Matt Peters's (idealnm) Blog

I've long been a firm believer that "who the seller is" is much less important than the property and the listing price. But, things have changed.  With an increase in short sales, a supply of REOs, plenty of non-motivated Sellers, and "the clueless", foraging for a home or a bargain has gotten mu...

REO listings have great appeal. Who wouldn't want listings from a motivated seller with the ability to do whatever it takes to sell? In many markets REOs are a significant portion of what is actually selling. It's no surprise that more and more agents are looking to get REO listings. Getting a st...

Have you seen the new press release from NAR? There is concern about misinformation out there saying, "Buyers need 20% down in order to buy." NAR's answer is a "media advisory" pointing out conventional loan options with 5% or 10% down, and FHA mortgages which require 3.5% down. See the whole NAR...

Various forms of Stress can create opportunities to purchase real estate at bargain prices.  A promotion or new job requiring relocation for the Seller is a rare positive event.  Most opportunity causing events, however, would be considered negative from the Seller's point of view.  Job loss, hea...

The $7500 Tax Credit included in the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 could be a great "bottom up" stimulus to the housing market. Combined with low interest rates, and excellent prices in most markets it should be a strong incentive to buy and help push the market in a positive directio...

There are a lot of reasons to buy real estate right now -- especially if you don't already own your home. Interest rates are really low, prices have come down in nearly all markets, FHA offers buyers with credit scores down to 580 a variety of products, the USDA has a great zero-down program for ...

Various forms of Stress can create opportunities to purchase real estate at bargain prices.  A promotion or new job requiring relocation for the Seller is a rare positive event.  Most opportunity causing events, however, would be considered negative from the Seller's point of view.  Job loss, hea...

Seems like there are a lot of Agents looking to get into listing REOs.  No wonder, as REOs make up a significant percentage of the active listings in many markets, AND usually an even higher percentage of the sales.  REO listings always sell.  In a slow market they set the market, and in a dead m...