Kay Baker

What is a Short Sale

A short sale is when the bank is willing to accept less than the actual payoff on the loan. Why would a mortgage company do that? A foreclosure is a lose, lose situation for the mortgage company as they lose revenue, the mortgage insurance company loses premiums and pays a claim, the investor is not collecting principal or interest, there is potential damage to the property and lower property values have a negative effect on the real estate market. But, the homeowner has the most to lose with foreclosure on your credit record for up to 7 years which can be viewed negatively by lenders, employers, and insurance companies.

Short Sale is a Win Win

Therefore, a short sale can actually be a win, win for everyone. The mortgage company reduces their losses, the mortgage insurer minimizes claim payment, and additional damage to the property is avoided during a foreclosure. The real estate market does not experience as much negative stigma, therefore property values do not go lower. And, the homeowner can successfully sell their home and not have a foreclosure on record.

How is all this accomplished?

First of all, any homeowner who is experiencing difficulty in making the monthly payments should call a reputable Realtor experienced in negotiating short sales. There is an art to it, to say the least. The Realtor will discuss the current market value and the amount necessary to payoff your mortgage. The most important action should be to actively list the home on the market for sale. If the homeowner owes more than the current market value, the experienced Realtor will contact the lender's loss mitigation department and assist the homeowner will all the documentation necessary to facilitate a short sale. One of the most important documents being the hardship letter, which can make or break the deal. Other documents would include 2 years tax returns, 2 months pay stubs, 2 months bank statements, and the most current mortgage statement.

One very important factor that most lenders do not tell you, is that the homeowner is liable for any deficiency in the short sale. But, a Realtor experienced in negotiating short sales can often times negotiate with the lender for the deficiency judgment and 1099 to be waived, reduced or ask for an interest free promissory note.

Lastly, to all homeowners it is never too late or too early. The most important asset you have is your home. Please give us a call to get your home on the market for sale and avoid foreclosure. And, you may know of someone in that situation, tell them to contact us immediately at kay@cbbaker.com.

For investors, a short sale can be a wonderful buying opportunity. We can provide you with a list of short sales and or foreclosures in Wilmington, NC. Just email me a kay@cbbaker.com.

Kay Baker, a life long Top Realtor in Wilmington, NC brings local knowledge and experience to her valued clients. With her decades of experience in the Wilmington, NC real estate market, she can greatly benefit her buyer clients in choosing the perfect Wilmington NC neighborhood, in the negotiation process, obtain the best financing, obtain a home inspection and negotiate the repairs, and assist with the final closing preparations. Her sellers can also reap the rewards of a successful and aggressive Realtor that is always eager to sell their home at a record pace and for the most money possible. Kay has a long track record of selling homes quickly and exposes her listings on over 100 websites.

Kay has earned numerous awards for her outstanding production over the years including the prestigious Coldwell Banker President's Elite Club.

Kay Baker may be contacted at kay@cbbaker.com or www.cbbaker.com.

Realtors are asking for a buydown on the rate to 4.5%

With a new President on January 20, 2009, just exactly what does this mean to the housing market. No one knows for sure exactly what this will mean, but, we are hearing pleas from Realtors nationwide. The National Association of Realtors and Realogy Corporation, a global provider for real estate and relocation, have both submitted a proposal to Congress for a federal buy down of the interest rates to 4.5%. "There are millions of credit-worthy people ready to jump back into the housing market, but they need to be motivated," said Realogy President and CEO Richard A. Smith. "In our view, the incentive of substantially lower mortgage rates would directly stimulate the housing market -- both in sales volume and price -- and thus accelerate the overall U.S. economic recovery." They are proposing that the buy down could be funded from the $700 Billion federal plan to put liquidity back into the markets. The buy down proposed would apply to the purchase of all homes under $1 Million Dollars. The NAR is also asking for a temporary $7500 tax credit for all buyers. There is also a request to make permanent the FHA limits to $729,750.

Realogy Corporation conducted a survey amongst their 2300 independently owned and operated real estate companies such as Century 21 and Coldwell Banker and the brokers unanimously stated that they predicted an increase in home sales if the interest rates were in the 4.5% range. Rest of the story...

Selling your home

Selling your home could be one of the most important decisions you will make in your lifetime. And if you are like most sellers, your ultimate goal is to tell your home for the most money in the shortest possible amount of time.

If your home has been on the market and you have not received any offers you're probably facing the question of what to do. If your house stays on the market too long without selling it can begin to appear "stale" and can actually damage your future chances of a sale.
How long is too long? If your home has been on the market for as much as 45 days and you have not received an offer, you need to pay special attention to these tips from a longtime professional Realtor. Rest of the story....

"The answer, my friend, is blowin in the wind. The answer is blowin in the wind" Bob Dylan. Where is the answer? While the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department think they have the answer. Congress thinks they have the answer and Wall Street has a bailout, now the Auto Industry is looking for help. With so many plans and paths the consumer is confused and has no confidence in our economic system right now. So they sit and wait and hold on to what they have. What is the answer for the consumer?

We continue to be down in sold units but our bright spot is our rolling 12 month average sales price which is now just behind 2007 by $12,674, this represents a minus 4.7%. In units we are showing a 26.7% decline. Most agents will agree that it is a buyer's market when the listing inventory exceeds 6 months; we are there at 16.4 month supply of homes. We have a few plus factors - Our listing inventory has about peaked out as anticipated and the average list price has remained stable - the last 5 months it has remained in the $420,000's and November it is just under target at $418,684. The amount of sellers paying concessions is 21.3%, we want this number going down and it went down from last month. Our average days on the market are 116 days which is typical for a buyer's market it went up by 2 days over last month. Then I look at the factors that are slowing us down. The list to sold ratio is 94.7% we want this number to be going up, and it went down .06% from last month. Our sold units over last year same month is down by 24.9%. One area I continue to look at is the Pending Inventory, and based on the current numbers we will see decreases as we approach the winter. Our pending inventory numbers have gone from the high 900's the first week of July into the mid 840's the first part of August and into the mid 760's the first week of September and into the high 690's the first week of October and we are now approaching the low 600's here in mid November. I would like to tell you that we are reaching bottom, some interesting facts; Average list price had been in the $420,000's for the last 5 months, sellers paying concessions has stayed the same range for 3 months and the rolling 12 month average sales price is only down 4.7%.More stats...

As a long time local Realtor, I have seen many closings get postponed or never closed due to the fault of a lender or an attorney. Many times a purchaser will get to the day of closing and the lender will then start asking for additional documentation. These documents should have been requested 2 to 3 weeks prior to closing. I have often put these buyers in touch with a reputable lender that could get the loan documented and closed in a matter of days. Remember, a good buyer's agent will put you in contact with lenders that can usually get the job done quickly.More.....