Author Archives | fthorsen
fthorsen - This author has written 15 posts on RealEstateEconomyWatch.com.
Frances Flynn Thorsen is a free-lance writer, journalist, and real estate course developer. She got her real estate license and became a REALTOR® in 1985. She was an early adopter of real estate technology on the Internet. Thorsen was one of the first real estate bloggers to receive national attention early in 2005, with interviews in Investors’ Business Daily, BusinessWeek Online, Inman News, REALTOR® Magazine, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She was founding editor of RealTown.com and worked as Community Manager of Trulia.com. She appeared Stefan Swanepoel’s 2008 list of 50 Most Influential Women in Real Estate in the U.S.
She is the author of “HUD Homes for Sale: A Complete Buyer’s Guide” and “HUD Homes for Sale: Sales and Marketing Guide for Real Estate Agents.” She is the co-author of “Real Estate Social Media Policies and Procedures Guide” and the companion “Broker Implementation Guide and Workbook.”
Thorsen operates an accredited real estate school for real estate agents and brokers continuing education in Arizona.
She works with members of the Arizona Foreclosure Coalition to help distressed homeowners KEEP their homes.
HUD Moves to Protect Gay Rights in Housing
The housing market took another big step towards civil rights and equality last week when the United States Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposed a new rule to guarantee equal access to housing regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Borrowers and Mortgage Investors Double Team Big Banks
Mon, Jan 17, 2011
Institutional mortgage investors and distressed homeowners are strange bedfellows. Last week the Massachusetts Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling voiding two foreclosures, asserting U.S. Bankcorp and Wells Fargo did not prove they owned the mortgages. Legal challenges point to serious front end problems in the actual securitization of the mort
Fed Bid to Limit Rescission Rights Sparks Consumer Outrage
Tue, Jan 11, 2011
The Federal Reserve is moving ahead with plans to change the right-of-rescission rule as part of the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) despite intense outcry from consumer advocates and top members of the Senate Banking Committee.
FHA Steps Up Intervention for Seniors at Risk of Foreclosure
Wed, Jan 5, 2011
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) offers new guidance for homeowners and lenders for borrowers with reverse mortgages falling behind on property taxes and insurance premiums, placing them at risk of foreclosure. “We understand that some senior citizens have not paid their taxes or insurance for some time and may be at risk of losing their [...]
5 REO Acquisition Avenues for Nonprofits and Govvies
Wed, Dec 29, 2010
Nonprofits are flush with federal stimulus funds to purchase foreclosed properties. Faced with fierce competition for REO properties in hot markets, Neighborhood Stabilization Project (NSP) managers are adopting multiple property acquisition strategies.
Housing Counseling Agencies Advance as Major Players in Real Estate Market
Fri, Dec 24, 2010
The government finds itself in the throes of a major housing crisis and asks, “What works? What doesn’t work?” Recent studies prove homebuyers working with housing counseling agencies are less likely to suffer foreclosure than buyers who go it alone. Homeowners working with housing counseling agencies are more likely to win a loan modification than borrowers making other choices. The government responds with a record 22% increase over last year’s federal funding in 2011.
Foreclosure: Crafting Graceful Exit Options and Recovery Strategies
Thu, Dec 23, 2010
“Not since the Great Depression has an economic downturn and the accompanying foreclosure crisis left so many lives in ruins. How can individuals and families find the resources and support they need to put their lives back in order?” asks A Resource Guide for Foreclosure Recovery, a 25-page handbook published by the Community Affairs division [...]
More Homeowners Dodge Foreclosure Bullet with NFMC Counseling
Tue, Dec 21, 2010
All loss mitigators are not created equal. The odds of curing a foreclosure and avoiding redefault are 1.7 times better for homeowners enrolled in the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling (NFMC) Program than for homeowners who do not receiving such counseling, according to the Urban Institute. The group released a report yesterday analyzing the NFMC program [...]
IDAs Increase Down Payment Cash, Reduce Foreclosure Risk
Mon, Dec 20, 2010
Low-income homebuyers who participate in matched savings plans (IDAs) and financial education are three times less likely to lose their homes to foreclosure than other low-income buyers in the same locale.
Scottsdale Market Snapshot: Cash and Crash Indicators
Thu, Dec 16, 2010
The New York Times once described downtown Scottsdale as “a desert version of Miami’s South Beach” with “plenty of late night partying and a buzzing hotel scene.” Luxury marketer and builder Luetta Newnam of Casa Buena Realty LLC, is a second-generation Realtor who has watched the real estate market swing to dizzying heights and record equity [...]
PA Fraudclosure Scandals Taint Thousands of Court Actions
Wed, Dec 15, 2010
Allegations of legal misconduct and fraud mount as attorneys general and bank regulators investigate lenders and servicers. Charges of unauthorized practice of law by low level employees in a Philadelphia foreclosure mill that represented lenders and servicers in thousands of foreclosures is the latest wrinkle in the ongoing saga of the U.S. housing crisis. Goldbeck [...]
First Responders, Teachers Vie for FHA REO Discount
Tue, Dec 14, 2010
The words competition and highest net proceeds replace luck and lottery in the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Good Neighbor Next Door Program and HUD approved real estate brokerages must be used to place bids for purchasers.
Shared Equity: Roadmap to Homeownership Sustainability
Fri, Dec 10, 2010
Shared equity initiatives for low income families who buy homes below market value deliver sustainable homeownership solutions, low delinquency and foreclosure rates, and families who sold shared equity homes were able to use sales proceeds to purchase market-rate homes, according to Urban Institute.
HUD Redraws REO Sales Blueprint
Wed, Dec 8, 2010
HUD has completed a massive overhaul of its FHA REO sales program with a superstore website, new management design, new commission schedules, and increased opportunities for owner occupant purchasers and nonprofits.
Robo-Signing Scandal Dampens Housing Recovery Hopes
Tue, Dec 7, 2010
Recent bank scandals involving robo-signing foreclosure documents and improprieties in the lending process have weakened consumer confidence about housing market recovery prospects. More than half of adults report that robo-signing disclosures account for less faith in mortgage lenders, banks, and government, according to a recent study by Trulia and RealtyTrac. Thirty-five percent believe the robo-signing issue [...]
Thu, Jan 27, 2011
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