobody wants to buy a home before prices have bottomed out,” Vitner said. “Unfortunately if everybody has the same idea, prices are going to keep falling.”

With median sales prices back to levels last seen in mid-2003 and rates on 30-year mortgages hovering around 5 percent, homes have become far more affordable in most of the country. But some economists say they still have farther to fall, particularly in former bubble markets like California and the Northeast.

Plus, some question the amount of money going toward relatively wealthy homebuyers, instead of renters or those who can’t qualify for a mortgage.

“I’m amazed,” said Dean Baker, an economist and co-director of the liberal Center for Economic Policy Research in Washington. “We’re giving people way more money – just because they bought a home – than if they’re unemployed.”

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters Monday that Republicans would offer a plan to have the government step in to reduce mortgage rates to around 4 percent, which could shore up home prices and lower housing payments for millions of Americans.

“A stimulus bill must fix the main problem first, and that’s housing,” McConnell said. “That’s how all of this began. We think you ought to go right at housing first.”

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y on Sunday told “Face the Nation” on CBS that Democrats would support a GOP-backed idea to double a home buyers’ tax credit from $7,500 to $15,000 and make it available to all buyers instead of those purchasing their first home. He also said the Obama administration is considering ways for the government to lower mortgage rates.

“There seems to be real bipartisan support for a stronger housing focus,” said Mary Trupo, a spokeswoman for the National Association of Realtors, which has rallied its members to push for more aid to the hobbled market.

The Realtors group spent more than $17 million on lobbying last year, with more than $6.5 million coming in the final three months, according to disclosure forms.

The building industry, which has been devastated by the housing bust, has been pushing a package of subsidies that would bring mortgage rates to just under 3 percent for the first half of this year. The National Association of Home Builders – which spent more than $4.5 million lobbying last year – favors a tax credit of up to $22,000 for home purchases.