[quote author="Geotpf" date=1254267591][quote author="awgee" date=1254262158][quote author="Geotpf" date=1254259403][quote author="awgee" date=1254165316]From Dr. Housing Bubble:
<em>?Sept. 23 (Bloomberg) ? The crash in U.S. home prices will probably resume because about 7 million properties that are likely to be seized by lenders have yet to hit the market, Amherst Securities Group LP analysts said.
The ?huge shadow inventory,? reflecting mortgages already being foreclosed upon or now delinquent and likely to be, compares with 1.27 million in 2005, the analysts led by Laurie Goodman wrote today in a report. Assuming no other homes are on the market, it would take 1.35 years to sell the properties based on the current pace of existing-home sales, they said.?
If that isn?t enough to satisfy the doubting Thomas in you, take the word from Bank of America:
?(WSJ) we are going to see a spike from now to the end of the year in foreclosures as we take people out of the running? for a loan modification or other alternatives, says a Bank of America Corp. spokeswoman. Foreclosure sales had dropped to ?abnormally low? levels in response to government efforts to stem foreclosures, she adds.?
In other words, gear up for round two of the housing bubble burst courtesy of the shadow inventory. 7 million homes may seem like a gigantic number. The reason the number will be huge is because we are now seeing problems in housing due to more historical reasons like unemployment. Obviously a loan modification is pointless if someone doesn?t even have a job. When you have banks openly acknowledging that more inventory will be hitting the market it is time to prepare and get your facts straight on Alt-A and option ARM products. </em></blockquote>
Let's assume the banks do foreclose en masse and sell them as REOs. I think it would make sense for them to mostly wait until next spring to do so-do you all agree? REO inventory is still extremely small for now-I'll bet the earliest that that will change will be early spring, in time for prime house selling season. The banks would be foolish to release the flood during the winter. Maybe they can trickle them out over time.</blockquote>
REO inventory is still extrememely small for now? Are you serious? Where is REO inventory extremely small? Or relative to what or when?</blockquote>
How about REO inventory available for sale on the MLS is extremely small? Can we agree on that at least?</blockquote>
I do not care to agree or disagree. I want the truth.
Honestly, I do not know what the REO inventory available for sale on the MLS is, but if I was to guess, I would guess that in historic terms it is not extremely small or even small.