Foreclosure & the Economy: The Short Sale Class
9/13/11
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
While at BB Kings this week I got into a heated discussion about the largest title companies & it got me thinking is bigger always better?
Before we get to that thought, a great resource to learn about title companies & their respective market shares is the American Land Title Association's website - http://www.alta.org/industry/financial.cfm. There you will learn that many of the title companies are just subsidiaries of larger parent companies. For example, during my conversation someone argued that Chicago Title is the largest and therefore the best. Well it turns out that Chicago is only the largest when its included with Fidelity, Commonwealth and Alamo within the Fidelity Family of Companies. Nonetheless, First American Title Insurance Company has 24.6% market share standing alone while Chicago only has 16.9%. This renders First Am the largest. So, the numbers can be skewed to your liking.
Yet, is bigger better? In a way it is. You see in title companies, which are insurance companies size does matter. Except we are not concerned with market share, but instead assets. The reason is the company with the largest assets has the greatest ability to meet its insured's needs. Although this may also be skewed to your liking because assets may be compromised by risk. Therefore, one should really look at a company's Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), which evaluates and qualifies the adequacy of a company's risk-adjusted capital position. To learn more about rating title insurance companies see information about Best's Rating Methodology by clicking here.
Monday, September 12, 2011
While reading a study out of the University of Chicago entitled "Payday Lenders: Heroes or Villains?", I was struck by the following statistical fact - foreclosures rise in communities faced by a natural disaster by 4.5 per 1,000 homes. Now this is obviously a bad thing, people getting foreclosed upon, but its also a fantastic opportunity for real estate investors. If you recall the TV pictures of the ski towns in Vermont and upstate New York following Hurricane Irene, its clear a natural disaster struck these areas very hard.
Now, I wonder would if this statistic for foreclosures after a natural disaster would be even higher if the community affected relied upon seasonal rental income to sustain. Meaning, in a ski town without a ski lodge wouldn't less people rent a ski house, causing even more foreclosures or distressed homeowners than the 4.5 per 1,000.
Regardless, the team at Lieb at Law always lives by the motto "don't dwell on the past but enhance the future". So, speaking of enhancing, all of you real estate investors out there should be focusing on seizing the opportunity of the Hurricane Irene natural disaster. Yes, no one wants a storm, a fire or a flood, but we cannot control these occurrences. Yet, we can control how we respond. I suggest responding with investment in the hardest hit towns. Seize the opportunity. Now go make a fortune.
