June, 2011 | Bay Area Short Sale Angels | Maxwell Park

Non-Recourse or Recourse Loans – Short Sales and Foreclosure

Hi this is Kerri from the Bay Area Short Sale Angels, Northern California's number one short sale team. A recourse loan means that the bank can come after you for any unpaid debt regardless if you foreclose or short sale. Non recourse loans mean that they can't. California is a non-recourse state as long as the loan was taken out as purchase money. That means the money, whether its a first or second was taken out at the origination of purchasing the property. Now let's say you got a loan, you got into your property, and then a while later you took out an equity line, a second loan. The second loan is a recourse loan. So, if you short sale, what does that mean? It means that the bank can ask to have the homeowner to sign a promissory note, sometimes for the amount that's owed, sometimes less than the amount owed.…

Information for Those Suffering from Financial Hardship

Hi this is Kerri from the Bay Area Short Sale Angels, northern California's number one short sale team. So here's a piece of advice not only for people who are suffering a financial hardship or looking at pre-foreclosure or short sale, this is for everyone out there. This is just a little piece of advice based on some stuff that I've seen going on. There are some other teams out there in the US that I talk to on a regular basis, and they've noticed the same thing, so it's not just California. Do not bank at the same institution that carries your loan. Many times, written in the fine print when you sign up for a checking or savings account, it says that if you owe them any money, they can take if from your account. People usually assume that it has to do with credit cards that are linked to the…

Information on Loan Modifications and Short Sales

Hi, this is Kerri from the Bay Area Short Sale Angels. We are northern California's number one short sale team. I have a piece of advice for you that might sound crazy. Do not pay anyone to help you with your loan modification or your :k1: short sale, even if it's an attorney. You can maybe negotiate so they can have some money when it closes, but do not pay them anything upfront. Our team has had a couple people recently, one actually paid a lawyer $20,000 to do her loan modification and it went nowhere, absolutely nowhere. He made all these promises and then just took off with the money. What can she do sue a lawyer? That's not going to happen. People are getting ripped off by scams, and people making promises. There may be people that seem like they're there, they seem like they know what they are talking about,…

Understanding the Tax Implications when considering whether a short sale is right for you

Hello this is Kerri with the Bay Area Short Sale Angels. :k1: #1 short sale team. A lot of clients first question is what the tax consequences will be when filing for a short sale. The tax consequences will always vary on whether it is a owner occupied property or an investment or renatl property. Of course the first thing to always do is seek the advice of a tax professional to make sure you are aware of what the consequences will be. In my experience if it is an owner occupied property you will not have to pay federal tax on the forgiven debt and as of the last 8 months in California there are also no taxes on the forgiven debt. Having said that, it is still in your best interest to double check with a tax professional to make sure no tax codes have changed recently. On the other hand…

Understanding what the term "Seller Pays Fee" Really Means in your Short Sale Agreement

Hello this is Kerri with the Bay Area Short Sale Angels. The :k1: #1 Short Sale Team. One question that comes up a lot in our business is what it really means when it says 'seller pays' on the purchase agreement. Often times it will list city/county transfer tax, closing cost credits, title fees as paid by seller on a short sale purchase agreement all owed by the seller. Since most short sale property owners can not even pay their mortgage these added fee's can be a concern while trying to gain approval. Do not be scared away by all these fee's because although the agreement says the 'seller pays' it will all be covered by the bank. These numerous fee's associated with closing on a house are deducted from the total amount that the bank would receive once your house is sold. Since the lender is taking care of these fee's there…