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Archive for August, 2011
August 30, 2011 Shadow Inventory
Shadow inventory is not a term one tends to hear outside the real estate world, so not everyone is familiar with it. A shadow inventory is a collection of real estate properties that are either in foreclosure and have not yet been sold or homes that owners are delaying selling until the market improves. Because of [...]
August 25, 2011 How Saleable is Your Business?
In our blog posts, we frequently discuss the importance of business valuations for businesses at various stages of their lifecycles. Of course, one of the most important times to have business valuation conducted is if you are looking to sell a business. A recent blog post from The Portfolio Partnership “Building Businesses Buyers Love – [...]
August 24, 2011 Which Is Better – a 15-Year Mortgage or a 30-Year Mortgage?
Current interest rates for mortgages are very low, enticing some homeowners to refinance. The current interest rate on a traditional 30-year fixed mortgage is around 4.25% right now, but the current interest rate on a 15-year fixed mortgage is hovering around 3.4%, which makes this an extremely attractive option for those homeowners able to handle [...]
August 18, 2011 Organized Crime Mortgage Fraud Remains Prevalent
Despite nationwide efforts to crack down on perpetrators, many of whom are connected to organized crime, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reports that mortgage fraud remained prevalent in 2010. “There have been numerous instances in which various organized criminal groups were involved in mortgage fraud activity. Asian, Balkan, Armenian, La Cosa Nostra, Russian, and [...]
August 17, 2011 The Appraisal Foundation Releases Video Previewing the Changes to the 2012-2013 Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP)
Last week, The Appraisal Foundation released a free video, A Preview of Changes to the 2012-2013 Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). The video is a 23-minute interview with the 2011 Chair and Vice Chair of The Appraisal Foundation’s Appraisal Standards Board (ASB), J. Carl Schultz, Jr., and Barry Shea, respectively. The video is accompanied [...]
August 12, 2011 Risks of Co-Signing for a Mortgage
With lenders tightening their lending requirements, it has become harder for potential home buyers to secure a mortgage. Occasionally, these potential home buyers turn to a close friend or family member to co-sign the loan, but co-signing for the primary mortgage holder comes with a lot of risks. Co-signers have to be able and willing [...]
August 10, 2011 The U.S. Debt Downgrade and Real Estate
One of the hottest and most contentious topics last week was Standard & Poor’s decision to downgrade the credit rating of the United States from its perfect AAA rating to a not-so-perfect AA rating. That decision came, as we all know, after seemingly endless bickering on Capitol Hill that brought the debt ceiling vote to [...]
August 4, 2011 AICPA Survey Shows that U.S. Accountants Have Some Knowledge of IFRS
According to the results of the IFRS Readiness Survey released by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the majority of CPAs in the U.S. have some knowledge of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Not surprisingly, IFRS knowledge is highest among those CPAs who work in foreign-owned public companies. The survey also shows [...]
August 2, 2011 Is it a Good Time to Sell a Business?
In the second quarter of 2011, there was an increase in closed business sales over the first quarter, despite credit still being tight. There’s speculation that small businesses are slowly coming out of their survival mode and starting to make money again, which makes them attractive to people interested in purchasing a business. But there [...]