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David Zehala

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A few basics about buying Columbus Hud Home

02-25-09
David Zehala
This post will address a few basic questions that should help real estate investors understand more about investing in Columbus area HUD Homes,. First of all, let’s define the term HUD Home. A HUD home is usually a 1 to 4 unit piece of residential property that was acquired by HUD as a result of a foreclosure action on an FHA-insured mortgage. HUD , also known as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development was established in 1965 to develop programs to address the housing needs of U.S. citizens. One of HUD's primary missions is to create a decent living environment for all Americans by developing and improving the country's communities and enforcing the fair housing laws HUD does this by administering a variety of programs that develop and support affordable housin. Specifically, HUD plays a key role in providing affordable loans for lower- and moderate-income families through its FHA mortgage insurance program and its HUD Homes program. It’s important to note that HUD does not provide direct financing to buyers of HUD Homes. Buyers must obtain financing either through their own cash reserves or a mortgage lender. FHA-insured mortgage financing on certain properties is available through approved lenders, provided the buyer is credit worthy and has sufficient income to qualify. Occasionally, a lender is forced to foreclose on a FHA-insured single-family home, town home, or condominium when the buyer can no longer make payments. The lender can file a claim to have HUD pay the balance due on the mortgage and assume ownership of the foreclosed property. These properties then become HUD Homes In this event, HUD would like to return these properties to private ownership as quickly as possible and recover as much money as possible. Who can buy a HUD Home,? Almost anyone, if you have the cash or you can qualify for a loan. HUD Homes are initially offered to owner-occupant purchasers (people who are buying the home as their primary residence) but if these efforts fall through the unsold properties are available to all buyers, including investors. These properties are available for purchase by the public and are offered for sale at Internet listing sites maintained by management companies under contract to HUD. Columbus HUD Homes are offered by NHMS and any real estate broker registered with HUD may submit an offer and contract to purchase on your behalf. HUD pays the real estate broker's commission, if included in the contract. All HUD Homes are sold AS-IS, without warranty. HUD will not make repairs nor pay to correct any problems. So if you are an investor, please make sure to get a detailed inspection after your offer is accepted. Also, HUD does not offer financing directly to consumers.
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Check out my Columbus Investment Property radio show

02-11-09
David Zehala

Columbus REIA members and blog subscribers are invited to check on my channel on Blogtalk radio.

This month I discuss Recession Proof marketing strategies to help you target the best Columbus Investment Property deals.

The topic for this first of seven mini-lessons available on Blogtalk radio will be “How to generate over 237+ leads a month by harnessing the POWER of one simple, but often neglected, marketing concept”

And in this short 15 minute show, we’ll be drilling down on a few of the marketing strategies that we’ve helped our clients implement in their businesses, that have allowed them to achieve a predictable, consistent and steady flow of leads flowing into their businesses.

We’ve got alot to cover….so let’s go ahead and get started…

Here's the link:

Columbus Investment Property Blogttalk Radio Show

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Commonly asked foreclosure questions regarding Columbus investment property Part 2

02-11-09
David Zehala
In my last article, I started to address various questions I have been receiving lately at our real estate investing Association regarding how investors can purchase various types of including Columbus investment property, Columbus foreclosure properties (also known as short sales), Columbus HUD Homes,, REO, tax foreclosures and other types of real estate. In this second article in this 3 part series, I would like to continue addressing these most commonly asked questions. 3. Can the homeowner of the foreclosed property profit from a short sale? Absolutely not. In a short sale the banks are agreeing to take a loss on the note to get it off of their books. As part of the short sale approval process, the banks will review the HUD and will not allow the homeowner to profit from this transaction. 4. What happens to the seller's credit rating when they allow an investor to short sell their property? Usually, the way it will show on it the sellers credit report is that the loan is "paid" or “settled”; however, there will be a notation that says "settled for less than originally owed" or something along these lines. Be careful regarding the expectation you set with the seller here! Each lender and reporting agency will say it a little different and the sellers credit most likely will still be adversely affected even if a short sale is accepted, approved, and closed because of all the previous late payments. 5. Can you do a short sale is the homeowner is in bankruptcy? The banks will not approve a short sale if the homeowner is in bankruptcy. Why? Because approving a short sale payoff is considered a collection activity. Collection activities are prohibited in bankruptcy. If and when the bankruptcy is dismissed, foreclosure activities pick back up where they started allowing the investor to work the short sale. 6. What documents do I have need to include in the short sale package? Documents depend on the lender. Each lender has different requirements. It is typical to require authorization to release information, hardship letter, financial statement, purchase and sales contract, settlement statement (HUD 1), pay stubs, bank statements and tax returns. Additional documents are needed on FHA loans. Remember the banks may ask for more docs so be prepared to do what it takes to support the business case for your investment property. 7. Do mortgage companies always send someone out to do an appraisal / brokers price opinion on a possible short sale? All lenders require a BPO (Brokers Price Opinion) or full appraisal of the possible Columbus investment property, before making their final decision to accept or reject the short sale offer. This is their only way of assessing the value of the property and making a good decision on the banks end. 8. How late in the pre-foreclosure process can you start a short sale? A lot of this will depend on the lender and how fast they are willing to move. I usually allow for a 30 day window for a lender to approve a short sale. If the property is going to auction within a week or two, deals can be done, but it will require some persistence to marshal it quickly through the process.
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Commonly asked foreclosure and Columbus Hud Home Questions - part 1

02-03-09
David Zehala

Over the last few months, I have been receiving a lot of questions at the real estate investing Association regarding how investors can purchase various types of Columbus investment property including Columbus foreclosure properties (also known as short sales), Columbus HUD Homes, REO, tax foreclosures and other types of real estate. In this first article, I would like to address some of the most commonly asked questions

1. What is a short sale?
Simply put, a short sale is getting the bank to accept less than what is owed on one of their mortgages as payment in full. In other words, they are agreeing to take a discount on the note. A negotiated short sale results in a discounted purchase price for the real estate investor. Here's a typical scenario: Sellers are 3+ months behind on payments. Seller owes a $100K and they are asking $100K. The property is difficult to sell through a Realtor because there isn't enough money to pay their commissions and other fees. Sellers have bad credit and can't refinance. They also have terrible underlying financing (ARM) ruling out most creative techniques. In this scenario, both the seller and lender are highly motivated to get out of this mess. If the lender agrees to take $75K as payment in full, that's a short sale. The real estate investor just created $25K in equity. Not a bad investment property. Similar concept for a HUD home sale.

2. Why on earth would a bank agree to let one of their properties go for pennies on the dollar?

REASON #1: Defaulted loans tie up cash reserves. Banks make the lion's share of their money when they originate and make loans. In order to make lots of loans they need available cash. When an existing loan goes into default the lenders are required to set aside cash reserves of 3-8x the amount of the principal balance until the loan is cured. This severely hamstrings their ability to make more loans and run their business. This also hammers their credit and significantly increases their cost of funds

REASON #2: Holding costs eat most banks alive. Most banks are not in the business to own single family homes as investment property as a result of getting the properties back at auction. Holding costs such as taxes, insurance, and the likelihood that the property might take several months to sell play a huge role in this decision. In our market, the banks are getting 80-90% of the properties back at auction. They are struggling to move this inventory and that is part of the reason why they will work with investors and take substantial discounts

REASON #3: They may be in an unfavorable lien position. If the lender is in a junior lien position and there is little to no equity in the property, in most cases, they will take anything they can get

In my next article, I will answer more questions regarding finding and owning Columbus investment property and dealing with common issues involving Columbus Foreclosures and Hud Homes.

Dave Zehala is the Executive Director of the Columbus Real Estate Investors Association. Check out more Columbus investment property, property management, wholesaling, tax foreclosure, lease-option, rent to own, Columbus HUD homes, real estate investment, landlord, REO, foreclosed home, real estate listings, and foreclosure info on his websites.

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