Author Archive
Still Crushing Short Sales!
Posted on July 11, 2016 byMany Investors don’t think that they can short sale an FHA loan and still make a profit, due to the guideline that FHA accepts a minimum 88% of the appraised value. I am here to tell you about an FHA deal that will bring a Pretty Profit!! This house is a 3 Bed/1.5 Bath/1.5 car garage, approximately 1200 sq ft in Casselberry. From the beginning, it was challenging since we had non-paying tenants in the home that were not as cooperative as a Seller would be for access to the property. The best part of a typical short sale is that a lender will obtain a value that is good for 90 days and if you are in a Seller’s market, you end up with a higher profit, since the values are increasing based on the sales.
The Seller just wanted out of this house debt and didn’t know what to do with non-paying Tenants!! The lead came in from my office signage. The property was listed and an offer was submitted. It took the short sale lender about 90 days before they ordered the value on the property. We were very concerned about having access to the home when the appraiser came out from the short sale lender. On an FHA deal, the short sale lender requires an appraisal on the home which is good for 4 to 6 months, versus the standard 90 days for a BPO value. Read More→
Short Sales Still Selling Strong!
Posted on June 6, 2016 byRight now, in my office, I am receiving short sales from sellers who decided to do a loan modification which was only valid for 3-5 years. In my opinion, this is the second wave of short sales that you will be coming across. Many Investors stay away from short sales because they say it takes “too long” or they do not want to negotiate the short sale itself. After speaking with them, I find out that they really don’t understand the short sale process. So they miss out on BIG profits that are available by making offers on short sales that are listed and/or controlling the whole deal by finding the seller that needs to do a short sale, list it and have a title company process the short sale. When you close and make your $thousands$, that would get you real excited about short sales! The key to a successful short sale is making sure that the Short Sale Lender has the correct value on the property and this is where so many Investors and Realtors fail!
Many title companies will agree to negotiate the short sale on the property for the cost of title work so all they need is the financial package from the Seller and a Purchase Agreement from YOU! In fact, title companies are contacting the Seller directly, so you do not even have to obtain the information from the Seller when it is needed. Why, then, are Investors not making offers??? I believe it is due to a lack of knowledge. You have to know what to tell the title company’s negotiator to say to the short sale lender’s negotiator if you want to create a great discount. My Home Study Course teaches you what to say and ask, in order to create your great discount. Read More→
Are You Following Up or Tripping Up?
Posted on May 2, 2016 byBIG Reminder: Follow up, follow up, follow up is crucial for capturing real estate deals! What makes any deal is a Motivated Seller. There are 13 main Seller motivators such as a vacant home, in pre-foreclosure, loss of job, job relocation, etc. But how do we know when the “price” of the pain of home ownership becomes more than the price they want for the house? How do we know when they’ve reached that tipping point, therefore agreeing to take a discount to allow an Investor to purchase the property and make a profit? You guessed it….we follow up.
Over 1 year ago, I was tracking a pre-foreclosure vacant home and I went to the next door neighbor to find out if they knew where the sellers moved. During my conversation, I was informed that they hadn’t seen the neighbor in years and really didn’t even know them. The couple I was talking to was an elderly couple who owned their home free and clear. I asked them if they were interested in selling their house and John told me that he and his wife just might sell it at the right price; however, he and his wife were going to the doctor’s and he would call me to talk about the home and set an appointment to see inside. I also got his telephone number so I could follow up in case he didn’t call me. My first thought was whenever I hear the Seller say “at the right price,” that they always want more than what the house is worth and/or retail value. I did ask John what the “right price” was and he replied again that he will call me back. Read More→
Short Sale… or Subject-To?
Posted on April 4, 2016 byI recently marketed to people who have second homes and are either close to being upside down on the mortgage or they are in foreclosure. So far, I’ve closed on 2 deals from this marketing. One of the leads owned a house in Sanford: 1,050 sq ft, 3 bedrooms, 1 ½ baths, living room, kitchen with dine-in area, separate laundry room and 1 carport. The house was in great shape. It was a block house and really only needed about $3,000 to $4,000 worth of work if I wanted to retail it.
I partnered with one of my Apprentice Students and we reviewed all the facts about the house. The A/C unit was only a couple years old, it still had a wall furnace that could be disconnected, it had newer vinyl windows and just needed a little TLC. There was an outstanding mortgage on the home for $29,000 and my offer was $27,500. The mortgage payment amount was $600.00 a month (PITI), principal, interest, taxes and insurance.
I really wanted to take this house subject to the underlying financing and keep it as a rental. I was dealing with an 80 year old Seller, via his children. They just wanted to be out from underneath the home and didn’t want to keep the mortgage on the property.
After several changes to the contract, we agreed to purchase the property CASH for the mortgage balance ($29,000) and pay all the closing costs. There was a family member living in the house and we couldn’t close until he vacated the property. We filed an Affidavit of Purchase and Sale on the Property and chose not to show the house during the time we had it under contract, and we waited until it closed. Read More→
Short Sales Can Be “SHHHHORT!!”
Posted on January 31, 2016 byI know that many of you believe that short sales can’t be short; however, on this deal, the time frame from beginning to end was approximately 35 days. The Seller had lived in the property for years and the foreclosure action had been going on for approximately 4 years. During the 4 year period, the seller attempted to do a loan modification and had never attempted a short sale. There was a Foreclosure Auction Sale date scheduled for December 15, 2015. We had to act quickly as there were two loans on the home.
We pulled title work and found out that the $80,000 second mortgage was discharged as so many second mortgages were, due to the Banks being fined for all the fraudulent things they had done to the Sellers. This was a great break for the Seller, as now we only had to deal with one Lender with having a court date so soon.
The property was built in 1950 and was wood framed. The house had 2 Bedrooms, 1 Bath, 1 car garage, and 792 square feet in Madeira Beach, Florida. The home just needed some cosmetic repairs in the eyes of the Short Sale Lender. However, to the Buyer, there was approximately $20,000 needed to update the home to a “2015” buyer’s expectations. The property was listed in late October, 2015, and an offer of $100,000 was submitted to Ocwen for review. After we submitted a complete short sale package to the Lender, which consists of a Purchase Agreement, Proof of Funds Letter, HUD Settlement Statement, Authorization to Release Information, Listing Agreement, MLS Detailed Sheet, Financial Statement from the Seller, 3 months of Bank Statements, Letter of Employment, and Tax Returns, we found out that Ocwen had sold the Loan to Caliber Home Loans. Normally it takes the new Lender at least 2 weeks to 30 days to get the loan into their system so we could submit a package. We contacted the new lender and submitted a complete short sale package to them on October 27, 2015. Read More→
Year-End Urgency Sways Short Sales in Your Favor
Posted on January 4, 2016 byIf you are working on a short sale close to the end of the year, you will find that they are approving the short sales quicker versus throughout the year. The Banks work on numbers every quarter giving us 4 quarters per year to get a short sale approved. The closer to the end of the quarter, the more likely they will approve the short sale and when it comes to year end, the Banks are known to take deeper discounts, just so they can get the property off their books. Did you know that the Banks are required to hold in escrow three times the amount of their bad debt? Liquidating debt, aka short sales, allows the Banks to open up more money to the market that they can send out into their banking industry and loan out. When they loan the money out to customers, they receive interest, origination fees and points on the money.
When you submit a short sale to the Bank/Lender, the HUD Settlement Statement shows the negotiator what the NET is going to be in order to satisfy the debt. The NET figure is different than the Purchase Price. In fact, when you are negotiating with the Bank, you need to clarify that the “magic number” you are discussing is the Purchase Price and not the NET figure to them.
The Purchase Price includes all of the fees associated with selling the property such as title work, Realtor commission, settlement fees, tax prorations, outstanding liens, second or third mortgages, homeowner association dues and any other closing costs. When the short sale is submitted, the negotiator will usually run an REO Net sheet based on the loan balance, status of where it is in the foreclosure action, and how long it would take to get the property to foreclose and become an REO (Real Estate Owned) by the Lender. This helps the investor who owns the loan to determine whether or not a short sale discount would allow them to profit more than an REO property, and which way is most profitable to liquidate the property from their inventory. Read More→
Fighting the Short Sale Lender Values
Posted on December 7, 2015 byI have spoken with many Realtors and Investors who informed me that they are not interested in listing or buying short sales because the Short Sale Lenders are always higher than the actual value of the property.
I have stressed over the years how important it is to meet the Realtor or Appraiser that was sent from the Short Sale Lender at the house with the Purchase Agreement, Hardship Letter, Comparables, Crime Report of the Area and Repair Estimate for the property in order for the Short Sale Lender to have the actual value of the property.
The BPO Agent/Appraiser does not provide to the Short Sale Lender the Crime Report or the Repair Estimate on the property. This information is provided by the Listing Agent or the Negotiator representing the Seller when you have to dispute the value. In fact, a BPO Agent may only have 3 little boxes to include the costs of the repairs so they can’t always include all the repair costs that the house really needs.
The BPO Agent/Appraiser has been informed from the Short Sale Lender that they do NOT consider cosmetic repairs. So what are cosmetic repairs? Paint, Carpet, Appliances and updates of kitchens, bathrooms, roof and air conditioning unit that are functional. Read More→
The Meeting with the Mighty BPO
Posted on November 9, 2015 byI have spoken with several Realtors and Investors who say that they don’t like short sales and I always ask them “WHY?” They tell me that the Short Sale Lenders never come back with a value that matches the offer that they have on the property. I always ask them did they go out and meet the real estate agent or the appraiser who was sent from Short Sale Lender to provide the value back to the Lender? Their answer is always “NO.” In fact, many Realtors who list short sales will list high because they are paid on commission thinking that the house should sell at list price. However, they never take into account all the repairs needed or the updates that are required to allow the house to obtain an appraisal at list price. Therefore, their short sale sits for months and ends up going to foreclosure sale. In fact, because they said they didn’t go meet the BPO Agent and just gave them the lockbox code or they have an electronic lock box on the house, the BPO Agent is able to get into the house and only spends about 5 minutes at the house.
As a Real Estate Broker who gets commission on short sales, I would always like to get as much as I can, however, not meeting the BPO Agent can cost me big time and big money. Read More→
Find Your Gold Mine in 2nd Loans on Short Sales
Posted on October 20, 2015 byI am so excited to tell you about a trend that I am finding on short sales that I am negotiating! You have read in my previous articles and I also mention in my Home Study Course about an interview that went worldwide on 60 Minutes which named Wells Fargo, Chase, Citibank, just to name a few, as Lenders and Banks who were falsifying documentation regarding Notes that Docx Company had destroyed. The interview referenced all of the “Robo Signings” that were occurring. After this was announced to the Public, the Lenders and Banks that were involved in falsifying documentation were fined big time. However, the Lenders and Banks were very smart on helping Homeowners who were taken advantage of. What they did was they looked at 2nd loans on properties that were in default and forgave them. When choosing the loans that were in default, they were able to add all their interest and late fees on top of what was owed, so that when they forgave the debt, they were forgiving a loan that probably would have been put in their collection department and eventually written off anyway. I would recommend that each of you go to www.60minutesovertime.com and type in Robo and find the airing of the show so that you will know all the Lenders and Banks that you should be looking for on 2nd loans. The Lenders and Banks would just file a discharge of lien against the property and as to whether or not they really notified the Homeowners, I am unsure about. The reason I state this is that many Homeowners who aren’t paying their loans on the 2nd mortgage, they probably aren’t paying their loans with the 1st mortgage either. Meaning that the property is probably in foreclosure on most transactions. The Homeowners who are in default have probably moved from their homes and they would ignore all the paperwork that’s coming in their mail and would never even see a notice if their debt was actually forgiven. Read More→
Lender Denies Short Sale But Still Gets Paid
Posted on September 16, 2015 byNegotiating is a vital part of your business when it comes to cashing in big on short sales. It is always important to know who the investor is on the loan, and I’m not referring to who is servicing the loan and collecting the Sellers payments. There is an investor behind the scenes. Also, find out the type of loan, ie: private, conventional, FHA, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac and whether there is private mortgage insurance (PMI) or mortgage insurance (MI) on the loan. Knowing all these facts allow you to negotiate based on the percent of value each one of the Investors and/or Private Mortgage Insurance Companies on the Loan will accept on a short sale.
I found this new information to be very interesting and should not be taken lightly when negotiating on a short sale. Many Sellers are behind on their monthly payments which include principal, interest, taxes and hazard insurance. When the Sellers make their payments, the taxes and insurance monthly payment is placed into an escrow account to pay the taxes and hazard insurance when they become due. When there is not enough money in the Sellers escrow account to pay taxes, the Lender will pay them. However, when there is not enough money in the Sellers escrow account to pay the hazard insurance policy, the Lender still pays it, but it becomes Mortgage Forced Insurance. This is in place only for the protection of the Lender, not the Sellers, and normally costs 2 to 3 times more than normal Hazard Insurance. Read More→
Mailing for Dollars
Posted on August 1, 2015 byMy students always ask me “How many letters do we have to mail in order to get a deal?” Before I answer, I want to state that the #1 reason a Seller sells their house for less is because they are motivated. An unmotivated Seller will not take less for their house, as they are not in a hurry to sell. Let me clarify the situations that make a Seller motivated:
- Property is upside down – they owe more than it is worth.
- Property taxes have increased and they can’t afford to pay them.
- Mortgage interest rate(s) adjusted to a higher payment that they cannot afford.
- Job Relocation and they can’t sell the house fast enough.
- Divorce or Separation will send individuals into foreclosure because they depended on two incomes.
- Job loss or reduction in their income.
- Bankruptcy – For most people who are upside down on their bills, it also includes their house payment. It is important to know whether or not your Seller is in bankruptcy or planning on it. No transfer of a property can be done while the Seller is in bankruptcy.
- Retirement causes a reduction in income.
- Insurance rates have been increased and they can’t afford the insurance.
- Illness, Permanent Disability or the Death of Spouse/Family Member causes individuals to get behind on their payments.
- Exhausted Landlords – Most of the time, the Landlords had great credit but the Tenants won’t pay and the Landlord may have used up all of their financial reserves.
- Economic and Functional Obsolescence – The Seller may own a residential property, but it’s located in a commercial district. The floor plan of the house is old and chopped up.
- Business or Partnerships failing
- Vacant House
Are You Planning Poorly or Positively Profiting on Your Deals?
Posted on July 2, 2015 byCalculating costs to purchase, fix and resell a house has always been a downfall for many Investors. At a recent Real Estate Investor Meeting, I heard a great explanation of how people come up with their numbers. You all need to be sure you don’t fudge your numbers and fool yourself into thinking you are going to make a profit. This Article focuses on all the things you must consider when purchasing a property, such as holding costs, cost of the money, and closing costs that you will incur on properties.
When a student contacts me on a property and says “This is a great deal,” I always ask “Why do you think so?” Their response is “because.” Well….”because” is not a good enough answer. This is how I analyze a deal. First, I look for the Sold comps in the same subdivision that have sold in the past 90 days. I will then look at a total of 6 months in that subdivision. I look at square footage, garages, bedrooms, bathrooms and pools. I then look for the Active, Active with Contract and Pendings which all affect the value of my property. I budget accordingly as if I am going to hold it for at least 4 months, which is required in order to sell to a retail buyer with FHA funding. Depending on the price point, about 80% of our buyers have FHA funding. I look at the Active, Active with Contract and Pendings and note what ‘type’ of listing they are. If they are short sales, I really give weight on these sales because it’s very possible they would not be bank-approved and could sell lower or higher than list price. If they are Pending sale which is a straight sale, I can assume that they are close to list price; however, until they sell, I can’t be sure. I will then look on MLS or REIFAX and search a half mile radius to see what other comparables I can find. Based on all the comps and the repairs in which I plan on doing, I will determine if I believe the value of the home will be close to the middle value of the comparables or the high value of the comparables. Read More→
