About Short Sales

Hawaii has always been known as a tropical island paradise, a dream vacation, with it’s perfect weather, white, sandy beaches and warm, loving people. But what about our real estate market? As those of us who live here know, the late 80′s were an interesting time. Suitcases of money, hand-delivered by Japanese business men, smelling deals.

All of a sudden, all that glitters was gold in Hawaii…..Homes were purchased as regularly as sipping water. Loans were made to anyone who could fog a mirror. Home owners were stripping the equity out of their homes just for the heck of it and spending it on fruitless items and activities.

Much like the waves that coming crashing on our shore, so did our real estate market. Now the tide is sucking back out to sea. Home owners are baffled on how to sell their property in this economy. People that actually want to buy Hawaii property can barely qualify to get a standard loan, if at all. Most Hawaii home owners owe more on their mortgage than their property is worth, or at least, have no equity left in their property in this market.

The real question is, what is the best way to sell our Hawaii house in the current market, with a Realtor right? The answer is usually NO. 99% of Hawaii Realtors lack the creativity to get the job done right. Most are one dimensional thinkers and are not interested in the home owners best interest. Most just list a property and continue to tell the home owner to keep dropping the price hoping it sells.

Several Hawaii home owners actually are over leveraged. This means, they owe more on their mortgage than the house is currently worth in our market. The only way to sell a property in this situation is to pay the mortgage company extra money just to sell the house to a new buyer at an already discounted price. Stupid, right?

In this economy, even the banks, as we have seen in the news, are feeling the effects of the recession. Since several Hawaii home owners are in difficult situations, they are asking the banks to accept a short sale. This is where the bank will take a payoff of less than what is currently owed on the mortgage.

If no offer comes in on their property and the home owner has only one loan in place, they may wish to consider a deed in lieu of foreclosure. Be warned that both of these exit strategies will affect their personal credit to a degree. Also, they will need to consult with a professional that has at least 7-10 years experience in this field rather than some wanna-be investor hoping to make a quick buck.

There is no better exit strategy for Hawaii home owners right now that to offer owner financing to new buyers. Again, you will want to consult a local Hawaii professional, that has experience with this, so that you do it right the first time and avoid legal issues down the road.

For example, a mortgage take over program might be an option. This is where a new buyer can come in and actually begin making the monthly mortgage payments. This would immediately alleviate the pressure from the home owner and slide a new buyer into the property at the same time, thus creating a win-win situation. Again, please consult a professional company like IBuyHousesHawaii.com before making any decisions.

All of America, including our Aloha State has been rocked by the current economy. If you need to sell your property and you do not want to wait 6-months to get it done by repeatedly dropping the sales price. In many situations using a Realtor is counter productive to actually selling the house and will get the home owner in more financial difficulty than before. This actually happened to me with a large national company with offices here in Hawaii. Never again.

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.

Here at YourFinancialSolution.com a division of AWM we strive to provide as many options/solutions as possible in these trying times.

Whether you want to get out of debt, get caught up on overdue bills, refinance your current home, buy a new home, or if you have been hit by one of the many recent economic blows we also specialize in short sales and mortgage loan modifications.

If you are interested in paying off all your debt including your home, we have the program for you! We are now offering the MMA program (or Money Merge Account). The MMA will create the ability for you to be completely debt and mortgage free in an astonishing amount of time. If you would like more information check out: http://www.yourfinancialsolution.com/mma-account.htm

We are also now offering the Equity Now Program. This program will help those homeowners who are currently upside down in their home and are unable to sell or refinance due to this lack of equity.

By offering the portfolio of financial solutions we do, we are able to address any situation you may be facing.

Feel free to pick up the phone and give us a call anytime to get more information 877.246.8788. You can also log on to the website at: yourfinancialsolution.com to access more information on any of these programs and more.

Wishing you financial freedom! All of us here at YourFinancialSolution.com Call us: 877.246.8788 or Email us: http://yourfinancialsolution.com/contact.htm