Real Estate 101
The following are links to the analysis posts and assorted essays of Larry Roberts (Irvine Renter):
2-17-2010 -- Use FHA Financing: Loan Assumption is the Appreciation of the Twenty-Teens -- Obtaining financing equity through assumable mortgages is the way to benefit from home ownership in the next decade.
1-26-2010 -- Urgency Versus Reality: realtors Win, Buyers Lose -- a look at the pathology of the realtor mindset of creating urgency at buyer's expense.
Foreclosure Series:
1-22-2010 -- Foreclosure 101: Mechanics of a Trustee Sale
1-21-2010 -- Foreclosure 101: Non-Judicial Foreclosure
1-20-2010 -- Foreclosure 101: Vesting Title
1-18-2010 -- A Theory of House Prices and Housing Markets -- A foundational teaching on housing.
1-13-2010 -- Money Rentership: Housing and the New American Dream -- a realistic look at how debt has slowly eroded the meaning of ownership.
1-6-2010 -- HELOC Abuse Grading System -- a detailed look at the variety of harmful borrower behaviors.
Cost of Ownership Series
10-30-2009 -- Ownership Cost: Taxes and Opportunity Costs
10-29-2009 -- Ownership Cost: Homeowners Associations
10-28-2009 -- Ownership Cost: Property Taxes and Mello Roos
10-27-2009 -- Ownership Cost: Interest Rates and Downpayment Requirements
10-26-2009 -- Ownership Cost: Income, Payments and House Prices
10-13-2009 -- Alternate Market Price Measurements -- Post looks at price measurements other than the median.
10-12-2009 -- Median as Market Price Measurement -- Post examines the good and bad qualities of using the median.
10-7-2009 -- Time to Payoff -- Building on Accelerated Amortization, this posts details how to use this new investment metric.
10-5-2009 -- Accelerated Amortization -- Paying off a loan quicker is the key to an early retirement.
9-16-2009 -- Cure Rates -- The rates at which people "cure" their ailing loans has declined to very low levels. People are walking away.
9-14-2009 -- Real Estate, Cashflow Investment and Retirement -- Real estate can and should be a part of your retirement plan, but don't bank on appreciation. Cashflow is the key.
8-20-2009 -- IHB Investor Reports -- A detailed review of the information in our proprietary investor report.
8-18-2009 -- IHB Property Valuation Reports -- A detailed review of the information in our proprietary owner-occupant report.
8-17-2009 -- Psychological Stages of a Bubble -- Understanding and recognizing the stages of a housing bubble will help you better time your home purchase.
7-20-2009 -- Rental Parity and Beyond -- A conceptual review of the concept of rental parity and how it can be applied to real estate market pricing.
7-13-2009 -- 1997 -- A careful look at the conditions at the bottom of the last real estate market with comparison to today.
4-27-2009 -- California Personal Finance: Ponzi Style -- The methods of personal finance developed during the housing bubble created an unsustainable lifestyle.
1-5-2009 -- Debt-To-Income Ratios: The Forgotten Variable -- The impact of debt-to-income ratios on house prices and the housing market.
10-6-2008 -- Fundamentals at a Market Bottom -- A review of what market conditions prevail at the bottom of the housing cycle.
8-11-2008 -- Timing Does Matter -- An analysis dispelling the myths about timing the residential real estate market.
3-31-2008 -- Investment Value of Residential Real Estate -- An economic analysis of the true investment value of residential real estate.
3-29-2008 -- Efficient Markets vs Behavioral Finance -- An overview of the two competing theories of market price movements.
3-15-2008 -- Mortgage Default Losses -- Parsing the distinction between default rates and resulting default losses on residential loans.
3-13-2008 -- Floplords -- A discussion of the phenomenon of accidental landlords.
3-10-2008 -- Mortgage Equity Withdrawal -- An overview of the role mortgage equity withdrawal played in the recovery following the 2001 recession.
3-8-2008 -- How Big Was the Bubble? -- A review of statistical measures of price to evaluate just how big the housing bubble really was.
3-4-2008 -- Systemic Risk in the Housing Market -- The second of a two-part series. This posts examines the failures of structured finance and suggests methods for addressing this failure to prevent future housing bubbles.
3-3-2008 -- Structured Finance 101 -- The first of a two-part series. This post provides an overview of what structured finance is, and how it was used to during the housing bubble.
2-28-2008 -- Affordability -- A review of the concept of affordability and what it means for the housing market.
2-25-2008 -- The Credit Crunch -- A discussion of the causes and implications of the credit crunch.
2-4-2008 -- What is Equity? -- Looking at the components of homeowner equity and the factors that impact it.
1-28-2008 -- Speculation or Investment -- Comparing the motivations and activities of two distinct classes of purchasers of real estate. Knowing the difference between speculation and investment can make the difference between making and losing money.
1-14-2008 -- Rent Versus Own -- A detailed look at the cost of ownership and the various reasons to rent or own a particular property.
12-3-2007 -- What is a Bubble? -- The concepts and beliefs that when acted upon by the general public create an asset price bubble.
2007-07-16 -- Land Value 101 -- A detailed explanation of how raw land is valued when used for residential construction.
2007-03-03 -- How Inflated are House Prices? -- A discussion of the fundamental valuation of housing prices. This post is essential reading to anyone wanting to understand how residential homes should be valued.
2007-03-01 -- Financially Conservative Home Financing -- A review of available financing terms and a discussion of why the new "innovations" in home financing are disasters in the making.
