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Choosing a Short Sale
 Some of us have never known a time when getting a loan involved going into a bank and sitting down with them in order to get a mortgage. There was a time where you had to have a substantial deposit and then had to prove your income. Even after that, you rarely got a decision the same day. This was not so long ago.
Through a range of measures designed to stimulate the property market in the late 70’s followed by a considerable degree of de-regulation of the banks since the 80’s. There was then the government mandated loans, at one point more than 84% of sub-prime mortgages had been taken out under FHA rules, the property market boomed.
Suddenly we could all become property entrepreneurs and instead of buying a home to live in, we were investing in a property in order to make money. It appeared that property was the ultimate investment, it would always make money.
However, between 2004 and 2006, the Federal Bank raised the interest rate seventeen times. The rates went from 1% to 5.25%. It can be no surprise that the housing bubble burst. It was inevitable that in this market, there would be casualties. Whether the depth of the recession or the difficulty trying to get out of it was foreseen we will probably find out in years to come. For now, if you have become one of the casualties, you need a solution now from one of the options available to you.
As you can see just about anywhere you look, there are hundreds if not thousands of properties going under sale as a foreclosure. This is rarely the option of choice. It has serious consequences that may come back to haunt you long after your sale has come and gone. For one thing, it will stay on your financial records for ten years. That means it will count against you every time you want to take a new loan out.
Almost every state has what is called a period of redemption, which is a period of time which enables you to clear up any defaulted payments on your mortgage and regain control of your finances. If your situation is only temporary, this could very well be the option for you.
If not, then think long and hard before you enter into a foreclosure agreement. This is where the lender takes over ownership of the property. They then sell the property and take all the monies in lieu of any debt you owe the lender. It is a serious step and will hold you back in the future so do look around before you decide on such a serious course of action.
If you have gotten to this stage, you really would be advised to get some expert advice. The laws do differ from state to state and also depend on the lender you have. The rules will be different if you have a FHA loan or not. There is also an option called a short sale, this may be a better solution than foreclosure and is becoming more increasingly used as it does not have as many future consequences as either foreclosure or bankruptcy.
When it comes to short sale vs foreclosure you must first know what a short sale is and how to do one. One of the biggest problems that is faced is, property that is being sold now is usually worth less than the amount borrowed in order to buy it. This is called negative equity and because of the collapse of the property market is all too common nowadays.
The key to getting through a difficult time like this is to take charge of the situation. Contact your lender and bring them up to date with the situation. Ask them if they have a department for this sort of thing. Then ask them to send you all the relevant paperwork they have for this problem and any list showing you all the documentation they would need in order to obtain a short sale agreement from them. This is not the time to get angry with the lender. You need their agreement to get a short sale through so it is better to keep them on side and not antagonize them.
You will have to construct a hardship letter. This is basically an explanation of why you can no longer afford to make repayments to the lender. It also explains why your situation is unlikely to change in the near future. One problem is that “hardship” is not defined in law. It is likely that different lenders criteria may have slight variances; the main parts will be the same.
This is where an expert can help; they deal with this sort of problem frequently and also talk to the major lenders all the time. You will find that there are companies and agents that specialize in short sales. They will know the laws of your state (which are different from state to state) and the rules which the lenders usually look for. Hardship itself is usually one of these. You have lost your job and are not likely to be employed in the near future. There is an impending divorce or separation. The mortgagor has a debilitating illness has large medical bills, there is a business failure, and there is excessive debt.
An expert can also advise you of the tax situation, just because you have found a way of discharging the debt, this does not necessarily means you have no tax liability. Once you have put together all the documents and information that the bank has asked for, the next thing to do is find a buyer for the property. A short sale does involve quite a lot of work for the person taking it on but it does have a lot less serious consequences than foreclosure or even bankruptcy. This way, your buyer will also have their credit scores or reports taken to ensure that they can afford the property and that they are serious buyers.
You then put all this information forward to the bank for their agreement. This is called a short sale package. Remember they can still go ahead with a foreclosure agreement if they think it is better for them in the long run, so make sure you keep them informed at all times.
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Are you looking for a Providence RI short sale Specialists? Our Rhode Island stop foreclosure specialists provide FREE short sale expert services to homeowners. Call today to see if you qualify for a Providence short sale! Need a Distressed Property Expert in short sales to offer free short sale services? Our Distressed Property Expert real estate agents are here to help, and are Certified in the Rhode Island Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives, or HAFA Government short sale program.
Our organization does not directly offer short sale or foreclosure rescue services in the state of Rhode Island.
Copyright First Coast Realty Associates 2011
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