Foreclosure properties are not always a bargain

We get a lot of phone calls from potential buyers. They usually go like this, “What can you tell me about buying a property at a foreclosure sale?”  My answer, “Don’t unless you have done it before and you were successful.”

The New York Times ran a story, “Avoid Foreclosure Market Until the Dust Settles” by Ron Lieber. He writes,

“Are you out of your mind to even consider buying a foreclosed property right now?”

He tells the tale of Todd Phelps and Paul Whitehead “thought they had won the lottery” when they bought a property at a foreclosure sale.

“Several days later, however, they realized that what they had really bought was a second mortgage from Wachovia on a house that still had an enormous, unpaid primary loan. In other words, they did not own the home free and clear, and the auction company wouldn’t give back their $137,000 check.”

Admittedly, these homes are “tempting for scores of first-time homebuyers, second-home seekers and people looking to get an early jump on buying a retirement home while prices and interest rates are low.”

Bidding on a foreclosed home does have its pitfalls but it’s a way to get a start in the real estate market. And we have many clients who make a living buying at foreclosure sales, fixing up the property and selling it. Yet, the Phelps and Whitehead story is a cautionary one and you are invited to read the full report here.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Vested Title Inc.

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-808-6130 - Fax 201-656-4506

E-mail vti@vested.com - www.vested.com

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FHA has a “Little-Known Loan Program for Fixer-Uppers”

Lynnley Browning writes in the Sunday New York Times about a program through the Federal Housing Administration, FHA, for rehabilitation of “distressed homes or any other fixer-upper not only face the daunting task of turning a run-down property into a livable one, but often worry about paying for it all.”

“There’s a way to make essential repairs and add other accouterments without dipping into savings or taking out a home-equity loan. The Federal Housing Administration’s 203(k) rehabilitation program provides for loans covering renovation costs as well as the purchase price of a primary residence — investors excluded — and it allows for just a 3.5 percent down payment.”

“Although the program has been around since 1978, it is not well publicized, and many borrowers mistakenly think they have to buy a wreck in order to qualify. They don’t.”

“Covered repairs include a new roof or heating system (geothermal ones too). Decorative changes, like replacing vinyl with ceramic tile on the kitchen floor replacement, or painting the interior, are covered.”

The rates are usually a percentage point higher than conventional mortgages and certain aspects of the program can result in “closing costs $1,000 or more higher than average.”
Read the entire report.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Vested Title Inc.

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-808-6130 - Fax 201-656-4506

E-mail vti@vested.com - www.vested.com

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Foreclosure freeze may have grim future

The slow-down in foreclosures by several of the big lenders is not all good news. As reported in the Star-Ledger:

“A halt in home foreclosures at the largest mortgage firms may sideline buyers worried about legal issues, further depressing sales at a time when distressed properties account for almost a quarter of all transactions.”

Why? Because doubt on the legal sufficiency of the foreclosures will result in those houses not reaching the real estate market.

“Bank of America Corp., the largest U.S. lender, extended a freeze on foreclosures to all 50 states on Friday as concern spread among federal and state officials that homes are being seized based on faulty data. JPMorgan Chase and Ally Financial Inc.’s GMAC Mortgage unit stopped repossession cases in 23 states where courts supervise home seizures — including New Jersey — amid allegations that employees submitted documents with unverified or false information to speed the process.”

Statistics from around the country demonstrate that foreclosure sales play a major role in the rebound of the real estate market.

"’Our preliminary review of September foreclosure activity doesn’t show any obvious or notable impact," said Rick Sharga, senior vice president of RealtyTrac. The effects may show up in the October data, he said.’”

 On the other hand,

“A reduction in foreclosure sales may result in a short-term boost to the nation’s median home price as buyers shy away from distressed properties, said Thomas Lawler, founder and president of Lawler Housing and Economic Consulting in Leesburg, Va.”

 The halt to pending actions by several lenders means that many property owners are living rent free. That would include those who have made so-called “strategic defaults.” Let’s hope the system straightens out sooner rather than later.

Read the full story.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Vested Title Inc.

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-808-6130 - Fax 201-656-4506

E-mail vti@vested.com - www.vested.com

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Why’s my FICO score dropping? Here’s an answer

The New York Times’ Lynnley Browning writes,

“IF you’re looking to refinance or buy a home, potential lenders and mortgage brokers will be checking your credit scores. And if those scores are being verified, chances are they are going down.

“Yes, you read that correctly. Each time a credit score is pulled from one of the three credit bureaus as part of a loan application, it can decline by as much as 20 points, or more. Call it the Great Credit-Score Ding.”

While information about credit scores and their use is becoming more widespread, “few buyers know this goes on — or what to do about it.”

“Most consumers are unaware that this happens,” said Paul Stephens, the director of policy and advocacy for Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a consumer advocacy group in San Diego.

The so-called FICO score is sold to the three credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — “which each then use different formulas to compute a consumer’s creditworthiness.”

The higher your credit score, the lower your interest rate.  So why does your score get affected by credit report inquiries?

“It is the “hard pull” inquiry — in which lenders and brokers learn that you are in need of money, and check your credit in order to process your application — that can most damage your score.”

This can result in a 20 point or more drop in your score each time you authorize a lender to check your credit.

“So how can borrowers minimize the blow, especially those shopping for the best mortgage rates and working with more than one lender or broker?”

“If all the requests are made within a short time, they usually will count as only one check.”

There is some good news, “borrowers who check their own credit scores through a less invasive “soft pull,” to get an estimate of creditworthiness and of loan rates, do not see their scores go down.” So, ask your lender to do “a soft pull before deciding which loan to go with, at which point a formal inquiry is made.”

Read the full column, Preventing Credit Score Dings

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Vested Title Inc.

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-808-6130 - Fax 201-656-4506

E-mail vti@vested.com - www.vested.com

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A little planning can save Mom's home

Bankrate.com’s Steve McLinden fields questions about real estate. Here’s a column with a question that will resonate with more folks as time goes by.


Dear Real Estate Adviser,

My elderly mother needs assisted living. She owns a home in which she has lived for 50 years. If she sells the home, valued at about $150,000, she wouldn't be eligible for Veterans Affairs benefits for assisted living.

Is there any way she might be able to place the home in some kind of trust and not realize any monetary benefit from the sale?   -- Steve F.

Dear Steve,

Yes. A family trust might be the solution to the asset-retention challenge your mother -- and ultimately the rest of the family -- will face.

Also known as a living trust or revocable living trust, this type of trust protects a home and other assets such as stock from remaining on the books as part of her net worth. In addition, it covers how those individual assets will be handled prior to and after your mother's passing.

The trust would also leave control of the home in the hands of your mother while she is alive, provided she remains mentally competent.

Once your mother -- who is considered the grantor in this case -- passes away, the appointed family trustee would take over and be required by law to distribute the property precisely as the grantor desired.

In the case of a house, the children typically would receive equal shares after the parent's passing. At that point, the house could be sold, or one or more of the heirs could elect to buy the others out and take ownership. There may be some overhead to maintaining a trust, by the way.

Gifting the house outright to the children, who could then sell it, is another option, particularly if you need to raise money soon for your mother's assisted-living expenses.

The negatives to this are the tax consequences, since federal law only permits an annual exclusion of up to $13,000 per family member without payment of federal gift tax. It would be prudent to have the home appraised by a professional appraiser before doing this to avoid any questions of value by the Internal Revenue Service.

As your family plans out a strategy, take into consideration any Medicaid benefit planning in addition to the VA assisted-living planning as part of a comprehensive long-term elder-planning approach. Realize the gift of a house can result in a period of ineligibility for Medicaid benefits.

For these and many other reasons, you should first consult with an estate-planning attorney or other asset-protection professional who is steeped in knowledge of VA pensions and assisted-living benefits.

You also might take another look at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs "Survivors and Dependents Benefits -- Death After Active Service" section. The VA's toll-free line for income verification and means-testing questions is (800)929-8387.

Good luck in sorting this out and best wishes to your mother, whose needs should remain paramount to others in this matter.

Note- Always seek competent legal advice on issues such as estate planning. Your local bar association is a good source to locate specialists in the field of estate planning. This column should not be construed as legal advice!

See the column on line - Family trust could save mom's benefits

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Vested Title Inc.

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-808-6130 - Fax 201-656-4506

E-mail vti@vested.com - www.vested.com

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