Monday, June 24, 2013

All-cash offers sometimes not worth the effort

For your next commercial real estate transaction, house purchase, mortgage refinance, reverse mortgage, or home equity loan, contact us. We can help. Located in Fairfield, NJ, we are the title insurance agent that does it all for you.

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From the New York Times, this report that the "dream" of an all-cash buyer could turn into a nightmare.
For sellers, it seems, the dream has arrived.
Unfortunately, it turns out that the dream sometimes comes with a bit of an attitude problem.
Many buyers who are reliant on a mortgage are willing to bow and scrape a bit, happy to take a home with questionable detailing or a suspicious water spot on the ceiling, in order to give their offer a lift. But occasionally, buyers offering cash assume that status should afford certain concessions, even in a seller’s market.
Read the full scenario of bad cases here.

For your next title order or
if you have questions about what you see here, contact
Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.
Vested Land Services LLC
165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101
Fairfield, NJ 07004
Tel 973-808-6130 - Fax 973-227-0645
E-mail sflatow AT vested.com
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Mortgage loan modifications made easy? Federal agency says "yes."

For your next commercial real estate transaction, house purchase, mortgage refinance, reverse mortgage, or home equity loan, contact us. We can help. Located in Fairfield, NJ, we are the title insurance agent that does it all for you.

We've commented in the past about loan modifications for the sake of loan modifications.  In other words, if a borrower is struggling to pay you at 6%, wouldn't it make sense to bring the loan down to a more manageable interest rate in line with the rest of the country?  It looks like the Federal government agrees.

Homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage payments should check their mail carefully in coming weeks. Lenders will be offering loan modifications without even being asked.
Under a new Streamlined Modification Initiative announced by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, mortgage servicers must now offer borrowers who are 3 to 24 months delinquent a plan to help avoid foreclosure.
So what's the catch?
Borrowers must make three monthly payments on time before the modification becomes permanent. The program applies to loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. The start date was to be July 1, but an agency spokesman said Fannie and Freddie had already begun the program. It expires Dec. 31, 2015.
Read the full story from the New York Times.

For your next title order or
if you have questions about what you see here, contact
Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.
Vested Land Services LLC
165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101
Fairfield, NJ 07004
Tel 973-808-6130 - Fax 973-227-0645
E-mail sflatow AT vested.com
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Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Real estate contract escalation clause - look out!

Located in Fairfield, NJ, we are the title insurance agent that does it all for you. For your next commercial real estate transaction, house purchase, mortgage refinance, reverse mortgage, or home equity loan, contact us. We can help.

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We have previously commented on one of the effects of a rising real estate market-- the introduction of escalation clauses in real estate purchase contracts.  Realty Times has presented another article on the subject that is well worth reading.
 
Escalation is back. Sellers are delighted to get offers sometimes thousands of dollars higher than their initial listing price. And buyers are often frustrated when they lose out on their dream house to a higher bidder.
And the warning?
Buyers should be very wary of escalation clauses. They are asked to sign a legalistic document typically late on a Sunday evening, after they have spent the afternoon viewing numerous houses. No lawyer has reviewed any of the legal documents.
Read the full report.
 
For your next title order or
if you have questions about what you see here, contact
Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.
Vested Land Services LLC
165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101
Fairfield, NJ 07004
Tel 973-808-6130 - Fax 973-227-0645
E-mail sflatow AT vested.com
Sphere: Related Content