foreclosure property, is now

Amazon.com: How to Make Money Buying Pre Foreclosure Properties Before They Hit the County Courthouse Steps: The Complete Guide to Finding and Buying Pre-Foreclosure Properties: Books Your Store Books See All 32 Product Categories Your Account | Cart | Wish List | Help | Advanced Search | Browse Subjects | Bestsellers | The New York Times® Best Sellers | Magazines | Corporate Accounts | Amazon Shorts | Bargain Books | Used Books | Textbooks Search Amazon.com Books Web Search This item is not eligible for Amazon Prime, but over a million other items are. Join Amazon Prime today. Already a member? Sign in . 7 used & new from $76.95 Have one to sell? A9.com users save 1.57% on Amazon. Learn how . See larger image Share your own customer images Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book. How to Make Money Buying Pre Foreclosure Properties Before They Hit the County Courthouse Steps: The Complete Guide to Finding and Buying Pre-Foreclosure Properties (Paperback) by Thomas J. Lucier (9 customer reviews) Availability: Available from these sellers . 7 used & new available from $76.95 Other Editions: List Price: Our Price: Other Offers: Paperback Order it used! Editorial Reviews Book Description Before Thomas J. Lucier wrote the first edition of How To Make Money Buying Pre-Foreclosure Properties Before They Hit The County Courthouse Steps in 1989, he was making time consuming and costly mistakes. The mistakes were inevitable; no one had written a book on how to buy pre-foreclosure properties, so Tom had to learn the hard way from his own mistakes and first hand experiences. All of the advice that he received said: "buy property on the county courthouse steps after it has been foreclosed on." But Tom eventually learned to avoid those costly courthouse-bidding wars by buying directly from property owners whose mortgage loans are in default and facing foreclosure. And the book that didn’t exist back in 1985, when Tom bought his first pre-foreclosure property, is now in its fourth revised edition. The newly revised fourth edition of How To Make Money Buying Pre-Foreclosure Properties Before They Hit The County Courthouse Steps was released on October 1, 2003, and is comprised of fourteen meaty chapters that are packed chock-full of step-by-step instructions, ready-to-use information and practical, no-nonsense advice. You’ll learn: 1. The difference between judicial and non-judicial foreclosure. 2. How the short payoff sale acquisition technique works. 3. How to get subordinate or "junior" lienholders to discount their liens by fifty percent or more. 4. How to use foreclosure notices to find all of the property owners in your county whose loans are in default and facing foreclosure. 5. How to use direct mail to contact property owners whose loans are in default. 6. How to perform due diligence on pre-foreclosure properties. 7. How to quickly verify loan information with foreclosing lenders. 8. How to accurately estimate the current market value of a pre-foreclosure property. 9. How to negotiate with property owners whose loans are in default and facing foreclosure. 10. How to properly prepare your purchase agreements and protect your interests when buying pre-foreclosure properties. 11. How to package, market and resell pre-foreclosure properties for maximum profit. 12. How to do a thorough pre-buy property inspection. 13. What you need to know about your state’s foreclosure statute when buying pre-foreclosure properties. How To Make Money Buying Pre-Foreclosure Properties Before They Hit The County Courthouse Steps has a fourteen-page chapter on the much-ballyhooed short payoff sale acquisition technique. The problem with ninety-nine percent of the short sales hype that’s currently being foisted onto an unsuspecting public, by unscrupulous real estate hucksters peddling overpriced courses and boot camp seminars, is that it’s based on misinformation, half-truths, distortions and outright lies. And unfortunately, all of this hype has fueled unrealistic expectations on the part of would-be short sale investors, who’ve been led to believe, that every lender in America will approve a short payoff sale, at the drop of a hat. Tom Lucier gives you the unvarnished truth about short payoff sales, along with detailed, step-by-step instructions on exactly how the short payoff of a mortgage or deed of trust actually works. How To Make Money Buying Pre-Foreclosure Properties Before They Hit The County Courthouse Steps comes complete with the following ready-to-use worksheets, letters, checklists, notices, forms and agreements: 1. Short payoff sale checklist. 2. Sample notice of lis pendens. 3. Sample notice of default. 4. Loan breach letter. 5. Borrower’s letter of authorization to release loan information. 6. Foreclosure lawsuit worksheet. 7. Notice of default worksheet. 8. Due diligence checklist. 9. Property tracking worksheet. 10. Short payoff sale proposal letter. 11. Six sample letters to owners in foreclosure. 12. Loan worksheet. 13. Sample HUD 1 Settlement Statement. 14. Sample Fannie Mae broker’s price opinion. 15. Request for mortgage or deed of trust estoppel letter. 16. Subordinate lienholder worksheet. 17. Current market value worksheet. 18. Letter to private mortgage or deed of trust lender. 19. Letter to subordinate lienholders. 20. Thirteen property inspection checklists. 21. Owner interview worksheet. 22. Purchase agreement. 23. Walk-around property inspection checklist. 24. Buyer's closing checklist. 25. Daily repair cost worksheet. 26. Outgoing telephone message. 27. Participating broker agreement. 28. Assignment of purchase agreement. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a degree from Harvard Law School in order to make money buying properties directly from owners whose mortgage or deeds of trust loans are in default, and about to be sold on the county courthouse steps at a public foreclosure auction sale. Granted, finding, researching, inspecting, negotiating, buying and reselling pre-foreclosure properties is a lot of hard work. But it can be a very lucrative line of work if you really know what you’re doing, are well organized, and have the persistence that’s necessary to be a profitable investor. And, unlike the roving weekend real estate carnies, late-night, cable-TV hucksters, Internet real estate whiz kids, and a certain Harvard Business School graduate posing as a "real estate savant," Tom Lucier doesn’t claim to know-it-all, and you’ll never hear him promise to make you a pre-foreclosure property millionaire within the next thirty days. The simple fact remains that no real estate investment strategy will work unless you do! From the Publisher This newly revised fourth edition of the first book ever published on how to buy properties directly from owners whose mortgage or deed of trust loans are in default and facing foreclosure, was released on October 1, 2003! See all Editorial Reviews Product Details Paperback: 140 pages Publisher: Home Equities Corporation; 2nd edition (October, 1993) Language: English ISBN: 094534306X Product Dimensions: 1.2 x 10.2 x 11.5 inches Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds. Average Customer Review: based on 9 reviews. ( Write a review. ) Amazon.com Sales Rank: Today: #337,845 in Books Yesterday: #332,142 in Books (Publishers and authors: improve your sales ) Other Editions: Paperback | All Editions Customers interested in this title may also be interested in: Sponsored Links: What is this? Pre - Foreclosure Profits How-to for beginners, veterans: 35-50% discount, little competition www.PropertyForeclosure.com Pre - Foreclosure Listings Daily updated pre foreclosure listings with phone numbers www.defaultresearch.com Make 10,000+ Per Month Automatic System to Make Money Start within 15 mins from now! www.AutomaticMoneyVault.com Feedback Spotlight Reviews Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. 30 of 31 people found the following review helpful: How to Make... , February 20, 2004 Reviewer: Disgusted (USA) - See all my reviews If you look over the positive reviews, you notice they are all written by commonly named individuals with no location listed. Furthermore, all of the comments use the same verbage and contain similar idiosyncrasies. Someone tell the author or the author's friends to stop writing positive reviews to boost sales. Instead, use that time being wasted to do some research and write a decent book. Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) Customer Reviews Average Customer Review: Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. 10 of 11 people found the following review helpful: A Very Satisfied Reader In Los Angeles, CA , March 1, 2004 Reviewer: Clyde (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews This is the absolute best book ever written about buying property directly from owners in foreclosure! The chapter on short payoff sales is just plain brilliant! No fluff, no filler and no white spaces! Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) 8 of 11 people found the following review helpful: Rudimentary , February 26, 2004 Reviewer: "mjm1005" (Colorado) - See all my reviews This book is pretty basic and not worth the money. Lucier must be trying to make money on the book and not on in real estate. A real disappointment. Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) 30 of 35 people found the following review helpful: Basic , July 13, 2003 Reviewer: This book could be replaced with 2 hours of internet research. Many of the pages just list websites and "worksheets" that are used as filler. Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) 26 of 34 people found the following review helpful: BEGINNERS BOOK , March 19, 2003 Reviewer: This book is a beginners book it truely does not get indepth into what happens and how to deal with the bank on short sales or buying the note. Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) 3 of 8 people found the following review helpful: How To Make Money Buying Pre-Foreclosure Properties , February 22, 2003 Reviewer: paul wells (Henderson, NV-USA) - See all my reviews Thomas Lucier has created a unique opportunity for anyone, anywhere, reguardless of past experience or knowledge reguarding Real Estate, Investing or Sales ability to take his material, read it, digest it and then apply what they have learned, and create a business that not only results in financial rewards for you as an investor, but puts you in a position of becoming a problem solver by helping people who truly need help,that do not know how to solve their problems,or even where to turn. His information gives you a straight forward step by step approach, from beginning to end, and is loaded with invaluable resources such as agreements, documents, and web sites that will give you the exact information you need to initiate and complete a successful transaction from the very begining through completion. When was the last time you paid for something you saw advertised or heard about that you purchased , just to find the hype and promotion proved to be overdone and the product was a dissapointment? Happens all the time. The invaluable information and knowledge you will gain from Thomas Lucier will last you the rest of your life and you will feel GUILTY that you paid so little for it. Get it in your hands as quickly as you possibly can, and apply it, because I promise you, opportunities are never lost......some one will take the ones you miss! Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) See all 9 customer reviews... 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Sell House

Selling a Home - Top Reasons Why Good Homes Don't Sell  You are here: About > Home & Garden > Home Buying / Selling > How To Sell a House > Selling a Home - Top Reasons Why Good Homes Don't Sell Home & Garden Home Buying / Selling Essentials 10 Things Home Buyers Shouldn't Do Best Tips for First Time Home Buyers "Must-Do" Tasks Before You Sell How to Buy a Home, Step by Step For Sale by Owner Advice Articles & Resources How To Buy a Home How To Sell a House Celebrity & Historic Credit Reports & Scores Design & Remodel Home Maintenance Inspections & Appraisals Investing & Foreclosures Modular & Manufactured Mold, Radon, Lead, etc. Mortgage Advice Moving & Relocation Real Estate Careers Real Estate For Sale Vacation Homes Buyer's Guide Before You Buy Top Picks Home Buying Books Foreclosure Books Mortgage Books Product Reviews Forums Help FREE Newsletter Sign Up Now for the Home Buying / Selling newsletter! See Online Courses   Search Home Buying / Selling Stay up to date! Email to a friend Print this page Home Buying Resources How To Buy a House with Good Resale Potential How To Make an Offer on a Home You CAN Buy a House Home Selling Advice The Importance of Curb Appeal Get the House Ready to Sell How To Measure Residential Square Footage More Home Selling Tips 10 Ways to Make Home Buyers Hate Your House How to Find a Real Estate Listing Agent How Listing Agreements Differ Related Blogs Mortgage Fraud Blog The Real Estate Blog The Money Pit Most Popular Modular and Manufactured Homes Finding Your Best Place to ... Home Buying Don'ts First Time Home Buyer Tips Before You Sell Your Home What's Hot Coping with Unethical People How To Buy Land Real Estate Appraisal Before You Buy a Log Home Package Home Buying / Selling - GuideReviews Related Topics Home Repair Architecture Credit / Debt Management Housekeeping Landscaping Home Selling Essentials From Janet Wickell , Your Guide to Home Buying / Selling . FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now! Common Home Selling Problems that Slow Down Your Sale There are lots of reasons why offers might not come in when you're selling a home, but let's get past the top home selling killer–overpricing. It's the first thing you should consider if your house is still sitting on the market while others around it are changing owners. Price the House for its Market Some home sellers want to price their homes way above market value, because they think the cushion gives them more negotiating room. But what overpricing actually does is eliminate potential buyers. A home with a true value of $200,000 has a certain set of features that contribute to its value. A house valued at $160,000 in the same market normally has less to offer than the higher priced home and simply can't compete with it. Buyers in the $200K range won't be impressed with the home's features and buyers looking for homes nearer its true market value won't even see it because of the too-high pricetag. It doesn't matter what you want for your property, what's important is what your property is worth . Overpricing is usually easy to correct, but there are plenty of homes that buyers pass on for other–sometimes simple–reasons. If you're a home seller, and your house isn't selling, it's time to anaylze the situation and figure out why. Four Simple Reasons Homes Don't Sell 1. A Horrible Photo in the MLS You might be surprised how many buyers say NO! to houses simply because of poor photos used in ads or Multiple Listing Service handouts. It's even more amazing that agents let them discard a house based on that criteria, but it happens all the time. Good photos are not always easy to get. Houses aren't built on lots with thought to future photo opportunities. The sun isn't always in an ideal position for the photo. The agent might not be capable of taking a good picture. Home selling rule number one is to make sure the house is well represented in all photographs. 2. It's Hard to Sell a Dirty House Some sellers don't bother to clean a house before they try to sell it, and if they don't even clean when they know people will be inspecting the house, they sure won't freshen up the paint, sort through clutter or handle odor control. Home buyers nearly always think that dirty houses need repairs, when all they usually require is some thorough TLC. After a few turned-off buyers, agents hesitate to show dirty houses. No showings, no sale. Take a hard look at the property to make sure your house doesn't fall into the needs-cleaning category. 3. Curb Appeal is the Pits Home buyers like to do drive-bys. Imagine driving by a house that's for sale and finding that the yard hasn't been mowed recently or worse, that it's full of weeds. Or seeing loose items scattered everywhere on the lawn. Or dirty windows. Or discovering that the home's color is just one shade shy of outshining the sun. If the home's curb appeal is terrible, the majority of buyers won't even make an appointment to go inside. Improve your curb appeal before the first buyer has a chance to view your property. 4. Outdated, Worn Out Components We are creatures of habit. That old vinyl on the kitchen floor has worked forever, so why don't the buyers like it? The dated light fixtures are just fine, too, and the sellers wouldn't think of replacing the orange shag carpeting in the family room. Look at the house with a fresh attitude and try to see it as buyers do. How can you make improvements? If your house is listed with an agent, ask for written feedback from buyers who have seen it. If the same negative comments show up repeatedly on feedback forms, you'll know where to start working on the house. Move carefully with updates, analyzing the work to determine which updates make sense from a cost vs. recovery standpoint. 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Countrywide Financial - Real Estate Mortgage Lender - Home Loans - Equity Loan Mortgages contact us | careers | sitemap | help | log in Homepage Home Loans Home Loans Main Page Today's Rates Purchase a Home Refinance Your Home Use Your Home Equity Less Than Perfect Credit Loans en Español Start Your Application Calculators Your Home Loans Accounts Customer Service Banking Banking Main Page Today's Rates Certificates of Deposit (CD's) Money Market Accounts Savings Accounts View All Banking Products Open an Account Your Banking Accounts Financial Centers Insurance Insurance Main Page Homeowners Condo Home Warranty Life Disability Auto Health Commercial Employee Benefits Other Products Planning for Life Insurance Checkup Get a Quote Your Insurance Policies Your Accounts With over 35 years of service and one of the widest selections of loan programs , Countrywide Home Loans is an expert at finding solutions for all kinds of situations. log in to manage all of your Countrywide accounts username: password: destination: my account summary my home loans make a payment view transactions view loan details view statement my banking view account details my insurance view account details register | help forgot password forgot username Find more ways to : See what our customers are saying. purpose: Purchase Refinance Home Equity loan amount: property ZIP code: ZIP code finder Check today's high yield CD and Money Market rates Compare your rate Compare your coverage Get a free online quote home insurance calculator rate watch home loan calculators learn about our loans your credit report I want to: Purchase a home Refinance my home Use my home equity Click here to learn more about our great CD rates. SPECIAL ALERT: If you live in the areas affected by hurricanes, and need information regarding loans-in-process, new loans, or information on your account, please log in or call our customer service line: 1-800-669-6607. Click here for FAQs . PURCHASE REFINANCE HOME EQUITY for more information about new loans 1-800-556-9568 LESS THAN PERFECT CREDIT Countrywide Home Loans' Full Spectrum® Lending Division 1-800-871-1756 Customer service on existing loans 1-800-669-6607 BANKING top CD and money market rates , compare rates and terms 1-800-817-4383 INSURANCE homeowners , home warranty , auto , life , individual health , disability , commercial and employee benefits 1-800-262-4240 Countrywide Financial offers these products through our family of companies.* home loans | less than perfect credit loans | home loans en español | we house america | banking | insurance | investments | your accounts | log in contact us | site map | about us | investor relations | careers | privacy and security | licenses and registrations Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. and Countrywide Bank, N.A. are Equal Housing Lenders. ©Countrywide Financial Corporation. Trade/service marks are the property of Countrywide Financial Corporation and/or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. If you use a pop-up blocker, you should disable it while using our sites. * Countrywide Financial offers these products through our family of companies. Home Loans provided by Countrywide Home Loans; Banking services provided by Countrywide Bank, N.A., member FDIC; Insurance services provided by Countrywide Insurance Services, Investment Services provided by Countrywide Investment Services.

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Real estate investors cast watchful eye on Las Vegas' high stakes housing game SFGate Home Business Sports Entertainment Travel Jobs Real Estate Autos SFGate News Web by Real estate investors cast watchful eye on Las Vegas' high stakes housing game Kelly Zito, Chronicle Staff Writer Monday, March 7, 2005 now part of stylesheet -- More... Printable Version Email This Article Las Vegas' lucky number last year was 52 -- as in 52 percent. That's how much real estate prices jumped in the nation's fastest-growing city in one year, as a housing shortage set off a wave of speculation by investors from California and other states. But as any gambler knows, Lady Luck eventually turns a cold shoulder. Las Vegans wanted to cash in, too, and so many put their houses up for sale that they flooded the market. By the end of the year, some homebuilders were slashing prices. For investors from states like California where prices seem to move in only one direction -- up -- it was a stark example of a deflating bubble. "When you lose money in real estate, you really feel it,'' said Igor Doncov, a software engineer in Half Moon Bay who bought two new houses in Las Vegas early in 2004 but sold them at a loss after his builder, Pulte Homes, cut prices on its new models by $180,000. "I thought I couldn't lose," he said in a telephone interview. "But it turned into a total disaster." Housing analysts don't think Las Vegas' slowdown is a sign that prices will soften soon in other fast-appreciating regions. But they say it is a warning of what could happen in the Bay Area as interest rates go up -- particularly for people trying to "flip" houses for a quick profit. "Everyone is watching Las Vegas with its price appreciation and flipping," said John Karevoll, an analyst at DataQuick, the La Jolla real estate research firm. "If something weird happens, it'll happen there first." For years, Las Vegas real estate was cheap. Myrna Kingham, president of the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors, remembers not-so-distant days of driving around in a pickup wearing high heels and showing clients dusty 5-acre parcels listed for $20,000. But as the population of Las Vegas and surrounding Clark County grew 81 percent in the 1990s, adding 621,160 people, housing prices caught up, matching the national median of $145,000 in 2001. Then last year, the market caught fire, boosted by healthy job gains, a growing stream of retirees, Californians drawn to lower home prices and an influx of investor money. Builders, faced with a shortage of workers, had trouble keeping up. Add rock-bottom interest rates, and the scene resembled the go-go days of the Bay Area's tech boom. Hundreds of would-be buyers descended on open houses, and home prices seemed to increase as quickly as the progressive jackpots in the slot machines on the Strip. Record appreciation In the spring of 2004, the median price for a single-family house was $269,000, 52 percent higher than the year before -- a national record for appreciation, according to the National Association of Realtors. "The market was hotter than blazes," Kingham said. "People were looking for affordability -- they wanted a nice home in an area with nice weather that they could buy for $200,000." Californians, who pay some of the highest home prices in the nation, took notice. Golden State residents have snapped up nearly 27,000 Las Vegas properties since 2000, according to DataQuick. In 2004 alone, California residents bought 11,600 homes -- 12 percent of the transactions in Clark County for the year. Bay Area residents bought nearly 7,800 Las Vegas properties over the past five years. In the second quarter of 2004 alone, the number who bought Las Vegas property doubled from the same quarter the year before, to more than 800,surpassing investment in Sacramento, the Tahoe region and Palm Springs for the seventh straight quarter. But in less time than it takes to build a single house, the market changed. Egged on by the stratospheric prices their neighbors were asking -- and getting -- homeowners in Las Vegas flooded the market with "for sale" signs. The number of existing houses posted for sale on the Multiple Listing Service ballooned from about 1,400 in February to more than 16,000 by October. Among them were never-lived-in homes offered by investors who had bought them only months before from national homebuilders -- who were selling their own brand-new houses literally across the street. In early fall one of those builders, Pulte Homes, took the extraordinary step of slashing prices by $25,000 to $180,000 on more than 20 of its Las Vegas-area developments. The move sent shock waves through the Las Vegas building industry and angered investors like Igor Doncov. Doncov, a 57-year-old engineer who was a victim of the technology flame-out, was one of thousands of investors who hoped to turn a quick profit by buying and selling Las Vegas property within a few months. Early last year he bought two new houses from Pulte Homes for $515,000 each. By the end of the summer, he said, the houses were worth well over $600,000, based on Pulte's prices for the same models. Then Pulte cut the price by about $180,000. Doncov sold the two properties in December and January for $480,000 and $490,000; after closing costs and sales fees, he estimates he lost $100,000. He is working with a lawyer to try to recoup the losses from Pulte, on the grounds Pulte misled investors by systematically raising new home prices, then abruptly lowering them. Many people in Las Vegas shrug at tales like Doncov's, saying any plan to get rich quick is fraught with risk. "There are people who come here and lose all kinds of money on the card table," said Keith Schwer, an economist at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. By December, it was clear the peak of the frenzy had passed. Residential building permits that month were 34 percent below the previous December's, as measured by the Center for Business and Economic Research, which Schwer directs. And 15 percent fewer people were moving to Las Vegas -- some undoubtedly spooked by the region's steep jump in home prices. Pulte officials would not comment on the price reductions. In the wake of Pulte's move, other builders also cut prices but made no formal announcements. KB Home, the region's largest home builder, didn't cut prices but did tighten its policies on sales to investors. Contracts now stipulate, that, barring the loss of a job or other major problem, those who resell their properties within a year have to give KB Home the profit. Despite the builders' moves, Schwer and other experts say the Las Vegas market remains healthy. In recent months, they say, the number of homes for sale has declined and homes are selling faster. In January, however, there were still 13,800 homes for sale. Though the median price for a new home climbed 6 percent to $307,500, the median for an existing home -- $251,000 - was up only one half of one percent from a year before, according to Schwer. Over the long term, the area's job growth -- including a new 8,000-employee casino opening in April -- warm climate, entertainment options and well-equipped airport will continue to draw buyers, Schwer said. On a Friday morning in February, Bill Jeffers, who owns Valley Furniture in Livermore, toured a $731,000 home in a subdivision called Inverness. By buying a home in Las Vegas, Jeffers, who has lived on Maui for several years, will shorten his twice-monthly commute to the store and put his grandchildren into strong school systems. "I tried to get in last year, but there were just too many other buyers," said Jeffers, a Livermore native. Some making profits And some investors who bought wisely are making profits. Stephanie Wedge, a San Jose real estate agent who also brokers property in Las Vegas, bought a house for $625,000 last May. She put the 5-year-old home on the market on Feb. 23 for $775,000, and she expected to get an offer the following week. "That's a really good turnaround," said Wedge, who also has reserved a condo in a yet-to-be built high-rise. "I think it depends on where the property is -- and this is in a gated, country club community." The continued pace of construction serves as an outward sign of the region's confidence. On a stretch of freeway south of the Strip, a sign reads "KB Home, Next 5 Exits." Adding more houses to a market already flush with them would seem to only exacerbate any stagnation in the market. But Dennis Smith, president of Las Vegas' Homebuilders Research Inc. pointed out the vast majority of new homes are presold. The market "is still in correction mode because of the high inventory in the resale segment,'' he said. "It will probably take at least six months for that to end." So, will what happened in Vegas, stay in Vegas? Schwer doubts Las Vegas' deceleration will bleed into the Golden State -- or any other state -- in part because Las Vegas growth rates were so far above the norm. Others say the arc of Las Vegas' recent experience may contain a hint of the Bay Area's future. While the nine-county region saw much lower price appreciation last year than Las Vegas -- an increase of about 17 percent -- Ed Leamer, a UCLA economist, contends that both regions are enveloped in a speculative frenzy. In Las Vegas, an oversupply of homes relative to demand may spell price declines. Back in the Bay Area, Leamer thinks rising interest rates will take some of the air out of the market as fewer people qualify to buy expensive properties -- though any correction would be far less dramatic than Las Vegas'. "Because the market has cracked in Las Vegas doesn't mean it's imminent in other areas," Leamer said. "But it gives you a sense of what may happen in these areas in the face of rising interest rates." E-mail Kelly Zito at kzito@sfchronicle.com . Page A - 1 Get up to 50% off home delivery of the Chronicle for 12 weeks! MARKETING Compelling writer? Action 36 Cable 6 (KICU-TV) MECHANIC SF tugboat co POKER Expert poker player needed REAL ESTATE Sales *FREE TRAINING! Prudential CA Realty SALES Can you sell the President? IPA SALES Benefit package AGI Publishing SALES $125K PLUS In-Home Kitchen Kitchenworks, Inc. 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