Category: Florida Real Estate

Will They Extend the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act?

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

There are tens of thousands of distressed homeowners wondering the same things right now. Will Congress continue to help out consumers who are behind on their mortgages by extending the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 for one more year?

The act was put in place in order to help homeowners with underwater mortgages by forgiving the taxes owed on the difference between the short sale payoff and the full amount of the loan. Under the current federal tax law, the amount forgiven by the lender gets reported as ordinary income for the homeowner.


The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 expired last Dec. 31 and has yet to be renewed for principal reductions during 2014. These principal reductions can apply to loan modifications that were done by lenders, foreclosures, and short sales. Many believe that Congress will extend the law however if they don’t, hundreds of thousands of distressed homeowners will be hit with tax burdens that they may not be able to handle.

I’ve had several dozen Orlando homeowners that would’ve opted to do a short sale on their home but have filed for bankruptcy instead rather than hoping for Congress to renew the law. I believe that it’s for reason that we’ve seen a significant drop in Orlando’s short sales so far in 2014. The fact is that I can’t recommend for homeowners take a chance on a tax law that may or may not get renewed.

Let’s get back to the main question: Will the mortgage forgiveness act be extended?

The truth is that we just won’t know until it happens… or doesn’t happen. And for underwater homeowners that have received or plan on receiving a reduction on their principal balance, it’s going to be a stressful time until it all plays out.

Short Sale May Still Be The Best Option

Regardless of whether Congress decides to extend the law or not, a short sale may still be the way to go for some distressed homeowners. If you compare a short sale to a foreclosure, you’re still better off doing a short sale, and here’s the reason why. If a house goes to foreclosure, it will still sell for way below the full payoff amount and you would still be facing possible tax burdens. The difference is that by doing a short sale you would avoid having a foreclosure on your record and you will also have a chance at getting relocation assistance from the lender.

 

 

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Freddie Mac Short Sale News

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Freddie Mac

Is your mortgage owned by Freddie Mac and you’re struggling to keep your home? Well, if you want to sell in order to avoid having a foreclosure on your record, you may be eligible for Freddie Mac’s recently enhanced short sale.

 

In case you don’t know, a short sale is when a lender agrees to selling the property for less than the full payoff amount. After the closing the lender releases the lien on the property even though they received less the the loan balance. The benefits of doing a short sale is that you will avoid foreclosure and eliminate the mortgage debt.

 

Recently Freddie Mac has simplified and streamlined the process. Here’s how…

1-By allowing their servicers to negotiate the terms of the short sale directly with short sale agent representing the seller.

2- They’ve eased up and expanded on allowable requirements such as what types of hardships will qualify homeowners for a short sale.

3- They provide $3,000.00 to borrowers who qualify for relocation costs.

 

Are You Eligible For A Freddie Mac Short Sale?

Find out if you qualify for a Freddie Mac short sale. Answer the questions below to find out.

1- Is your mortgage owned by Freddie Mac?

2- You can provide proof of an eligible financial hardship which caused you to longer be able to keep up with the mortgage payments.

3-You were denied a loan modification by Freddie Mac.

4- You are over 30 days late on your mortgage. 5- The property is your primary residence. 6-Your monthly debt to income ratio is greater than 55%.

 

Get Free Short Sale Help

Even with all the information in the world about short sales at your fingertips you should still seek out help from a real estate professional. Even with all the improvements that banks like Freddie Mac have made in streamlining the process and making it easier on homeowners, short sales are still complicated and need to be done correctly.

By attempting a short sale on your own or hiring an agent who’s not experienced in the field, you could end up in a bad situation like losing your home to foreclosure.

If you still have questions or concerns about short sales or other alternatives to foreclosure, feel free to give us a call for a free consultation so that together we can find the best option for you. You can also visit us at https://orlandorealtyconsultants.com/short-sales/free-consultation/

 

Jennifer Zamora Orlando Realtor

 

 

 

 

 

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Value of Lake Properties Driven by Residential Construction

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

A substantial increase in residential and business construction rolled in 3.5 percent more to Lake County’s tax map. This is the second consecutive year of rising in values after a number of years when the economy was in depression.

Higher tax collections

According to Carey Baker, a property appraiser, this is the first instance when the values of single-family residential homes in Lake cities increased. Orlando realtors have calculated that new residential, as well as business construction, added an excess of $295 million when it comes to taxable values. This equals a variation of 89 percent compared to 2013. In 2014, the county witnessed a rise of 1,500 new properties earmarked for residential use.

The biggest single construction in the new category was the Chet Lemon commissioned by The Big House. The 162,000 square foot built-up area in Tavares was funded by the former baseball player and contributed a massive $7.6 million in taxes.

Gigi Lemon, the wife of Chet Lemon, said that the Lane Park Cutoff facility attracts a substantial number of visitors with tournaments and youth events. The Big House opened its gates in February 2013. Lemon is surprised by the response. She believes that people are impressed by the facility.

Near all-around growth

All the Lake cities with the exception of Leesburg saw a rise in their taxable values. Maximum growth was seen in the south Lake region. The group was led by Groveland, with a 14 percent rise, trailed by Minneola which rose 9 percent. Clermont followed third with 7 percent.

According to Orlando real estate agents, it is clear that, as was in the past, the south Lake leads the county when it comes to growth. The drivers of this growth are the people who are employed in Osceola and Polk. They are relocating to South Lake due to a number of attractive factors like a nice community and affordable housing. The icing on the cake is the quick accessibility to jobs in cities.

According to Orlando realtors, Leesburg suffered a slight drop in values-about 0.19 percent due to the relatively slower construction growth and weak values when it came to single-family homes.

There is, however, a glaring problem. Baker pointed to the $91.5 million reductions in taxable value of the tangible property which businesses pay related to equipment including machinery and computers. The county saw a tax reduction of $77.1 million due to such taxes.

 

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Overseas Demand for Central Florida Real Estate Remains Robust

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Undeterred foreign demand in U.S. real estate has saved realtors from the worries of an under-performing real estate market. The U.S. residential real estate market, though amidst recovery, has been plagued with concerns over slowing rates of property-price hikes and flat sales. Residential properties projected a median value of $198,500 in 2014 – marking a 7.9 percent hike in price. The percentage seems rather small when compared to the previous year-over-year hike of 11.8 percent, a year ago. The sales of existing homes fell seven times in a period spanning eight months and the sales of new homes dropped by 14.5 percent in March 2014.

Market watchers, economists and experts predict improvement

Real estate agents across all U.S. markets agree that sales activity has been low for most of 2014. Experts however believe the market is going to pick up soon enough. According to real estate agents, the on-going creation of new jobs and shopping activity that was overdue to the bad winter weather are two key factors that will promote market pick-up.

Further, the realtors say, increasing inventory would fuel the pick-up. Industry leaders hold that if mortgage rates rise only modestly or continue to dip weekly, as they had for close to three weeks in the April of 2014, the market would witness increased activity.

Economists have added another factor to the pool of events that are expected to cause the U.S. housing market to improve – overseas sales. The strong overseas demand that has been largely undeterred by flat sales rates and low median-price hikes will help the market pick-up.

Orlando real estate industry’s overseas investors pumping the market up

Investment in the U.S. markets has been only growing as investors from different countries across the world continue to be charmed by the prospects of the American market. Asian investors have been particularly interested in investments in the American residential real estate market.

For Central Florida real estate alone, Realtors in Orlando were able to list robust investments from the Asians, Britons, Canadians, Germans, and South American investors apart from other smaller but significant contributions from UAE-based and Swiss buyers. A recent industry, in fact, cited a 350-percent increase in the activity of interested buyers from the UAE and Switzerland.

Further, with improving home equity, experts have projected that the backlog of distressed homes would clear significantly. By the end of 2014, distressed homes would form a single-digit market share. The demand is expected to increase further, during the spring home-buying seasons presenting a great opportunity for sellers to put their homes on the market, according to the top listing agents in Orlando. Motivated by overseas investors, indigenous buyers too can make the best of the spring buying season.

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Median Prices of Homes in the US Witness a 2-Year High

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

The median sales price of residential properties in the US, increased by one percent in March 2014, compared to the median price in February. The rise mounts up to 10 percent when compared to the median price same time last year.

The first signs of the US housing market snapping out of hibernation were seen at the beginning of March 2014, after six months of sluggish business. Top Realtors note that markets get typically sluggish during the fall and winter months. The one percent monthly increase in March occurred after the median sales price of residential real estate properties had been shifting between decreasing or remaining flat for six consecutive months.

On an annual basis, the increase represents the biggest hike in 24 months. Standing at $164,500 at the end of March 2014, the median price rose the highest since crashing at the bottom in the March of 2012.

Does This Mean Prospective Sellers Can Expect Better Rates?

According to some real estate agents in Orlando, it does. The spring buying season is being well received by residential real-estate buyers throughout the nation. With the decline in rates of unemployment, recovery of markets across the U.S., and cuts in the mortgage rates, buying sentiments have increased.

In the Orlando real estate market alone, realtors have seen growing enthusiasm from first-time buyers, second-home buyers as well as owners who have powered through the distress and can buy their properties back. They reveal that 34 percent of the total homes sold in the country in March were purchased by second-home buyers or investors.

An increase in sales volume is another proof of improving sentiments. Sales volume in March was up 0.4 percent from the volume in February 2014 and up by eight percent from the volume in March 2013. While still below the most recent peak reached in October 2013, the trend is largely positive.

More Owners are Now Selling Their Homes, Adding to the Inventory

The nationwide increase in annual sales volume is not without 21 of the country’s largest metros witnessing a decrease in their yearly sales volume. In Orlando, the volume in March was down 12 percent, compared to a year ago.

There are several silver linings though. One is the positive trend in housing inventory. The low-inventory situation has eased up in 38 states in total, which according to some real estate experts can be attributed to the increase in distressed sales. In comparison with the last quarter of 2013, the percentage of distressed sales increased nationwide in the first quarter of 2014. So has the percentage of non-distressed property owners who have regained enough equity to be able to relist their houses on the market.

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