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About TIBA
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Home » TIBA Fellows » Out of Africa
Botswana - Dr Tsepo Ramatla
Development and evaluation of a colorimetric isothermal PCR based assay and an antigen multiplex diagnostic kit for the detection of urogenital and intestinal schistosomiasis.
Ghana - Dr Henrietta Mensah-Brown
Identification of Plasmodium falciparum var gene sequences in IgM-binding rosetting clinical isolates
Kenya - Dr Simon Masha
Feasibility Assessment for Health System Requirements for inclusion of Chlamydia, and Trichomoniasis screening in the routine ANC screening in Kenya
Rwanda - Dr Jean-Pierre Munyampundu
Evaluation of mixed malaria infections and developing a responsive surveillance of malaria infections in Rwanda
Rwanda - Dr Said Rutabayiro Ngoga
South Africa - Dr Muhubiri Kabuyaya
Review of National Mass Drug Administration Programmes of Schistosomiasis done in sub-Saharan Africa: Case of Uganda and Tanzania/Zanzibar
Sudan - Dr Mohamed Abdelrahim
Analysis of whole genome sequences of Sudanese Leishmania donovani clinical isolates for development of new diagnostics, treatment and vaccines
Tanzania - Dr Upendo John Mwingira
Impact of selective and timed schistosomiasis treatment strategies on prevalence, intensity and urinary morbidities among pre-and-school going children in north-western Tanzania
Tanzania - Dr Humphrey Mazigo
Uganda - Dr Albert Mugenyi
Model to strengthen disease information system for decision support using Ugandan tsetse, Animal and Human Trypanosomiasis data
Zimbabwe - Dr Farisai Chidzwondo
Immuno-diagnostics technologies for NTDs and other infectious diseases
Zimbabwe - Professor Takafira Mduluza
Design and development of diseases surveillance technology tools. Bioinformatics on molecular diseases diagnosis tool
Zimbabwe - Professor Simbarashe Rusakaniko
Handling and manipulation of bioinformatics from disease surveillances
Dr Tsepo Ramatla holds a PhD in Animal Health from the North West University (South Africa). His PhD project focused on the role played by rodents in spreading Salmonella in poultry houses. The rodents were identified to species level by PCR using the Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) and the Cytochrome-b (Cyt-b) barcoding genes. The rodents were checked for the presence of Salmonella, and the Salmonella isolates subsequently evaluated for the presence of antibiotic resistance and virulence genes by phenotypic and genotypic methods. Tsepo has been involved in other research projects, which encompassed the screening for antibiotic residues using different analytical methods like ELISA, TLC and HPLC. In his current project, Tsepo will be evaluating the diagnostic potential of DNA Based PCR assays for the detection of urogenital and intestinal Schistosomiasis in Botswana. Species-specific DNA markers that are found to be reliable in this study will be used to develop a colorimetric field based isothermal PCR diagnostic assay. For his Out of Africa fellowship, Tsepo will be evaluating the diagnostic potential of DNA-based PCR assays for the detection of urogenital and intestinal Schistosomiasis in Botswana. Species-specific DNA markers that are found to be reliable in this study will be used to develop a colorimetric field based isothermal PCR diagnostic assay.
Home institution supervisor: Dr Matsheka Maitshwarelo
University of Edinburgh supervisor: Professor Francisca Mutapi (School of Biological Sciences)
Dr Henrietta Mensah-Brown holds a Bachelor's degree from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, a Master's in Biochemistry and a PhD in Molecular Biology of Infectious Diseases from the University of Ghana. Her research areas are malaria biology and immunology, focusing on the pathogenesis of Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) malaria in children. One aspect of her work is aimed at gaining a better understanding of the mechanisms used by Plasmodium falciparum for invasion of red blood cells. Another aspect is focused on investigating immune responses to proteins used in red cell invasion and the targets of invasion inhibitory antibodies. As a TIBA Out of Africa Fellow, her work will focus on Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP-1) which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of severe malaria. Specifically, the study is aimed at identifying conserved motifs in clinical isolates that are recognised by anti-PfEMP-1 antibodies. This is intended to provide evidence of conserved targets of immunity that can serve as the basis for the development of a malaria vaccine to mitigate severe disease. Henrietta will undertake research on 'Identification of Plasmodium falciparum var gene sequences in IgM-binding rosetting clinical isolates' in collaboration with Professor Alex Rowe of the School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh. Previous studies have identified that IgM-positive rosetting parasites express a subset of Group A PfEMP1 variants characterised by an unusual PfEMP1 architecture and a distinct N-terminal domain. Furthermore, antibodies raised against the N-terminal domain were strain transcending and showed functional activity such as surface reactivity with live infected erythrocytes (IEs), rosette inhibition and induction of phagocytosis of IEs in laboratory-adapted parasite lines. This current study will extend our investigations to clinical isolates of P. falciparum in Ghana, and provide evidence of conserved targets of immunity that can serve as the basis for the development of a malaria vaccine to mitigate severe disease.
Home institution supervisor: Professor Gordon Awandare
University of Edinburgh supervisor: Professor Alex Rowe (School of Biological Sciences)
Dr Simon Masha holds a degree in Medical Laboratory Science from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya, a Master's degree in Molecular Biology from "Vrije Universite Brussels, Belgium" and earned a PhD in Health Sciences from Ghent University, Belgium. He is a passionate medical researcher with a special interest in curable, sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Dr Masha's main research focus is on chlamydia and trichomoniasis among pregnant women. He has previously investigated the burden of curable STIs, the factors associated with STIs amongst pregnant women in Kilifi, Kenya, and the genetic characterisation of Trichomonas isolates from Kilifi, Kenya. Dr Masha is a lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences at Pwani University in Kilifi, Kenya where he lectures and provides mentorship to bachelors and master's students at the University. His postdoctoral research involves a feasibility assessment for health system requirements for inclusion of chlamydia, and trichomoniasis screening in the routine antenatal care screening of public health facilities in Kenya. Under the Out of Africa Fellowship Dr Masha will undertake research on 'Feasibility assessment for health system requirements for inclusion of Chlamydia, and Trichomoniasis screening in the routine ANC screening in Kenya' in collaboration with Professor Liz Grant of the Global Health Academy and Dr Geoff Banda, Innogen Institute, University of Edinburgh.
Home institution supervisor: Dr Sam Kinyanjui
University of Edinburgh supervisor: Professor Liz Grant (Global Health Academy) and Dr Geoff Banda (Innogen Institute)
Dr Jean-Pierre Munyampundu holds a PhD degree in Molecular Plant Pathology from Zhejiang University, China, a Master's degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Xiamen University, China, and a Bachelor's degree in Biology and Chemistry with Education from the University of Rwanda. He also undertook a short post-doctoral training in Professor Jacob Souopgui's Laboratory at the Institute of Biology and Molecular Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium. Currently, Dr Munyamupundu is a Lecturer at the College of Science and Technology, in the University of Rwanda (UR-CST) and the Head of the Laboratory of Molecular and Cell Biology in the Biotechnology Laboratory Complex, University of Rwanda, Huye Campus. His current research interest is on evaluation of malaria infections by Plasmodium mixed species in Rwanda. He is seeking to investigate the prevalence of mixed-species malaria infections, assess a molecular-based method to accurately detect them in clinical samples in low-resource settings, as well as generate preliminary data useful for gaining insight into inter-species interactions of malaria parasites in mixed infections. Under the Out of Africa Fellowship Dr Munyampundu will undertake research on 'Evaluation of mixed malaria infections and developing a responsive surveillance of malaria infections in Rwanda' in collaboration with Professor Alex Rowe of the School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh.
Home institution supervisor: Dr Nadine Rujeni
Dr Said Rutabayiro Ngoga got his PhD at Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH-Sweden) in 2014 within the main area of Telecommunication Systems. Special emphasis was on dynamic spectrum access as an enabling technology for increasing the efficiency of wireless communications by using cognitive radio networking. He is a Lecturer in the School of Engineering, College of Science and Technology and University of Rwanda and the Postgraduate Coordinator in the School of ICT. Dr Ngoga research interests are within the main areas of wireless networks, cognitive radio networks, and recent developmental applications of ICT such as e-government and IoT. Dr Ngoga has published several works in peer reviewed journals. Malaria still continues to impose a substantial burden on global public health. In Rwanda, there is a serious problem of the disease resurgence since 2012. The resurgence has been attributed to different factors including inappropriate use of insecticide-treated nets, spread of insecticide resistance in mosquito vectors, and drug-resistant Plasmodium among others. Therefore, coordinated endeavors have been stepped up in Rwanda in response to malaria resurgence. These include proper use of the insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), the plan to introduce the G2 and PBO nets to overcome pyrethroid resistance and establishment of a research centre to monitor the emergence and prevalence of Anopheles mosquitoes resistant to insecticides used for malaria control. Other efforts focused on strengthening surveillance systems. However, malaria resurgence is a complex phenomenon that requires a multi-disciplinary approach to contribute the disease effective treatment and management of the disease. The present study will integrate diagnostics of mixed species malaria infection and real time malaria surveillance. Dr Ngoga will focus of the following objectives: (i) to evaluate the existence of non-P. falciparum malaria and potential for mixed-species infections in Rwanda; (ii) to assess a diagnostic test suitable for accurately detect different Plasmodium species in clinical samples for ultimate use in low- resource settings; (iii) to analyze transcriptome (RNA-seq) of whole blood samples infected with mixed parasite species to gain insight into inter-species interactions of parasites, (iv) to develop a model that allow to represent malaria data in a format knowledgeable to policy makers, (v) to develop a query language based on the underlying data model (vi) to deploy a surveillance tool that implement the underlying query language allowing health professionals/policy makers to formulate a wide range of queries and retrieve feedbacks within a reasonable amount of time and minimum efforts.
Home institution supervisor: Dr Richard Musabe
University of Edinburgh supervisor: Professor Mark Woolhouse (Usher Institute)
Dr Muhubiri Kabuyaya is a passionate academic with considerable interests in medical research. He holds a PhD degree in Public Health Medicine from the University of KwaZulu-Natal where he has been accumulating experience in a transdisciplinary health research team. He also has a degree in Medicine from the Universite Evangelique en Afrique (UEA), Demogratic Republic of Congo and aims to channel his clinical knowledge and his public health experience to improving the health care system. He has a special interest in tropical infectious diseases. Dr Kabuyaya's main research focus is on schistosomiasis. He investigated the risk factors of schistosomiasis transmission and the efficacy of the repeated standard dose of praziquantel against Schistosoma haematobium among school-going children in the Ingwavuma area of uMkhanyakude district in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He has recently assessed the efficacy of praziquantel given at 40 and 60 mg/kg body weight. His Out of Africa Fellowship will 'Review the National Mass Drug Administration Programmes of schistosomiasis conducted in in sub-Saharan Africa: Case of Tanzania/Zanzibar, Uganda and Zimbabwe'. This will be in collaboration with Professor Liz Grant of the Global Health Academy, University of Edinburgh.
Home institution supervisor: Professor Moses Chimbari
University of Edinburgh supervisor: Professor Liz Grant (Global Health Academy)
Dr Mohamed Abdelrahim holds a BSc and MSc in Genetics and Molecular Biology from the Faculty of Science, University of Khartoum. He obtained a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman. His PhD thesis was on "Genetic diversity, drug resistance and transmission potential of imported Plasmodium vivax in malaria-free region with comparison with the areas of origin in Asia and Africa". He has been participating in several research projects on malaria and Leishmania genomics. He is currently working as post-doctoral fellow in Professor Maowia Mukhtar's Laboratory at the Ibn Sina University, Sudan. Dr. Abdelrahim's Out of Africa Fellowship will involve the analysis of whole genome sequences of Sudanese Leishmania donovani isolates from different clinical forms in collaboration with Professor Mark Blaxter of the School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh. He hopes to identify parasite genomic markers associated with the pathogenesis of the different clinical forms. The study also aims to identify diagnostic, treatment and vaccine genomic markers using next-generation sequencing. The project will lead to the establishment of a genomic sequencing and bioinformatic unit for training of young Sudanese scientists.
Home institution supervisor: Professor Maowia Mukhtar
University of Edinburgh supervisor: Professor Mark Blaxter (Edinburgh Genomics)
Dr Upendo John Mwingira is a medical Doctor with Master's in Tropical Medicine and PhD in Medical Research-International Health. She is a Senior Research Scientist at the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She is the current National Programme Manager of Neglected Tropical disease (NTD) control Programme of the Ministry of Health in Tanzania Mainland. Dr Mwingira is a member of WHO Global Onchocerciasis Technical Subcommittee (OTS), Global Schistosomiasis Advisory committee (GSA), Tanganyika Medical association (MAT) and American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH). Her research focus is on the NTDs particularly PcNTDs (Onchocerciasis, Lymphatic Filariasis, Soil transmitted Helminths, Trachoma, Schistosomiasis). She is interested in co-infection of helminths and other infectious diseases such as malaria, anaemia and growth parameters. Dr Mwingira has more than 10 years of research and programme implementation experience. She has established and successfully coordinated partnerships with various donors and multilateral organisations to support NTD implementation in the country. Dr Mwingira is the country principal investigator of the 2 multi-country large scale researches known as Tackling infections to Benefit Africa (TIBA) and Tackling Obstacles to Fight Filariasis and Podoconiosis (TAKeOFF). She has credits of 16 publications to date and is currently supervising 2 PhD and 2 Masters students. Dr Mwingira will undertake research on 'Impact of selective and timed schistosomiasis treatment strategies on prevalence, intensity and urinary morbidities among pre-and-school going children in north-western Tanzania' in collaboration with Professor Francisca Mutapi of the School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh. The proposed study combines both operational and interventions research aiming at mapping the prevalence of Schistosoma haematobium and its related urogenital morbidity, determine the appropriate timing for selective treatment based on transmission season and measure its impact on prevalence, intensity and urinary morbidities among pre-and-school children in north-western Tanzania. This work aims to generate evidence that after multiple rounds of mass drug administration (MDA) using praziquantel not all areas will require the same treatment schedule and to reduce cost, timed MDA based on transmission cycle will be an appropriate strategy in resources limited setting. Overall, the study will gather evidence on the best timing of MDA and contribute evidence for improving schistosomiasis treatment policies in endemic countries, which currently recommends uniform MDA in all areas despite decline in prevalence of the disease in some areas. Additionally, the study will include serological diagnostics of various co endemic infections among community members surrounding the study areas
Home institution supervisor: Dr Safari Methusela Kinung'hi
Dr Humphrey Mazigo is an infectious disease epidemiologist, interested in the epidemiology, immunoepidemiology, immunomorbidity and control of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in sub-Saharan Africa. He is interested in the epidemiology, diagnosis, design, implementation and evaluation of interventions for prevention, control and potential elimination of helminthic neglected tropical diseases and how neglected tropical diseases immunologically interact with malaria and HIV-1 infection. He is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Medicine, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania. During his Out of Africa fellowship, his project will focus on understanding the ecology of Schistosoma haematobium following repeated round of mass drug administration over the past 10 years in Western Tanzania. Specifically, the project will focus in identifying hotspot areas for Schistosoma haematobium transmission and use the knowledge gained to design a treatment strategy based on timing treatment with respect to transmission season and evaluating the impact of transmission seasonal based treatment on prevalence, infection intensity, re-infection rates, urogenital morbidities and re-treatment cycles.
Dr Albert Mugenyi is a Spatial Epidemiologist. Albert obtained a Bachelor of Science in Geography from Makerere University. Intrigued with the question of professional relevance in society, Albert took up a Master's course in GIS and remote sensing in the Netherlands. This award drove Albert to join the Uganda Trypanosomiasis Control Council (UTCC) in 2004 and rise through the ranks to GIS Expert responsible for disease surveillance, risk analysis and mapping. Working in a setting which is predominantly for disease surveillance and research, Albert, in 2010, was motivated to further his career. He embarked on a PhD (Spatial Epidemiology) course at the University of Edinburgh and completed in 2014. His current area of interest and research focus is on understanding vector-borne disease transmission systems. During this Out of Africa Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Albert will be working to accurately understand the spatial epidemiology of Trypanosomiasis transmission schema and prediction of risk using mixed regression space-time models. His research is on 'Model to strengthen disease information system for decision support using Ugandan tsetse, Animal and Human Trypanosomiasis data' and this will be in collaboration with Professor Sue Welburn within the Edinburgh Medical School, University of Edinburgh.
Home institution supervisor: Professor Charles Waiswa
University of Edinburgh supervisor: Professor Sue Welburn (Global Health Academy)
Dr Farisai Mukorah holds a Bachelor's Honours in Biochemistry, Master's in Biotechnology and a Doctor of Philosophy in Science from the University of Zimbabwe. She is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Zimbabwe where she teaches biochemistry to medical, pharmacy, nursing science and biochemistry undergraduate students and biotechnology to master's students. She is also the current President of the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Society of Zimbabwe (BMBSZ), a professional society whose target is to foster and maintain research links with scientists participating in biochemistry, molecular biology and related disciplines within Zimbabwe in particular and in African countries in general. She has research interests in biotechnology and has been involved in projects spanning biochemistry, immunology and molecular biology. As an undergraduate student, she developed immunochemical reagents to assay for diseases in elephants and rhinoceros that were destined for export markets. At postgraduate level, she perfected her skills in molecular biology, especially gene expression and control of regulatory pathways. Using site-directed mutagenesis, followed by expression of the mutants, she demonstrated that the specificity loop is not the sole determinant of sugar specificity in legume lectins. Farisai benefited from the African Academy of Sciences' workshops on cell biology and regenerative medicine and developed skills in basic handling of cell cultures and molecular biology techniques for cancer biology in Dr Anjali Shiras' laboratory at the National Centre for Cell Sciences in Pune, India. In addition, she was trained in keratinocyte, melanocyte and fibroblast culture techniques and methods; studying their behavior and growth patterns at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Currently, she is actively involved in a project whose goal is to contribute to the long-term health security of the African continent by developing point-of-care immunodiagnostic tools and vaccines for human diseases that are endemic to Zimbabwe, and have been neglected by bio-pharmaceutical companies to date. Her Out of Africa Fellowship in collaboration with Professor Francisca Mutapi of the School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, will explore an 'Understanding and Application of Bioinformatics, Molecular and Immunological Techniques in Disease Surveillance, Diagnosis and Control in Zimbabwe'.
Professor Takafira Mduluza is based in the Biochemistry Department, University of Zimbabwe as Professor of Biochemistry and Immunology. He is a Biomedical Scientist specializing in the Biochemistry and Immunology of Infectious Diseases including parasitic infections. His work concentrates on the biochemistry and immunological consequences of infectious diseases in endemic populations and immuno-epidemiological studies of the relationship between defined immune responses and acquisition of clinically protective immunity. The aim is to characterize the effector mechanisms of both innate and acquired immunity to infecting agents such as parasites and co-infection with other agents, to understand how these mechanisms are induced and how they are regulated in order to promote parasite clearance without inducing immunopathology. He also conducts research oriented to the development and evaluation of anti-parasite vaccines. The challenge has been worsened with co-infections in the same individuals; the research goal is to understand in detail the long-term impact of preventive chemotherapy in populations recommended to receive several rounds of treatment. Infection of man and animals by large parasites is extremely common throughout the world. This is particularly true for blood fluke parasites. Infections can be debilitating with children suffering the worst disease. This is compounded with co-infections in same individuals and lack of environmental development on clean water and proper sanitation. There is also need to research on the intimate relationship between human host and the parasites. He is a recipient of the Research Council of Zimbabwe National Outstanding Research award on Monitoring and Maintaining Health Population. In collaboration with Professor Francisca Mutapi of the School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Professor Mduluza will apply a diagnostic chip for accurate and early diagnosis of diseases endemic in Zimbabwe (malaria, tuberculosis, meningitis, typhoid fever, brucellosis) that are difficult to differentiate using current diagnostic tests. The chip will be developed and evaluated for early detection and measurement of exposure to emerging and re-emerging diseases with the possibility of a vaccine efficacy evaluation chip. These chips have been designed by the host lab in Edinburgh. The existing multiplex diagnostic tools developed for other diseases will be used to tailor-make a chip that is appropriate for use in Zimbabwe.
Professor Simbarashe Rusakaniko holds a chair at the University of Zimbabwe's College of Health Sciences. He is the chairperson of the Department of Community Medicine, the Deputy Director of Clinical Epidemiology Unit, the Deputy Director of Clinical Epidemiology Recourse Training Centre Department (CERTC). He is a Senior Professor in Biostatistics and Epidemiology in Community Medicine and a Research Fellow in the Obstetrics & Gynaecology Department at the University of Zimbabwe. He holds a DPhil in Adolescent Reproductive Health awarded by the University of Zimbabwe, and also holds an MSc in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, a Diploma in Epidemiology & Medical Statistics and BSC Honours in Mathematics (Statistics). He currently manages 7 research grants on: Behavioural Sero-Status Survey, ZDHS Extended Data analysis, Adolescent Reproductive Health in the SADC region, National Adolescent Reproductive Health in Zimbabwe, Assessment of TB Prevalence and Factors Associated with TB Among the Prison Population In Zimbabwe, Conducting a Health Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA) in Zimbabwe and he leads TIBA Zimbabwe. He has worked on over 20 collaborative research projects and has published over 74 peer-reviewed articles. Professor Rusakaniko will undertake research on 'Handling and manipulation of bioinformatics from disease surveillance' in collaboration with Professor Mark Woolhouse of the Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh. Today's world of research has moved from field-based to laboratory-based. Africa has been hit by many communicable diseases. To understand and profile all of these diseases, biological samples have been key in development of new approaches to research and understanding of disease profiling. With readily available biological samples, a computer-based approach is now central to biological research. Computing Science and Informatics bring together the tools needed to better understand the use of modern technology to better understand disease patterns. Thus, Bioinformatics is fundamentally in the application of computer-based approaches to the understanding of biological processes. The Out of Africa Fellowship will introduce Professor Rusakaniko to the current methods used to interpret the vast amounts of data generated by modern, high-throughput technologies such as genome sequencing, next-generation sequencing and microarray profiling. Furthermore, bioinformatics is well understood to be operating at the intersection of informatics and biology and is believed to have a strong mathematical component. It is against this background that today's technology has given scientists high-capacity analysis of genes and proteins, which make it necessary to integrate informatics when solving biological problems. It is hoped that the Out of Africa programme will equip Professor Rusakaniko with essential training skills in computing and statistics and give him valuable hands-on experience of modern bioinformatics research themes and methods that can be applied in local settings of Africa (Zimbabwe). This will further create strong synergies with Edinburgh that will see exchange of skills and data sharing.
Web: http://tiba-partnership.org
Email: info@tiba-partnership.org
© 2021 TIBA


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La IX Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Americano è stata la 9ª edizione del campionato di football americano di primo livello, organizzato dalla APFA.

Squadre partecipanti

Stagione regolare
Il calendario è stato comunicato il 12 settembre 2017

Calendario

1ª giornata

2ª giornata

3ª giornata

4ª giornata

5ª giornata

6ª giornata

7ª giornata

8ª giornata

9ª giornata

10ª giornata

11ª giornata

12ª giornata

13ª giornata

14ª giornata

15ª giornata

16ª giornata

17ª giornata

18ª giornata

Classifiche
Le classifiche della regular season sono le seguenti:

PCT = percentuale di vittorie, G = partite giocate, V = partite vinte,  P = partite perse, PF = punti fatti, PS = punti subiti

LPFA

LPFA Nord

LPFA Sud

Playoff

Tabellone

Wild Card

Semifinali

IX Final LPFA

IX Final LPFA

Verdetti
   Campioni del Portogallo 2017-2018 (1º titolo)

Note

Voci correlate
Campionato portoghese di football americano

Collegamenti esterni

 2017-2018

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Was The Increase In Pending Homes Sales A Surprise?
Glad we could all get together again this Friday...the first day of July !
Well, the figures were just released for Pending Homes Sales, "A forward-looking indicator based on contract signings" (per the National Association of Realtors®, or NAR), and per the NAR, "Pending home sales rose strongly in May with all regions experiencing gains from a year ago, pointing to higher housing activity in the second half of the year". To be exact, the numbers rose 8.2% from April, and 13.4% from May 2010. Was this a surprise, or was it expected...and what does it really mean?
"Of course these figures were expected", says Galen Ward, CEO of Estately.com. Jim Kinney, a Vice President of Luxury Home Sales with Baird Warner says that the uptick in the pending numbers, "was no surprise to us as this is the prime seasonality to see an upturn--no upturn in May would be indeed very glum.". "Mays sales numbers are only representative of the "national market" (if there is such a thing) and we all now that real estate is local", per Greg Cook, a First Time Home Buyer Specialist".
Ward says that the "The First-Time Homebuyer Credit" expired on April 30 of last year, so, "most buyers scrambled to get their offers in prior to May 1.", and Cook says that until we, "move beyond the inflated sales numbers of last years first time home buyer tax credit, we cant really tell if were better or worse year-over-year.", and adds that, "Once we move beyond those numbers (after June) the comparisons become more relevant and we might have a clearer picture of the health of our market."
Ward extends this and adds the following comment; "Saying this year-over-year comparison is a signal of a rebounding market is akin to rewarding yourself for weighing less this May than you did last year when you were nine months pregnant."
What does this mean? Where do we go from here?
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said, "If banks would simply return to normal sound underwriting standards and begin lending to more creditworthy borrowers, we'd get a much faster recovery in the housing sector.", and cautioned that job creation is critical to a solid recovery, since, "The job market has sputtered recently, and because variations in local job creation impact housing demand, markets will recover unevenly around the country".
What are your thoughts? Is a key piece of the puzzle beyond job creation missing?
PSSSST...
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TAGS: #PendingHomesSales #Realtor #NAR #jobmarket #realestate
Labels: First-Time Homebuyer Credit, job market, NAR, pending homes sales, real estate, realtors
From Foreclosure To Eviction...Why So Long?
A major trend that is (sadly) happening all around us is the foreclosure process, which entails a long and drawn-out process which usually ends in the eviction of the current homeowners...or not!
Today, let's focus on the "or not!", and see what is really going on out there.
A recent CNN story written by Les Christie, titled, "Squatter Nation: 5 years with no mortgage payment", examined this in detail, and said that Nationwide, "it takes an average of 565 days to foreclose on borrowers in default from their first missed payments to the final auction. In New York, the average is 800 days". One such example of "Squatters", as they are referred to, is a Florida couple, that, "have not made a mortgage payment in nearly five years -- but they continue to live in their five-bedroom West Palm Beach, Fla. home.". I find that absolutely incredible !
As incredible as it may sound, this is not a new trend, says Patrick Hohman of Louisville, KY, who says that when his dad was a little boy, "they lived in their foreclosed home from 1933 to 1937. Due to the volume of foreclosures in the 1930s, they stayed in the home for 4 years before being put on the street."
Lesley A. Hoenig, a bankruptcy attorney practicing in Michigan, says that "the foreclosure process can take an insanely long time in some cases, especially if the owner has filed chapter 13 to catch up.", and that, "Ultimately, the lender may eventually kick the person out (Likely if the person isn't making any effort to get the loan modified or catch up)", and adds that, "until the number of foreclosures die down, people are going to be able to spend up to two or three years in their house before getting kicked out".
Hoenig thinks that the main reason people manage to stay in their house is, "because lenders aren't really itching to have vacant houses in their inventory.". Marc S Hyman JD, a Licensed Real Estate Agent in Santa Barbara CA, says basically the same thing; "The last thing a bank wants to do in this market is actually take possession of a home so banks are letting the foreclosure process drag out as much as possible.", he says, adding, "During a normal market banks foreclose quickly in order to get their "investment" back as soon as possible and put it back to work."
The reason Hyman provides is that in this market, "a bank does not want to own a home that it will need to maintain and insure. The bank will become responsible if anyone gets hurt while on the property. Furthermore a bank will not be able to sell the house quickly. Banks are looking at any solution that does not mean taking back the house.".
Hyman does say, though, that once it does complete the foreclosure, "it does quickly evict tenants in order to avoid the legal obligations of being a landlord eg timely repairs, insurance coverage etc.". Referring back to the Christie piece from CNN, one such "Squatter" says that, "Living in this foreclosure limbo is "Hell,"", and adds, "I feel like I'm locked in a box. I work for a financial organization and if this came out, it could cost me my job."
Ultimately, Hyman offers up this interesting point, and perhaps something for everyone to chew on; "The squatters are getting a longer break than in the past but it will come to an end.", and says that, "The sad thing is that the squatters are spending everything they are saving while living rent free. If they did not have the squatter mentality they would be saving the money and looking to buy somewhere else with the windfall they are getting by squatting."
Hyman makes a very good point. We need to realize that a lot of these "Squatters" are families (with children), who had been working hard for years to pay on time, until hardships arose with the Economic downturn. It does not make it right, but it's quite possible that this category of folks would never have imagined being in the foreclosure process and being a "Squatter". It seems as if the whole definition of everything we believe(d) in has taken a 180-degree turn. Tough Times!
What are your thoughts on this hot topic?
TAGS: #foreclosure #eviction #squatter #mortgage #foreclosureprocess #RealEstate
Labels: Default, eviction, foreclosure, foreclosure process, lender, mortgage, real estate, squatter
Should We Fear The Qualified Residential Mortgage Definition?
Welcome back, and hope your weekend was great !
There has been a humongous amount of buzz surrounding section 941 of the Dodd-Frank Act ("Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010"), which requires, per the National Association of Realtors (NAR) website (Realtor.org), that lenders "securitize mortgage loans to retain 5% of the credit risk unless the mortgage is a qualified residential mortgage or is otherwise exempt (for example, FHA mortgages are also exempt)".
Why is this so scary?
The QRM definition is of extraordinary importance because it will determine the types of mortgages that will be generally available for borrowers for the foreseeable future. We look back at the NAR website, which says that the rule, "would (a) drive borrowers to FHA if they do not have 20% down or (b) mean those who couldn't put 20% down would have to pay up to 3 percentage points more for a loan (for example, 8% mortgage vs. 5% mortgage) or not qualify at all. Even a 10% downpayment QRM would have a negative impact on FHA and the markets."
Let's get a little bit more granular on this, namely, how this affects new buyers and sellers looking to refinance their homes. This is very important.
Melanie J. McLane, a Real Estate Speaker and Trainer, says that stats from her trade organization, the NAR, indicates, "two striking things: 1) it will take the average buyer 16 years to save a 20% down payment, vs a 5%; and 2) the risk to the lender going from 95% LTV to 80% LTV is only 6/10 of one percent (less risky).". "The majority of home buyers do not have 20% to put down. Sellers are enlightened to offer creative financing due to low equity, a new attitude may emerge: "if I am about to lose my credit and home, of course you can take over my payments, forget saving 20% for down payment" What you may have as an end result is a nation of people taking over existing loans in lieu of obtaining new financing.", says Dean Wegner, a Mortgage Originator in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Jeffrey R. Kershner, Managing Broker/Principal with an Illinois Real Estate Company, takes an even granular approach, and says that for a person making "the median household income in Illinois of just over $53,000", that it will take them "9.24 years to save up for a required $40,000 down payment on a $200,000 house; that is with saving 10% after taxes per year. This will greatly increase the age by which first time buyers can enter the market and will adversely affect the middle class."
Substantial problems for new buyers, which would change the entire market.
For existing homeowners, per an article by Jon Prior on Housingwire.com, "an overwhelming percentage of homeowners located in states hardest hit by the housing downturn would be shut out of refinancing their mortgage because they do not meet equity standards under the proposed risk-retention rule", according to a study from consumer and industry groups. The story says that a white paper submitted to regulators, "showed existing homeowners would be harmed as well", since, "A borrower must hold 25% equity in the home in order to refinance into a QRM loan and at least 30% equity for a QRM cash-out refinance loan, according to the current proposal."
Where does this have it's biggest impact? In the story from Prior, he cites data from CoreLogic that, "showed the five states most impacted by the proposed equity requirements are Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, Florida and Michigan.", and says that home values dropped so much in these areas that the study "found two out of three homeowners in these states would not have the necessary 25% equity to refinance. The study also found six out of 10 would not be able to move out of the home and put 20% down on a new QRM." In Michigan, the study showed 64% of Michigan homeowners do not meet the 25% equity requirement, 66% in Florida, 65% in Georgia, 72% in Arizona, and the big one...Nevada...where 83% of homeowners, "do not have 25% equity in their home and would not be able – even if they had never missed a payment – to refinance into a lower-rate QRM loan."
Prior summarizes that, "In effect, the proposed QRM would penalize families who have played by the rules, scraped each month to pay their bills, kept their credit clean, and saved for a modest down payment," according to the study.
McLane feels that this is all due to that fact that we are, "over correcting from the early 2000's when anyone with a pulse got a mortgage to an extreme on the other end now, where you can have perfect credit and offer up your first born child, and they still say either "no" or "maybe, we have to verify something else". The banks are terrified of examiners, unknown parts of Dodd-Frank, etc.". Wegner feels that this is, "just another step backward for housing and adding to more years of recovery. We understand that risk prevention is critical for lenders going forward but knee-jerk reactions like this without fully understanding the implications are only going to hinder housing."
Suggestions? Wegner says that the real estate market needs, "expansion in the buyer pool to open more doors to prospective home buyers", and he suggests that they should focus on, "expanding programs to self employed borrowers", since, "1 in 3 Americans is defined as "self-employed" for underwriting purposes and therefore can not purchase a home." He rhetorically asks, "What if they allowed them to go "stated" with 50% down, 750 fico's, primary residence and single family only.", and says that this would easily boost housing 10%.
What are your thoughts? What would you suggest if you were able to chat with Regulators?
TAGS: #QRM #NAR #QualifiedResidentialMortgage #FHA # mortgage
Labels: Dodd-Frank, fha, LTV, mortgage, NAR, National Association of Realtors, QRM, Qualified Residential Mortgage, real estate market, refinance
5 Rules and 8 Factors
The "Dog Days" of Summer are upon us, and the humidity is coming (take cover !!). Some folks might look at the odd title of this story and scratch their head, but I will explain.
There were two very recent stories that intertwined quite well, regarding the new playing field of Real Estate, coupled with some old-school things that should not be overlooked.
In the story, "5 New Rules of Real Estate", by Ilyce Glink for CBS MoneyWatch and on Yahoo Real Estate, the Author names these rules as follows: "R.I.P., Big Housing Price Jumps", "Mortgage Lenders: Just Not That into You", "The Best Deals Are in New Places", "Investing? Focus on Income", and "Time to Think Medium Term ... at Minimum". In summary, the days of huge jumps in prices are gone, lenders are lending in super-risk -averse mode, properties in areas that are not overloaded with foreclosures will be good deals, buy and rent some foreclosure properties for income, and a 7-10 year plan is important when buying a property in this market.
The other story, "8 Factors That Devalue a Good Home", written by Janet Fowler, and which appeared in the Yahoo Financially Fit section, brings up some important points for sellers looking to get out from under their home. As mentioned by Glink, "Homeowners are desperate for the housing market to rebound -- especially the more than 25 percent who are underwater with their homes".
Fowler mentioned the old "Location" adage, warns about "Good Renovations Gone Bad" (shoddy DIY work), overly creative customization (pink walls?), and unappealing curb appeal (keep the outside of the home neat!). Rounding out the 8 factors are, "Pets Gone Wild" (carpet damage, etc), "Not-So-Nice Neighborhood" (Crime), a Sinister Reputation (a murder in the house), or, "Frightful Foreclosures". This last one is really important, especially in today's housing market. As Fowler says, "Many buyers are leery of purchasing foreclosures that are being sold on an "as-is" basis.", and she adds that the fear is that, "the home could be a money pit or require a huge amount of repairs before being move-in ready.". She advises that it is crucial that you get a home inspection so that you know, "exactly what you're getting into."
Glink comments that she does not believe there has ever, "been a better time to buy a home" saying that 30-year fixed-rate mortgages, "can be had for less than 5 percent". She also says that it seems, "everyone wants the real estate market to get better", including those hit the hardest...Realtors, Builders, Appraisers, and Homeowners themselves.
What are your thoughts on these suggestions and overviews?
TAGS: #realestate #mortgagelender #foreclosureproperties #realtor #builder #appraiser
Labels: Appraisers, builders, fixed-rate mortgages, foreclosure properties, homeowners, Mortgage Lenders, real estate, realtors
Realtors And Existing Homes...What It All Means
I might be shot on the spot for this, but perhaps I won't be...when we think of Realtors, we often think of the Realtors that sell Existing homes...in other words...ones that are already built and are not new construction. If we go with that thought, seeing the clout that Realtors have in the Housing market, we realize how important an indicator the "Existing Homes Sales" figures are (released by the National Association of Realtors®, or "NAR").
The figures for May were just released, and sales dropped 3.8% from April, but 15.3% from a year ago (when the tax credit deadline was approaching). The figures are the "completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops", per the NAR.
"There is still lots of pain in many US markets. Foreclosures and short sales, declining prices and tougher lending standards are prohibiting new buyers from getting in the market", says Barak Dunayer, founder of Barak Realty in New York City. He points to some bright spots, such as properties priced below $100,000, along with some "deeply discounted properties" scooped up by investors. He does offer some hope in his local market, and says that in some areas, as in the case of NY City, "the sales of certain properties in specific submarkets have been robust and even back to 2006-2007 levels.", and reminds us of a very valuable lesson: "As real estate is a local market NOT a national market, one must look closely at local market conditions prior to making sound buying and selling decisions."
This is some sound advice. On Wednesday, the FHFA Monthly House Price Index will be released, followed by the New Residential Sales figures for May on Thursday. What do you think will be the result of those two releases? We'd love to hear your opinion.
TAGS: #Realtor #housingmarket #existinghomes
Labels: co-op, condominium, existing homes, housing market, investors, NAR, new york city, realtor, single-family, townhome
What Happened To Residential Construction In Our Country?
As you may be aware, late last week the May 2011 figures for New Residential Construction were released, and we'd like to take a look at these figures today, which are broken down into 3 components; Building Permits, Housing Starts, and Housing Completions.
Building Permits for privately-owned housing units were up 8.7% from April, and 5.2% above May 2010, while Single-family authorizations were 2.5% above April. Housing Starts for privately-owned housing was up 3.5% from April, but down 3.4% from May 2010, with single-family housing starts 3.7% above April. The last piece of the equation was Housing Completions, with Privately-owned Up 0.4% from April, but down 22.5% from May 2010.
"Perhaps my type of perspective on these numbers is interesting", says Bo Hammond, VP of Sales for the Coastal Lumber Company, which supplies raw material for housing attributes, mouldings, flooring, and cabinetry, and advises that his perspective is from a "practical sense".
Hammond says that we are, "overbuilt from a residential construction standpoint, and the allure of home ownership has faded for those wage earners who historically would have been buying their first house and starting families." He continues to say that the affect on jobs of the recent recession has, "fundamentally changed the perspective of the emerging generation that are getting out of school and deciding to live at home, rent, get married, etc."
Hammond says that uncertainty in jobs, home values, and financial security has essentially "tabled a normal progression that would encourage behavior that would have building permits and residential construction increasing.", but says, "In lieu of this, remodeling and multi-family construction have been the larger positive influences, but those combined are volatile and don't have the ability to impact GDP like healthy residential construction had 5-7 years ago."
"I would just reinforce that the market for new homes is extremely competitive right now. This is a great time to buy due to the affordability of homes and interest rates.", says Michael F. Dillon, Jr., Executive Director of the Builders Association of Northern Nevada, who also reminds us that, "Homeowners will still receive a great tax incentive to buy a home and build equity."
What do you think of the recent numbers? What would you attribute the huge dip on Building completions from just one year ago? We'd love to hear your take on things.
TAGS: #residentialconstruction #remodeling #taxincentive
Labels: building permits, cabinetry, flooring, home ownership, Housing Completions, Housing Starts, multi-family, New Residential Construction, raw material, remodeling, tax incentive
The Connection Between The Producer Price Index And Housing
As another week draws to a close, we take a look at an indicator that we have not discussed here, and that is the Producer Price Index (PPI), which basically looks at goods in varying stages of production. The Producer Price Index for finished goods rose 0.2% in May (following increases of 0.8% in April and 0.7% in March), so it appears things are headed in the right direction, however, what does this mean for the Housing Market?
"On the surface the Housing Market should have the potential of having a large impact on PPI since it represents a large portion of the U.S. economic engine", says Lynn Grantham of St. Johns, FL. Grantham points to the "lack of strength in the Housing Market since 2008", and says that the remaining inventory of unsold homes, "including the large number of foreclosed properties that lenders are still sitting on should translate into a dampening impact on the PPI."
Another point, which was raised by Barry of Alvic Management, is that higher producer prices, "increase the cost of construction materials and should slow new construction, which may make existing homes more valuable because it's harder to recreate them."
What is your view on this index? How inter-related is it to the Housing Market and the Real Estate Industry? We'd love to hear your opinion.
TAGS: #PPI #realestate #foreclosed #construction
Labels: construction materials, existing homes, foreclosed properties, housing market, new construction, PPI, Producer Price Index, real estate, unsold homes
Real Estate Snapshot Of Long Island and New York City
Today, on a personal note, I was born and raised in Queens, NY (Howard Beach), and currently reside in Long Island, NY. My business has no physical boundaries, as our website covers every state and multiple countries around the world, however, as a homeowner and a local business owner, I like to keep my finger on the pulse of the housing market in this part of the world. Today, I'd like to focus on the Long Island and New York City markets, and I spoke with some local folks for their perspective on how things are going. I can tell you this;
There has been a, "A marked upswing in the past couple of months, contrary to local newspaper articles", according to Janet M. Maffucci, an agent with Netter Real Estate in West Islip (an office of approximately 40 agents). Maffucci bolsters her claim with the yard stick of "sides", which she explains as parts of a transaction. She explains "sides" as follows: "For instance, if I get the Buyer for an "in-house" Listing (belongs to someone else in the office), that would be 2 "sides" for Netter RE because my office brought the Buyer AND its our Listing. Sometimes you just Sell an outside Real Estates Listing, so we would then have just 1 "side" of that transaction. So all together, we add up all these "sides" of transactions that the Sales Agents are involved in on a daily basis.". As for quantity, at the "height" of the Market in 2005-2006, Maffucci tells us she had, "40 sides on the "board" at any given time", but in the, "depths of the Market crash", she says, "we dipped into single digits". Maffucci proudly says that they are back up to 39 sides for the past few weeks, to which she concludes, as a, "definite upswing in the Real Estate Market".
In terms of pricing and value, Erik Reilly, a Broker Associate with REMAX Shores in Oceanside, weighed in and said that he believes that, "Long Island values have come in for a "soft landing" however affordability has never been better.". Reilly says that with the low interest rates are with "prices down 20-25%" that there has, "never been a better time to buy for the long term." he does caution that Values may come down some more when interest rates rise or if more "distressed inventory (REO and short sales) puts downward pressure on values", but still believes that the cost of owning right now, "has never been better.". To the people who say, "you can't get a mortgage these days", Reilly says that this is incorrect, and adds that you can get a mortgage with a job and "decent credit".
Lori Beldiny, an Associate Real Estate Broker with Coldwell Banker in Suffolk Country, says that as an active Associate Broker for 20 years, she has seen "many types of Markets". Beldiny says that currently, "our climate is strained with the negative press from media and challenges of our lending community.". She reminds us that last year at this time, the Government offered a $7,000 Tax advantage, which she says, "created a positive atmosphere for buyers who were actively looking but became real instead of tire kickers." As for today, as far as the Spring is concerned, it is, "opening up to a slow start.", and she points to the the "weather and lack of confidence" for the reasons. Beldiny says, however, that Realtors realize the timing now is "awesome", and that, "Money is cheap to borrow and supply of homes keeping prices at all time low's."
In terms of our neighbors to the West (8 million + !), inventory is tight, says Jennifer A. Chiongbian, SVP & Licensed Associate Broker with Rutenberg Realty in New York City. Chiongbian says that, "extremely tight inventory has left prospective renters left with no choice but to pay higher prices and left with almost nothing to choose from.". As an example of how tight the inventory is, she say that Manhattan is, "already known to have an average of a 1% vacancy rate; at times a bit higher, at times slightly bit lower.", and says that currently, "we are boasting a .69% vacancy rate" (which, she adds, spans data from 39,000 buildings from 96th St. to Battery Park; which is considered prime Manhattan area). In contrast, she tells us that at this same time last year, they were averaging .98% total vacancy. Her prediction; "The peak summer rental months are just beginning, and from what I can see out there, there will be no respite from this rental gouging until September, so hang onto your hats!"
Based on the "on-the-front-lines" information that was provided above, things don't seem as bad as the media would like us to believe. Are you a local Long Island or New York City Realtor or Investor? What's your take on our market? We'd love to hear from you.
TAGS: #longisland #NYC #realestate
Labels: long island, Manhattan, mortgage, new york city, nyc, Queens, real estate, real estate broker, Suffolk County
Caveats For First Time Homebuyers
Hope you had a nice weekend, and enthralled to have you back with me again today!
"First Time Homebuyers can be the most fun to work with of any client.", says Realtor Dawn Ohnstad, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Burnet in Wayzata MN, who says that first time homebuyers are, "excited, they want to learn, they ask great questions and once they have selected an agent, they operate as a team member. It makes our job fun!". David Mawyer of the CSSNMawyer Realty Group, says that first time home buyers want to be, "treated with honesty and respect. Regardless of the down payment amount or the price of the home, they are making a significant investment and want to insure that it is a good one."
This brings us to our topic, of course, which is regarding some Caveats, or tips/warnings, from some Real Estate Professionals.
Kris Bickell of the Website of Housebuying-tips.com, says that the best advice for new homebuyers is to get, "a good realtor, good mortgage broker, and good home inspector.". Ohnstad suggests that one of the first things they should do is to identify an experienced, reputable loan officer who will, "take the time to meet with them face to face, educate them about their various loan product options and provide a letter of pre-approval." Mawyer also concurs that the it is very important to select the Right Realtor and Lender, who will, "put the buyer's interest ahead of their own interest". Mawyer says that this will require some homework/research by the potential buyer (asking for references, ask questions about honesty, integrity, and consistency, etc.). He warns that buyers should look out for pressure, as this should be viewed as a "red flag"."
Mawyer says that it is important to, "Be honest about your requirements", and to assess what is important in the decision (size of the home? location? features? price?), and adds that the buyer should feel free to ask questions.
Bickell says that she had an unfortunate incident when buying her home since her Realtors ended up being "lazy", since they, "don't make nearly as much money from home buyers". Ohnstad says that it is important to caution them about going to open houses and talking with lots of listing agents. She says that if they happen to find the house that is right for them, "that listing agent will be doing all they can in the interest of the seller.", and says, "This happens quite often, and I wish I could let them all know, that we Realtors prefer to be brought into the equation to represent a buyer sooner, not later." Ohnstad adds that, "Our negotiation power on behalf of our buyer is diminished significantly when all the cards have already been shown to the other side. Any questions they may have, can be answered by their own Buyers' Representative and since the commission is already being paid by the seller, there is simply no down side to getting a pro on their team early." Ohnstad also cautions that First Time Buyers think that good Realtors who have been in the business a long time, "do not want to work on the small transactions.", but she says this is not true, and that, "A good agent wants to work with any qualified buyer who has been pre- approved by a lender and is ready to begin the process."
When it comes to the home inspector, Bickell says that hers was, "referred by the Realtors, and really didn't do a good job.", but, "Not just because he was referred, but because he missed a lot.". Ultimately, Bickell says that they ended up having to sue him later because he missed a big electrical problem. Due to the issues she experienced during the process, Bickell started her website, "to share the lessons I learned the hard way."
Onto another caveat; Mawyer suggest that you choose the right search engine, and says that, "If the first time buyer wants to find a home on the Internet, make sure that the search engine being used provides "real time" access to the live database", since, "finding homes that are no longer available for sale can be a major frustration for the first time home buyer." Seems like a great time to plug my website? (Yes - HomeRun Homes, the Classified Ads/Search Engine for Rent to Own Homes.
These Pros have provided some fantastic tips. Is there anything that should be added to this? We would love to hear from you!
TAGS: #firsttimehomebuyer #realtor #mortgagebroker #openhouse #homeinspector
Labels: First Time Homebuyers, home inspector, loan officer, mortgage broker, open house, realtor, Search Engine for Rent to Own Homes
Housing Factors Contributing to Market Direction
Hope you've had an outstanding week.
Today, I'd like to share a very interesting and very informative story that I came across that fits perfectly within the framework of our discussions here on our Blog. The story, which was written by Ruth Simon and Jessica Silver-Greenberg for the Wall Street Journal (and appeared on Yahoo Real Estate), is titled, "Why It's Time To Buy".
The story discusses what it calls the, "five-year national housing bust", and discusses some positive signs, short-term concerns, long-term concerns, a 5-Year Outlook, and touches on the topic of Renting vs. Buying.
Among the positive signs that were cited are the 50-year lows that mortgage rates have dropped to, as well as the affordability of homes. They also referred to the inventory of homes as, "A historic glut of homes", that has created a buyer's market. They did point to the fact that changes are coming, and mentioned a reference from Moody's Analytics that says the number of distressed sales will begin to fall in 2013 (and prices will increase). Additionally, Home Building is at "standstill" (lower chance of inventory/supply getting worse), and they also cited "Household Formation" (a Demographic Indicator) is on the rise, which promises, as they say, "to take a bite out of the glut in coming years."
When looking at the overall movement of the Housing Market, the short-term looks bleak, as the authors point to Weak Job growth, the fact that Foreclosure sales encompass the lion's share of market, and that Home Prices will fall more in the coming months, per some Economists. For the longer term, they point to the positives of home ownership, such as the ability to deduct the mortgage interest on your taxes, and well as the ability to decorate, paint, and change anything that you want on your own home, "without having to clear it with a landlord." They added to this a, "5-Year Outlook", that points to the coming era of post-foreclosure overload (after the majority of the foreclosure-related inventory), has been cleared, and as housing economists say, "the traditional drivers of the housing market—demographics, affordability, loan availability, employment and psychology—should take over."
Some of the more specific factors they names that will make or break local markets over the next few years, were as follows:
* Household formation is on the rise, per Moodys, and is projected to increase from 950,000 in 2010 to approx 1.2 million over the next decade.
* Higher demand for second homes, per Moodys, should begin, "sopping up excess inventory in much of the country over the next two years"
* Economic Conditions - "Rising incomes and increased employment tend to give more would-be buyers confidence and buying power."
* Mortgage financing is available for people with good credit, but, "nearly impossible" for people who do not meet the lending guidelines.
* Another interesting point that was mentioned was that, "higher down-payment standards are locking some would-be buyers out of the market.", and they pointed to a recent survey by Zelman Associates that showed that, "Just 35% of renters have the minimum 3.5% down payment needed for an FHA loan on the median-priced home in their market"
As for the "Renting Vs. Buying" question that many people have pondered, the authors stated that, "Renting is still cheaper than buying in most markets, but rising rents and falling house prices mean that, in some areas, this won't be the case for long.". They said that according to Moody's Analytics, Buying a home is already cheaper than renting in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and Orlando, Fla., and that for markets such as Dallas, Las Vegas and Sacramento", "the equation is likely to soon turn in favor of homeownership if current trends persist,"
One very practical suggestion mentioned was as follows: to compare rental prices for similar properties", and to, "wait until the monthly outlays, including taxes and insurance, are equal." and additionally, they said, "You also could factor in the tax savings of owning, which would make buying more attractive even if the gross monthly outlay is slightly higher."
In light of the Economic & Housing Market Analysis information, coupled with the Rent to Own perspective that we try to bring to you, this story was a direct hit for you...whether you're a homeowner, home seller, a realtor, or real estate investor. What are your thoughts and comments on this story?
TAGS: #Foreclosure #mortgagerates #realestateinvestor #rentalprices #renttoown #WallStreet
Labels: Buying, distressed sales, down-payment, financing, foreclosure, Household formation, landlord, Moodys, mortgage rates, real estate investor, rent to own, rental prices, Renters, renting, wall street
Top 10 Legal Real Estate Terms You Must Know
Welcome to Wednesday. Can someone pass me a cold beverage? All kidding aside, it's hot out there folks, so take precautions, wear light colors, drink plenty of fluids, etc.
As a Buyer of a home, a Seller of a Home, a Real Estate Investor, a Real Estate Agent, etc, there are some terms you need to know before you step into a deal. We have provided a concise list of the most important terms that we need to know.
The list is not in any specific priority order, as they are all quite important. Always remember to consult a local Real Estate Attorney before getting involved in any and all types of Real Estate arrangements.
1. Quitclaim Deed - This is a document that is used to, "clear up issues involving possible multiple owners of a property", per Sophie Martin, MBA, from the UNM School of Law, who says that with this special form of deed, "someone who might have an interest in your property agrees to hand it over to you."
2. Fee Simple Absolute - Per Martin, this is the, "best and most common ownership of property: full right to possess the property now and into the future."
3. Tenancy in Common - "When you and a partner (or partners) go in on a piece of land, you each own a portion of the whole which you can will or sell to others.", per Martin. Additionally, it means that, "each owner has a fee simple title to his or her share and that title can be sold or willed to someone else.", says Rick Snow, Broker/Owner of First Choice Realty. Snow adds that Joint tenancy commonly has, "rights of survivorship", where multiple parties may own property together and, "if one dies the remaining owners absorb the deceased parties share."
4. Title insurance - Snow describes Title Insurance as, "indemnity insurance against financial loss from defects in title to real property and from the invalidity or unenforceability of mortgage liens." Basically, a form of protection.
5. Escrow - "An arrangement made under contractual provisions between transacting parties, whereby an independent trusted third party receives and disburses money and/or documents for the transacting parties", as defined by Snow.
6. Default - Defined by Snow as, "the failure to comply with some aspect of the contract and either seller or buyer can find themselves in default under the provisions of the contract. Remedies to the non defaulting party should be spelled put on the contract."
7. Easement - A "permission to cross someone else's land.", which is referred to as the proper definition, per Mike Arman, a Real estate salesman and Mortgage Broker for over 20 years. Arman says that the easement holder does NOT own the land, "and cannot cut so much as one blade of grass without the owner's permission.". He also says that they cannot be unilaterally revoked or blocked (Arman says, "next stop is court."). Arman says he *specifically* suggest, "NOT purchasing ANY property which relies on easements or a chain of easements for access". Sophie Martin adds that the most common easements are held by utility companies.
8. Flood Zone - Deemed quite important, per Arman, who says that you need to be, "1,000% sure of the flood zone your prospective property is in - homeowners insurance does not cover flooding, and flood insurance will be expensive and WILL be required by your lender.". Arman says flood insurance comes from NFIP, "which is administered by FEMA (of Katrina fame), which is now a division of DHS".
9. Subject to availability of suitable financing - This is "Hand written on the contract for purchase and sale", says Arman, who says that this phrase can, "save the buyer's good faith deposit if suitable financing is not available - and the buyer defines "suitable financing", so it can also be used as an "out"". Arman says, however, that the problem is that, "sometimes decent financing simply is NOT available - and 99.9999% of buyers go looking for financing AFTER they've signed the contract and put up a (big) deposit. Lenders often won't waste their precious time on pre-approvals, come back when you've signed a contract so we know you are serious." Additionally, he adds, "Bingo - someone is going to be out five or ten grand when they can't get a loan because of a credit bureau error from 1937."
10. AS IS. - As described by Timothy G. Wiedman, D.B.A. Division of Economics & Business Doane College in Crete, Nebraska, "In an era of bank foreclosures and generally falling prices for real estate of all types, many properties are being sold "as is."". Wiedman says that Buyers should view the term as a, "warning to be cautious, and property being sold "as is" should be professionally inspected _before any commitments are made." He points to a a court case that can provide guidance, which is "Prudential Insurance Company of America v. Jefferson Associates, Ltd." which, he says, went to the Texas Supreme Court in 1995. Wiedman says that "When property is sold "as is," the buyer _may_ get a great deal. On the other hand, the buyer may later discover defects that will be expensive to correct -- and have _no_ ability to recover damages from the seller."
I hope these terms have been helpful. I cannot stress this point enough: Always remember to consult a local Real Estate Attorney before getting involved in any and all types of Real Estate arrangements. Do you have any important Real Estate Legal Terms to add to this list? we'd love to hear from you.
TAGS: #realestateinvestor #legal #Deed #titleinsurance
Labels: Default, Easement, escrow, Fee Simple, Flood Zone, Legal Terms, Quitclaim Deed, real estate agent, real estate attorney, real estate investor, Subject to, Tenancy in Common, Title insurance
Selling a Home via Rent to Own
Glad to welcome you back.
We have some great topics ahead this week, and since we are headed into the summer, we wanted to make you aware once again of the invitation that we extended back in early April.
In the interest of making this a "Non" Sales Pitch offer, I do recognize the fact that it can be taken by many as a sales pitch. On the flip side, if you read this carefully, you'll see that it is not (and is actually pretty cool!).
Occasionally, we have more Buyers than Sellers of Rent to Own Homes placing Ads, and that creates a gap in favor of one type of Ad vs. another type of Ad. That being said, we currently have a temporarily disproportionate amount of Homes Wanted Ads (Buyers) vs Homes Available Ads (Sellers), and we would like to close that gap.
In order to do so, we are extending to you, the readers of this Blog, an opportunity to list your Rent to Own Home for a period of 3-Months, at no charge (normally $16.99 for 3-Months). No entering credit card info, no payments...just listing your home. I'm going to run this offer through the end of June, or once the gap is closed...whichever comes first.
How Do You Get your Free 3-Month Ad listing your Home?
Send an E-mail to me at homebuyer@lease2buy.com with the Subject; "BLOG - MY HOME FOR RENT TO OWN"
We'll set up a Username and Password for you so you can log in, create your Ad, upload photos, etc.
So, To Recap...
The benefit for you - a free Ad listing your home.
The benefit for me - closing the gap between types of Ads as mentioned above.
I look forward to receiving your E-mails and seeing your homes on our website,
Labels: buyer, free Ad, lease option, lease purchase, rent to own, seller
Current Building and Construction Trends
Another week in the books, and a hot/humid one it was, at least here in New York.
On the topic of Building and Construction Trends, the market has changed for sure! Jim Rasche, owner of a Contracting/Construction Management Company, says that for over 43 years, he has seen it all, and in terms of the housing/building/construction market, he reflects on just a few years back when, "the money was flowing", and, "the market for all types of construction investment knew no bounds". As we all know, that has ended. Melanie Taylor of Melanie Taylor Architecture, says that Condo conversions have halted - places converted in 2007 are still on the market. So, with the "Good Old Days" behinds us, today we'll be looking at some of the latest building and construction trends.
Lydia Player of Virginia Cook Realtors, says that the homes that are, "successfully being built and sold are smaller. No one wants a home over 6,000 square feet." Player says that she sees this trend as, "a function of downsizing and simplifying."
Rasche adds that the money for new projects was "dried up" for several years, but he says that there are signs of loosening up, "as evidenced by the sporadic requests for proposals I am getting from private entities." He says, however, that these projects are primarily, "renovations and restorations of existing as commercial building owners attempt to update their facilities without incurring long term permit processes and expensive ground up development."
Jeanette Chasworth, A Certified Interior Designer, says that people doing more remodeling, and she says that one of the key areas is, "Aging in Place". Homes that are being built are more, "accessibility oriented" and many of the new retirement communities are using this as a key feature in their designs. Chasworth says that many homeowners are making their current homes, "more accessible so that they can stay in them longer and avoid the high cost of assisted living."
Rasche concurs, and says that there are more and more owners making do with what they have and updating facilities (both commercial and retail) to, "maintain user interest in their facilities". He says that the public sector, however, "is going strong as new projects for heavy and highway and buildings are going out for proposals daily. The ARRA has funded many of these projects and they are now becoming reality." Rasche points to a very interesting morsel of information: "In 2006, there were at least 60 tower cranes on the skyline of downtown Miami. Today you would be hard pressed to find just one! Construction unemployment is listed as being around 20% but I know for a fact that the unemployment among construction management staff is at least 40 to 50% in this area."
In line with some of the trends discussed above, Cas Mollien CIO of Foram Group, says that you need to, "differentiate from competitors and bring something new and exciting to the market place.", and he provides the example of one of his properties that they redesigned. As Mollien describes it, "We decided to design the new property in a way that we would like real estate to be constructed for current day businesses, with full business continuity in mind. The conclusion of our ideas is a building with unsurpassed business as well as environmental benefits."
Mollien hit upon a very important trend; Environmentally Conscious, or, "Green". Kevin Costenaro of The Augusta Group, says that the, "most glaring trend we are seeing is that of going "green.". He says that nearly every one of his clients for the past 2-3 years has at least, "inquired about the use of alternative heating & electrical systems, if not actually had them installed.", and that, "We have installed a combination of geothermal systems, wind power systems, solar PV systems, and/or solar thermal systems on 50% of our projects." Interestingly, Costenaro says he, "does not see any evidence that these trends are due to economic reasons but rather a feeling of wanting to be better stewards of the environment."
One other feature that Cas Mollien mentioned is that they decided to, "approach network connectivity as a fourth utility", by offering, "massive amounts of scalable and redundant bandwidth directly to one of the nation's largest Internet Exchange Points (IXP's).", which, he says, "provides an unsurpassed experience to our tenants, allowing them to use the latest in Cloud and mobile technologies, as well as an unrivalled choice in carriers, service providers and connectivity options." This sounds like a trend that could possibly build up more steam over time.
What are your thoughts? What kind of trends are you seeing?
TAGS: #Construction #CommercialBuilding #RealEstate #Green
Labels: Aging in place, Commercial Building, construction, contracting, green, real estate, realtor, renovation
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Everything Divorced Couples Need to Know About Parenting Plans
Wayne Parker
Wayne's background in life coaching along with his work helping organizations to build family-friendly policies, gives him a unique perspective on fathering.
Credit: Morsa Images. Getty Images
There are innumerable details to keep track of throughout divorce. And once it's finalized, there are still other loose ends with regards to your children. Custody terms can only address the situation that you and your ex had at the time of the split, so questions may arise about things such as healthcare and school issues.
The best solution for both parents and the children is to find an arrangement for their care that best meets their needs. This requires that both parents are flexible, and willing to compromise and commit to the agreement.
In the world of child custody, that agreement is known as a parenting plan.
What Is A Parenting Plan?
A parenting plan is a child custody plan negotiated between the parents and their legal counsel and then is approved by the court. Parenting plans help define the new world in which the children will live and operate and carefully define the roles of each parent.
Once approved by the family court judge, the parenting plan is enforceable on both parents and both will need to keep their obligations under the plan.
It is important to remember that when you were married, you had a parenting plan—it just wasn't reduced to writing or enforced by law. You and your partner figured out together how to raise the children. This included everything in your life and your children's lives, which seemed natural when you were still with your ex. Now that everything has a different context, it may seem daunting. We have broken down the important points of a parenting plan that you can read about below.
A parenting plan looks a lot like what was just described, only it considers the challenges of having the children living in two homes with unmarried parents. It consists of the following essential elements:
Communications and decision making. Most parenting plans define a regular schedule for both parents to communicate with each other about the children's lives and decision making. In the case of joint legal custody, this becomes even more important. But even if one parent has legal custody and the other is less involved, there will certainly be times when the non-custodial parent will care about something. Defining this relationship carefully is one of the primary functions of a parenting plan.
Physical custody. This section of the plan details the time each parent will have custody of the children. Here is where you would record the days when the children will live with one parent and then with the other. It will cover things like holidays, summer visits, the hours the children will be with each, what physical arrangements will be made (like their own or shared bedrooms), and so forth.
Transportation and custody exchanges. The parenting plan also specifies who is responsible for transportation when the children's custody changes hands, where the exchanges will happen and what the ground rules will be.
Legal custody. The plan will also define which parent has the responsibility for making decisions about the children. If the parents have joint legal custody, it usually requires both parents to communicate and agree about major decisions. This section helps define that relationship, how critical decisions are made when both parents are not available, and what happens when the parents cannot agree.
Child support. Parenting plans also typically include the ground rules for calculating child support payments and what items are included in regular support payments and which are not. This is a really important component because it defines for the long term how the parents will assess, collect and spend child support dollars.
Healthcare. The plan should also include information about healthcare for the children, both physical and mental in nature. Issues about who provides and pays for health insurance, whether health care costs are included in child support or not, and who makes decisions about securing health care should all be addressed in a parenting plan.
Schools and school records. The parenting plan should also address the details about children's education. Which schools will they attend? How should the parents decide if there is a change in schools? What records will be accessible to which parents? Who will have the ability to address other issues related to the children's education and under which circumstances? Which parent can pick up the children at school and under what circumstances? Getting answers to these issues brings some significant clarity that will be helpful when educators are involved.
Annual vacations and school breaks. The parenting plan needs to include details about how the children will be involved with each parent's vacation time and how the parents will be involved with kids on breaks from school. This can be a divisive issue between parents if it is not addressed in advance and both parents understand the ground rules.
Social activities and school functions. Will both parents come separately to every school play and sports event, or will these be split? Which parent makes the call when a child wants to go on a first date? Who gets involved in proms, dances, graduation parties and the like. Defining these issues become an important part of any parenting plan.
Contact with relatives and others. In every family, there are considerations needed for others than just the children and parents. If this is not carefully considered, grandparents, aunts, uncles or future spouses of the parents can disrupt even the best relationships. Consider in the parenting plan how to handle the desires of other family members relative to the children, and how to address the children's desires to interact with them.
Relocation. At times, even though it is not really good for the children, one or the other parent may find themselves in a situation where they need to relocate away from the other parent. The parenting plan should contemplate this possibility and work through issues like visitation, child support, legal custody decisions and costs of travel.
Dispute resolution processes. A good parenting plan, as comprehensive as it may be, simply cannot anticipate every contingency. And even the most cooperative parents will not always agree. Defining how disputes will be resolved is essential in any parenting plan. Do you both agree to mediate any disputes? Who will mediate? How can the parents change the parenting plan?
As John and Carol learned, a good, comprehensive parenting plan is vital to the continuing relationship between children and their unmarried parents. Careful consideration of the parenting plan up front will take away much of the stress later as parents try to raise their children in separate households.
What's the Difference Between Legal Custody and Joint Legal Custody?
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Fathers Should Know This About Their Custody Rights During Divorce
What Happens After Same-Sex Parents Breakup? Get the Facts
Everything You Need to Know About Divorce Mediation
How to Prepare for a Legal Separation
My Ex Filed for Custody of Our Children—What Do I Do Now?
Here's Why Divorced Parents Shouldn't Move Away from Home
What's the Difference Between Physical and Joint Custody?
If and When You Should File for Child Support


text:
Home World U.S. News Jackrabbits invade Fargo, North Dakota
Jackrabbits invade Fargo, North Dakota
Dog-sized jackrabbits have invaded a neighborhood of Fargo, North Dakota.
The rabbits are not harmful and at first neighbors found them charming. But they have multiplied and are now leaving their droppings everywhere and devouring trees and shrubs. They leave messes everywhere.
Residents were advised by animal control to poison the jackrabbits, though folks are loathe to do so.
One resident said the city pest control department told her that they couldn't do anything about the jackrabbits, technically wild hares, because they were wild animals.
There is no city ordinance that deals with depopulating rabbits in the area, Fargo Police Lt. Joel Vettel told ABC News.
Female jackrabbits can bear two to four litters each year with one to nine offspring in each litter.
[youtube bO8rIvoNRDI 650]
rabbit invasion
Standard & Poor's to pay $1.4 billion settlement over mortgage crisis claims
Oscar Nominees Luncheon 2015: Stars gather at Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles
Nancy Clayson
Nancy is a young, full of life lady who joined the team shortly after the BelleNews site started to run. She is focused on bringing up to light all the latest news from the technology industry. In her opinion the hi-tech expresses the humanity intellectual level. Nancy is an active person; she enjoys sports and delights herself in doing gardening in her spare time, as well as reading, always searching for new topics for her articles.
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text:
The Big Data Power Surge
It may not have blast furnaces and assembly lines, those iconic symbols of heavy industry, but there's a new energy-intensive industry rising right before our eyes and its growth could very well upend forecasts for future electricity demand.
This new heavy industry – and the infrastructure to support it – is the data industry. As Mark Mills, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, writes in the first installment of a fascinating series for RealClearEnergy, the sheer size of the hardware needed to transport, process and store the skyrocketing amount of data we generate and use every second boggles the mind. And all that data requires power and an ever-growing and energy-consuming infrastructure to support it.
Mills cautions that it's nearly impossible to explain just how big the business of data has become but he paints a vivid and telling picture. At the heart of this data infrastructure is the datacenter – huge buildings that are only growing larger and more sophisticated. The world's largest datacenter is located near Reno, Nevada and has twice the square footage as the world's tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. There are more than 5,000 enterprise-class datacenters in the world (think skyscrapers taller than 40 stories) and there are another 8 million small datacenters around the globe.
Like an anecdote out of a Michael Lewis book, Mills describes a new entrant in the niche real estate sector that has sprung up to build and provide mega datacenters. EdgeCore Internet Real Estate is building one of its first million-square-foot buildings in Northern Virginia where a collection of similar firms has already installed the planet's largest concentration of world-class datacenters. EdgeCore, as Mills explains, like all the big datacenter real estate firms, talks more in electricity terms than square footage when describing its projects and goals for development. There's a reason for that.
EdgeCore hopes to build out about one thousand megawatts of digital load in datacenter capacity — that's enough power demand to keep two large coal plants running around the clock. Or in other terms, it's the same amount of power needed for about 750,000 homes. It's an astounding figure, and as Mills cautions, it's just one firm.
All in all, datacenters are already estimated to consume 2 percent of the world's electricity. And to put that number into context, that's 50 times more energy than the world's 3 million EVs consume. It's genuinely a jaw-dropping number, especially considering that rapid EV adoption, all by itself, could increase U.S. electricity demand 38 percent by 2050.
While there are many observers that believe energy efficiency will bridle electricity demand from datacenters and the ever-building tsunami of data, Mills isn't so sure. And for good reason.
Cisco forecasts that in just the next five years, data generation is going to grow by 300 percent. How do you plan for this? How do you prepare for a rise in electricity demand that is all but assuredly going to upend the status quo?
Our electricity markets are not designed to see over the proverbial crest. And, as such, it should be deeply concerning that the foundation of our electric grid – our coal and nuclear plants, our baseload sources of power that meet 50 percent our electricity demand – is slipping way just as we need it most.
Consider today's flat electricity demand the calm before the storm. As our coal and nuclear plants are forced into early retirement, mainly due to a flawed market that doesn't properly value their inherent strengths, there will be no bringing them back once they're gone.
The uncertainty of future electricity demand – particularly demand driven by a new, essential industry that requires around-the-clock power – is just one more reason, in the long list of reasons, to act to keep today's well-operating and essential baseload power plants a part of our electricity mix.
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What's Ahead for U.S. Electricity Demand This Winter?


text:
require 'thor'
require 'cocos2dx/project'
require 'cocos2dx/Generator'
module Cocos2dx
  class Android < Generator

    include Project

    desc "project NAME", "Create Andorid project for Cocos2Dx"
    def project(name)
      puts "Creating project #{name}"
      set_name name
      create_base_project
      add_android_nature
    end

    private

    def add_android_nature
      @android_sdk_home = ask("Where is the Android SDK installed?")
      @android_ndk_home = ask("where is the Android NDK installed?")
      @cocos2dx_home = ask("where is the Cocos2d-x Library installed?")

      @bundle_id = ask("What is the Package name for the app i.e. com.example.app?")
      @app_name = ask("What is the Application Name?")
      @api_version = ask("What version of the Android do you wish to target?")

    end

  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub