There is a new scam in real estate that can only be accomplished by an agent, most often a realtor because most real estate agents are realtors, but there are likely some independent brokers caught up in this as well. The realtor must shirk their fiduciary responsibility to their client and knowingly tell lies to that client, usually a lender but sometimes a short-seller, to get them to sell property for less than it's really worth in the market in order to get some form of kick-back from the buyer. The following article details how this is done. Real-estate scam that’s devastating prices Lew Sichelman -- June 10, 2011 WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Question: My neighbor in Palm Springs, Calif., who…[READ MORE]

The little people behind the complaint against me obviously want to silence my free speech. Their latest response letter demanded my silence, and failed to explain the charges against me. Again, they seek to suppress free speech and circumvent due process like a communist regime. Why is OCAr so insistent on silencing free speech? Do they really believe if I stop telling uncomfortable truths that people won't be wise to their games? Is my voice so powerful and my message so devastating to their goals that they believe my silence will suddenly lead to a turnaround in the real estate market and increased business for the members of OCAr? Do they believe they can return to their deplorable methods of…[READ MORE]

The Orange County Association of realtors is after me. They claim I am a liar. Today, I will present the facts and let you decide. Realtors go after blogger who says they lie June 6th, 2011, 12:00 pm -- Marilyn Kalfus, real estate reporter The Orange County Association of Realtors has filed a grievance against an Irvine real estate broker who writes a blog that takes critical looks at the housing crash, homebuyers and real estate agents. . Larry Roberts, who writes the IrvineHousingBlog.com, freely admits going “over the top” in his posts, which are particularly harsh on homeowners who default on loans. He frequently shows MLS photos of properties that have gone into foreclosure. He also has accused real estate…[READ MORE]

Most people would agree that preventing financial bubbles is preferable to cleaning up the mess in the aftermath. The ups and downs of housing prices must end. The housing bubble shattered the dreams and aspirations of a generation. Some of the wealth lost was an illusion, but those who lost their family homes lost something tangible and real. Great Britain is trying to recover from its fourth housing bubble in the last 40 years. That rivals California's three bubbles during that span. They too are looking for answers to prevent bubble number five from wiping out their wealth and their economy. 'Cap mortgages at 90% of value' to prevent bubble Price stability should be government priority Bloomberg -- June 3,…[READ MORE]

Many people leave Las Vegas broke. Most of them lost their money in games of chance, but the latest casualties of Las Vegas were ordinary home owners who bought homes. Unlike many markets where only the most indebted late buyers and HELOC abusers have been washed out by falling prices, in Las Vegas, prices have fallen so low that ordinary buyers from before the bubble who paid down their mortgage find themselves deeply underwater, unable to move, and hopeless. Those owners are the true victims of the housing bubble because they didn't do anything foolish. They happened to buy in the wrong place at the wrong time purely by chance. Now these ordinary citizens are trapped in their underwater homes…[READ MORE]