Do Homeowners receive any money from their short sale?

Does a home owner receive any money when taking part in a short sale?

Many home owners wonder if a short sale means that they will walk away from the transaction with nothing. That in fact isn’t always the case and in California thanks to the big mortgage settlement there are programs that allow  the home owner to apply for relocation funds even if the lender themselves aren’t offering any. It doesn’t matter if it is a piece of South Gate, Ca Real Estate or a property up north, as long as it is owner occupied and in California the home owner can apply to the program for assistants.

The program goes by the initials TAP  that short selling home owners can apply for through the Keep Your Home California initiative. The Transition Assistants Program (TAP) entitles a home owner to receive up to $5,000 in relocation assistants.

The Home owner must qualify for the funds and can have their agent and or broker assisting them with their short sale guide them through the application process.

Unlike the short sale process where a home owner doesn’t usually have to speak to their bank if their working with a knowledgeable Real Estate Agent and or Broker, when applying for the TAP program through Keep Your Home California the Home owner must go through a phone interview.

We at our office in South Gate, Ca invite the home owners we are working with to come in and or have us conference call their interview so that we can assist them with any questions they might have or not understand while speaking with Keep Your Home California.

Relocation money isn’t always available for every transaction and your Agent and or Broker must request it on the initial documentation submitted to your bank when applying for a short sale to ensure if it is available that you receive it.

There in some cases are extra incentives offered to home  owners by their banks to take part in short sales and those have ranged from $2,000 all the way up to $35,000 on the high end. Again these aren’t typical but have been offered by banks and received by home owners. The key is paying attention to the mail you receive from your bank because sometimes the offers to receive additional funds if you take part in a short sale come in writing directly to the home owner before even formally submitting their application for a shortsale and have an expiration or good through date on the offer letter.

When we consult with home owners regarding short selling their property we advise them that it isn’t the end of their home ownership life and in fact can be the start to the path of home ownership again. The relocation money is one of the first opportunities given to them on that path.

Except for the relocation funds or extra incentives that might be offered to a home owner by their banks, there isn’t any other type of money that a home owner taking part in a shortsale could receive. It is important to understand that any outside of escrow arrangements can be considered fraud and may lead to potential criminal prosecution. It is very important that a home owner is working with a reputable real estate professional when trying to sell through home in general but especially when trying to do so through a short sale.

We don’t always push for a shortsale as the first solution in fact we consult with distressed home owners and interview them to insure that whatever options may be available to them are explored fully before moving forward with any particular one. A shortsale isn’t a one size fits all solution and you as a home owner must understand that, and realize if your speaking to a Real Estate professional who is strictly just pushing a shortsale and isn’t asking about other foreclosure avoidance programs that you may have tried or heard about then that could be a red flag and you might want to get a second opinion.

We consult with clients 7 days a week out of our South Gate office and can come to you in your home if need be by appointment. The thing is that no one can help unless you reach out. Like we mentioned previously the longer you as a home owner in trouble wait the less options that are available.

Give us a call at (877)801-1923 Ext-101 it costs nothing or send us an email at info@thinkingshortsale.com and we will be happy to review your current situation. If you want to know what your home is worth you can go to www.homepricingmadeeasy.com and if you just want to read and learn more about short sales and our team you can go to www.thinkingshortsale.com

Your financial future is in your hands and how it will look all depends on you and your actions now. 

  Guillermo Serafin

 Phone: (877) 801-1923 Ext. 101

 Fax: (877) 803-3190

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices 

California Properties

BRE #01471159

www.thinkingshortsale.com

info@thinkingshortsale.com

TURNING DREAMS

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How do I know if I qualify for a short sale?

How do I know if I qualify for a short sale? 

Now that time has passed since the initial real estate market collapse, it is much easier for home owners to qualify for a short sale. With this being said it still depends on each individual situation and lender to determine if a home owner qualifies for a short sale according to their own terms and guidelines. We educate our home owners when consulting with them at our South Gate Real Estate office about what a lender is looking for when trying to determine what programs they might qualify for while going through their financial hardship.

There are multiple programs with multiple different guidelines but the one rule that is common for all programs is that you, the home owner, must show the lender that you can’t maintain your mortgage obligation now and in the future. The term used to describe this is referred to as Eminent Default. 

Probably the one thing that is a must to first determine is, what is the exact hardship? You must have a true hardship and be able to communicate that to your lender. Now with that being said, there are programs that streamline the qualification process for a short sale by stating in their guidelines that if your credit score is below 620 and your having trouble paying your mortgage you have a true and valid hardship. Again that is how it is written in the guidelines but at the end of the day it is the investor who holds the interest on your debt that will determine if he or she or they approve your short sale request.

After determining your hardship you should obtain a valuation of your home. This will sometimes and actually in most cases help your request for a short sale. The way that it works is that if your a home owner starting to have trouble making payments and your property is underwater then the lender has motivation to get that bad asset off their books. 

After figuring your hardship, then getting a valuation on your home the next step is to hire the right Realtor and or Broker who is knowledgeable about foreclosures and short sales.

This is probably the next most important step after figuring out your hardship. The reason is that who you hire will be your advocate and must be willing and able to work with your lender and their particular guidelines. We have been representing buyers and sellers of short sales and foreclosure properties for over 10 years. Our team, even though we are based in South Gate, Ca covers all of Southern Ca.

We help home owners figure out what in fact is the best solution for their particular situation. There is like we mentioned previously multiple foreclosure programs some are lender sponsored and some are federal and state sponsored. The reality is that there is great programs out there that could help you keep your home and if it is the best financial decision for you and your family and you qualify we will help you to do that. However keeping your home isn’t always the best decision for you in your particular situation and that is where hiring the right Realtor and or Broker comes in to play. Whomever you hire must be able to present you with all your options and all the good and bad of each of those options. 

Assisting home owners who are in trouble with their mortgage or who are making their mortgage payments but just can’t afford to keep things going isn’t something that can be learned in a seminar or certification. Like anything else it takes countless hours of being in the trenches helping home owners daily to get efficient enough to be a true resource to you the client.

We offer no cost consultations 7 days a week by appointment at our South Gate, Ca Real Estate office or we can even come to you. Our goal is to educate you and show you that facing a foreclosure and having to do a short sale is not the end of the world and actually can be considered and viewed as a fresh start.

If you want to know what your home is worth please go to www.homepricingmadeeasy.com and if you want to learn more about us and short sales in general please go to www.thinkingshortsale.com 

If you want to contact us and schedule your no cost no obligation consultation please give us a call (877)801-1923 Ext-101 or send us an email info@thinkingshortsale.com

We are here to serve and educate you. Please remember the longer you wait the worse you make your situation.

  Guillermo Serafin

 Phone: (877) 801-1923 Ext. 101

 Fax: (877) 803-3190

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices 

California Properties

BRE #01471159

www.thinkingshortsale.com

info@thinkingshortsale.com

TURNING DREAMS

INTO ACCOMPLISHMENTS

What are the cost for me in a short sale?

What are the cost for me in a short sale? Or…Does a short sale cost me anything? 

The above is a loaded question because a short sale in a lot of ways does cost you, and in others it doesn’t. In a community like South Gate CA where our office is located we try to educate the public as much as possible about short sales and there true costs. let’s go through them as best we can and hopefully this will help anyone who is deciding whether to short sale their home or not, or maybe those who have no choice but still want to be well informed throughout the process.

1. Cost to your credit.

    Yes a short sale will ding/damage your credit but not as much as a foreclosure. Also your ability to recover from a short     sale is easier and faster credit wise then it would be through a foreclosure. 

        2.  Time and energy.

             Yes a short sale still requires you to be an active participant in the sale of your property and even more so then if it was a         regular sale. You have to, show your property, prepare and send documents to your lender, and you have to take the time to get yourself well informed about your particular tax and debt liability situation.

        3.  Emotionally.
    

             Yes a short sale costs you emotionally but not as much as a foreclosure. I know you are probably asking how is that? Well look at foreclosure as a forceful involuntary act and a short sale as a voluntary act. What I mean is during a short sale you can dictate when you move out to an extent, you can possibly qualify for financial assistants to relocate and you get too feel that your in control. Even though all the things I just mentioned as positive aspects to a short sale are true, emotionally your still suffering a loss and you have to understand that and figure out a way to cope. 

        4.  Financially.

     Yes a short sale will cost you financially, now please listen closely. When you take part in a short sale your credit cards         will most likely hike your interest rates or cut your credit limits they may even close your cards. You will have to pay higher rates on anything you finance until you get your credit back on track. You might have a tax liability depending on your situation and who you’re working with to resolve it for you. You might still have a financial obligation to your mortgage lender after the short sale if not negotiated correctly. Now as for a real estate commission no the bank pays that. As for negotiation services no they should not cost you anything if you’re working with the right people..

     Now above I’ve mentioned a few costs of a short sale, you might be scared in reading them but know that if you went through a foreclosure the cost are always greater and the time that it takes to recover from them is a lot longer. Short sales are a complicated financial transaction and not every agent/broker understands or even wants to deal with them. It doesn’t matter how long a agent/broker has been in the business if they’ve never dealt with distressed properties and all of the issues related to resolving those types of situations for the public then those aren’t the people you want working on your side. We do no cost consultations out of our South Gate CA office 7 days a week and even do in home visits for potential short sale home owners. We have a 98% success rate on all short sales we submit. We have negotiated short sales for all kinds of different companies big and small. we are practicing real estate brokers and list and sale short sales in our every day real estate business. So for any questions or concerns, or to have us give you a free no obligation analysis of your current situation please don’t hesitate to contact us using the info below. Remember we’re here to help you out, we understand this is not a situation you chose to be in and your needs are first and foremost in our mind.

Remember this, a short sale does not mean you can never own another home. It doesn’t mean you won’t ever have good credit again. What a short sale is for most who find themselves facing financial struggles is a first step to a clean start. Don’t ignore the problem cause it will just get worse. Get yourself educated and take action. It is never to late to get help. Just give us a call and we will do all the hard work on your behalf.

Your South Gate, Ca Short Sale Resource 

Guillermo Serafin

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CA Properties

BRE#01471159

DOI#0h04158

www.thinkingshortsale.com

info@thinkingshortsale.com

(877)801-1923 Ext-101

Turning Dreams into Accomplishments by Creating Customized Solutions 

  Guillermo Serafin

 Phone: (877) 801-1923 Ext. 101

 Fax: (877) 803-3190

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices 

California Properties

BRE #01471159

www.thinkingshortsale.com

info@thinkingshortsale.com

TURNING DREAMS

INTO ACCOMPLISHMENTS

EARTHQUAKE TIPS: BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER

South Gate Ca. 

Guillermo Serafin Broker Associate with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services CA Properties 

Earthquake Safety booklet.

Guillermo Serafin a local real estate and insurance Broker in South Gate California, realizing that the latest wave of seismic activity in the Los Angeles and Orange County area has put everyone on edge and wondering if the big one is coming. 

Went ahead and created a earthquake safety booklet for all concerned and wondering what are the best practices to keep themselves and their families safe.

Guillermo Serafin a Broker Associate with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services CA Properties, who specializes in helping both buyers and sellers who are buying and selling short sales and distressed properties and those consumers looking to get in to investing in real estate. Felt that even though we are in the information age and everything is at the tip of our fingers, creating a concise booklet with tips for before, during and after an earthquake would still be helpful to the local community.

Guillermo Said when asked why he thought it was important to put together the safety booklet, “To many times people are looking for information that can help and educate them on various topics and tragically all they usually come across while searching for that information is individuals and companies who are trying to sell them something. Our goal in our business is to educate and provide resources to all looking for advice.”

For those interested in receiving the no cost earthquake safety booklet created by Guillermo Serafin can email him and his team at yourvisionismine@yahoo.com.

  Guillermo Serafin

 Phone: (877) 801-1923 Ext. 101

 Fax: (877) 803-3190

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices 

California Properties

BRE #01471159

www.thinkingshortsale.com

info@thinkingshortsale.com

TURNING DREAMS

INTO ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Are Short Sales Still Necessary?

Are short sales still necessary?

The market is climbing, values are soaring, there is no need for short sales and people have equity again! At least this is what the media wants us all to believe.

The reality is in some markets values have climbed enough that a short sale is not something a potential seller needs to worry about. However, this isn’t always the case. There are still plenty of homes that are underwater and home owners who still need help. As a matter of fact some reports state that every 1 in 5 homes is either under water or in some form of default. In some markets the appreciation has risen slightly enough for the seller just to break even if they are lucky. Some experts say that 20% of the homes with mortgages still are at risk of foreclosure. When facing trouble with their home and mortgage. The first step is to find out what your homes worth. Any home owner can do so by going to www.myhomestruevalue.com where they can obtain a no cost quick valuation of their home. 

The good news is due to all of the short sales occurring in the last few years’, lenders have vastly improved their processes and procedures. With the vast amount of foreclosures and short sales on the market in 2009, more realtors have become more knowledgeable about these types of transactions. However, there are many that are just getting back into the game so do your research on the realtor/real estate company you decide to have help you.

Because now that values are appreciating, this in its self is causing issues for home owners who are trying to participate in a short sale. Lenders are coming back with unrealistic valuations that in most cases are forcing buyers to walk and transactions to fall through.

Part of the problem is the time that it takes to get an approval and actually close a short sale transaction. The longer it takes from the time the initial valuation inspection was performed by the bank to close,the most likely they are going to want to order a new inspection and then come back to the buyer with a higher asking price then originally agreed to buy the buyer and seller.

There are many ways to make sure to shorten the time it takes to close a short sale and you as the home owner can help the process greatly. Below I’ll just name a few things that can help your short sale run smoother and cut down on delays.

    1.  Make sure to provide your agent and lender any and all documentation requested in a timely manner.

1. 2. Disclose to your agent if you know or suspect of any potential liens or judgments that might be attached to you or the property that could affect the short sale.

1. 3. Inform your agent of any property conditions that could prevent your property from being financed or that could help your agent fight for a more realistic price.

The above are just a few things you as the home owner/seller can do to help the short sale process along. We have been transacting in short sales and distressed properties for 10years and are well versed on the process. Let us inform you of the options that may be available to you and if you can keep your home we will help you do so or whatever makes the best financial sense for your situation. 

We do not just push short sales; we are here to help home owners examine their situation and educate them with information that will assist them to make an informed decision that will benefit them now and in the future.

Give us a call for a no cost evaluation, we are here to help you and specialize in lifting your financial burdens by creating a customized market/financial analysis for you. So if your dream is to get out of your current situation, give us a call and let us help you regain financial freedom.

If you want to learn more about short sales we will be teaching a course at Cerritos College on March 8th that is open to the general public. This is a intense 4hour class that will give you a crash course on short sales and all the different aspects related to them. To register you can go to http://cerritos.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&int_class_id=41842 if the class doesn’t show up type in short sales in to the search bar.

  Guillermo Serafin

 Phone: (877) 801-1923 Ext. 101

 Fax: (877) 803-3190

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices 

California Properties

BRE #01471159

www.thinkingshortsale.com

info@thinkingshortsale.com

TURNING DREAMS

INTO ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Rancho Estate Home For Sale

3419 KALLIN AVE., LONG BEACH, CA 90808

Guillermo Serafin

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties

(877) 801-1923 Ext.120

www.3419kallinave.com

info@thinkingshortsale.com

Turning dreams into accomplishments by creating customized solutions.

3419 Kallin Ave., Long Beach, Ca 90808 (Rancho Estates)

Beautiful 1,242 Square Foot home built in 1953 sitting on a 5,137 Square Foot  lot with 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and garage listed at $499,000.

Schools

Preschools-

Montessori House of Children(Private)

      18523 S Arline Ave.,        (3.18 miles away)

       Artesia, Ca 90701

2.   Cerritos Kinder Care(Private)                                                                                 

      18727 Carmenita Rd.       (4.14 miles away)

      Cerritos, Ca 90703

3.   Montessori Greenhouse Schools(Private)

      4001 Howard Ave             (2.43 miles away)

      Los Alamitos, Ca 90720

Elementary-

1.   Bragg Elementary School(Public)

      11501 Boss St.                   (2.52 miles away)

      Cerritos, Ca 90703

2.   Frank C. Leal Elementary(Public)

      12920 Droxford St.           (3.73 miles away)

      Cerritos, Ca 90703

3.   Carver Elementary School(Public)

      5335 E Pavo St.                 (1.84 miles away)

      Long Beach, Ca 90808

Middle School-

1.   Oak Middle School(Public)

      10821 Oak St.               (1.58 miles away)

      Los Alamitos, Ca 90720

2.   St. Joseph Elementary School(Private)

      6200 E Willow St.             (1.37 miles away)

      Long Beach, Ca 90815

3.   Faye Ross Middle School(Public)

      17707 Elaine Ave.             (3.73 miles away)

      Artesia, Ca 90701

High School-

1.   Cerritos High School(Public)

      12500 E 183rd St.       (3.62 miles away)

      Cerritos, Ca 90703

2.   Acme Academy(Private)

      11071 Langley Dr.       (2.87 miles away)

      Los Alamitos, Ca 90720

3.   Richard Gahr High School(Public)

      11111 Artesia Blvd             (3.76 miles away)

      Cerritos, Ca 90703

Community Features

3419 Kallin Ave. is located within a track of 700 homes referred to as the Rancho Estates in Long Beach, Ca. This track of homes was designed by a renowned architect Cliff May and is bordered by the peaceful and tranquil El Dorado Park. Some of the local community amenities are as follows: Lakewood Mall(3.2 miles away), Regal Cinemas Theatre(1 mile away), Long Beach Museum Art(5.4 miles away), Ralphs(0.7 miles away), Wells Fargo Bank(0.9 miles away) and Shoreline Village(6.6 miles away).

The Long Beach, Ca. Real Estate Market Announces a addition to its inventory of homes for sale. Guillermo Serafin, a local expert in short sales has just listed http://www.3419kallinave.com which is a short sale. Guillermo Serafin states after being asked why he specializes in Short Sales.“I have chosen this specialty as I have lived and worked in this area for many years. I have a passion for troubled home owners and investors and want to help them in all of their short sale real estate transactions.” Says Guillermo, this new listing that isn’t on the local MLS yet is just another family he is helping to get out of a financial nightmare. “With every short sale I list it helps two families at the minimum every time. First the family we are helping to relieve of the financial hardship, then the family who is buying the home and starting there new life in a new home”. Mr. Serafin says.

Guillermo practices Real Estate in the City of South Gate, Ca. He serves not only the South Gate community but also its surrounding areas. He specializes in helping home owners and investors successfully sell and buy short sale properties and other distressed properties which serves troubled home owners and investors. 

Mr. Serafin has worked diligently to become a specialist in the field of short sales.To learn if Mr. Serafin can help you in your situation you can go to http://www.homepricingmadeeasy.com to get a accurate and current no cost home valuation  or attend his next training on March 8th 2014 at 9am Guillermo Serafin will be teaching his next short sales made easy course at Cerritos Community College. This is an intense 4 hour course that allows the general public to learn and ask questions about everything short sales, foreclosures, investing in real estate, and distressed properties. To attend and for more information consumers can go to                        http://cerritos.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassListing.ClassListingDisplay 

Guillermo Serafin

(877) 801-1923 Ext. 120

www.3419kallinave.com   Guillermo Serafin

 Phone: (877) 801-1923 Ext. 101

 Fax: (877) 803-3190

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices 

California Properties

BRE #01471159

www.thinkingshortsale.com

info@thinkingshortsale.com

TURNING DREAMS

INTO ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Bank of America making big changes to Short Sale Process

Bank of America making big changes to short sale process.

On January 6th 2014 Bank of America sent out an update to their realtor network. This would be agents and brokers who have closed short sale transactions with Bank of America and anyone that was registered with them in some way through either Equator (their software platform that is used to process their short sale transactions) or through some other form. The email announced that property valuation reports would now be issued to the customer and the agent assisting the customer through the short sale process. This is a huge change and should help with valuation disputes and making the short sale process run smoother as a whole.

Previously to Bank of America’s announcement property valuations were not released to the consumer or their agent. This meant that the property was inspected and the report was generated and then the point of contact for the short sale transaction would inform the agent or customer just that the offer that was submitted was to low and in most cases wouldn’t even disclose what the valuation report stated as a determined value. This practice forced the agents involved to just guess what the value could have been arrived at and make offers with no real idea from where the bank was obtaining their value opinion.  A lot of the times this lead to deals falling apart and home owners were then being foreclosed on.

The frustrating part for owners, potential buyers and agents is that sometimes after foreclosure the bank would take a lower offer at the foreclosure sale then what was originally being submitted prior to the foreclosure. We hope that with these new practices agents, owners and potential buyers will now be able to close more transactions and successfully dispute incorrect valuation reports. Now that the data will be released it will make it easier to see if the value opinion the bank is working off of is correct or flawed.

We pride ourselves in being extremely experienced with the valuation of properties so much so that we have been providing valuation services for banks for the last 7 years. If you want to know what your home is worth and are wondering if a short sale could be an option just go to www.homepricingmadeeasy.com

 to receive your own no cost home valuation. If your a buyer you can also go to www.homepricingmadeeasy.com to find out if a property your interested in purchasing is listed at a realistic price that a lender would normally approve.   

As a potential home seller, it is counter productive for you and your agent to list your property for sale at a price that has no chance of getting approved. All this does is put you the owner at a greater risk for short sale failure and potential foreclosure. So yes it truly is great news that Bank of America is deciding to release their valuation reports to the owners and agents. 

Now we just have to wait and see if knowing the value will actually make it easier to dispute incorrect values this will depend on Bank of America and how they handle value disputes from this point forward. A great deal of the problems with the values that are obtained by a lender who is considering a short sale for a client is that they use third party vendors who randomly assign the task of obtaining an appraisal or BPO for a property with no real knowledge of how familiar the appraiser or broker conducting the property valuation is with the neighborhood. Just for clarification a appraisal and a BPO are both reports of opinion of value in relation to a piece of real estate. An appraisal is done by an appraiser who’s only job is to evaluate properties for lenders and consumers and a BPO is done by a real estate agent or broker.

The old saying that knowledge is power in this situation couldn’t be any truer. We can just hope that having this knowledge doesn’t just turn in to making the processes even more frustrating for all involved. 

If you would like a no cost consultation of what your current situation is please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We have many years of experience working with distressed home owners. Remember our job and goal is to turn your dreams in to accomplishments by creating customized solutions. The only way we are able to do that is by always continuing to learn and improve ourselves and our processes. We invite you to sit down with us and let us get to know you and your story.

Guillermo Serafin

BRE#01471159

Phone: 18778011923 Ext-101

Email: info@thinkingshortsale.com

Efax: 18778033190

Berkshire Hathaway Home Services California Properties.

Turning Dreams in to Accomplishments by creating customized solutions.

<img src="https://service.ringcentral.com/picture/dot.gif" width="1" height="1"/><div style="cursor:pointer; display:inline-block;" onclick='var wind = window; var winop = wind.open; winop("https://service.ringcentral.com/ringme/?uc=8345850DF60C920AE5401B77B01F2D7489101851805010,0,101&s=no&v=2&s_=1210", "Callback_RingMe", "resizable=no,width=650,height=460"); return false;'>RingMe</div>  Guillermo Serafin

 Phone: (877) 801-1923 Ext. 101

 Fax: (877) 803-3190

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices 

California Properties

BRE #01471159

www.thinkingshortsale.com

info@thinkingshortsale.com

TURNING DREAMS

INTO ACCOMPLISHMENTS