Ilyce

. The housing industry is certainly getting stirred up as we close in on the Midterm elections. It's as though someone took the most polarizing aspects of the housing crisis, plopped them into a blender and hit the "on" switch. The Federal government started things off at the end of last week by announcing that it felt the mortgage lenders didn't need to freeze foreclosures because they had been following procedure and that no one was finding much wrong with the affidavits - except, of course, that they were filed by people who lied on them. This week, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan acknowledged that perhaps the mortgage lenders weren't doing all they could to keep homeowners in their homes. Is it really all about politics?

Ilyce Glink Show Notes - October 17, 2010 - Ilyce talks about the major changes in the real estate market. Countrywide settles with the SEC. Someone moves into the most expensive home in the world. And, of course, we answer your pressing real estate questions, including who you can (and should) trust in the real estate game. Visit Ilyce's blog for more information and links.

Roof repair increases home value and property value. Homeowners can increase their home value with home improvements like roof repair. Consider roof repair if you roof needs repair, it increases home value and helps in selling your home. Insurance may cover roof repair, a home improvement project that increases your home value. Home improvement and home repairs like roof repair increases home value. Increases in home value make it easier to sell your home when the time comes.

A low appraisal can limit options for a homeowners trying to get a mortgage refinance. A low appraisal will prevent a homeowner from getting a mortgage. A low appraisal can reflect the loss of equity in the house and remove options available to refinance the home. Recent decline in housing values and the resulting low appraisals are contributing to the problems of strategic default and loan modifications.

Shop around to find lowest mortgage rates. Mortgage rates are at historic lows but to get great, low mortgage rates you have to shop around. Shop around at multiple mortgage lenders to get the lowest mortgage rates. When refinancing your home, shop around mortgage lenders for the lowest mortgage rates. Refinance with the lowest possible mortgage rates, to get the lowest mortgage rates shop around mortgage lenders.

Foreclosure Freeze: Did the Banks Lie on Their Foreclosure Affidavits? Hundreds of thousands of foreclosures are in jeopardy as a national foreclosure freeze takes hold. Today, Attorneys General in 50 states announced a joint investigation into whether the foreclosure robo-signers actually read the underlying foreclosure documents to make sure they were correct - as they swore in their affidavits. Lying on an affidavit is a big deal because filing an affidavit is like taking an oath.

A reader wants to know if they must continue with the short sale of their home if they have already signed a contract. The contract may state that the seller has rights to cancel the short sale of a home. If the contract does not permit the cancellation of a short sale, then the short sale seller is obligated to continue with the sale. Make sure you understand the terms of your short sale. You should also understand that a flop -- where the buyer turns around and resells the short sale property -- may cause you problems in your sale. Usually you flip a home as home sale values go up. When home sale values have gone down, you can try to buy a short sale home and then resell it quickly for a profit. They now call this home flopping.

Refinancing your mortgage can help you save money. When you finally close on your new mortgage loan, you should know what to expect. Incorrect information, mistakes in calculations, and misspellings are just some of the things you may encounter during the refinancing process. Be prepared to sign endless papers when closing on your mortgage. New HUD laws are in place to give refinancing homeowners new and improved refinancing disclosures about the costs, but the RESPA (Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act) disclosures can be confusing in their new form.

A father promised his home to his daugher. He failed to take care of his estate planning and may not have even taken care of estate planning basics and she did not get the property. The daughter had paid the taxes and upkeep on her father's home. The father, however, left the real estate property to his wife in his will. Is the father's promise enforceable? Can the daughter get compensated for the money she paid over the years? What basic estate planning task should the father have taken to avoid an estate problem?

Ilyce Glink Show Notes - October 10, 2010 - Ilyce discusses the foreclosure freeze: What is happening with the freeze? How are families reacting? How are homes being appraised? For more information on the foreclosure freeze, check out these recent blogs: Foreclosure Freeze: Did the banks Lie on Their Affidavits? Foreclosure Freeze: Don't Worry the Federal Government is Gunning for Mortgage Lenders Foreclosure Freeze: Ilyce on Good Morning America