Commercial University

Your #1 Media Resource for Commercial Real Estate

Archive for the ‘Foreclosure’ Category

Buying At a Foreclosure Auction

Thursday, September 11th, 2008

Everyone wants to have a house of his own. Hence, there are a number of people wanting to invest in real estate. But, buying real estate requires a lot of money and most people do not have that kind of money.

In case of insufficient funds for the purpose, the buyer opts for a financial mortgage on the property. But, instead of entering into a binding contract and paying interest for the purchase of a brand new property, it would be advisable to go in for outright purchase of a property that has been foreclosed by a bank, lending company or government. A foreclosure is result of an owner defaulting on the repayment and being unable to pay the loan or mortgage taken on the house. This is a situation faced by many households that are unable to properly manage finances in difficult situations.

The legal process of the foreclosure is long and complicated. Once this is over, the lending agency or bank does not want to delay the recovery of the mortgage or loan proceeds and therefore they go in for an immediate auction to secure the amount due, as per the contract.

If you want to buy a foreclosed house, you must first identify one that is suitable to your budget as well. You need to utilize all the resources that are available, to reach the ideal find. The Internet is the perfect source that can provide you with the relevant information. On the websites of different banks you would find listings of properties that are put up for auction on account of foreclosure. Announcements by the Government about public auctions are also listed. Apart from these websites, there are a number of real estate agents and brokers who can be of great help in locating such properties. You can get detailed particulars about the foreclosed property and the date and venue of the auction from these sources. This could lead you to your dream property.

Many people prefer to look for pre-foreclosed properties that they can buy directly from the owner, without going through the process of an auction. Although it may appear to be an attractive option, one must proceed with caution, since there may legal complications later on. So the safe and sure method would be to opt for properties that have already been foreclosed and duly put up for auction.

It is tempting and profitable to buy foreclosed properties because they can generally be acquired at very low prices. The reason for the low price is that lenders can rarely afford to extend the time for the recovery of the due amount and want the property to be disposed off easily, within the shortest possible time span. On an average, foreclosed houses are sold at prices anywhere between five to fifty percent of their fair market price. Lenders like banks and financial institutions are guided by prevailing norms of the financial markets, which dictate that the money should be put back into circulation without delay.

You can always avail of a good deal in real estate, by purchasing bank foreclosure property. It is a promising venture that is sure to earn you handsome rewards, if you proceed cautiously.

Foreclosure Rescue Services: Good Or Bad?

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008

You may get a solicitation for foreclosure rescue services in the mail. Many individuals who are behind in their loan payments on their home see this as an opportunity to get things back on track. The problem is, though, that it is a dangerous situation to put yourself in. Many people need options when it comes to getting caught up. Once you get one month or more behind on your mortgage payments, you are in serious trouble with getting caught up as well as getting out of foreclosure. So, what can a person in your situation do?

How Do They Work?

Many individuals do consider these foreclosure rescue services as an option. But, you’ll need to insure that you know just what they will do to you. The service works like this.

· In many areas, the companies will find your name listed on public record information and will then contact you, so you usually won’t have to bother with trying to find them.

· Then, they will offer help. You give them ownership of your home and they will get your mortgage payments current.

· They will then pay off the mortgage all together.

· They may provide you with some small amount of money, say $500 or so.

· They may provide you with several months free rent. It is rent because they now own your home. After a time period, usually 18 months, you will have had to find new financing for the home or you will likely need to move out.

· If you do not find the financing, the company is likely to sell the home or to rent it to someone else.

This alternative lending to stop foreclosure is essential to helping many individuals stop themselves from losing their home. But, if you do take this road, you’ll need to realize that you are actually giving up your home to them and you will possibly lose it if you can not secure credit to get a new loan in place in the given time period. Although, they will help you to deal with the late payments on your mortgage and keep the home from entering foreclosure. If the home does enter it, you will lose the home unless you find another way to pay it off. What’s worse in that situation is that you may actually find yourself without a home and with horrible credit anyway. So, in either case, you’ll need to take risks.

There are assistance loans out there that you may be able to tap into as well. For many who have decent credit, there may be a way to refinance the mortgage to lower the monthly payment or else try to get the loan caught up. If you haven’t talked to your mortgage lender about options that they may be able to provide you with, do so as your first step. Then, use the web to find alternative types of lending opportunities for you. While foreclosure rescue services are one way to get through this difficult time, weigh your decision to do so wisely.

Foreclosure - Can Foreclosures Be Stopped

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008

It is everyone’s dream to own a home or built a house for his or herself. There are a few who are fortunate enough to secure one paid in full while many others try to buy one through financing or securing loans.

However, even you are religiously saving for the so-called rainy days and even if you have sufficient finances, there would come a time that you would find it difficult to face up to your obligations. Sicknesses in the family, a possible retrenchment at work or emergency purchases are unexpected instances where you could find yourself in arrears with your payment and then suddenly you are now facing foreclosures.

When legalities come into play in your financial situations or mortgages, it means that your predicament is deep serious. Foreclosures are one of those legal terms that everyone detests, especially the homeowners and the financers or banks themselves.

In exchange for lending the money, the lender would hold a lien against the property, If the borrower does not make the required payments, then the loan goes into default and the lender could exercise the lien against the property, in order to take legal possession of the property for the purpose of selling the property to pay off the borrower’s loan. This process is called foreclosure.

CAN FORECLOSURES BE STOPPED

HOW TO STOP FORECLOSURES

Aside from the obvious reason of not paying their loans on time, homeowners get into foreclosures, even if they have avenues to explore, simply by ignoring calls or letters from their banks and lenders or just simply giving up on his/her property in the hope that the tide of things would turn favorable on them.

Although foreclosures are eventualities in securing homes through financing, it does not mean that this could not be stopped or remedied. The matter hinges on the homeowners themselves if they want to keep the property for sentimental reasons or just simply foreclose it and just face the consequences of their action, notably severe damage to one’s credit rating.

If you are delayed in payments to your mortgages and there is no relief in sight, in the immediate or near future, then you have to put the problem in perspective and make a contingency plan or efforts.

The standard measure of keeping or selling the property is that if your monthly house payment (including property taxes and insurance) does not exceed 40% of your gross monthly income, it should be possible for you to keep the property. If the payment is greater than 40% of your gross monthly income, consider selling or transferring the property to avoid negative impacts on your credit. This option would more likely be the path to be taken by borrowers who have equity in the property. By selling the property, the borrower could then pay off the mortgage, and pocket the difference if there is equity remaining.

If the financial setback is temporary and you need immediate money to make your loan current so that you could continue paying your debts, it is best to approach family and friends instead of hard money loans since they would lend money based on equity in the property. Just make sure to pay off your loans to your relatives or close friends for it is much difficult to have them foreclose on you to get their money back.

The best and simple solution to foreclosure proceedings is to deal directly with the situation. Be brave enough to talk with your banks or lenders and explain your situation. Remember, they do not want to foreclose on you they just simply want their money back plus interest. By exploring this angle, the lender and the borrower may arrive at a common ground to work on and resolve the situation in a way that is agreeable to both parties. The Loss Mitigation Department would deal on cases like this.

Basic lending guidelines would require all home loans would total up to less than 70% of the current market value of the property. If you have more equity than that, you should have no difficulty in obtaining a new refinancing deals or second trust deed to bring your loan current. Expect higher interest rates and loan fees.

There are several other alternatives available to you depending on the situations of the borrower, laws of the state and policies of the lender. You may consider forbearance, refinancing, modification, deferral of principal, a temporary indulgence and a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy.

In applying forbearance, your lender may be able to arrange a repayment plan based on your financial situation and may even provide for a temporary reduction or suspension of your payments. You may qualify for this if you have recently experienced a reduction in income or an increase in living expenses. You must furnish information to your lender that there is a temporary problem and it would be resolved in the near future and show that you would be able to meet the requirements of the new payment plan.

A similar portion is deferral of principal in which the borrower agrees to pay the interest only for a certain period of time and then making the usual monthly payments. But just like in forbearance, this is very difficult to obtain unless the bank is familiar with the borrower or the borrower has an excellent credit stature in the bank.

If you have recovered from a financial problem you may able to apply for a mortgage modification. This process involves renegotiating the terms of debt and/or extends the term of your mortgage loans, changing the interest rates or additional surcharges to the principal with the current lender. This may help you catch up by reducing the monthly payments to a more affordable level. Refinancing, on the other hand, means that the borrower obtains a new mortgage with a different lender; the operative word here is different. As much as possible this alternative should be avoided since it would make your problems worse for borrowers in distress would tend to agree to onerous terms just to get a lease on their loans.

A chapter 13 Bankruptcy could be another option for it gives the borrower the time to “re-organize” his finances and work out a payment plan prior to resumption of payment. This would help keep the property and not blemish your credit rating compared to a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, which completely discharges any debt the borrower had accumulated under the mortgage.

As a last resort, you may able to voluntarily “give back” your property to the lender or a “deed in lieu of foreclosure.” This would not save your house, but it is not as damaging to your credit rating as a foreclosure. This may be availed of if the borrower is in default and do not qualify for any other options and your attempts at selling the house before foreclosures were unsuccessful.

In some other states, there are laws and other options that are available to borrowers with mortgage problems. There is the option of reinstatement which means that the borrower brings the foreclosed mortgage current, including all overdue amounts, as well as fees and costs. Likewise, there is the co-called redemption, however it is usually limited in how often he or she could take advantage of this option and this is limited to some states.

A foreclosure procedure takes a long time to materialize and homeowners are given the chance to bail themselves out of their predicament. Sometimes the best defense against foreclosure is just to make a response on their inquiries or demand letters. Ultimately, the only thing that would stop foreclosure proceedings is repayment of the debt, for every option mentioned here is just a delay in the proceedings.

Tips to Prevent Foreclosure

Tuesday, September 9th, 2008

As a rule, if your mortgage payment is at least two months late, your bank is probably already contemplating foreclosure. This is the only legal means that your lender has to be able to repossess your home, making you move out and usually selling it to regenerate the money. A foreclosure is usually considered a drastic step, but sometimes becomes unavoidable, unless you are able to take immediate action. A foreclosure in your history or a deficiency judgment will end up seriously affecting your credit rating.

If you are lagging behind on your payments or if you are already in foreclosure, you need to know about the rights and the options that are available to you. First of all, be absolutely sure to respond to the letters. If you cannot make the payments, contact the lender and speak to a representative. Try to explain your situation. Provide financial information such as your monthly income. You may qualify for some kind of assistance or there may even be another loan that is better suited. Be sure to stay in the premises in the meantime, as you may not qualify for any assistance if you seem to abandon the property. You can even delay foreclosure, if you are already in the process of filing for bankruptcy or are actually actively seeking to sell.

Also, if you by any chance, have the ability to pay more than your original mortgage amount obligation, it may be possible to negotiate a plan with your lender. This would keep you in your home and even get you back on track. This may happen if the financial setback that caused the default was temporary.

Your Options:

Special forbearance: Your lender may be able to arrange a different repayment plan, based on your financial situation and temporarily reduce or even suspend payments. You must, of course, be able to provide information to show that you will be able to deal with the new payment plan.

Mortgage modification: The lender can refinance the debt or even extend the term of the loan. This would make the payments affordable. The lender might even agree to refinance. Rather than incurring the expenses of foreclosure, the bank may be willing to work out a payment plan.

Partial claim: The lender may be able to help you get an interest-free loan from HUD, to cover the amount owed. HUD would pay the amount directly to the lender and you are required to sign a promissory note. A lien would then be placed on the property until paid in full. This loan will only fall due, if you sell your property or at the time of maturity of your mortgage.

Pre-foreclosure sale: This allows you to sell the property and pay the bank, avoiding foreclosure and credit rating damage.

Deed-in-lieu of foreclosure: As a last resort, you can voluntarily return the property to the lender. This betters your chances of getting another loan, although you lose your house.

And finally, the most important thing to do is to contact an HUD-approved housing counseling agency. They will provide free information about the services and programs available to help you. They also offer credit counseling and can help you to decide which of the options suits you best.

Stopping Foreclosure Takes Commitment? And Fast Thinking

Tuesday, September 9th, 2008

There are currently thousands of homeowners across the country worried about stopping foreclosure on their properties. Foreclosure is simply a legal process through which lenders can repossess a real estate property on which the home loan has not been paid. After three months of non-payment by the homeowner, lenders can usually start proceedings to repossess the property and resell it. Losing a home through foreclosure causes immense stress, can ruin a credit rating, and, of course, leaves a homeowner without a place to stay.

Anyone who is facing the possibility of losing their home needs to take steps for stopping foreclosure immediately. In this process, time is of the essence and homeowners should be quick to seek help as soon as they realize that they are going to have financial problems that may make it hard for them to meet their mortgage responsibilities.

If you’re a homeowner who realizes that mortgage bills may have to go unpaid, you should contact your lender immediately. Even before you miss that first payment, call your lender and explain the situation. Most lenders, contrary to popular belief, do not want the foreclosure process to take place. Lenders are in the mortgage business, and do not really want to own real estate. Plus, many lenders face pressure from shareholders and bosses when a loan they have approved his defaulted on. It simply makes the lenders look as though they have poor decision-making capabilities when it comes to granting mortgages. For all these reasons, lenders are often willing to work out an alternate payment schedule or are willing to work out some other option with a homeowner who is genuinely in trouble.

The worst thing that homeowners can do is to ignore the problem. Stopping foreclosure depends on fast action, not on ignoring the problem. Financial problems rarely go away instantly, and homeowners need to be proactive when looking for foreclosure solutions. In many cases, when homeowners are in serious financial trouble, they can use the money they have already put into their home in order to get out of financial jeopardy. Homeowners who own their home free and clear can sell their home for cash. This instantly reduces the amount of money they have to pay for maintaining the property, and also gives them the money they need up front to start over financially and get back on track. Unfortunately, selling a home can take months through a real estate agent. In cases where a homeowner is facing foreclosure, there may simply not be that much time before legal action is taken. For this reason, many smart homeowners turn to www.WeBuyHousesForCash.com for help selling their home in just a few days for quick cash.

How to Find Foreclosure Homes

Monday, September 8th, 2008

A foreclosure is the result of a homeowners default on mortgage. Most of the time, the homeowners are unable to maintain the premises and take on repairs. Hence, a person planning to buy a foreclosure home should be prepared to spend some money in repairing.

Unfortunately for a homebuyer, once the lender forecloses his residence, the lenders price is often slashed below the market value and the buyer cannot bargain the house price. The best deal is to buy at the right time and that is possible during a foreclosure.

Bank foreclosure homes are usually considered the most sought after investments. Banks are the most convenient and trusted services to turn to for information on foreclosure homes or distress home sales. The truth is that foreclosed homes can be excellent investments only if you approach the situation carefully and wisely.

The number of foreclosure homes available is increasing all over the United States. Foreclosed properties can be cheaper by 20-50%, as compared to similar houses and this gives you an opportunity to invest in a larger property than you might actually be able to afford.

If you want to buy a home at a wholesale price, it will involve some serious work. These bargains are available in different price ranges and from the very best to the worst neighborhoods. There is a definite procedure involved in finding a foreclosure bargain. You should start by identifying the information source, such as a legal firm, newspapers or weekly newsletters. The county recorder of deeds is also a very good source. Many large cities have one or more publications meant only for foreclosure and distress property notices. The best and safest way to find foreclosure homes would be to find a reputable listing service first.

Listing services are mostly companies that have large databases, with a whole list of foreclosures. Some are nationwide listings and some are area or type specific. These listings help in finding foreclosure homes quickly, since many of these listing companies have a library of information on foreclosure homes and also lots of information relating to the procedure. The accuracy and promptness of the listing service really helps in getting a good deal.

There are a number of ways to verify the information provided by the listing services. For example, you could request for a sample price list and then compare the prices and quality of information provided. You could also subscribe to a listing service that offers information on foreclosure homes that are similar to ones you are looking for. One of the best sources to gather information on foreclosure homes is the Foreclosure Databank website. It provides you with the latest information and the staff comprises of highly qualified real estate professionals. They have the best access to foreclosed properties on the Internet and they keep updating their listings. This enables them to provide better services to their customers. A foreclosure house presents a very good opportunity to first time buyers.

Before you enter into any negotiations with regards to a foreclosure home, you must access a pre-qualified loan. Guaranteed financing is a very attractive deal to the sellers and hence they are more likely to offer you convenient terms and conditions, rather than deal with people who will not be able to come up with the required finance.

4 Steps To Real Estate Investing Success!

Saturday, September 6th, 2008

Real estate investing is always good and sometimes it’s red hot. When it’s hot dozens of real estate seminars begin rolling across the country and thousands of people spend thousands of dollars for investing education.

It’s startling to learn that of all those thousands of eager folks who attend these seminars only about 5% buy even one investment house. Why? The real estate gurus sell the “sizzle” and make profiting from real estate sound easy. The truth is that it’s simple, but not easy.

Here’s a quick plan that will enable anyone to begin building financial independence.

There are basically four steps to investing in single family homes:

1. Buy homes below full market value. Yes, people really do sell homes for less than the home’s full value. The key is to understand that most home owners will only consider a purchase offer that is all cash and within 5% to 10% of their asking price.

The successful investor learns to find financially distressed home owners who have no choice but to sell for less than market value. They have lost their job or been suddenly transferred; they are divorcing; they been living beyond their income; the family has been overwhelmed with medical bills and, not uncommonly these days, their money has gone to support a drug habit.

Those are examples of motivated sellers. They have to sell and they will accept something other than a conventional, all cash offer.

2. How do you find motivated sellers? You work at it! Like any business it is important to develop a little marketing plan. One that is simple, yet very effective, is the one that was proven 75 years ago by the Fuller Brush company; door to door sales.

You are selling your skill as a home buyer to people who must sell. Your are there when they need you and you have the skill to help them solve at least part of their problem. With door to door prospecting you will learn more and buy more homes quicker than any other method. However, most people just won’t walk door to door for three or four hours per week. OK, there are other ways.

You can watch public notices for the announcement of foreclosure sales. Meeting with a home owner right after they’ve received a notice that they are about to lose their home allows you to deal with a very motivated seller. Other public notices that provide buying opportunities include probate, divorce and bankruptcy. You can follow the Homes For Sale listings in your local newspaper or Internet site.

You can telephone the names found in these notices or, and this is the least time consuming, send a postcard expressing your interest in buying their property. It will produce buying opportunities, just not as many as personal contact.

3. After you’ve found a motivated seller you must understand how to frame offers that provide benefits for both you and for the home owner. A good real estate investor quickly learns that this is not a business of stealing property, but of solving problems in a way that benefits the seller.

The home owner is in a tight spot of some kind and you can save them from public embarrassment and, in most cases, give them at least a little cash to get a new start.

No investor can afford to leave cash in every deal. No one but Bill Gates has that much available money. You must use creative techniques like, leases, option and taking over mortgage payments. Little or no cash is needed for those deals. You can find plenty of reasonable priced educational material on those subjects in book stores or on EBay. The same education that seminars sell for thousands of dollars.

4. You make your profit when you buy! Never make a purchase until you’ve carefully determined exactly how you will get to your profit. If you hold it as a long term investment will the monthly rental income more than cover the monthly mortgage payment? Will you sell the deal to another investor for fast cash? Will you do some fix-up and sell the property for full value? Will you quickly trade it for a more desirable property? Have a plan before you buy.

There you have four steps that even a part-time investor can execute in three to four hours per week. What’s the missing ingredient? Your determination and perseverance. If you will unfailingly follow the plan for a few months you will be well on your way to financial independence.

Caught in a Riptide of Mortgage Debt With Rising Monthly Payments

Friday, September 5th, 2008

When the nightly main stream television news leads with stories regarding mortgage foreclosures and down turning markets a viewer knows a trend has arrived. This is all backed up with data indicating the surge of properties for sale on the market with mortgage foreclosures trending up as well. Various areas are experiencing more downside moves than others. However, the overall housing trend is down at the current moment. Two years ago, if a buyer or seller breached the subject of a Short Sale, where the lender settles less than what is owed, the response would have been â??What are you nuts?â? â??Weâ??ll just put it on the market and it will be gone in two weeks.â? Moving forward, if a seller is setting on a mountain of debt and just happened to have an ARM mortgage with negative amortization building up to 115% of the original mortgage this could be a bad thing. Then simultaneously the property values have dipped then the owners may find themselves upside down in the property where the mortgage is larger than the value. Some areas have had employment downturns as well to further complicate the affected familyâ??s financial stability. This is all with a backdrop of a rising economy that gives hope in the long-term scope of things. Historically, real estate, much like other investments rolls out in cycles. Right now, there is some question whether the bottom is in sight. Lower priced properties will spur some activity along with seller concessions. Buyers are now enjoying the comfortable shoes and benefits of sellerâ??s past. Interest rates are still at a reasonable level compared with say 20 to 30 years ago. Thus a good price with terms and concessions will garner interest from buyers. Enter the lender-stage right.

The phone was ringing night and day with bill collectors. The power had been shut off recently, now back on. The latest notice of payment increase from the lender had been received and the payments were going to go up $300/month on their Adjustable Rate Mortgage (that has a negative amortization feature) starting in two weeks. Terry and Lynne were up against it. With three children the family budget was in the process of blowing up. Three years ago, while competing against five other buyers, Terry and Lynne bid $15,000.00 above the list price to get an accepted offer. Now the prices in the neighborhood have fallen back. If they were to sell using a Realtor plus other costs there would not be enough to cover the mortgage, they would have to bring money to the closing table in order to close the deal. This was not a good prospect. With savings tapped out there just wasnâ??t any cash available. Terry and Lynne quickly recognized that they had to do something immediately or their home would be falling into foreclosure. In the short term, they got rid of their cars along with the big payments and bought some high mile but reliable automobiles for transportation. That was still not enough. To keep things going, all the credit cards had been maxed out and there just wasnâ??t one extra dollar to pay the minimum payments. Macaroni and cheese was getting pretty old.

Terry and Lynne decided to sell the house and move into something smaller and less expensive. Recently the taxes and insurance had gone up as well on the property. Hits were coming from all sides. Terry and Lynne contacted the Realtor who had sold them the house. They had been getting her monthly newsletters since they had bought the home. In a recent newsletter, there was an article regarding a Short Sale. Terry called Nancy, the Realtor, to find out if that might work for them. Nancy explained with a bona fide contract on the table and a financing approval letter for the buyer, the lender MIGHT consider a Short Sale. Comparables were pulled at it looked like the value was about $30,000 less than what was owed. Terry and Lynne gave Nancy a Signed Authorization to discuss the mortgage status and the possibility of lender assistance. Nancy made the contact to the lender and discussed the fact that Terry and Lynne had to move as they were out of cash. It turns out that even at the lower payment before adjustment, Terry and Lynne had been 30 days or more late every month called in the mortgage trade a rolling thirty. The lender was aware of their struggles at least as far as their mortgage pay history was concerned. This was one of the top lenders of the country and this was not unusual with their current portfolio to hear the same recurring story. Times were tough. If a foreclosure was to take place over a six-month period, the losses could be in the $50,000 to $60,000 range or more per trade numbers. Nancy explained that the lender had the right to go after a Deficiency Judgement against Terry and Lynne for any monies not satisfied at closing and that they should consult an attorney for legal advice. There likewise could be taxable income to Terry and Lynne for the shortfall amount. An accountant needed to be consulted. The attorney shared that they could do a Deed In Lieu Of Foreclosure, but it would be on their credit. The Short Sale may save the lender some money over going to a full foreclosure. Terry and Lynne decided to give the sale aspect a shot. At the same time, the attorney explained the benefits of seeking some protection through a Chapter 13 Wage Earner Bankruptcy Plan. A plan would be submitted to the Bankruptcy court and if the creditors agreed their overall payments could be reduced by at least a $1,000/month. This was the kind of relief Terry and Lynne were looking for.

It took three months to get an offer where the seller was being asked to pay $9,000.00 of the closing costs and prepaids. The offer was subject to lender approval on the Short Sale. The offer, pre-approval letter on the buyer together with the seller concessions and all addendum together with the facts that Terry and Lynne had filed a Chapter 13 and had excluded and exempted the mortgage from the petition was all shared with the mortgage holder. It was unclear whether the Bankruptcy Trustee was required to approve the sale. Their attorney was to follow up. Bottom line, the lender was being asked to take a $43,000.00 hit at closing. The lender took a week to answer. The contract was structured to allow for time on a lender answer. The phone rang and Terry picked up the phone. It was Nancy, the lender had accepted the terms on the condition that they received zero money at closing. They would take their furniture and turn over the keys and that was it.

Terry and Lynne felt like a boxcar had been lifted off their shoulders. After closing, they vowed to did out of this hole and take some family budget course and set on a strong savings regimen. With the monthly housing savings, Terry and Lynne were able to put a first and last months rent down on a large three-bedroom townhouse rental in the kids same school district and were now considerably below their former housing payment by $900/month. With the savings from the Chapter 13 Wage Earner Repayment Plan Terry and Lynne were now able to breathe and maintain a family budget with savings. With on time payments of the Chapter 13 Repayment Plan, over time, their credit should improve. The once per year free credit reports from the three bureaus will help track their progress. They planned now to accelerate the payback plan by $400/month and reduce the pay out term to 36 months. Terry and Lynne could see the light at the end of the tunnel and it was not an oncoming train.

In this case, the Short Sale was the answer for this couple. Itâ??s not for everyone. Some lenders will not even consider it. It is a tool that can be used to solve an otherwise impossible situation.

Many lenders do not pursue the Deficiency Judgement, some do. It would be prudent to determine the lenderâ??s intentions. An attorney at the ready is a good idea to work out a plan.

Dale Rogers

www.BrokenCredit.com

www.sellerhelpsbuyer.com

All rights reserved. Article may be reprinted as long as the content remains intact, unchanged, and all links remain active.

Bad Credit Debt Consolidation – Get Professional Help Managing your Debts

Friday, September 5th, 2008

A bad credit debt consolidation company can get you out of a cycle of debt. Whether you have incurred debts on education, or through excessive use of your credit card, it is a good idea to ask for professional help in managing your debts. Taking the help of a debt consolidation company can help you avoid bankruptcy and foreclosure of property.

Bad credit debt consolidation helps you put all your debts into a single debt, making it easier for you to manage it. A credit debt company helps you make the best of your debt situation, and negotiates with debtors on your behalf.

Credit Card Debt Consolidation Program â?? Make Your Debts Manageable

Bad credit debt consolidation helps you repay your debts instead of filing for bankruptcy or getting your assets seized. Most debt consolidation companies help debtors by consolidating all debts into a single debt, then negotiating with creditors for easier payment options. This can be in the form of longer loan term or lowered interest. All you need to do is pay a fixed amount every month to the debt consolidation company along with low interest. The firm will also counsel you on how to save for repaying the debt.

Do You Need Bad Credit Debt Consolidation Loan ?

Sometimes, despite all your efforts, it may not be easy to save enough to pay your consolidate debt. In that case, your company will offer a bad credit debt consolidation loan to you to help you tackle your debt burden. You need to take another loan after bad credit debt consolidation to pay the amount owed. You can opt for the low interest secured consolidation loan, or go for high interest unsecured consolidation loans where you need not offer collateral.

Debt Consolidation For Free

If your situation is so bad that you cannot even afford to hire a debt consolidation company, you need not despair. You can find many organizations offering non-profit debt consolidation help. In addition, you need not go too far to look for free debt consolidation; simply go online and search from many non profit services available.

Financial Counseling

Once your bad credit debt consolidation program has succeeded in paying off your debt, you will be counseled by the company on ways to manage your finances. Credit card debts are a major liability, so you will be taught ways to avoid such falling into such debts. If you are stuck with spiraling debts and accumulating interest, then you should not wait any more before going for bad credit debt consolidation.

Buying At a Foreclosure Auction

Thursday, September 4th, 2008

Everyone wants to have a house of his own. Hence, there are a number of people wanting to invest in real estate. But, buying real estate requires a lot of money and most people do not have that kind of money.

In case of insufficient funds for the purpose, the buyer opts for a financial mortgage on the property. But, instead of entering into a binding contract and paying interest for the purchase of a brand new property, it would be advisable to go in for outright purchase of a property that has been foreclosed by a bank, lending company or government. A foreclosure is result of an owner defaulting on the repayment and being unable to pay the loan or mortgage taken on the house. This is a situation faced by many households that are unable to properly manage finances in difficult situations.

The legal process of the foreclosure is long and complicated. Once this is over, the lending agency or bank does not want to delay the recovery of the mortgage or loan proceeds and therefore they go in for an immediate auction to secure the amount due, as per the contract.

If you want to buy a foreclosed house, you must first identify one that is suitable to your budget as well. You need to utilize all the resources that are available, to reach the ideal find. The Internet is the perfect source that can provide you with the relevant information. On the websites of different banks you would find listings of properties that are put up for auction on account of foreclosure. Announcements by the Government about public auctions are also listed. Apart from these websites, there are a number of real estate agents and brokers who can be of great help in locating such properties. You can get detailed particulars about the foreclosed property and the date and venue of the auction from these sources. This could lead you to your dream property.

Many people prefer to look for pre-foreclosed properties that they can buy directly from the owner, without going through the process of an auction. Although it may appear to be an attractive option, one must proceed with caution, since there may legal complications later on. So the safe and sure method would be to opt for properties that have already been foreclosed and duly put up for auction.

It is tempting and profitable to buy foreclosed properties because they can generally be acquired at very low prices. The reason for the low price is that lenders can rarely afford to extend the time for the recovery of the due amount and want the property to be disposed off easily, within the shortest possible time span. On an average, foreclosed houses are sold at prices anywhere between five to fifty percent of their fair market price. Lenders like banks and financial institutions are guided by prevailing norms of the financial markets, which dictate that the money should be put back into circulation without delay.

You can always avail of a good deal in real estate, by purchasing bank foreclosure property. It is a promising venture that is sure to earn you handsome rewards, if you proceed cautiously.