About Short Sales

You won’t get a loan modification by waiting in line. It’s just too long. Get “out-of-line” by following my advice.

In the current Loan Modification Frenzy, the “line” is too long. Hundreds of thousands are in the queue ahead of you with more than 50,000 added per week. The banks can’t staff and train and manage and retain nearly enough workers and the systems and procedures are overwhelmed as well. Add to that the fact that the banks are only begrudgingly cooperating with the effort – and you have a formula for frustration and failure.

The front 4% of the line are getting good modifications. So, copy the winners, How do they do it? They get out-of-line and do extraordinary things. Previously I have described ways winners craft their applications and follow-up on the application to use what I call File Inertia. Let me now describe the way they escalate problems.

Because problems are an inevitable part of such a convoluted and broken process, effectively dealing with them is critical. I advise you to 1) Ask 5 Times, 2) Escalate Well and 3) Escalate Well Beyond.

1. Ask 5 Times The common problems are easy. For instance, if they misplaced your 4506-T Form, send them another one. If they request 3 months of bank statements instead of the usual 2send ‘em in. But, when you get information from the agent that is just wrong, and you can’t seem to get them to perceive it…That’s when you should Ask 5 Times. Call back and try another agent, 5 times. That’s right, it’s not worth it to try to prove your point and sometimes the agent is just not trained well enough to ever understand your question or concern. If you burn through 5 agents and can’t get the “right” answer, then ESCALATE.

Escalation means going up the chain of command. It means requesting that a manager or supervisor review the situation with you. Be sure to do this politely to minimize the snub to the agent but be firm. Simply say (to the 5th agent) “Please connect me to your supervisor, will you? This matter is just too important to me to let this go. I want to hear it from a supervisor”. Sometimes the agent will oblige and other times the agent will argue with you. I believe that sometimes too, agents will ask their co-worker to pose as a manager for the call. It may happen that the manager will have to call you back. Don’t hold your breath. Occasionally you will get lucky and a well trained and well informed manager will get on the line and provide some real value.

Escalate Well Beyond the Loss Mitigation Department. Perhaps departmental rules or guidelines have to be altered in your case. Often the individual departments do not have the authority to make exceptions. You should seek assistance and support from other departments, or from bank executives, regulatory agencies, politicians, trade associations or, maybe even the press. Don’t think that your problem is too small for any of them to care about. The secret to winning their support is to ask for it in a way that indicates you 1) have used all the correct channels already, 2) understand their role and have appropriate expectations for what they can do to help, 3) know specifically what you want them to do and 4) that you are the type of person who will not stop escalating if they fail to respond.

Escalations Well Beyond are effective. I’m amazed at the results. It seems that such interventions are always successful and the trick is in convincing the person to get involved.

So many people are impacted by the housing market meltdown that most are sympathetic and will be interested in helping if they can. So, ask well and you will likely get support.

Rockwood is an author and foreclosure expert. He has written extensively on loan modifications.? Visit Rockwood’s site about DIY Loan Modification at Home Loan Modification. Unique version for reprint here: 2011 Loan Mod Problems – Escalate em!.

If you need to stop a foreclosure there are several ways to go about. Some homeowners can qualify for a loan modification, which is one of the most common ways. If you are facing foreclosure don’t be discouraged because you are not alone; one and ten homeowners are in the same boat. Number one piece of advice; don’t give up and don?t give in because the banks are in just as bad as shape and it is in their best interest to work with you. Understanding the process can save your home from being foreclosed on and keeping the 800 pound gorilla off your back.

Refinance. The truth is lenders will work with you if they see that you are being truthful with them and that you are able to make your payments. This is probably the toughest method and requires that you stay after the bank until they get your loan finished. The obvious requirements are having equity in your home, a job with steady income and of course the ability to pay meaning your bills are less than your income. In some cases payments could be higher but a fresh start is better than the alternative. This is not the best route for most, but it is a route.

Sell your home to a family member or friend. Again this is one of the more undesirable ways of avoiding foreclosure, but again it is a way. Some family members take pride in being the bank and may give you more favorable terms allowing you to lease the home with a purchase option in the future. Just be sure that you paper everything as you would with a bank as proper loan documents give you many rights in case the relationship spoils in the future. Financial relationships between family members do not always work out.

Try bankruptcy to stop a foreclosure in progress, but this can become an expensive alternative. The amount of payments which need to be made to satisfy the creditors and bankruptcy costs make this an option for those who have a large amount of disposable income. Let’s face it if disposable income is available your family wouldn’t be in this situation.

Wholesale your property. If you have equity and can sell you property to a wholesaler and start over this is probably the best option in a soft market as most everything is selling for 60-75% on the dollar. It is very hard to sell retail when nothing is selling for retail and credit is hard to obtain. It maybe that you can get out of your property and you can pick up a better deal with lower payments.

Work with an online loan modification service to prevent or stop a foreclosure from going through. This type of service will work with your lender to help rework your arrangement in order for your family to keep their home. The banks would prefer to get paid and not have to deal with trying to sell your home. This option will at the very least help you to repair your credit and hopefully prepare you to purchase another home in the future.

Foreclosure is more common today than people actually buying homes. Let’s face it our economy is in shamble and as a nation we are upside down; our government is no doubt a leading example of this whole debacle. Vigilance, determination and the desire to stay out of foreclosure are important in avoiding foreclosure. How long can you tread water before you will take action?

Do you want assistance for the challenges of foreclosure? CarbonCopyProperty can provide immediate funding for sellers facing foreclosure. Know your options CLICK HERE

For the first time in years, the price of a home has decreased, giving more and more people the option of owning their first home. There are a few different programs that offer even more savings, such as low to zero down mortgage loans. These various programs give the first time home owner incentive to take advantage of the low cost of buying a home.

Many different types of programs can be found by getting on line and doing a little research. The following is just a small list of the most popular zero down options given to those searching for their first home.

1. One program that is geared towards those wanting to purchase land used for farming. It has a few restrictions such as it is only for targeted rural areas and some income restrictions. The interest rate on this loan is 3.5%. This loan is to increase the land used for farm and agricultural uses.

2. Crown Financial Solutions has a program that offers the chance for a consumer with low to moderate credit scores. It gives them the chance to own their own home for around 3.5%.

The United States government also has a popular option for first time home owners, known as the FHA. This is targeted towards those with not so good credit to get a loan by just looking at the past few years of payments. There can’t be any bankruptcies over the past two years and credit scores have to be good after the discharge.

Owning a home for the first time is an exciting milestone in most consumers’ lives. There are many programs designed to help, some even zero down mortgage loans. Some of the programs being offered are geared towards those with fair to low credit scores. With home prices getting lower and lower, it is a really good time to take advantage of the deals offered to consumers.

If you are in the market to Buy a Home then check out Rob Kosbergs’ Detailed FREE Guide on Attaining your Dream Home with a Zero Down Mortgage or for up to date Mortgage info visit my Mortgage Blog