By Marilyn Kennedy Melia • Bankrate.com
These days, record-breaking foreclosure statistics are coming out with numbing frequency. But what happens to the thousands of families after their personal financial disaster is added to the mounting national count?
Unfortunately, once a foreclosure is final, the financial and emotional upheaval is far from over.
While there’s considerable pain, most foreclosure victims will eventually become homeowners again, says Jay Zagorsky, a research scientist at Ohio State University.
Still, that won’t happen anytime soon, especially since mortgage rule maker Fannie Mae has recently lengthened the time that must lapse between a foreclosure and approval for a new mortgage.
Here’s a look at the issues foreclosed families grapple with, and some smart solutions.
Finding a new home
Suffering the credit fallout
Buying another home
Owing an employer an explanation
Getting hit with a tax bill
Living through loss
Finding a new home
The immediate problem is obvious: where and how to find a new place to live.
Lack of cash for a rental deposit is probably the biggest barrier to foreclosed owners getting re-established on their own. Landlords will sometimes accept tenants who have a credit score of just 580, says Maurice Ortiz, marketing director at The Apartment People in Chicago.
But if landlords look beyond a numerical score to credit records, a foreclosure may spook them, since it indicates the potential tenant hasn’t paid his housing bills, adds Ortiz. If the foreclosure can be explained, however, and if the rental candidate has a solid job history, he may be accepted.
Moreover, “if you’re on the edge, you may have to double your deposit,” says Mark Fogelman, president of Memphis-based Fogelman Management Group.
Scraping together a rental deposit isn’t easy for cash-strapped foreclosed owners.
“That’s why I recommend that people try to make plans as soon as they think foreclosure (is inevitable),” says Patricia Lynch, a corporate trainer with ClearPoint Financial Solutions in Richmond, Va. Anyone who has a FHA-insured loan who’s being foreclosed on should investigate the “cash for keys” program, whereby they get a check for up to $1,000 if they voluntarily vacate and leave their home “broom clean,” says Lynch.
Suffering through the credit fallout
Once owners default on their mortgage, other creditors consider it much more likely they won’t collect what they’re owed either.
“Credit cards have a ‘default’ rate, and (foreclosed owners) could see their interest rate jump to very high levels — as much as 30 percent,” says John Ulzheimer, president of consumer education for credit.com. “You’ll also have a hard time getting a decent car loan,” he adds.
If a foreclosure is an isolated event on an otherwise good credit record, consumers may be able to rehabilitate their record and garner better loans and card rates in 24 months, says Ulzheimer.
But since a foreclosure is rarely the former owner’s only credit slip-up, and foreclosures are often combined with the fallout of punishing rates, some former homeowners will never climb back up to a good credit score, Ulzheimer says.
Buying another home of one’s own
Fannie Mae has just upped the length of time it takes from the completion of a foreclosure sale until the borrower can get a new mortgage from four years to five years.
The extra year is designed to deter what Fannie Mae believes are borrowers who have made reckless debt decisions. But foreclosed owners who can explain that extenuating circumstances — typically situations beyond someone’s control, like a job loss — are the impetus for the foreclosure must wait only three years.
Perhaps the best option for obtaining a mortgage after foreclosure is with a federally insured FHA loan, says Jerry DuPaw Jr., a McHenry, Ill., mortgage loan officer.
The minimum time between the completion of foreclosure until when you can be approved for an FHA loan is three years — whether or not there are extenuating circumstances. Still, FHA borrowers will have to show that they’ve been practicing good bill-paying habits since the foreclosure.
Owing a potential employer an explanation
Should you lose your job as well as your home, your new job hunt shouldn’t be hindered by the subject of your foreclosure coming up in job interviews — unless you’re applying for a job in which you handle money.
“We recommend that employers do credit checks when they are concerned about how financially responsible someone is — which may be for any money-related position from a cashier to an accountant,” says Robin Throckmorton, a Loveland, Ohio, human resources consultant.
The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act has rules employers must follow, such as notifying the applicant of the credit check, and most companies limit checks so as not to run afoul of the law.
If a foreclosed owner is applying for a financial job, he or she should have an explanation ready, perhaps describing how the foreclosure has changed some of his or her personal money-management skills today, suggests Throckmorton.
Getting hit with a tax bill
It seems like the ultimate injustice: You lose your home and then weeks or months later you open the mail and find a bill for taxes on the amount of mortgage that the lender was never able to recover from the sale of the property.
Anytime debt is forgiven, it’s a potentially taxable event. You are not paying back money that you borrowed, so that money is considered income by the IRS.
However, there are some exceptions. Last year, Congress passed relief for foreclosed owners — but only those who lost their principal residence and didn’t have a mortgage that they had previously taken as a cash-out refinance, using the proceeds for expenses other than improving their home, says Julian Block, a tax attorney and syndicated tax columnist in New York City.
But foreclosure victims may still not have to pay a tax tab, even if they had a cash-out refinance. That’s because the IRS has long allowed taxpayers to escape a bill on forgiven debt if they are insolvent. If, for instance, you receive a Form 1099c from a lender saying it couldn’t recover $5,000 of what it was owed, but your debts exceed your assets to the tune of $15,000, you must file Form 982 with your tax return to clear your tax obligation.
Living through loss
The emotional toll of leaving a home and neighborhood are impossible to quantify. One recent report released by First Focus, a Washington, D.C., advocacy group, finds that some two million children are likely to be impacted by foreclosure in some way, including the disruption of being placed in a new school after a move.
One glimmer of hope is that the large numbers of foreclosures today may lessen the stigma of the event, says consultant Throckmorton. She remembers when job applicants had to explain frequent changes in employment, because jumping from job to job was frowned upon. “Now that’s considered normal — with foreclosures so much in the news, it may prompt people not to make judgments.”
My name is Scott Grebner and I have been helping my clients realize their own personal real estate dreams. Real estate is a relationship-based business that works best when client relationships are built on trust and confidence. My goal is having clients be completely satisfied with the professional and caring service they have received.
The role of technology is rapidly changing how the real-estate market functions in this country today. Gerharter Realtors is embracing these new mediums of communication to better serve our customers. We have created our e-family to better place important information in your hands to help you with your housing needs. As a part of Gerharter Enterprises we have access to a broader range of additional services and resources to better assist you. Visit me at my Web Site, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, You Tube or Pinterest. Please check out our helpful resources on Sellers Tips, Buyers Tips, Foreclosure Tips, and Mortgage Tips. For a personal consultation please visit our Office.
It seems that the dream of past generations was to pay off a mortgage. The dream of today’s young families is to get one. I would love to hear from you, about your Real Estate Dreams and questions.
Email me at scott@gerharterrealtors.com.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Mortgage After Foreclosure, Bankruptcy and Short Sales
by Jason
Mortgages and home ownership are significant issues for my debt clients that are facing foreclosure, bankruptcy or considering a short sale for their home. When one of these events happen, there are general rules of thumb of what will happen if you seek a mortgage and when you might be able to qualify for a mortgage.
Foreclosureresults in the longest waiting period before you can qualify for a mortgage. For this reason, when things appear dire, a short sale or bankruptcy should be a strong consideration before you allow your house to simply go to foreclosure. On average, it will be 7 years before you can qualify for a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac mortgage after completion of the foreclosure. FHA and USDA Rural will require at least 3 years from the date of completion of the foreclosure and VA will require 2 years. No matter how you look at it, this is a long time and by avoiding a foreclosure with a bankruptcy, as you will see, you can cut this time in half.
With a Short Sale, the time before you can qualify for a mortgage sale is 2-4 years depending on the loan to value ratio of the short sale agreement and depending on the conditions of the sale. The mortgage company will still look at the sale date (the day the short sale closes) when considering your qualification for a mortgage and the time period you have to wait. This range is the same for Fannie Mae, FHA and USDA Rural and Freddie Mac is a straight 4 year time period.
Bankruptcy on the other hand, carries with hit the same 2-4 year time period of a short sale which is significantly less than what happens with a foreclosure. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac require waiting 4 years from the date of discharge, FHA and VA is 2 years from the discharge date and USDA Rural is 3 years from the discharge date.
Incidentally, with a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, the time period may be reduced to one year with satisfactory plan payments and special permission from the Bankruptcy Court when considering a FHA, VA or USDA Rural mortgage.
When is becomes apparent that things are beginning to go downhill financially and that a foreclosure may be imminent, it is best to consider going ahead with a bankruptcy or short sale to shorten the time period you have to wait if home ownership is a renewed goal after you obtain financial freedom. Allowing a foreclosure will all but guarantee that a mortgage and home ownership is years away and avoiding the foreclosure will go a long way in allowing you to return to home ownership sooner.
My name is Scott Grebner and I have been helping my clients realize their own personal real estate dreams. Real estate is a relationship-based business that works best when client relationships are built on trust and confidence. My goal is having clients be completely satisfied with the professional and caring service they have received.
The role of technology is rapidly changing how the real-estate market functions in this country today. Gerharter Realtors is embracing these new mediums of communication to better serve our customers. We have created our e-family to better place important information in your hands to help you with your housing needs. As a part of Gerharter Enterprises we have access to a broader range of additional services and resources to better assist you. Visit me at my Web Site, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, You Tube or Pinterest. Please check out our helpful resources on Sellers Tips, Buyers Tips, Foreclosure Tips, and Mortgage Tips. For a personal consultation please visit our Office.
It seems that the dream of past generations was to pay off a mortgage. The dream of today’s young families is to get one. I would love to hear from you, about your Real Estate Dreams and questions.
Email me at scott@gerharterrealtors.com.
Mortgages and home ownership are significant issues for my debt clients that are facing foreclosure, bankruptcy or considering a short sale for their home. When one of these events happen, there are general rules of thumb of what will happen if you seek a mortgage and when you might be able to qualify for a mortgage.
Foreclosureresults in the longest waiting period before you can qualify for a mortgage. For this reason, when things appear dire, a short sale or bankruptcy should be a strong consideration before you allow your house to simply go to foreclosure. On average, it will be 7 years before you can qualify for a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac mortgage after completion of the foreclosure. FHA and USDA Rural will require at least 3 years from the date of completion of the foreclosure and VA will require 2 years. No matter how you look at it, this is a long time and by avoiding a foreclosure with a bankruptcy, as you will see, you can cut this time in half.
With a Short Sale, the time before you can qualify for a mortgage sale is 2-4 years depending on the loan to value ratio of the short sale agreement and depending on the conditions of the sale. The mortgage company will still look at the sale date (the day the short sale closes) when considering your qualification for a mortgage and the time period you have to wait. This range is the same for Fannie Mae, FHA and USDA Rural and Freddie Mac is a straight 4 year time period.
Bankruptcy on the other hand, carries with hit the same 2-4 year time period of a short sale which is significantly less than what happens with a foreclosure. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac require waiting 4 years from the date of discharge, FHA and VA is 2 years from the discharge date and USDA Rural is 3 years from the discharge date.
Incidentally, with a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, the time period may be reduced to one year with satisfactory plan payments and special permission from the Bankruptcy Court when considering a FHA, VA or USDA Rural mortgage.
When is becomes apparent that things are beginning to go downhill financially and that a foreclosure may be imminent, it is best to consider going ahead with a bankruptcy or short sale to shorten the time period you have to wait if home ownership is a renewed goal after you obtain financial freedom. Allowing a foreclosure will all but guarantee that a mortgage and home ownership is years away and avoiding the foreclosure will go a long way in allowing you to return to home ownership sooner.
My name is Scott Grebner and I have been helping my clients realize their own personal real estate dreams. Real estate is a relationship-based business that works best when client relationships are built on trust and confidence. My goal is having clients be completely satisfied with the professional and caring service they have received.
The role of technology is rapidly changing how the real-estate market functions in this country today. Gerharter Realtors is embracing these new mediums of communication to better serve our customers. We have created our e-family to better place important information in your hands to help you with your housing needs. As a part of Gerharter Enterprises we have access to a broader range of additional services and resources to better assist you. Visit me at my Web Site, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, You Tube or Pinterest. Please check out our helpful resources on Sellers Tips, Buyers Tips, Foreclosure Tips, and Mortgage Tips. For a personal consultation please visit our Office.
It seems that the dream of past generations was to pay off a mortgage. The dream of today’s young families is to get one. I would love to hear from you, about your Real Estate Dreams and questions.
Email me at scott@gerharterrealtors.com.
Buy After Foreclosure or Short Sale
By Andrew Robb
The housing market slump has left many owners without options other than renting. Perhaps you have had to short sale your home or you’ve been foreclosed on your home you thought you could afford or refinance if there was a financial emergency, but when the housing market crashed about 50% since the peak, you were left with no equity (value of home minus mortgage balance).
All is not lost and you can get yourself back on track for purchasing another home in the near future. Many lending institutions will give you a loan even if your FICO credit score is under 600, however the down payment requirement is quite substantial (up to 35%) and interest rates will be higher. To qualify for a mortgage after a short sale or foreclosure, most lenders like to see a FICO score of about 620. Use this helpful table to find out how long you must wait after a short sale, foreclosure or bankruptcy before you can qualify for another mortgage.
How long must a buyer wait after a bankruptcy, short sale or foreclosure before they can get mortgage financing?
If applying for an FHA loan
Short sale or foreclosure: 3 years from date of sale (completion)
Chapter 7 bankruptcy: 2 years from discharge date
Chapter 13 bankruptcy: 1 year of the payout must elapse and payment information must be satisfactory; also requires permission of Bankruptcy Trustee
If applying for a VA loan
Short sale: no waiting period is required if Automated Underwriting Approval is obtained
Foreclosure: 2 years from date of sale (completion)
Chapter 7 bankruptcy: 2 years from discharge date
Chapter 13 bankruptcy: 1 year of the payout must elapse and payment information must be satisfactory; also requires permission of Bankruptcy Trustee
If applying for a conventional loan
Short sale: 2 years from date of sale (completion) with maximum financing of 80%; 4 years from date of sale (completion) with maximum financing of 90%
Foreclosure: 7 years from date of sale (completion)
Chapter 7 bankruptcy: 4 years from discharge date
Chapter 13 bankruptcy: 2 years from discharge date or 4 years from dismissal date
To boost your chances of obtaining a mortgage again, there are a few things you can do:
· Take out a major credit card. This isn’t as hard as one would think because creditors know you can’t file bankruptcy again for at least 7 years and you no longer have any debt.
· Stay at your current job for at least another year or two.
· Save up a down payment of 10 to 15%.
· Do everything you can to pay your existing bills on time, every time.
My name is Scott Grebner and I have been helping my clients realize their own personal real estate dreams. Real estate is a relationship-based business that works best when client relationships are built on trust and confidence. My goal is having clients be completely satisfied with the professional and caring service they have received.
The role of technology is rapidly changing how the real-estate market functions in this country today. Gerharter Realtors is embracing these new mediums of communication to better serve our customers. We have created our e-family to better place important information in your hands to help you with your housing needs. As a part of Gerharter Enterprises we have access to a broader range of additional services and resources to better assist you. Visit me at my Web Site, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, You Tube or Pinterest. Please check out our helpful resources on Sellers Tips, Buyers Tips, Foreclosure Tips, and Mortgage Tips. For a personal consultation please visit our Office.
It seems that the dream of past generations was to pay off a mortgage. The dream of today’s young families is to get one. I would love to hear from you, about your Real Estate Dreams and questions.
Email me at scott@gerharterrealtors.com.
The housing market slump has left many owners without options other than renting. Perhaps you have had to short sale your home or you’ve been foreclosed on your home you thought you could afford or refinance if there was a financial emergency, but when the housing market crashed about 50% since the peak, you were left with no equity (value of home minus mortgage balance).
All is not lost and you can get yourself back on track for purchasing another home in the near future. Many lending institutions will give you a loan even if your FICO credit score is under 600, however the down payment requirement is quite substantial (up to 35%) and interest rates will be higher. To qualify for a mortgage after a short sale or foreclosure, most lenders like to see a FICO score of about 620. Use this helpful table to find out how long you must wait after a short sale, foreclosure or bankruptcy before you can qualify for another mortgage.
How long must a buyer wait after a bankruptcy, short sale or foreclosure before they can get mortgage financing?
If applying for an FHA loan
Short sale or foreclosure: 3 years from date of sale (completion)
Chapter 7 bankruptcy: 2 years from discharge date
Chapter 13 bankruptcy: 1 year of the payout must elapse and payment information must be satisfactory; also requires permission of Bankruptcy Trustee
If applying for a VA loan
Short sale: no waiting period is required if Automated Underwriting Approval is obtained
Foreclosure: 2 years from date of sale (completion)
Chapter 7 bankruptcy: 2 years from discharge date
Chapter 13 bankruptcy: 1 year of the payout must elapse and payment information must be satisfactory; also requires permission of Bankruptcy Trustee
If applying for a conventional loan
Short sale: 2 years from date of sale (completion) with maximum financing of 80%; 4 years from date of sale (completion) with maximum financing of 90%
Foreclosure: 7 years from date of sale (completion)
Chapter 7 bankruptcy: 4 years from discharge date
Chapter 13 bankruptcy: 2 years from discharge date or 4 years from dismissal date
To boost your chances of obtaining a mortgage again, there are a few things you can do:
· Take out a major credit card. This isn’t as hard as one would think because creditors know you can’t file bankruptcy again for at least 7 years and you no longer have any debt.
· Stay at your current job for at least another year or two.
· Save up a down payment of 10 to 15%.
· Do everything you can to pay your existing bills on time, every time.
My name is Scott Grebner and I have been helping my clients realize their own personal real estate dreams. Real estate is a relationship-based business that works best when client relationships are built on trust and confidence. My goal is having clients be completely satisfied with the professional and caring service they have received.
The role of technology is rapidly changing how the real-estate market functions in this country today. Gerharter Realtors is embracing these new mediums of communication to better serve our customers. We have created our e-family to better place important information in your hands to help you with your housing needs. As a part of Gerharter Enterprises we have access to a broader range of additional services and resources to better assist you. Visit me at my Web Site, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, You Tube or Pinterest. Please check out our helpful resources on Sellers Tips, Buyers Tips, Foreclosure Tips, and Mortgage Tips. For a personal consultation please visit our Office.
It seems that the dream of past generations was to pay off a mortgage. The dream of today’s young families is to get one. I would love to hear from you, about your Real Estate Dreams and questions.
Email me at scott@gerharterrealtors.com.
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