Economic Update-Last week in the news

New home sales rose 26.9% in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 411,000 units from an upwardly revised rate of 324,000 units in February. Economists had expected a pace of 330,000 units. It was the biggest monthly increase in 47 years.

The index of leading economic indicators — designed to forecast economic activity in the next three to six months — rose 1.4% in March after a revised 0.4% gain in February. It was the 12th straight monthly increase and the fastest pace of growth in 10 months.

The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted index of mortgage applications for the week ending April 16 rose 13.6%. Purchase volume increased 10.1%. Refinancing applications jumped 15.8%.

The producer price index, which tracks wholesale price inflation, rose 0.7% in March, following a 0.6% decrease in February. Economists had expected a 0.4% rise. The increase was largely due to a sharp rise in vegetable prices after a cold snap damaged crops in Florida.

Existing home sales rose 6.8% in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.35 million units from 5.01 million units in February. The inventory of unsold homes on the market rose 1.5% to 3.6 million, an 8-month supply at the current sales pace, down from an 8.5-month supply in February.

Orders for durable goods — items expected to last three or more years — fell 1.3% in March after a revised 1.1% increase in February. Excluding volatile transportation-related goods, orders posted a monthly increase of 2.8%.

Initial claims for unemployment benefits fell by 24,000 to 456,000 in the week ending April 17. Continuing claims for the week ending April 10 fell by 40,000 to 4.6 million.

Upcoming on the economic calendar are reports on the housing price index and consumer confidence on April 27, and gross domestic product on April 30.

Brad Applegate

FC Tucker, Indianapolis

Lawless Team

Short Sale: The Basics

A short sale is when a home is sold for less than the amount owed on the mortgage for the home. This occurs when the bank agrees to take less than the full amount due on the mortgage.

A seller does not have to be behind on a home loan to seek a short sale. If sellers wish to pursue a short sale, they must owe more than what the home is worth, demonstrate the house cannot be sold for the amount owed, and suffer from a legitimate financial hardship that makes the mortgage unaffordable.

The next step in the short sale process is to assemble a short sale package. This package will include such things as a financial statement showing monthly expenses, income documentation, bank statements, tax returns, a listing agreement, purchase agreement, an estimated HUD statement and a financial hardship letter.

If the home is sold as part of a short sale, there will be a difference between the amount owed and what the bank collects. This is called the shortage or the deficiency. Sometimes this deficiency may be negotiable. Some banks will seek a promissory note for the deficiency, meaning that the seller may be responsible to pay the difference between what the home sold for and what is owed to the lender. Some lenders might choose to file a collection or a judgment for the amount owed. The seller should be certain that any amount of debt, or release from debt, is received in writing. If the deficiency is forgiven, the lender can write off the shortage with the IRS, which means the seller may be responsible for paying taxes on the amount of the deficiency. However, the Mortgage Debt Relief Act of 2007 generally allows taxpayers the potential for relief from tax on mortgage debt forgiveness.

A short sale will affect the seller’s credit score. To minimize the effect on a credit score, sellers should avoid making late payments on their mortgage and work with the bank to report the sale in the best possible manner.

We are not a law firm, nor an accounting firm, nor a credit repair organization. For advice regarding potential tax liability or credit scores, please consult a tax attorney or an accountant.

For More Information

Brad Applegate

FC Tucker, Indianapolis

Lawless Team

Must Try Strawberry-Rhubarb Tart

Ingredients

Tart:

• 1 (8-ounce) sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 cups strawberries, stemmed
• 1 cup sliced rhubarb (1 large rib, trimmed but not peeled)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Glaze:

• 1 tablespoon currant jelly
• 1 tablespoon very hot water
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
• Lightly sweetened whipped cream, for serving

Directions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the pastry into a rectangle about 1/8-inch thick. Cut 2 (3/4-inch wide) strips from a long side. Cut remaining pastry into a 13 by 5-inch rectangle and place on the prepared baking sheet. Brush a 3/4-inch border down 1 long side with water and lay 1 narrow strip on top, pressing gently. Repeat on the other side. (The filling should be thick enough so you don’t need pastry strips on the short sides of the tart to keep the filling from spilling out when the tart is assembled.) Trim any overhang, if necessary. Very lightly roll a pizza wheel along the inside of the strips to score halfway through the base. Brush the top of the strips with milk, taking care not to drip down the sides. Pierce the base all over with a fork, line it with a piece of aluminum foil that extends along the sides of the strips but not over, and weigh foil down with pie weights or dried beans. Use a paring knife to flute the outer edges of the tart by making small cuts an inch apart. Bake until set, about 15 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake until light golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Cool on a rack.

Trim the strawberries’ broad tops and put the trimmings in a small saucepan with the rhubarb, sugar, and vanilla extract. Simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fruit is thick and jamlike, about 15 minutes. Add butter and puree with an immersion blender or in a food processor until smooth. Cool. Halve the remainder of the strawberries lengthwise.

To assemble the tart: Spread cooked mixture in the shell. Arrange strawberries in shingled rows down length of the tart.

For the glaze: Stir together jelly and hot water. Brush warm glaze over strawberries. Dust the sides lightly with confectioners’ sugar, slice, and serve with whipped cream.

Brad Applegate

FC Tucker, Indianapolis

Lawless Team

MarketWatch-The latest news on your local real estate conditions

March pended home sales up 10 percent in Central Indiana

Eight counties see increase in housing prices

INDIANAPOLIS – More than 2,500 Central Indiana homes recorded pended sales in March, with eight of nine Central Indiana counties reporting increases compared to the same time period last year, according to pended sales statistics compiled by F.C. Tucker Company.

Overall, March home sales jumped 10.6 percent with 2,509 homes pended compared to 2,268 in March 2009. Shelby County posted a 34.3 percent increase, followed by Hamilton and Johnson counties with a 20.3 percent and 15.7 percent increase, respectively. Boone County was the only Central Indiana county to show a decrease in home sales, with a 21.4 percent decline.

Tucker’s just-released data also indicates that eight of the nine Central Indiana counties saw increases in average year-to-date home prices. Homes in Marion County sold for an average of $105,616, a 17.4 percent increase over the same period last year. Also, Hancock and Morgan counties showed 14.8 percent and 13.7 percent increases, respectively. The average year-to-date sales price for a home in the nine-county area was $139,533, which is 12.1 percent more than January to March of last year.

“Pended home sales in Central Indiana have steadily increased each month in 2010,” said Jim Litten, president of F.C. Tucker Company. “We hope this trend continues throughout the spring home-buying season as Hoosiers take advantage of the final days of the federal tax credits and continued low mortgage rates.”

As homeowners readied their homes for the traditional spring and summer home buying season, available homes for sale in the nine-county region rose 2.3 percent in March 2010 with 15,986 homes on the market, 358 more homes than in March 2009. Five counties still experienced above average inventory declines. Johnson County experienced the greatest decrease in inventory at -4.9 percent, followed by Hamilton County with 0.2 percent.

Federal tax credit to expire April 30

Potential Central Indiana homebuyers have until April 30 to take advantage of the first-time and move-up buyer tax credits before they expire. To qualify, homebuyers have to sign a purchase agreement by April 30 and close by June 30. For additional details, please visit http://talktotucker.com/buying/federal_tax_credit.asp.

Quick Links:

Pended single-family and condominium home sales

Active Listings – Inventory

Average Sale Price

Pended single-family and condominium home sales

Active Listings – Inventory

Average Sale Price

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Editor’s Note: All statistics were compiled by F.C. Tucker Company from a report drawn from Propertylinx statistics on April 8, 2010. Pending means the sales contract has been signed, but the transaction has not closed. According to the NAR, pending sales typically are finalized within a month or two of signing.

With more than $2.2 billion in annual sales, F.C. Tucker Company is Indiana’s largest independently owned comprehensive real estate firm with 45 offices and more than 1,300 sales associates throughout Indiana and select markets in Kentucky. Less than one percent of all real estate firms have the longevity of F.C. Tucker. Founded in 1918, the company’s family of businesses includes a full range of real estate services—mortgages, title insurance, relocation services, a full line of insurance products, auctioning and homeowner warranty products. F.C. Tucker has earned a reputation for its exceptional service, experienced sales associates and “Golden Rule” commitment to its clients and employees.

Brad Applegate

FC Tucker, Lawless Team Indianapolis

The April 30 tax credit deadline is right around the corner.

Homebuyer Tax Credit Countdown

The clock is ticking on the $8,000 first-time home buyer and $6500 homeowner tax credits. Buyers must have a binding written contract in place by April 30 and must close on the property by June 30.

To claim the tax credit on their 2009 return, home buyers must fill out IRS form 5405 to determine the amount of their available credit; apply the credit when they file their 2009 tax return or file an amended return, and attach the documentation to the return or amended return.

It’s all About You,

Brad Applegate

FC Tucker, Indianapolis

6 Questions Foreclosure Buyers Should Ask

There are questions that buyers in any market should be asking before they make an offer on a property in foreclosure.

Is now a good time to buy a foreclosure?

This is a very common question from both real estate professionals and prospective buyers. Obviously, because local market conditions vary, the answer is different from market to market. But there are questions that buyers in any market should be asking before they make an offer on a property in foreclosure.

What’s the first step buyers need to take?

Require buyers you work with to be preapproved for a loan before you help them shop for a foreclosure. If they’re thinking of buying a foreclosure as an investment or second home, they need to understand that financing the home will be more difficult and more expensive than financing a primary residence. Lenders typically charge higher interest rates and require a larger down payment for investment or second homes.

How can you tell a bad foreclosure from a good one?

Certainly there are great deals in many markets for both investors and buyers looking for a primary residence. But making a sound deal can be tricky. Buyers need to be wary of unpaid liens, including mortgage debt, taxes, construction loans, home equity lines of credit, and possibly a second or third mortgage. Any or all of these financial obligations could become your clients’ responsibility when they purchase a property in foreclosure. Unless the property goes through a foreclosure auction and becomes a bank-owned REO, the outstanding foreclosure liens and fees could be simply transferred to the new owner—your clients. Don’t let them fall into the same financial trap as the previous owner.

If I’m a qualifying borrower, can I appeal to banks for better loan terms?

Lenders are drowning in defaults—particularly in hard-hit real estate markets such as Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan, Nevada, and Ohio—so they may be motivated to cut a deal. If your clients have a good credit score, many banks will offer them a below-market-rate loan on a bank-owned home. Unlike paying down with points, this doesn’t cost anything in fees, and it gives them the ability to spend more for the home.

What are the costs of buying a foreclosure?

It takes money to make money. The best opportunities are for buyers with cash. If your clients are planning to rent out the property or even resell it for a quick profit, make sure they consider the carrying costs, including sales commissions, marketing costs, vacancies, taxes, insurance, and maintenance costs. Once you’ve calculated all the expenses, add on another 10 percent to 15 percent. If they don’t build in a “surprise fund,” your clients might be the next foreclosure statistic.

How does choice of neighborhood affect foreclosure investments?

Clients looking for a good investment should generally avoid neighborhoods overrun with foreclosures, particularly newer subdivisions in overbuilt exurban areas. Investors will be tempted to buy foreclosures in these areas because they offer the steepest discounts—but they also carry the most risk of further depreciation. Look in well established neighborhoods with good schools and transportation. If you’re in a market where prices are still falling, encourage your clients to factor falling prices into any offer they submit on a foreclosed property. Source: James J. Saccacio

It’s All About You,
Brad Applegate

FC Tucker Indianapolis

Chicken Legs with Vegetables

Make a delicious and nutritious dinner with only four ingredients.

This super-simple recipe gives you lean protein, carbs, and fiber, along with a host of vitamins and nutrients. To maximize the health factor, leave the skin on your vegetables. Total prep and cook time will run 45-60 minutes

2 skinless chicken leg quarters
1 cup chopped Zucchini
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup quartered baby red potatoes

Chicken Legs with Vegetables

It’s All About You!

Brad Applegate

FC Tucker