Category: Orlando Short Sales

Short Sale Tax Relief Law Extended!

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

As I explained in a post I wrote back in November “Will They Extend the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act?” There were thousands of distressed homeowners that weren’t sure if they would receive “short sale tax relief ” or if they would be forced to pay income tax on phantom income when they sold their home via short sale. For most people that are in this situation, this would have been financially devastating.

When the Mortgage Forgiveness Act of 2007 was put in place because of the nationwide real estate collapse, for three years it guaranteed people that they could short sale their homes and move on with their lives without having to worry about having to pay income tax on the difference between the full payoff and the short pay off. Then after 2010, they kept on extending it for one more year.

For some reason, however, in 2014 congress took its own sweet time and nobody was sure if it would be extended yet again. Many distressed homeowners chose to just let their homes be foreclosed on in fear of the possible income tax implications. Other underwater homeowners rolled the dice and did a short sale anyway and prayed that the government would eventually do the right thing.

The people that took that chance and did a short sale anyway, lucked out big time because in December congress finally decided to extend law and on December 19 the president signed off on it making it official.

Short Sales In 2015

Of course, the question for the next year will be…Will They Extend it for 2016? Again the answer will be the same as it was last year. We’ll just have to wait and see. Unfortunately, not knowing if it will be extended again is not only bad for underwater homeowners that desperately need a short sale but for the Orlando real estate market in general.

 

 

stop foreclosure

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
TOC*

Retired Couple Buy Their Orlando Dream Home!

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Couple Finds Their Orlando Dream Home in Hunters Creek

Living in New York most of their lives this retired couple had had enough of the cold and ready to live out their golden years in “The City Beautiful”. After spending time with their nephew who lives in Hunters Creek FL, and after several months of searching in other Orlando neighborhoods they decided that Hunters Creek is where they wanted to live and they were finally ready to shift into buying mode for that specific area.

When a buyer is only interested in one specific area it can be both good and bad from the realtor’s standpoint. The good part is that it doesn’t take long to do a search for all the homes that are available for sale in the area. The bad part is that it usually takes longer to find the perfect home for someone who is only interested in seeing homes in such a relatively small area due to a lack of inventory.

However, it seems that these buyers were being helped by some kind of divine intervention. Just days into showing these retirees homes that were for sale I received a call from a Hunters Creek homeowner needing to sell their home quickly. These distressed homeowners were six months behind on their Wells Fargo mortgage and have exhausted all means of trying to keep their home.

They were in need of completing an short sale on their home and with an approaching foreclosure date, they needed to get it done A.S.A.P. After Googling “short sale experts in Hunters Creek FL”, they found our company and hired us to complete their short sale. The next morning we met with them at home to collect paperwork, get measurements, photos and everything else we needed to get the ball rolling with the short sale. Although the home needed some work I felt it may be a good fit for our retired couple from New York so I brought them to see it that same night.

They fell in love with the Lakefront home in Calabay Cove. My concerns over the needed repairs disappeared when I found out that the buyer was a handyman and actually loved the idea of having something to do! We explained to the buyers that a short sale can sometimes be a lengthy process but they were willing to stick it out in hopes of getting a great deal on their dream home.

Although it was a bumpy road like most short sales, after three months of negotiating with Wells Fargo we received the short sale approval letter and the buyers were able to close on the home just 10 days after we received the approval. The final short sale price that was agreed upon by the lender was $278,000.00. Considering that the full payoff on this 4 bd rm 3 bd rm home was $470,000.00 the buyers were elated to finally close on their dream home….. I must admit that it was also pretty nice to make a double commission.

 

 

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
TOC*

ORC Closes Another Orlando Short Sale

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

  ORC closes another Orlando short sale. Jenny Zamora, Listing Specialist/short sale expert known for getting her listings sold in record time for top dollar has beaten the odds once again. Now…  I don’t write about every short sale listing our company closes [or I wouldn’t have time to write about other stuff] but I felt that this one is worth sharing.

This Orlando home was originally listed by an investment group that claimed to be short sale experts and promised to get the job done fast and efficient, and of course… free of charge. In reality, they were actually wholesale flippers that ended up dragging the homeowner into deep water.

The strategy of a whole sale flipper is to submit a low offer to the bank on a distressed home in hopes that the bank will accept the offer so that they can flip the deal to another buyer without having to close on it themselves. If it works, the flippers make a few thousand bucks the seller gets rid of their problem and everyone’s happy.

However, if the bank rejects the offer the homeowner is then left holding the ball. Once the wholesale flipper realizes that they can’t make money on the deal, they will typically move on to the next potential seller [or victim] at this point leaving the homeowner in a bad situation to fend for themselves.

Getting back to our story…The lender set a foreclosure date just 30 days away and the investment group bailed on her when they couldn’t get the short sale approved. After reading our online reviews, the homeowner came to us thinking that all hope was lost and her home would surely be foreclosed on.

After consulting with distressed homeowner, we accepted the file and Jenny Zamora went to work immediately on the short sale. By using all our marketing tools as well as blasting the property details to our network of active home buyers from around the world, she quickly got the word out and managed to get serious investor interested in the property for a price that lender was happy with.

By getting all necessary documentation to the lender quickly in an organized and efficient manner, they stopped the foreclosure process allowing ample time for the new buyer to close on the property. As a result, the lender issued a new short sale approval letter that gave the buyer 30 days to close on the property even though the buyer only needed 10 days to close. 

If you’re in need of completing a short sale on your Orlando home, please, please, please beware of so-called “short sale expert investors” that promise to save you from foreclosure. Be sure to research anyone you plan on working with extensively. Many of these companies are only out for their own financial gain at the expense of the homeowner. 

It’s important to know that unlicensed investors aren’t bound by a code of ethics nor are they subject to follow the same laws that licensed realtors are. An Orlando realtor is sworn to put the best interest of the homeowner first and if they don’t, they can be prosecuted and potentially lose their license.

 

Orlando short sale expert

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
TOC*

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.

 

 

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
TOC*

Do You Need An Attorney To Short Sale?

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Do You Need An Attorney To Short Sale? 407-902-7750 Video

There’s a common misconception among distressed homeowners that you need to hire an attorney in order to complete a short sale on your home. The truth is that you don’t need to hire an attorney in order to complete a short sale.  The lender does however require that a licensed real estate agent represent the seller in order for a short sale to be approved.

There are some cases where you would want to consult with an attorney such as;  if there’s title issues, the property’s in probate or if there’s a Bankruptcy involved, etc.

Now with that being said, most of the time you don’t need to hire an attorney to short sale your home.

One of the most popular reasons why people hire a short-sale realtor instead of an attorney is the cost. Attorneys can charge you thousands of dollars to do your short sale, whereas a licensed realtor does it for free.

Wouldn’t you rather save your money instead of turning it over to a lawyer?

A realtor only gets paid if the short sale closes, and they get paid by the lender,it doesn’t cost the homeowner a dime. Not only that, but most of the time we get you cash back a closing. We’ve gotten our clients anywhere from $3,00 to $30,000.00 back at closing.

There are currently thousands of Orlando homeowners that are looking for help with their situation. The process isn’t just hard, It’s scary. We’re talking about potentially getting kicked out of your home. This is why it’s crucial that you get help from a proven Orlando Short sale Expert.

We understand this which is why we are devoted to helping people that are facing foreclosure and financial hardship to find solutions to their real estate needs.

If you or someone you know needs help with a short sale. visit our website at https://orlandorealtyconsultants.com/short-sales/ or just give us a call at 407-902-7750 for a Free consultation.

 

 

Orlando short sale expert

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
TOC*