Short Selling, a Foreclosure Alternative  A Typical "Short Sale" has 3 key factors The prospect of foreclosure is difficult for a homeowner, but there is another option. A little-known alternative, once more commonly used in the real estate downturn of the early '90s, is the ""Short Sale"," a typical "Short Sale" has 3 key factors 1.)A homeowner falls behind on his or her mortgage payments, usually due to a job loss, rising debt payments, family illness, raising interest rates or adjustable rate mortgages 2.) The   home owner / barrow is also facing a situation in which the homes value has fallen rapidly and cannot be sold for the amount of the mortgage owed. 3.) The homeowner is willing to Sell the home based on today's market and provide all funds received from the sale directly to th... 09/13/2008

Hello Again Just a few notes about the neighborhood. Has your neighborhood taken a wrong turn and you wish the new neighbors took care of it like the old ones did? Well, I was in the middle of a thought when an idea crossed my mind. I was thinking of a friend who would always tease me about not cooking because she had this idea that just because my stove was not greasy and the burners of my stove were not black, I never used my stove. Boy she as wrong! I am a "Latina" and we "Latinas" cook like there was no tomorrow. Breakfast, lunch and dinner and we "do" use our stove for all the mentioned. Anyway, I was explaining to her that the trick of my range looking brand new (even though I use it every day) was that I would clean it after cooking each meal. I gave her a demonstration and a cra... 09/12/2008

What will that do to the average buyer or seller of real estate? In the past few months, some mortgage rates were dropping, but the rates on FHA loans were not, as Fannie and Freddie could not pass along the better prices to consumers. The conservatorship will probably lower the cost of an FHA loan, so new buyers may get better rates. It will also guarantee that FHA loans will continue to be available. When I watched GMAC financing close its doors to new loans in the Triangle area of North Carolina, I was concerned about the availability of new loans. Now, I am not, as the government will infuse up to $100 billion into Fannie and Freddie to see them through. One of the biggest problems in the real estate industry is the availability of financing. This move makes financing more certain, ... 09/08/2008

What did the government do? They replaced the leadership of these two organizations: Herb Allison, a former vice chairman of Merrill Lynch, was selected to head Fannie Mae, and David Moffett, a former vice chairman of US Bancorp, was picked to head Freddie Mac. The hope is that the rest of the staff will remain in place, and Fannie's Daniel Mudd and Freddie's Richard Syron, the former leaders of each organization, have agreed to stay on during the transition. The government is going to buy $5 billion in mortgage-backed securities held by Fannie and Freddie. This will provide more capital for each organization. The Treasury Department said it will immediately be issued $1 billion in senior preferred stock from each company, but eventually the Treasury could be required to put up as much ... 09/08/2008

Hello Again! Just a note about the Market and Agents. I have been experiencing so often many complaints about Real Estate Agents who are not being "nice" to sellers. By not nice, I mean, negative criticism and wrongful use of words regarding their property. I have heard things like, " I don't have time for this", "you are better off foreclosing",  "Your home has no way out in this market". "Is their someone you want to give your home to". Anyway, I know we are in a terrible market for the seller. Especially the people that have lived for many years and made no improvements on the property. But not doing the  job as agents or Real Estate professionals will give other agents a bad name and an awful reputation like we had back then. There are sometimes when it is impossible to list, but th... 09/05/2008

Lawrenceville homes for Sale. Lawrenceville real estate Report September 1, 2008. As of today this is the current list of Lawrenceville homes for Sale - Single family detached homes fee simple and condominiums and town homes. Lawrenceville is located in Cobb County GA off I-75.  You can find some great Lawrenceville homes for Sale right here!  Lawrenceville Homes Currently For Sale 2610 Active Single Family Detached Lawrenceville Homes for Sale Fee Simple 4  Contingency w/Kickout  Single Family Detached Lawrenceville Homes for Sale Fee Simple 6 Contingency - Due Diligence - Single Family Detached Lawrenceville Homes for Sale Fee Simple 6 Contingency - Other - Single Family Detached Lawrenceville Homes for Sale Fee Simple 308 Pending -  Properties Found - Single Family Detached Lawrence... 08/31/2008

Hope Now has helped more than 2 million at-risk borrowers stay in their homes during the past 13 months, according to numbers released by the coalition on Wednesday. The alliance of mortgage servicers, counselors, and investors assembled to combat foreclosures fixed more than 192,000 problem loans during July, a one-month record that represents a 6% increase over June. Despite this progress, foreclosures continue to climb; 91,752 families lost their homes in July. That represents an increase of 14% from June and more than double the number of July 2007, when only 42,043 homes went to foreclosure. "The treadmill is still going a little faster than [Hope Now] can keep up with," said Nicholas Retsinas, Director of Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies. "Foreclosures have ou... 08/30/2008

With a short sale, you sell your home and if you don't satisfy the mortgage amount the bank may forgive the deficiency. A short-sale is positive for both the lender who doesn't have to go through the process of foreclosing and the homeowner, who may be able to walk away without a huge amount of debt. After the short sale closing your debt is satisfied ,, it can be considered over done with gone If you simply walk away, your house will be sold at auction, and if the amount it's sold for doesn't satisfy the mortgage, you'll be on the hook for the deficiency. Even after the court house sale you can still be held accountable for an unpaid balance on the first and the second unpaid mortgage balance If your facing a foreclosure or have fallen behind on your mortgage call us before its to late... 08/30/2008

Daily Real Estate News  |  August 19, 20085 Tips to Get Buyers Buying Frontdoor.com, the new real estate Web site from HGTV, offers a list of ways to increase the likelihood that a house will sell. Here are a few of them: Build buzz with an open-house bash, complete with wine, catered food, live music, and prizes. Take staging to the max with feng shui stagers who improve a home's energy or "chi." Good chi makes potential buyers feel welcome. Help serious buyers with financing by paying closing, costs, paying to lower the interest rate, or offering a lease-to-own plan. Let buyers sleep on it - literally - by offering them the opportunity to stay overnight. (Read "Some Buyers Ask to Sleepover First.") Throw in an extravagant extra like a year's mortgage payments or a big stipend for furn... 08/22/2008

Foreclosure Homes / Short Sale Homes List Updated Aug 14 2008 Fulton, North Fulton, DeKalb, County Georgia. Cities of Decatur, Tucker, Stone Mountain, Lithonia, Duluth, Buford, Lawrenceville, Dacula, Grayson, Snellville, Loganville, Suwanee, Norcross, Winder, This list is updated daily with Homes added to MLS in the last 24 hours Due to the nature of Foreclosure Homes and Short Sale Home, Buyers should act quickly ! For all Your Real Estate Needs Call ! Eric Reid, Managing Broker Renaissance Realty Group Inc.Office: 404-921-2067 x 102 Fax: 770-513-4443 short sale list click here Foreclosure list click here  08/11/2008

The Foreclosure Process  The foreclosure process isn't as mysterious as it may seem. Due to federal and state laws, lenders must follow a specific process in order to foreclose on a property. Understanding the process will help you find investment opportunities.First, you'll need to understand when a lender is allowed to foreclose. The process starts with the mortgage itself. A mortgage creates five covenants:The homeowner promises to pay the principal mortgage debtThe homeowner will insure the building against fire or damage to help protect the bank's interest in the propertyThe building or dwelling cannot be demolished or removed without the consent of the bankThe entire principal will become due in the event of default of payment of principal, interest, taxes, or assessmentsThe bank ... 08/09/2008

Pre-Foreclosure Investing The advantage to buying a property at a foreclosure auction is that you can often pay far less than you would have under normal circumstances. Frequently you can invest in improvements and then sell the home for a much higher price than your cost.The disadvantages and risks are more numerous. Simply to participate in the auction you must have sufficient funds available (either cash or a cashier's check) to cover 10% of the purchase price. You also must be able to arrange for financing within thirty days to complete the purchase or you risk losing your deposit. Next, you're buying the property as-is, without inspection. The condition of the interior of the home is usually a complete unknown. You'll have to be sure that the price you pay is low enough that you ca... 08/09/2008

Tips for Showing Your Home  •1.            KEEP YOUR HOME SPARKLING CLEAN.  This is the single most important thing you can do to improve a potential buyer's impression of your home.  A clean home not only is esthetically pleasing, but also creates the impression that you have taken pride in your home and therefore have kept it properly maintained.  Make sure that all tubs, toilets, and counter tops are clean.  Empty the dishwasher and sink.  Keep the floors clean.  Put laundry up or in the washer or dryer. •2.            ELIMINATE ODORS.  Do not smoke in your house, including your garage or basement.  Keep all trashcans and waste baskets clean.  Avoid cooking foods such as fish, liver or strongly seasoned foods within a few hours of showing your home.  Open windows whenever possible to... 08/09/2008

  What are the rules for the first time home buyer $7500 Tax Credit ? There are a 1001 questions in the air over the new Housing Hope Bill recently passed, Not having all the answers I have been trying to gather the best information at hand form those that might have a bit more knowledge at hand.. now things will continue to change and shift as the "big heads" get to ready the details and over lap them to current tax laws. So for those of you who have been asking what is the first time home buyer credit and who gets it and how ? you might find the article helpful Tax credit for home buyers works like an interest-free loan Purchasers can shave as much as $7,500 off their IRS bills, though it must be repaid.  By Kenneth R. Harney, Washington Post Writers GroupAugust 3, 2008  WASHINGTON --... 08/05/2008

Ways to Stop Foreclosure  There are quite a few ways that a homeowner can stop foreclosure. I thought I would list them here with some brief explanations. Loan Workout- A loan workout is when you negotiate with your lender any kind of plan that will benefit both you and the lender when you are delinquent or in default. This is a broad term used in the industry to cover the different options you may have such as a loan modification, repayment plan, short sale, forbearance plan etc. Loan Modification- This is when the lender modifies your current mortgage in order to work with you and make your mortgage more affordable. In the past this was only used when a borrower was delinquent but now it is being used before someone is delinquent. This will be the hottest term and way to help people a... 08/02/2008

Foreclosure Homes / Short Sale Homes List Updated July 31st 2008 Fulton, North Fulton, DeKalb, County Georgia. Cities of Decatur, Tucker, Stone Mountain, Lithonia, Duluth, Buford, Lawrenceville, Dacula, Grayson, Snellville, Loganville, Suwanee, Norcross, Winder, This list is updated daily with Homes added to MLS in the last 24 hours Due to the nature of Foreclosure Homes and Short Sale Home, Buyers should act quickly ! For all Your Real Estate Needs Call ! Eric Reid, Managing Broker Renaissance Realty Group Inc.Office: 404-921-2067 x 102 Fax: 770-513-4443 FOR A PEACH OF A DEAL ON A SHORT SALE CLICK ABOVE UPDATED FOR A FORECLOSURE A DEAL CLICK ABOVE UPDATED 07/31/2008

The advantage of a short sale for the lender is to get rid of the property before it goes into foreclosure and avoid the hassle and expense of trying to sell a foreclosure. The benefit for the biuyer, of course, is that he is getting a property at less than market value because he is willing to pay cash or refinance right away. Another advantage for the buyer is that a house in pre-foreclosure has not been sitting empty and getting in bad repair as a lot of the foreclosed houses do. As this house is being lived in now, odds are that it is in pretty good shape, at least in a livable condition. So a lot of money can be saved on repairs. An buyer needs to move very fast when he finds one of these deals because once the foreclosure proceedings have begun he will not be able to do a short sa... 07/25/2008

If your selling your home in Gwinnett county Georgia you know price are all over the map right now. So hhow can you know what lending banks will approve for the sale of your home. One great way is to combine your Realtors recommendation with a  listing appraisal to ensure the numbers supports your asking price Some sellers take all types of roads to get to a list price, they may take the advice of a friend,base the price  on what you really really hope it will sell for or look at flyer's posted around in the neighborhood, most will not even check the Gwinett county tax assessment reports.?  While all of these methods can be helpful, the only true way to know  what the lending bank will allow is to get a listing appraisal. A listing appraisal from is a full appraisal of your property sim... 07/24/2008

 Foreclosure Homes  / Short Sale Homes List Updated July 24th 2008 Fulton, North Fulton, DeKalb, County Georgia. Cities of Decatur, Tucker, Stone Mountain, Lithonia, Duluth, Buford, Lawrenceville, Dacula, Grayson, Snellville, Loganville, Suwanee, Norcross, Winder, This list is updated daily with Homes added to MLS in the last 24 hours  Due to the nature of  Foreclosure Homes and Short Sale Home, Buyers should act quickly !  For all Your Real Estate Needs Call ! Eric Reid, Managing Broker Renaissance Realty Group Inc.Office: 404-921-2067 x 102 Fax: 770-513-4443 FOR A PEACH OF A DEAL ON A SHORT SALE CLICK ABOVE UPDATED JUY 24th    FOR A FORECLOSURE A DEAL CLICK ABOVE UPDATED JUY 24th 07/24/2008

How to protect yourself from "foreclosure rescue" scams: Source: Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, staff research • Contact your lender as soon as you know you'll be late on a payment. Lenders are increasingly willing to renegotiate loan terms. • If you need further help, speak to a counselor certified by the Department of Housing and Urban Development: Find a Housing Counselor. • Be very skeptical of posters on telephone poles, median strips and at bus stops offering foreclosure help. • Be wary of a company that tells you to transfer your property deed or title to the company. FIND MORE STORIES IN: Department of Housing | Contact • Don't make payments to any party other than your lender. • Don't sign a "quit claim deed" (a document that claims you have no legal inter... 07/16/2008