Loan Mods Not Worth The Publicity
We wanted to take some time to chat with you about loan modifications. One of the more popular questions we hear from residence owners is "What should we do about our home?" The home owners do not want to leave their houses. However, they are either behind on their payments or upsidedown with their mortgage. They typically mull over doing a loan modification.
We just want to let you know that the gov't and the media talk about loan modifications habitually. However, they aren't nearly as valuable as the gov't or media would have you believe. There are some good loan modifications that happen. However, less than one in ten really get approved. Some of you watching this may have by now found this out by applying for a loan modification yourselves.
You should know that there are two kinds of loan modifications, principal reduction and change to rate or payment. A principal reduction is almost non-existent. Maybe one in 500 get approved. The principal reduction is where the lender says that your mortgage is worth $200,000, but your residence is worth $150,000. So the lender redoes your loan for $150,000. However, be aware that if you get a principal reduction you are accountable for the taxes on that $50,000 gift from the lender.
Payment reductions are seen occasionally. When they happen, they are good short-term fixes. However, most people learn that there comes a certain time when they choose to default it. It still does not address the fact that your residence is not worth the value of your loan. We aren't saying that the loan modification option is not for you. However, most people usually end up going to the short sale process. The short sale enables you to get a new start and meet the criteria to buy a residence in as little as two years.
Most people understand that the loan modification did not help them after the first few months. We would love to have the opportunity to talk with you. A short sale is the best option for most residence owners looking for assistance.
If you have questions, get them answered here Short Sale - Short Sale Experts
For more videos on short sales check out Kevin and Fred on the Short Sale Power Hour. Video for Short Sale Specialists.
SHORT SALE HOMES, Three Content Parties
Although it is tougher to qualify for a home loan in Phoenix, Arizona these days, now is a great time to buy with the troubled housing market. You can find a great home for a low price.
If you are looking at purchasing short sale homes in Phoenix, AZ, you are not the only one. These short sale homes are a direct results of the crumbling housing market
Short sale homes are exactly as they sound. They are homes that are sold as short sales. The owners of short sale homes have not made their mortgage payments and they want to avoid foreclosure. So this creates short sale homes. Basically, with short sale homes, the home buyer borrowed a pile of money and now the home is not worth that much anymore. For example, Joe Smith borrowed $500,000 to buy a $500,000 home. However, because the housing market is in disarray, his home is now only worth $275,000. So Joe Smith is paying the $500,000 mortgage on a home that is only worth about half as much. And quite frankly, Joe Smith doesn't like that. So, he, like many others have decided, is going to short sell his house. Hence, the term short sale homes.
Short sale homes allow the home owner to sell the property at its current value and walk away from it without facing foreclosure. It seems like it is too good to be true, these short sale homes. But in fact, it has benefits to all parties concerned.
-The home owner gets to sell his home that is not valued the same as his mortgage anymore. With short sale homes, the bank often forgives the remainder of the debt (why would they do that? Keep reading!) Also, by selling the home and avoiding foreclosure with short sale homes, the previous home owners can keep their credit in relatively good standing and purchase a new home in a few short years OR LESS!
-For the lenders that allow short sale homes, it is not an ideal situation. However, it is a better outcome for them, approving short sale homes, than if they had to foreclose on all of the homes that have defaulting mortgages. So, lenders, in many cases, will forgive the remaining debt on the mortgage in order to avoid taking the home over in foreclosure. Remember that ultimately, the bank only wants money. They have no interest in collecting real estate. Every home that they foreclose on costs them thousands of dollars in legal fees. Furthermore, the foreclosed home will get a much smaller selling price at a foreclosure sale than it does if they allow short sale homes.
-For the buyer, short sale homes are the perfect opportunity to get a home that is good condition for a bargain price. Remember, the home owner has not just walked away from the home abandoning it in meager condition as they may in foreclosure.
Short sale homes give all parties, the buyer, the seller, and the lender the best outcome from a bad situation.
Watch Kevin and Fred, Short Sale Specialists, on the Short Sale Power Hour. Video for Short Sale Specialists.
What in the world are short sales?
Do you hear murmurs at the office or the gym in Mesa, AZ about short sales and question what in the world they are talking about? Short sales are a handy little term that refer to the sales of homes. The term itself kind of explains it all if you understand what 'short' refers to in short sales. Cleary, because short sales refer to homes, refer to real estate transactions. Short sales are simply selling a property when the purchasing price is short of the amount that the home owner needs to pay off the mortgage loan.
Short sales in Mesa, Arizona occur when the owner of the property owes more than the house could be possibly be sold for. The owner will need to get approval from the bank that gave him his mortgage to see if short sales can be used to sell the house for less than what he owes the bank.
To explain a little better, short sales are when the bank lets the home owner sell the home for less money. Investors especially love to buy short sales because they are a bargain. Short sales are a good investment for anyone, usually.
Anyone can purchase short sales and it is a good deal for all of the parties involved. Sometimes people think that short sales are a bad thing to get involved with, but they don't know what they are talking about. People who sell there home using short sales are doing it on purpose. It is their plan to use short sales of their home to avoid having foreclosure from the bank. If they have their house foreclosed on, the bank will take it back and the home owner will be kicked out, probably by the sheriff.
With short sales, it is a good deal for everyone. As we said earlier, the buyer gets short sales at a discounted price. So they will get a nice home for cheap and they can live in it. For the person that owns the home and wants to use short sales to get rid of it, they have benefits too. Short sales are usually for home dwellers that can not afford to pay for their home any more. So, they go to the bank and say that they want to use short sales to sell their home. If the bank agrees, the home owner can sell his home for less than they need to pay off the mortgage. This is good because they don't have any money.
The bank comes out of this well too. If the bank allows short sales, they will not have to go get a home with foreclosure and they can get their money when the short sales are completed.
Watch Kevin Kauffman and Fred Weaver of Group 46:10, Short Sale Specialists, on the daily Short Sale Power Hour.
Pre Foreclosure
One of the best and easiest ways to build a real estate business is to buy a property from a homeowner that is in foreclosure. Pre foreclosures are properties that are in the final stage just before they are taken back by the bank. The Pre- Foreclosure stage starts with the homeowner missing a mortgage payment and ending when the property is auctioned.
The foreclosure process may take a long time. Even after the owner misses several payments and the bank starts foreclosure proceedings, it can take several months before the home is actually repossessed and put up for auction or sale. The owner is still in charge of the property and has possession of it; however he/she knows that if payments are not made soon, the bank will repossess the home.
Using the pre-foreclosure process to one's advantage is a wise idea because these home owners are the most motivated types of sellers: they have a true deadline. Other sellers will say they are motivated or would like to move on, however none of them have a deadline that they are not in complete control of. In this case, the bank is in control of setting the timeline, and usually the bank is unwilling to adjust the deadline. Because of this forced deadline, the homeowner needs to make a decision before the bank makes the decision for them, and they lose everything.
In addition to having the most motivated types of sellers, the pre-foreclosure process has the most motivated types of lenders. These lenders do not want to keep the property; they simply do not want to lose their money. However, in many cases the lenders are willing to take less than what the homeowner owed simply to get rid of the bad loan. This type of sale is called a short sale, and it is a valuable technique to understand in the pre-foreclosure process.
The pre-foreclosure area of real estate is has great potential for profit. It is important to recognize what stage the market is in and which strategy to apply. Applying the correct strategy at the proper time will produce massive profits.
Foreclosurelists
Aiden Win
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Explanation of Government FORECLOSURE PREVENTION Program
The current administration recently rolled out a federally funded program called the foreclosure prevention program. The foreclosure prevention program could potentially help millions of Americans who are struggling to pay their mortgages.
The economic adversity in Chandler, Arizona that we are currently facing has caused the loss of thousands of jobs each month. This uptick in unemployment is one of the greatest reasons for the foreclosure prevention program.
The drastic need for a foreclosure prevention program also came to fruition because of the crash of the housing market and property values. With property values being just a fraction of the loan values, foreclosure prevention is needed now more than ever.
The foreclosure prevention program costs several billion dollars. Foreclosure prevention in the form of the government program is aimed at helping about nine million property owners and is effective until 2012. This foreclosure prevention program allows home buyers to adjust the terms of their mortgage, but they are only allowed to do it once.
The first step in the success of this foreclosure prevention program is to get the home owners mortgage payment to be less than 30 percent of their income. This foreclosure prevention technique is much like a loan modification that you would do with the bank. Basically, it is foreclosure prevention because it makes the terms of your mortgage payment comfortable for you and acceptable for the bank. There are several criteria to qualify for the foreclosure prevention program. See if you qualify based on the list below....
In order to quality, the home owner must have the following.
- Obtained your mortgage before January 1, 2009.
- mortgage that is less than $729,500
- provide tax returns and pay stubbs
- Sign a statement of hardship
So long as the mortgage interest rate stays high enough, the lenders will follow a specific plan to help you lower the total payments considerably for you. Following that, the administration will do its thing with the foreclosure prevention program and your payment will be lowered to thirty percent of your income or less, which will make it affordable for you to pay.
That interested rate mentioned above is guaranteed for a five year term in Chandler, AZ. After the five years are up, the rate can rise by one percent, which won't be much. It will rise every year until it reaches either the current rate or the previous rate that you had, which ever comes first. Lenders are going to receive money for each of the loans that they refinance through the foreclosure prevention program.
If this government program seems complicated for you, you might want to contact a real estate expert who can give you advice in foreclosure prevention. However, you may also consider a short sale. It can provide greater relief for some than this complicated government program.
The Value of a Real Estate Agent in a BANK SHORT SALE Part II
As soon as you have cleared the first hurdle with the negotiator headache, the second major concern in a bank short sale needs to be addressed. Buyer impatience and their general lack of knowledge in the bank short sale process can lead to much undue stress. This problem can be compounded if the buyer is a first timer that is eager to get into a new home. The purchaser can quickly be turned off if they are not on good communication terms with the real estate agent regarding a bank short sale. Often times, even though the Real Estate agent in Tempe, AZ has completed all of the bank short sale paperwork and sent it to the bank, the transactions will still take as many as two additional weeks to complete. Then the bank short sale paperwork will need to be passed on to those pesky negotiators.
Asking for an excited buyer to be patience is a troublesome thing to do. This is especially challenging in current times as the number of bank short sale properties on the market today is ever increasing. Additionally, today's society takes a "grass is greener" approach to most things. So, they will always consider a better deal may wait around the corner or better service can be had from another agent in a bank short sale. The patience of a potential buyer is a huge hurdle in the bank short sale and should be handled before the buyers even view the properties.
Just for frame of reference, here is an example. Last month, I was in the midst of working through a bank short sale in Tempe, Arizona that involved a property which was potentially going to sell for eighty thousand dollars less than comparable homes in the area. However, because it was a bank short sale, there was going to be a waiting period of as long as three weeks. The buyer was excited about the potential of the home for her and was overjoyed that is was in a condition that it could be immediately moved into without any changes or renovations. However, the buyer was under the impression that they should not have to wait for more than two days for a response, completely ignorant of the bank short sale process.
I decided to take a gamble and tell the buyer that this bank short sale process wasn't necessarily for her because the bank does not care if you NEED a response in two days. The bank could care less about your dream home. However, if she was wiling to understand the bank short sale process and allow me to devote the time and energy to it, she would eventually get the home she desired. After some normal waiting in the bank short sale process, she was able to purchase the home and will close on it in a few weeks. Using a honest and direct approach to the buyer regarding the bank short sale process helped her understand the need for patience in completing a bank short sale.
Foreclosure is not an option. How to stop foreclosure sale
The last option that a home owner in Mesa, Arizona wants to face when they need to give up their house is foreclosure. Many house owners that can not keep up with their payments feel that foreclosure is the only option available to them. They stop talking to the mortgage company and leave the house, or sometimes stay until they are forcibly removed from the premises. Little did they know that foreclosure is not the only option available. There are many different avenues to take in order to stop foreclosure sale.
Mortgage lenders in Mesa, AZ would prefer that you give the house back, so that they do not have to take it. Taking the house from you costs them extra money. So, while they won't help you stop foreclosure sale, they would really prefer that the foreclosure process never gets started. The mortgage company would prefer something better than selling the house at foreclosure sale, giving them only a fraction of the houses value. So, in some respects, the mortgage company wants to stop foreclosure sale before you are ever even considering it. Occasionally, the mortgage company will choose to consider a deed in lieu, but there are better ways to stop foreclosure sale. Some of those ways are not widely known.
The short sale is a great option for people that want to stop foreclosure sale. While it is not good that you are considering a short sale or need to stop foreclosure sale of your house, it is THE BEST OPTION for someone that wants to stop foreclosure sale. Essentially, you are already in a bad situation and the short sale is the best option available to you to stop foreclosure sale. Your chances of buying a home in the future are much greater if you utilize the short sale. This is true for several reasons. First, the short sale does very little or nothing at all to damage your credit. Secondly, most mortgage companies will not want to loan money to someone that has had a house foreclosed previously within the last five to seven years. That is why it is so important to stop foreclosure sale. With a short sale, you will have the opportunity to purchase another home based on the same criteria that you purchased your first home, namely you income and your credit score. This puts you in a great position for the future if you intend to buy a home again.
Basically, a short sale works with two scenarios. The home owner, who can not pay their mortgage anymore, finds a buyer of for the home. The purchase price is not enough to cover paying off the existing mortgage. However, because the bank is going to lose money on the home, they will take the offer because they get more from the short sale than they would if they had to foreclose on the home. The lender reduces the balance of your mortgage to pay it off with the sale of the home.
Foreclosure is not an option. How to stop foreclosure sale
The last option that a home owner in Mesa, Arizona wants to face when they need to give up their house is foreclosure. Many house owners that can not keep up with their payments feel that foreclosure is the only option available to them. They stop talking to the mortgage company and leave the house, or sometimes stay until they are forcibly removed from the premises. Little did they know that foreclosure is not the only option available. There are many different avenues to take in order to stop foreclosure sale.
Mortgage lenders in Mesa, AZ would prefer that you give the house back, so that they do not have to take it. Taking the house from you costs them extra money. So, while they won't help you stop foreclosure sale, they would really prefer that the foreclosure process never gets started. The mortgage company would prefer something better than selling the house at foreclosure sale, giving them only a fraction of the houses value. So, in some respects, the mortgage company wants to stop foreclosure sale before you are ever even considering it. Occasionally, the mortgage company will choose to consider a deed in lieu, but there are better ways to stop foreclosure sale. Some of those ways are not widely known.
The short sale is a great option for people that want to stop foreclosure sale. While it is not good that you are considering a short sale or need to stop foreclosure sale of your house, it is THE BEST OPTION for someone that wants to stop foreclosure sale. Essentially, you are already in a bad situation and the short sale is the best option available to you to stop foreclosure sale. Your chances of buying a home in the future are much greater if you utilize the short sale. This is true for several reasons. First, the short sale does very little or nothing at all to damage your credit. Secondly, most mortgage companies will not want to loan money to someone that has had a house foreclosed previously within the last five to seven years. That is why it is so important to stop foreclosure sale. With a short sale, you will have the opportunity to purchase another home based on the same criteria that you purchased your first home, namely you income and your credit score. This puts you in a great position for the future if you intend to buy a home again.
Basically, a short sale works with two scenarios. The home owner, who can not pay their mortgage anymore, finds a buyer of for the home. The purchase price is not enough to cover paying off the existing mortgage. However, because the bank is going to lose money on the home, they will take the offer because they get more from the short sale than they would if they had to foreclose on the home. The lender reduces the balance of your mortgage to pay it off with the sale of the home.
Any Way to Get Decent Free Foreclosure Listings?
We've all heard the term "you get what you pay for" but in today's economy, many online services have turned to "try before you buy" to win customer loyalty. There are a lot of companies offering information on foreclosures, and they're all vying for your money. More and more companies offer free trials, and yes, they do represent good quality listings.
Why do they need my credit card info?
In an altruistic world, you could offer me a free trial and I would only take it once. In the real world, free trials often get taken advantage of without some kind of prevention in place. That's why companies - legitimate companies - ask for credit card information.
Why You Can Cancel at Any Time
Most people can take their 7 days of free access, and put it to good use. A company with good information will know you'll not only be back for more, but you'll bring your friends along for the ride. Go with a listing service that has a good reputation, and you won't have to worry about getting stuck in a bad transaction.
Why You Should Take Advantage
Some listing services only give you an address, or worse, a parcel number. They leave it up to you to look up the rest of the information. That's difficult when you're in town and know the layout, let alone states away! Quality services give you the information you need (including photos) to know whether a foreclosure will be a good investment.
It's normal to be skeptical when someone offers you something for nothing, but foreclosure listing companies see these free trials as investments in you. Go with a service that has the right reputation, and get the benefit of quality, Up to Date listings - FREE!
By the way, by researching and comparing the best free foreclosure listings services in the market, you will be able to determine the one that meets your specific requirements, plus the free or cheaper options. This way you will save time through up to date foreclosure listings and money by getting better results over your investment.
Hector Milla runs the Free Home Foreclosure Listings website, where you can see a review of the best rated free foreclosure listing service.
Read our full reviews, plus hundreds of articles and video training about this subject.
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Short Sale Transactions and the Homeowner
Short sale California transactions and the homeowner who needs to unload a home which is now worth far less than what is owed on it is now an increasingly common phenomenon in many parts of the state. This is due to the severe drop-off in home sales since the economy went into recession about 18 or so months ago, and the fact that many homeowners are sitting on mortgages whose rates are about to readjust upwards.
A short sale is a sale of a home for less than what is owed on it. The term itself comes from not only the expectation that the sale of such a home will happen relatively quickly but also for the fact that the owner is going to sell "short, " or for less than mortgage price. This has to be particularly galling to many homeowners out in California, which had enjoyed record increases in home prices for the last decade or longer.
Today, millions or even billions of dollars of homes are sitting on the market in the state and many homeowners are eyeing their adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) nervously, realizing that their initially-low monthly payments are about to increase by hundreds or even thousands of dollars a month, and with no ability to meet such a new payment.
Once might ask why people took on such a mortgage as an ARM, but nobody had an inkling that home prices would crater so quickly when the recession really began to heat up. Rather, they expected that they'd be able to live in the home for a couple of years, put it up for sale for a new and much higher price (given how home prices were increasing, it was reasonable to assume such a thing) and then sell for a nice profit and move into an even better home.
Now, those homeowners in California who don't wish to completely wreck their credit histories, which a foreclosure can cause, are looking to move the house the best way possible, even if it means convincing the mortgage holder (usually a bank or other financial institution) that it would be in its best interest to allow it to be sold for less than owed and take something rather than nothing, which is what a foreclosure would give them.
Given how rocky the outlook is for home sales in the near future - and with many banks and the like holding millions of dollars of housing inventory in their portfolios - the prospects for getting permission to short sale a home are fairly good. Always keep in mind that it's necessary to obtain that permission, though, before conducting a short sale offering of a home.
Before approaching the bank, it's recommended that a new appraisal of the property be gotten. Once that's been done, and the chances in California of the property being worth less than owed are very good, approach the mortgage lien holder and explain the situation and request permission to sell the home "short." If received, work through the process of selling, either with a real estate salesperson or as a "fizz-bow" (For Sale by Owner).
Short sale California transactions and the homeowner owning that property in the Golden State are just a fact of life these days. It's always better to sell the home and get something for the bank - thereby avoiding foreclosure - than to just walk away from the property, which can always be the very last resort in the event the home does not sell.
Short Sale California transactions and its impact on financially struggling homeowners, now a click away on http://www.nphsrealestate.org/short-sale
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Fred Weaver is a founding co-owner of Group 46:10. He has been working in the financing/real estate business for over 7 years. Fred began his real estate career by working for a large wholesale bank as a processor and rate/lock specialist for home mortgages. After 2 years in the business, Fred transferred from the banking side of home loans to the mortgage side. While on the mortgage side of financing, Fred gained experience originating mortgages and processing files for Morgan Capital of Arizona, Inc.
Kevin is a founding co-owner of Group 46:10. He began working in the real estate business in 2007 after spending 8 years working in the finance industry for companies such as Bank One, Green Tree Financial, & GE Capital.