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Oregon Foreclosure Update for 2010

Sunday, February 14, 2010
by Liz Warren

Oregon is currently ninth in the nation in foreclosures according to a leading foreclosure site RealtyTrac. Here are the numbers and charts:

Take a look at this map of Oregon to see the foreclosure meter.

 

What areas have the highest foreclosures according to RealtyTrac for January 2010? Here is a chart showing where they are:

 

For information on foreclosures in our Mt. Hood area of Government Camp, Welches, Brightwood and Rhododendron, check available properties here.

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Mt. Hood First Time Home Buyers

Saturday, February 6, 2010
by Liz Warren

If you have not owned a home for the past three years you qualify for potenitally receiving $8,000 tax free from the Feds and getting the lowest interest rates in over 60 years for your mortgage!

Where to start? Get in touch with a lender to see if you can qualify to purchase a home! Do it now! Most buyers with a credit score of 620 and above will have no problem in qualifying. There are many loans for our area that may work for you. There's the USDA loan with zero down payment-yes our area from Brightwood, Welches, and Rhododendron qualify for this program! There's also FHA which will require a 3.5% downpayment.

Here are some homes that may work for the first time homebuyer. Click on the home for additional details on that property and you can visit this page for details on the program.

 

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A quiet event that will have a BIG impact on real estate

Monday, January 4, 2010
by Liz Warren

Here is a quiet little tidbit of information that happened over the holidays that will have a huge impact on real estate for the next couple of years. The Treasury Department will now give unlimited funds to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae over the next three years. Previously their commitment was only 200 billion each but the Obama Administration made the change over the holidays.

What does this mean for real estate?

These two companies fund at least 50% of all home sales in the United States. This will keep the money flowing for sellers to sell their homes and buyers to have funding for purchases. By being backed by the Treasury this should keep interest rates lower because Freddie and Fannie can get better lending rates.

Here is the biggie-both companies will offer loan principal forgiveness to delinquent and underwater home owners. This will help many people in foreclosures and prevent the “walkaway” syndrome where some owners are turning in their keys leaving the home for Freddie and Fannie to take losses.

Hopefully this new policy will have a greater impact than the Home Affordable Modification Program which has had minimal effect up to this point.

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Mt. Hood Distressed Homeowners!

Saturday, January 2, 2010
by Liz Warren

Do you need help with a distressed mortgage in Government Camp, Welches, Brightwood or Rhododendron? If you are looking for help with a federal mortgage modification plan here is a great place to start. This two part video is made by PMI- the mortgage insurance company. These videos expain HAMP, Home Affordable Modification Program. 

 

Scroll down to see part 2 of this video in the NOW PLAYING section above.

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Mt. Hood Home Values

Friday, December 18, 2009
by Liz Warren

How do you decide what to do when you are underwater on your mortgage payment? Do you go for a short sale, deed in lieu of foreclosure, Just walk away, what do you do? Probably the number one thing to do is talk to an attorney! Find out the implications and financial obligations any choice will give you in these turbulent times.

Here is a web site that was recently put up which may help you figure out what to do prior to visiting your attorney for advise. Visit www.payorgo.comto plug in the numbers. This is not a site with legal advise but if you want to play around with numbers and different senarios of future value, it might help.

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Mt. Hood FHA Loans to Tighten!

Monday, December 7, 2009
by Liz Warren

If you are contemplating using an FHA loan for your purchase in Welches, Government Camp, Rhododendron or Brightwood, take note! HUD secretary Donovan is promising in 2010 qualifying for an FHA loan will tighten up with credit qualifications and higher fees.

Changes may include the following:

1. A higher downpayment requirement from 3.5 to 5%.

2. Seller paid closing costs reduced from 6% down to 3% of the loan amount.

3. Higher mortgage insurance premiums! Currently 1.75%

4. Higher credit standards.

Bottom line, look for 2010 to cost a buyer even more to get a loan with stricter guidelines.

If considering purchasing a home now, get your application in before things tighten up even further.

 

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Foreclosure Facts From Mortgage Bankers Association

Tuesday, November 24, 2009
by Liz Warren

Here are some recent numbers from the Mortgage Bankers Association.

1 in 7 loans are delinquent right now.

1 in 22 families in the US. are in the process of loosing their homes right now. (last year 1 in 34)

There will be 2.9 million foreclosure starts this year based upon these numbers.

This info comes from the Center for Responsible Lending. This is a great website that has information on credit cards, fees, lending and money matters.

 

 

 

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Mt. Hood Area Short Sales

Tuesday, November 24, 2009
by Liz Warren

If you are currently living on the mountain in Rhododendron, Welches, Government Camp or Brightwoodand are considering a short sale, what should you do first as a seller? If it were me I'd pick up the phone and call either my tax preparer/cpa or a good attorney.

First you need to know your credit will be dinged for several years with a short sale. Beyond that, there are the two things you need to be aware of:

1. A seller can be pursued by the lender, after the sale of the home, for the repayment of debt, that is unless your paperwork from the lender specifically says the debt is forgiven. Many lenders will have you sign a promissory note to repay the debt or some other paper saying they can pursue that debt after the sale.

2. The lender then sends a document to the Feds triggering the IRS. They may require you to pay tax on the unpaid debt. The tax bill cometh. You will need to keep your paperwork from the lender showing that you signed a promissory note or other paperwork saying the debt can be pursued to avoid paying those taxes on the debt.

TALK to your accountant or advisor to be sure you are doing the right thing!

Be sure to take these two items into consideration when considering a short sale. You don't want any surprises!

 

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Mt. Hood First Time Home Buyers

Thursday, November 5, 2009
by Liz Warren

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you want a complete wrap up of the new changes, READ THEM HERE.

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Mt. Hood Mortgages

Tuesday, October 13, 2009
by Liz Warren

Did you know that approximately one in three people who apply for a mortgage loan or refinance last year were denied approval according to the Federal Reserve? Overall, loan applications and originations were cut in half in 2008 compared with 2006!

Walk-aways are increasing! Despite postitive news on increased sales and in some areas, prices even going upward, many owners according to Housing Predictor  will walk away from their mortgages if housing prices continue to fall. In fact, a recent survey indicates one in three owners will walk away.

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Displaying blog entries 311-320 of 388

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