Reasons Why Buying A Home Now Is Good

We all have different reasons why and when we purchase a home.  Home prices have tumbled from a false appreciation that occurred during the boom years has left many of use cringing as our equity has been wiped leaving us even with our value or in most cases upside down in our mortgage. Buyers are wreaking the rewards from the high volume of homes that are currently on the market. If you can qualify to purchase a home the world is your oyster or in housing terms your dream home awaits you. Home loan interest rates are best we have ever seen and history shows when you are trying to time the absolute bottom of a market chances are it will have already hit and start back up.  In closing I say keep your eyes on the housing market and look for your home in your area chances are you might just find a place to call yours. Please feel free to call Josh Groesbeck 208-353-7131 or josh@homeswithjosh.com for assistance.

10 Reasons to Buy a Home
Time magazine is being overly pessimistic in its recent cover piece that called into question the benefits of homeownership. In fact, now is a great time to buy. And, what’s more, tomorrow will be a great time to own, because the fundamental strength of homeownership hasn’t changed.

Why is now a great time to buy? Here are 10 reasons:

1. You can get a good deal. Prices are down 30 percent on average. They’re at a level that makes sense for people’s income.
2. Mortgages are cheap. At 4.3 percent on average for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, your costs to own are down by a fifth from two years ago.
3. You can save on taxes. When you add up the deductions for mortgage interest and others, the cost of owning can drop below renting for a comparable place.
4. It’ll be yours. The one benefit to owning that never changes is that you can paint your walls orange if you want (generally speaking; there might be some community restrictions). How many landlords will let you do that?
5. You can get a better home. In some markets, it’s simply the case that the nicest places are for-sale homes and condos.
6. It offers some inflation protection. Historically, appreciation over time outpaces inflation.
7. It’s risk capital. If the economy picks up, you stand to benefit from that, even if you’re goal is just to have a nice place to live.
8. It’s forced savings. A part of your payment each month goes to equity.
9. There is a lot to choose from. There are some 4 million homes available today, about a year’s supply. Now’s the time to find something you like and get it.
10. Sooner or later the market will clear. The U.S. is expected to grow by another 100 million people in 40 years. They have to live somewhere. Demand will eventually outpace supply.

Source: Wall Street Journal, Brett Arends (9/16/10)

Rules For FHA Principle Reducing Refi’s

Look for qualification under mortgage letter link- Josh Groesbeck 208-353-7131 or josh@homeswithjosh.com and www.homeswithjosh.com

Nearly a quarter of U.S. homeowners with a mortgage owe more on the loan than their home is worth, and home prices are threatening to fall further and push even more borrowers underwater. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA), though, is throwing out a lifeline.

Starting September 7, the federal agency will offer new FHA-insured mortgages to certain underwater, non-FHA borrowers who are current on their mortgage payments and whose lenders agree to write off at least 10 percent of the unpaid principal balance.

This last part could prove to be the caveat that leads the new FHA refi program down the same road as the federal government’s other housing programs – a road of below par results and public criticism.

Lenders are fantastically reluctant to write down mortgage principals. It would mean either they or their mortgage investors would have to eat the amount of debt that’s forgiven, and it could set a precedent that a loan contract is not a contract at all if the terms spelled out in black and white can be changed based on market nuances, such as a slump in real estate values.

The FHA refi program for underwater borrowers was originally announced in March as part of the administra-

tion’s expanded foreclosure prevention strategy. On Friday, FHA and HUD published a mortgagee letter explaining to lenders the details of the new negative equity refinancing program.

To be eligible for a new loan, the homeowner must owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth, be current on their existing mortgage, and occupy the property as their primary residence. The homeowner must qualify for the new loan under standard FHA underwriting requirements and have a credit score equal of at least 500.

Participation in the program is voluntary and requires the consent of all lien holders. The borrower’s existing first lien holder must agree to write off at least 10 percent of their unpaid principal balance to bring the borrower’s combined loan-to-value ratio to no more than 115 percent.

In addition, the existing loan to be refinanced must not be an FHA-insured loan, and the refinanced FHA-insured first mortgage must have a loan-to-value ratio of no more than 97.75 percent.

To facilitate the refinancing of new FHA-insured loans under this program, the Treasury will provide incentives to existing second lien holders who agree to full or partial extinguishment of the liens.

Servicers planning to take part in the new program must execute a Servicer Participation Agreement (SPA) with Fannie Mae by October 3, 2010.

HUD says interested homeowners should contact their lenders to determine if they are eligible and whether the lender agrees to write down a portion of the unpaid principal.

FHA Commissioner David H. Stevens, said, “This is another tool to help overcome the negative equity problem facing many responsible homeowners who are looking to refinance into a safer, more secure mortgage product.”

Source: DS News

Idaho Short Sale Agent For You

Our First Response Team Is Here For You. New programs are being implemented Now! Advocate that is specially trained to help you sell your home for short of what is owed. Stop Foreclosure and stay in your home longer at no cost to you.  Hardship comes in many different forms.. Divorce, loss of income, untimely death and oh by the way HOME WORTH LESS THAN OWED. Our goal is to help you find the best solution whether that is a modification, short sale or died in lieu…

Goal:  Avoiding Foreclosure

The following are the steps that you as a homeowner can anticipate in the short sale process.  This is a general outline of how the process occurs, however please note that lien holders can change the order of some of the steps.  Detailed below is the process our team uses to process a short sale.  For a brief overview please see. www.homeswithjosh.com and look under Short Sales or Call 1-800-290-1076 Ext#3000

Pre-Listing

1.
Please contact Josh’s office for a brief consultation about short sales.  Josh or one of his team members will collect some basic information about your situation.
2.
A tentative appointment will be scheduled to answer questions and/or list the home for sale in the short sale process.
3.
Josh and his team will prepare a short sale packet which will be sent to you either via FEDEX, regular mail or email.  We provide a thorough packet of information in advance of the appointment so you have the opportunity to evaluate our process and have your questions answered in advance.  If what we send you and what we discuss prior to the appointment makes sense and you feel comfortable and confident to go forward with the short sale process, our appointment will be confirmed. The packet will include:
*
Information about the short sale process.
*
Market data on the value of your home in today’s market.
*
Recommended short sale pricing.
*
Listing contract and related forms.
*
Property detail report from the county assessor’s office.
4.
The appointment.  Josh will either come to your house to receive the documents or they can be returned via fax or email. We can do listing appointments via telephone or email if necessary.
5.
Once we receive a signed listing agreement we will begin the short sale process.
6.
An authorization form will be submitted to your lien holder(s) enabling us to speak to them on your behalf.  Unless previously provided, the lien holder(s) will provide their short sale requirements when the authorization is received.

Marketing

1.
Your home will be listed immediately on the Multiple Listing Service.
2.
We will market your home through various affiliated web sites and all other applicable marketing strategies.
3.
During the marketing period we will receive offers and present them to you as they are received.
*
Offers will be presented to you on an offers spread sheet.
*
You will be able to see the net offers as they come in.  We highlight, in yellow, the current highest net offer.
*
You will sign the purchase offer of your choosing.  We will advise you as to what appears to be the strongest offer.  We will encourage you to consider two important factors; price and the willingness of the buyer to wait for the short sale process to complete rather than back out in the middle of the process.
4.
You will select and sign the offer that is most likely to meet the lien holder(s) criteria for a short pay off of your loan.

Short Sale Processing

1.
After you select an offer it will be signed by you and presented to your lien holder(s).  This is the official beginning of the short sale processing phase.
2.
You can track your short sale offer, as it is processed, online at Short Sale Status.
3.
The offer and all documentation required by the lien holder(s) is submitted by our office to the lien holder(s).
4.
Documents go through a processing period and are assigned to a negotiator.  The lien holder(s) assign a negotiator to your file.  The negotiator will ultimately make the final decision about your case.  The negotiator will review your offer and present the offer to any investors into your loan.
5.
A BPO (Broker’s Price Opinion) or appraisal will be ordered by the negotiator.  This BPO is used to determine the value of your home and whether or not the net proceeds of the offer are sufficient to satisfy the investors and thus provide a short pay off of the loan(s).
6.
The negotiator will evaluate your financial situation to determine whether or not you qualify for a short sale.  The offer will be presented to the investors who are invested into your loan.  They will decide if your short sale is approved or not.
7.
The negotiator will report the response of the investors.  There will be one of three options:  Short Sale Approval, Short Sale Approval with Conditions or Denial.  If any other answer then Short Sale Approval is provided we will negotiate further on your behalf.
8.
After all negotiations are complete you will either accept or reject the terms of the short sale.
9.
Written short sale notification is delivered to the buyer’s agent and Escrow begins.

Escrow

1.
Escrows in short sales generally follow the same process as a regular escrow.  One difference is that the short sale approval has a “good through” date by which time the short sale must be finalized and escrow must be closed.
2. When escrow begins you will need to make plans to be moved out of the house by the close of escrow.

Josh Groesbeck

208-353-7131 or josh@homeswithjosh.com

Idaho Help For Home Owners

If you are currently working with an Idaho loan modification plan we hope that everything works out. If your loan modification is not working or perhaps you are upside down in your Idaho home (mortgage) please seek professional help. Josh is a trained Sh0rt Sale negotiator located right here in the Treasure Valley. Please review the HAFA rules and incentives from Making Home Affordable website. For answers and help with your home call Josh 208-353-7131 or josh@homeswithjosh.com

If you are looking for help selling your home and avoiding foreclosure, the federal government has introduced the
Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA) Program to help you. As your mortgage servicer, we are
offering you the opportunity to participate in this program by utilizing HAFA’s short sale option.
Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program – Short Sale
A “short sale” is specifically designed to help borrowers who are unable to afford their first mortgage and want to
sell their home to avoid foreclosure, even if the sale price may not pay off the amount owed on their mortgage. A
short sale requires a number of parties (you, the buyer, your real estate broker, and sometimes mortgage
insurance companies and other lenders) to work together to make this option successful. However, it could be a
good solution for your current situation.
How Does a Short Sale Work?
 Pre‐Sale—We will start by approving a list price for your home or give you the acceptable sale proceeds (the
minimum amount that we must receive after sales costs) from the sale of your home. We will also identify the
sales costs (broker commissions and closing costs) that may be deducted from the final sales price. You then
list your property (like any home sale) with a local real estate broker at the approved price.
 Offer—When you get an offer on your home, you will submit the required documentation and we will approve
the sale if it is in line with what we agreed to.
 Closing—Once the sale closes, we will release you from all responsibilities for repaying your mortgage. Plus,
you will receive $3,000 to help pay some of your moving expenses. (The check will be paid to you by the
settlement agent as part of the closing.) In the event there is any money left over from the sale after paying
the entire amount you owe on the mortgage plus the approved sale costs, you will not be eligible to receive
the $3,000.
To Participate in the Short Sale Program
Please note, there is no guarantee that your home will sell under this program, and you are responsible for
determining whether you want to sell your home for the price and terms described in this letter. The following
pages detail your responsibilities, additional information on the short sale process and the Terms and Conditions.
Additionally, this letter constitutes an agreement between us and you (“Agreement”) so please read it carefully
and completely.

Source:Making Home Affordable

Faster Short Sale Approvals after B of A Insurance Scam

Ever feel like your mortgage servicer or company is just toying with you and your HAMP program- It should be black or white, completely transparent and well let’s admit it– Can I get a loan mod and does it even make any sense if my home is totally upside down (bought at 300k now worth 175k)- Here in Idaho job unemployment rate is still above 9% and not looking to drop drastically anytime soon.  If your loan company is jerking you around please don’t hesitate to call or email Josh with your questions. Idaho’s Best Short Sale Specialist! Read below what the big boys in banking are doing it might make you shake your head–

Bank of America gets caught with their hand in the jar and blames Countrywide.

But doesn’t Bank of America own Countrywide?  Yes!

When Bank of America took over Countrywide in 2008 during the worst housing crash since the Great Depression, according to Bloomberg, BofA absorbed Balboa Insurance.  Essentially, Balboa Insurance…now owned and operated by BofA, is insuring their own bad debt.

What does this mean?  Bank of America’s “Countrywide Loans” that have been defaulted against by homeowners are insured, meaning Bank of America is feeling no pain and actually is gaining from this type of bad debt. Meaning that BofA is in no hurry to sell bad debt.  That’s why there is “Shadow Inventory” and Short Sales are taking so long to approve for sale. There’s no hurry when your making money.

Why Bank of America is gaining on a defaulted loan?  It seems that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) uncovered ”scamming” on behalf of  “Countrywide” last month.  Remember, Bank of America bought/took over, what ever you want to call it, Countrywide at the Federal Governments request.

What was the scamming?

Countrywide had established Balboa Insurance to cover their home loans gone bad.  In an effort to help defray these losses on bad loans, Balboa Insurance and Countrywide would over charge the now defaulted homeowner for any related services to the default…like mowing the lawns, maintenance of the home, painting, etc…yes, Countrywide in it’s need to make money, charged up to 2 times the amount back to the homeowner for these services.  This is in clear violation to FTC guidelines as it pertains to loan servicing.

So what?

Well, Millions and millions of dollars have been scammed from the clients that they hold a fiduciary responsibility. Kinda like Bernie Madoff screwing his own clients out of their money.   Well, it’s now 2 years later, and Bank of America “Countrywide” division has been caught red handed.  However, no one is being held responsible.  Why?

BofA was helping out the Feds by taking over the Countrywide catastrophe and with that comes immunity.  Above the law stuff…”you do us a favor, no one will suffer.”

Know that BofA has been caught, the new CEO, Brian Moynihan stated earlier this month that they have a “desire” to sell Balboa Insurance.  Desire?  What does that mean?

C’mon…let’s be real.  BofA makes tons of money on bad loans.  That’s why it takes so freakin’ long to get a BofA short sale approved!  That’s why there is “shadow Inventory”!

So what happens next?

As soon as CEO Moynihans “desire” is fulfilled and Bolboa is sold…it should open the flood gates to short sales and release of “shadow inventory”.

It’s good news…however, no one person is held responsible. No one goes to jail.

Do the Feds a “solid” and your protected!

Foreclosures Down And Short Sales Up

Here is an insightful video from  CNBC  and what to expect from the housing market in the months ahead. If you have questions or would like assistance with your home please don’t hesitate to call or email, Josh.

Exiting Home Sales Down

Joshua Groesbeck

208-353-7131 or josh@homeswithjosh.com

www.homeswithjosh.com or www.idshortsale.com

Idaho Short Sale Process

Goal:  Avoiding Foreclosure

The following are the steps that you as a homeowner can anticipate in the short sale process.  This is a general outline of how the process occurs, however please note that lien holders can change the order of some of the steps.  Detailed below is the process our team uses to process a short sale.  For a brief overview please see. www.homeswithjosh.com and look under Short Sales

Pre-Listing

1.
Please contact Josh’s office for a brief consultation about short sales.  Josh or one of his team members will collect some basic information about your situation.
2.
A tentative appointment will be scheduled to answer questions and/or list the home for sale in the short sale process.
3.
Josh and his team will prepare a short sale packet which will be sent to you either via FEDEX, regular mail or email.  We provide a thorough packet of information in advance of the appointment so you have the opportunity to evaluate our process and have your questions answered in advance.  If what we send you and what we discuss prior to the appointment makes sense and you feel comfortable and confident to go forward with the short sale process, our appointment will be confirmed. The packet will include:
*
Information about the short sale process.
*
Market data on the value of your home in today’s market.
*
Recommended short sale pricing.
*
Listing contract and related forms.
*
Property detail report from the county assessor’s office.
4.
The appointment.  Josh will either come to your house to receive the documents or they can be returned via fax or email. We can do listing appointments via telephone or email if necessary.
5.
Once we receive a signed listing agreement we will begin the short sale process.
6.
An authorization form will be submitted to your lien holder(s) enabling us to speak to them on your behalf.  Unless previously provided, the lien holder(s) will provide their short sale requirements when the authorization is received.

Marketing

1.
Your home will be listed immediately on the Multiple Listing Service.
2.
We will market your home through various affiliated web sites and all other applicable marketing strategies.
3.
During the marketing period we will receive offers and present them to you as they are received.
*
Offers will be presented to you on an offers spread sheet.
*
You will be able to see the net offers as they come in.  We highlight, in yellow, the current highest net offer.
*
You will sign the purchase offer of your choosing.  We will advise you as to what appears to be the strongest offer.  We will encourage you to consider two important factors; price and the willingness of the buyer to wait for the short sale process to complete rather than back out in the middle of the process.
4.
You will select and sign the offer that is most likely to meet the lien holder(s) criteria for a short pay off of your loan.

Short Sale Processing

1.
After you select an offer it will be signed by you and presented to your lien holder(s).  This is the official beginning of the short sale processing phase.
2.
You can track your short sale offer, as it is processed, online at Short Sale Status.
3.
The offer and all documentation required by the lien holder(s) is submitted by our office to the lien holder(s).
4.
Documents go through a processing period and are assigned to a negotiator.  The lien holder(s) assign a negotiator to your file.  The negotiator will ultimately make the final decision about your case.  The negotiator will review your offer and present the offer to any investors into your loan.
5.
A BPO (Broker’s Price Opinion) or appraisal will be ordered by the negotiator.  This BPO is used to determine the value of your home and whether or not the net proceeds of the offer are sufficient to satisfy the investors and thus provide a short pay off of the loan(s).
6.
The negotiator will evaluate your financial situation to determine whether or not you qualify for a short sale.  The offer will be presented to the investors who are invested into your loan.  They will decide if your short sale is approved or not.
7.
The negotiator will report the response of the investors.  There will be one of three options:  Short Sale Approval, Short Sale Approval with Conditions or Denial.  If any other answer then Short Sale Approval is provided we will negotiate further on your behalf.
8.
After all negotiations are complete you will either accept or reject the terms of the short sale.
9.
Written short sale notification is delivered to the buyer’s agent and Escrow begins.

Escrow

1.
Escrows in short sales generally follow the same process as a regular escrow.  One difference is that the short sale approval has a “good through” date by which time the short sale must be finalized and escrow must be closed.
2. When escrow begins you will need to make plans to be moved out of the house by the close of escrow.

Josh Groesbeck

208-353-7131 or josh@homeswithjosh.com

Eagle Idaho Luxury Bank Owned Homes

Located in the Senora Creek subdivision in Eagle, Idaho 83616 you will find this new bank owned home listed for $300,900. 4 bedroom 3.5 baths 3 car garage 3568 sqft. (83.63 per sqft).  Home sits on a .24 acre lot and very close to freeway access. Eagle, Idaho is a really neat town located on the boise river with easy commute to all neighboring cities. It is often mentioned that Eagle is the Beverly Hills of the treasure valley. The luxury home market in Idaho is bustling with activity.

www.homeswithjosh.com to see this home or many other great opportunities that are coming onto the market-

Joshua Groesbeck

208-353-7131 or josh@homeswithjosh.com

Source: Intermountain Multiple Listings Service