Tag archives for Legislation

Credit Consequences and Loan Modifications

While a loan modification may save your house, currently it can be disastrous for your credit. This is because many lenders and loan servicers report loan modifications that they have accepted and approved to the credit bureaus as “partial payments” so that the borrower’s history reflects the fact that they were not able to make payments to which they originally Read full article »

Summary of the “Housing And Economic Recover Act of 2008″ Part 1

As provided by the U.S. Senate: A. Summary of the “Federal Housing Finance Regulatory Reform Act of 2008" This legislation strengthens and modernizes the regulation of the housing government-sponsored enterprises – Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the enterprises) and the Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBs or Banks) – and expands the housing mission of these GSEs. In addition, it creates a Read full article »

Real Estate Investors Damaged By New Housing Rescue Plan

The new Housing Rescue Plan legislation has a component that I believe will be particularly damaging to real estate investors. It appears that under the new law, many home owners facing foreclosure will have the option to negotiate a short sale with their current lender, and the government (through Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA) will offer financing for Read full article »

The Homeowner’s Rescue Bill – The US Senate Endorses The Abandonment Of Responsibility

Today, the U.S. Senate ran a test vote of legislation that's designed to rescue home owners from foreclosure situations. The Senate voted 83-9 in favor of hurrying the new law that will have as its focus a foreclosure rescue program that provides $300 billion in cheaper mortgages for financially unqualified borrowers. As always, follow the money. Where does the Read full article »

Due-On-Sale Clause: Everything You Need To Know

(This is part 2 of our Subject-To Real Estate Investing Course. Enjoy!) Creative real estate investors have come to know and hate the "Due-On-Sale Clause". With good reason, too: It gave mortgage lenders the legal right to be unreasonable in being able to extend their rights beyond what would have been possible without the aid of some foolish Read full article »

The Politics of Real Estate

Few industries are as profoundly impacted by the political machinations in Washington as the real estate industry. Whether it's old legislation like Jimmy Carter's Community Reinvestment Act or Barack Obama's massive mortgage bailouts, the U.S. political machine has a huge impact (usually bad) on the business of real estate.

Ideally, we could ignore politics. But here at the Bryan Ellis Real Estate Letter, we insist on seeing the world with clarity - including the reality of Washington's aggressive involvement in every facet of our business, from mortgage lending to real estate sales license; from loan modification regulations to appraisal requirements... every piece of our business is profoundly impacted by politics. So rather than stick our heads in the sand and ignore reality, readers of the Bryan Ellis Real Estate Letter choose to be informed and prepared.

About Bryan Ellis

Bryan Ellis is an Atlanta-based real estate analyst and publisher of the widely read newsletter "The Bryan Ellis Real Estate Letter". With over 200,000 subscribers - including real estate investors, agents, brokers, appraisers and other real estate professionals - the Bryan Ellis Real Estate Letter is among America's largest sources of unbiased coverage of politics and public policy for the real estate industry.

Bryan Ellis serves as editor in chief for the Bryan Ellis Real Estate Letter and is assisted by an extraordinary staff of writers, researchers and editors who are each real estate experts in their own right and who assure that the news we report is well researched, factual, and highly relevant to today's real estate industry.

Bryan is very happily married and has two wonderful daughters. He makes his home in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. You can contact the team at the Bryan Ellis Real Estate Letter here.