About Short Sales

for everything you need to know about short sales, REO and bank owned properties.

Posts Tagged ‘foreclosures’

Will You Be Able To Refinance Your Commercial Loan

Sunday, October 3rd, 2010

As I drive around town I see lots of commercial buildings that are either empty or with multiple vacancies. There are so many “For Lease” signs in the windows that it is easy to see that the economic melt down has hit the commercial section heard. Homeowners are not the only ones worried about losing their properties these days, landlords and commercial property owners are having many of the same headaches, but on a bigger scale.

The bad economy is making many companies close branch operations or otherwise consolidate operations and personnel. Many other companies have had to stop doing business altogether as business dried up. Bankruptcy has caused others to close their doors. In every town I have been in lately, I’ve seen the same thing. When these businesses fail we frequently don’t think about their landlords, but in this market, they are in trouble also.

They are in trouble for a couple of reasons but the immediate problem is that they are losing the cash flow from their vacating tenants. Banks expect commercial foreclosures to increase as the property owners start to experience cash flow problems. Although landlords are fighting to increase cash flow and decrease expenses to make their payments, it might be a losing battle unless they can refinance their loans or get loan modifications.

It’s a fact that commercial property owners are losing tenants. This creates tremendous hardships for these landlords. With the glut of vacant space on the market, it’s hard for landlords to replace lost income from their previous tenants. The banks are worried about this because they know that landlords without tenants can’t pay their mortgages. When the loans were made years ago, it was usually with interest only loans for 7 to 8 years. Everyone expected that by the end of that time frame they could refinance the loans at cheaper rates and for a longer-term. But that is proving impossible now because property values have plummeted from previous levels. Many of the property owners are upside down just like the residential homeowners who are losing their homes.

The combination of lower property values and decreasing tenant income could be a fatal blow for many commercial property owners. On top of that, lending practices are much tighter than they were 10 years ago when these loans were made and they can get even tighter. These tight lending practices are making it very difficult for most commercial property owners to refinance.

This new crisis is going to result in a lot more vacant and foreclosed commercial property if it is not solved. About the only thing that will save it is effective commercial loan modification. This will take a lot of negotiating between property owners and the bank, but it’s important that it gets done. There are negotiators whose only business is negotiating these commercial loans. The landlord needs to find a competent commercial mortgage negotiator to help them get the best deal. He needs to have his principle reduced so that is no longer underwater with the loan. That’s the only way he’ll be able to get the refinancing he needs.

Getting started is not hard but requires a lot of paperwork. There’s a detailed application that needs to be filled out along with all the financial data that the property generates. A commercial appraisal needs done and that’s pretty expensive. The commercial negotiators that I just mentioned know exactly what to do to help smooth the process tremendously. Once you make the decision to go forward, it should go pretty smoothly because both the negotiator and the bankers are professionals who deal with this everyday. So if this applies to you, get started now before it’s too late.

Are you going to be able to Refinance Your Commercial Loan? We will tell you more at www.PalmDesertForeclosures.org.

With Santa Ana Foreclosures You Can Find The Bargain Of A Lifetime

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

You don’t have to be a genius to see that Santa Ana foreclosures often represent some of the best deals in real estate. The banking business is all about making loans to property owners and collecting mortgage payments, not owning property. So whenever banks repossess a house from someone unable to keep up with the monthly bills, they look to sell it again as soon as possible — usually at a cut-rate price. So if you want to save money on a big property purchase, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on Santa Ana foreclosure activity.

In the past, only big time real estate investors were interested in Santa Ana foreclosures. That stands to reason because most of the foreclosed property was pretty beat up in inner city areas with all the problems that come with gang violence and high crime rates. But thanks to the persistent downward spiral of property prices in Santa Ana, we are seeing many more foreclosures in prime areas like, Santa Ana, Palm Springs, Santa Ana and Laguna. These foreclosed homes give investors the opportunity to buy homes in great neighborhoods that they never would have considered before. It’s no wonder, then, that more and more people are shopping for foreclosed homes these days.

How do you go about finding foreclosure properties for sale? Most folks opt not to work with a real estate agent — at least initially — when trying to find a good deal. Since there are so many free websites that provide foreclosure listings, that is where they start. They list just about everything everything about a property from the size, and number of bedrooms, to the owner of the mortgage. You can even see a picture of the property on Google Maps.

Auctions are becoming very popular, both locally and on-line. At these auctions, you can bid on foreclosed properties for sale and hope to score a bargain that way. You can decide how much you want to spend for a property before hand and if you can stick to your decision you will probably get a great bargain. If you get the bid, then you might get the best possible deal. However, an obvious drawback is that you’re not guaranteed to be the highest bidder, so you always risk leaving empty-handed.

And finally, the government always maintains a list of foreclosure properties for sale on the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) website. While most of the listings are for modest single-family homes, you’ll occasionally come across exotic mansions that are being offered for pennies on the dollar. These places have likely been seized in drug raids or from white-collar criminals and are now being sold in order to pay off fines, which means bargain prices for buyers.

The mortgage crisis hasn’t been very much fun for anyone, but it does mean that there are more affordable homes out there today. If you are in the market for a new home, you should check out foreclosed properties in Santa Ana, CA, instead of just hunting for a house through regular old channels.

Looking for more information on Foreclosures in Santa Ana? Get the ultimate low down instantly in our Santa Ana Foreclosures overview.

Home Foreclosure: The Good And Bad Of Buying A Pre-Foreclosure?

Thursday, September 9th, 2010

When looking for a place to call home, it is always best to buy the property you like than to look for a great foreclosure deal. However, it is even better if you can find a good mix of both.

There are many ways to buy a foreclosed property, all of which have their own good and bad points. Some give you the highest financial gain but with the highest investment risks while others could place you on a safe playing ground but with the lowest financial benefit.

First let’s talk about buying a pre-foreclosed property. This method gives you the least amount of money output with the highest available information on the property. Pre-foreclosure happens during the first few months of foreclosure ( 2 to 3 months after the first default). Usually, the bank or the lender will allow the homeowner to sell the property to help him come up with money to pay off the mortgage default. The “sale by owner” is a medium for the homeowners to prevent their properties from being foreclosed. In most cases, this is done by owners who see sale as their last option and by those who have some equity on the property.

This method gives you the least risk. You are free to inspect the house and to make your search for the title deeds. You could also uncover all liens if you like and know the underlying problems. Usually, a real estate broker or the owner of the property will show you the house. If you are interested and you have the money to buy the property, the owner will sign you a deed and will handover the property. You would then own the property, and it is yours to do with as you please.

In exchange though, you will get hold of the mortgage that will come with the house. In short, you will have to make the mortgage payments current along with all the fees and charges that come with the property. You will also be left with upgrading and repairing the house.

However some states give the original homeowners a redemption period though. This allows the previous homeowners to get back the property during a certain period of time, usually several months up to a few years, to buy back the property. Thus, all the investments of the current homebuyer will be invalidated.

Buying a pre-foreclosed property is actually safe if you are talking about checking the entire condition of the house but if you don’t want the financial responsibilities that go along with it, this method of buying is not really an option for you.

Doc Schmyz has worked with investors all over the US and Mexico. He owns a free website that shares Real estate investing information for all over the US. Find real estate information by state