Fannie Mae has rescinded a requirement that the lender determines the ability to pay before they will allow the home to be refinanced.  It’s about time that someone realized that many borrowers are genuinely trying to keep their homes, and that they have been trying to make the payments and refinance.  If they already “own” the home, doesn’t it make sense to try to keep that person in the home, rather than have it be another property in the inventory, selling at a discount, just to get it off the market quickly?  The owner is less likely to default on the loan at a lower rate and payment – so doesn’t this just make sense?

The other significant change is that Freddie Mac is waiving the credit score requirement to refinance.  This one made a little less sense to me at first, but as I thought about it, I think about the fact that lenders have been telling people that they wouldn’t modify their mortgages without them first missing at least three payments.  What has that done to the US credit score?  Probably pulled it down quite a bit.  I have heard countless stories of San Diego home owners contacting their lenders for  loan modification, being told to miss payments, and THEN still not getting their modification.  Talk about a bait and switch!

This certainly won’t solve all the problems, but it’s a step in the right direction.  If you think the new changes may apply to you, please contact your lender.  We are always happy to answer questions as well!

As of the end of October, the median San Diego home price was down to about $357,000 from $364,000 in September. Overall, San Diego home prices are down about 7.1% since last October.

As most home owners are seeing in their neighborhoods, the largest single influence in our prices right now are due to distressed sales. Any time a home goes into a short sale or foreclosure, those homes tend to sell at a lower price, ultimately bringing all of our home values down.

Foreclosures in particular tend to drastically lower prices – with many foreclosures selling for a full 10-20% less than its non-foreclosed upon neighbor.

As less distressed properties hit the market, we will start to return to more normal sale prices – and that is when home values will start to rebound. If you, or someone you know, owns a home that you are not able to continue making payments on, please contact us to discuss a short sale. A short sale will look more favorably on your credit report, as well as your neighbors’ home values.

Carlsbad, CA

In today’s real estate market, more and more people are looking foreclosure out of both necessity and financial strategy.  If you give back your house, they can’t still hold you accountable for the loan, can they? 

Although California is a non-recourse state that typically says no – more and more banks are finding themselves successful in recouping losses from borrowers who refinanced their homes and used the funds for things other than improving the home itself!

In addition to the more severe credit penalties, a debt on a house you don’t even own anymore is really making foreclosures less desirable.  If you can not afford to make the payment on your home, you really may want to talk to a real estate professional about the possibility of a short sale instead.  In a short sale, you actually sign documents with the lender, releasing yourself from the obligation of the loan.  If you have any questions at all about your possibilities of a foreclosure or short sale, please contact The Mewborn Team.  We would be happy to schedule a no obligation marketing consultation.

Down 10 to 30 pts. 

Down 25 to 45 pts. 

Down 60 to 80 pts.

Down 90 to 110 pts. 

Down 45 to 65 pts. 

Down 105 to 125 pts. 

Down 85 to 105 pts.

Down 140 to 160 pts. 

Down 130 to 150 pts.

Down 220 to 240 pts. 

Carlsbad, CA - You may know your credit score – but do you have any idea how it is calculated?  In a formula that is so secretive that they could tell you – but then they’d have to kill you, we never know how our actions will affect that score. 

How will your credit score change if you close a credit card?  Should you go through the hassle of a short sale, or just allow your house to go into foreclosure?  What if things are tight, and you go over your credit card limit?

Your credit score is a three digit number normally between 300 and 850.  It is the number used to determine the risk of giving you a loan.Scores over about 715 are considered good scores, and typically will get you the best interest rates.  Scores over 600 and under 715 are moderate scores. 

And although you may get a loan, you may pay a premium interest rate to get it.  Scores under 600 are typically considered to be a high risk borrower.  These borrowers either may not get a loan, or may pay much higher interest rates on their loan.

Although the formula is still a mystery, Fico.com has at least provided a table showing some of the most common penalties to your credit score.

FICO’s information shows that bankruptcy does the most serious damage to a credit score (up to 240 points), followed by foreclosure (up to 160 points) while maxing out a credit card has the least numerical impact (as few as 10 points).

Those with good or excellent credit — so-called prime borrowers — put more points at risk with each mistake. For example, someone with an average credit score of 680 who pays a bill 30 days late will see a drop of 60 to 80 points. But for someone with an excellent credit score — 780 — that same delinquency can cost 90 to 100 points.

If considering whether or not to try to sell your house through a short sale vs. allowing a full foreclosure, please keep in mind that settling a debt (short sale) with a lender can save you 50 to 100 points (and the ability to get another loan in the future) or MORE!  If you have any questions about how this might impact you personally, or how to market your property for a short sale, please contact The Mewborn Team.  We are happy to sit down with you for a no obligation consultation about your best options.

The foreclosure prevention plan, is meant to reduce eligible borrowers’ monthly payments to no more than 31% of their pre-tax income.  In order to qualify, a homeowner must make three on-time monthly payments before they can receive a permanent modification.

Unfortunately there is the typical he said/she said to each loan.  The mortgage companies are complaining that they need more information that the borrowers aren’t providing.  The borrowers are complaining that the mortgage companies keep losing their documents.  So months go by without permanent modifications.

The Obama administration is trying to make changes to their programs allowing mortgage companies to access tax records through the IRS, rather than waiting for borrowers, and approving and moving clients into permanent modifications without their signatures.  They are hoping that this will help streamline the process and help more US homeowners. 

If you are having problems making your mortgage payment.  Contact your mortgage company.  They may tell you that they can not help you until you have missed a payment.  You may want to ask for a forbearance plan.  Although this will still affect your credit, it will allow you to work with your lender to find a more permanent, acceptable solution.

Your home is often the biggest investment you will ever make.  Make the most informed solutions possible.  If you have any Carlsbad or North County Coastal real estate questions, please contact us.

Rent-to-own contracts, usually require buyers to pay a premium on each month’s rent and sometimes an up front fee/deposit of about 5% of the purchase price. The regular rent then goes in owner’s pocket (presumably to pay the mortgage), but the additional payments are used to buy down the price of the home.

If done properly, a rent to own (or lease option) may be a great way for a buyer to build up down payments and improve their credit scores, while living in that home they wanted to buy.

An example that we have seen was this – On a $600,000 Oceanside home, the buyers paid $3,300/mo – $1,000/mo more than market rent. After three years, there would be $36,000 accrued in an account for their down payment and closing costs. If the buyer could not perform at the end of 36 months, the contract was void.

The real risks are to Carlsbad real estate buyers. The contracts are typically written to protect the sellers. Some specific risks:

Loss of your payments to date – often if you fall behind or can not perform, you are not entitled to a refund of any previously paid fees, deposits, or rent premiums paid.

Lack of Financing - Most Carlsbad, Oceanside, and San Marcos buyers are entering into lease option contracts because they can’t get financing in the current market place. If you can’t get financing at the end of the lease option contract, you forfeit everything you have paid to date.

Falling home prices - Most lease options establish a set price at the time the contract is signed. As we have seen over the past couple of years, prices don’t always go up. If after signing the contract, Carlsbad home prices fall, the buyer may not want to continue with the purchase, but that still doesn’t mean that they get their money back.

The House Going Into Foreclosure – Some Carlsbad renters have paid their inflated rent payments on time, only to find out the seller hasn’t been paying the mortgage. Instead the house goes into foreclosure, with the buyer/renter being evicted, never benefiting from their inflated payments.

Although these rent to own options seem like a great solution when it is hard to make a deal, there are plenty of pitfalls to consider.

If you have any questions about Carlsbad, La Costa, Oceanside, or San Marcos real estate or mortgages – please contact us.   Talk to a professional and make sure that YOUR interests are represented!   We are always happy to answer any Carlsbad real estate or mortgage questions.

And although we look around and think, that’s horrible for the families losing their homes – it really is costing ALL of us money. It is causing declining property values, the inability to get loans, decreased consumer confidence, and ultimately reduced consumer spending.
If you or someone you know are facing foreclosure, please contact us. We may be able to help you investigate your alternatives.

If you, or someone you know is facing foreclosure, please contact us.  We may be able to help or at least answer any questions you may have.

Source: Center for Responsible Lending (06/01/2009)