Tuesday, May 1, 2012
2012 could be record year for short sales
2012 is on track to become a record year for short sales, according to a report from foreclosure data aggregator RealtyTrac. Sales of U.S. homes in the foreclosure process, typically short sales, rose 33 percent year over year, to 35,000, in January. A total of 32 states saw annual increases in short sales, and 12 states saw more short sales than REO (real estate owned) sales.
The short-sale increase comes after three years of declines following the inauguration of "a new presidential administration with a new approach to the foreclosure problem," wrote Daren Blomquist, RealtyTrac's vice president and author of the report.
"Short sales have long held great promise as a market-based solution to the nation's foreclosure problem, but short sales transactions over the past three years have actually declined after peaking in the first quarter of 2009," Blomquist said in a statement.
"January foreclosure sales numbers, along with first-quarter foreclosure activity, strongly indicate that downward trend is ending, and we believe 2012 could be a record year for short sales."
Several states saw triple- or double-digit yearly jumps in short sales in January, including Georgia (up 113 percent), Michigan (90 percent), California (52 percent), Texas (48 percent), Arizona (44 percent), Nevada (36 percent), and Florida (20 percent).
Although REOs continue to outnumber short sales nationwide, there were only 2,600 more REO sales than short sales in January. Nearly a quarter of states had more short sales than REO sales, including Utah, California, Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Colorado, New York and New Jersey, according to the report.
Six out of the 10 states with the highest share of short sales in January were in the West.
Of the 50 largest U.S. metro areas, nine out of the 10 metros with the highest share of short sales in January were in the West, six of them in California.
Even as short sales increase, the prices buyers pay for them have decreased. In fourth-quarter 2011, a pre-foreclosure property sold for an average $184,221, down 11.3 percent from fourth-quarter 2010. In January, such a property sold for $174,120, down 10 percent year over year.
Short sales are also selling for bigger discounts when compared to the average sales prices of nondistressed homes. Short-sale buyers received an average 21 percent discount in January, up from an average discount of 17 percent the year before. RealtyTrac does not take into account property condition or size when calculating discounts for distressed properties. Short sales in Massachusetts, Missouri and California saw the biggest discounts in January.
Short-sale timelines appear to be getting shorter. After peaking at 318 days in third-quarter 2011, the average number of days it took for a property to go from the start of the foreclosure process to its sale as a pre-foreclosure was 306 days in the first quarter, slightly down from 308 days in the fourth quarter.'
Although foreclosure starts -- either default notices or scheduled foreclosure auctions, depending on the state -- were down 11 percent from the previous year in March, last month also saw the third straight monthly rise in foreclosure starts. There are nearly 3.5 million delinquent borrowers nationwide; 41 percent of those borrowers are seriously delinquent and therefore at high risk for entering the foreclosure process and becoming short sales, RealtyTrac said.
Another, bigger potential pool of short-sellers are borrowers with underwater mortgages. More than 12.5 million borrowers owe at least 25 percent more on their mortgage than their home is worth.
"Even if these homeowners aren't struggling to make mortgage payments and therefore are at low risk for foreclosure, if they need to sell sometime in the next five years it's likely they'll need to sell via short sale," the report said.
Among lenders and loan servicers, Bank of America had the highest short-sale volume in January, followed by Chase and Wells Fargo. PNC Financial saw the biggest annual jump in short sales, followed by the Federal Housing Administration, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac combined.
Those three government-backed entities also had the lowest average short-sale prices in January, the biggest declines in average sales price for short sales, the lowest number of average days to sale, and the biggest decrease in time to sell.
Home seller pitfalls to avoid
Six years after the market peaked in 2006 and prices started to decline, many sellers are still in denial about the current market value of their homes. It's difficult for most sellers to accept the reality of today's home-sale market, whether they bought at or near the peak and will lose money selling today, or bought decades ago but are still stuck at 2006 prices.
One homeowner recently remarked that she was aware that home prices had dropped quite a bit over the last five years. But she felt that her home hadn't lost any value.
It's hard for homeowners to divorce themselves emotionally from a home they've enjoyed. But this is what sellers need to do so that they can make rational decisions about a list price that will actually result in a sale.
This decision should be based on listings that have sold in your area that could be considered somewhat comparable to your home. Some sellers go to open houses to evaluate the competition. If you're still emotionally wrapped up in your home, the exercise can be futile. You return home feeling that the other homes aren't as good as yours.
Put yourself in the buyers' shoes. This is easier for sellers who are also buying in this market. They know what it's like to want to make sure they're getting a good deal. Your house needs to be listed at a price that is enticing to buyers because it represents a good value. In most areas, buyers are buying in a market knowing that prices may continue to decline before the market fully recovers.
HOUSE HUNTING TIP: Be wary of real estate agents who tell you that your home will sell for a higher-than-supportable price just to get the listing. Then they work on you over time until you reduce the price to market value. Agents refer to this as buying a listing.
It's hard to resist the temptation of trying for a higher price than the comparable sales indicate. However, you won't be happy if your home is on the market for months with no activity, and each time you drop the price it feels like too little too late. You can end up selling for less later if home prices in your area are still declining.
Refinance appraisals are notoriously inaccurate in terms of market value -- either too high or too low. An appraiser is attempting to gauge what price a buyer would pay when there isn't a ratified contract that states what a buyer will pay. A high refinance appraisal can leave the seller with a false expectation.
Listing your home based on what you want or need to net from the sale won't motivate buyers to pay more. Buyers pay market value. They're won't overpay in today's market.
Find out what buyers are looking for in your area and see how your home matches up to their expectations. Generally, today's buyers are looking for a home that is well-located, in good condition and is priced right for the market.
If your home needs a lot of work compared with the competition, you'll either need to have work done before selling, or discount your price accordingly.
Walkable neighborhoods are highly desirable in some areas. If your home doesn't offer this amenity, you may have to make a price accommodation.
THE CLOSING: For best results, be realistic about the current market value of your home and what preparation it needs in order to sell successfully in today's market.
Dian Hymer is a real estate broker with more than 30 years' experience and a nationally syndicated real estate columnist.
A purchase strategy for distressed real estate
Many of the houses coming on the market today are foreclosure sales, which usually sell "as is" and are often in poor condition. This may create a buying opportunity for some buyers, but it may be a hazard for others.
Purchase opportunity
A purchase opportunity arises because many potential buyers don't want the hassle of fixing up a house in poor condition, which means that there are fewer competing buyers. In addition, those who sell houses "as is" are frequently in a hurry to get it done, which means that they are disinclined to wait for a higher offer.
The buyers in the best position to take advantage of such opportunities are those with the skills and knowledge required to assess what needs to be done and how much it will cost.
Risk of value uncertainty
But purchasing a house in poor condition has serious risks. One risk is the greater uncertainty connected to its value. The worse the condition, the more costly the improvements required to make the house livable, and the larger the potential error in judging in advance what these costs will be.
The appraisal may reduce but not eliminate the uncertainty connected to the property's value. Appraisers mainly rely on the sale prices of comparable properties, after adjusting for the differences between the subject property and the comparables.
But because information on the condition of comparables is often difficult for appraisers to obtain, the error in making price adjustments is relatively large when the property is in poor condition.
Risk of not finding a mortgage
But today the greater risk in buying a property in poor condition is that the buyer will be turned down for a mortgage or forced to find a lender who will make the loan but at a premium price.
This problem seldom arose before the financial crisis because there were very few foreclosure sales, and lenders generally operated on the assumption that valuation errors would be erased by property appreciation. Today, those looking to buy a house in poor condition need to consider this risk very carefully.
Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently developed a classification system for housing condition ranging from C1 (the best) to C6 (the worst), but only C6 is unacceptable to the agencies in "as is" condition. Nonetheless, many lenders require a C4 or better.
Rationale for condition requirement
It is understandable why the agencies that bear the risk of default would either require that the condition of mortgaged houses meet some minimum standard, or base their purchase prices or insurance premiums on house condition.
As noted above, the potential error in appraisals is larger for houses in poor condition, which would result in greater losses on loans that default. When defaults occur early, furthermore, the house that was in poor condition when the loan was made is very likely to be in poor condition at default, which increases marketing costs.
Why some lenders are stricter than the agencies, however, is not clear. Presumably the servicing of loans on properties in poor condition is less profitable, perhaps because these loans have relatively short lives. It is also possible that the cost to servicers of managing foreclosures of properties in poor condition is relatively high.
Whatever the reasons for lender caution, homebuyers looking for bargains in the sale of distressed properties need to take it into account in planning their purchase strategy.
A purchase strategy for distressed properties
An inspection report from a licensed expert will help in the decision as to whether to buy the house but will not eliminate uncertainty regarding how an appraiser will classify the condition of the house. If the house is classified C5 or C6, a loan may not be available.
If the sales contract has a mortgage contingency clause, which is a standard provision in some states, the buyer who can't get a mortgage because the property is classified C6 or C5 will get his earnest deposit back and the deal is canceled. However, the thwarted buyer will not be reimbursed for the cost of the inspection or the appraisal, which might total about $700.
If a property is being sold "as is" and the standard sales contract does not have a mortgage contingency clause, I would pass unless the seller agreed to return my earnest deposit if the property is classified C6 by the appraiser. You could be more conservative and require the return of the deposit with a C5, which would avoid a mortgage problem because most lenders will accept a C4 or better, but it may substantially reduce the number of sellers who will deal with you.
While accepting a C5 will give you access to more houses, you must find one or more lenders who will accept a C5. You would be well advised to do this in advance of purchase.
Jack Guttentag is professor of finance emeritus at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Purchase opportunity
A purchase opportunity arises because many potential buyers don't want the hassle of fixing up a house in poor condition, which means that there are fewer competing buyers. In addition, those who sell houses "as is" are frequently in a hurry to get it done, which means that they are disinclined to wait for a higher offer.
The buyers in the best position to take advantage of such opportunities are those with the skills and knowledge required to assess what needs to be done and how much it will cost.
Risk of value uncertainty
But purchasing a house in poor condition has serious risks. One risk is the greater uncertainty connected to its value. The worse the condition, the more costly the improvements required to make the house livable, and the larger the potential error in judging in advance what these costs will be.
The appraisal may reduce but not eliminate the uncertainty connected to the property's value. Appraisers mainly rely on the sale prices of comparable properties, after adjusting for the differences between the subject property and the comparables.
But because information on the condition of comparables is often difficult for appraisers to obtain, the error in making price adjustments is relatively large when the property is in poor condition.
Risk of not finding a mortgage
But today the greater risk in buying a property in poor condition is that the buyer will be turned down for a mortgage or forced to find a lender who will make the loan but at a premium price.
This problem seldom arose before the financial crisis because there were very few foreclosure sales, and lenders generally operated on the assumption that valuation errors would be erased by property appreciation. Today, those looking to buy a house in poor condition need to consider this risk very carefully.
Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently developed a classification system for housing condition ranging from C1 (the best) to C6 (the worst), but only C6 is unacceptable to the agencies in "as is" condition. Nonetheless, many lenders require a C4 or better.
Rationale for condition requirement
It is understandable why the agencies that bear the risk of default would either require that the condition of mortgaged houses meet some minimum standard, or base their purchase prices or insurance premiums on house condition.
As noted above, the potential error in appraisals is larger for houses in poor condition, which would result in greater losses on loans that default. When defaults occur early, furthermore, the house that was in poor condition when the loan was made is very likely to be in poor condition at default, which increases marketing costs.
Why some lenders are stricter than the agencies, however, is not clear. Presumably the servicing of loans on properties in poor condition is less profitable, perhaps because these loans have relatively short lives. It is also possible that the cost to servicers of managing foreclosures of properties in poor condition is relatively high.
Whatever the reasons for lender caution, homebuyers looking for bargains in the sale of distressed properties need to take it into account in planning their purchase strategy.
A purchase strategy for distressed properties
An inspection report from a licensed expert will help in the decision as to whether to buy the house but will not eliminate uncertainty regarding how an appraiser will classify the condition of the house. If the house is classified C5 or C6, a loan may not be available.
If the sales contract has a mortgage contingency clause, which is a standard provision in some states, the buyer who can't get a mortgage because the property is classified C6 or C5 will get his earnest deposit back and the deal is canceled. However, the thwarted buyer will not be reimbursed for the cost of the inspection or the appraisal, which might total about $700.
If a property is being sold "as is" and the standard sales contract does not have a mortgage contingency clause, I would pass unless the seller agreed to return my earnest deposit if the property is classified C6 by the appraiser. You could be more conservative and require the return of the deposit with a C5, which would avoid a mortgage problem because most lenders will accept a C4 or better, but it may substantially reduce the number of sellers who will deal with you.
While accepting a C5 will give you access to more houses, you must find one or more lenders who will accept a C5. You would be well advised to do this in advance of purchase.
Jack Guttentag is professor of finance emeritus at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Six elements of a compelling home seller love letter
Recent reports suggest that the real estate market might be picking up. That said, sellers from coast to coast are still doing everything within their power to differentiate their home from the scads of other competitive listings.
However, there is one super-simple, vastly underrated marketing technique for homes that are having a hard time standing out from the rest of the market: the seller love letter.A seller love letter is a note, personally written or typed up by the home's seller. Among other things, it expresses the love the seller's family has had for the home, and explains the facts and events underlying that sentiment.I've seen these be as short as a single page, and as long as a binder containing a 10-page letter and a collection of supporting pictures and other documents.
If the power of staging lies in depersonalizing the property so buyers can picture their own family living out their own lives in the home, the power of a seller love letter is that it leaves buyers with a warm feeling that the home has a positive energy and history, which is especially desirable in today's distressed property-riddled market.
Here are six things smart sellers should consider including in their love letters about their homes to their buyers:
1. Fond family memories. Now, there's no reason to get all "TMI" (too much information) about it, but the fact is that buyers do love to hear sweet, fond family memories about a property. Buyers who like a home can fall desperately in love with it as they read about the seller's parents' building the home, and then raising a flourishing family there.
Even much newer homes can have their own endearing stories, whether they be about a hard-charging professional bachelor who is moving out of a loft to start a family; about retirees who raised their kids there and are now moving to downsize and be near their grandkids; or about a smart, single woman who was the first person in her family to own a home.
The goal here is to create warm fuzzies while you satisfy the buyer's craving to know why on earth anyone would want to move from such a lovely place. And if you can tell a happy story, you can kill another bird with a single stone – distinguishing your place from all the tragic stories and sadness surrounding the short sales and foreclosures with which your home is competing.
2. Favorite neighborhood vendors and local businesses. One reason people dread moving so much is that it forces them to find new vendors for everything, especially for the practicalities and minutiae that can derail our schedules and lives if they don't run well. If you have neighborhood businesses you love, making a list of them and including them with your love letter is very much appreciated by buyers.
Take care to include things like: dry cleaners, house cleaners, landscapers, carpet cleaners, produce markets and butchers, and especially restaurants that have great take-out and delivery services.
You get extra points if you know the proprietor and authorize the buyer to drop your name, or you include menus with your list of restaurants that deliver to the property address.
3. Lifestyle amenities that map to local buyer wish lists. Give some thought to the sorts of things people looking to buy a home like yours might be looking for, from a lifestyle perspective, and include notes about any of those amenities in the neighborhood that you and your family or housemates have especially enjoyed. Things like dog parks, playgrounds, running trails, yoga studios, libraries and bookstores, museums and outdoor recreational opportunities make great fodder for this list.
4. History of upgrades. Of course, your state-required disclosure forms will include a pithy section for relating the repairs and upgrades you've done in the time you owned the property, but you can take that to a new level in your seller love letter with a free-form description of the work, color commentary (if it makes sense) around why and how you had it done, and a little appendix that includes any relevant plans, permits warranties, receipts, service contracts and the like.
(Obviously, you don't want to include the originals of these items if this love letter document will be left out in the property during showings.)
If there are any issues or repairs that are likely to come up in the buyer's inspection reports that you want to explain in more detail, the love letter can give you your chance to do just that.
5. Property details and tricks. If you have a detailed landscape plan that identifies all the plants and trees in your yards, tricks for how to work the heating and cooling timer or the tricky downstairs doors, details on when the neighborhood trash pickup happens, or info about your alarm, termite or other service contracts, prospective buyers will feel well taken care of if you compile and include all this information with your love letter and let them see it before they even make an offer.
6. Neighbors. If you have particularly close and friendly relationships with any specific neighbors, or there are block parties, online or email Listservs, homeowners association (HOA) or neighborhood watch meetings or other favorites, ones with kids, block party, watch meetings, other things being planned/organized, let the buyers know.
You see, a good seller love letter is equal parts lovey-dovey and logistical, but the care that goes into preparing it and the love that is evident in its content can be a significant selling point to buyers weary of dealing with bank sellers or stressful short-sale situations.
Whatever you do, if you decide to write a seller love letter for your home, review your plans and thoughts about what to include with your local agent first. You want to make sure not to run afoul of any equal opportunity housing laws or disclosure laws.
As well, waxing rhapsodic about all the weekends you invested in the terrible mural on the wall might be more concerning than compelling to buyers who think they could live in your home easily -- assuming they paint over the mural on day one as the new owners.
Tara-Nicholle Nelson is an author and is also the Consumer Ambassador and Educator for real estate listings search site Trulia.com.
However, there is one super-simple, vastly underrated marketing technique for homes that are having a hard time standing out from the rest of the market: the seller love letter.A seller love letter is a note, personally written or typed up by the home's seller. Among other things, it expresses the love the seller's family has had for the home, and explains the facts and events underlying that sentiment.I've seen these be as short as a single page, and as long as a binder containing a 10-page letter and a collection of supporting pictures and other documents.
If the power of staging lies in depersonalizing the property so buyers can picture their own family living out their own lives in the home, the power of a seller love letter is that it leaves buyers with a warm feeling that the home has a positive energy and history, which is especially desirable in today's distressed property-riddled market.
Here are six things smart sellers should consider including in their love letters about their homes to their buyers:
1. Fond family memories. Now, there's no reason to get all "TMI" (too much information) about it, but the fact is that buyers do love to hear sweet, fond family memories about a property. Buyers who like a home can fall desperately in love with it as they read about the seller's parents' building the home, and then raising a flourishing family there.
Even much newer homes can have their own endearing stories, whether they be about a hard-charging professional bachelor who is moving out of a loft to start a family; about retirees who raised their kids there and are now moving to downsize and be near their grandkids; or about a smart, single woman who was the first person in her family to own a home.
The goal here is to create warm fuzzies while you satisfy the buyer's craving to know why on earth anyone would want to move from such a lovely place. And if you can tell a happy story, you can kill another bird with a single stone – distinguishing your place from all the tragic stories and sadness surrounding the short sales and foreclosures with which your home is competing.
2. Favorite neighborhood vendors and local businesses. One reason people dread moving so much is that it forces them to find new vendors for everything, especially for the practicalities and minutiae that can derail our schedules and lives if they don't run well. If you have neighborhood businesses you love, making a list of them and including them with your love letter is very much appreciated by buyers.
Take care to include things like: dry cleaners, house cleaners, landscapers, carpet cleaners, produce markets and butchers, and especially restaurants that have great take-out and delivery services.
You get extra points if you know the proprietor and authorize the buyer to drop your name, or you include menus with your list of restaurants that deliver to the property address.
3. Lifestyle amenities that map to local buyer wish lists. Give some thought to the sorts of things people looking to buy a home like yours might be looking for, from a lifestyle perspective, and include notes about any of those amenities in the neighborhood that you and your family or housemates have especially enjoyed. Things like dog parks, playgrounds, running trails, yoga studios, libraries and bookstores, museums and outdoor recreational opportunities make great fodder for this list.
4. History of upgrades. Of course, your state-required disclosure forms will include a pithy section for relating the repairs and upgrades you've done in the time you owned the property, but you can take that to a new level in your seller love letter with a free-form description of the work, color commentary (if it makes sense) around why and how you had it done, and a little appendix that includes any relevant plans, permits warranties, receipts, service contracts and the like.
(Obviously, you don't want to include the originals of these items if this love letter document will be left out in the property during showings.)
If there are any issues or repairs that are likely to come up in the buyer's inspection reports that you want to explain in more detail, the love letter can give you your chance to do just that.
5. Property details and tricks. If you have a detailed landscape plan that identifies all the plants and trees in your yards, tricks for how to work the heating and cooling timer or the tricky downstairs doors, details on when the neighborhood trash pickup happens, or info about your alarm, termite or other service contracts, prospective buyers will feel well taken care of if you compile and include all this information with your love letter and let them see it before they even make an offer.
6. Neighbors. If you have particularly close and friendly relationships with any specific neighbors, or there are block parties, online or email Listservs, homeowners association (HOA) or neighborhood watch meetings or other favorites, ones with kids, block party, watch meetings, other things being planned/organized, let the buyers know.
You see, a good seller love letter is equal parts lovey-dovey and logistical, but the care that goes into preparing it and the love that is evident in its content can be a significant selling point to buyers weary of dealing with bank sellers or stressful short-sale situations.
Whatever you do, if you decide to write a seller love letter for your home, review your plans and thoughts about what to include with your local agent first. You want to make sure not to run afoul of any equal opportunity housing laws or disclosure laws.
As well, waxing rhapsodic about all the weekends you invested in the terrible mural on the wall might be more concerning than compelling to buyers who think they could live in your home easily -- assuming they paint over the mural on day one as the new owners.
Tara-Nicholle Nelson is an author and is also the Consumer Ambassador and Educator for real estate listings search site Trulia.com.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Real estate tips to guard against losing your home
Time and time again, home-buyer wannabes state that the reason they are still fence-sitting is that they don't want to end up in the same trouble the last generation of homeowners did.
Well, there's a very slim chance of that happening, given the changes in the market climate: Homes are at rock-bottom prices (not sky-high), and mortgage guidelines are so conservative it is nearly impossible to even find one of the zero-down, quick-to-adjust, stated-income mortgages of yesteryear.
With that said, though, there is a handful of rules today's home buyers and homeowners can follow to dramatically minimize the chances they will ever face losing their homes:
1. Never a borrower or a lender be. OK, so maybe NEVER is strong, but you'd be surprised at how many foreclosed homeowners actually bought their homes with conservative loans and at low prices many years ago, but got into trouble taking new mortgages and pulling cash out at the top of the market (then not being able to refinance or make the adjusted payment at the bottom).
Today's home buyers can avoid this fate by starting out their homeowning careers with some ground rules in place around borrowing against their homes.
A good (albeit conservative) place to start is this rule: Decide not to borrow against your home equity for anything but well-planned home improvements.
Here's another one: Whatever you do, don't borrow against your home to lend money to someone else. I've seen dozens of homeowners over the years borrow to make an "investment" in a friend's business or to lend money to a child or a parent. Borrowing against your home's equity to make an investment in a business you know nothing about is a complete gamble with your home. Don't do it.
2. Stop financial codependency. Related to the rule of thumb about borrowing to lend is this change of the bad habit of financial codependency.
This comes up most often when homeowners borrow money against their home or tap into their emergency cash cushion (leaving themselves unable to make their mortgage payments if they lose their job, etc.) to help an adult child make their own mortgage payments or bail them out of another crisis situation.
It also comes up where one spouse supports another spouse's habit of overspending, debting, underearning, gambling, or even substance abuse, and ends up going into a financial hole as a result. Over time, these cases can create the temptation or even desperation to further leverage your home, and can run through a savings account, leaving the homeowner exposed and vulnerable in the face of a temporary disability, job loss or recession.
There are a number of powerful books on the market about how to cease being codependent, but many people struggle to recognize they even have this issue until it's too late. Here's a hint: If you regularly use money to protect a loved one from the natural consequences of their behavior, you are engaging in codependent behavior.
3. Stay conscious. Going on money autopilot, without occasional check-ins, is the root of many financial woes. Many money experts recommend automating your monthly payments so that your recurring bills are paid on time, every time. And almost any homeowner will vouch that there are few bills that seem to come up as frequently as your mortgage!
The problem is that once you automate your payments, it's very easy to fall into the habit of simply ignoring your actual statements -- and they may contain information that flags issues before they snowball into serious problems.
One homeowner recently realized that through no fault of her own, and despite never having missed an auto-payment, her home was facing foreclosure -- all because the bank had somehow erroneously started crediting her payments to someone else's mortgage account!
Also, financial autopilot mode can support habits like overspending and overdebting; the minimum payments may always get made without much attention from you, but the overall balances will rear their ugly heads and possibly pose a threat to your ability to pay your mortgage, in the event you ever face a job loss, medical bills or other financial crisis.
4. Do your own math before you buy. Only you can know the full extent of your non-housing-related financial obligations and values. Things like catch-up retirement savings, tithing and charitable giving, private school tuition, medical costs and the like can take big chunks out of your monthly budget that your mortgage pro is not accounting for when he or she tells you how much of a mortgage you're qualified to borrow.
So, before you ever speak with a mortgage broker, it's up to you as a responsible buyer and adult to get a very clear understanding of your own personal income and expenses, assets and priorities, and to use that knowledge to decide how much you can afford to put down and to spend monthly for a home.
Fortunately, an increasing number of are buyers doing this, and actually choosing to buy a home that costs much less than they are technically qualified for.
5. Don't buy a house to fix a family or psychological problem. Beware of "pulling a geographic" -- moving to a new neighborhood or town to try to run from your problems and bad habits.
Experts caution against expecting the move to solve the problem on the grounds that, in the words of mindfulness guru Jon Kabat-Zinn, "wherever you go, there you are." If you have bad habits in Chicago, moving to L.A. doesn't purge the bad habits -- only working on the actual dysfunction itself will do that.
There's a real estate-specific version of pulling a geographic, which we'll call "pulling a residential." This is where people buy a home or buy a new home in an effort to cure a deeper family or psychological issue; sort of like that old (and equally bad) idea of having a baby to try to save your marriage.
If your children are fighting because they lack personal space, that's one thing. But if there are deeper issues going on with your children, your family or your relationship (even your relationship with yourself), do not fantasize that owning a home or moving up is going to automatically solve them.
In fact, the opposite is often true: The larger the financial and maintenance obligations that come with a home, the more a mortgage and property taxes can add strain to already troubled relationships.
Tara-Nicholle Nelson is an author and the Consumer Ambassador and Educator for real estate listings search site Trulia.com.
Well, there's a very slim chance of that happening, given the changes in the market climate: Homes are at rock-bottom prices (not sky-high), and mortgage guidelines are so conservative it is nearly impossible to even find one of the zero-down, quick-to-adjust, stated-income mortgages of yesteryear.
With that said, though, there is a handful of rules today's home buyers and homeowners can follow to dramatically minimize the chances they will ever face losing their homes:
1. Never a borrower or a lender be. OK, so maybe NEVER is strong, but you'd be surprised at how many foreclosed homeowners actually bought their homes with conservative loans and at low prices many years ago, but got into trouble taking new mortgages and pulling cash out at the top of the market (then not being able to refinance or make the adjusted payment at the bottom).
Today's home buyers can avoid this fate by starting out their homeowning careers with some ground rules in place around borrowing against their homes.
A good (albeit conservative) place to start is this rule: Decide not to borrow against your home equity for anything but well-planned home improvements.
Here's another one: Whatever you do, don't borrow against your home to lend money to someone else. I've seen dozens of homeowners over the years borrow to make an "investment" in a friend's business or to lend money to a child or a parent. Borrowing against your home's equity to make an investment in a business you know nothing about is a complete gamble with your home. Don't do it.
2. Stop financial codependency. Related to the rule of thumb about borrowing to lend is this change of the bad habit of financial codependency.
This comes up most often when homeowners borrow money against their home or tap into their emergency cash cushion (leaving themselves unable to make their mortgage payments if they lose their job, etc.) to help an adult child make their own mortgage payments or bail them out of another crisis situation.
It also comes up where one spouse supports another spouse's habit of overspending, debting, underearning, gambling, or even substance abuse, and ends up going into a financial hole as a result. Over time, these cases can create the temptation or even desperation to further leverage your home, and can run through a savings account, leaving the homeowner exposed and vulnerable in the face of a temporary disability, job loss or recession.
There are a number of powerful books on the market about how to cease being codependent, but many people struggle to recognize they even have this issue until it's too late. Here's a hint: If you regularly use money to protect a loved one from the natural consequences of their behavior, you are engaging in codependent behavior.
3. Stay conscious. Going on money autopilot, without occasional check-ins, is the root of many financial woes. Many money experts recommend automating your monthly payments so that your recurring bills are paid on time, every time. And almost any homeowner will vouch that there are few bills that seem to come up as frequently as your mortgage!
The problem is that once you automate your payments, it's very easy to fall into the habit of simply ignoring your actual statements -- and they may contain information that flags issues before they snowball into serious problems.
One homeowner recently realized that through no fault of her own, and despite never having missed an auto-payment, her home was facing foreclosure -- all because the bank had somehow erroneously started crediting her payments to someone else's mortgage account!
Also, financial autopilot mode can support habits like overspending and overdebting; the minimum payments may always get made without much attention from you, but the overall balances will rear their ugly heads and possibly pose a threat to your ability to pay your mortgage, in the event you ever face a job loss, medical bills or other financial crisis.
4. Do your own math before you buy. Only you can know the full extent of your non-housing-related financial obligations and values. Things like catch-up retirement savings, tithing and charitable giving, private school tuition, medical costs and the like can take big chunks out of your monthly budget that your mortgage pro is not accounting for when he or she tells you how much of a mortgage you're qualified to borrow.
So, before you ever speak with a mortgage broker, it's up to you as a responsible buyer and adult to get a very clear understanding of your own personal income and expenses, assets and priorities, and to use that knowledge to decide how much you can afford to put down and to spend monthly for a home.
Fortunately, an increasing number of are buyers doing this, and actually choosing to buy a home that costs much less than they are technically qualified for.
5. Don't buy a house to fix a family or psychological problem. Beware of "pulling a geographic" -- moving to a new neighborhood or town to try to run from your problems and bad habits.
Experts caution against expecting the move to solve the problem on the grounds that, in the words of mindfulness guru Jon Kabat-Zinn, "wherever you go, there you are." If you have bad habits in Chicago, moving to L.A. doesn't purge the bad habits -- only working on the actual dysfunction itself will do that.
There's a real estate-specific version of pulling a geographic, which we'll call "pulling a residential." This is where people buy a home or buy a new home in an effort to cure a deeper family or psychological issue; sort of like that old (and equally bad) idea of having a baby to try to save your marriage.
If your children are fighting because they lack personal space, that's one thing. But if there are deeper issues going on with your children, your family or your relationship (even your relationship with yourself), do not fantasize that owning a home or moving up is going to automatically solve them.
In fact, the opposite is often true: The larger the financial and maintenance obligations that come with a home, the more a mortgage and property taxes can add strain to already troubled relationships.
Tara-Nicholle Nelson is an author and the Consumer Ambassador and Educator for real estate listings search site Trulia.com.
NAR: 2012 home sales will be strongest in past 5 years
The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® is predicting existing-home sales will jump 7 to 10 percent in 2012 to the highest level in five years, based on an "uneven but higher sales pattern" so far this year.
Pending home sales fell a seasonally adjusted 0.5 percent from January to February, which was up 9.2 percent from the same time a year ago, NAR said in releasing its latest Pending Home Sales Index.
NAR also reported a similar trend for existing-home sales, which were down 0.9 percent from January to February, but up 8.8 percent from a year ago.
The pending sales data released today provides a glimpse into more recent trends, because it tracks homes that were under contract in February -- deals that will in most cases be finalized within one or two months.
NAR said 31 percent of REALTORS® experienced contract failures in February, in some cases because buyers' mortgage applications were rejected or because appraisals came in below the negotiated price.
In the Northeast, NAR's index slipped a seasonally adjusted 0.6 percent from January but was up 18.4 percent from a year ago.
The Midwest saw a month-over-month gain of 6.5 percent and a 19 percent gain from a year ago.
Pending home sales fell 3 percent in the South from January to February, but were up 7.8 percent from a year ago.
In the West, the index declined 2.6 percent from January to February and was 1.8 percent below the index rating in February 2011.
In its latest economic forecast, NAR predicts existing-home sales will total 4.65 million in 2012, up 9.1 percent from last year. That forecast assumes that the U.S. economy will grow at a 2.3 percent annual rate and add 2.7 million jobs this year.
Pending home sales fell a seasonally adjusted 0.5 percent from January to February, which was up 9.2 percent from the same time a year ago, NAR said in releasing its latest Pending Home Sales Index.
NAR also reported a similar trend for existing-home sales, which were down 0.9 percent from January to February, but up 8.8 percent from a year ago.
The pending sales data released today provides a glimpse into more recent trends, because it tracks homes that were under contract in February -- deals that will in most cases be finalized within one or two months.
NAR said 31 percent of REALTORS® experienced contract failures in February, in some cases because buyers' mortgage applications were rejected or because appraisals came in below the negotiated price.
In the Northeast, NAR's index slipped a seasonally adjusted 0.6 percent from January but was up 18.4 percent from a year ago.
The Midwest saw a month-over-month gain of 6.5 percent and a 19 percent gain from a year ago.
Pending home sales fell 3 percent in the South from January to February, but were up 7.8 percent from a year ago.
In the West, the index declined 2.6 percent from January to February and was 1.8 percent below the index rating in February 2011.
In its latest economic forecast, NAR predicts existing-home sales will total 4.65 million in 2012, up 9.1 percent from last year. That forecast assumes that the U.S. economy will grow at a 2.3 percent annual rate and add 2.7 million jobs this year.
Who's responsible for defects discovered after closing?
Home buyers who buy during the dry season can be in for an unpleasant surprise when the roof leaks or the basement floods after the first rain. Who is responsible for damage caused by water intrusion and for making the necessary repairs to prevent it from happening again?
It's possible that you are responsible if information about potential water intrusion was disclosed to you before you closed the sale and you accepted the property in its "as is" condition regarding this.
For example, if there are trees overhanging the roof gutters, and the sellers and your home inspector told you the gutters need to be kept free of debris, you probably won't get very far asking the sellers to repair roof leaks if it turns out they were caused by your lack of maintenance. When gutters get clogged, water can back up and run into the house.
The first thing you should do if you discover a defect after closing that you think is either a new condition or something you're sure has happened in the past is to look through the inspection reports and disclosures, if there were any, to see if you were made aware of this before you bought.
Plenty of paperwork is generated during today's home-sale transactions, but many buyers and sellers are prone to recycle most of it as soon as the sale closes. It's a good idea to reduce the amount of paper, but not the critical information you'll need for tax purposes, such as your settlement statement and documentation of the property's condition.
Ideally, the purchase contract and addenda, any disclosures and all inspection reports should be burned to a CD for your records before recycling the paper copies.
What should you do if you clean the gutters but the roof still leaks during the next rain? Did you have the roof inspected before you bought? Was maintenance recommended? Did you have the work done? If so, call the roofer. If the seller hired a roofer to maintain the roof, make sure you have documentation that identifies the work that was done, and contact that roofer.
Dealing with defects discovered after closing is not always black and white.
For example, let's say the sellers told you that they occasionally found a small amount of water in the basement after a heavy rain.
In fact, the basement floods when it rains so that it can't be used for storage, and the flooding is rusting the bottom of the furnace and the hot water heater. A fix for a problem like this could be expensive if it requires a new drainage system.
HOUSE HUNTING TIP: Your purchase contract should detail how disputes will be dealt with if they can't be solved by the parties involved or with the help of their real estate agents.
Some contracts call for disputes to be mediated before they are either resolved through arbitration or in court. In any event, you should contact a knowledgeable real estate attorney for answers to any questions regarding who's responsible for defects disclosed after closing.
Be sure to hire the best inspectors you can find in your area. Disclosure requirements vary from state to state. Also, many buyers buy bank-owned or estate-sale properties where there typically aren't thorough disclosures because the owners didn't occupy the property and may be exempt from providing disclosures.
A good home inspector would see signs of flooding in the basement, such as bubbling paint on the foundation walls, rust on the bottom of the furnace, and water stains, unless they have been intentionally covered up by the seller. If the home inspector recommends hiring a drainage specialist to look at the property, be sure to follow through with this.
THE CLOSING: It's best to resolve property defect issues before closing, if possible.
Dian Hymer is a nationally syndicated real estate columnist and author.
It's possible that you are responsible if information about potential water intrusion was disclosed to you before you closed the sale and you accepted the property in its "as is" condition regarding this.
For example, if there are trees overhanging the roof gutters, and the sellers and your home inspector told you the gutters need to be kept free of debris, you probably won't get very far asking the sellers to repair roof leaks if it turns out they were caused by your lack of maintenance. When gutters get clogged, water can back up and run into the house.
The first thing you should do if you discover a defect after closing that you think is either a new condition or something you're sure has happened in the past is to look through the inspection reports and disclosures, if there were any, to see if you were made aware of this before you bought.
Plenty of paperwork is generated during today's home-sale transactions, but many buyers and sellers are prone to recycle most of it as soon as the sale closes. It's a good idea to reduce the amount of paper, but not the critical information you'll need for tax purposes, such as your settlement statement and documentation of the property's condition.
Ideally, the purchase contract and addenda, any disclosures and all inspection reports should be burned to a CD for your records before recycling the paper copies.
What should you do if you clean the gutters but the roof still leaks during the next rain? Did you have the roof inspected before you bought? Was maintenance recommended? Did you have the work done? If so, call the roofer. If the seller hired a roofer to maintain the roof, make sure you have documentation that identifies the work that was done, and contact that roofer.
Dealing with defects discovered after closing is not always black and white.
For example, let's say the sellers told you that they occasionally found a small amount of water in the basement after a heavy rain.
In fact, the basement floods when it rains so that it can't be used for storage, and the flooding is rusting the bottom of the furnace and the hot water heater. A fix for a problem like this could be expensive if it requires a new drainage system.
HOUSE HUNTING TIP: Your purchase contract should detail how disputes will be dealt with if they can't be solved by the parties involved or with the help of their real estate agents.
Some contracts call for disputes to be mediated before they are either resolved through arbitration or in court. In any event, you should contact a knowledgeable real estate attorney for answers to any questions regarding who's responsible for defects disclosed after closing.
Be sure to hire the best inspectors you can find in your area. Disclosure requirements vary from state to state. Also, many buyers buy bank-owned or estate-sale properties where there typically aren't thorough disclosures because the owners didn't occupy the property and may be exempt from providing disclosures.
A good home inspector would see signs of flooding in the basement, such as bubbling paint on the foundation walls, rust on the bottom of the furnace, and water stains, unless they have been intentionally covered up by the seller. If the home inspector recommends hiring a drainage specialist to look at the property, be sure to follow through with this.
THE CLOSING: It's best to resolve property defect issues before closing, if possible.
Dian Hymer is a nationally syndicated real estate columnist and author.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Foreclosure backlogs persist
The improving job market and economy is helping push mortgage delinquencies and foreclosure starts down, but the percentage of loans in the foreclosure process remains stubbornly high, especially in states most affected by robo-signing issues, according to a quarterly survey of lenders by the Mortgage Bankers Association.
Since peaking at 10.1 percent in March 2010, the percentage of borrowers behind on their house payments has fallen to a seasonally adjusted 7.6 percent at the end of 2011 -- about halfway to the pre-recession average of roughly 5 percent, said MBA Chief Economist Jay Brinkmann.
The percentage of loans entering the foreclosure process -- which before the downturn averaged just under 0.5 percent -- has also declined, from a peak of 1.4 percent at the end of third-quarter 2009 to 1 percent at the end of fourth-quarter 2011.
But at 4.4 percent, the percentage of loans in the foreclosure process at the end of 2011 was not far off the all-time high of 4.6 percent seen at the end of 2010. That compares to the long-term norm of roughly 1.2 percent.
Robo-signing issues -- which lenders hope to put behind them this year as they implement recently announced settlement with state attorneys general -- have created foreclosure backlogs.
While foreclosure starts are falling, it's taking loan servicers longer to auction off or repossess homes once they enter the foreclosure process, particularly in states where courts oversee the process.
In "judicial foreclosure" states where courts handle most foreclosures, 6.8 percent of mortgages were in foreclosure at the end of 2011. In "nonjudicial" foreclosure states where most foreclosures are processed outside of the court system, loan servicers are clearing the backlog more quickly, and 2.8 percent of mortgages were in foreclosure.
The MBA survey covers 42.9 million loans on one- to four-unit residential properties, or about 88 percent of all first-lien mortgages. Extrapolating the survey’s results suggests that of the 48.75 million mortgages outstanding at the end of 2011, 2.13 million were in the foreclosure process.
Five states accounted for more than half of all loans in foreclosure -- Florida, California, Illinois, New York and New Jersey. All but California are judicial foreclosure states.
The 10 states with the greatest percentage of mortgages in foreclosure were: Florida (14.27 percent), New Jersey (8.21 percent), Illinois (7.41 percent), Nevada (7.03 percent), Maine (5.92 percent), New York (5.88 percent), Connecticut (5.05 percent), Hawaii (4.97 percent), Ohio (4.94 percent), and Indiana (4.94 percent). All but Nevada are judicial foreclosure states.
The states with the lowest foreclosure rates were: Wyoming (1.03 percent), North Dakota (1.05 percent), Alaska (1.06 percent), Nebraska (1.55 percent), South Dakota (1.75 percent), Montana (1.76 percent), Texas (1.78 percent), Virginia (1.84 percent), Alabama (1.94 percent), and Arkansas (1.97 percent). Among those states, only North Dakota handles foreclosures judicially.
Since peaking at 10.1 percent in March 2010, the percentage of borrowers behind on their house payments has fallen to a seasonally adjusted 7.6 percent at the end of 2011 -- about halfway to the pre-recession average of roughly 5 percent, said MBA Chief Economist Jay Brinkmann.
The percentage of loans entering the foreclosure process -- which before the downturn averaged just under 0.5 percent -- has also declined, from a peak of 1.4 percent at the end of third-quarter 2009 to 1 percent at the end of fourth-quarter 2011.
But at 4.4 percent, the percentage of loans in the foreclosure process at the end of 2011 was not far off the all-time high of 4.6 percent seen at the end of 2010. That compares to the long-term norm of roughly 1.2 percent.
Robo-signing issues -- which lenders hope to put behind them this year as they implement recently announced settlement with state attorneys general -- have created foreclosure backlogs.
While foreclosure starts are falling, it's taking loan servicers longer to auction off or repossess homes once they enter the foreclosure process, particularly in states where courts oversee the process.
In "judicial foreclosure" states where courts handle most foreclosures, 6.8 percent of mortgages were in foreclosure at the end of 2011. In "nonjudicial" foreclosure states where most foreclosures are processed outside of the court system, loan servicers are clearing the backlog more quickly, and 2.8 percent of mortgages were in foreclosure.
The MBA survey covers 42.9 million loans on one- to four-unit residential properties, or about 88 percent of all first-lien mortgages. Extrapolating the survey’s results suggests that of the 48.75 million mortgages outstanding at the end of 2011, 2.13 million were in the foreclosure process.
Five states accounted for more than half of all loans in foreclosure -- Florida, California, Illinois, New York and New Jersey. All but California are judicial foreclosure states.
The 10 states with the greatest percentage of mortgages in foreclosure were: Florida (14.27 percent), New Jersey (8.21 percent), Illinois (7.41 percent), Nevada (7.03 percent), Maine (5.92 percent), New York (5.88 percent), Connecticut (5.05 percent), Hawaii (4.97 percent), Ohio (4.94 percent), and Indiana (4.94 percent). All but Nevada are judicial foreclosure states.
The states with the lowest foreclosure rates were: Wyoming (1.03 percent), North Dakota (1.05 percent), Alaska (1.06 percent), Nebraska (1.55 percent), South Dakota (1.75 percent), Montana (1.76 percent), Texas (1.78 percent), Virginia (1.84 percent), Alabama (1.94 percent), and Arkansas (1.97 percent). Among those states, only North Dakota handles foreclosures judicially.
Four steps to buying a house in 2012
Q: I am on a mission to buy a home. I've wanted to own a home my entire life, and thought I would miss the opportunity to buy while the market was down, because I had no real savings when the market crashed. I think I'm ready, though, and prices still seem low. What should I be doing now to make this happen in 2012?
A: The recession has done lots of favors for buyers-to-be, including dropping prices and interest rates to bargain levels. But it has also created a lending and housing market climate in which loans are tough to get, tensions about buying into a down market run high, and transactions are harder and longer to close than they have ever been.
Here are the things to do now, to buy a home this year:
1. Fix credit problems. More deals than ever are dying on the vine, and credit problems are a top reason home-sale transactions fall out of escrow. Detect and correct errors on your credit report now by reviewing the federally mandated free reports you can get at AnnualCreditReport.com.
2. Study up. Do some research, both online and offline, into things like:
Areas: Start your online research into decision points like tax rates, school districts, neighborhood character and even prices in various areas. Check out NabeWise.com for some local insight into neighborhood flavor and personality.
When you start connecting with local agents, ask them to brief you on neighborhood market dynamics. They can give you a deeper view into need-to-knows like how long homes typically stay on the market and whether they generally go for more or less than the asking price, so you can be smart about how you search vis-à-vis what you have to spend.
Agents: This is the perfect time to ask your family and friends for a referral to an agent they know, have used and love. Then, follow up by doing an online search for the agent's name and seeing what sort of online reviews and activities you find. When you've narrowed the field down to a few, call them up and set up a meeting to find out if you're a good fit.
Distressed properties: In some areas, more than 40 percent of the homes on the market are short sales and foreclosures, and they involve a very different timeline and set of facts than traditional home sales. Read up and talk with the agent candidates you interview about what you should expect from these types of listings, to minimize surprise and manage your expectations way in advance.
3. Save even more. Sounds like you've worked hard for a number of years to save enough cash that you think you're in the clear when it comes to funding your down payment and closing costs. Studies show that after months of saving, people often let up and relax into a spending season. Even at your early stage in the process, it's easy to start noticing and buying the furnishings and touches you want to install in your new home.
Although you shouldn’t feel deprived or forgo amazing and affordable deals on things you know you're going to need, rest assured that no matter what amount of cash you have on hand, when you start house hunting, making offers, closing your transaction or moving in, the time will definitely come when you'll wish you had more.
You might want to ratchet up your offer a bit to best another buyer, or you might just end up with a place that needs a little sprucing up. It might be months before you know exactly what you'll need extra cash for, but now is not the time to press the gas pedal when it comes to your monthly spending.
4. Purge. Now's the time to sell, donate or give away as much of your personal possessions as you can. Use the proceeds to pad your cash cushion, or tuck the donation receipts away for your tax records next year.
Start here, and chances are good that your house hunt -- and purchase -- will be in full swing by spring, if not sooner.
Tara-Nicholle Nelson is an author and the Consumer Ambassador and Educator for real estate listings search site Trulia.com.
A: The recession has done lots of favors for buyers-to-be, including dropping prices and interest rates to bargain levels. But it has also created a lending and housing market climate in which loans are tough to get, tensions about buying into a down market run high, and transactions are harder and longer to close than they have ever been.
Here are the things to do now, to buy a home this year:
1. Fix credit problems. More deals than ever are dying on the vine, and credit problems are a top reason home-sale transactions fall out of escrow. Detect and correct errors on your credit report now by reviewing the federally mandated free reports you can get at AnnualCreditReport.com.
2. Study up. Do some research, both online and offline, into things like:
Areas: Start your online research into decision points like tax rates, school districts, neighborhood character and even prices in various areas. Check out NabeWise.com for some local insight into neighborhood flavor and personality.
When you start connecting with local agents, ask them to brief you on neighborhood market dynamics. They can give you a deeper view into need-to-knows like how long homes typically stay on the market and whether they generally go for more or less than the asking price, so you can be smart about how you search vis-à-vis what you have to spend.
Agents: This is the perfect time to ask your family and friends for a referral to an agent they know, have used and love. Then, follow up by doing an online search for the agent's name and seeing what sort of online reviews and activities you find. When you've narrowed the field down to a few, call them up and set up a meeting to find out if you're a good fit.
Distressed properties: In some areas, more than 40 percent of the homes on the market are short sales and foreclosures, and they involve a very different timeline and set of facts than traditional home sales. Read up and talk with the agent candidates you interview about what you should expect from these types of listings, to minimize surprise and manage your expectations way in advance.
3. Save even more. Sounds like you've worked hard for a number of years to save enough cash that you think you're in the clear when it comes to funding your down payment and closing costs. Studies show that after months of saving, people often let up and relax into a spending season. Even at your early stage in the process, it's easy to start noticing and buying the furnishings and touches you want to install in your new home.
Although you shouldn’t feel deprived or forgo amazing and affordable deals on things you know you're going to need, rest assured that no matter what amount of cash you have on hand, when you start house hunting, making offers, closing your transaction or moving in, the time will definitely come when you'll wish you had more.
You might want to ratchet up your offer a bit to best another buyer, or you might just end up with a place that needs a little sprucing up. It might be months before you know exactly what you'll need extra cash for, but now is not the time to press the gas pedal when it comes to your monthly spending.
4. Purge. Now's the time to sell, donate or give away as much of your personal possessions as you can. Use the proceeds to pad your cash cushion, or tuck the donation receipts away for your tax records next year.
Start here, and chances are good that your house hunt -- and purchase -- will be in full swing by spring, if not sooner.
Tara-Nicholle Nelson is an author and the Consumer Ambassador and Educator for real estate listings search site Trulia.com.
Price is not all that matters in real estate sales
Negotiation strategies differ depending on how well the home is priced and who's on the other side. If you're trying to buy a short-sale listing where the lender has to agree to accept less than the amount owed, the seller doesn't have much say in the negotiations about price unless he can contribute money to pay down the loan amount.
Regardless of who you're dealing with, you're more likely to grab a seller's or lender's attention if you are preapproved for the mortgage you'll need and can provide verification of cash for the down payment and closing costs.
Many buyers feel that cash is king. If buyers are willing and able to pay all cash with no mortgage, no hassling with the lender and no appraisal contingency, they feel they're owed a price concession.
Not all sellers agree. Some, who are confident in the value of their home, would rather work with an offer from a well-qualified buyer who needs to obtain a mortgage but who will pay a higher price.
Before you start negotiating, you should understand as much as you can about the other party. For instance, if the sellers are moving to a retirement home, they might go for the highest-priced offer in a multiple-offer situation, even though it might not be ideal in other regards. If they are liquidating their last asset, every penny will count.
An all-cash or large-cash-down buyer might not be able to negotiate a "deal" based on the fact that no lender will be involved. But if the home is a good value and suits your long-term needs, you might increase your offer price and include a mortgage. This way, you conserve cash for other uses.
HOUSE HUNTING TIP: Many buyers don't want to negotiate. They want their first offer to be their best offer. Usually, the only time this is effective is if yours is the only offer, the house is priced right for the market, and you offer full price. In this market, you're better off planning for some negotiation, and not putting all your cards on the table at once.
In most areas, the home-sale market still favors buyers. A lot of sellers are selling for less than they paid. Some have to bring money to the closing. Sellers who have owned for years are selling for less than they would have years ago. It's natural that they would want to try for the highest price possible.
Negotiations are about more than price. Generally, the fewer the contingencies or the cleaner the contract, the more attractive it will be to the seller. Closing and possession dates can become issues at the bargaining table. What's included and excluded, time periods to satisfy contingencies, and virtually everything in the contract is negotiable.
Since everything is up for grabs, be clear about what's not negotiable -- for instance, you can't go over a certain price. Show flexibility in areas that will hopefully be valuable to the sellers, such as buying "as is" regarding some needed repairs.
Don't waste your time with sellers who are firm at a price that is considerably over market value. Wait until they become realistic while you continue looking. Some sellers eventually get tired of having their home listed and reduce the price to market value. Others don't.
Sellers need to understand that buyers in today's market will walk away from a negotiation if they feel they're not getting anywhere or are being treated unfairly. Buyers could become suspicious or disappear if they're told by the sellers or their agent that other buyers are lining up to make an offer when they aren't.
THE CLOSING: A smart strategy is to defend your position while being honest and fair with the other party.
Dian Hymer is a nationally syndicated real estate columnist and author.
Regardless of who you're dealing with, you're more likely to grab a seller's or lender's attention if you are preapproved for the mortgage you'll need and can provide verification of cash for the down payment and closing costs.
Many buyers feel that cash is king. If buyers are willing and able to pay all cash with no mortgage, no hassling with the lender and no appraisal contingency, they feel they're owed a price concession.
Not all sellers agree. Some, who are confident in the value of their home, would rather work with an offer from a well-qualified buyer who needs to obtain a mortgage but who will pay a higher price.
Before you start negotiating, you should understand as much as you can about the other party. For instance, if the sellers are moving to a retirement home, they might go for the highest-priced offer in a multiple-offer situation, even though it might not be ideal in other regards. If they are liquidating their last asset, every penny will count.
An all-cash or large-cash-down buyer might not be able to negotiate a "deal" based on the fact that no lender will be involved. But if the home is a good value and suits your long-term needs, you might increase your offer price and include a mortgage. This way, you conserve cash for other uses.
HOUSE HUNTING TIP: Many buyers don't want to negotiate. They want their first offer to be their best offer. Usually, the only time this is effective is if yours is the only offer, the house is priced right for the market, and you offer full price. In this market, you're better off planning for some negotiation, and not putting all your cards on the table at once.
In most areas, the home-sale market still favors buyers. A lot of sellers are selling for less than they paid. Some have to bring money to the closing. Sellers who have owned for years are selling for less than they would have years ago. It's natural that they would want to try for the highest price possible.
Negotiations are about more than price. Generally, the fewer the contingencies or the cleaner the contract, the more attractive it will be to the seller. Closing and possession dates can become issues at the bargaining table. What's included and excluded, time periods to satisfy contingencies, and virtually everything in the contract is negotiable.
Since everything is up for grabs, be clear about what's not negotiable -- for instance, you can't go over a certain price. Show flexibility in areas that will hopefully be valuable to the sellers, such as buying "as is" regarding some needed repairs.
Don't waste your time with sellers who are firm at a price that is considerably over market value. Wait until they become realistic while you continue looking. Some sellers eventually get tired of having their home listed and reduce the price to market value. Others don't.
Sellers need to understand that buyers in today's market will walk away from a negotiation if they feel they're not getting anywhere or are being treated unfairly. Buyers could become suspicious or disappear if they're told by the sellers or their agent that other buyers are lining up to make an offer when they aren't.
THE CLOSING: A smart strategy is to defend your position while being honest and fair with the other party.
Dian Hymer is a nationally syndicated real estate columnist and author.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Three tips for staging your home to sell
Today's buyers are looking for turnkey homes. That is, they want to move right in without having to do a lot of work. Buyers with busy lifestyles pay a premium for listings that are in prime condition. Staging can make the difference between a listing selling or not, the time it takes to sell, and the ultimate sale price.
Sellers who are financially strapped often have a hard time accepting that they'll need to invest in preparing a house for sale even though they may sell for less than they paid. Fix-up costs can mount up; your agent can help you prioritize so that you don't waste money. It's important to keep your goal in mind, which is to sell your house in a difficult market.
Recently, a home in an affluent city came on the market in "as is" condition. It had been lived in for decades without much upgrading. Although located in a desirable area, the listing was vacant, dark and showed poorly. The sellers refused to do any work to improve its appeal.
After months on the market with no significant interest, the sellers pulled the house off the market and made improvements. The wall-to-wall carpet was pulled up to reveal hardwood floors that were then refinished. Painters lightened the interior and a professional stager was hired to bring in furniture, artwork, house plants and accessories. The listing was put back on the market with a fresh look and sold right away.
HOUSE HUNTING TIP: Although listings staged by a good decorator show well and often sell quickly, you don't need to spend a lot to put your home into shape for marketing. Most homeowners have too many personal possessions in their home from a sale standpoint. Decluttering is something most sellers need to do.
Consider hiring someone to help you sort, pack, donate and recycle items that you no longer want. You may be able to take a tax deduction for things you donate. Make sure to get a receipt. Your real estate agent should be able to recommend someone who can help you clear your house of clutter if you are overwhelmed by the project.
Your agent, or stager, may ask you to put away collections of art, personal photos, etc. This can be difficult for most sellers because, for them, it's part of the emotional appeal of their home. Your house won't look like your home after you've removed personal possessions and moved what's left around to display the house to its best advantage.
That's the point of the preparation process. You don't want prospective buyers focusing in on your personal property; you want them to focus on the house. Keep in mind that how you live in your home and how it should look when it goes on the market are not the same.
Some sellers complain that their house looks too stark without all their possessions. Even so, it helps you to detach yourself emotionally from the property. Also, less personal property usually gives homes a more spacious feel. When buyers are looking for the most for their money, bigger is usually better.
To close the deal, a listing should be spotless and inviting. Bring in new house plants to put in strategic locations, like orchids in the bathrooms. In dark spots that need a dash of warmth and color, use bromeliads.
THE CLOSING: If you can't pull this together yourself, or with the help or your agent, hire a good stager for a consultation or a proposal for full or partial staging.
Dian Hymer is a real estate broker with more than 30 years' experience and a nationally syndicated real estate columnist and author.
Sellers who are financially strapped often have a hard time accepting that they'll need to invest in preparing a house for sale even though they may sell for less than they paid. Fix-up costs can mount up; your agent can help you prioritize so that you don't waste money. It's important to keep your goal in mind, which is to sell your house in a difficult market.
Recently, a home in an affluent city came on the market in "as is" condition. It had been lived in for decades without much upgrading. Although located in a desirable area, the listing was vacant, dark and showed poorly. The sellers refused to do any work to improve its appeal.
After months on the market with no significant interest, the sellers pulled the house off the market and made improvements. The wall-to-wall carpet was pulled up to reveal hardwood floors that were then refinished. Painters lightened the interior and a professional stager was hired to bring in furniture, artwork, house plants and accessories. The listing was put back on the market with a fresh look and sold right away.
HOUSE HUNTING TIP: Although listings staged by a good decorator show well and often sell quickly, you don't need to spend a lot to put your home into shape for marketing. Most homeowners have too many personal possessions in their home from a sale standpoint. Decluttering is something most sellers need to do.
Consider hiring someone to help you sort, pack, donate and recycle items that you no longer want. You may be able to take a tax deduction for things you donate. Make sure to get a receipt. Your real estate agent should be able to recommend someone who can help you clear your house of clutter if you are overwhelmed by the project.
Your agent, or stager, may ask you to put away collections of art, personal photos, etc. This can be difficult for most sellers because, for them, it's part of the emotional appeal of their home. Your house won't look like your home after you've removed personal possessions and moved what's left around to display the house to its best advantage.
That's the point of the preparation process. You don't want prospective buyers focusing in on your personal property; you want them to focus on the house. Keep in mind that how you live in your home and how it should look when it goes on the market are not the same.
Some sellers complain that their house looks too stark without all their possessions. Even so, it helps you to detach yourself emotionally from the property. Also, less personal property usually gives homes a more spacious feel. When buyers are looking for the most for their money, bigger is usually better.
To close the deal, a listing should be spotless and inviting. Bring in new house plants to put in strategic locations, like orchids in the bathrooms. In dark spots that need a dash of warmth and color, use bromeliads.
THE CLOSING: If you can't pull this together yourself, or with the help or your agent, hire a good stager for a consultation or a proposal for full or partial staging.
Dian Hymer is a real estate broker with more than 30 years' experience and a nationally syndicated real estate columnist and author.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Refinance or modify while it's still possible
By Jack Guttentag
Interest rates have been very low for several years, and right now they are lower than ever, yet millions of mortgage borrowers who could profit from a refinance haven't.
Similarly, millions of borrowers who are having trouble making their mortgage payments but want to remain in their homes could have their mortgages modified to make the payment affordable but haven't.
The reasons in both cases probably include apathy, resignation and ignorance, but this article is about ignorance only. Many borrowers are even hazy about the difference between a refinance and a modification.
Refinance vs. modification
In a refinance, you take out a new mortgage, either from your current lender or from a different one, and use the proceeds to pay off your existing mortgage. In a modification, the terms of your current mortgage are changed by your existing servicer, usually for the purpose of reducing the payment.
Most often this involves an interest-rate reduction, but it may also include a term extension and, in some cases, the loan balance may be reduced.
A refinance is a market-based transaction entered into by a lender who wants the new loan. A modification is an administrative measure designed to prevent the costs of a foreclosure. In both cases, however, the borrower must document an ability to make the new payment.
Refinance profitably if you can
In general, borrowers should refinance if a profitable refinance option is available to them. A refinancing will not drop a borrower's credit score, while a modification will. Refinancing borrowers can deal with their existing lenders but are free to shop alternatives.
A modification is a lot more complicated, takes a lot more time, and borrowers are wholly dependent on their existing servicers, which means that they have no bargaining power.
Qualifying for a refinance vs. qualifying for a modification
Declining home values have severely restricted the ability of many borrowers to refinance by eroding the equity in their homes. (Equity is property value less the mortgage balances.) With an important exception noted below, borrowers who have negative equity cannot qualify.
Borrowers with equity of 3 percent to 20 percent can qualify if they purchase mortgage insurance, which in some but not all cases will eliminate the profit from the refinance.
Borrowers with equity of 20 percent or more are best positioned to refinance profitably. In contrast, insufficient or negative equity will not bar a modification.
A low credit score will also prevent a refinance, but not a modification. Because lenders have become extremely risk-averse in the post-crisis market, credit scores have increased in importance and are related to equity.
On a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage, for example, the minimum score is usually 620, but a 620 score may require equity of 15 percent. If the borrower's equity is the minimum of 3 percent, the required credit score is likely to be 660.
Borrowers who have suffered income declines to the point where the ratio of housing expense to income is viewed as excessively high will have their refinance applications rejected. However, an income decline of this magnitude will not necessarily prevent a loan modification.
On the contrary, an income decline that weakens the ability of the borrower to continue current payments but still enables the borrower to afford lower payments is the major problem loan modifications are designed to meet.
Borrowers can check on whether they qualify for a refinance using the new qualification calculator on my website.
The HARP exception
The earlier statement that borrowers with negative equity cannot refinance has a major exception: If their loan is owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, they are eligible for refinancing under the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP). This program was recently extended and liberalized.
The previous negative equity ceiling of 25 percent was eliminated for fixed-rate mortgages; fees were reduced; the requirement for a new appraisal was eliminated in some cases; and incentives were provided to the lenders servicing the loans to refinance them.
Qualifying for a modification
Determining whether a borrower is eligible for a modification is a complicated exercise on which the rules are anything but clear. The government-supported program, which differs from the strictly private programs, requires that the borrower's income be large enough to afford a reduced payment but it cannot exceed 3.23 times the current mortgage payment. Further, the borrower cannot have "sufficient liquid assets" to make the payments, whatever that means.
In addition, the owner of the loan must be better off with the modification than without it, which is determined by a complicated algorithm that is available to servicers but not to borrowers or to me. The servicer has the final say.
Jack Guttentag is professor of finance emeritus at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Interest rates have been very low for several years, and right now they are lower than ever, yet millions of mortgage borrowers who could profit from a refinance haven't.
Similarly, millions of borrowers who are having trouble making their mortgage payments but want to remain in their homes could have their mortgages modified to make the payment affordable but haven't.
The reasons in both cases probably include apathy, resignation and ignorance, but this article is about ignorance only. Many borrowers are even hazy about the difference between a refinance and a modification.
Refinance vs. modification
In a refinance, you take out a new mortgage, either from your current lender or from a different one, and use the proceeds to pay off your existing mortgage. In a modification, the terms of your current mortgage are changed by your existing servicer, usually for the purpose of reducing the payment.
Most often this involves an interest-rate reduction, but it may also include a term extension and, in some cases, the loan balance may be reduced.
A refinance is a market-based transaction entered into by a lender who wants the new loan. A modification is an administrative measure designed to prevent the costs of a foreclosure. In both cases, however, the borrower must document an ability to make the new payment.
Refinance profitably if you can
In general, borrowers should refinance if a profitable refinance option is available to them. A refinancing will not drop a borrower's credit score, while a modification will. Refinancing borrowers can deal with their existing lenders but are free to shop alternatives.
A modification is a lot more complicated, takes a lot more time, and borrowers are wholly dependent on their existing servicers, which means that they have no bargaining power.
Qualifying for a refinance vs. qualifying for a modification
Declining home values have severely restricted the ability of many borrowers to refinance by eroding the equity in their homes. (Equity is property value less the mortgage balances.) With an important exception noted below, borrowers who have negative equity cannot qualify.
Borrowers with equity of 3 percent to 20 percent can qualify if they purchase mortgage insurance, which in some but not all cases will eliminate the profit from the refinance.
Borrowers with equity of 20 percent or more are best positioned to refinance profitably. In contrast, insufficient or negative equity will not bar a modification.
A low credit score will also prevent a refinance, but not a modification. Because lenders have become extremely risk-averse in the post-crisis market, credit scores have increased in importance and are related to equity.
On a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage, for example, the minimum score is usually 620, but a 620 score may require equity of 15 percent. If the borrower's equity is the minimum of 3 percent, the required credit score is likely to be 660.
Borrowers who have suffered income declines to the point where the ratio of housing expense to income is viewed as excessively high will have their refinance applications rejected. However, an income decline of this magnitude will not necessarily prevent a loan modification.
On the contrary, an income decline that weakens the ability of the borrower to continue current payments but still enables the borrower to afford lower payments is the major problem loan modifications are designed to meet.
Borrowers can check on whether they qualify for a refinance using the new qualification calculator on my website.
The HARP exception
The earlier statement that borrowers with negative equity cannot refinance has a major exception: If their loan is owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, they are eligible for refinancing under the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP). This program was recently extended and liberalized.
The previous negative equity ceiling of 25 percent was eliminated for fixed-rate mortgages; fees were reduced; the requirement for a new appraisal was eliminated in some cases; and incentives were provided to the lenders servicing the loans to refinance them.
Qualifying for a modification
Determining whether a borrower is eligible for a modification is a complicated exercise on which the rules are anything but clear. The government-supported program, which differs from the strictly private programs, requires that the borrower's income be large enough to afford a reduced payment but it cannot exceed 3.23 times the current mortgage payment. Further, the borrower cannot have "sufficient liquid assets" to make the payments, whatever that means.
In addition, the owner of the loan must be better off with the modification than without it, which is determined by a complicated algorithm that is available to servicers but not to borrowers or to me. The servicer has the final say.
Jack Guttentag is professor of finance emeritus at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
REO, preforeclosure properties selling at a larger discount
Share of distressed real estate sales dips in Q2
By Inman News
The share of bank-owned homes and homes in some stage of foreclosure dropped 5 percent from the first quarter to the second quarter, falling from 36 percent to 31 percent, but was up from 24 percent in second-quarter 2010, according to a report released today by foreclosure data provider RealtyTrac.
And distressed properties are selling at a larger discount these days, RealtyTrac reported:
• The average sales price of a bank-owned (also known as real estate owned or REO) home was $145,211 in the second quarter, which was about 40 percent below the average sales price of a nonforeclosure home. That compares with a 36 percent discount in first-quarter 2011 and a 34 percent discount in second-quarter 2010.
• The average sales price of a preforeclosure home (preforeclosures, which are homes in default or scheduled for sale at public auction, are often sold in a short-sale process) was $192,129 in the second quarter, which is 21 percent below the average sales price of a nonforeclosure home. That compares with a 17 percent discount in first-quarter 2011 and a 14 percent discount in second-quarter 2010.
There were 162,680 sales of bank-owned homes to third parties in the second quarter, RealtyTrac also reported, roughly flat compared with the 162,900 reported in the first quarter and down 10 percent from second-quarter 2010.
REO sales accounted for 19 percent of home sales in the second quarter, compared with 23 percent in the first quarter and 15 percent in second-quarter 2010.
There were 102,407 sales of preforeclosure homes to third parties in the second quarter of this year, up 19 percent from the first quarter but down 12 percent compared to second-quarter 2010. These sales accounted for 12 percent of sales in the second quarter of this year, flat with the first quarter and up 10 percent compared to second-quarter 2010.
"The jump in preforeclosure sales volume, coupled with bigger discounts on preforeclosures and a shorter average time to sell preforeclosures, all point to a housing market that is starting to focus on more efficiently clearing distressed inventory through more streamlined short sales -- at least in some areas," said James Saccacio, RealtyTrac CEO, in a statement.
"This gives distressed homeowners who do not qualify for loan modification or refinancing -- or who are not interested in those options and want to sell -- a better chance of completing a short sale to avoid foreclosure."
Expedited short sales, he added, "also give lenders the opportunity to more pre-emptively purge nonperforming loans from their portfolios," and avoid a lengthy foreclosure and REO process.
Among those metro areas with at least 100 foreclosure-related sales in the second quarter, Louisville, Ky., had the largest average foreclosure discount -- 54 percent below the average sales price of nonforeclosure homes. Florida's Sebastian-Vero Beach metro area was second on the list with an average foreclosure discount of 53 percent, followed by Milwaukee (51 percent), Pittsburgh (51 percent), and Kalamazoo, Mich. (50 percent), RealtyTrac reported.
By Inman News
The share of bank-owned homes and homes in some stage of foreclosure dropped 5 percent from the first quarter to the second quarter, falling from 36 percent to 31 percent, but was up from 24 percent in second-quarter 2010, according to a report released today by foreclosure data provider RealtyTrac.
And distressed properties are selling at a larger discount these days, RealtyTrac reported:
• The average sales price of a bank-owned (also known as real estate owned or REO) home was $145,211 in the second quarter, which was about 40 percent below the average sales price of a nonforeclosure home. That compares with a 36 percent discount in first-quarter 2011 and a 34 percent discount in second-quarter 2010.
• The average sales price of a preforeclosure home (preforeclosures, which are homes in default or scheduled for sale at public auction, are often sold in a short-sale process) was $192,129 in the second quarter, which is 21 percent below the average sales price of a nonforeclosure home. That compares with a 17 percent discount in first-quarter 2011 and a 14 percent discount in second-quarter 2010.
There were 162,680 sales of bank-owned homes to third parties in the second quarter, RealtyTrac also reported, roughly flat compared with the 162,900 reported in the first quarter and down 10 percent from second-quarter 2010.
REO sales accounted for 19 percent of home sales in the second quarter, compared with 23 percent in the first quarter and 15 percent in second-quarter 2010.
There were 102,407 sales of preforeclosure homes to third parties in the second quarter of this year, up 19 percent from the first quarter but down 12 percent compared to second-quarter 2010. These sales accounted for 12 percent of sales in the second quarter of this year, flat with the first quarter and up 10 percent compared to second-quarter 2010.
"The jump in preforeclosure sales volume, coupled with bigger discounts on preforeclosures and a shorter average time to sell preforeclosures, all point to a housing market that is starting to focus on more efficiently clearing distressed inventory through more streamlined short sales -- at least in some areas," said James Saccacio, RealtyTrac CEO, in a statement.
"This gives distressed homeowners who do not qualify for loan modification or refinancing -- or who are not interested in those options and want to sell -- a better chance of completing a short sale to avoid foreclosure."
Expedited short sales, he added, "also give lenders the opportunity to more pre-emptively purge nonperforming loans from their portfolios," and avoid a lengthy foreclosure and REO process.
Among those metro areas with at least 100 foreclosure-related sales in the second quarter, Louisville, Ky., had the largest average foreclosure discount -- 54 percent below the average sales price of nonforeclosure homes. Florida's Sebastian-Vero Beach metro area was second on the list with an average foreclosure discount of 53 percent, followed by Milwaukee (51 percent), Pittsburgh (51 percent), and Kalamazoo, Mich. (50 percent), RealtyTrac reported.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
American dream of homeownership continues amid foreclosures
By now, nearly five years after the real estate market meltdown began, you'd think virtually no housing consumer has been unaffected. To start, more than 5 million homes have been foreclosed and repossessed by lenders; 10 million homeowners are underwater (owing more on their homes than the homes are worth); and untold millions who want to offload their homes either can't or are trying -- and struggling -- to sell.
And while nearly everyone who pays for the place they live in has experienced some impact from the real estate recession, it looks like one thing remains insulated from damage: our belief in the value of homeownership.
Surprisingly, the people who you would expect were the most emotionally and financially scarred by the foreclosure crisis -- homeowners who have lost their homes -- still cling tightly to their belief in the value of homeownership, according to the results of a Yahoo! Real Estate study that polled 1,500 housing consumers, including more than 400 foreclosed homeowners.
Only 43 percent of the respondents who had actually lost their homes said their belief in homeownership had suffered as a result.
Further, there was not much difference in the share of respondents who had personally experienced foreclosure who still believe that homes are good investments (64 percent) compared with those who had no personal experience with foreclosure who hold the same belief (76 percent).
The results underscore how resilient the dream of homeownership truly is. Survey respondents who had lost their personal homes to foreclosure were as likely to say they plan to buy a home in the future as respondents who hadn't experienced the financial and emotional trauma of losing a home to foreclosure.
Foreclosed homeowners have experienced firsthand the advantages of homeownership -- especially the tax, lifestyle and psychological advantages -- and they miss them, the survey shows.
You might wonder what would possess a foreclosed homeowner -- after going through the months or years of stress while missing mortgage payments (and/or trying to get the bank to modify their loans), the breathless anxiety of having to move or being evicted, and the years of credit and financial rehab after the foreclosure -- to ever want to buy or own another home again?
As I see it, several phenomena might be at play in keeping their desire to be homeowners alive. It's entirely possible that this group had a stronger-than-average belief in homeownership before they even bought the homes they lost in the first place.
This might have made them more likely to take a subprime loan or buy a more expensive home than they could sustainably afford, making them more susceptible to foreclosure than others.
If you loved living in and owning your own home, decorating and customizing it at will, and knowing that a big chunk of your monthly housing costs (i.e., your mortgage interest and property taxes) are tax deductible, it can be tough to take what feels like a personal financial step backward from owning to renting a home -- no matter what the financial pundits might say about renting vs. owning.
From a psychological perspective, there's even an argument that the fact that these people have lost their homes might be making them want homes even more than they would have had they never been homeowners to begin with.
And lest you think buyers and renters have gotten a free pass from foreclosure crisis effects, millions of would-be buyers who are desperate to strike while the home-value iron is hot are finding themselves stymied, unable to qualify for today's tight mortgage guidelines.
Even renters now have much more competition, in the form of foreclosed homeowners, which has driven rents up -- way up, in some markets. And 72 percent of surveyed home buyers and sellers said the housing crisis has affected their housing plans.
Tara-Nicholle Nelson is an author and the Consumer Ambassador and Educator for real estate listings search site Trulia.com.
By Tara-Nicholle Nelson
And while nearly everyone who pays for the place they live in has experienced some impact from the real estate recession, it looks like one thing remains insulated from damage: our belief in the value of homeownership.
Surprisingly, the people who you would expect were the most emotionally and financially scarred by the foreclosure crisis -- homeowners who have lost their homes -- still cling tightly to their belief in the value of homeownership, according to the results of a Yahoo! Real Estate study that polled 1,500 housing consumers, including more than 400 foreclosed homeowners.
Only 43 percent of the respondents who had actually lost their homes said their belief in homeownership had suffered as a result.
Further, there was not much difference in the share of respondents who had personally experienced foreclosure who still believe that homes are good investments (64 percent) compared with those who had no personal experience with foreclosure who hold the same belief (76 percent).
The results underscore how resilient the dream of homeownership truly is. Survey respondents who had lost their personal homes to foreclosure were as likely to say they plan to buy a home in the future as respondents who hadn't experienced the financial and emotional trauma of losing a home to foreclosure.
Foreclosed homeowners have experienced firsthand the advantages of homeownership -- especially the tax, lifestyle and psychological advantages -- and they miss them, the survey shows.
You might wonder what would possess a foreclosed homeowner -- after going through the months or years of stress while missing mortgage payments (and/or trying to get the bank to modify their loans), the breathless anxiety of having to move or being evicted, and the years of credit and financial rehab after the foreclosure -- to ever want to buy or own another home again?
As I see it, several phenomena might be at play in keeping their desire to be homeowners alive. It's entirely possible that this group had a stronger-than-average belief in homeownership before they even bought the homes they lost in the first place.
This might have made them more likely to take a subprime loan or buy a more expensive home than they could sustainably afford, making them more susceptible to foreclosure than others.
If you loved living in and owning your own home, decorating and customizing it at will, and knowing that a big chunk of your monthly housing costs (i.e., your mortgage interest and property taxes) are tax deductible, it can be tough to take what feels like a personal financial step backward from owning to renting a home -- no matter what the financial pundits might say about renting vs. owning.
From a psychological perspective, there's even an argument that the fact that these people have lost their homes might be making them want homes even more than they would have had they never been homeowners to begin with.
And lest you think buyers and renters have gotten a free pass from foreclosure crisis effects, millions of would-be buyers who are desperate to strike while the home-value iron is hot are finding themselves stymied, unable to qualify for today's tight mortgage guidelines.
Even renters now have much more competition, in the form of foreclosed homeowners, which has driven rents up -- way up, in some markets. And 72 percent of surveyed home buyers and sellers said the housing crisis has affected their housing plans.
Tara-Nicholle Nelson is an author and the Consumer Ambassador and Educator for real estate listings search site Trulia.com.
By Tara-Nicholle Nelson
Six must-haves for mortgage approval
Interest rates are hovering around historical lows, and low interest rates increase affordability, making it easier for buyers to qualify. Yet stories of buyers waiting months to gain loan approval and home purchase transactions not closing on time due to lender's strict underwriting are all too common.
Some buyers are turned down for illogical reasons. For instance, if you have investments -- even if they're performing well -- an underwriter might deny the mortgage because your portfolio doesn't fall into the underwriter's risk assessment model.
One couple was turned down because the husband had worked at his current job for less than a year -- even though he was making more money at the new job than he was before.
These buyers were well-qualified. The wife had worked several years for one employer and was able to qualify for the loan on her own. So, the transaction closed, although two months late.
Generally, it's more difficult to qualify now than it was a year ago. Most conventional lenders require a 20-25 percent down payment. For the lowest interest rates, your credit scores need to be in the 700 range. You need to have verifiable income and cash reserves in addition to your down payment and closing costs.
You could run into underwriting problems if you're self-employed, as W-2 income is much easier to verify. Other hurdles are lapses in employment and owning a lot of property. Some lenders won't lend to buyers who have more than three or four residential properties.
If you're buying a new home before selling your current home, you'll need to have 30 percent equity in your current home. This needs to be verified by the lender's appraiser. Also, the lender will want to see a copy of the cashed check from the tenant for the first month's rent to verify rental income if needed to qualify.
HOUSE HUNTING TIP: As soon as you're serious about buying a home, find the best mortgage broker or loan agent you can to assist you. Don't make your selection based on interest rates alone. A good track record counts for a lot.
Closing the deal should be your primary goal. If you have to pay 0.25 percent more to assure your transaction closes on time and that you're not turned down at the last minute, it's worth it.
Be candid with your loan professional about anything in your financial picture that might impact loan qualification. A good loan agent or broker will be able to assess your financial situation and anticipate what you'll need to do to satisfy the underwriter.
Be aware that appraisal issues can impact your loan approval. For example, if a previous owner added square footage without a building permit, the additional square footage probably won't be included as livable square feet.
If the appraisal comes in for less than the purchase price, the lender might not lend you enough to close the deal. Include an appraisal contingency in your contract.
There are more jumbo financing options available now. Adjustable-rate mortgages that are fixed for 10 years and then revert to an adjustable have a starting rate about 0.25 percent less than a 30-year fixed jumbo. A five-year fixed starts about 0.5 percent to 0.75 percent lower, but is riskier.
THE CLOSING: Because of the risk factor, the lender may want you to have a large cash reserve. Your retirement account counts toward this.
Dian Hymer is a real estate broker with more than 30 years' experience and is a nationally syndicated real estate columnist and author.
By Dian Hymer
Some buyers are turned down for illogical reasons. For instance, if you have investments -- even if they're performing well -- an underwriter might deny the mortgage because your portfolio doesn't fall into the underwriter's risk assessment model.
One couple was turned down because the husband had worked at his current job for less than a year -- even though he was making more money at the new job than he was before.
These buyers were well-qualified. The wife had worked several years for one employer and was able to qualify for the loan on her own. So, the transaction closed, although two months late.
Generally, it's more difficult to qualify now than it was a year ago. Most conventional lenders require a 20-25 percent down payment. For the lowest interest rates, your credit scores need to be in the 700 range. You need to have verifiable income and cash reserves in addition to your down payment and closing costs.
You could run into underwriting problems if you're self-employed, as W-2 income is much easier to verify. Other hurdles are lapses in employment and owning a lot of property. Some lenders won't lend to buyers who have more than three or four residential properties.
If you're buying a new home before selling your current home, you'll need to have 30 percent equity in your current home. This needs to be verified by the lender's appraiser. Also, the lender will want to see a copy of the cashed check from the tenant for the first month's rent to verify rental income if needed to qualify.
HOUSE HUNTING TIP: As soon as you're serious about buying a home, find the best mortgage broker or loan agent you can to assist you. Don't make your selection based on interest rates alone. A good track record counts for a lot.
Closing the deal should be your primary goal. If you have to pay 0.25 percent more to assure your transaction closes on time and that you're not turned down at the last minute, it's worth it.
Be candid with your loan professional about anything in your financial picture that might impact loan qualification. A good loan agent or broker will be able to assess your financial situation and anticipate what you'll need to do to satisfy the underwriter.
Be aware that appraisal issues can impact your loan approval. For example, if a previous owner added square footage without a building permit, the additional square footage probably won't be included as livable square feet.
If the appraisal comes in for less than the purchase price, the lender might not lend you enough to close the deal. Include an appraisal contingency in your contract.
There are more jumbo financing options available now. Adjustable-rate mortgages that are fixed for 10 years and then revert to an adjustable have a starting rate about 0.25 percent less than a 30-year fixed jumbo. A five-year fixed starts about 0.5 percent to 0.75 percent lower, but is riskier.
THE CLOSING: Because of the risk factor, the lender may want you to have a large cash reserve. Your retirement account counts toward this.
Dian Hymer is a real estate broker with more than 30 years' experience and is a nationally syndicated real estate columnist and author.
By Dian Hymer
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