One of the largest lenders Bank of America is Tripling their number of mortgage assistance centers. This bold move leads me to believe that they are preparing even more for what has become an industry standard, The Short Sale. Many homes are being lost to financial hardship from lack of employment but tied very close to that are the people that are in homes so upside down in equity that they will not be back to even equity for many years maybe 10 to 15. It is a numbers game but if these banks really take a look (and they now are) the best way to market recovery is too embrace the Short Sale and stop the bleeding. Values will really start to form a housing bottom and those who Short Sale can be back in the market within a couple of years and help absorb some of the housing inventory. If you or someone you know is facing hardship or an upside down mortgage call Josh Groesbeck 208-353-7131 or www.idshortsale.com
Realty Check For Idaho
Watch today’s short report on the housing market- Some where around 32% of loan modifications have become permanent while the rest moving towards some form of foreclosure. It seems that banks are trying a little harder to get these loans modified to 31% of your monthly gross income, not your take home money but your gross. Idaho has been witness to a rise in values that we most likely will never see again. Lost jobs and income combined with values that have seemingly taken us back, back, back-are not helping recovery. If your payment is good and your paying down your principle and living life more power to you. If your payment has become a hardship and starts taking away your quality of life, look for help.. Take action and stay in your home, call Joshua Groesbeck 208-353-7131 or josh@homeswithjosh.com or www.homeswithjosh.com
Short Sales For Real People Not Just Big Business
I have been saying this for awhile now, “If new bank is built for 200 million and it is now worth 100 million it becomes a bad asset and they will walk away and call it a good business decision, and yes they actually have the money to pay for it.” This has been going on for years and now that home owners are getting beat up by there upside down mortgage or loss of employment and income they still struggle to hang on. Sometimes starting over just makes sense emotionally and financially, if big business can strategically do this than why can’t you? Free consultation if keeping your home is no longer an option- Josh Groesbeck 208-353-7131 or josh@homeswithjosh.com
www.homeswithjosh.com and www.idshortsale.com
More and more commercial real-estate companies are doing what many indebted homeowners would like to do: Walk away from mortgages on properties that are now worth a lot less than they paid for them.
Today’s Wall Street Journal highlights three major developers - Macerich,Vornado Realty Trust and Simon Property Group - that have recently decided to default on mortgages.
When companies do this, no one bats an eye–it’s just “smart business.”
When ordinary homeowners think about doing it, meanwhile, the mortgage industry and government begin moaning that a mortgage is more than a business contract. It’s a social contract, in which homeowners have a “moral obligation” to pay.
That’s bunk. An individual mortgage is no different than a corporate mortgage. If corporations are allowed to walk away from mortgage obligations without feeling shame and guilt, then individuals should be able to do so, too.
The contract homeowners sign when they take out a mortgage spells out exactly what happens if the homeowner stops making payments on the loan. The lender has the right to foreclose on the house, taking the homeowner’s downpayment with it. In addition, the borrower’s credit rating will usually get destroyed, and, in some states, the lender can come after his or her other assets to recoup the capital the lender has lost.
Those are big penalties. They provide a major incentive for the borrower to continue making his or payments. And that’s why the lender, a corporation, put them in the contract.
Importantly, the lender voluntarily entered into the contract–and it did so because it thought doing so was a smart business decision. That it actually turned out to be a lousy business decision is not the homeowner’s fault. It’s the lender’s fault. And the borrower, who is already feeling plenty of pain his or herself, should not have to bear the burden of guilt and shame on top of everything else.
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:
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Information about the short sale process.
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Market data on the value of your home in today’s market.
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Recommended short sale pricing.
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Listing contract and related forms.
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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.
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Offers will be presented to you on an offers spread sheet.
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You will be able to see the net offers as they come in. We highlight, in yellow, the current highest net offer.
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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
HAUP Home Affordable Unemployment Program
The Home Affordable Unemployment Program (HAUP) begins today. It is designed to provide relief to unemployed homeowners. HAUP (referred to as “UP”), “offers eligible unemployed borrowers a forbearance plan to temporarily reduce or suspend their mortgage payments.”
By August 1, 2010, all servicers who are participating in Making Home Affordable will be helping homeowners who are struggling to stay current because of unemployment.
Forbearance Plan Eligibility:
A borrower must meet the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) eligibility criteria as well as:
- be unemployed when request is made;
- be entitled to receive unemployment benefits in the month of the UP forbearance plan effective date (servicers have discretion to require a borrower to have received unemployment benefits for up to three months before commencement of the forbearance plan); and
- request an UP forbearance plan before they become seriously delinquent (i.e., miss three monthly mortgage payments).
Forbearance Plan Evaluation:
Servicers must follow these requirements when evaluating a borrower for an UP forbearance plan:
- Unemployed borrowers who request assistance for HAMP must first be evaluated for an UP forbearance plan. If they qualify, they must be offered an UP forbearance plan before they can be considered for HAMP.
- Borrowers currently in a HAMP trial period plan who become unemployed may receive an UP forbearance plan if they have missed less than three monthly payments as of the first payment due date of the HAMP trial period plan. If they do qualify, their existing HAMP trial period plan must be cancelled and the UP forbearance plan must immediately begin without waiting until the borrower has received three months of unemployment benefits.
- Borrowers previously determined to be ineligible for a HAMP modification may request an UP forbearance plan if they meet the eligibility requirements.
- Borrowers in a permanent HAMP modification who become unemployed are not eligible for an UP forbearance plan.
Forbearance Plan Terms
- Term must be three months or upon reemployment (whichever is less). Servicers may extend this period according to their investor/regulatory guidelines.
- Monthly mortgage payment must be reduced to less than or equal to 31% of the borrower’s gross monthly household income and may be suspended in full.
Transition to HAMP
- Borrowers in an UP forbearance plan will be evaluated for HAMP at either reemployment or 30 days prior to the UP forbearance period expiring (whichever happens first).
Source: HSH
If you are experiencing problems making you house payment or see that foreclosure is possible we can help!
Joshua Groesbeck
208-353-7131 or josh@homeswithjosh.com