Q&A | Bay Area Short Sale Angels | Hayward | San Fransisco

You May Be Eligible For A HAFA Short Sale And You Don’t Even Know It

Hello everyone this is Kerri Naslund with the Bay Area Short Sale Angels, :k1:'s number one short sale team, I hope you are having a great day. If you enjoy this blog make sure to check back often as I keep :k1: homeowners up to date with relevant information on avoiding foreclosure. For our blog topic today I wanted to talk about what is required to be eligible for the HAFA program. First off, for those that don't know, HAFA is a government backed program that offers homeowners three thousand dollars in relocation monies after completing their short sale. The HAFA program has some other great benefits as well but is unfortunately not available to all homeowners. As a HAFA certified short sale agent I am constantly staying up to date on all eligibility requirements for our clients. The most important qualification is that the property must be your primary residence and not…

Staying Current On Your Mortgage Is A Possibility During A Short Sale

Hello this is Kerri Naslund with the Bay Area Short Angels, :k1:'s number one short sale team, thank you for your time today. I am a licensed real estate agent in the state of :k1: and blog frequently to keep area homeowners up to date on the short sale process and their options for avoiding foreclosure. For our blog today I wanted to talk about whether or not a homeowner can pay their mortgage so it is current while in the middle of a short sale. Whether you win the lottery, find a new job, or get a bonus at work you are certainly able to make payments on your mortgage during the short sale process to remain current. Often times there will be some fees related with paying off the past due amount but that can be negotiable. In fact I have had clients in the past who have been able to…

The Benefits Of A HAFA Short Sale Make Sense For A Homeowner

Hello everyone this is Kerri Naslund with the Bay Area Short Sale Angels, :k1:'s number one short sale team, thank you for your time today. I update my blog on short sales quite frequently and strive to keep :k1: homeowners up to date and informed on the short sale process. For our blog topic today I would like to discuss what exactly a HAFA short sale is and what it can mean for you. Simply put, HAFA is a government backed short sale program that was part of the Fair Lending Act of 2009. Not all lenders are HAFA approved but for those that are it is certainly worth your time to look at this program. The main goal of HAFA is to help homeowners get out from under their distressed property and provide two unique benefits. The first, and most widely known, is that the HAFA program will give you three thousand…

Important Questions To Ask Of Your Potential Short Sale Agent

Well hello everyone I am Kerri Naslund with the Bay Area Short Sale Angels, :k1:'s number one short sale team, thank you so much for your time today. I update my blog frequently in order to provide :k1: homeowners with up to date information on the short sale process and the lenders that we have worked with in the past.For my blog today I wanted to talk about some things to consider while searching for the right short sale agent. From talking to our clients I know that sitting down with numerous agents to pick the right one is quite common. Given the importance of a short sale approval on your distressed property this is always a good idea. There are numerous agents in :k1: to choose from and finding someone with a proven track record that you feel comfortable with is very important. When meeting with short sale agents there are some…

Exciting News in the Short Sale Industry now that SB 458 is here!

Hi this is Kerri from the Bay Area Short Sale Angels. We are :k1:'s number one short sale team. This week something very exciting happened in the short sale world. Jerry Brown signed into effect a new law SB 458. SB 931 made sure that there were no deficiency judgments allowed on any first lien. Now SB 458 makes sure that there will not be any deficiencies allowed on any second lien or any junior lien that decides to participate in a short sale. So what does that mean for you and the rest of the world? That means that on a second or junior lien that might have been a recourse loan, once that lender decides to accept the short sale, it's done. By whatever terms that might mean; they might still ask for a promissory note, or they might still ask for a cash contribution to close, but after it's done,…

Information on How a Short Sale can Help With a Loan on Land

Hi, this is Kerri from the Bay Area Short Sale Angels. We are northern California's number one short sale team. Some of you may be wondering if you can do a short sale on land. The answer is yes you can. We have people who have purchased land in the past, with hopes that they were going to develop it in the future. Then the market crashed and all of a sudden there was no money to be had in order to develop the land. Now they sit holding onto this undeveloped land with no hope of being able to put money into it. They continue to pay loan payments on it, and it's just pulling from their pockets every month. Maybe they have a financial hardship, or they’ve lost their job, needed to relocate, or maybe the land payment is causing them to have a financial hardship and they just can't hold…

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…