Category: Mortgage Companies

Ocwen outsourcing Orlando short sales to India

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Ocwen outsourcing Orlando short sales- It used to be that the hardest bank to negotiate a short sale with was Bank of America… hands down. But ever since B of A has implemented the Equator system they are now one of my favorite lenders to work with. In the past year or so there’s a new leader in my list of the absolute worst lenders to work with, and the winner is………Green Tree but Ocwen is a close 2nd. Ocwen is extremely frustrating to work with and part of the reason is that they outsource their short sale department to to India. You can’t even call the negotiator directly anymore because your call goes directly to a call center. And the person you end up talking to is beyond clueless, all they are able to do is  take a message, and sometimes they even get that wrong. The only way to speak to your negotiator is to schedule a call back, which most times never occurs..If you leave it up to them, it will be weeks for you to get a call back. What I do is call every day until they get tired of me complaining…finally a call back, usually from someone other than the negotiator so you are back to square one..
I’ve always thought that the short sale negotiator should be a licensed realtor, after all… the whole job revolves around the buying and selling of real estate. How on earth is someone that is unlicensed, living half way around the world qualified to discuss short sale?
Ocwen is obviously trying to save a few bucks by outsourcing to people that work for $2-$3 per hour. However, this is one position that should absolutely not be outsourced! To be a good short sale negotiator, you need to be familiar with the real estate business, it’s just not something that you can fake.

 

Don’t get me wrong, Even in our company use we use VA’s [virtual assistants] for certain things like link building, compiling lists, etc. … but negotiate a short sale…are you kidding me?

 

Short Sales are too Important to Out source

 

I’ve said this a million times and will continue to say it. Negotiating a short sale is serious business and is usually one of the most important transactions that someone will ever be involved in. I really hope that Ocwen gets their act together especially for the mortgage holder’s sake

 

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Strategic Default, more popular than ever

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Although Orlando real estate prices continue to steadily rise, strategic default is as popular as ever. As homeowners come to us to list their Orlando properties for sale, the majority of them are upside down on their mortgage. The big problem is that there are several lenders out there that won’t accept a short sale unless the mortgage holder has defaulted on their payments. This puts the homeowners in a difficult position by forcing them to either continue paying on a mortgage that is way too high or stop making their mortgage payment. Most people faced with this situation these days are strategically defaulting on their mortgage for the sole purpose of pursuing a short sale with their lender. When you think about it…what choice do they have?

 

Don’t get me wrong…I would never tell a client to purposely default on their mortgage, but once I explain their situation to them, they almost always choose to stop paying their mortgage and pursue short sale. Honestly, I can’t say that I blame them. As a matter of fact, if I was in their shoes, I would do the exact same thing.

 

How will it affect your Credit?
A short sale can have a lot less of an effect on your credit score than a foreclosure. But, it must be done correctly.
If your request for a shot sale is approved, your agent should ask your lender to report the short sale as “paid in full,” as part of the negotiation.

 

Many sources have reported that a short sale has about the same impact on your credit score as a foreclosure, however from experience with our own clients, that’s never been the case.  Most of the time, clients of ours that have completed an Orlando short sale, report that their credit score only dropped by 100 points, which can be easily fixed by a good credit repair company.

 

There are no guarantees when it comes short sales

 

It’s important for you to know there is no obligation what-so-ever on the bank’s part to accept a short sale payoff.
And you just won’t know until you begin the process.  You should also be aware that short sales can take several months to complete depending on who the lender is.

 

If you still want to learn more about shorts sales, visit us at OrlandoRealtyConsultants.com

 

 

 

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Orlando Short Sale Negotiator confesses to using stall tactics

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

I’ve been doing short sales in Orlando since 2005 and something happened last week that has never happened to me before. I’ve been working on this Orlando shorts sale listing for the past 3 months. After negotiating with the bank we got the payoff approved at $192,000.00 and the buyers were ready to close. Each time I would get a hold of the negotiator he would say that I would have the approval letter the next day so I would then update my clients with the same update that was given to me. After hearing the same story from me day after day and week after week It got to the point where everyone thought it was all somehow my fault.

To make matters worse, the buyer got tired of waiting and walked from the deal, my client even talked about hiring another agent. The following day I received a call from the negotiator and I couldn’t believe what he told me. He actually told me that he was purposely stalling this particular file because he didn’t want it to close until the month of March. He explained to me that the bank can only handle a certain amount of loss per month and they had already hit their limit for the month of February. He then proceeded to explain to me how he was purposely stalling me by not providing me with the approval letter. When I heard this I felt like reaching through the phone and slapping him. That wasn’t possible so I did the next best thing, I gave him a piece of my mind.

All he had to do was inform me of what was going on from the start and everything would have been fine. The buyers would have had no problem at all waiting as long as they knew what was going on. After I vented my frustration with the negotiator I insisted that he personally call my client and explain the situation to him. Thank God everything is back on track and all is right with the world, we’re closing at the beginning of March.

Short sale negotiations can get complicated and can be extremely frustrating. If you’re in need of an Orlando short sale expert call me at 407-902-7750 for a free analysis of your situation.

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What happens when an Orlando Short Sales get approved for more than appraisal value?

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

When a buyer puts in an offer on an Orlando short sale property, that person believes that they are getting a great deal. Many times this ends up being the case and after several months of waiting…the bank approves the offer but don’t celebrate yet,…  there are still a few things that can make the deal fall apart.

The appraisal is a crucial and unavoidable part of this process. let’s say for instance that the bank approved your short sale offer of $100,000.00, the next step is to get your financing in line which means getting the property appraised, inspected, etc. The issue now is to get the property to appraise for at least the amount of the contract. If the property falls short on the appraisal, let’s say $95,000.00, then there’s a problem because your lender is not going to approve a loan for $100,000.00 for a house that just appraised for $5,000.00 less.

How and why does this happen?

Appraisers have to go off of recently sold properties only, not pending properties, or active properties. So even though the BPO may have come in at a higher valuation, the reason is that BPO agents have a bit more leeway on what comparables they are able to use. As opposed to appraisers, BPO reports may include active listings, pending listings, in addition to sold listings in order to determine true valuation.

Will the short sale lender adjust the approval price to match the appraisal price?

Most lenders will actually change their payoff letter so that the deal can go through. As a matter of fact, this is something that happens all of the time in our office. The only drawback is that it takes a bit longer because there’s a process which typically 2 to 3 weeks. It all comes down to how much of a hurry the buyer is in to buy the house. If the buyer is in a position to wait the extra time, then this actually benefits them because they get an even better deal than the original price.

Lenders like Fannie Mae for instance are less likely to lower the approval amount regardless of the appraisal value. I know what you’re thinking and I agree… It makes no sense.

What happens if the lender is unwilling to adjust the approval price?

There are a couple of different scenarios that may ensue if the lender doesn’t want to lower their payoff amount. One thing that can happen is that the buyer walks away and keeps looking for another Orlando short sale. Another way to get around this issue is if it’s a cash buyer that really wants the property. However, not too many people will purchase a property for more money than the appraised value unless it holds some kind of sentimental value for them.

Need help with a short sale? Call our office at 407-902-7750

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Orlando Real Estate Market – What can be expected in 2013?

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

The tentative economic conditions will continue to impact the real estate market in Florida and particularly in Orlando even this year. Home prices are expected to rise again due to decreasing inventory facing its lowest phase since February 2006. As per the market research, the 2013 appreciation is expected to increase up to 3%. Some investors even expect the prices to climb up to 4%. If the price range will go so much higher, then it may drastically affect market conditions. The changes in price may emerge around the spring season. So, it’s better for investors to crack the deal before the prices climb.

The interest rates for the Orlando real estate market are expected to remain low. The rate may get low as 3% according to The Federal Reserve. The lower interest rates may neutralize the price hike of houses. This can be encouraging for the recovery of the real estate market.

Not only the home prices, but the mortgage guidelines are also going to face changes. There are reports of rules to become stricter for mortgage refinance. This step is being considered to help borrowers for being more responsible with their mortgage loans. Borrowers may even avoid defaulting on their mortgage by following the new set of rules. According to the new rules, borrowers must have to submit more documents for a mortgage refinance. The financial stability of the borrower will also be scrutinized minutely. The range of the qualifying credit score may be from 580 to 620. Insurance premiums of FHA are also expected to increase.

The diminishing inventory is also a decisive factor for the real estate market in Orlando in 2013. The shrinking inventory may aggravate the competition for quality properties in Orlando. So, the scope of getting multiple offers at a time will increase automatically.

Many market experts explain the Orlando real estate market as a seller’s market. Of course, the rise in home prices proves this claim. These market conditions are more favorable for sellers.

The construction of new homes may also bring huge changes in the real estate market. The degree of change depends largely on future economic alterations. Experienced professionals are expecting the gap between the new home sales and the re-sale to get broadened. Builders may offer lesser incentives to buy properties. This may be a good time to build profitable properties.

As the market condition is suggesting, the investors must take advantage of the beneficial situation before it’s too late. The overall market predictions are favorable till now, but the situations may change if the world economy takes a turn. The same applies to a mortgage refinance too. It’s advisable to decide on refinancing after judging the market.

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