Tag: Orlando short sale expert

Orlando Real Estate Attorney Drops the Ball, Homeowners Pay the Price!

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Last week we picked up a new client , we’ll call him “Joe”, and his story one that we’ve heard far too many times, only the characters were different. So I felt that I needed to share it with everyone in hopes that someone will benefit from it.
Joe fell behind on his mortgage about 6 months ago and decided that he wanted to short sale his Orlando house. Instead of consulting with an Orlando short sale realtor, he and his wife went to see a real estate lawyer.

Joe’s BIG mistake

The biggest difference between consulting with an Orlando real estate attorney and consulting with an Orlando realtor is that one charges $250.00 per hr and the other doesn’t get paid until the job is done. Can you guess which one is which?

Anyway, back to the story. When they sit down with the attorney, they were so impressed with all the shiny plaques on the wall and the expensive furniture, that by the end of the conversation, they wrote him a big fat check for $3,000.00 for him to complete their short sale…[ I guess my mom was right I should have gone to law school!]

The plot thickens… At first they asked him to submit the usual paperwork: bank statements, tax returns, etc. Then he would call in for the usual update once a week or so. This went on for a few months and the answer from the law firm was always the same; it’s being worked on.
After he didn’t hear back from the lawyer for a while, he decided to call his lender to find out what’s going on and guess what?…. The lender had closed the file because of missing documents!!

Joe was furious and wanted answers so he called the Law office to speak with the lawyer. His only conversation with the lawyer to this point was when he wrote him the check, after that he would always be transferred to a processor or secretary.
When he demanded to speak with the lawyer, they said he would have to schedule an appointment to come in…Oh, and he would have to pay the hourly rate of $250.00!!

With an approaching auction date, and having to start the short sale from the beginning, he was now in a much worse position. Not to mention he lost the $3,000.00 that he paid to the lawyer…have you ever tried getting a refund from a lawyer before?
We’re working hard on Joe’s file right now, especially to stop the foreclosure sale on his house. Since he wasted so much time, our work is cut out for us.

The moral of this story is…Even if you’re considering a lawyer to do your short sale, why not consult with an experienced Orlando short sale realtor first. It’s Free!

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Orlando Short Sales Increasing because of Financial Incentives

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Banks are finally starting to come to the realization that it’s much cheaper to pay off delinquent borrowers as an incentive to short sale their Orlando house than it is to take them through the foreclosure process. I think it’s about time they saw the bigger picture.

Bank of America as well as a few others are currently testing incentives from $5,000-$25,000 here in Florida to see if they should be expanded to more states.  JP Morgan Chase went national with incentives of up to $35,000, and Wells Fargo’s incentive ranges from $3,000-$20,000. If that’s not incentive then I don’t know what is.

These incentives are saving lenders big money compared with the expenses involved in completing a foreclosure. In Florida, where foreclosures go thru the courts, 50% of loans in foreclosure are more than two years past due. No one knows how long they will keep offering these incentives or what determines which sellers will qualify.  You can have two similar sellers, and one might receive the incentive and the other may not receive it.

One thing is for sure though, if you’re looking to do an Orlando short sale, right now is the best time to short sale your house. Never before in history have banks ever been so cooperative and generous to borrowers who have fallen behind on their mortgage.

Here’s more good news… You don’t have to pay the mortgage while the short sale process is happening.  That’s right you stay in the house for free until the short sale is complete.

If you’re considering an Orlando Short Sale on your house,  contact us for a free consultation with one of our short sale specialists and find out exactly where you stand. You’ll be glad you did.

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Rising Orlando Foreclosure Filings Can be Deceiving

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

There’s been a lot of buzz about the rising numbers of foreclosure filings in Orlando. The truth is that the increasing number Orlando Foreclosure filings can be deceiving.

It’s important to know numbers and statistics when you’re a Realtor, it’s even more important to know why things are playing out the way they are.

One of the main reasons that the number of foreclosure filings are at an all time high is because lenders had no choice but to put things on hold while this whole robo-signing fiasco got sorted out.
Now that the lenders and lawyers have had a chance to determine what was done legally or not, it’s back to business as usual for the lenders holding all those delinquent mortgages.   This should lead to a massive increase in inventory and I think we are leading into a “perfect storm” type scenario…In a good way.

This is actually a good thing for everyone involved. Think about it, the seller get’s to proceed with a loan mod or short sale so they can be relieved of their debt and move on with their life, the lender recoups a percentage of their money back, a buyer gets a great deal and an Orlando realtor closes another deal.
It’s a win win for everyone involved.

The fact is… As long as Orlando home prices and mortgage interest rates remain low. It will be a busy  year for Orlando Short Sale Realtors.

If you’re considering an Orlando short sale come in for a free consultation with one of our short sale specialists and get all of your questions answered with absolutely no obligation to work with us. You have everything to gain and nothing to loose.

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Why Pay an Attorney to Do an Orlando Short Sale, Get Help For Free!

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Save your Money, Hire an Orlando Realtor

When it comes to lawyers doing Orlando short sales, the fact is most people just don’t need them. Foreclosure filings hit a lull in Florida during the last year. The robo-signing scandal caused many banks to put new Florida foreclosures on hold. That’s coming to an end, and we can expect filings to jump again as we’ve been seeing recently.  Orlando homeowners will be looking for help with their situation. The truth is that the process isn’t just hard, It’s scary. We’re talking about potentially getting kicked out of your home.  It’s tough to navigate the system alone and it’s crucial that you get help from a proven Orlando Real Estate Expert.

Here’s the good news: There is a lot of help available in Central Florida for free. That’s right. No charge. On the house, Gratis.
Organizations certified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development should be the first stop for people who have fallen behind on their mortgage or are worried they’re about to. These nonprofit companies are great resources for people who want to know if they qualify for a loan modification.

Your best option however,  is to speak with a Top Orlando Short Sale Broker.  Not only do they not charge anything to speak with you, but they often times will know a lot more about Orlando Short sales than an attorney will. Most of the time attorneys outsource their short sale files to Orlando Brokers anyway,  since by law, a Broker has to be involved in the transaction to represent the seller.

So why would you pay an Attorney upfront, or at all, when you can hire an Orlando Short Sale Expert for Free? If one of my clients had an extra $2,000 or $3,000 to throw around, I’d much rather see them put that toward their moving expenses, etc  than toward attorney fees.

When it comes to short sales there’s never a 100% guarantee that a broker or an attorney will produce the results that borrowers want. The difference is that Brokers won’t take your money in the process. As a matter of fact, they only get paid if they close the deal. How’s that for incentive?

It’s actually illegal in the state of Florida for companies to take money upfront in exchange for mortgage modifications. Lawyers, however, are exempt from that rule… Maybe my mom was right, I should have gone to law school.

Far be it from me to say that lawyers are never needed. Legal counsel is an important part of some foreclosure cases. But watching people plunk down thousands of dollars for help they can get elsewhere for free is just sad. It’s like seeing people suffer from the housing meltdown not once, but twice.

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Top 4 Tips for Dealing with Orlando Short Sales

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

 

Best Practices for Dealing with Orlando Short Sales 

Orlando Short sales are distressed properties in that sell, by mutual agreement between the buyer, homeowner, and the mortgage co, for less than what is owed on the property.

If you’re a seller and you need to stop an Orlando foreclosure on yor hoome,  this a great way not only stop the foreclosure, but to get out of debt with your lender, and many times even walks away with cash from the closing. The best part is that it doesn’t cost you anything so you have nothing to lose!
That’s not all… you can continue living in your house mortgage free while the short sale is being processed which can be for up to 2 years in some cases [depending on the lender].

For buyers, it’s a great way to obtain a real estate investment. Yes, they can be tricky to find and obtain, but are worth the work… sometimes.

Here are 4 tips for short selling in today’s real estate market.

1. The short sale realtor
The final price for a short sale is determined by the lender, not you or the buyer. Many buyers have learned this the hard way because they submitted an offer that did not come anywhere close to the bank’s asking price. This doesn’t mean you have to lock yourself into the asking price, but you do have to start from there and work your way down. Doing this will increase your odds of the bank accepting your bid.
Unfortunately, if you have an Orlando realtor that is not experienced in doing short sales then you have a big problem. The realtor has to be willing to negotiate with the bank and be ready to show proof as to why the offer is what it is by doing a market analysis on the property among other things.

An Orlando Short Sale Expert will go back and forth with the lender several times before coming to a mutual agreement that works for all parties involved. With some lenders like B of A we’ve had short sale files that have taken over 2 years to close. If your Orlando realtor is not willing to be persistant and stay the course with the lender for as long as it takes, then you probably hired the wrong Orlando real estate agent for the job.

2. Be careful of going too low
Another tip is to avoid going too low when you submit your offer. A bank has to balance the benefit of having a buyer take the property off of its hands without having to go through foreclosure and spend more money versus accepting far too little for the property and missing out on a lot of money. If your offer is too low chances are that they won’t accept it. However, a good realtor will guide you through this process as well.

3. Have your Orlando agent check comparable homes
This one should go without saying. You have to know what the true value of the property is, as well as how much, if anything,  you plan to spend on repairs or upgrades. If there are substantial repairs that need to happen, this can be  great for justifying  your offer. This is why you should work with an experienced realtor so that he or she can you through this process.

4. Have your Financing Ready
When you’re searching for an Orlando short sale, make sure that you have your financing in place and ready to go.  If your realtor shows you a property that you love, chances are that someone else loved it to and usually the first person to submit a solid offer to the bank will get their offer accepted. If you’re a cash buyer then your offer stands an even better chance to get accepted.


Remember, Shortsales take time and you have to be patient . If the bank rejects your first offer, which happens a lot, address their concerns and make them a counter offer. Thousands of Orlando properties that were purchased would not have been bought if the buyers sdid not stay the course and stick it out. Considering the stabilizing market my advice to clients is to send in your highest and best offer from the start. I’ve had clients lose their dream house over a couple thousand dollars and every single one has wished that they would’ve gone up that extra two or three grand.

 

 

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