Across this country homeowners are in financial trouble especially those families that lost jobs in the last several months that has pushed the Nation’s Unemployment Rate to the highest it has been in many years. The fear in our economy is growing and along with it so are the unemployment lines. Undoubtly the number of foreclosures will also continue to rise. Understanding the reasons for and the effect foreclosures have on any given market is essential in order to evaluate home values and why foreclosures have far reaching effects in areas hit by the foreclosure crisis.
Busting the Housing Bubble – Certainly there are a large number of homeowners who purchased more home than they could afford by falling prey to lenders with numerous creative financing options. Sad but true, these buyers and maybe your neighbor falls under this senario. They bought in the best neighborhood or school district and their ARM is about to or has already reset to a monthly payment that is more than they can now afford. They honestly had all intentions and the good credit to refinance before the loan reset or they planned to sell before the higher interst rate kicked in and higher payment would be their responsibility. We all know how this story ended and see the fallout daily with falling home prices and increasing foreclosures.
Mortgage Fraud – In the Coastal Market I would suspect there could be a number of cases where individuals claimed they were going to use property as a second home on the loan application. Having no intention of occupying the property and placing it back on the market for sale hoping to reap gains by appreciating home prices could have drawn any number of scammers to participate in such actions for a quick profit. Another storybook ending with default and foreclosure that have a definite effect on the innocent homeowners losing value.
Family crisis – Life events such as job loss, divorce, illness or death of a family member are indeed a tradegy in that many of these families end up with financial difficulties that lead to foreclosure. Again if this is someone in your neighborhood, chances are your home value will suffer. One bright spot for individuals that find themselves facing one of these events should be able to work with their lender to avoid foreclosure but it takes honest efforts on the part of the homeowner and communication with the lender should not to be delayed.
The effect on your homes value is directly tied to the number of foreclosures in your neighborhood. In newer neighborhoods builder closeouts and special offers can also put a strain on home prices. Sure prices will rebound but if you need to sell your home in the coming year and there are foreclosures or short sales in your neighborhood your home value will suffer.
It is said that for every foreclosure in a neighborhood that home prices can decline by as much as $10,000. Real Estate is and will remain a solid investment in our families overall wealth and offers advantages over the long term. By nature all real estate prices are local and if foreclosures are increasing in your neighborhood consult your agent for how it is affecting your home value. Contact me for more information. Copyright©2008 Sandra Bundy, Broker-in-Charge, B&P, Inc. This work may not be copied or reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the Author.
Exciting news in the Pee Dee today as Monster.com® announced plans to build a state of the art customer service facility in Florence. At full capacity Monster Worldwide SC will employ 750 workers.
Undoubtedly the Pee Dee will be a perfect fit for building world class service. Training will begin very soon and some hiring will begin in the next few weeks.
This is great news for our area and also for the area Real Estate Markets. The new jobs will certainly bring new home buyers and help further stabilize the areas Real Estate Values.
Today more than ever, lenders are willing to help homeowners avoid foreclosure and keep their homes. Loss mitigation is increasing used by lenders and depending on the financial situation you find yourself in, some of them may work for you.
Forebearance is a temporary solution where the lender agrees to allow homeowners to make payments for a specified time period in order to catch up the amount in arrears. This is a short term solution and involves higher payment amounts.
Loan Modification is a permanent change in payment amount and terms and can be used by homeowners who have fallen behind on mortgage payments. Providing the homeowners financial situation will support the new payment amounts, loan modifications can bring your mortgage current and help you avoid foreclosure.
Not all homeowners will qualify for loan modifications with there lender. In some cases a short sale might be in order to avoid foreclosure for homeowners who do not have the ability to keep their homes. If the real estate market values have declined, a short sale must be approved by your lender. Contact me for more information.
Copyright©2008 Sandra Bundy, Broker-in-Charge, B&P, Inc. This work may not be copied or reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the Author.
