Are Banks Hurting Real Estate Values? One Agent’s Opinion is “YES”

I am sure we all have experience in selling or buying short sales and REO’s. Maybe in your neck of the woods, it is different, but here in California’s Bay Area, it seems that banks are not making the right decisions and are not capable of communicating between departments and are indeed preventing real estate values from stabilizing or appreciating. Here are two examples:

1. I was representing a buyer in short sale, and had an accepted offer from the seller and bank approval.  Two  before close of escrow, the bank foreclosed, and the property was bought at the county court house steps for $50,000 less than the accepted short sale offer (this is a loss even with the costs of the sale). This is an example of a lender’s inability to communicate between departments.  Not only does this not make sense from a business / financial perspective, it also lowers the area prices by $50,000 on equivalent homes.  

2. I was representing a buyer in a REO condo purchase.  I had an accepted offer from the bank, and was going through the mortgage underwriting. The lender (for the buyer) decides NOT to do the loan, even after appraising the property at value, because the building does not meet a Fannie Mae guideline that was not designed for new construction.  The original developer  (whose name is on the Final Public Report issued by the California Department of Real Estate) still owns 40% of the total number of units.  This resulted in the buyer walking away after spending $400 for appraisal and $400 for inspections. The condo unit sold for $75,000 less than the short sale offer. All the condo owners in this complex  were negatively impacted by this sale which may result in these owners “strategically walking away” furthering the challenges faced in the current real estate environment.

You tell me the banks are NOT preventing real estate to rebound?

Antoine E. Pirson, MBA, CCRM, CCIM (candidate)
R.E. Broker and Investment Advisor
Caldecott Properties
5251 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94618
Office: (510) 594 2400 x 234
www.investmentpropertyfirst.com
Fax: (510) 594 2424
Lic Nr: 01372814

Tags: Antoine Pirson, banks hurting housing market, banks hurting real estate values, Bay Area real estate, Fannie Mae, Foreclosure, REO, short sales