by Nick Timiraos Reprinted from the WSJ November 29, 2010
In April, the Obama administration formally rolled out a new program, called Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives, that was designed to spur more short sales, where banks allow homeowners to sell their homes for less than the mortgage debt outstanding.
Like other foreclosure-prevention initiatives, this one appears to be off to a slow start — just 342 sales have been completed through September.
HAFA was designed as a cousin to the Obama administration’s Home Affordable Modification Program, HAMP, whose woes have been well documented. HAFA works like this: Servicers are supposed to consider short sales for borrowers who aren’t able to receive a HAMP modification. Because some 700,000 HAMP applicants have been ejected from that program, there’s a potentially large pool of borrowers who might be evaluated for HAFA.
Initially announced in May 2009, HAFA was also designed to help reduce wait times by streamlining the short sale process through standardized documents and approaches for short sales. Under the program, the government offers incentive payments to mortgage-servicing companies, investors and even the borrowers that accept a short sale under prescribed guidelines.
For example, second-lien mortgages receive 6% of the unpaid loan balance in a short sale, up to a maximum of $6,000, but they must agree to relinquish all claims against a borrower. (Our story on Saturday illustrated why seconds pose problems in short sales.) The program also provides $3,000 in “move-out assistance” to borrowers.
Many real-estate agents say banks have largely ignored the program and that they are applying it unevenly. “Banks are initiating the HAFA transaction and then after three weeks they say, ‘Naw, sorry, you didn’t qualify,’” says Greg Markov, a Phoenix real-estate agent. “That three weeks is a huge pain. You wasted all this time.”
Industry officials, meanwhile, say that HAFA has been hindered by extensive documentation requirements and restrictive qualification guidelines. A homeowner that’s already relocated isn’t HAFA eligible, for example, and neither are borrowers that apply within 60 days of a foreclosure date.
The program is also voluntary, which may limit participation from second-lien holders and mortgage insurance companies that see a financial reason to avoid a short sale that requires them to forgo the opportunity to seek deficiencies against borrowers.
“It looks good on paper, but you can’t make anyone participate,” says Kevin Kauffman, a Phoenix real-estate agent who says he’s closed 150 short sales but has yet to complete one through HAFA.
Still, the Treasury and other supporters say they’re optimistic that results will pick up. Because short sales take several months to close, it’s perhaps unrealistic to expect huge numbers of deals that would close within five months. Moreover, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac didn’t issue their own participation rules until August.
“It does take a little bit of time to see results on these,” says Dave Sunlin, Bank of America’s senior vice president for short sales and bank-owned property sales. “The concept on paper is there.”
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Upfront fees for delinquent loan scenarios: Short Sales, modifications...
If you are contacted by parties offering to assist you in getting out of the hole, saving you from foreclosure, minimizing the effect on your credit, saving your home, modifying your loan (whatever!) and they merely need a small fee to get the ball rolling......... Go immediately to the Bank, take out the cash, rush home and flush it down the commode because that's what these scammers are asking you to do.
It is illegal in the State of California to charge an up-front fee for these types of services. In fact, no reputable, licensed Real Estate Agent or Realtor would ask you for a fee. Providing these services is done in the normal course of business and if it results in the sale of your property, the Bank will compensate the agent or Realtor for their services, if applicable.
So if you need help, call a Realtor (which is a real estate agent recognized by the National Association of Realtors and is held to a higher code of ethics). You might even log onto www.ShortSaleSully.com
It is illegal in the State of California to charge an up-front fee for these types of services. In fact, no reputable, licensed Real Estate Agent or Realtor would ask you for a fee. Providing these services is done in the normal course of business and if it results in the sale of your property, the Bank will compensate the agent or Realtor for their services, if applicable.
So if you need help, call a Realtor (which is a real estate agent recognized by the National Association of Realtors and is held to a higher code of ethics). You might even log onto www.ShortSaleSully.com
Monday, August 30, 2010
Here's a means of preventing a short sale.....maybe
FHA Refis for Underwater Borrowers
FHA has launched a refinancing program to assist homeowners who owe more on their mortgages than their home is worth. Beginning Sept. 7, the agency will offer qualified non-FHA borrowers the opportunity to refinance with an FHA-insured mortgage on their primary residence. Borrowers must be current on their existing mortgage, qualify under FHA underwriting requirements, and have a credit score of at least 500. The first lien holder must agree to write off at least 10 percent of the remaining amount owed under the mortgage, bringing the combined loan-to-value ratio of all mortgages to no more than 115 percent. The LTV for the new FHA mortgage may not exceed 97.75 percent. The Treasury Department will provide incentives to second lien holders who agree to forgive all or part of their liens. Read more from HUD.
http://www.hud.gov/offices/adm/hudclips/letters/mortgagee/files/10-23ml.pdf
Keep the faith!
FHA has launched a refinancing program to assist homeowners who owe more on their mortgages than their home is worth. Beginning Sept. 7, the agency will offer qualified non-FHA borrowers the opportunity to refinance with an FHA-insured mortgage on their primary residence. Borrowers must be current on their existing mortgage, qualify under FHA underwriting requirements, and have a credit score of at least 500. The first lien holder must agree to write off at least 10 percent of the remaining amount owed under the mortgage, bringing the combined loan-to-value ratio of all mortgages to no more than 115 percent. The LTV for the new FHA mortgage may not exceed 97.75 percent. The Treasury Department will provide incentives to second lien holders who agree to forgive all or part of their liens. Read more from HUD.
http://www.hud.gov/offices/adm/hudclips/letters/mortgagee/files/10-23ml.pdf
Keep the faith!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
I have questions..... where can I get answers ????
If you have questions, you can also log onto ShortSaleSully.com or if you 'd like some independent counseling, please read the following article from the New Your Times...
SINCE foreclosures started to rise sharply in 2007, struggling borrowers have been offered a lot of help online. Some is well-meaning, but some is simply a scam in the form of expensive “debt relief” services that may be offered free elsewhere.
This month Fannie Mae, the government-sponsored entity that helps set lending standards for most mortgages, started a Web site, KnowYourOptions.com, that has elements setting it apart from most of those aiming to prevent foreclosure. Everything on the site is available in Spanish or English, for example, which helps to reach the large number of Hispanic borrowers who mortgage executives and analysts said were the targets of subprime lenders in 2005 and 2006.
In some areas of the site, a guide offers videotaped explanations of what users might accomplish in that section. For instance, in a section titled “Take Action,” the spokeswoman advises among other things that “you can’t get help until you contact your mortgage company,” while explaining how to get started.
To encourage borrowers to take that step, the site includes video testimonials from people who have experienced similar issues. A section on forbearance, for instance, features a video from an owner who qualified for such help, and one from a housing counselor about the process.
Some analysts said the new site went further than previous efforts to help those at risk of foreclosure. “Frankly, I like it,” said Brad Strothkamp, an analyst for Forrester Research. “There’s a clear need for this type of information, especially from a source that is not looking to sell a service or a product.”
In each section of the site, borrowers are offered numbers of mortgage companies and loan counselors, along with calculators to determine if they qualify for help. Borrowers can send those calculations via e-mail to themselves and others, an important feature, said Jeffery Hayward, senior vice president of the National Servicing Organization of Fannie Mae. “That way, if you call the counselor,” he said, “you can both have that information, so you can have a much more meaningful conversation.”
Not everything on the site is geared toward avoiding foreclosure. Some sections on “graceful exits,” like short sales or deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure, guide those whose financial situations are so dire that they cannot reasonably hope to stay in their homes.
Many borrowers have complained about their mortgage companies’ failure to respond to inquiries until foreclosure is the only option. Mr. Hayward said the Web site’s features could help borrowers avoid that situation.
“If you have as much information as you can get off this site,” he said, “you have more confidence to keep calling because you know what you’re talking about.”
Another new online option for borrowers is Hope LoanPort, which allows struggling owners and housing counselors to submit financial documents to mortgage companies and track the status of their efforts to avoid foreclosure.
Brad Dwin, a spokesman for Hope Now, the consortium of mortgage companies that created Hope LoanPort, said each of the nation’s major mortgage companies had agreed to join. At inception late last year, six mortgage firms and six housing counseling agencies had joined.
Now, 12 mortgage companies and 250 counseling agencies are accessible to borrowers in 48 states. Wells Fargo, the latest of the major lenders to join, is likely to start participating in next two months, Mr. Dwin said.
After Bank of America began using the system in June, Mr. Dwin said, Hope LoanPort experienced a sharp increase in borrowers being served.
Mr. Dwin said the new Fannie Mae initiative, KnowYourOptions, could speed the process of helping borrowers. “It’s all part of the larger effort to find ways to reach out to homeowners and give them more tools to get their applications submitted, without missing paperwork,” he said.
The New York Times By BOB TEDESCHI-August, 2010 A version of this article appeared in print on August 22, 2010, on page RE10 of the New York edition.
SINCE foreclosures started to rise sharply in 2007, struggling borrowers have been offered a lot of help online. Some is well-meaning, but some is simply a scam in the form of expensive “debt relief” services that may be offered free elsewhere.
This month Fannie Mae, the government-sponsored entity that helps set lending standards for most mortgages, started a Web site, KnowYourOptions.com, that has elements setting it apart from most of those aiming to prevent foreclosure. Everything on the site is available in Spanish or English, for example, which helps to reach the large number of Hispanic borrowers who mortgage executives and analysts said were the targets of subprime lenders in 2005 and 2006.
In some areas of the site, a guide offers videotaped explanations of what users might accomplish in that section. For instance, in a section titled “Take Action,” the spokeswoman advises among other things that “you can’t get help until you contact your mortgage company,” while explaining how to get started.
To encourage borrowers to take that step, the site includes video testimonials from people who have experienced similar issues. A section on forbearance, for instance, features a video from an owner who qualified for such help, and one from a housing counselor about the process.
Some analysts said the new site went further than previous efforts to help those at risk of foreclosure. “Frankly, I like it,” said Brad Strothkamp, an analyst for Forrester Research. “There’s a clear need for this type of information, especially from a source that is not looking to sell a service or a product.”
In each section of the site, borrowers are offered numbers of mortgage companies and loan counselors, along with calculators to determine if they qualify for help. Borrowers can send those calculations via e-mail to themselves and others, an important feature, said Jeffery Hayward, senior vice president of the National Servicing Organization of Fannie Mae. “That way, if you call the counselor,” he said, “you can both have that information, so you can have a much more meaningful conversation.”
Not everything on the site is geared toward avoiding foreclosure. Some sections on “graceful exits,” like short sales or deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure, guide those whose financial situations are so dire that they cannot reasonably hope to stay in their homes.
Many borrowers have complained about their mortgage companies’ failure to respond to inquiries until foreclosure is the only option. Mr. Hayward said the Web site’s features could help borrowers avoid that situation.
“If you have as much information as you can get off this site,” he said, “you have more confidence to keep calling because you know what you’re talking about.”
Another new online option for borrowers is Hope LoanPort, which allows struggling owners and housing counselors to submit financial documents to mortgage companies and track the status of their efforts to avoid foreclosure.
Brad Dwin, a spokesman for Hope Now, the consortium of mortgage companies that created Hope LoanPort, said each of the nation’s major mortgage companies had agreed to join. At inception late last year, six mortgage firms and six housing counseling agencies had joined.
Now, 12 mortgage companies and 250 counseling agencies are accessible to borrowers in 48 states. Wells Fargo, the latest of the major lenders to join, is likely to start participating in next two months, Mr. Dwin said.
After Bank of America began using the system in June, Mr. Dwin said, Hope LoanPort experienced a sharp increase in borrowers being served.
Mr. Dwin said the new Fannie Mae initiative, KnowYourOptions, could speed the process of helping borrowers. “It’s all part of the larger effort to find ways to reach out to homeowners and give them more tools to get their applications submitted, without missing paperwork,” he said.
The New York Times By BOB TEDESCHI-August, 2010 A version of this article appeared in print on August 22, 2010, on page RE10 of the New York edition.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Distress Homes Multiply on Market, but Buyers Find No Easy Sales
The following is a reproduction of an article posted today that confirms that Short Sale Lenders are doing their best to extract the highest value from the property they are being asked to forgive debt against. While there are discounts built into the price, BPO's (Broker Pricing Opinion Letters) and/or Appraisals are ordered by said Lenders to ensure this. This verification of price or 'Valuation' is done early on in the Short Sale process after a contract is received and submitted to Lender for approval of terms.....
Distress Homes Multiply on Market, but Buyers Find No Easy Sales
By David Bracken
RISMEDIA, August 20, 2010--(MCT)--When Josh and Amanda Brandt began looking for their first house this year, they wanted what every buyer wants.
"What we really wanted was a good deal," Josh Brandt said.
The first house they found was in Fuquay-Varina, N.C. It was a short-sale, meaning the owner was trying to sell it for less than the amount owed to the bank. After the Brandts submitted a low-ball offer of $120,000, the owner of the house asked them to increase their offer to $129,000.
They did. Then they kept house-hunting because their real estate agent, Millicent Williams of Century 21 Vicki Berry Realty, warned them that they needed a back-up plan in case the bank rejected their offer or simply took too long to get back to them.
Three weeks later, just as the Brandts were about to close on a brand-new house in Angier, N.C., the bank accepted their offer.
"We got pretty lucky," said Josh Brandt, 24.
Among the byproducts of the housing bust has been a dramatic rise in the number of distressed homes on the market. Many buyers assume these properties are can't-miss deals, but the reality is that purchasing a distressed property is often fraught with uncertainty and risk.
The numbers of foreclosures and short-sales have increased as the act of losing one's home has lost the stigma it once carried.
"Foreclosures are actually getting artificially inflated to a point because people are willing to walk away," said Mike Golden, broker in charge with Century 21 Vicki Berry Realty. "Especially by people who don't have any equity because they bought in and got 100 percent financing."
Buying a house out of foreclosure or in a short-sale is not for everyone. Most of the homes will require some work, but unlike with a normal sale, negotiating repairs is often not an option, said Jeanna Reeves, a Re/Max United agent in Raleigh who has offered foreclosure tours for buyers in the past.
"They are sold as is," Reeves said.
Earlier this year, Reeves took one of her clients, Meg Lavoie, to look at a townhouse in North Raleigh that Fannie Mae had foreclosed on in February.
Lavoie is hoping to buy a foreclosed property that she can turn into a rental.
The North Raleigh townhouse had ratty carpeting, and it was clear the previous owner had owned a dog. Lavoie wasn't impressed.
"I don't want a big hole that I'm throwing money in," she said. "I don't know. It just doesn't speak to me."
Lavoie is in no hurry to buy, which makes a foreclosure or a short-sale a good fit.
Any buyer putting an offer on a house being sold as a short-sale should be willing to wait at least two months without knowing whether the bank will accept the offer, said Dave Jezierski, a real estate agent with Homes in the Triangle.
Jezierski said it's crucial that the agent listing the property is familiar with short-sales and knows what he or she is doing, otherwise the process can drag out even longer.
As for the perception that a buyer will be able to get a property for a huge discount in a short sale, Jezierski said that's largely not true.
When a bank agrees to sell a house in a short sale, it usually does its own appraisal.
Jezierski said the bank isn't likely to accept an offer that is significantly below what the appraisal says the house is worth.
"Unless the house is just pretty well trashed, it's going to be within 5 percent of market value," Jezierski said.
(c) 2010, The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.).
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Distress Homes Multiply on Market, but Buyers Find No Easy Sales
By David Bracken
RISMEDIA, August 20, 2010--(MCT)--When Josh and Amanda Brandt began looking for their first house this year, they wanted what every buyer wants.
"What we really wanted was a good deal," Josh Brandt said.
The first house they found was in Fuquay-Varina, N.C. It was a short-sale, meaning the owner was trying to sell it for less than the amount owed to the bank. After the Brandts submitted a low-ball offer of $120,000, the owner of the house asked them to increase their offer to $129,000.
They did. Then they kept house-hunting because their real estate agent, Millicent Williams of Century 21 Vicki Berry Realty, warned them that they needed a back-up plan in case the bank rejected their offer or simply took too long to get back to them.
Three weeks later, just as the Brandts were about to close on a brand-new house in Angier, N.C., the bank accepted their offer.
"We got pretty lucky," said Josh Brandt, 24.
Among the byproducts of the housing bust has been a dramatic rise in the number of distressed homes on the market. Many buyers assume these properties are can't-miss deals, but the reality is that purchasing a distressed property is often fraught with uncertainty and risk.
The numbers of foreclosures and short-sales have increased as the act of losing one's home has lost the stigma it once carried.
"Foreclosures are actually getting artificially inflated to a point because people are willing to walk away," said Mike Golden, broker in charge with Century 21 Vicki Berry Realty. "Especially by people who don't have any equity because they bought in and got 100 percent financing."
Buying a house out of foreclosure or in a short-sale is not for everyone. Most of the homes will require some work, but unlike with a normal sale, negotiating repairs is often not an option, said Jeanna Reeves, a Re/Max United agent in Raleigh who has offered foreclosure tours for buyers in the past.
"They are sold as is," Reeves said.
Earlier this year, Reeves took one of her clients, Meg Lavoie, to look at a townhouse in North Raleigh that Fannie Mae had foreclosed on in February.
Lavoie is hoping to buy a foreclosed property that she can turn into a rental.
The North Raleigh townhouse had ratty carpeting, and it was clear the previous owner had owned a dog. Lavoie wasn't impressed.
"I don't want a big hole that I'm throwing money in," she said. "I don't know. It just doesn't speak to me."
Lavoie is in no hurry to buy, which makes a foreclosure or a short-sale a good fit.
Any buyer putting an offer on a house being sold as a short-sale should be willing to wait at least two months without knowing whether the bank will accept the offer, said Dave Jezierski, a real estate agent with Homes in the Triangle.
Jezierski said it's crucial that the agent listing the property is familiar with short-sales and knows what he or she is doing, otherwise the process can drag out even longer.
As for the perception that a buyer will be able to get a property for a huge discount in a short sale, Jezierski said that's largely not true.
When a bank agrees to sell a house in a short sale, it usually does its own appraisal.
Jezierski said the bank isn't likely to accept an offer that is significantly below what the appraisal says the house is worth.
"Unless the house is just pretty well trashed, it's going to be within 5 percent of market value," Jezierski said.
(c) 2010, The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.).
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Banks Keep an Eye Out for Short-Sales Fraud
Short-sale fraud totals $310 million annually and the average amount of fraud is $41,000 per transaction, according to real estate research firm CoreLogic’s 2010 short-sale research study.
"The best way to mitigate fraud risk and unnecessary loss is through a collaborative effort where lenders collectively share pre-closing and post-closing information,” says Craig Forcardi, senior research director, consumer lending at The Tower Group.
CoreLogic concluded:
The number of short sales in the market has more than tripled since 2008, with the estimated annual volume at 400,000.
Over half (55.8 percent) of all short sales occur in just four states (California, Florida, Texas, and Arizona).
Approximately 4 percent of short sales have a subsequent resale within 18 months.
Investor-driven short sales are not inherently bad. Investors provide the industry with necessary liquidity.
Short sale transactions may be deemed risky to the lender when either the second sale amount is vastly higher than the short sale amount, and/or the two sale transactions are executed within a very short window of time.
Approximately one in every 53 (1.9 percent) short-sale transactions was part of an egregious flip and therefore deemed risky.
Source: CoreLogic (08/10/10)
Keep the faith........ ShortSaleSully
"The best way to mitigate fraud risk and unnecessary loss is through a collaborative effort where lenders collectively share pre-closing and post-closing information,” says Craig Forcardi, senior research director, consumer lending at The Tower Group.
CoreLogic concluded:
The number of short sales in the market has more than tripled since 2008, with the estimated annual volume at 400,000.
Over half (55.8 percent) of all short sales occur in just four states (California, Florida, Texas, and Arizona).
Approximately 4 percent of short sales have a subsequent resale within 18 months.
Investor-driven short sales are not inherently bad. Investors provide the industry with necessary liquidity.
Short sale transactions may be deemed risky to the lender when either the second sale amount is vastly higher than the short sale amount, and/or the two sale transactions are executed within a very short window of time.
Approximately one in every 53 (1.9 percent) short-sale transactions was part of an egregious flip and therefore deemed risky.
Source: CoreLogic (08/10/10)
Keep the faith........ ShortSaleSully
Thursday, August 12, 2010
There may be hope to avoid a short sale situation .........
FHA launches refi program for underwater borrowers
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) last week provided details on its “FHA Short Refinance” program that will enable lenders to provide additional refinancing options to underwater homeowners. Beginning Sept. 7, the FHA is offering eligible underwater non-FHA borrowers the opportunity to qualify for a new FHA-insured mortgage.
Participation in FHA's refinance program is voluntary and requires the consent of all lien holders. To be eligible for a new loan, the homeowner must owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth and be current on their existing mortgage. The homeowner must qualify for the new loan under standard FHA underwriting requirements and have a credit score greater than or equal to 500. The property must be the homeowner's primary residence and the borrower's existing first lien holder must agree to write off at least 10 percent of their unpaid principal balance, bringing that borrower's combined loan-to-value ratio to no greater than 115 percent.
Additionally, 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. Interested homeowners should contact their lenders to determine if they are eligible and whether the lender agrees the write down a portion of the unpaid principal.
Read more and good luck to you... Short Sale Sully
http://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD/press/press_releases_media_advisories/2010/HUDNo.10-173
Keep the faith...
ShortSaleSully
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) last week provided details on its “FHA Short Refinance” program that will enable lenders to provide additional refinancing options to underwater homeowners. Beginning Sept. 7, the FHA is offering eligible underwater non-FHA borrowers the opportunity to qualify for a new FHA-insured mortgage.
Participation in FHA's refinance program is voluntary and requires the consent of all lien holders. To be eligible for a new loan, the homeowner must owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth and be current on their existing mortgage. The homeowner must qualify for the new loan under standard FHA underwriting requirements and have a credit score greater than or equal to 500. The property must be the homeowner's primary residence and the borrower's existing first lien holder must agree to write off at least 10 percent of their unpaid principal balance, bringing that borrower's combined loan-to-value ratio to no greater than 115 percent.
Additionally, 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. Interested homeowners should contact their lenders to determine if they are eligible and whether the lender agrees the write down a portion of the unpaid principal.
Read more and good luck to you... Short Sale Sully
http://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD/press/press_releases_media_advisories/2010/HUDNo.10-173
Keep the faith...
ShortSaleSully
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