Does everyone remember this original post, Weeping Desert Willow? It was the most viewed post ever on this site. Well, we have an update. This property went back to the lender on 10/18/2007 for $1,030,658. All told the bank lost $164,605 so far. They will likely lose more as they sell it in the resale market and pay a commission.

.

Today’s property is a perfect example of how negative amortization loans given to people who can not afford the payments destroy property values.

In this one section of street in the Villages of Columbus there are three properties for sale: 27, 28 and 30 Desert Willow (links on the numbers.) Two of them are adjacent and the third is directly across the street. They are all of similar size and character, and the sellers paid similar amounts for them.

However, the seller of today’s featured property got behind on his payments and went into default. As a final effort to get out of this property, he put it for sale at a drastically reduced price. The neighbors can’t be too pleased.

.

Asking Price: $850,000

Purchase Price: $1,286,863

Purchase Date: 5/3/2006

Address: 28 East Desert Willow, Irvine, CA 92606

1st Loan — $943,629

2nd Mtg. — $251,634

Down Pmt. — $91,600

Beds: 5

Baths: 3

Sq. Ft.: 2,790

$/Sq. Ft.: $305

Lot Size: 7,800 sq. ft.

Year Built: 2006

Stories: 2

Type: Single Family Residence

County: Orange

MLS#: S495550

Status: Active

On Redfin: 14 days

From Redfin, “Incredible 5 Bedroom, almost new with many upgrades. To appreciate thi s home you must make an appointment to SEE IT IN PERSON. Near Schools, park and shopping. Perfect family home. Too many upgrades to list.”

.

.

As you can see from the financing details, this is a short sale, and it almost certainly will not be approved by the lender. It is not uncommon in these situations for the second mortgage holder to get wiped out, but rarely will the first mortgage holder take a loss. They would rather foreclose, buy the property for the amount of the first mortgage and go through their loss mitigation procedures. It is possible they think it will cost them less this way, but I doubt it.

Just for the sake of Schadenfreude let’s calculate the theoretical loss on this property: There was a closing on 5/3/2006 at which Lennar walked away with $1,286,863. If this house sells for its asking price, and a 6% commission is paid to a broker, there will be $799,000 left to pay off the various parties. That is a total loss of $487,863. First, the owner will lose $91,600, then the 2nd mortgage holder will lose $251,634, and finally the primary mortgage holder will lose $144,629.

This can’t be good news for the owners at 27 Desert Willow hoping to get $1,188,000 for their house, or the owners at 30 Desert Willow hoping to get $1,279,000? Once a similar property sells for $850,000, what chance to they have of getting their wishing price?

On Sunday’s post on Home Sales Data thru 7-16-2007, I posted this chart with the increased insurance premium lenders are being charged to insure the most stable subprime borrowers. The reason this insurance is becoming so expensive is because of situations like this one where primary mortgage holders are getting burned, and insurers are having to pay off claims.

This is also why mortgage interest rates are going to rise. Future borrowers are going to have to pay the increased insurance costs and make up for the losses on these loans made during the bubble.

It only gets worse from here.

.

I would like to thank EvaLSeraphim for pointing out this property and helping me with some property data.

This property went back to the lender on 11/9/2007 for $506,429. Apparently the seller bought the property with a $460,000 negative amortization loan with a 1% teaser rate. I don’t see a second, so it appears the $125,000 downpayment was consumed by the negative amortization on the loan and the dropping property values.

The property was originally posted here: The English Garden.

Now the property is back on the market at a significant discount. If they get their asking price, they stand to lose $96,800 after commissions.

Old Asking Price: $595,000

New Asking Price: $530,000

Purchase Price: $575,000
Purchase Date: 1/30/2006

Address: 54 Paisley Place, Irvine, CA 92620

Beds: 2
Baths: 2
Sq. Ft.*: 1,050
Year Built: 1999
Stories: 2
Type: Single Family Residence
View: Hills
Neighborhood: Northwood
$/Sq. Ft.*: $567
MLS: S476148
Status: Active on market
On Redfin: 42 days

In my opinion one of the most notable features of this bubble has been the increase in price of entry level housing product. I suspect this is a result of sub-prime lending and/or exotic financing terms. Back when you could not afford to finance more than 3 or 4 times earnings, entry level housing was priced at $200,000 or less. During the rally when 10 to 12 times earnings could be easily borrowed, $200,000 properties where bid up to $550,000. Nobody was actually making any more money, they were just borrowing a lot more. Once the limit of borrowing was reached last year, the rally fizzled. Now that credit is tightening, those who bought at the top are having difficulty finding buyers. The result of all this borrowing is properties like the two I am featuring today.

First, I want to say this is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Irvine. It features architecture reminiscent of a small English village with quaint cottages. There are few visible garages, the sidewalks are detached from the street, and the trees make for a great street scene. It is very close to Canyon View Elementary in Northwood. If prices were not ridiculous, I would buy in this neighborhood.

These two flips are showing signs of stress. They are overpriced and hoping a greater fool comes along to save them. 206 Garden Gate Lane has been on the market nearly 100 days. If they get their asking price of $655,800 assuming a 6% commission, they will lose $8,548.

The flipper at 54 Paisley Place gets their asking price of $595,000 assuming a 6% commission, they will lose $15,700. Does anyone want to go up there and pay well over $500 per square foot for some 8 year old properties when you could buy 75 Chantilly, a nearly new, much larger 2 bedroom over in Woodbury for $370 per square foot? I think I will pass.

We wrap up our week of music from Children’s Christmas shows with this old favorite.

Down to the village,
With a broomstick in his hand,
Running here and there all
Around the square saying,
Catch me if you can.
He led them down the streets of town
Right to the traffic cop.
And he only paused a moment when
He heard him holler “Stop!”
For Frosty the snow man
Had to hurry on his way,
But he waved goodbye saying,
“Don’t you cry,
I’ll be back again some day.”
Thumpetty thump thump,
Thumpety thump thump,
Look at Frosty go.
Thumpetty thump thump,
Thumpety thump thump,
Over the hills of snow.

Frosty the Snowman

.

This particular street in Quail Hill is showing signs of stress. We profiled two properties on this street in the post Reunion Rollback. The rollbacks are still coming. This one is from 2004.

Asking Price: $529,950

Income Requirement: $132,487

Downpayment Needed: $105,990

Purchase Price: $567,500

Purchase Date: 12/29/2004

Address: 109 Reunion, Irvine, CA 92603

1st Mortgage $564,000
HELOC $70,500
Total Debt $634,500

Beds: 2
Baths: 2
Sq. Ft.: 1,447
$/Sq. Ft.: $366
Lot Size: –
Type: Condominium
Style: Spanish
Year Built: 2005
Stories: Three or More Levels
View(s): Park or Green Belt
Area: Quail Hill
County: Orange
MLS#: P611008
Status: Active
On Redfin: 7 days

From Redfin, “Numerous amenities adorn this spacious upscale Quail Hill Condo. 2 Bedrooms, 2 full baths. A Great room design with built in desk and romantic fireplace. clean and sleek gourmet kitchen with stainless still appliances, granite countertops and custom design backslash. Ceramic tile floors and upgraded carpet. Assoc Pool, Assoc Barbeque, Assoc Gym/Exercise Room, Assoc Sport Court, and Assoc Tennis. Great Corner Location.”

What is a backslash? Sounds like a karate move in a horror film.

Do the “still” appliances work?

A “clean and sleek gourmet kitchen.” I am impressed. Since it is “clean” does that mean it comes with lifetime maid service? I would like to thank Shhhhh for our fabulous new Gourmet kitchen award. These will be prominently displayed on any listing mentioning a gourmet kitchen from this day forward

Did they really need to write “Assoc” 5 times?

.

.

So how much will the lender lose on this one? Assuming the HELOC is fully tapped, and assuming the owners never made more than the minimum payment on their negative amortization loan with the 1.25% teaser rate, the lender will lose over $137,000.

Anybody want to invest in second mortgages in California?

This has been an eventful week at the Irvine Housing Blog. Monday’s post was linked by several national websites. That post was viewed by more than 4800 people. Our traffic was well above average for the week. Make sure you come by Monday as the post is titled “What is a Bubble?” It should help everyone fully grasp the psychological factors that drove our real estate prices into the stratosphere (and subsequently into the dirt.)

I hope you have enjoyed the past week as much as I have, and come back next week as we will have more Christmas music and we will continue to Chronicle ‘the seventh circle of real estate hell.’

Have a great weekend.

🙂

.

Ho ho ho.
Ho ho ho.
We are Santa’s elves.

We are Santa’s elves,
Filling Santa’s shelves With a toy
For each girl and boy.

Oh, we are Santa’s elves.
We work hard all day,
But our work is play.
Dolls we try out,
See if they cry out.

We are Santa’s elves.
We’ve a special job each year.
We don’t like to brag.
Christmas Eve we always
Fill Santa’s bag.

Santa knows who’s good.
Do the things you should.
And we bet you,
He won’t forget you.

We are Santa’s elves.
Ho ho ho. Ho ho ho.
We are Santa’s elves.
Ho Ho!

We are Santa’s Elves — Burl Ives

.
Today I want to look at a property that is both for sale and for rent to see where the gross rent multiplier in the market can be found. This was sent to me by SawItComing.

Asking Price: $589,900

Income Requirement: $168,750

Downpayment Needed: $147,475

Purchase Price: $590,000

Purchase Date: 3/22/2004

Rental Rate: $2,695

Gross Rent Multiplier: 222

Address: 145 Topaz #15, Irvine, CA 92602

1st Loan $471,900
2nd Mtg. $88,500
Downpayment $29,600

Beds: 3
Baths: 2.5
Sq. Ft.: 1,500
$/Sq. Ft.: $393
Lot Size: –
Type: Condominium
Style: Townhouse
Year Built: 2001
Stories: Two Levels
Area: West Irvine
County: Orange
MLS#: S510794
Status: Active
On Redfin: 29 days

From Redfin, “Magnificent West Irvine Townhouse boasting high ceilings, large bedrooms and custom paint. End unit with lots of upgrades and one of the best locations in the tract with a extra wide front walkway. Nice size fenced front patio with slate tiles. Great neighborhood, fabulous schools, close to Tustin Marketplace and 5/55 freeways.”

When referring to those tiny front patios, what constitutes a “nice size?”

.

.

The purchase data on Redfin is incorrect, but my data source shows this property was purchase in 2004 for $590,000. If the seller can get their asking price, they stand to lose $35,494.

For those of you who want to better understand the gross rent multiplier concept, lets look at the math on this property:

$589,900 Purchase Price
6.75% Interest Rate
30 year fixed Term

_____________________________

$3,826 Payment
$185 HOA
$590 taxes @ 1.2%
$123 Insurance @ 0.25%
_____________________________
$4,724 Monthly Cash Expense
($830) Income Tax Savings @25%

_____________________________
$3,894 After Tax Cost
$2,695 Rent

_____________________________
$1,199 Monthly Operating Loss

A note on downpayments: I have not included a downpayment in this calculation because it does not change the math. If you take the money out of a high-interest CD to put into a downpayment, you are giving up earning 5% interest on that money. The effective, after-tax interest rate on the mortgage is about 5%. In short, it is a wash to the calculation. Whether you pay cash and give up interest income or finance the entire deal and obtain the interest deduction, the cost of money is the same.

.

.

As you can see, a GRM of 222 makes for a significant loss when compared to renting. So how far do you have to drop the price to get to breakeven?

$399,169 Purchase Price
6.75% Interest Rate
30 year fixed Term

_____________________________

$2,589 Payment
$185 HOA
$399 taxes @ 1.2%
$83 Insurance @ 0.25%
_____________________________
$3,256 Monthly Cash Expense
($561) Income Tax Savings @25%

_____________________________
$2,695 After Tax Cost
$2,695 Rent

_____________________________
$0 Monthly Operating Loss

148 Breakeven GRM

Take $200K off the price and the property breaks even with a 148 GRM.

This is the math I would use to evaluate whether or not I will buy a home, but others may use different assumptions. I will not take out an interest-only loan, so the cash-on-cash breakeven I am looking for is actually better than breakeven because a certain amount of equity is hidden in the mortgage payment as principal. If you want to calculate the absolute breakeven, you must look at the interest-only scenario:

$589,900 Purchase Price
6.75% Interest Rate
30 year fixed Term

_____________________________

$3,318 Payment
$185 HOA
$590 taxes @ 1.2%
$123 Insurance @ 0.25%
_____________________________
$4,216 Monthly Cash Expense
($830) Income Tax Savings @25%

_____________________________
$3,386 After Tax Cost
$2,695 Rent

_____________________________
$691 Monthly Operating Loss
.

$462,495 Purchase Price
6.75% Interest Rate
30 year fixed Term

_____________________________

$2,602 Payment
$185 HOA
$462 taxes @ 1.2%
$96 Insurance @ 0.25%
_____________________________
$3,345 Monthly Cash Expense
($650) Income Tax Savings @25%

_____________________________
$2,695 After Tax Cost
$2,695 Rent

_____________________________
$0 Monthly Operating Loss

172 Breakeven GRM

As you can see, this comes out very close to the 160 GRM we have been using here at the blog. The gross rent multiplier is just a shortcut that will let you know if a property is “in the ballpark” and worthy of a more detailed analysis. Some properties with a 160 GRM may still not be at breakeven if the HOA fees or Mello Roos taxes are very high (which they are in the new neighborhoods.) The only way to know for sure is to crunch the numbers. However, if you want a convenient shortcut, the gross rent multiplier is a handy tool to use.

Have a holly, jolly Christmas;
It’s the best time of the year
I don’t know if there’ll be snow,
but have a cup of cheer.
Have a holly, jolly Christmas;
And when you walk down the street
Say Hello to friends you know
and everyone you meet.

Oh, ho, the mistletoe
hung where you can see;
Somebody waits for you;
Kiss her once for me.
Have a holly jolly Christmas,
and in case you didn’t hear,
Oh by golly, have a holly,
jolly Christmas this year.

Holly Jolly Christmas — Burl Ives

.

Asking Price: $449,000

Income Requirement: $112,250

Downpayment Needed: $89,800

Purchase Price: $522,000

Purchase Date: 9/18/2006

Address: 127 Briarglen #38, Irvine, CA 92614

1st Mortgage $417,000
2nd Mortgage $105,000
Downpayment $0

Beds: 2
Baths: 2.5
Sq. Ft.: 1,055
$/Sq. Ft.: $426
Lot Size: –
Type: Condominium
Style: Townhouse
Year Built: 1986
Stories: Two Levels
Area: Woodbridge
County: Orange
MLS#: R712474
Status: Active
On Redfin: 10 days

From Redfin, “What a Charming 2 bedroom 2.5 bath Condo. Inside Loop, not near Freeway. Great location – walk to lake, schools, groceries & malls. Wrap-around Patio. It’s a must to see!”

It’s a must to see? A small condo for almost half a million dollars — hurry before they are all gone!!!

.

.

It is different this time. At least that is what everyone thinks when there is a financial bubble. Of course, the statement is partially true because the circumstances of each bubble are unique; it is the outcome that is always the same. In prior housing bubbles, prices have been “sticky” on the way down as as bid/ask spreads widen and transaction volume withers. We have certainly been seeing this phenomenon, but prices on many properties have been showing a surprising lack of “stickiness” in the initial stages of this decline. It seems to be different this time. The reason: 100% financing.

Sellers loath to take a loss. That is the main reason prices are supposed to be sticky. Those that bought late in the rally hold to peak prices while the bids decline. However, this time around, there was a plethora of 100% financing deals like today’s property. These sellers are not going to take a loss — they are passing the loss on to the lender. In short, they don’t care what the property sells for because they no longer have a financial interest in the outcome. We have been profiling numerous rollbacks on 100% financing deals on the blog. I have not been trying to find 100% financing rollbacks, they are just what is most common in the marketplace. It is the large number of these transactions in the market that is providing the impetus for the initial 20% drop we have been witnessing across Irvine. During the last bubble, peak to trough prices in Irvine dropped less than 20%, and that drop was stretched out over 6 years. It really is different this time…

For the record, this seller lender is going to lose $100,000 assuming a 6% commission and a sale at asking price.

Last week we discussed the implication of all the second mortgage losses on the market. It was the consensus of most posters that few people have saved up the downpayments necessary to buy a home. Some suggested the need for a first-time homebuyer downpayment assistance program. Who is going to fund it? Or put another way, who wants to lose their money this way? Will this be a government subsidy program where our tax dollars fuel more speculation?

Realistically, there is no solution to the problem of the lack of savings for downpayments. Lenders are not going to provide this money, and the government will not either. The market will not recover until people start saving and accumulate enough to amount to a 20% downpayment. The time will be long, and the amount will be small meaning the bottom will be later and lower than most currently imagine.