Recent Bailout efforts & your foreclosure

February 3rd, 2010

The recent Bail Out’s passed by Congress have failed to address the root of our current economic crisis — the drowning homeowner. Up to five million people, if not more, are expected to default on their mortgages in the next upcoming years. As housing values plummet, millions of others who have never missed a mortgage payment risk losing tens of thousands of dollars in home equity values.

The bailout package passed by Congress does virtually nothing to assist troubled homeowners who have recently generated a sudden inability to pay their mortgage obligation. It is incredibly disappointing that provisions previously discussed in both the House and the Senate to help homeowners modify their loans and save their homes from foreclosure have been mostly abandoned. These provisions would have struck at the root of the problem and helped to stop the declining home prices, provided relief through the bankruptcy courts, requiring lenders to offer affordable loan modifications, and unburdening families from fees & taxes associated with restructuring predatory loans.

Instead of expressing a sense of urgency in helping homeowners, Congress has only taken tentative steps to throw borrowers a lifeline. For instance, a new government program called Hope for Homeowners was approved with the aim of helping as many as 400,000 struggling homeowners escape foreclosure, but even before it started this program looked more like a false hope than a good solution. Under the program, the government would have insured up to $300 billion in new, affordable loans for borrowers struggling to pay their mortgages. In order for homeowners to take advantage of the program, the lenders would first have to voluntarily refinance the delinquent mortgages by reducing the loan balances to 90 percent of the respective home’s current market value. This could have turned out to be a win-win situation, allowing lenders to escape the avalanche of foreclosures on the horizon and receive reassurance that they will be paid, but at a Congressional hearing last September, lenders expressed their hesitancy about participating in this program. Lenders such as JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and CitiMortgage, a unit of Citigroup, all expressed opposition to this solution and said they would take other steps to help troubled borrowers, like reducing a loan’s interest rate or extending its repayment term.

In other words, they don’t want to eat the cost of reducing loan balances since they know the tangible asset is your property.

Recent news has shown that their efforts of reducing rates and extending terms have done nothing to stall the cascade of defaults and foreclosures affecting the economy. In addition to this, the value of many of these homes are dropping creating an environment where many home values are significantly less than the mortgage attached to the property. For the homeowner facing the foreclosure process – that’s a recipe for disaster.

Don’t abandon your home with destructive consequences! We are experts at negotiating short sales and stopping the foreclosure process, and we can help you save your credit & assist with all of the paperwork needed to complete every step of your solution. You CAN avoid a foreclosure all-together and start over with your life! Contact us today at www.BuyMySAproperty.com to see how we can help you!

Facing Foreclosure? 12 Keys to Help

January 5th, 2010

If you are having trouble making your payments on your mortgage, then the first thing you should do is call your lender as soon as you are aware that you are going to be behind. For many people this can be not only frightening, but also an uncomfortable predicament. You might be afraid you’ll end up saying something that will put your home in jeopardy, or be afraid that you lender will start to view you (as a customer) differently. Perhaps you might not understand the different options the lender may be able to offer. In most cases, you may simply just not know what to say.

The Mortgage Bankers Association has created a foreclosure avoidance center website that is designed to help you. On their page it has published a twelve-step guide on specific things you will need to know before you call your lender. Being prepared will ease your fears a bit and make the conversation go much smoother. Additionally, as you go through the guide you will realize that a successful resolution is in the lenders best interest. Contrary to the public perception, banks do not want to own your home and bank executives do not go to bed at night salivating at the prospect of foreclosing on your home. They are in the business of making money (on money) and paying foreclosure costs and maintaining an empty property until they can sell it (usually at a loss) COSTS them money!

Below is a quick run down of the twelve steps called the “12 Things You Should Know When You Call Your Lender” listed on their webpage.

  1. Contact your lender immediately
  2. Ask your lender about alternatives that will help you avoid foreclosure
  3. Provide any information requested by your lender (be honest)
  4. Be prepared to provide detailed financial information
  5. Be ready to immediately change your spending habits
  6. If you’re uncomfortable calling your lender, then call a reputable third party (such as an investor or real estate attorney) (see HUD website)
  7. Open and KEEP all mail you receive from the lender or its law firm
  8. Do not hesitate to ask critical & specific questions
  9. Resolve any other financial issues on your escrow accounts (taxes and insurance) if you are able
  10. Stay in contact with your lender and/or counselor at all times
  11. Be realistic about your own financial condition
  12. Understand that the lender wants a positive outcome

Visit us today at www.BuyMySAproperty.com and let us help you avoid the consequences of the foreclosure process!  We have a confidential, no-obligation Seller Questionnaire on our “Contact Us” page that will allow you to submit the specifics of your situation with confidence, ease, and without embarrassment.  Check it out TODAY!