LATHAM REALTY

24/09/2017

http://realtormag.realtor.org/news-and-commentary/economy/article/2017/09/build-it-s-1950

Taking aim at real estate is not the way to generate growth.

06/09/2017

CLEAR SKIES AHEAD FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS

11/06/2017

150 YEARS AGO THIS MONTH, PROBABLY THE BEST DESIGNING ARCHITECT AT LEAST IN MY OPINION, WAS BORN...

The architect's 150th birthday has spurred a major reappraisal of his work, including a major MoMA exhibition, yet five houses Wright built in L.A. remain underappreciated -- and misunderstood.

09/05/2017

THE MARKET WILL NOT BECOME OVER SOLD FOR MANY YEARS....

The millennial homeownership rate is still low, but the generation represents the future of both apartment renting and home-buying.

29/03/2017

GOOD NEWS!

Contracts to buy previously owned U.S. homes jumped to a 10-month high in February, pointing to robust demand for housing ahead of the spring selling season despite higher prices and mortgage rates.

16/03/2017

GREAT INSIGHT FROM PEOPLE IN THE BUSINESS

Today Barry Habib is on the show talking about yesterday's Fed rate hike and what to expect for housing going forward. CLICK HERE to try MBS Highwa

03/11/2016

AS IS TYPICAL, ACTIVITY HAS SLOWED DURING THIS TIME OF YEAR AND WILL REMAIN SO UNTIL FEBRUARY......PRICES ALTHOUGH, HAVE SHOWN STEADY GAINS OVER THE LAST YEAR......

Sales from January through September fell 3.7 percent compared to the same period in 2015, the lowest since 2011. Despite lower sales, prices continue to climb higher albeit at a slower pace than prior years.

03/07/2016

Despite Brexit upheaval and stock market losses, U.S. real estate market appears on much more solid footing in 2016

31/05/2016

KIND OF A TEPID MARKET. NOT A SELLER'S OR BUYER'S MARKET....

Prices jumped this past month as seasonal pent-up demand slammed head-on into an inventory constrained market. Although California is still finding buyers, there’s no question that at some point, and perhaps happening now, buyers are going to put their hands up and sit tight or even consider out-of-...

24/05/2016

BE VERY CAREFUL TO DOUBLE CHECK EVERYTHING WHEN WIRING FUNDS....Picture this: Wire transfer instructions are emailed to the buyer. The buyer complies with the instructions to the letter. The next day, escrow contacts the buyer asking if the money has been sent yet. The buyer checks with his bank and is assured that the funds have been transferred out. When the money has still not shown up, everyone begins to retrace steps. As it turns out, the wiring instruction was bogus. The email came from an address that looked very much like that of the escrow or title company, but it was not actually theirs.
And the recipient bank account? It was real; it just wasn’t the correct one. And, yes, it has been emptied out by now.
The scheme has been perpetrated by hackers, and it has been going on around the country for a while now. Here's how one alert describes the process:
First, hackers identify the email accounts of real estate agents and brokers. (Not a hard thing to do with real estate ads and messages all over the internet and social media.) Then they hack directly into the accounts “and identify emails referencing pending real estate deals. From these strings of emails, the hackers pull out specific details about the deal, such as: (a) the parties’ names, (b) the title company involved, (c) the escrow officer in charge of the deal, and (d) other information specific to the transaction.”
Then the bad guys sit back and keep track of the transaction's progress. As it gets near to closing, they send fraudulent email “directly to the buyer or lender, making it look like it was sent by the real estate agent, mortgage broker, or escrow agent. These fraudulent emails now direct the buyer and/or lender to wire the funds necessary to close escrow directly to a different bank account than the one provided in the preliminary report or in the escrow instructions. Obviously, this new bank account is controlled by the hacker, not the title company or the escrow holder.”
If the buyer, or the lender, does not detect the fraud, “the money is wired to the bogus account controlled by the hacker and is immediately withdrawn, never to be seen again."

24/05/2016

HOMES ARE NOT GOING TO GET MORE AFFORDABLE IN THE FUTURE THAT IS CERTAIN......ESPECIALLY FOR FIRST TIME BUYERS.....

An increasing amount of new regulations is hurting business, say some of the nation's biggest homebuilders. Look no further than San Clemente, California.

20/04/2016

REAL ESTATE MOST POPULAR LONG TERM INVESTMENT. BEATS OUT STOCKS, SAVINGS, AND GOLD......

The latest Gallup poll has found that 35% of Americans now say real estate is the "best long-term investment," increasing its lead over four other investment choices.