However, a new option is now possible.

The much maligned Fannie Mae is now allowing some people who avoided Foreclosure through either a Short Sale or a Deed in lieu of Foreclosure to get a regular Conventional Mortgage again.

The good news is that Fannie Mae will buy those loans from Banks that make them. It does not mean that all Banks will offer them.

Banks that do offer these loans will typically apply tougher standards than normal to offset what they might consider an increased risk.

To qualify you must have had good credit before and since the Short Sale / Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure.

If you can meet this requirement here are the times after which you will have a good chance to buy your own home again (at vastly lower prices and interest rates than you had before).

TWO (2) Years up to Maximum 80% Loan to Value | 20% Down Payment

FOUR (4) Years up to Maximum 90% Loan to Value | 10% Down Payment – Subject to Private Mortgage Insurance underwriting guidelines.

SEVEN (7) Years above 90% Loan to Value | with less than 10% Down Payment – Subject to Private Mortgage Insurance underwriting guidelines.

John Doe, his wife, and 4 children live in a small city North of San Francisco and had rented till around 2006 when they bought a nice house with more space than they had ever had. All was well till John lost his job in 2009, and 10 months later lost his house to Foreclosure.

He now lives in that same house as a Renter paying $1,800/month rent versus the $2,500/month and mortgage he previously paid as its owner.

This is the result of new type of Real Estate Investor buying multiple Bay Area foreclosed homes to be rented both for short term profit, and long term Capital Gains.

In this case the Investor is McKinley Capital Partners who have joined with a New York hedge fund who have so far bought about 300 homes and plan to add up to 500 more.

Some very basic research has shown me that this process is replicated in many other markets where the values have stabilized and an upward trend is very likely in the near future.

If you want a reasonably accurate valuation of your property there will be 50 local real Estate Agents willing to provide a “free” Comparative Market Analysis (CMA)in the hope that if you are selling you will consider hiring them.

If you need a detailed estimate you can pay a profesional Appraiser between $200-$300 for it. In both cases you will get a valuation based on local knowledge of the house, it’s condition, and the circumstances of the comparable sales i.e. Short Sale, Foreclosure, Probate etc.
Now consider whether a computer program having non of this highly relevant data might be able to provide a more accurate result.
I’m a great believer in the old saying that we get what we pay for. Zillow is a perfect example of that.

If selling your house through a REALTOR you will probably have been told never to get into conversation with buyers or Agents viewing your home, and refer ALL questions to your Realtor.  

If you are typical you will ignore this advice the 1st time someone asks a simple question such as “where are you moving to”. Where’s the harm in telling this friendly guy you just got notice that your 5 year adjustable mortgage is going up to 6.75%,  and since you got laid off 9 months ago and your unemployment benefits are coming to an end  you won’t be able to pay that for much longer. In other words you’re pretty desperate and it’s only going to get worse.

Is it likely that this friendly fellow is going to feel sorry for you and offer you his top price? Or is it more likely he smells blood in the water and is going to give you a low ball take it or leave it bid? 

And just what benefit did you get from the conversation that made it worth ignoring the good advice you Realtor had given you?

Neither a potential buyer or buyers agent can tell you anything your advantage, but by talking to them you can give a considerable amount of useful information away.

AND:

Allways remember that Social Media web sites are not designed to keep your conversations and opinions private. Quite the opposite.

Beginning Jan 2010 Silicon Valley Counties (North Santa Clara and Southern Alameda) sales prices have stabilized and some areas are now seeing small increases.

Apart from this being a normal process indicating the last stages of any financial cycle, it has been significantly driven by 5 major sources:

1. 1^st Time Buyer Tax Credits which ended mid 2010.
2. Extension of FHA and V/A maximum loan limits for High Priced Zip codes.
3. Historically low interest rates.
4. Huge increases in the number of 1^st Time Buyer programs from Federal, State, County, City, and Employment specific sources. These continue to increase and improve.
5. Major reductions in Bank Owned (REO), and Short Sale properties coming to market as Banks have beefed up programs designed to keep people in their homes where possible. This has allowed more normal conditions to have control of sales prices.

NOTE: I’m only describing my local Market here in Silicon Valley. I know conditions in other areas have been, and continue to be hit worse than us.  

                                                             ____________ — _______________

Hello James,

        You are obviously doing a lot of homework yourself, as I would prior to deciding on alternate strategies for a medical problem. However, in both cases accurate information is required in order to make the optimal decision.

I believe you have reached the point of needing accurate current data, placed in its correct context, in order to decide how to proceed.

For example, let’s look at the scenario you described in your question.

Purchase price – $360,000

Loan $288,000 – o.k.

20% down – o.k. but maybe not the best choice, as you are already aware.

6.00% interest – Wrong. Worst case is 5%. (A $200 per month difference in payment)

Property Taxes about $300 per month – Wrong. On $375,000 will be $390:63 per month. A $90:63 difference.

Hazard Insurance $100/m – Wrong. $60 per month is a good estimate. A $40 per month difference.

Just these few differences would allow you to buy up to $400,000 for the same monthly cost. This takes you into the Piedmont High School district with its much superior education system.

You’ve taken the time to build your knowledge and vocabulary well. Now you need real facts and numbers in order to become an educated buyer in a market place where getting it wrong can be very expensive.

I’m not going to base important decisions about my health on “free” research and advice from the Web. I want the alternatives to be explained by a professional, and specifically as they apply to me, not some mythical Mr. Average.

I suggest you take a similar approach and hire a Realtor who will explain the options available to you, and help you understand the pro’s and con’s of each one.

Sorry if this seems “preachy” but I feel very strongly about the mass of incorrect and misleading advice and information being spread throughout Radio, T/V, “News”papers, Magazines, and the Internet. These sources are not interested in supplying information relevant to you and your situation. Their sole motivation is to sell advertising.

Why not hire your own professional who can advise and inform you based on your unique circumstances, at this specific time, and with regard to your medium and loan term plans.

But is it good news or bad news for you as a consumer?

Their are multiple small changes but the two I see as the most significant are:

1. Multiple late payments will now carry a heavier penalty than in the past. These are the 30, 60, 90 day lates that show up under “Derogatory” accounts.

2. The penalties for using too much of any credit are increased. If you have any type of credit with a maximum amount available your score will be lowered if you owe  more than 30% of the total maximum allowed. This can be your VISA or Sears card, or a Home Equity Line of Credit. NOTE.

 This applies even if it is a company credit card in your name.

The result of these changes can mean your credit score can be lowered even if you never had a late payment in your life. Too much credit availability is a no-no. This will apply most frequently when applying for a mortgage, when the bank will assume your total debt to be the maximum amount of money you can get at with just your signature.

California is a virtually bankrupt State with the 3^rd worst educational system in the Country.

To be allocating $200 million to such a program, while simultaneously imposing huge cuts on education, seems to me the height of irresponsibility.

In practice this program will chiefly benefit people who would be buying anyway, and steer them toward new construction. I don’t see this as anything Realtors should be cheering about.

Banks and Builders however are welcoming it with huge sighs of relief.

Just my opinion.

Our dangerous levels of Public Debt are going to have to be dealt with and The Mortgage Interest Tax Deduction is an obvious and inevitable target.

Even as I type this I can hear the screams of “No Way” they’d never dare touch it.

Having lived through the British “phase out” of mortgage tax relief, and observed it’s results, I am convinced that this unfair tax break will soon join the Dodo, and our society will be the better for it’s going; Indeed, the process has already started, as limits on the total dollar amounts, and number of properties eligible have already been implemented over the past few years. Not all at one go, but little by little, so that in a few years it will, just like the smile on the face of the “Cheshire Cat,”  have totally faded away.

What we currently tell our taxpayers is that if they agree to take on one particular type of debt ( a mortgage) we will lower their taxes. If not we will have to increase their income taxes to make up for what we are losing to their more affluent fellow citizens i.e. Mortgage holders.

Is it good to have a high level of home ownership YES. Should it be done by this type of Social Engineering (Socialism) NO.

Could it be posible that one or more of our currently troubled States might be the 1st to take this path?? Perhaps the one that put in that other masterpiece of tax malpractice, Prop 13.

1. Buyer Only Brokers.

2. Buyer Rebate (Kick Back) Brokers.

3. Virtual Office Brokers. No physical location.

4. Reduced Commision Brokers.

5. Fixed Price Brokers.

6. Transaction Facilitation Brokers.

Etc, etc.etc ad infinitum.

All of these and many more are proof that we have a lot of competition in our business, and that the Consumer (Buyer or Seller) has lots of choices.

I won’t try to explain the pro’s and con’s of any of these options, but will strongly suggest that whichever of them you choose you  strongly consider working with a REALTOR.

My reason for this specific advice is as follows:

1. There are more than Half a Million Licensed Real Estate Agents in California. This is the minimum required qualification for the job.

2. Only 165,000 of them are REALTORS who have voluntarily agreed to subscribe to a strict Code of Ethics, and are paying members of their Local, State, and National Associations of Realtors.

Amongst many other services Realtors provide to the public is the web site Realtor.com. the most popular of all on-line Real Estate sites. Check out http://www.realtor.com/.