I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news but the housing market will continue in decline and this occurrence would have been the same if the election had turned out differently for John McCain.
Any change in administration will not happen for months.
Any contemplated changes by the new administration (however beneficial) will not be acted upon for several more months.
Any accepted changes will then take additional time to become effective.
In the mean time;
Millions of new foreclosures will have hit the marketplace. A marketplace suffering from short demand that has supply added to it will have but one reaction to make, a downward effect on pricing.
Confusion is surrounding the bailout and whether the banks will free up lending practices or use the government funds for other purposes.
The promise of a future rescue by the government of homeowners from foreclosure is much too little too late to change this housing market. The time for positive action to help this market has long since passed because it has now mushroomed into something bigger than just the housing industry and homeowners.
Simple changes to the way the banking industry handled this situation could have been enacted quite awhile back and had a positive or stabilizing effect. Instead the financial institutions decided one and all to get into the real estate business and their track record in the real estate business has been and still is a dismal one.
The simple fact is banks do not what to own real estate because they do not know how to market real property. It quickly becomes an albatross to them.
Knowing this as one of their core beliefs, instead of foreclosing on properties and thereby becoming the owners of large portfolios of property, they could have perhaps handled thing differently to avoid the ownership and disposal role that they traditionally do not want or particularly handle very well.
Some new and radical way of dealing with homeowners that are late on their payments should have been explored. Perhaps something along the lines of converting the loan payment arrearages into second mortgages with balloon payments due on dates certain might have helped both sides in this difficult situation that now effect us all.
This idea or many others should could been investigated and enacted before the banks found themselves in the unwanted position of real estate owners.
Now we are in a situation that unfortunately has no quick fix. Although a change in administration is a great step in the right direction it will take considerable time, effort and talent to bring about changes for the better in the housing market.
Posted by James Joseph
Posted by James Joseph