Register Real Estate Advisors

CALABASAS, Calif. (Bank of America) – Bank of America Corp. announced a $3 billion plan Wednesday that will forgive up to 30 percent of an estimated 45,000 troubled borrowers’ mortgage balances.
The plan is incorporated into the lender’s National Homeownership Retention Program (NHRP).
The new components of the agreement apply to certain NHRP-eligible loans that also meet the basic qualifications for the government’s Home Affordable Modification Program. They include:
• A first look at principal reductions in calculating an affordable payment through an earned principal forgiveness approach to severely underwater loans.
• Principal forgiveness through a reduction of negative-amortization on certain pay-option ARMs.
• Conversion of certain pay-option ARMs to fully amortizing loans prior to a recast.
• Addition of certain prime two-year hybrid ARMs as eligible for the NHRP mortgage modification programs.
• Inclusion of Countrywide mortgages originated on or before Jan. 1, 2009, as eligible for modifications under the terms of the NHRP.
• A six-month extension of the term of the NHRP program to Dec. 31, 2012.
Bank of America developed and launched the NHRP in 2008 to provide assistance to Countrywide borrowers who financed their home with certain subprime and pay-option adjustable rate mortgages.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Washington Post) – The federal government has placed new requirements on lenders to reduce troubled borrowers’ mortgage payments to no more than 31 percent of their income for up to six months.
Several changes have also been made to the Home Affordable Modification Program. Borrowers in bankruptcy will now be eligible for mortgage relief under the federal program. Lenders will evaluate delinquent homeowners for the program before referring them to foreclosure.
The program will lower monthly payments by reducing mortgage rates to as low as 2 percent for five years and extending loan terms up to 40 years.
To complete the program, homeowners will go through a three-month trial period and provide proof of their income, as well as a letter documenting their financial hardship.

I have received a lot of phone calls lately about listing short sales.  I am currently getting my distressed property certification and short sale certifications because I am seeing such a need for them in this market.  I have taken short sale listings and continue to do so, but they are not easy.  Buyers need to understand short sales are time consuming and Sellers need to understand that the road is not without bumps at this time.  However, new legislation coming soon is going to streamline the process and help lenders to get through the process more quickly which will make buyers, sellers, Realtors, and banks happy!

As lenders adopt new federal guidelines for short sells, they will become less frustrating for everyone involved.  The short sale process will be standardized to some degree in 2009.  Lenders have the option to begin implimenting the new guidelines now, but they do not take effect until April of 2009.  These new short sale guidelines are part of the government’s new Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternative Program, known as HAFA.  This is part of President Obama’s Home Affordable Modification Program.  These new HAFA guidelines are voluntary, but major banks like Bank of America and Wells Fargo are going to participate.  This will hopefully clear up some of the confusion between lenders, sellers, and Realtors about short sales and create somewhat of a roadmap for the three to work together to get the property sold. 

Because of HAFA, lenders will finally have a financial incentive to get these deals completed in a timely manner, which has been a huge problem until now.  The guidelines will provide standardized forms so there’s no confusion between the real estate industry about what the bank is expecting in the form of paper work.  It will include standardized time lines for getting an answer back to the buyer and seller, standardized procedures, and more.  Won’t it be great to have preapproved short sale terms prior to the property  being listed?  My sellers and buyers are joyful about that!!   

As with any new guidelines, they will take months to work out the details.  But this new process for short sales is the beginning to making short sales more successful for buyers and sellers.