Short Sale and Foreclosure

The best short cut to completing a short sale is actually having the lender sell the note to the property buyer. Yes, often the lender will consider selling the note at a discount when it won’t do a short sale. The difference to the lender is the cost and time saved in selling the note versus the drawn-out time required to complete a short sale.

The options to the lender are to:

1.) complete the foreclosure through the court system, which it will have to do if there are additional liens against the property that must be “extinguished”,
2.) complete a short sale to an investor who may or may not close on the transaction, despite having given a deposit and showing proof of funds, or
3.) selling the mortgage note to a buyer in a few days at a discount they would have accepted on the short sale, and have no further headaches.

Generally this decision is an easy one in accepting the best offer that nets the lender the most money in the least time. However, some lenders have policies about what discounts they will take and often they have an internal policy of not selling their single mortgages at a discount to investors. This varies greatly from lender to lender and I am always surprised when I make an offer only to be told that the loss mitigation representative says “I’m not sure”.

If we want to make an offer to the lender to buy a note, we preface the conversation with “We often buy the mortgage note (trust deed) at the same discount we would pay for a short sale and we continue the foreclosure”. We go on to explain that the lender can be out of the mortgage in seven days or less instead of 30 – 60 days or more. The benefit to us as investors is to get the transaction done and know we control the property. You do not have to have the deed to the property because you can continue the foreclosure and get the property at auction.

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Comments (0) Jul 30 2010

Short Sale

A Short Sale is recommended by real estate experts as the best alternative for foreclosure avoidance. What is meant by Short Sale? Well – imagine you are one among the unfortunate millions of US home owners, who are facing foreclosure process due to default in repayment of mortgage dues. Worse still, you find your property value in the market is below the amount of your mortgage balance due. You are considered as a homeowner “underwater” like several others.In such a dire situation, even if you sell your property to a buyer on your own accord, the proceeds will not be sufficient to clear the mortgage debt. It is here the Short Sale option comes to your rescue. You as a borrower-house owner explain your financial inability, to fulfil your mortgage commitments to the lender and seek their permission for selling off the property at a price, which may not be equivalent to the mortgage dues.The lender has to approve your request and give you permission to sell your home, after evaluating all the particulars and documents submitted by you. Why the lender should accept a price, which is normally less than what is due on your mortgage? A good question indeed.The Short Sale option is anxiously promoted by the federal government through a latest legislation called Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternative (HAFA for short), with a view to help millions of home owners out there like you. Its provisions are stipulated clearly, with a view to eliminate the ambiguities and delays involved in the procedures, so far existing.Mortgage lenders are encouraged to consider Short Sale requests with least possible delay. There are financial incentives also, to forgive the difference in sale proceeds and the actual mortgage dues.So in the present situation, it is most likely that mortgage lenders will accept Short Sale request, including yours speedily.

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Comments (0) Jul 23 2010

Short Sales and Foreclosures

There are thousands of foreclosed homes and short sales, there has never been a better time to get a great deal. But before you do here are a few tips because there can be expensive problems. Know what getting into before you buy a foreclosed property or short sale. Owners of foreclosed properties do not want to leave there homes. They can and do take there frustration out on the property. One property that was taken over by the bank found that 1200 gallons of cooking oil was dumped into the septic. The previous owner is currently under investigation for the incident but has not been charged. The previous owner had a bio-diesel company. Owners have removed toilets, sinks, damaged flooring and actually taken out widows. Properties that are empty can run into serious problems also, water damage, pipes freezing, mold, thieves, and rodents.

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Comments (0) Jul 21 2010

Short Sale

There are many things to consider when facing the possibility of foreclosure and deciding to short sale your property. Time and space to not allow me to get into every aspect of these transactions and all the possible nuances that might need to be dealt with, but I will do my best to cover, what I feel, are the most costly to over look. First let me say that I DO think short sales are great and do a lot of good for people who know they are their best option. I do these for people everyday and I’ve seen people’s lives get A LOT better afterward so the purpose of this article is NOT to paint short sale in a bad light, but rather to inform you of the whole picture some people in my industry WON’T tell you. Lets get to the point… You NEED to know whether a short sale is your best option: First off, you need to know whether doing a short sale is right for YOUR situation. You NEED to asses the situation YOU’RE in and make that decision. So how do you do that? Start by realizing that for the most part short sales help people the most if they CAN’T make their mortgage payments anymore due to a long term hardship. Long term doesn’t mean 20 years or anything, but at least 9 months. For instance getting injured and losing employment for an extended period of time, illness, divorce, etc are reasons most lenders will be ready to approve as a hardship.

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Comments (0) Jul 21 2010

Loan Mods and Short Sales

Research by Moody’s Economy.com predicts that in 2009 1.8 million borrowers will lose their home to foreclosure. This figure rises from 1.4 million homeowners in 2008. Moody is a leading independent provider of economic, financial, country, and industry research. Moody attributes the increase in foreclosure rate to the rise in unemployment. At the start of the housing crisis in 2007, the unemployment rate was about 4.6%. Last month it reached 9.4%. Many believe it reach 10% by the end of the year. This unemployment figure does not account for those self-employed individuals unable to collect unemployment, those that have a reduced wage, and those that have not given up. Other experts believe the true unemployment figure to reach closer to 15%. In San Diego unemployment is predicted to hover around 11-12%

As the start of the housing crisis, homeowners that had subprime loans were the first to lose their homes. Now unemployment is the biggest factor driving foreclosures today. “It’s a much harder nut to crack, unemployment,” said Mark Calabria, director of financial regulation studies at the Cato Institute. “It’s much easier to bash lenders than to create jobs.”

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Comments (0) Jul 20 2010

Benefits of a Short Sale

Homeowners facing foreclosure are in a difficult position. Many homeowners that are behind in loan payments (are soon to be behind) do not have the good credit necessary to refinance the mortgage or modify the loan agreement. If the homeowner can sell the property, he or she will be able to avoid foreclosure but will still lose the home. In some cases, homeowners are upside down in their mortgage, meaning they owe more than the property is really worth. If the homeowner were upside down in the mortgage, he or she would have to bring money to the table to sell the property. The sale price might cover the balance of the mortgage, but not the closing costs, realtor commissions, and repair costs. Most people facing this problem do not have the cash necessary to sell the property. In this bleak situation, homeowners have one option remaining for avoiding foreclosure. A short sale occurs when the lender accepts less than the balance of the mortgage to sell the property to a new buyer. The homeowner benefits from a short sale in many ways. For instance: Most homeowners do not have to bring any money to the table to sell the home in a short sale Some lenders will waive the right to a “deficiency judgment,” which means the homeowner cannot be pursued for the short fall in the future. The homeowner is able to avoid the damage a foreclosure causes to his or her credit score

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Comments (0) Feb 24 2010

Steps to a Short Sale

Steps to a Short Sale
-Be prepared for the process. Patience and diligence will be your allies and impatience can be your nemesis. Understanding the process will help you through it. The lender will not be rushed. Your experienced buyer’s agent will know how to manage the offer and the correct parties to work through.
-If you are not submitting a cash offer, ask your real estate agent about financing options. The lender may be in a position to permit a loan assumption and modification for a qualified new purchaser, or they may be able to offer new mortgage financing. The more steps that you have completed when you submit an offer, the better chance you will have of a quicker approval. Have your lender’s loan application, information and requirements prepared. The lender will provide you with a package with their forms and requirements. Rely on your buyer’s agent to assist you. There will be a substantial down payment required to have your Agreement approved. Other than for property inspections, there should be no contingencies in your offer. If you have to sell an existing home first, it is unlikely that a short sale will be approved by the lender. Line up your ducks. The more steps you have completed, the easier the process and the approval. Quick and clean will get you to your closing. You would be surprised at how many things don’t end up in the right hands when they float in one at a time. The fewer times that the file has to be handled and the more complete the documentation from the beginning of the process, the better the result.
-The lender will most likely want the property sold “as is.” They will not be motivated to deal with complexities in the contract, particularly since they are selling at a distressed price. These require too many decision points and details that can hang up the approval. Buyer Beware: it is important to protect yourself. Have the property inspected. All the home’s key systems should be checked out. Structural, plumbing, electrical, heating and air conditioning, fire place, swimming pool and equipment, roof and mechanical should be checked. If you are buying “as is,” the risks assumed will be yours. If you have any concern, be sure that the home is checked for pest infestation, hazards such as, asbestos (if the home was built prior to ’85), lead paint (if built prior to ’78), and radon gas, particularly if it has a basement. If you have reason to believe that the area may be in a flood zone or known hazardous or toxic waste area, have it checked out. The title commitment will indicate if the property is in a flood zone. If you have concerns discuss them with your agent. A short sale is like any other real estate purchase, surprises after the closing are avoidable. Most of these items should be covered in the standard local board of realtor purchase offer Agreement. It they have to contend with a lot of complexity, they will probably just as soon that the property proceed to foreclosure where they have a process established.
-Make sure that a legitimate hardship exists on the part of the seller. Don’t waste your time with a seller that is testing the water. The lender won’t approve a short sale unless a legitimate financial hardship exists. To qualify, the seller must be behind in their mortgage payments and unable to make future ones. In other words, if the lender does not approve the short sale, they are foreclosure bound. The lender is doing whatever they can to recover as much of the outstanding loan balance as possible; however, they need approval from the investor that owns the loan and any inferior lien holders before they can proceed.

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Comments (0) Feb 17 2010

Short Sales

Home buyers have benefited from the development of short sale properties. It gives them the chance to purchase beautiful homes for cheap prices. However, this transaction has also frustrated and disappointed some people. The sources of such negative feelings are not the short sold homes per se. It actually springs from the lack of knowledge regarding the entire process of dealing with short sales. If you are interested in a home that is short sold, you should start reading this article first. Getting that property would become a lot easier if you know every aspect involved in this type of transaction. This article would discuss the most important things you should consider before making a decent offer. Dealing with short sale properties can become very confusing. However, if you are with a person who can guide you all throughout, then you do not have to worry about losing your way. Make sure that the agent you hired has enough knowledge in handling these kinds of transactions. If you think he does not possess this trait, start looking for someone who can assist you better. Another thing that you should ask yourself is whether the listing agent you will work with has experience in handling short sales. He has the task to forward your offer to the bank, and your buyer’s agent is not allowed to represent you in front of the lenders. If he does not have experience in handling these negotiations, your offer would have larger risks of being rejected. You might get surprised with the unusually low price of the particular property you want to purchase. Do you think the seller’s bank would agree to sell it with that kind of price? Of course, they would never settle for a bid that could actually cause them huge financial losses. Actually, you cannot obtain these types of property listings only by offering the stated amount. These kinds of listings accept multiple offers. The highest bidder usually wins the house title. Do not lose hope because you can ask your real estate agent for guidance. Discuss with him the best price that you should offer, and see if it would fit your budget. If you cannot buy it without wiping out your savings account, think twice about your decision.

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Comments (0) Feb 11 2010

Short Sales

A perfect word to describe this popular trend! One man’s need and other one’s profits, someone’s proclivity to sell off, others need of a dependable rest place. The trend that was prevalent in the 90s is back yet again and it’s looming all over. Just to put more light over the issue and clarify what is it all about, one may chance upon thinking on somewhat these lines. The fact is that when sales proceeds are unable to fend off the mortgage amount that one is not able to pay back to the lender, with the help/consent of the lender one can opt for short sales to pay off the debt. It’s a peaceful process that is in fact enforced by law; which states that mortgage lenders are under legal obligations to help the borrower to settle any dispute that may surface. Unarguably the best part of a bay area short sale is that it helps the borrower pay off the debt in a quick manner. In the hindsight it helps the lender and also the buyer as normally the short sale quotes a price that is well below the prevailing rate. If hardship is the buzzword in your life and the situation doesn’t seem to get any better, this idea is an ideal alternative to bail yourself out. There are many options available that may qualify under hardship as illness, relocation or job loss etc. The lender may look at various perspectives in the process before giving a go ahead for a short sale. The reason being, that normally this kind of sale proves better for lender as the maintenance cost of the premises may dig too deep a hole in the lenders pocket. Forgiving a portion of the loan and allowing the premise in question to be sold at a lower amount thus proves to be a better option but it may not be the case always. This is purely at the discrepancy of the lender.

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Comments (0) Feb 10 2010

Short Sale

There are many things to consider when facing the possibility of foreclosure and deciding to short sale your property. Time and space to not allow me to get into every aspect of these transactions and all the possible nuances that might need to be dealt with, but I will do my best to cover, what I feel, are the most costly to over look. First let me say that I DO think short sales are great and do a lot of good for people who know they are their best option. I do these for people everyday and I’ve seen people’s lives get A LOT better afterward so the purpose of this article is NOT to paint short sale in a bad light, but rather to inform you of the whole picture some people in my industry WON’T tell you. Lets get to the point… You NEED to know whether a short sale is your best option: First off, you need to know whether doing a short sale is right for YOUR situation. You NEED to asses the situation YOU’RE in and make that decision. So how do you do that? Start by realizing that for the most part short sales help people the most if they CAN’T make their mortgage payments anymore due to a long term hardship. Long term doesn’t mean 20 years or anything, but at least 9 months. For instance getting injured and losing employment for an extended period of time, illness, divorce, etc are reasons most lenders will be ready to approve as a hardship.

Full Article

For More Information Visit: http://www.floridalawattorney.com

Comments (0) Jan 07 2010