Barack Obama was elected for his second term as president of the United States and now it’s time for action especially in the distressed housing sector which has affected millions of Americans around the nation. Both houses of congress unanimously agree that the mortgage forgiveness debt relief act is a good policy and support an extension. However, there is no concrete evidence of an extension yet which will be detrimental to all distressed homeowners. How and when will this policy be extended?

What happens if there is no extension Jan. 1, 2013?

If you are involved in a loan modification, short sale, or a foreclosure, you will be liable for taxes on the forgiven amount because it is deemed as income. This is not a small tax liability. An example would be, if you owe $150,000 on your home and it sells in a foreclosure auction for $100,000, the amount remaining of $50,000 would be taxable income. If you are in the 25% tax bracket, you will have to pay the IRS $12,500 in taxes on the foreclosure.

Expecting struggling homeowners to be burdened with this tax liability after losing their biggest asset, would leave the homeowner in a dire financial crisis. Obama’s FY2013 budget proposal does include the extension of this act to 2015 but we are coming close to the expiration of this policy (Dec 31, 2012). Homeowners are now panicking and the National Association of Realtors as well as numerous realtors around the globe are participating in a call to action to extend this forgiveness act asap.

I believe the extension of this act will be extended. However, when and how are the questions that are up in the air. More than 50,000 homeowners go through foreclosure monthly. What should a struggling homeowner do when they are in pre-foreclosure and not sure of when this act will be extended?

Solutions: Short sales are still the best answer

Now that Obama has been elected, we are assured via his FY2013 budget that the forgiveness act will be extended. If you however lose your home to foreclosure after the expiration and before the extension, it could mean tens of thousands of dollars owed to the IRS post foreclosure, loan mod, or short sale.

If you are in at risk of foreclosure, I strongly suggest you begin trying to qualify for a short sale and get your short sale started right away. This way, you will be able postpone your foreclosure date and initiate your short sale which will take typically 3-6 months to close.

This would be your smartest financial move for your situation because you are avoiding a huge tax liability, avoiding a foreclosure which would be detrimental to your situation, and walking away from your home without being vulnerable of pursuit by your lender post foreclosure for the remaining balance.

Hope this helps

Peter

According to the Obama Administration’s October (2012) housing scorecard and “[…]the FHFA housing price index posting its largest annual gain in five years and new home sales at its fastest pace since April 2010” (Erika Poethig, assistant secretary for policy development and research at the Department of Housing and Urban Development) as well as numerous other sources, we can confidently say we have a recovering housing market. Even Warren Buffett, deemed as one of the greatest investors of all time, is bullish on the US housing market recently purchasing multiple real-estate brokerages including Prudential and his partnership with Brookfield Asset Management, a Canadian real-estate investor, to more than double his size of his brokerage business.

Our housing market is rebounding slowly due to various factors such as tight lending practices, fluctuations of supply & demand, and just the general current economic health but it is on its way to recovery. Will your client be ready to secure their next home investment and cease this opportunity?

Clear Capital exposed a sobering point: “Prices are 37.6 percent below the peak. This means a home bought for $200,000 in 2006 would be worth somewhere in the range of $124,800 today.” (source: dsnews.com) Prices were up 4.6% annually in October and as I have stated multiple times in previous articles, prices will not rebound in a U-shape but rather similar to a NIKE symbol. Concurrently, mortgage interest rates have remained at all-time lows with the latest report from Freddie Mac announcing a 15-year fixed-rate at 2.66% and 30-year fixed averaging 3.37%.

The opportunity is there and will be there for some time but are your clients preparing themselves to be able to jump on the bandwagon of nationally appreciating housing values?

A recent report shows that 23 percent of consumer mortgage requests were turned down by banks and I know from several sources around the Washington state that it is increasingly difficult to obtain a loan due to the fact that mortgage rates are so low that they aren’t incentivized to generously hand them out to just anyone.

I'm an agent. How do I prepare my client(future)? If your client had a short sale and got a significant ding on their credit score but want to prepare their credit situation to qualify for loans for their next home purchase, by the end of this article, have them talk to a Lexington Law credit specialist. I have personally researched and found them to be the absolute best company to work with in rebuilding credit scores. Here is a direct number provided through the seattleshortsaleblog for a free consultation: 888-586-6113 or you can apply through their website.

Hope this helps

Peter

A ray of good news shined through the ominous clouds of the fiscal cliff this past week stating that the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act has officially been extended. Through this act, homeowners who are involved in a short sale, foreclosure, or mortgage restructuring are able evade a significant tax bill.

However, the storm is not anywhere near from over. The recent fiscal cliff deal was a small step of progress but the federal deficit still needs to be resolved which calls for more budget battles ahead. Could we be seeing our last Mortgage Forgiveness Tax Relief Act extension in 2013?

Only hours before the end of year 2012, congress was able to strike a deal to avert the fiscal cliff. Fortunately, this included the extension of the debt relief act which is now set to the new expiration date: December 31, 2013. It is official and the proof can be found in the IRS Website or in the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 Bill.

Homeowners are very fortunate to get one extra year of opportunity to short sell their homes. Congress realizes that without this extension, numerous homeowners would be devastated with critical financial conditions. Although, the extension of the various tax cuts alleviated our impending tax increases momentarily, our government is also in a bad financial position in that it has a debt ceiling issue to deal with and the $1.3 billion dollars in taxes that they lost through the extension of the act may be a provision that our government may not be able to continue in our future budgets.

We may get a better forecast in a couple of months as a debt ceiling battle in Congress may occur and more budgets will be established.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you believe we will get an extension beyond Jan 1, 2014?

The Wisconsin housing statistics are now in for August of 2012. Here is an excerpt from what the Wisconsin Realtors Association (WRA) had to say:

The home sale recovery began last summer, and sales have grown 20.7 percent year-to-date. “It’s great to see these sales so strong during the peak sales period in the state.”  said Renny Diedrich, chairman of the WRA board of directors. He noted that in a typical year, about a third of Wisconsin closings take place between June and August.

The median price rose at an annual pace of 2.9 percent in August 2012, and this continues the pattern of modest price appreciation statewide for each of the last six months. “It’s clear that in spite of slight upticks in the state unemployment rate over the last two months, the housing market continues to grow, and it’s growing at a brisk pace” said WRA President and CEO, Michael Theo.

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, home sales have been increasing substantially all year. Both Dane and Rock counties are showing marked improvements in the number of homes sold. Prices have bounced in Rock County, while in Dane County WI they appear to now be stabilizing.

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. Has your home value fallen below what you currently owe? A short sale may be right for your situation. Visit the following page on Wisconsin Short Sales.

Short Sale Information and Favorable Laws in 2012 for California Homeowners

Short Sale Related Laws you should know about as a homeowner

SB 931 Deficiency Waiver on First Mortgage

When First mortgage holder of your loan accepts full payment and satisfaction of all your outstanding first loan from the successful completion of  the sale of your home, your lender is  is prevented from pursuing a deficiency against you even after a short sale. This is great news! What this means to you as a homeowner in California is that this releases you from further liability (deficiency) when the bank accepts and approves your short sale. Click here to read information on SB 931 and see how this may apply to your individual situation. At any rate, whenever you are negotiating a short sale, it would still be beneficial to have your real estate agent ask for the lender to issue a short sale approval letter with the verbiage indicating a waiver of future deficiency and no promissory note.

SB 458 Second Mortgages- Release of Liability after completing a Short Sale in California by 2012

Effective as of July 15, 2011, California homeowners who sell their homes through a short sale and who have subordinate loans such as home equity line of credit (heloc) or fixed secondary mortgages, are now extended the protection against deficiency. This means that if your second lender agrees to the short sale, your lender must accept the proceeds from the short sale as a payment in full of the outstanding balance of the loans. This means that if you are a homeowner in California who sells your home in a short sale that the bank has approved, you will be released from liability (deficiency) not only on your first mortgage (SB 931) but also on your second mortgage under SB 458 in the event that the bank accepts and approves the short sale event.  Receiving short sale approval is not enough, you would have to complete the short sale. Click here to read information on SB 458 and  consult a real estate attorney see how these short sale reltaed laws may apply to your individual situation.

Short Sale Income Tax Relief from Federal Income Tax until 2012

Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 generally allows taxpayers to exclude income from the discharge of debt on their principal residence. Debt reduced through mortgage restructuring, short sale, as well as mortgage debt forgiven in connection with a foreclosure, qualifies for the relief. This applies to loans that were used to acquire, build, or improve upon on the home. Consult your tax advisor regarding how this tax relief may apply to your individual situation. If the loans forgiven were loans that you used to purchase the home (purchase money loan) or loans used to build or improve the home, most likely you would not have to pay taxes if you complete a short sale before December 31, 2012. A portion or all of the orgiven amount would be considered taxable income if the forgiven amount, or if portions of the loans forgiven were used for other purposes- i.e. cash out refinance used to payoff i.e. car loans, credit cards to pay vacation expenses, or cash to fund a new business, etc. Please consult a tax advisor.

Click here to read more information on the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007

Short Sale Income Tax Relief from California State Income Tax until 2012

In California, homeowners who sell their home through a short sale may qualify for the California Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief under SB 401, which was enacted on April 12, 2010. This mortgage forgiveness debt relief act allows taxpayers who have had all or part of their loan balance on their principal residence forgiven by their lender to exclude the forgiven debt from California gross income. This tax relief for those who short sell their homes in California apply to discharges of qualified residence indebtedness on or after January 1, 2009 and before January 1, 2013 (Think until 2012). Read more about this from the California Franchise Tax Board website under SB 401.

The California Tax Relief limits the amount of qualified principal indebtedness up to $800,000 for those who file as married, joint, head of household and up to $400,000 for those who file as married/RDP filing separately. See State of California Franchise Tax Board for more details. In order to claim tax relief, your would need to file Form 540 or Form 540X for a previously filed tax return.

Consult your tax advisor regarding how this tax relief may apply to your individual situation.

Clock is Ticking. Unless, laws are extended, you only have until December 31, 2012 to complete a Short Sale

A lof of the laws that favor selling your home through a short sale in California expire by December 31, 2012. This means that if you have decided to short sell your home and qualify to avoid deficiency and not pay taxes on mortgage forgiven debt associated with a short sale, now would be the time in order to close escrow on a short sale by 2012.

Need additional information about short sales?

For a fast response, no-obligation, and confidential consultation regarding selling your home in California through a short sale, fill out contact form below.

Antonio Atoche

310-345-1513

antonio@atocherealestate.com

www.upsidedownlosangeles.com

For more information visit https://www.google.com/

The Wisconsin housing statistics are now in for April of 2012. Here is an excerpt from what the Wisconsin Realtors Association (WRA) had to say:


“The strong pace of existing home sales continued, with 10 straight months of double-digit sales growth. Home sales rose 19.5 percent in April 2012 compared to April 2011, according to the most recent monthly report by the Wisconsin REALTORS^® Association (WRA). Home prices were also up for the second straight month, rising 2.4 percent to $128,000 in April compared to April 2011."


“After several years of a stagnate housing market, it’s encouraging to see sustained growth in home sales, especially as we enter the summer, which is the prime season for home sales in the state,” said Rob Keefe, Chairman of the WRA board of directors.


The WRA says an improving state jobs market is helping home sales. Since December, the state has added nearly 18,000 nonfarm private jobs even as government employment fell by 3,400 based on seasonally adjusted estimates.


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 can see, home sales have been increasing substantially this year. The median sale price in Dane County has risen approximately $8,500 year over year. In Rock County Wisconsin, the median sale price has fallen, $2,450, year over year.


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. Has your home value fallen below what you currently owe? A short sale may be right for your situation. Visit the following page on Wisconsin Short Sales.


The Wisconsin housing statistics are now in for May of 2012. Here is an excerpt from what the Wisconsin Realtors Association (WRA) had to say:

“Wisconsin home sales recorded strong growth again in May, continuing the trend that began last summer. Sales of existing homes were up 18.9 percent in May 2012 compared to May 2011. In addition, median home prices in the state rose 1.5 percent to $138,000 relative to the same month last year"

“It’s good to see Wisconsin’s housing market continuing a robust rebound from the depressed levels of the recession,” said Rob Keefe, Chairman of the WRA board of directors. He noted that the monthly growth rates have been in the double digits since July 2011, and that year-to-date home sales are up over 20 percent in the state. The South-Central region was up 18.5 percent.

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 can see, home sales have been increasing substantially this year. Both Dane and Rock counties are showing marked improvements in the number of homes sold.

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. Has your home value fallen below what you currently owe? A short sale may be right for your situation. Visit the following page on Wisconsin Short Sales.

The Wisconsin housing statistics are now in for June of 2012. Here is an excerpt from what the Wisconsin Realtors Association (WRA) had to say:

“Wisconsin home sales continued to grow at a robust pace with sales of existing homes up 19.3 percent in June over June of last year... June median home prices increased 1.4 percent to $142,000 relative to the same month last year which is the fourth straight month of increasing median prices."

“In a national economy that has not yet seen the kind of growth rates that typify most economic recoveries, it’s encouraging to see such strong growth in home sales over the last 12 months,” said Rob Keefe, Chairman of the WRA Board of Directors.

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, home sales have been increasing substantially all year. Both Dane and Rock counties are showing marked improvements in the number of homes sold.

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. Has your home value fallen below what you currently owe? A short sale may be right for your situation. Visit the following page on Wisconsin Short Sales.

The Winchester, VA real estate market continues to show signs of improvement, but it is in inches rather than leaps.  The current market has 513 available properties spread over the Winchester City and Frederick County area. 

Of those 513 listings, 15% are distressed properties.  That's par with the April numbers, but it's a 3.3% drop from the beginning of the year.  The number of available listings have increased since April, and with the decline in distressed properties that's a positive trend.  Frederick County, which has more available properties, holds 16% of all distressed properties, while Winchester City has dropped to 13%.

The more startling numbers come when you look at pending sales.  There are 321 pending sales in both Winchester City and Frederick County, VA.  The pending sales may give a better window into where the market has been.  In Winchester City, 48% of current pending sales are distressed homes.  Frederick County has 46%.  Again, those are high numbers, but it is only 47% combined.  It has been as high as 63% this year.  

That's also an encouraging trend.  The number of available listings are up.  The number of available distressed listings are down, and the number of pending distressed properties have fallen 25% since the beginning of the year.  The shift in the Winchester / Frederick County real estate market is in the right direction.  It's moving slowly, but that tells me that bargain hunters still have opportunities if they move now. 

The Winchester, VA real estate market continues to show signs of improvement.

Winchester / Frederick County Available Listings - May 2012

The short sale market in Winchester, VA is beginning to show signs of a slight decline.  When the real estate market took a hit in the Fall of 2008, REOs exploded onto the scene as the prominent available listings.  As the the market has shifted back and forth, REOs are declining and short sales are the primary distressed properties. 

Now, short sales in Winchester, VA have declined slightly, but they still make up 10% of the overall available listings. Between Winchester City and Frederick County, VA, distressed properties make up 17% of overall available listings in this third week of March.  The overall distressed listings in the Winchester/Frederick County are have declined 1.2% in the past week.  That's a good sign.

There are still opportunities available to buy a short sale or an REO at a great price, but they are slowly becoming a minor part of the local market.  Don't wait too long.  You might miss a great opportunity.  If you've been planning to take advantage of the high number of distressed listings in the Winchester, VA real estate market, you may want to call your Cornerstone Business Group, Inc., agent soon.  The tide is shifting, and before you know it, it will be a seller's market again.

Short Sales in Winchester, VA - March 2012

The available houses in Winchester, VA in April 2012 has risen to 582.  That's a 7% increase in inventory over March listings.  In contrast, the number of REOs and short sales have declined slightly.

Winchester City holds 112 of the available listings, down three from March.  The number of REOs in April stand at 4 and short sales at 11.  The March numbers are basically unchanged.  March had 115 listings with 4 REOs and 11short sales.  Winchester has seen less movement than Frederick County.

Frederick County, VA has 470 active listings.  Of that number, 33 are REOs and 43 are short sales.  The March listings were 448 with 36 REOsand 45 short sales.  Both REOs and short sales are down in the county.  The overall number of listings has increased by 22, but the distressed properties are dropping.

The drop in distressed properties in the Winchester / Frederick County, VA area is a good sign that the local real estate recession may have turned the corner.  The overall market is up, but distressed properties are down 5%.  For homeowners who have been waiting on the sidelines to sell, this is good news.

For home-buyers who have been waiting for the market to hit bottom, this may be it.  If you're thinking about buying a distressed property, now is the time. The inventory is starting to shift toward fair market listings, and when that happens, highly discounted properties will slowly disappear.  

Available Houses in Winchester, VA - April 2012

All Listings in Winchester, VA - April 2012

REOs in Winchester, VA - April 2012

Short Sales in Winchester, VA - April 2012

The short sale market in Winchester/Frederick County, VA is alive and well.  The current market for both city and county offers 555 active listings.  Of that number, 55 are currently listed as potential short sales.  In the Frederick County listings, short sales make up 9% of the 443 current active listings.

With the combined area of Winchester City and Frederick County, short salesmake up between 9-11% of the overall available active listings.  Foreclosuresmake up another 9% of the overall listings.  That leaves 80+% of available listings that fall into the fair market category.  That high number of fair market properties are as likely to give support to  short sale and foreclosure prices as the reverse.

The price ranges for short sales in theWinchester / Frederick County area range from $69,900 - $589,433.  Both high and low figures can be found in Frederick County with it's higher number of overall properties, as well as higher numbers of short sales and foreclosure listings.

The average price range for a Frederick County short sale is $178,766.  That property is off it's original list price by 16%, and it has been on the market for 88 days.  In Frederick County, the days on the market range from 722 to 1. Winchester averages vary between 487 - 1.  The longer number of days on the market may signal that distressed homeowners have found a way to continue to support an upside-down mortgage while attempting to short sale a property closer to the payoff.

The pace at which properties are moving through the local market and the limited number of property sales indicates that the ratio of buyers to sellers is still leaning in the buyer's favor.  That presents many buying opportunities for  savvy buyers, but it places a great deal of pressure on distressed homeowners who are trying to get out from under a house that is currently underwater. 

Even though the high ratio of fair market properties available in the Winchester / Frederick County Virginia area may signal good news for homeowners hoping to maintain some of their previous equity in a sale - it means little for a distressed homeowner who is still looking for a little relief.

If you're in the Winchester / Frederick County, Virginia area and you need to sell your home through a short sale, don't give up hope.  We can help get you through the process and on to a fresh start with a lighter load.  Give Cornerstone Business Group, Inc., a call and we can discuss your options.

Short Sales in Winchester-Frederick County VA - February 2012

The foreclosure market in Winchester, VA has been changing this year.  The current market has 544 properties listed and available as of March 10, 2012.  Of that group of available listings,only 35 are foreclosures.  That brings the current foreclosure listings down to 6.65% of available listings.

If a buyer is looking for a great deal on a foreclosure, he better act fast.  The foreclosure market in Winchester, VA is contracting at a rapid rate.  How do the current available listings compare to pending sales? 

There are 253 sales pending the Winchester market.  Of that group, 41 properties are foreclosures.  That's 16% of the current pending sales.  That's a substantial drop from the February 4 - March 4 closings.  During that period 29% of closings were foreclosures. When you add short sales into that period, total distressed home sales made up 51% of total homes sales.

It's hard to say at this point if this is trend or a positive bump in the road, but no matter how you spin it, it's good news.  As foreclosures and short sales decline, property values have an opportunity to recover.  Will they see the values of the 2005-2008 market?  That is unlikely to happen for many years, but any improvement in home values is a plus.

Homeowners who still need to do a short sale may be able to redeem more of their equity for their lenders.  That puts them in a better position to execute a short sale. Short sales are another chapter in the local market.  The decline in available foreclosures in the Winchester, VA market is a good sign, and hopefully, a new trend. 

Available Foreclosures in Winchester, VA - March 2012

Market reports aren't always exciting or sexy, but they do give you a great snapshot of what's happening in a specific area at a specific time.  When the national news is giving buyers and sellers one view of the real estate market it can skewed very fast. The reality is that all real estate is local.

The available homes for sale in Winchester, VA are increasing.  The current available listings total 563 at week three of March 2012.  Each week in the month of March has seen a change.  This week, inventory is up slightly, distressed properties dropped another 1.2% and prices are starting to stabilize, though not climbing radically.

Winchester City has 115 current available listings.  Of that number, 11 are short sales and 4 are REOs. Frederick County has 448 available listings with 45 short sales and 36 REOs.  The distressed properties in February 2012 were 18.8%.  In the first week of March that number fell to 18.2%.  By week three, the number of distressed properties have fallen to 17%.

The lower number of distressed properties, and the increase in inventory, is a good sign that those who were sitting on the fence waiting for the right time to sell have finally started jumping into the market. 

If you are thinking of selling your property this year, now might be a good time to call your Cornerstone Business Group, Inc., agent.  Things are moving, and you will want to get ahead of the crowd that evolves when the weather gets and stays warm.  Buyers are buying.  Sellers, if you're ready to sell, let's get together and see what we can make happen.

Available Homes in Winchester, VA - March 23, 2012