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I have a divorced couple doing a short sale. They are both very cooperative. Banks aren't. The wife went back to her maiden name and banks will not accept her authorization with her signature under the maiden name. I can get her to sign in her maiden name but will her docs such as filed taxes and pay stubs be an issue. I already have buyers who really want this home.

I have a buyer who has been trying to buy a short sale property for the longest time. He wants this house. It has foundation issues. We gave an engineers report to the listing agent. Cost to repair is $75,000+. House was listed at $157,000 bank wants $154,000 plus they want a promissory note from the seller for $18,000. Is this legal? Also, I asked the agent to file a dispute with Freddie Mac, it's been almost 2 weeks. How long does it take Freddie Mac to reply?

We want to help get homeowners get their money back who were charged upfront for a loan modification review in California. If you know anyone who falls into this category and who would like to try to get their money back please let me know as I can get them free assistance in this matter.

310-564-6389

BGold@acgnow.com

www.ishortsalenow.com

My house is in foreclousure . 1st. is with OCWEN 1,200,000 and second is with Regions Bank 1,050,000. Second has a summary judgment coming up in Oct. Had a short sale offer came in. Regions is saying they had the house appraised for 2,100,000 therefore they would consider $ 1,800,000 . Even this buyer would go up to 1.8M then Regions would only clear $500,000 after paying the first and the closing expenses and commissions etc..

I have a third party (family member who who is willing to help me ) He wants to know if I can go to Regions Bank and offer cash discounted payoff . He is thinking about $400,000 ,This is much better offer then the short sale . Then I would only have to deal with the first .

I am behind $356,000 with GMAC (Ocwen) . If I pay this amount and bring the loan to the date , would they be willing to reinstate my loan with a lower rate ? Or are they just interested in foreclosure ?  It has been 4 years that I have not paid them. 1st. is doing nothing but second is very close to foreclosure. 

I have not paid both mortgages for 4 years . I am lucky that My family sold a piece of real estate and they are willing to help me to save my house from foreclosure .   Please let me know your thoughts . Thank You 

Please let me know of your experience in dealing with Spectrum or Chevron Credit Union on a short sale. Would like to know the name of the person you dealt with and if you know of someone to escalate a file too. I am having a terrible problem with their negotiator and not getting any where. This home is set to be sold at the court house in Nov. So if anyone has knowledge let me know. Thanks Julie Wilkinson

Does anyone have history with Rushmore Loan Management and their process for short sales?

The Wisconsin housing statistics are in for June of 2014. Here is an excerpt from what the Wisconsin Realtors® Association (WRA) had to say:

Existing home sales in Wisconsin saw positive gains for the first time this year, and median home prices were up slightly according to the most recent housing market report released by the Wisconsin REALTORS® Association (WRA). June home sales rose 4.5 percent compared to June 2013, and median prices were stable, rising 0.6 percent to $159,900 over the same period.

“This is a welcome sign since June is our most important month for sales,” said Steve Lane, chairman of the WRA board of directors. “In a typical year, Wisconsin sells approximately 11.5 percent of its homes in June, which is more than any other month of the year, so strong sales in June is important,” Lane said. However given the harsh winter, Lane cautioned that even a solid showing in June won’t completely erase the weaker winter and spring sales. He noted that during the first half of the year, sales were down 4.9 percent compared to the first six months of 2013.

Below are the number of Home Sales and Median House Prices for the state of Wisconsin, Rock County, and Dane County. These stats include Janesville and Madison. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions pertaining to these figures. This month showed an increase in the number of home sales statewide and in Rock County, but a slight decrease in Dane County. Home prices rose slightly in all 3 areas highlighted below.

Thinking of purchasing a home before prices or rates rise any further? I'd be happy to show you any homes currently listed for sale. Feel free to visit either site below:

Real Estate Listings in Janesville, WI 

Real Estate Listings in Madison, WI.

Now might be the right time to sell your Wisconsin home. Feel free to take a look at our cutting edge Rock Realty Marketing Plan! If you would like some insight into how much your home is currently worth, I would be happy to provide you with a report that gives a close estimate to what your home might sell for in your current local Wisconsin real estate market. Click below:

What's My Wisconsin Home Worth?

Has your home value fallen below what you currently owe? Have you experienced a hardship like divorce or job loss? A short sale may be right for your situation. Visit our page for more information.

Wisconsin Short Sales

The second borrower does not want to participate in the short sale. She never lived in the house. She never made a payment, only her daughter lived there by herself and the daughter made all the payments.The bank advise the daughter to do a quick claim deed and take the mother of the deed. We deed that, its is a FHA mortgage. The file was submitted to HUD for a variance approval. The approval was denied. ANY HELP PLEASE.

Short Sales with Bank of America have not gotten easier, if anything they seem to take longer then all others, except Ocwen.

I am a buyers agent on a short sale with Bank of America. When our offer was accepted ( we were the back up) on March 3rd, 2014..That it was an approved short sale. Since that date my buyers have completed all the requested documentation. Bank of America has done three appraisals in the past four months. This property is set for TS on August 1st 2014. The listing agent does not return my calls, the bank won't speak to me. The listing agent has opened escrow and order prelims. and documents from my  buyers, yet no approval from the bank. Do I have any recourse or direction I can go? My buyers are so stressed with the constant "anyday now" response, jumping through hoops for everyone on the listing side, yet no approval from Bank of America.

Looking for docs & or 3rd party authorization forms for a Citi Financial 2nd ....And any direction on the process with working with Citi Financial as the 2nd with Nationstar.

If anyone know, the information would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance!

Pros and Cons of Cash Buying

All-cash home purchases hit a record in the first quarter of 2014, reaching 43 percent, according to RealtyTrac, which has been tracking cash-buying trends since 2011. This latest figure represents a 19 percent rise from last year—a number industry watchers attribute to stricter mortgage qualification standards coupled with high buyer demand and competition. If you're thinking about buying your next home with cash, you might be wondering how this option stacks up against a mortgage—not to mention, how you'll come up with the money.

Why Cash? Pros & Cons

On the pro side, using cash lets you sidestep mortgage loan qualifications and much of the paperwork and administrative fees. This accelerates the buying process and makes you more attractive to sellers who are eager to close. You have better odds of out-competing other buyers and better leverage to negotiate a lower price. Finally, the prospect of not having to pay monthly mortgage obligations and interest is appealing.

On the other hand, the cash you tie up in your house won't be as readily available for emergency spending. This could place you in a position of needing to sell or mortgage your home in the event of an emergency, and convincing lenders to extend a mortgage or equity loan could be difficult if you lack a steady income, a situation many retirees face. One way to address this issue is opening a home-equity line of credit after you buy your home to make sure you have emergency funds available. A reverse mortgage can also help in a pinch.

Another issue is whether the amount you save on mortgage interest might be better invested. Buying a house with cash amounts to investing in a bond with an interest rate equivalent to what you would pay with a mortgage. Compare this interest rate with other investment options to evaluate how buying your home with cash affects your long-term savings.

Finding Funds

If you want to pay for your home with cash but don't have a lump sum handy, how do you find the money? Options include:

• Realtor suggests a few strategies, including investing in a long-term CD, a method that can be combined with CD laddering if you don't want to lock up all your cash.
• For current home owners, another option is refinancing your existing mortgage into a larger one, known as "cash-out refinancing." Zillow recommends weighing this option against others, such as home equity loans and lines of credit.
• If you're receiving regular payments from an annuity or structured settlement, you may be able to sell all or a portion of your future payments to a financial services firm and put the money toward your home purchase.

What About Taxes?

Paying for your home in cash precludes the tax breaks you would get from your mortgage interest payments. Use the calculator at Mortgage101 to estimate the potential tax benefits of a mortgage so you can weigh this against buying with cash.

The Wisconsin housing statistics are in for May of 2014. Here is an excerpt from what the Wisconsin Realtors® Association (WRA) had to say:

Existing home sales continued to lag behind 2013 levels but median prices rose by a solid margin in Wisconsin according to the most recent housing market report released by the Wisconsin REALTORS® Association (WRA). May home sales dropped 6.9 percent compared to the May 2013 volume of sales. In contrast, median prices increased over the same period, rising 3.8 percent to $150,000.

“This is the fifth straight month of reduced home sales compared to where we were this time last year, and there are multiple potential reasons why,” said Steve Lane, chairman of the WRA board of directors. He pointed out that state economy appears to be steadily improving. The unemployment rate continues to drop and at 5.7 percent in May, it stands a more than a percentage point below where we were last year. In addition the state has added more than 38,300 jobs over the last year according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The harsh winter contributed to slower sales in the first four months, but it can’t explain the slower sales in May. “Even though last year was a strong year for sales, we expected a slight bounce in May sales as the prolonged winter ended,” Lane said. “But we haven’t seen that bounce yet.”

Below are the number of Home Sales and Median House Prices for the state of Wisconsin, Rock County, and Dane County. These stats include Janesville and Madison. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions pertaining to these figures. As you probably have heard, overall home sales & prices have been increasing over the past few years. This month however showed a decrease of home sales statewide, but an increase in home prices. Rock County however showed increases in both sales and price!

Thinking of purchasing a home before prices or rates rise any further? I'd be happy to show you any homes currently listed for sale. Feel free to visit Real Estate Listings in Rock County to search for current Rock County properties or visit Real Estate Listings in Dane County for homes in Dane County Wisconsin.

Now might be the right time to sell your Wisconsin home. Feel free to take a look at our cutting edge Rock Realty Marketing Plan! If you would like some insight into how much your home is currently worth, I would be happy to provide you with a free comparative market analysis. This is a report that gives a close estimate to what your home might sell for in your current local Wisconsin real estate market. Click below:

What's My Wisconsin Home Worth?

Has your home value fallen below what you currently owe? Have you experienced a hardship like divorce or job loss? A short sale may be right for your situation. Visit our page on Wisconsin Short Sales for more information.

Rock Realty Client Testimonials

"Michael Collins did the impossible he SOLD my house! When I put my house for sale everything that could go wrong did but Michael never gave up and did everything he could to sell my house. I recommend Michael Collins if your looking for a real estate agent! He is hard working and trustworthy!"

Michelle M. (Madison, WI 53704)
Rock Realty Seller Client

Thanks for the compliments, and Congratulations to Michelle on the short sale of your home! Congrats to Michael Collins on another successful closing!

Are you considering purchasing property in the Madison Wisconsin area? Click below to start your home search!

Madison, WI Real Estate

I'm happy to report that the total number of Short Sales here in the desert have dropped dramatically since last year.  I just took a new Short Sale Listing today, and closed one last month, but as one of the deserts' most prolific Short Sale Agents, I can report that equity Sales are beating the pants off the Shorts!  And I'm happy about that!

The Palm Springs Valley is a resort location, and we were awash in new homes in 2004-2006.  New Homes are just beginning to be built again, abandoned projects finished and the remaining underwater properties dealt with.  Balance has returned for the most part and it's a beautiful thing!  

However, if you find yourself underwater here in our dry desert, don't hesitate to give me a call..it's familiar territory for me, and I'm happy to help.

Have you received an approval letter from Wells Fargo and they approved certain fee's, then when you are waiting for HUD approval, they say they are not going to pay a fee?

Is this Legal?  should we contact the OCC? 

I submitted a short sale with Chase Mortgage and after 3 weeks, I was told the file is in audit. After a further 2weeks in audit, I tried to escalate the file and Chase told me the file cannot be escalated, because it is in audit. I asked them to invite me and the seller and buyer to go through the audit, but nothing done. Eventually the file was declined, no reason given. Who do we turn to in a situation like this?

Looking for a Rent-to-Own, Lease-Option or Land Contract in Wisconsin? We may have the perfect option for you! It's called the Alternative Mortgage Program. Please read the details below and visit the link for further information.

As you can see, this is much different than any other Wisconsin Rent to Own (RTO) or Land Contract program out there that we have seen. This could be the perfect conduit for you to get the home you want now, and be able to then purchase the house down the road when you can qualify for a traditional mortgage. If you are interested in hearing more about the program from the lender, please visit the link below and submit your contact information via the short form.

Blog.RockRealtyWI.com/Rent-To-Own

Feel free to also visit our Rock Realty Wisconsin home listings websites below to help with your home search! You can search through all available MLS listings in your area.

Janesville Area Homes for Sale
(http://www.JanesvilleRealtor.com)

Madison Area Homes for Sale
(http://www.MadisonWIForSale.com)