Sengdao Vongruksukdi's Blog

Strategic default is a tempting option for distressed homeowners. But it has downsides that many don’t consider. Remember these points if you’re a real estate agent trying to guide a homeowner to the right choice. And if you’re that homeowner, read and consider: You can leave on your own terms. B...

If you tuned in the President’s State of the Union Address Tuesday night, you heard him mention the housing crisis. How could he not? It remains a top concern in voters’ minds—right after jobs. One newsworthy item was the President’s intention to expand the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP...

Yes, there are homes that nobody seems to want. The catch? They’re generally located in depressed urban neighborhoods. Oh, and they’re liable to have unpaid property taxes, HOA liens and other unpleasant features. That’s why they often lie fallow, deteriorating and attracting vandals. Often, even...

Sign of the Times: MetLife, a Fortune 50 company with annual revenue around $66 billion, is getting out of the mortgage business. Why? Apparently, with today’s burdensome regulatory environment, it’s just not worthwhile anymore. Surely, that’s not what federal legislators had in mind when they "r...

Mention strategic default in a roomful of people, and you’re bound to get some strong opinions. Homeowners refusing to pay their mortgages is a rather new and startling phenomenon. Default is understandable when homeowners are down on their luck. But studies show that strategic defaulters are typ...

The Butterfly Effect is a term coined by meteorologist and mathematician Edward Lorenz to describe how small events can have huge consequences: a butterfly flapping its wings can set off a chain of events that culminates in a hurricane thousands of miles away. The butterfly began flapping its win...

Only fools try to predict the future. So, here goes: Interest rates will stay low. Not exactly going out on a limb here—the Federal Reserve itself calls for the Fed Funds rate to stay low “at least through mid-2013”. Big banks will be in big trouble. Bank of America is already riddled with arrows...

Have you set your goal for 2012 yet?  Wishing we all will do well in 2012.