Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Reason for many foreclosures

Foreclosure statistics from 2006 show some frightening trends in the numbers of foreclosures and loan defaults. Foreclosures appear to be up nearly 40% from 2005, and almost 75% from the first three months of last year. Americans are anxious in recent months to take on mortgages and real estate prices are rising fairly rapidly and dramatically. Housing has doubled in many cases, in both cost and in value.Americans appear to be willing to go completely in debt to own a home, and are not always borrowing wisely.

Many will borrow vast sums to own a home they are ill able to afford or pay for, purchasing using such tools as interest only loans, which give them the right to make payments of interest only for the first several years, then balloon to include more than the interest. When first time buyers are being faced with not being able to own a home for a time, many are choosing more risky means of gaining access to that home, among them, such loans as interest only.Banks and financial institutions are looking for ways to continue lending, particularly in light of the rising market values and their hopes that the market values will continue to rise rather than level off or fall. Each financial institution wants a piece of the action, and so they make the risky loans.The problem with that is, that home prices are not guaranteed to continue on the upsurge, and buyers and borrowers are going to be faced, eventually with that shock when the actual payments begin. After the five year interest only aspect of the loan, the payments could raise as much as 30 to 50%, and many borrowers will be ill equipped financially to deal with that.

They will then be prime targets for default or foreclosure, being unable to meet the newer raised payments. Most will adopt another strategy. Prior to the costs and payments rising, they will hope to refinance their payments at the end of the interest only time period, and shop for new financiers. Many, who are unable to find one, will be enmeshed in payments they cannot afford, or party to a foreclosure action.The reason for many foreclosures is high risk borrowing by those who absolutely cannot afford the payments on the home they choose, yet choose to purchase it anyway and to find a risky way to afford the mortgage. Research and realistic thinking will serve to prevent many foreclosures, making you one less statistic to be reported.."

Sell your home prior to the foreclosure

Many people find themselves in circumstances they had never planned to be in. Losing a job or a spouses income due to death or divorce leaves them scrambling to pay the mortgage or other bills on their own. They then find themselves scrambling also to find a way to prevent a foreclosure on their homes. This is new territory and can be a very stressful time due to the fact of having a foreclosure on their home or automobile. This does not make you the bad guy, or even a deadbeat, as many financial institutions appear to think. It merely makes you a victim of a set of circumstances currently touching the lives of many thousands of people daily. When you receive that first foreclosure intent notice then that is the time to act on it. Do not become paralyzed by the circumstances, and in fact, do nothing.This is the worst possible reaction to what is already a bad situation.

There are options to avoid foreclosure and to save your credit and equity, if you act rapidly enough to take advantage of them.One of the options would be to contact an investor who you know to be interested in properties in your area. There are lists of such investors readily available on the internet or at your local library or realtor. There are lists of people who are ready and willing to purchase your home and work to help you prevent a blot on your credit record which will last for many years to come. While it isn't always the best solution, or the one which pleases everyone, it is one way in which you may prevent a foreclosure on your home and work toward the purchase of another one.

Contact them and see if an arrangement might be made to sell your home prior to the foreclosure, or in what is called the pre foreclosure period, when you retain the most rights toward the home.Additionally there are a multitude of foreclosure assistance groups both offline and online who are waiting to aid you with this situation. Take advantage of and research all of your options prior to using one, but do use one or the other of them. It is in no ones best interests to see your home repossessed. The banks do not desire to have to deal with this, and you have no real desire to lose your investment. Everyone loses in a foreclosure so take the steps to avoid it.

Most people know this about foreclosures

Most people know about foreclosures, or at least have heard of them, but aren't certain what they really are, or actually entail. We all hope that we won't find ourselves encapsulated in such a procedure and for most of us that is a reality. We will not, be involved in a foreclosure, however we should know something about how the process works in the event that we might want to take advantage of it, or prevent one.A foreclosure, as most of you know, is the result of a borrower getting behind in the payments for his or her home, and as a result, steps are taken to return the home to the possession of the financial institution or lender.

The communications involved and the actions taken typically follow a specific timeline, much as any other transaction.After fifteen days, in most cases the borrower/s will receive a phone call from the lender asking what happened with the payment and when they may expect to be paid the due amount on the mortgage.Also as early as 15 days from the due date of the mortgages a late payment will be assessed and added to the payment due. As early as forty five days, the lender may send letters to the borrower stating that the terms of the mortgage have been breached and the borrower is now in default. Traditionally at this point the borrower is given a time span, usually 30 days to correct the default and bring the payments current, or to make other arrangement, such as a deferment of payment.

Usually at 90 days past due, the mortgage company or financial institution will hire a local attorney, who begins foreclosure proceedings. At about day 120 the sale proceeds. Certain requirements are necessary in each state or province. Some necessitate that the foreclosure must be judicial, that is presided over by a judge. These may take up to 9 months to accomplish a sale.In some states however judicial intervention is not necessary, and those states may find their homes sold in as little as two months. Until the actual sale of the property, the borrower has the right of redemption, that is to say he or she may pay what is due, plus costs and recoup the home. Once the home is sold they have no further rights, and no way to prevent the loss of good credit or equity in the home.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Internet listing of mortgage properties

Top mortgage foreclosures are listings online of properties in each state or area that are the most desirable to purchase. These listings are made available through many different ways and at many differing costs to internet users. There are software's available to the purchaser which when bought and a small monthly fee paid in addition to the cost of the software will organize and update the listings daily so that you are in a constant loop of other investors who are searching and researching the same properties with a view to a purchase.These are time and labor savers and may have the added advantage of making you the first to hear of or view a property in which you have an interest. Local realtors and investors will have lists which you may avail yourself of for a certain cost.

Most popular are the internet listing of mortgage properties, which you may purchase for various sums online. These will offer you a limited time to view the properties. In many cases you may not download the information to your own computer and this is one drawback of the purchase of this kind of program, although there are also many advantages. These types of databases are frequently updated, meaning that those new properties will be added, while those which have been sold will not appear there. This will give you access to their database of foreclosure and pre-foreclosure properties for a given amount of time, usually done on a monthly basis. You may purchase the right to view images, bid on homes, or even make an appointment to visit one of the foreclosures, dependent on the kind of service that you join.Some are less than complete and you should in fact scan several before choosing to join one, much as you would research any product that you used for work prior to buying it and finding that it does not meet your needs.

Most of these services are complete, however given the new listings of sites cropping up each day, assure yourself also that what you have purchased will be available to you tomorrow.. Research and find how long this particular web site has been in business and what their volume of user is, prior to buying it for a lengthy period of time.If you are a new investor who is looking to purchase foreclosure or pre-foreclosure properties, the best way in which to access those listings is to use the power of your computer and join one of the many popular foreclosure listing services.

Foreclosure laws

Losing ones home to a foreclosure can often be halted or stopped, but time is usually the most important factor in whether or not this can happen. There are legal teams available at many law offices, which specialize in this type law practice. They will negotiate with your financial institution to avoid or stop further action on your foreclosure and get your finances back on the right road to help you avoid this pitfall in the future.Some foreclosure legal teams will also work with other creditors so that you have extra time to pay these fees and payments, offering you the chance to put your funding where it most needs to be currently, and permit you to pay mortgages, late fees and accrued costs in an effort to save the equity you have built up in your home.

A foreclosure team is something that most people will find necessary if the situation should arise that you truly are sued for the foreclosure. In this event an attorney is a good investment.Many of these attorneys will offer special fees, or permit you to pay the fees over time, to prevent you from going further into debt at the present time. As a general rule, 90 percent of those who apply for a new financier or lending institution are usually turned down for that refinancing loan. Many, if not most, are not notified of the turndown until it's nearly past the last chance to save their home from the foreclosure.

Even if you are approved interest rates will be a great deal higher than those you paid previously and you are pressured by the company and your circumstance into accepting what might prior to now have been unacceptable. Many times the fees and loans will be five or six times what you paid previously, which are sometimes handed to you at the very last moment of closing.Legal teams are able to inform you objectively whether or not a refinancing of the home will be beneficial to you, and if not, to contact your lender in an effort to assist you in putting off the foreclosure until alternative funding is found. If you are in doubt as to what course to take, take it to a specialist. See a member of a legal team who is cognizant of what you are going through, and what it will take to help you.

Talking to the foreclosure company



It is not impossible to get in over your head and find yourself in financial trouble. You may just be behind on your house payments or something has come up that is keeping you from making them. The problem is that foreclosure is now looming over your head. You are not alone in this problem, but, like many others, you may not know what to do. A foreclosure does not make you a bad person, as some people might think. It will, however, affect your credit score for at least the next five years, dubbing you not so good to financial institutions. Everyone has things go wrong, the thing to do is to overcome them.When a foreclosure is getting closer and closer you will get phone calls and letters. This is the time to act.


This is the time to step up and do something. The foreclosure companies are not your enemies, they want to resolve the situation as much as you do, and will help you and work with you. The worst thing you can do is ignore them because your home or property will be taken if you do this. You must converse with the foreclosure company to see what can be done about your situation. Talking to the foreclosure company will provide you with options that may save you from foreclosure. You may not be able to save your house, but you can save your credit. You can offer to sell your house, of course move into a smaller one, in order to pay off your debt.


There are many investors out there that will help you by buying your home or putting it up for sell. You can find investors on the internet, at the library, in the phone book, or through local realtors.If you decide to sell during the pre-foreclosure period you will save you credit rating, which will help you to buy another home when you are able. Selling your home is an intimidating and sad way to save your credit, but sometimes it is the best option.


Who knows, you might find something a lot better once you get past the stress of debt.Seek out the help of foreclosure assistants, but be sure to do your research, you don't want to be scammed. The only person that wins in a foreclosure is the person who may buy your home, but not to worry, things can and will get better if you just work with the people trying to collect the money you owe.

Find home foreclosures in your area

If you are in the market for a new home or property and are finding it difficult to gain the financing or achieve the credit necessary to purchase one there are options now that make such first time purchases easier. Those who are new to the workforce, or just graduating from university do not always have unlimited resources to work with. One of the easier ways to get started in home ownership, particularly for those who are new to the market or have limited budgets to work with, is a foreclosure home.Foreclosure properties are those which have been retaken from the owner by the financier due to circumstances in which the former owner or occupant could no longer afford to pay the purchase price or monthly payments, and defaulted on the arrangement.

Financial institutions are anxious, in most cases, to resell the property as soon as possible in an effort to keep the monthly payments flowing, and as such, are more willing to work with the purchaser of a foreclosure property.Typically they are less costly and because the home has been foreclosed on, the financial institutions in question are more willing to deal with new buyers and work with new credit. Also typically, the down payments necessary may be lessened, or in some cases, even be waived altogether. A foreclosure home could be the answer to a new buyers wishes in that typically they will have lower amounts to put down for down payments or closing fees.

There are several ways to find home foreclosures in your area. Internet companies will sell you listings or a site fee on a monthly basis to permit you to access the listings they have gathered of foreclosures both locally and at a distance from you. If you do not have access to the internet, or are not inclined to do business in this way there are other means to gain access to such listings. Many companies will offer lists of such properties for sale at a nominal price, or will give them free for a commission on the home or property.Some of these lists may be found at your local library, or a reliable realtor in your area will have more details on foreclosure properties.If you are searching for your first home, or even for an investment or rental property to supplement your income, searching the foreclosure listings may be provide a substantial savings in both time and money.