It’s a real estate adage that is truer now than it ever was:

Location, Location, Location.

When you’re looking to get into the home of your dreams, location is going to be one of your key buying points. For example, is it in an appealing neighborhood? Is it conveniently located close to work and other oft-traveled destinations? Is it zoned for the top schools in the area?

Those same concerns also hold true for investors who are eager to purchase, renovate and flip homes for profit. Location is a major selling point — if you don’t have great location, you can be sure it will be a major strike against you in the minds of prospective buyers.

The July 2009 edition of Foreclosure.com’s free educational newsletter, “Investment Exchange,” is now available, which details how you can find a great home in an ideal location at a price you can afford.

The excitement of an opportunity-laden market like we are enjoying right now can sometimes cause you and other buyers to think that it’s impossible to lose; however, the reality is just the opposite — Yes, the market is ripe for the picking, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few bad apples in the bunch.

We’re here to help you make the right choice. The smart choice. To check out Location, Location, Location today be sure to click here.

Remember that “Investment Exchange” is a FREE resource that Foreclosure.com provides its site visitors. Sign up to receive the educational real estate newsletter each month at no cost right here.

Count the Atlanta Journal-Constitution among the growing number of wise media outlets and organizations that will no longer accept nationwide foreclosure-related statistics from RealtyTrac at face value.

According to Inman News (subscription required), the leading daily in the state recently compared legal notices published in newspapers in five metro Atlanta counties against numbers from the self-proclaimed “most trusted source of foreclosure information.”

And while it’s no surprise that RealtyTrac was way off (by nearly 4,000 filings) again, it is quite shocking that the company is now apparently underreporting data.

Here’s the irony:

“After changing its reporting methods two years ago in response to accusations that it was overstating the number of homes subjected to foreclosure-related filings, data aggregator RealtyTrac is facing the opposite problem …”

RealtyTrac still can’t seem to ever get it right.

Meanwhile, Foreclosure.com continues to collect data that is more in line with Mortgage Bankers Association, as well as passes tests from the Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Inman News — the leading source of independent real estate news, information, advice, research, opinion and commentary for industry professionals and consumers alike — and other prestigious publications/newswires.

And yet several newspapers and media outlets throughout the nation still to this day continue to source RealtyTrac data — even when the company’s own spokesperson admits there “needs to be a better process.”

The good news is that there already is a “better process” and it can be found conveniently online at Foreclosure.com. We work hand-in-hand with major lending institutions, government agencies, corporate sellers and other top-level sources, scrubbing the information that we receive to ensure its accuracy.

Put simply, our process works.

For more troubling news reports that reference RealtyTrac foreclosure statistics click here, here, here, here, here, here and here. Sorry if we missed a bunch; however, it’s just so much to keep track of over the years.

First it was new housing starts and now it’s existing home sales.

National Association of Realtors(R) today issued a report that should be considered more good news for the struggling national housing market, revealing that the sale of existing homes increased 5.1 percent between Jan. and Feb. 2009.

The annual rate grew from 4.49 to 4.72 million units during that span, which marks the largest jump from month-to-month since July 2003. The reason?

Foreclosures!

Yep, the report indicates that smart buyers gobbling up discounted foreclosure homes is likely the reason behind the spike. We keep telling you … strike while the iron is hot! These amazing real estate deals clearly don’t last very long.

To search Foreclosure.com for the best deals in your area click here. It’s FREE for seven days.

Mortgage industry titans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which have been under government control as of September 2008, will allow select borrowers who are in financial distress to remain in their homes as renters rather than lose them to foreclosure.

Fannie Mae was the first to make the move early last month. And according to a recent article in Business Week, the finance company has already “stopped about 20,000 foreclosure sales and halted 6,300 evictions of owners or renters this winter.”

Those are some staggering statistics for such a short time frame. But welcome news nonetheless for those who were able to take advantage of the assistance.

In addition to keeping people in there homes, the goal of the plan is to ensure that properties don’t fall into “disrepair.” The surge of defaults has had an unsightly impact on neighborhoods throughout the nation, knocking down home values and, in some cases, inviting trouble.

Here is a snip from Freddie Mac Chief Executive David Moffett:

“Keeping foreclosed properties occupied and in better repair will support local property values and promote a faster recovery in the housing market.”

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac “own or guarantee about half of the $10.6 trillion in outstanding U.S. home loan debt,” which certainly makes this latest news a step in the right direction. Finding and creating ways to keep people in their homes is a good thing on so many different levels.

Yahoo!News is today passing along information contained in a recent report from the Mortgage Bankers Association that indicates foreclosure rates collectively throughout the nation are higher than ever before in recent memory.

In fact, the study claims that an alarming one in 10 homeowners in the United States was “either at least a month behind on their payments or in foreclosure at the end of September.”

Perhaps more troubling is the group of people who are now having housing headaches — it’s those with 30-year fixed mortgages … not the adjustable rate “balloon” variety (even though those folks are clearly not out of the woods yet, either.)

And the contributing factor to the “latest wave” of hardship? Unemployment.

Here’s more on that situation:

“Employers slashed 533,000 jobs in November, the most in 34 years, catapulting the unemployment rate to 6.7 percent…. The U.S. tipped into recession last December, a panel of experts declared earlier this week. Since the start of the recession, the economy has lost 1.9 million jobs.”

Of course, if homeowners don’t have jobs or can’t find them then it is difficult to meet their monthly mortgage responsibilities. If you are a homeowner and feel that you will be unable to pay your mortgage remember to contact your lender early and often — there are options available.

For assistance right now or to speak with a knowledgeable expert on the situation click here.