John Beckett's Real Estate Blog

Some homeowners who are “underwater,” or owe more on their mortgage than the home’s current value, are turning to “strategic defaults” in which they simply walk away from mortgage debt. But financial experts warn the cost of skipping out on mortgage debt can be high. The American Bankers Association recently informed homeowners about the consequences of strategic default, including the possibility of the bank obtaining a judgment to pursue the homeowner’s assets, such as bank accounts, cars and investments.  Here are four dangers of which homeowners should be aware and more information on the strategic-default environment.

1. Wrecked credit

Regardless of whether a foreclosure is because of a strategic default or other circumstances, it damages a consumer’s credit score. “A foreclosure is one of the stronger predictors of future credit risk,” says Craig Watts, public-affairs director of FICO, a credit-rating company. Foreclosures remain on a credit report for as long as seven years, with the impact gradually lessening over time. Watts says FICO scores “generally begin to recover after a couple of years,” assuming the consumer stays current on all payments and other credit accounts. He says the impact of a foreclosure on a credit score depends on other factors in the borrower’s credit history. The ABA says a foreclosure drops a FICO score by 100 to 400 points.

2. Difficulty getting new mortgage

A voluntary foreclosure also can affect a homeowner’s ability to qualify for a new mortgage for years to come. Peter Fredman, a Berkeley, Calif., consumer attorney, says Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will not approve a mortgage for four years after foreclosure, while the ABA says it can take three to seven years to qualify for a new mortgage. In addition, Fannie Mae this past summer announced a tough new sanction on people who deliberately default on their mortgages. These borrowers will be ineligible for a new Fannie-backed mortgage for seven years after the foreclosure date.

3. Taxes still due

Tax liability is another potential danger of defaulting. Although the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 offers protection from federal taxes after a foreclosure through 2012, state taxes still may be due on unpaid debt.

4. Deficiency judgment

A lender can also pursue the remaining debt from an unpaid loan by obtaining a deficiency judgment against the delinquent borrower, or it may work with a collection agency to recoup losses. Ethical questions also surround strategic defaults. A survey by Trulia.com and RealtyTrac found that 59% of homeowners would not consider defaulting, no matter how much their mortgage was underwater, although the other 41% of homeowners said they would consider a default.

Less risky in some states

Despite the potential negative consequences of a strategic default, the move is less risky in some states than in others. “The first question for anyone considering a strategic default is whether the homeowners will be liable for the debt anyway,” Fredman says. “Each state has different rules.” Nonrecourse laws protect homeowners in some states. According to research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the 11 nonrecourse states are Alaska, Arizona, California, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. When a borrower defaults in one of these states, the lender can take the home through a foreclosure but has no right to any other borrower assets. Home-equity loans are ineligible for this protection unless they were used as part of the home purchase. In some areas, lenders are so overwhelmed with defaulting customers that homeowners can live in their homes for free for a year or longer before the foreclosure is complete. The average length of time from default to eviction is 400 days in California, Fredman says.

Price of freedom

The potential consequences of strategic default cannot deter some homeowners from taking the plunge, says Frank Pallotta, executive vice president and managing director of the Loan Value Group in Rumson, N.J. “While everyone understands the credit-score impact of a strategic default, most borrowers don’t seem to care,” Pallotta says. “They think a 200-point hit on their credit score cannot offset the benefit of living for as long as 18 months rent- and mortgage-free. They see strategic default as a form of financial freedom, especially if they live in a nonrecourse state and know someone who has done this.” Fredman, who developed the Should I Pay or Should I Go online calculator to help consumers evaluate a strategic default, says homeowners considering a strategic default should research tax laws and state regulations about loan defaults. Even nonrecourse states’ laws can affect defaulting borrowers, he says. “I also think everyone should consult an attorney and probably an accountant, too, because the relative cost of these professionals is not nearly as high as the potential cost of making a mistake,” he says.

Read at: http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=25923795

You’re finally wrapping up your home purchase. Congratulations. Before it’s officially yours, though, you have one last hurdle: the mysterious process known as “closing” or “settlement.” Open your wallet and hold onto your hat. “Closing costs” — the catch-all term for a host of fees, taxes and charges — can total 2% to 6% or more of your purchase price — $4,000 to $12,000 on a $200,000 mortgage. That means you’ll need to budget a chunk of money besides your down payment. Costs vary by region and by what you negotiate. Buyers usually pay most fees, but sellers may pay some, too. Buyers often get lenders to contribute, too. Be aware, however, that lenders offering a “zero-closing-cost” loan. Closing starts when you sign a purchase contract. It ends about four to eight weeks later, at a closing meeting (or conference) where you sign papers on your loan; pay fees, taxes and services to finalize the sale; and receive the keys and deed to your new home.

Who’s in charge?

A professional settlement agent orchestrates a closing. The agent files documents, pays taxes on your behalf, ensures every task is done and recorded in the time specified by law, and also may hire an appraiser, pest inspector and other professional services. The agent represents the buyer, the seller and the lender equally. In some states, the agent must be an attorney. In others, it’s an independent settlement or escrow company. (An escrow company is one licensed by the state to hold money and documents.) In many states, title companies — whose primary jobs are to make sure there are no claims on the property and to sell insurance guaranteeing that the title is clear — may be the settlement agent.

States’ requirements vary:

• In New York, only an attorney — usually a specialized “closing attorney” — oversees a closing.
• In Nevada, as in most states, title companies act as the settlement agent.
• In California and Wyoming, escrow companies are used.

The federal forms and rules used to disclose your loan costs and closing fees, however, are identical in every state:

• Your lender must give you a binding good-faith estimate, or GFE, within three business days after you apply for a loan. It shows loan costs and estimates your other closing costs. Your final origination charges and transfer taxes can’t vary from this estimate. Quotes for other services may vary by up to 10%. Bigger variations are a “tolerance violation” and the lender must credit you the difference within 30 days of your closing, says Cathy Blaszyk, vice president for lender services at Closing.com.
• At your closing, the settlement agent will give you a HUD-1 form showing your final costs.

How to shop

Closing costs vary greatly. In its 2009 survey of average total closing costs in 52 cities and states, Bankrate.com found a $1,579 difference between the highest-cost state, Texas, at $3,855, and Nevada, with the lowest average cost, $2,276. Most of these fees are negotiable, and you can shop separately for many of them. The consumer has to open their eyes, because they can save a lot of money. People spend more time shopping for a big-screen TV. Closing.com’s closing costs calculator lets you plug in home-purchase information to get numerous estimates and quotes on closing services from providers near you. By shopping aggressively, you might:

• Qualify for a better interest rate than you’d expected.
• Find that a loan offer with a higher interest rate is really the best deal when all closing costs are considered.
• Spot “junk” fees.
• Find lower rates on services such as title insurance, settlement services or inspections.
• Use these lower bids to negotiate better prices with your lender.

Start shopping for settlement services and for additional loan offers once you’ve made one mortgage-loan application. A lender must stick to its good-faith estimate for 10 days. The bank or broker can’t go back and make changes, which gives the borrower a chance to make comparisons. Don’t worry about hurting your credit score by making numerous loan applications. In “4 credit-scoring myths,” personal finance guru and MSN Money contributor Liz Pulliam Weston says that your FICO score will register multiple inquiries in a 45-day period as just one inquiry. Applying is free, except maybe for the cost of pulling your credit report — about $15, tops. Lenders can’t collect application or appraisal fees while you’re comparison shopping. Although recent changes in federal law make it harder for lenders to pad fees, you should still get expert help in reviewing offers and closing documents. The key is getting somebody who is trained and who can comprehensively look at it for you.

In advance, line up either of these:

• A real-estate attorney through the American Bar Association lawyer locator  or find referrals from a state or local bar association.
• A free, housing counselor certified by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (call 800-569-4287.

Read more at: http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=25322086&page=2

Many people have either gone through foreclosure, a process that allows a lender to recover the amount owed on a defaulted loan by selling or taking ownership of the property, or know someone who has. RealtyTrac released its U.S. Foreclosure Market Report on April 15 for the first quarter of 2010. The report calculates foreclosure filings, including default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions, and showed that 932,234 properties were involved in the first quarter. That was a 7% increase from the last quarter of 2009 and a 16% increase from the first quarter of 2009. An astonishing one in every 138 U.S. housing units received a foreclosure filing during the quarter. If you or a loved one are facing foreclosure, make sure you understand the process. While it varies from state to state, there are normally six phases of a foreclosure.

Phase 1: Payment default

A payment default occurs when a borrower has missed at least one mortgage payment. The lender will send a missed-payment notice indicating that it has not yet received that month’s payment. Typically, mortgage payments are due on the first day of each month, and many lenders offer a grace period until the 15th. After that, the lender may charge a late-payment fee and send the missed payment notice. After two payments are missed, the lender may send a “demand letter.” This is more serious than a missed-payment notice; however, at this point the lender is probably still willing to work with the borrower to make arrangements for catching up on payments. The borrower would normally have to remit the late payments within 30 days of receiving the letter.

Phase 2: Notice of default (NOD)
A notice of default is sent after 90 days of missed payments. In some states, the notice is placed prominently on the home. At this point, the loan will be handed over to the lender’s foreclosure department in the same county where the property is located. The borrower is informed that the notice will be recorded. The lender will typically give the borrower another 90 days to settle the payments and reinstate the loan. This is referred to as the reinstatement period.

Phase 3: Notice of trustee’s sale
If the loan has not been brought up-to-date within the 90 days after the notice of default, a notice of trustee’s sale will be recorded in the county where the property is located. The lender must also publish a notice in the local newspaper for three weeks indicating that the property will be available at public auction. All owners’ names will be printed in the notice and in the newspaper, along with a legal description of the property, the property address and when and where the sale will take place.

Phase 4: Trustee’s sale
The property is placed for public auction and will be awarded to the highest bidder who meets all of the necessary requirements. The lender, or firm representing the lender, will calculate an opening bid based on the value of the outstanding loan, any liens and unpaid taxes, and any costs associated with the sale. Once the highest bidder has been confirmed and the trustee’s sale is completed, a “trustee’s deed upon sale” will be provided to the winning bidder. The property is then owned by the purchaser, who is entitled to immediate possession.

Phase 5: Real-estate owned (REO)

If the property is not sold during the public auction, the lender will become the owner and will attempt to sell the property on its own, through a broker or with the assistance of an REO asset manager. These properties are often referred to as “bank-owned.” The lender may remove some of the liens and other expenses in an attempt to make the property more attractive.

Phase 6: Eviction
The borrower can often stay in the home until it has been sold either through a public auction or later as an REO property. At this point, an eviction notice is sent demanding that any people vacate the premises immediately. Several days may be provided to allow the occupants sufficient time to remove any personal belongings, and then typically the local sheriff will visit the property and remove the people and any remaining belongings. Belongings may be placed in storage and retrieved later for a fee.

The bottom line
Throughout the foreclosure process, many lenders will attempt to make arrangements for the borrower to get caught up on the loan and avoid a foreclosure. The obvious problem is that when a borrower cannot meet one payment, it becomes increasingly difficult to catch up on multiple payments. If there is a chance that you can catch up on payments — for instance, you just started a new job after a period of unemployment — it is worth speaking with your lender. If a foreclosure is unavoidable, knowing what to expect throughout the process can help prepare you.

Read at: http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=24721210

Homebuyers and sellers who expect an appraisal to sail through to closing without a hitch may be surprised to discover that home appraisals today can be problematic. The reasons for the change are complex, but there’s no question that mortgage lenders have started to demand more reviews and do-overs. Rob Johnson, vice president of lending at San Diego Funding, a mortgage company in San Diego, attributes the increase in home appraisal reviews to lender-specific requirements imposed because of past problems with certain types of home loans. For example, a mortgage lender might demand more scrutiny of an appraisal if the borrower has a marginal credit score or high debt level relative to income or if the property was a foreclosure that was fixed up and flipped by an investor.

Appraisals may lag home prices

Home prices are also a factor. When prices are on the rise, perhaps because buyers have bid more in a multiple-offer situation, appraised values might still be lower. The reverse is also the case. “Any time you have a market in transition, appraisals aren’t going to keep up because the appraisal is based on historical data,” Johnson says. nadequate “comps” can present problems as well. (“Comps” are recent sales of nearby homes that are similar, or comparable, to the home that’s the subject of the appraisal.) The mortgage lender may deem the comps inadequate if the homes were too far away or were sold in such nontraditional circumstances as a short sale or foreclosure or if the sales occurred too long ago. If the comps aren’t sufficient, the lender may order a review or second home appraisal to verify that they were chosen correctly. “If (the appraiser) can’t find three comps within that area and has to expand, that is where you start to get appraisal reviews or secondary appraisal requirements to make sure the appraisal was valid or that (the lender) was comfortable,” Johnson says. The term “second appraisal” generally refers to a new, start-from-scratch valuation. An appraisal review could be a “desk review,” in which the appraisal gets a second look by an office-bound person, or a “field review,” in which the appraisal is subject to another drive-by or in-person inspection of the property. A review is more common than a second appraisal.

New guidelines distance lenders from appraisers

Leslie Sellers, president of the Appraisal Institute in Chicago, says a lender might order a new home appraisal if the first one was based on factual errors or the appraiser wasn’t competent in the area. Some second appraisals, he adds, result from a misunderstanding of the Home Valuation Code of Conduct, guidelines that were meant to prevent undue pressure being placed on appraisers to inflate home valuations, but that may have caused some lenders to cut off communication with appraisers. “The banks are thinking they can’t even talk to the appraiser,” he says.

Sellers can offer comps to appraiser

An appraisal review can cost several hundred dollars while a second appraisal generally involves a second full fee, says Sara Schwarzentraub, owner of Inter-State Appraisal Service in San Diego. These costs usually are paid by the buyer. “It’s commendable that the lenders are being cautious and having stricter criteria to protect themselves, because in the long term that protects everybody, but it does make it more costly,” she says. Home sellers can offer the appraiser information that might affect the appraiser’s opinion of the home’s value. This information is best handed over before the appraisal is prepared. “If you know of a sale that’s similar to your house and it was a foreclosure, short sale, divorce or anything of that nature, make the appraiser aware of that,” Sellers says. Real-estate brokers can help buyers and sellers find comps to offer the appraiser, Johnson says. If the broker believes comps may present a problem, the buyer and seller can plan accordingly. “A good real-estate agent is aware of these issues. Many times, an agent will call us and say, ‘I know we are going to have problems with comps on this,” he says. Neither the buyer nor seller can choose the appraiser, but Sellers says buyers can insist on a minimum competency, which he defines as having local market knowledge and being certified as well as licensed. Buyers and sellers also can agree on longer time frames for the home appraisal contingency and closing date. Schwarzentraub says that asking for a 45- or 60-day closing, rather than 30 days, is not unreasonable. Buyers are entitled by federal law to a copy of any appraisal for which they’ve paid a fee. Buyers should look over the appraisal and notify the lender of any errors that could have affected the appraiser’s opinion of the home’s value.

Read at: http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=24569959

Average interest on a 30-year fixed mortgage fell to an all-time low of 4.69 percent this week, down from 4.75 percent a week ago, reports Freddie Mac. Although rates have held below 5 percent since early May, Michael Fratantoni of the Mortgage Bankers Association notes that demand for purchase loans has fallen in six of the past seven weeks and now is at a 13-year low. Consumers have grown used to low rates, he explains, adding that they balk at buying because they are more concerned about stagnant wages and high unemployment.

Read at: http://www.realtor.org/RMODaily.nsf/pages/News2010062502?OpenDocument