As the housing crunch affects numerous markets around the country, there have been some markets that have been able to blissfully continue with rising home values and rather quick sales. There is some evidence that the housing market crash is finally beginning to penetrate those markets; however. That is certainly the case in cities like Provo, Utah. Even homes that would seem as though they would be rapidly snatched up are sitting on the market with no takers. This has been quite a surprise for homeowners in such markets.

Most homeowners were impacted by the sliding market in 2006. Other markets; however, continued to experience price increases. In Provo, for example, average home prices rose a staggering 14% within a short period of time, compared to preceding home values.

Homeowners in previously hot markets are discovering that they must now resort to creative selling tactics and offering concessions to attempt to move their homes off the market. Just a year ago these homes would have been sold within a matter of weeks. Today these homes are sitting on the market for months at a time. In desperate bids to sell their homes, sellers are slashing prices by thousands of dollars and even offering discounts to buyers who can close quickly or who are willing to work without an agent; providing sellers the opportunity to save on commission fees.

The message is certainly clear. While these markets were once hot, no market is immune to the housing bust. Even markets that are still experiencing price increases are finding that prices are not rising as much as they were in the past. Clearly these markets are beginning to lose steam. In addition, the rapid pace of sales that once marked these areas is beginning to slow down as well. Tighter loan restrictions as a result of the subprime mortgage crisis are likely affecting many of these markets. It is simply difficult to sell homes when buyers are unable to obtain loans.

In most cases, the economy is the one factor that is not affecting these markets. This is certainly the case in Utah, where the economy has managed to remain strong. Despite this fact, the housing market is stalling.

Seattle is another previously red hot market that appears to be stalling as well. While Seattle is certainly still nowhere near the frantic freefall of many other markets, prices are simply not rising as rapidly as they once did. Like many other markets, homes are not selling as quickly as they did last year either. Foreclosure rates have also begun to increase in Seattle in the last few months.

Despite this fact, experts are quick to point out that Seattle should be able to miss the collapse that has affected many other markets throughout the country. The apartment market in Seattle, in particular, looks as though it will continue to remain strong in Seattle even while home prices begin to settle somewhere closer to reality. Overall, inventory amounts are higher than they were last year; however, sales volumes continue to outpace other states.

One of the reasons that Seattle and the bulk of Washington state has been able to avoid the real estate market collapse that has affected the rest of the country is the Growth Management Act the state enacted. This act prevented the development of construction projects in the state as the same rate that occurred in many other states. While other states were building at a rapid rate, Washington was being reigned in.

This turned out to be an advantage for Seattle and other areas in Washington. In markets that experienced a sudden rash of construction, once those projects were completed the market had already begun to crash. As a result, newly completed construction projects were suddenly left vacant with no buyers in sight. Construction loans suddenly began to join the throng of defaulted loans clogging the market.

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Many homeowners have been taken by surprise when the value of their home suddenly seemed to hit freefall. It would certainly seem as though there should be one advantage to dropping home prices; however. Many homeowners assumed that when the value of their homes fell, their property taxes would as well. This has not been the case in many areas; however.

In some cases; homeowners have been shocked to discover that not only have their property tax bills not decreased, they have actually increased in some cases. This has been quite a surprise for homeowners as they struggle to understand why they are paying more in taxes on homes that are not worth as much as they were just a year ago.

The reason for this relates to the complex manner in which property taxes are calculated in many areas. One of the biggest problems, especially in Nevada, is the fact that property tax increases were capped during the housing boom. During this time home values skyrocketed rapidly. Today, the values of homes in these same areas are falling; however, the decreases have not actually been enough to compensate for the increases of just a few years ago. Consequently, the values of homes would need to decrease sharply over a short period of time in order for property tax bills to decrease. While declining property values have certainly been a problem, they simply have not decreased enough in many areas to provide any relief from property tax bills.

As the rate of defaulted loans and foreclosures continue to soar in many locations, numerous counties have discovered that the rate of unpaid properties taxes is also on the rise. The metro Detroit area, in particular, is experiencing a record high rate of unpaid property taxes. Detroit is currently considered to be one of the worst housing markets in the United States based on the decline of housing prices and increase of foreclosures. The lack of jobs and weak economy in the greater Detroit area are considered to be the primary factors contributing to the housing crash in the area.

Even if property owners are paying their monthly mortgage payments on time they could still be at risk for losing their properties through foreclosure if they fail to pay their property taxes for three years in a row. In such situations, the county would then take control of the home and auction it off to pay the balance of taxes owed. Counties in the Detroit area are currently struggling to recoup hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid property taxes. The issue has had significant repercussions on counties in the greater Detroit area.

Property owners who find they are behind on the property taxes can take some steps to stave off foreclosure. The first step is to begin making payments on their taxes. Many homeowners make the mistake of thinking they are doomed if they cannot pay off all of the taxes owed and thus pay nothing at all. Keep in mind that making any payment, even if you cannot pay all of the taxes, is better than paying nothing at all. If you are not able to pay all of the taxes; at least try to pay off your oldest taxes first. Remember that taxes which remain unpaid for three years consecutively places you at risk for foreclosure. Pay off the oldest taxes first to combat this risk.

You might also check with your county to determine whether you may be eligible for an extension for property taxes which are unpaid. In some situations, the county treasurer may be able to grant you an exemption for your taxes if you are able to demonstrate extreme hardship. It is best to do this as early as possible; however, as there are commonly deadlines for the exemption applications.

In addition, check with your mortgage company or bank to find out whether they offer any type of program or loan that can provide you with the money needed to cover your taxes. It is never in the best interest of the bank to have the county take over the property, so they are often willing to work with the homeowner to avoid having this happen. Keep in mind; however, that when you do this will you will be taking on an increased debt burden.

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In some of the worst housing markets in the country, deflation has reached double-digit proportions. While housing woes have reached around the country, California appears to be poised to rank among the worse. One of the primary reasons for this is the fact that in the last several months California has experienced the largest rate of deflating home prices. In fact, home prices in California have fallen at levels that have been unprecedented.

Miami, Florida has also proven to be a difficult market at the moment. Here, the weak mortgage market and record high rates of foreclosures have let to decreasing home values as well. In fact, Miami has been among the worst home markets in the country for two years running. The condo boom in Miami just a few years ago has fueled further problems that have now spiraled into a massive real estate bust.

While Florida and California may have been easy to predict as being among the first housing markets to crumble when the real estate market crashed, there are other markets that are on the precipice of falling which have not been as easy to predict. One of the primary reasons that Florida and California were poised to fall so rapidly were rapidly escalating home values during the boom a few years ago.

Other markets; however, did not rise as much or as quickly, which could be one reason why they have managed to avoid reaching the top of the list; at least until now. These markets include Arizona, Nevada, Indiana and Massachusetts. Declining home prices as well as high rates of foreclosures in these states are also contributing to their worsening real estate market conditions. In Michigan, where layoffs have been significant, the economy is playing a strong role.

Problems are expected to grow worse in many markets as several million adjustable rate mortgages are scheduled to be reset in the coming months. As these mortgages are reset, it is logical to assume that even more homeowners will find themselves facing the reality of being unable to pay their monthly mortgage payments in certain markets. When that happens they will be forced to either face foreclosure or in some cases make a short sell on their home as refinancing is becoming less and less of an option for many homeowners.

According to most statistics, the remainder of 2008 is still poised for problems in the housing market. Many statistics indicate that home values could continue to drop and new homes could experience a loss of up to 18% before the year is out. While there are some indications that the market could begin to level off at the end of 2008 or the beginning of 2009, many experts are quick to warn that when the market does begin to rebound it will not reach the point where it left off. In comparison to the housing peak of 2005, the rebounded market could still be quite a bit lower. Part of the reason for this is that in many areas, prices escalated so quickly that there is simply no way for prices to rebound back to that point.

Still, there may be some home for certain areas. In many markets sub-prime mortgages have either left the market through quick sales or foreclosure. The stimulus package that is on the horizon is anticipated to help the housing market in many areas.

First-time home buyers may soon find the relief they have been seeking since they were forced out of the market; however, it may longer before homeowners begin to experience that same kind of recovery. This is because most homeowners are still reluctant to sell and lose the equity they once had in their homes. The simple fact is that many homeowners have yet to accept the fact that they can no longer get the same prices for that was possible just a few short years ago.

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Back when the housing market was still booming, many homeowners took advantage of the opportunity to renovate their homes. At the time it certainly seemed to make sense. Interest rates were low; loans were usually easy to obtain and homes were selling like hotcakes. Therefore, many homeowners easily made the connection that it was the ideal time to renovate their homes to include higher-end features. These homeowners reasoned that if they decided to sell their homes they would be able to easily recoup the cost of the home improvement.

In most cases, home-equity loans were used to finance these home improvement projects. A home-equity loan is a special type of loan which allows homeowners to take out a form of second mortgage on their home against the equity they have built up in their homes. Due to the fact that home values were skyrocketing in many areas, homeowners suddenly found themselves awash in rapidly rising equity. That, combined with low interest rates, made it quite easy to borrow thousands of dollars to put toward home renovations. In fact, many homeowners found no trouble at all in borrowing up to $100,000 or even more to fund various home improvement projects.

During this time kitchen renovations and upgrades wee particularly popular. Granite countertops became the standard for the day and all high-end homes and even those that bordered on the fringe of being high-end were suddenly being renovated with granite countertops. High-end appliances, especially those produced by Viking, also became quite popular. Homeowners speculated that adding such high-end features to their homes would raise the value even higher.

In many cases, homeowners were able to recoup at least 80% of the cost of those renovations. In other areas, it was not unheard of for homeowners to recoup almost 100% of the cost of the renovation. Taking into consideration a couple of years of use of the renovations and all together, most of these homeowners found it was quite a good deal.

Today; however, the boom has finally ended and many homeowners are finding that those home improvements are more expensive than they ever dared dream. There is suddenly so much inventory on the market from which buyers can choose; however, that they are no longer as impressed with such features as they once were. As a result, even upscale improvements and additions are now recouping less than 70% of their actual cost. There is no doubt that the return for higher-end renovations has certainly declined quite quickly.

This provides critical advice for homeowners who are thinking of renovating their homes in the current market. This message is that if you are planning to renovate your home, you should not go over the top; especially if you think you will be selling in the next three to four years. In most cases you simply will not be able to get the money back when you sell.

You should also take into consideration the fact that home-equity loans for the purpose of renovating homes are not easy to come by as they once were. Just a few years ago it almost seemed as if lenders were begging to give away money. Interest rates were so low, most homeowners felt as though they were being foolish if they did not borrow money against the equity in their homes. Like the rest of the mortgage industry; however, the default rate for home-equity loans has increased sharply. As a direct result, lenders are being far more cautious today about making home-equity loans.

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The subprime mortgage real estate fiasco has created a glut of residential real estate in the real estate market. Foreclosures are on the rise and it doesn’t look like the end is in sight for at least another year. Thousands of home owners are losing their homes because adjustable mortgage rates have adjusted upward and caused increases of monthly mortgage payments so high that the affected home owners just can’t make the payments. It is inevitable, under these circumstances that many homes go into foreclosure and banks have to take them back.

While it is unfortunate that many home owners are losing their homes, the opposite and upside effect is that the real estate market is now a boom for the first time home buyer.

Mortgage interest rates are still low and banks and real estate lending institutions have 30-40 year fixed loans for home buyers. With home values in many areas around the country, such as California, plummeting anywhere from 30-50 percent of what they were a year ago, the market is wide open for buyers who have never owed a home and would like to do so now.

Lending institutions and sellers are very motivated now and are readily lending their ears to home buyers saying “lets make a deal” and deal they will. Here are some of the innovative and sensible ways home buyers can now acquire a home of their own when they are armed with some real estate homebuyer education.

1. Use government grants and loans for down payment assistance.

The federal government in 2003 established the American Dream Down Payment Act. This federal law has allocated $200 Million a year since 2003 to assist with arranging down payments for first time home buyers. This is a good indication of just how serious the government is about helping Americans make the American dream of home ownership come true.

Fannie Mae, one of the many federally supported programs for home buyers has programs such as the MyCommunity Fixed Rate Mortgage. This unique program is ideally suited for the first time home buyer. It provides for low down payment, high loan to value with broad flexibility, including nontraditional credit considerations allowing for the buyer to qualify for the loan. It also has special financial options to serve public servant professions such as teachers, police officers, firefighters and health care workers, and people with disabilities.100% financing is available with 30-40 year fixed rates. Check out the details at http://www.efannie.com.

These funds, in addition to other government funding sources, are made available through federal, state and local government agencies that provide down payment assistance to their citizens on a case by case basis.

Every major city and county has one of these programs. One need only exercise a little initiative and these funds can be acquired. Contact your local housing authority, city managers office or county administration department to find out about them and how to apply.

2. Use non-profit agency down payment assistance

Another little known, but long existing opportunity for first time home buyers to acquire help with down payment assistance is the numerous numbers of non-profit agencies around the country that provide free down payment assistance to home buyers. The Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, enacted by Congress in 1977 and revised in 1995, requires banks located within identified communities to make loans and reinvest the depositors’ deposits within that community.

For decades now and continuing into the future banks have been making huge amounts of funds available to invest in targeted communities. However, the availability of the funds was not publicized in a significant way and many people did not and still do not know about these funds. Many non-profit agencies became aware that they could help in the community revitalization effort by creating a means whereby the banks could channel the funds through various home assistance programs that non-profits created. The non-profits that specialize in this type of program have grown over the years. Some are very large and are nation wide such as the Nehemiah Corporation – www.nehemiahcorp.org.

They get funding from the banks via the Community Reinvestment Act and other funding sources and then provide for down payment assistance and other housing assistance to persons desiring to own a home.

One of the high points of these programs is that the funding is often times not limited to first time home buyers and certainly is not limited to only low income home buyers. This creates yet another source of down payment assistance for the prospective home buyer. Given the numerous avenues of funding to assist in buying a home and the present market swing in favor of home buyers, buyers are now firmly in the driver’s seat.

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