About Short Sales

When you are a homeowner struggling with your mortgage payments you should understand the difference between a short sale and a loan modification. Both of these methods may help you get out of a foreclosure situation. They are dealt with in the same department of your bank by a loss mitigation professional. Homeowners should be aware that the approach you choose may have a very different results on your finances.

Initially, many homeowners choose a loan modification. The modifications can come in the form forgiveness of late fees, a reduction in monthly payments pr lower interest rates. You can get one pr more conditions of your mortgage modified, depending on what your bank will agree to do and what you can afford.

A short sale is where the bank agrees to allow you to sell your home for less than the balance remaining on your mortgage. Your lender then agrees to forgive the shortfall of funds remaining after the sale proceeds have been received.

How are you going to benefit from a loan modification on your home mortgage?

1. You will not have to worry about finding somewhere else to live, because you will stop foreclosure proceeding right in their tracks. 2. If you are able to get payments or fees reduced, you will have extra time to get your finances in order. 3. There will be less damage done to your credit score.

Here are three disadvantages of loan modifications:

1. The reduction of your monthly payments might not be enough to completely free up your cash flow. 2. If you miss any payments on your modification agreement, then your lender could begin foreclosure proceedings again. 3. Your lender may offer modified payments only for a short period of time. This means the payments may go back up in the future, which could increase financial stress if you’re not prepared.

A short sale has these three great benefits:

1. As soon as your home is sold your debt will vanish, this means no more monthly payments. 2. If you have come to the conclusion that your owe more than your house is worth and there is no possible way to increase the value of your property then a short sale could be just the right solution. 3. Most likely your bank will agree to forgive the difference between the amount you owe on your mortgage and the lower the sale price of your home.

There are three disadvantages of short sales:

1. Your lender may report the forgiven portion of your mortgage to the IRS. This could mean you face a tax liability next year. 2. Once your home is sold, you’ll need to move. Finding a rental property could be difficult if your landlord is sensitive to your delinquent payment history and damaged credit. 3. You won’t be able to apply for a new mortgage any time soon. Other lenders will be wary of customers with a history of having outstanding debts forgiven rather than repaying them.

As you can see there are definitely both good and bad points in either a loan modification or a short sale. It is our experience that most consumers want to find a way to stay in their home and pay off their debt, especially, if their financial problems are just temporary. If you are completely overwhelmed with debt and there is no end in sight to your financial hardship, the road of a short sale may be the best solution, because it allows you to start fresh.

Modifying a mortgage loan has become much easier since the implementation of the Obama administration’s loan modification plan. This plan provides incentives to lenders to change the terms of an existing loan to make payments on Columbus houses more affordable to homeowners. In the past, getting a mortgage modification was far more difficult, since lenders had to bear certain costs of the process.

How to determine if you qualify

In order to qualify for Obama’s loan modification program, the home must be your primary residence, and you must have purchased your home before January 1, 2009. The Obama plan does not apply to jumbo loans, which in most cases means your loan amount can’t exceed $729,750; however, the allowable limit may be higher in high-cost housing areas.

Your first mortgage, including principal, interest, taxes, and insurance, must exceed 31% of your gross monthly income, and the program applies only to a first mortgage, not to any second mortgages or home equity lines of credit. Finally, you must be experiencing some type of financial hardship that makes it difficult for your to pay your mortgage. Common causes of financial hardship are job loss, a reduction in hours, illness, and divorce or separation.

After qualification comes the process

The first thing you need to do is to get in contact with the lender. Once you have done so, you then need to request the modification plan. Some lenders who are not part of the Obama plan will probably refuse. Those who are, and there are many, will agree to the plan.

Your next step is to get all the necessary paperwork in order. You will need to be able to provide evidence of your monthly income before tax,k the last tax return that you filed, if you have savings and/or assets then you are required to provide relevant info about them. You will also need to provide statements for the mortgage and loan and this includes your second mortgage if you have one, or else the home equity line of credit. To help make the process easier draw up a budget. Make sure that your monthly expenses, which includes your credit card and loan installments, whether it be a student loan, or something else.

Once you’ve gathered this information, you will go through the final process with your lender of negotiating the terms and completing the necessary paperwork.

Modification vs. Refinancing

When you refinance your mortgage all the closing costs and other fees become your responsibility. However, when it comes to the Obama plan there are no fees and even if you are late with your installments the late fees, or interest, can be waived. Unless your credit record is impeccable, it is highly unlikely that you will be granted refinance, because of the present state of the credit climate. So, cost and the ability to qualify are two of the main reasons why you should investigate the option of loan modification.

If you are late with payments, or you are not able to afford remaining in your home because of the usual costs when taking out a loan, then loan modification is just what you need. This is not to say that refinance is never a viable option, because it is. For one thing, you are able to gain access to the cash in your home equity through refinancing. Also, if you have equity in the home and you would like a better interest rate, this can be achieved through refinancing. And what is more, you can apply for the improved rates even if you do not qualify for the loan modification plan.

Doing your own loan modification is a simple process, and there is no need to pay the typical fees of $800 to $2,000 to hire a lawyer or service provider to negotiate the modification on your behalf. The Obama plan provides enough incentive to lenders that you can negotiate your own modification, provided you are well prepared and can make a good case that you’ll be able to pay your modified monthly payment.

There is a myth running around that is as big as Bigfoot himself concerning zero interest credit cards. And yes Virginia just like there is a Santa Claus there too is such a thing as an interest free credit card. There are countless numbers of credit cards out there that offer zero interest on their cards, most will offer this for a time period of anywhere from three months to as long as a year. However before you get too excited and start charging your new card into submission be aware that some cards do have stipulations attached to the no interest so make sure you read all of the fine print.

With the amount of credit cards out there it is quite literally a dog eat dog world when trying to lure new customers. This is where the importance of reading the fine print comes into play, as there are many times restrictions as to exactly what does the no interest pertain to. One example of this is they might wave the transfer balance interest and still charge you interest for new purchases. Other cards may charge you interest if you submit your payment even just one day late. You should find out what your interest rate will be after the introductory period is over, also find out if they will retroactively charge you interest on the original balance if the transfer balance is not paid off within the introductory period.

Typically zero interest offers are only available to people with excellent credit and high credit scores, however there a few deals out there for people with bad credit. However, buyer beware don’t get duped into a deal that will charge a high application fee, monthly maintenance fees or annual fees, this defeat the purpose of zero interest.

Programs such as zero interest are one of the best ways to get out of debt and back onto a stable financial track. Consumers are unaware of these programs for the most part. The most familiar “buy now pay later” programs are typically appliance and furniture stores. Zero interest credit cards work similarly to the store programs. You pay only for what you’ve purchased, thus potentially saving you hundreds of dollars each year.

After you have established an account with the credit card company you’ve chosen, then one way to continue to avoid paying interest is to transfer your balance at the end of your introductory zero interest period to another zero interest card. If you keep this cycle going; you will never pay interest ever! The only downfall is you need to pay attention to when your zero interest period ends and make the transfer in plenty of time to avoid getting hit with any interest fees. There are ways to trigger reminders.

Use a professional online credit card service. This service performs all the work in locating the right card for you and what your goals are in a zero interest program; these services also have the capability to send you a reminder when your zero interest introductory period is about to end. Not only have they done the work for you, they also offer online applications and processing. Credit made simple!

With the financial situation being what it is today the name of the game is to save as much money as possible. An zero interest credit card is one of the easiest ways for you to save money and it only cost you a little of your time to do so.