05 SepSuggestions for Homeowners that Opted for a Short Sale in Real Estate

Article by Joan Rose Castillo

Short sale in real estate is when a lender agrees to discount a loan balance due to financial difficulties of the borrower. Then the borrower sells the mortgaged property less than the outstanding balance of the mortgage loan and the proceeds of the short sale in real estate are turned over to the lender as payment of the debt. In short sale in real estate the lender has the right to approve or disapprove the intended sale. There are homeowners who prefer short sale in real estate to stop home foreclosure or avoid bad credit or bankruptcy. If you are facing foreclosure right now and you opted for short sale in real estate rather than the options that are available to you, you should learn to protect your interest especially in terms of the short sale in real estate. Here are some suggestions on how to protect yourself and interest when you choose short sale in real estate:

* Before entering into a short sale in real estate, be sure to get a legal advice from a lawyer, preferably a lawyer who has an expertise in short sale in real estate.

* A discussion with an accountant is also advisable because a licensed CPA could advise you on the probable consequences if you choose a short sale in real estate, an accountant could also discuss with you the short sale tax ramifications.

* When you have reached the stage where you are really decided to enter into short sale in real estate agreement, calling the lender is your next step, however, be sure to talk to the person-in-charge like a supervisor that could make the decision with regards to the short sale in real estate.

* Letter of Authorization containing property address, loan reference number, your name, date and your agent’s name and contact information should be submitted to the lender so that the lender could talk to those interested people about the loan.

* You should also prepare a preliminary net sheet or an estimated closing statement which indicates your expected sales price, unpaid loan balances and other related data.

* A hardship letter should also be prepared; this letter describes your financial situation, why you opted for a short sale in real estate. This letter makes a plea to the lender to accept less than the usual payment, if your situation involves an accident or a medical illness, you have to include that in the hardship letter for you to be considered for a short sale in real estate. Bank statements should be prepared as well, so that when you explain why you have unaccountable deposits or large cash withdrawals, you will have a basis.

* When the short sale in real estate is finalized and an agreement to sell with a prospective buyer is reach, copies of the purchase agreement and listing agreement should be prepared, because the lender will ask for a copy.

26 MarHow To Protect Your Vacation Money Against Your Travel Agent Going Bust



1. Pay by Credit Card if Possible

Most credit card companies do, by convention, shoulder the responsibility if the travel agent you book with goes out of business. In the United Kingdom, under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, the credit card issuer and trader are equally liable for purchases of £100 – £30, 000.

Some companies, though, because of the location where they operate, are not able to process credit cards. They may be an excellent, reliable company but merely by the fact of being based in Peru, are unable to take payments by credit card.

In this case, what do you do?

2. Take out Travel Insurance

Everyone should take out travel insurance in addition to that offered by their credit card company. For emergency health care, theft and unexpected events of all kind, it always makes sense to take out travel insurance. Most policies offer cover against ‘financial default’ ie if your travel agent goes bankrupt or stops trading in any way. In order to be covered for this, however, you should take out your policy at the time you pay your vacation deposit. Often, you will only be covered for financial default if you take out your insurance within 15-30 days of paying your vacation deposit. Certainly you should get your insurance BEFORE you make your final payment.

3. Check where the company is registered

Who would you rather book with? A travel agency with offices in Ecuador but registered somewhere in Central America, or one registered in the USA?

Best of all, is a company based in the United Kingdom. All UK travel agents have to take out insurance protecting customers if the company has financial difficulties.

4. Check what the travel association memberships mean

Travel Agencies are very keen to show you what associations they are members of. But what to those memberships actually mean?

ASTA: Members adhere to a code of conduct. Members do not need to show any financial information or pay bonding to ensure security for travelers. If your travel agency goes out of business, there is little ASTA can do besides cancel the agency’s membership of ASTA.

ABTA: Members have to adhere to a code of conduct. Financial information of the agency has to be disclosed and / or members are required to have bonding as security to passengers in case the agency gets into difficulties.

ATOL: For travel agencies who sell airline tickets. Also requires members to submit to certain financial criteria covering passengers if the agency or ticket issuer gets into financial difficulties.

There are plenty of excellent agencies operating on the ground, in the places you want to visit; and it makes good sense to use their local contact and knowledge – just make sure that when you do, you are money smart and keep your vacation money safe!

08 FebWhere to Find Easy Cash Advance Payday Loans

You must see that there are many people in financial difficulties now. They also are unable to find the money they need to live. Fortunately, there are several solutions for them. There’s nothing more they need to use a credit card or check to survive floating payday, they can find cash advance payday loans.

You know, payday loans are good for people who want to be able to buy some items for a week. It can be $ 100 short on rent and the payday loans extension can be their best choice. However you will not be able to get all the checks through the loan payment. Perhaps you will only get 75% or maybe even less depending on the lender.

Once you’ve chosen to deal with the lender, they will submit a form to fill out. This will include basic information such as your name, age, address. When you finish this, they want to see proper identification and pay stub. They will verify all this information and then decide how much to extend your loan. Some stores require you to do the whole process through your bank account, while others only require you to bring your salary. There is also a requirement about your salary.

22 JunUniversal Life Insurance – A Flexible Life Insurance

When you think of buying life insurance, you might have term life and whole life insurance come to mind. However, you should consider the mix of these two policies before you start looking for life insurance quotes. This is universal life insurance.

Definition

This policy also called universal life, it is a type of permanent life insurance that has additional features and advantages; it accumulates cash value through investment of the premium payments, it is similar in some ways and was developed from whole life insurance.

The attractive feature of this policy is that it has flexibility of premium payments, and has greater potential for cash value growth; the buyer has the chance to change the policy to suit his changing needs. In another word, this policy allows the buyer to decide how much of his premiums will be used for the insurance benefits and how much for investment.

If things go well, he can increase the investment part of the policy if the market is good, so that he can gain more profit, or if he has financial difficulties, he can use the accumulated cash value to pay for his premium. As a result, the buyer benefits protection and at the mean time can have his premium invested in the market.

Advantages

Flexible protection – it provides the buyer the flexibility to choose the amount of protection he wants, and allows him to increase or decrease the coverage, but increased coverage may subject to underwritten requirements.

Flexibility of premiums – it offers the buyer the flexibility to pay either lesser or more premium depending on the circumstances.

Guaranteed return of money – if the insurance company made profit on investments, the interest return of the cash value will increase, but no matter how bad the investments were, the buyer is guaranteed a certain minimal return on the cash portion.

Tax free death benefits – life insurance proceeds are generally income tax free to the beneficiary in most of the countries.

This policy also has its disadvantages, such as fewer guarantees than whole life insurance, no investment flexibility; the growth in cash value of the policy is limited.

It is said this policy is illegally sold as an investment, and some insurance agents recommended it to their customers because they earned more commission on this product compared to others, buyers are advised to know this product thoroughly before they purchase.

16 FebHAFA Short Sale Eligibility Requirements

Short sale eligibility varies by lender and often leaves homeowners confused about available options. Borrowers who can no longer afford to maintain loan installments or owe more than their home is worth may find short selling the best available option.

The best source of short sale eligibility information is through the servicing lender. When homeowners become delinquent with loan payments their account is turned over to a bank loss mitigator. When banks issue a Notice of Default the name of the loss mitigator assigned to manage the account is usually listed at the bottom of the letter.

Borrowers who have not entered into default, but struggling to make their payments might be eligible for short selling their property.

A good source for evaluating mortgage loans and understanding the short sale process is Making Home Affordable.

The MHA website presents information about each of their programs, along with eligibility criteria. Available programs include Home Affordable Loan Modification (HAMP), Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) and Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA).

Real estate short sales fall under HAFA. This option is offered to borrowers whose loans originated with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or any of the lenders participating in the MHA program.

The first step in the application of MHA real estate short sale is to determine if the servicing lender participates in the program.

If so, mortgagors must meet the following five eligibility criteria.

1. The house is used as the primary residence.

2. The remainder of the first mortgage does not exceed 9,759.

3. Creation date of the first mortgage is on or before January 1, 2009.

4. Monthly payments for the first mortgage exceed 31-percent of mortgagor’s pre-tax income.

5. Borrowers are experiencing severe financial difficulties.

Unfortunately, there are no guarantees participating lenders will accept applications for short selling, even if borrowers meet all requirements. MHA applicants must first undergo financial audit to determine if other MHA programs are more appropriate.

Banks may determine homeowners qualify for loan modification or mortgage refinance. Oftentimes, these options reduce payments enough that borrowers can remain in their home and avoid foreclosure. Depending on the program, borrowers may be able to save 0 to 00 per month.

If short selling is the best option for borrowers, banks will provide borrowers with required documents. Borrowers are required to provide a short sale hardship letter outlining events which led to financial difficulties.

Mortgage experts recommend handwriting letters that include a timeline of events leading to financial distress, along with interventions taken to reduce hardships.

Homeowners facing foreclosure often believe banks have no compassion and are only interested in repossessing their home. While this may be the case with some lenders, banks participating in MHA are concerned about helping borrowers. Qualified applicants who apply for help under MHA are given the opportunity to either reduce monthly payments or enter into HAFA programs.

Homeowners who are unable to work out feasible plans with their lender may find it advantageous to obtain housing counseling through the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

HUD has received over million from the U.S. government to provide housing counseling to homeowners in need of mortgage assistance. HUD provides complimentary counseling and can assist borrowers with submitting mortgage refinance and loan modification applications.

Borrowers that do not qualify for short sale eligibility may qualify for deed in lieu of foreclosure instead. This option requires homeowners to give their house back to the bank under MHA’s ‘Exit Gracefully’ program. Qualified borrowers can receive up to 00 in relocation assistance money under HAFA programs. Details of MHA programs are presented at MakingHomeAffordable.gov.

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