Some borrowers wonder why there are so many foreclosures. A reader writes in to tell us that foreclosure is more profitable for banks than loan modifications.
So when a home goes into foreclosure, the bank may have a greater incentive to move the foreclosure forward than working with the homeowner.
Children have greater concern for their parents affairs they older they get. At a certain time, children should make sure that their parents have undertaken some form of estate planning. The natural impulse of children in to transfer assets from the parent to the child. But that transfer may not always be the right solution. 2010 is a difficult year for estate planning, but nonetheless, children should make sure that their parents have taken care of their affairs. In some cases, bank accounts can be held jointly with children, while in other cases, living trusts can be used to facilitate the transfer of a home upon the death of the parents. In each case proper estate planning for elderly parents is essential.
Millions of homeowners have applied for a loan modification under the Obama Home Affordable Modification Program. However, of those that have applied, a large number of them have not even reached a stage to be considered for a loan modification. Once the paperwork is in with the lender, the lender can decide whether to grant a trial modification which could lead to a permanent loan modification. However, some borrowers that get to the point of a trial modification, seem stuck there for months. Of those borrowers that pass the trial modification stage, only a small fraction of applicants into the loan modification program come through with permanent loan modifications. Some lenders are better than others. While some lenders have been terrible at granting permanent loan modifications.
As if going through a divorce isn't bad enough, if your former spouse kept the home but your name was still on the mortgage for the home, you run the risk that if the home goes into foreclosure, your credit history will be ruined, your credit score will tank and the lender may come after you for any amount owed on the debt. When you get divorced, you should make sure that any ties to your prior home are broken. You should make sure if you transfer ownership of your former home to your former spouse that you also have your former spouse obtain a new mortgage on the home. The former spouse should refinance the home and at that time, you can quit claim the ownership of the home to your former spouse. A clean break with a former spouse will avoid lingering issues after the divorce.
$8000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Not Available If You Owned A Home Within Last Three Years
When it comes to the IRS and the home buyer tax credit, the rules are rather strict. To qualify for the $8000 first time home buyer tax credit, you must not have owned a home as your residence for the last thirty six months. You can still qualify for the tax credit if you owned other types of real estate, but you can not have owned residential real estate if you used that home as your residence. And, if you want to qualify for the $6500 home buyer tax credit, you must have owned a home for the last 5 out of 8 years. If you married in the last several years, you need to know that you and your spouse must qualify in the same manner to get either tax credit. If one of you does not qualify for one of the tax credits, the other spouse fails to qualify also.
Ilyce Glink Show Notes - February 28, 2010: Investing, Home Buyer Tax Credit, Tax Questions. Housing numbers were rather bleak this week, with demand for new and existing homes down sharply in January. Today on the show we covered unemployment, COBRA continuation extension, unemployment insurance continuation vote In the House and Senate. How to Invest Your Money in 2010 DISCOUNT CODE: clint. FREE BOOKS and EBOOKS. IRS.gov Saver's Credit
Ilyce Glink Show Notes - February 28, 2010: Investing, Home Buyer Tax Credit, Tax Questions. Housing numbers were rather bleak this week, with demand for new and existing homes down sharply in January. Today on the show we covered unemployment, COBRA continuation extension, unemployment insurance continuation vote In the House and Senate. How to Invest Your Money in 2010 DISCOUNT CODE: clint. FREE BOOKS and EBOOKS. IRS.gov Saver's Credit. Visit Ilyce's blog for more show notes and links.
Ilyce Glink Show - February 21, 2010 - How to Invest Your Money in 2010 New Discount 40% full ticket price. Join us March 27, 2010 for our next ThinkGlink event: How to Invest Your Money in 2010, at the Gwinnett Center. Ticket details and discount information below. On today's Ilyce Glink show, we discussed the Federal Reserve's move to raise the interest rate by .25% for the amount that banks borrow and the new credit card rules that go into effect tomorrow. Should you refinance your mortgage? I listed the four questions you have to answer before you start a refinance. Jon and Kate (Plus 8) finally sold their starter house how much did they get? FREE BOOKS/EBOOK DEAL
Everybody is looking for a quick sale of their property. If a homeowner can't sell using normal real estate channels, then maybe non-conventional sales can be effective. You can try to use a real estate broker to sell your property, but if you have tenants in the property, you might try to see if they are willing buyers of your home. If they are, you can sell them the home outright or you can decide if you want to sell it to them by other means. One way to entice a tenant to buy the home is to offer them a lease with an option to buy the home. Another way to sell the home to current tenant is to offer them seller financing. The financing can be either by using a mortgage or by selling them the home on an installment basis.
The real estate landscape is changing. But nothing is changing as fast as lending guidelines and requirements for condominiums. Due to the large number of foreclosures and loan problems with condominium projects and buildings, lenders have become overly cautious in their loan practices. Some of these lending guidelines get even worse if you are in an area that has been particularly hard hit by falling home prices. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have set up guidelines for condominium projects and not all projects can or will qualify under their guidelines. If the condo project is not approved under the required guidelines, a buyer or an existing owner of a condominium unit will have trouble and problems refinancing the condo. FHA has its own set of approval requirements that condominium projects have to abide by.
