$6,500 Tax Credit for Move-Up/Repeat Home Buyers

Cancelled

Canceling sales like there’s no tomorrow.

Going through a foreclosure? Then the headline of a canceled foreclosure sale doesn’t sound like a bad thing. Unfortunately, that’s not what we’re talking about.

Imagine this: you gave your 30-day notice to your landlord, because you just negotiated a killer deal on your dream home, a foreclosed property. You got a super deal. You’re all packed up and ready to go, it’s just 5 days away from move-in day! Then you get the word: The sale has been canceled. Enough to send cold chills up and down your spine? Absolutely! Where do you go now! You have to move out of your rental, all of your money is tied up in an escrow account for the purchase. The rental market is super tight (where do you think all the families who’ve been foreclosed need to live?). In a word, you’re fucked seriously inconvenienced.

This is not a drill. This is not a theoretical case. This is happening right now. For the most part, it’s not happening en masse here in California. But is happening in large proportions in 23 other states of the union.

What’s all the hubbub about?

Fannie Mae, the giant mortgage holding company that buys loans from commercial lenders, is pulling back sales of homes that might have been foreclosed in bad faith. But as a scandal unfolds over mortgage lenders’ shoddy preparation of foreclosure documents, the fallout is beginning to hammer the housing market, especially in states like Florida where distressed properties are abundant.

Three major mortgage lenders — Bank of America, GMAC Mortgage and JPMorgan Chase— have said they are suspending foreclosures in the 23 states where they first need a judge’s approval. The companies say they are reviewing their operations after disclosures that employees signed documents without determining the accuracy of the material, as is required by law.

Those reviews are throwing into limbo hundreds of thousands of foreclosures and pending home sales, analysts estimate, though the lenders and Fannie Mae have been mostly silent about precise numbers and other specifics.

Will this issue spread to western states like California? It seems possible and even likely, as some brokers have reported some of their foreclosed listings being pulled from the market, pending a review.

All I can say, is that these banks, especially the giants, who accepted TARP funds, really need to get their act together. They’re helping to create the largest unnatural disaster the world has ever seen. They’re making the BP oil spill look like that little oil slick I have on my driveway.

More Foreclosure Relief? Depends on what Schwarzenegger has for Breakfast.

terminator 2

Additional Anti-Deficiency Protection is Almost Here!
On Thursday, August 19, the California Senate approved SB1178. This bill extends anti-deficiency protections to homeowners who refinanced their mortgages, but didn’t take any cash out, and are now facing foreclosure.

Ok, in plain english: Most people don’t realize, that when they’ve refinanced their existing mortgage to get a lower payment, that mortgage now becomes hard money. It’s considered purchase money when a buyer takes out a loan to buy a home. Purchase money for a personal residence in California is not subject to a deficiency judgment. But the rules change when an owner refinances. Hard money loans are subject to deficiencies. This means if an owner who has refinanced does a short sale, that lender can come after the owner to collect the difference between the amount the bank received and the amount owed. In a word, that sucks.

So…If signed into law, this would be a stop to deficiencies on California home refinances, where the owner only refinanced the purchase money loan and didn’t take out cash for any other purpose (except for home improvement).

To make this the law, Governor Schwarzenegger needs to sign it into law. His office has indicated which way he’s leaning; to sign or not to sign. So, at this point, it could depend on what he has for breakfast that day ;) .

Personally, I say it’s time for the Governator to say “Hasta la vista, deficiency judgement!”

(feel free to comment with your cheesiest Schwarzenegger-movie-line-infused idioms ;)

37113 Dutra Way, Fremont, CA – REO

IMG_0018.jpg.scaled1000

REO. PRICE REDUCTION. OPENHOUSE: Sunday, September 12th, 3-4pm. Charming single story single family home in Fremont; 3 bdrm/1 bath; wall-to-wall carpeting; Updated Kitchen and Bath; Dual-Pane Windows throughout; large lot; work shed in backyard; 1 car attached garage. Inspection reports available.

Own this property for as little as: $1,906/month*

Sierra Pacific Home Loans
Sierra Pacific Home Loans

Ask me how we can negotiate closing costs credit from the seller
to greatly reduce total cash required for purchase! (510) 270-2201

*Based on purchase price of $297,500. APR 5.022% with interest rate of 4.375%,
30 Year fixed FHA Loan, Principal & Interest of $1,466/mo,
3.5% Down Payment of $10,413 and Closing Costs and Pre-Paids of $6,834.
Total cash required at closing $17,247. $1906 monthly payment includes taxes & insurance.

[Video] What is HAFA?

What In the World Is HAFA

What’s happening in the housing market? What’s being done about it? Learn about the government’s new HAFA program, providing foreclosure avoidance options including short sales and deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure. Here’s the big picture, clearly explained.

Would you like to know if you qualify for HAFA? or any other Home Retention or Foreclosure Prevention programs? Click here for more info.

Foreclosure Auction on the County Courthouse Steps

Alameda County Courthouse

Foreclosure Auction on the Courthouse Steps, Oakland, CA

We made a little field-trip to the Alameda County Courthouse in Oakland, California. Today was simply another day on the steps of the courthouse. There were about 110 properties scheduled for the sale. However, after all was said and done, I think only ONE property was actually sold to a high bidder

What happened to the other properties?? The majority were either canceled or postponed (usually due to an agreement between the borrower and lender) or due to bankruptcy. The rest, simply failed to receive a single bid, which then causes the property to become a Bank Owned property or REO.

Here’s a little video clip of the event.

Look for a follow-up post regarding this auction…and what I REALLY think about them.

No Market Untouched – High End REO Listing

No Market Untouched – High End REO Listing

3860 San Antonini Way, Pleasanton – Quick Video Walk-Through. REO. Ruby Hill near Pleasanton / Livermore California. Luxury Home. Italian villa. Impressive Grand Foyer. Sweeping Spiral Staircase. Foreclosure.

We're sorry, but we couldn't find MLS # 40455301 in our database. This property may be a new listing or possibly taken off the market. Please check back again.

January 2010 California Foreclosure Report

I couldn’t have said it better myself. In January 2010 we saw that despite apparent declines in foreclosure filings, daily foreclosure activity is up on all fronts as the foreclosure stalemate continues. Publicly reported figures are not always the ‘whole’ truth.

Sean O’Toole from ForeclosureRadar.com put’s together a great market report which reveals the other half of the truth. Check it out!

January 2010 California Foreclosure Report

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Why Strip when you can Bulldoze?

I think this guy took things WAY too far. An Ohio man bulldozed $350k home to avoid foreclosure. http://bit.ly/cUDf5M

Posted via web from SFBayRealtor (aka Michael Koenig)

So Where Are These REO Listings?

Puzzled Money

So Where Are These REO Listings?
You are ONE click away from finding some REO listings in the East Bay area. Click here to see them.

rightBuying bank owned properties
There is a lot of interest in buying bank owned properties these days. A lot of information, some good and some bad, is floating around about the subject.   Often the information offered is for sale, with the promise that you can make a lot of money with little effort once you know “the secret formula”.  The fact is that there are no secrets, and to make money does require effort.

What’s an REO?left
REO stands for “Real Estate Owned”.  These are properties that have gone through foreclosure and are now owned by the bank or mortgage company.  This is not the same as a property up for foreclosure auction.  When buying a property during a foreclosure sale, you must pay at least the loan balance plus any interest and other fees accumulated during the foreclosure process.  You must also be prepared to pay with cash in hand.  And on top of all that, you’ll receive the property 100% “as is”.  That could include existing liens and even current occupants that need to be evicted.  A REO, by contrast, is a much “cleaner” and attractive transaction.  The REO property did not find a buyer during foreclosure auction.  The bank now owns it.  The bank will see to the removal of tax liens, evict occupants if needed and generally prepare for the issuance of a title insurance policy to the buyer at closing.  Do be aware that REO’s may be exempt from normal disclosure requirements.  In California, for example, banks are exempt from giving a Transfer Disclosure Statement, a document that normally requires sellers to tell you about any defects they are aware of.

rightIs it a bargain?
It’s commonly assumed that any REO must be a bargain and an opportunity for easy money.  This simply isn’t true.  You have to be very careful about buying a REO if your intent is to make money off of it.  While it’s true that the bank is typically anxious to sell it quickly, they are also strongly motivated to get as much as they can for it.  When considering the value of a REO, you need to look closely at comparable sales in the neighborhood and be sure to take into account the time and cost of any repairs or remodeling needed to prepare the house for resale.  The bargains with money making potential exist, and many people do very well buying foreclosures.  But there are also many REO’s that are not good buys and not likely to turn a profit.

Ready to make an offer?left
Typically the REO department of a bank will use a listing agent to get their REO properties listed on the local MLS.  Before making your offer, you’ll want to contact either the listing agent and find out as much as you can about what they know about the condition of the property and what their process is for receiving offers.  Since banks almost always sell REO properties “as is”, you’ll want to be sure and include an inspection contingency in your offer that gives you time to check for hidden damage and terminate the offer if you find it.  As with making any offer on real estate, you’ll make your offer more attractive if you can include documentation of your ability to pay, such as a pre-approval letter from a lender.  After you’ve made your offer, you can expect the bank to make a counter offer.  Then it will be up to you to decide whether to accept their counter, or offer a counter to the counter offer.  Realize, you’ll be dealing with a process that probably involves multiple people at the bank, and they don’t work evenings or weekends.  It’s not unusual for the process of offers and counter offers to take days or even weeks.

So Where Are These REO Listings?
You are ONE click away from finding some REO listings in the East Bay area. Click here to see them.

CONSUMER ALERT!! – FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCAMS

If someone who is not your mortgage lender promises to save your home and asks for you to pay money up front, WATCH OUT. Fraudulent foreclosure consultants target homeowners who are behind on their mortgage payments.  Here’s what you can do to avoid becoming a victim:

  1. DON’T transfer title or sell your house to the foreclosure rescuer. Fraudulent foreclosure consultants often promise that if the homeowners transfer title, they may stay in the home as renters and buy it back later.  The foreclosure consultants claim that transfer is necessary so that someone with a better credit rating can obtain a new loan to preventforeclosure. BEWARE! This is a common scheme “rescuers” use to evict homeowners and steal all or most of their home’s equity.
  2. DON’T pay money to people who promise to work with your lender to modify your loan. It is unlawful for foreclosure consultants to collect money before (1) they give you a written contract describing the services they promise to provide and (2) they actually perform all the services described in the contract, such as negotiating new monthly payments or a new mortgage loan.
  3. DON’T pay your mortgage payments to someone other than your lender, even if he/she promises to pass the payment on to the lender. Fraudulent foreclosure consultants often keep the money for themselves.
  4. DON’T sign any documents without reading them first.  Many homeowners think that they are signing documents for a new loan to pay off the mortgage they are behind on. Later, they discover that they actually transferred ownership to the “rescuer.”
  5. DON’T ignore letters from your lender. Consider contacting your lender yourself, as many lenders are willing to work with homeowners who are behind on their payments.
  6. DO contact a housing counselor approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), who may be able to help you for free.  For a referral to a housing counselor near you, contact HUD at 1-800-569-4287 (TTY: 1-800¬877-8339) or www.hud.gov.
  7. DO consider contacting the Homeownership Preservation Foundation(HOPE), which assists consumers facing foreclosure, at 1-800-995-HOPE or www.995hope.org. HOPE is a non-profit organization that partners with community-basedorganizations, mortgage companies, and government agencies and is part of the HOPE NOW Alliance supported by the U.S. Department of Treasury and HUD.

IF YOU TRANSFERRED YOUR PROPERTY OR PAID SOMEONE TO “RESCUE” YOU FROM FORECLOSURE, YOU MAY BE A VICTIM OF A CRIME. Please file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office at the following address:  Office of the Attorney General – Public Inquiry Unit, P.O. Box 944255, Sacramento, CA 94244, or online at www.ag.ca.gov/consumers

The data relating to real estate for sale on this website comes in part from the Internet Data Exchange program of the MLSListings™ MLS system and the Bay East Association of Realtors. All real estate listings in the MLSListings MLS system are marked with the MLSListings Internet Data Exchange icon (a stylized house inside a circle), and detailed information about them includes the names of the listing brokers and listing agents.

Listing information is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.

Copyright 2012 MLSListings Inc. Copyright 2012 Bay East Association of Realtors. All rights reserved.

This IDX solution is (c) Diverse Solutions 2012.