Good News: Homebuyer Tax Credit Extended

Senate Votes To Extend Homebuyer Tax Credit

WASHINGTON (AP) ―

Senators have agreed to extend a popular tax credit for first-time homebuyers and to offer a reduced credit to some repeat buyers.

Senators agreed Wednesday to extend a popular tax credit for first-time homebuyers and to offer a reduced credit to some repeat buyers.

The tax credit provides up to $8,000 to first-time homebuyers but is set to expire at the end of November. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that new home sales fell 3.6 percent in September, and some industry representatives blamed uncertainty about the tax credit.

Senators agreed to extend the existing tax credit for first-time homebuyers while offering a reduced credit of up to $6,500 to repeat buyers who have owned their current homes for at least five years, said Regan Lachapelle, a spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

The tax credits would be available to homebuyers who sign sales agreements by the end of April. They would have until the end of June to close on their new homes, according to a summary of the legislation being circulated among lawmakers.

Senators were still negotiating the expansion of a separate tax credit that lets money-losing businesses get refunds for taxes paid in previous years, providing them with an immediate source of cash.

Senators in both political parties were hoping to add both tax provisions to a bill that would give people running out of unemployment insurance benefits up to 20 more weeks of federal aid. The Senate could vote on the overall bill as early as Thursday, but lawmakers were still haggling over several unrelated amendments Wednesday evening.

Popular bills like the one to extend unemployment benefits often attract amendments that would have a difficult time passing on their own.

Republicans were demanding that they be given a chance to offer amendments to restrict federal aid to the beleaguered community activist group ACORN and on requiring that people receiving unemployment insurance be processed through E-Verify, an Internet-based system that employers use to check on the immigration status of new hires.

Majority Democrats have refused to add the amendments.

If the Senate passes the bill, it would go to the House, which passed a similar bill extending unemployment benefits last month. House leaders have also said they support extending the tax credit for homebuyers.

Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., has been negotiating for several weeks with Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., to craft an extended tax credit for homebuyers that would pass the Senate.

Lawmakers didn’t release a cost estimate for extending the tax credit, though similar proposals were projected to cost about $10 billion.

Industry representatives said uncertainty about the tax credit is hurting new home sales. September’s decline was the first since March.

It takes 45 days to 60 days to close on a house, making it unlikely a sale made today would be consummated by the end of November, said Lucien Salvant, spokesman for the National Association of Realtors.

“Buyers right now have an incentive to hold off, not knowing whether the credit will be extended,” Salvant said.

About 1.4 million first-time homebuyers have qualified for the credit through August. The National Association of Realtors estimates that 350,000 of them would not have purchased their homes without the credit.

The tax credit for money-losing businesses is a favorite among Republican lawmakers. Businesses could get tax refunds by using losses from 2008 and 2009 to offset taxable profits made in the previous five years. Under current law, they can only offset profits from the previous two years.

The provision would help a variety of industries, including retailers, manufacturers and home builders, though it’s expensive.

“It’s clearly a way to put cash in the hands of some major economic players,” said Clint Stretch, a tax policy expert at Deloitte Tax.

A similar proposal that was ultimately dropped from the economic stimulus package enacted in February would have cost nearly $20 billion over 10 years. Lawmakers are working to reduce the price tag.

Because people are so strapped for cash, this is a good way to get refunds when businesses need them for operating expenses, said Rachelle Bernstein, vice president and tax counsel for the National Retail Federation.

Foreclosures: ‘Worst three months of all time’

RealtyTrac, an online marketer of foreclosed homes, says that despite concerted government-led and lender-supported efforts to prevent foreclosures, the number of filings hit a record high in the third quarter. “They were the worst three months of all time,” said Rick Sharga, spokesman for RealtyTrac. During the third quarter, 937,840 homes received a foreclosure letter — whether a default notice, auction notice or bank repossession, the RealtyTrac report said. That means one in every 136 U.S. homes were in foreclosure, which is a 5% increase from the second quarter and a 23% jump over the third quarter of 2008. During the third quarter, a record 237,052 homes were repossessed, a 21% jump from the previous three months. So far this year lenders have taken back 623,852 homes in total.

U.S. Treasury set to finalize home “short sales” plan

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. Treasury will soon finalize a plan to expand its incentives for mortgage companies to include “short sales” as a way to stem a rising tide of foreclosures, according to a Treasury spokeswoman.

“Short sales,” or sales of homes for less than the balance on existing mortgages, are seen as a key way to supplement other efforts such as loan modifications to steady housing. Unlike most modifications, “short sales” eliminate the problem of negative equity that has become a big reason for defaults as home prices have plunged.

The incentives, first announced in May, would expand the government’s Home Affordable Modification Program that has seen limited success in lowering payments for hundreds of thousands of homeowners deemed eligible. Just 12 percent of homeowners eligible have had their loans reworked, leaving millions more foreclosures to come, the Treasury said on September 9.

More short sales may alleviate fears that a raft of “shadow supply,” or foreclosures in the pipeline, will flood the market and deal a blow to the nascent rebound in housing seen over the U.S. summer months, analysts said. The overhang of supply is currently about 7 million units, or 135 percent of a year’s of existing home sales, according to Amherst Securities Group.

“What they are trying to do is move some of these foreclosures in the pipeline, and bring them to a resolution before (foreclosure) happens,” said Lisa Marquis Jackson, a vice president at Irvine, California-based John Burns Real Estate Consulting. “12 percent of these being modified isn’t enough to clean these up.”

Realtors express frustrations with banks when trying to negotiate a short sale, which can take four to five months to complete, according to John Burns consultants. Buyers often walk away from sales because banks are slow to respond, or balk at the offer.

The Treasury will use up to $10 billion from a previously announced $50 billion pool of mortgage modification funds for payments to address lender concerns that home prices will continue falling in high-cost areas.

Incentives will be calculated on recent declines of local home prices and average home prices in these markets, the Treasury said in May. They would add to other incentives that servicers can receive for reducing loan payments.

In May, the Treasury proposed lenders would receive a $1,000 payment for allowing the owner to sell the house for less than the amount owed on the mortgage, and accepting the proceeds as full repayment. They can also receive $1,000 for accepting a similar deed-in-lieu transaction, in which the deed is simply transferred to the lender instead of going through a costly foreclosure.

Borrowers who agree to short sales or deed-in-lieu deals can received up to $1,500 in closing costs. Treasury also said it will pay second lien holders up to $1,000 to relinquish their claims in such transactions.

“Presumably, the Treasury is trying to help facilitate a transaction that will result in less loss to the lender than in the case of a foreclosure,” John Burns consultants said in a research note dated Oct 1 alerting clients of an impending Treasury announcement.

Latest report: 6600 foreclosures filed per day in the US

According to the Center for Responsible Lending, a nonpartisan watchdog group based in Durham, North Carolina, there are more than 6,600 home foreclosure filings per day in the US, and with two million this year alone, the flood shows no signs of abating. Foreclosures, which started with subprime borrowers, have now moved on to the much bigger prime loan market on the back of mounting unemployment. Michael Barr, the Treasury Department’s assistant secretary for financial institutions, said in congressional testimony last month that more than 6 million families could face foreclosure over the next three years.

“The recent crisis in the housing sector has devastated families and communities across the country and is at the center of our financial crisis and economic downturn.” A recent pickup in sales and home prices in some regions has been heralded as a sign that the crisis in residential real estate may be close to bottoming out, after the steepest price decline since at least 1890. But nearly half of recent sales have been attributed to foreclosures or “short sales” at bargain-basement prices. The Center for Responsible Lending says foreclosures are on track to wipe out $502 billion in property values this year.

Jobless claims down

The Labor Department says initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 33,000 to a seasonally adjusted 521,000 in the week ended Oct. 3, the lowest level since early January. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast new claims slipping to 540,000 last week from a previously reported 551,000. A Labor Department official said seasonal factors expected a decline in new claims at the end of a quarter and a rise at the start of a new quarter. “The labor market is improving, but rather slowly,” said Cary Leahey, economist at Decision Economics in New York.

“Both the initial and continuing claims numbers suggest that October ought to be a better month for payrolls than September.” The claims report will help to calm fears of deterioration in the labor market after data last week showed U.S. employers cut more jobs in September than had been anticipated by the market. The unemployment rate rose to 9.8 percent in September, a 26-year high. Economists reckon the Federal Reserve will probably refrain from raising interest rates, currently near zero, until the jobless rate peaks.

BOA increases loan modifications 62%

Bank of America (BOA), which faces lawsuits and investigations by lawmakers and regulators over its takeover of Merrill Lynch and a bonus scandal, increased the number of customers with a trial mortgage modification by 62% in September to 95,000, according to CNBC. It also increased the total number of modification offers under the Home Affordable Modification Program to 156,000 last month, versus 125,338 in August. Today, at about 1 p.m. ET, the Treasury Department will release its third month of data for all of the nearly four dozen mortgage loan servicers participating in the program. The government says it expects 500,000 completed modifications by Nov. 1 (The initial goal was for 3-4 million in the first two years). The BOA document says the bank hopes to account for one quarter of them by the November target date.

Loss Mitigation Programs That Stop Foreclosure Fast!

Stop Foreclosure with Loss Mitigation Programs

Loss mitigation programs were established by the federal government and the mortgage industry in order to stop home foreclosures. They help foreclosure victims in default on their mortgages to find alternatives to home foreclosure. Every homeowner’s situation is unique and each lender has their own policies regarding the use of these programs to stop foreclosure. Our extensive experience and solid working relationships with mortgage lenders allows us help you avoid the common pitfalls that many homeowners encounter while trying to work things out directly with their lender. After performing a thorough assessment of your personal finances and analyzing your lender’s loss mitigation policies our professional loss mitigators will negotiate with your lender to get you the best possible solution to your home foreclosure problem. We can help you save your home and credit history through a variety of loss mitigation options:

1. LOAN MODIFICATION
(Available on a very limited number of VA loans with lender and/or investor approval) (Called Recast for FHA)

If you have incurred a long term financial hardship, our office can assist you in supplying the appropriate information to lender to take the appropriate measures to modify the term(s) of your mortgage. This could lower the interest rate and/or extend the term of the loan resulting in lower payments. There are costs and fees associated with a modification that you will be responsible for. All property taxes must be current or you must be participating in an approved payment plan with your taxing authority to be eligible for a modification. Any additional liens or mortgagees must agree to be subordinate to the first mortgage. All requests are subject to your lender’s approval. If you want to talk to a loss mitigation specialist about participating in this program.

2. VA LOAN MODIFICATION/REFUNDING
(Available for VA loans only) (Need at least 30 days to process)

A refunding is when the VA buys your loan from the lender. Refunding may give VA the flexibility to consider options to help you save your home that your current lender either could not or would not consider. When the VA refunds a loan under 38 U.S.C. 36.4318, the delinquency is added to the principal balance and the loan is re-amortized. Your new loan will be non-transferable without prior approval from the Secretary. If your interest rate was lowered and an assumption is approved, the interest rate will be adjusted back to the previous rate. If you want to talk to a loss mitigation specialist about participating in this program.

3. SHORT PAYOFF
(Short Sale) (Pre-foreclosure Sale) (Compromise Of Sale)

If you have suffered a long term financial hardship and are unable to maintain your loan or if you need to sell the property to avoid a default loss on the property, it is possible that the lender may be able to accommodate you with a short payoff. A qualified buyer is required. If this is an option you wish to pursue, you must inform the loss mitigation specialist assisting you immediately. There may be tax ramifications associated with any short payoff or foreclosure; therefore, we recommend you contact your tax advisor for details. Some states permit lenders to seek a deficiency judgment for the amount the payoff was discounted. See your state’s foreclosure law for more information. Check with an attorney for advice on your personal situation. If you want to talk to a loss mitigation specialist about participating in this program.

4. DEED-IN-LIEU OF FORECLOSURE

If you have incurred a long term financial hardship and your house has been on the market (at fair market value) for at least 90 days, you may be eligible for a deed-in lieu of foreclosure. To be considered for this option, you must complete a financial package and provide a copy of your recent active listing agreement. Also, there cannot be any additional claims or liens (other the mortgage) against the property. If you are approved for a deed-in-lieu, you will be giving up all rights to the property and the property will be conveyed to your investor. In exchange for the deed-in-lieu, the lender may waiver all deficiency judgment rights. You may be asked to participate in a Short Payoff program before a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure is accepted. If you want to talk to a loss mitigation specialist about participating in this program.

5. REPAYMENT PLAN

If you have incurred a short term financial hardship and your loan is two or more months past due, your loss mitigation specialist will also consider submitting a request for a payment plan to your lender for approval. Only after reviewing your financial situation will this option be considered. All clients must be able to show that they can afford this plan in order to be eligible. If you want to talk to a loss mitigation specialist about participating in this program.

6. SPECIAL FORBEARANCE
(FHA loans only) (Type I & II)

If you have incurred a short term financial hardship and your loan is 90 days to 365 days past due, the loss mitigation specialist will also consider submitting a request for a special forbearance. A special forbearance is designed to provide you with more relief than is possible with a regular repayment plan. Typical approval can result in spreading the repayment over 12 to 18 months. Type II – can be utilized in an unemployment situation whereby the promise of future employment is present. We have done VA loans that resulted 27-month repayment plans. If you want to talk to a loss mitigation specialist about participating in this program.

7. PARTIAL CLAIM
(FHA mortgages only) (Some Freddie Mac Investor loans)

The loss mitigation specialist may assist in requesting a partial claim if you qualify. You may be eligible if your loan is 120 to 365 days past due. A partial claim results in placing your past due payments into a subordinate mortgage (2nd mortgage) between you and the Secretary of Housing Urban Development. The partial claim note will require you to start making payments when you pay off the first mortgage. There is no interest. The partial claim can be for no more than 12 months of past due payments. If you want to talk to a loss mitigation specialist about participating in this program.

NOW is the time to Buy, Buy, Buy, Real Estate. Here’s why …

Buy Low, Sell High -  Isn’t that the law of wealth building? So let me ask you this, what are you waiting for? We may not see opportunities like this come around again for many years to come. Are you going to miss the boat … Again? Now is time to get in this game. With the right team to give you guidance and assistance, you cannot go wrong if you buy now. 

Home prices are at record level lows in some areas …
If you’ve been on the fence either as a first time home buyer, or wanting to jump into buying for investment, there has been no better time than now to purchase Real Estate. With record number of foreclosures and short sales, anyone with some down payment money, and decent credit, can get that dream house or investment property.

Interest rates are low …
No one knows how long the interest rates will stay this low so now is the time to act. This market will not be down for ever, especially in the down-state NY area. Homes here are still in demand and there are some super deals out here.

 Short Sales (Pre-Foreclosures) Rule …
Finding the right deal requires first having someone who understands the business especially when it comes to Pre-Foreclosures properties. Buyer Beware…!  Not all Realtors are the same. You need someone who specializes in these types of transactions and have a proven track record. You also need someone that can show you properties BEFORE they get to the general public. Those are the best deals!

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