Life’s Little Reminders

By Tom Branch, on September 2nd, 2010

Double Rainbow Over Plano Texas

I had planned on releasing another blog in my Short Sales 101 series, but I snapped this photo this evening and it reminded me of something. 

So far it’s been one of those weeks-nothing has gone right. 

On Monday, we drove 37 miles to look at a listing that will be coming on the market only to arrive on location and discover the tenants had the doors bolted from the inside and had gone out through the garage.  Since all I had was a front door key I could not access the property. I’ll run out there again tomorrow and see if I can finish up the on-site work and get it listed.

Today, I took the SMART car in to Dallas to have the wrap installed. When I arrived, the installation manager remarked that it was the second SMART car in for a RE/MAX installation and mine was not on the schedule.  When I walked in the shop, I found my wrap being installed on someone else’s car. The poor guy working the installation was quit irritated as he removed the wrap from the car.  They were happy I got there a little early before they finished the job! Now I’ll have to wait another week before they’ll have the skins ready to be installed again.

This evening, we ran out to Irving to do a listing at 5:30 PM.  While we were there the sky opened up and we had quite a storm.  We need the rain, but the timing was bad, leaving us damp in both body and mind.

We were exhausted, both mentally and physically, as we drove from Irving to Plano.  We decided to stop and have dinner along the way at II Brothers, a neat local pub and restaurant.  As we pulled in the parking lot, the sun poked through the clouds and a double rainbow formed to the east.

The sight of it lifted my spirits and reminded me to take each day as a gift because we never know if there will be another.  I learned that lesson the hard way as I watched my spouse, best friend, and business partner survive cancer a few years ago. 

However, the daily grind can dull the senses until something comes along to remind you of the lesson.  This evening’s double rainbow was my reminder.

I’ll get back to Short Sales 101 tomorrow…

Comments are closed   Business, Plano TX

Short Sales – Distressed Homeowners Deserve Help

By Tom Branch, on September 1st, 2010

Short Sales - Distressed Homeowners Need HelpDoug and Lorena Foster’s blog titled, “When The Wolf is Running The Hen House” struck a nerve with me.

“They are over and done with…” Despite their thoughts, Short Sales are going to be around at least through the end of 2012 when The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act expires.  If you need some background on the subject read my blog titled, “Short Sales 101 – Introduction.”

“Is this our new job? We don’t think so!”  Short Sale listing agents are doing two and three times the work per closing but the end result is so satisfying.  When I first meet with distressed homeowners and they realize there is a light at the end of the tunnel, it’s like the weight of the world is lifted off their shoulders.  If this is my role for the next few years, I can live with it.

“Ultimately 9 out of 10 fail.”  Trained and experienced Short Sale agents close 9 out of 10.  The bigger problem is so many agents don’t have a clue how to list and close Short Sales and should not be attempting to provide services they are clearly not qualified to provide.  Not on do they do a great disservice to their clients but they harm the profession and violate the Code of Ethics (for REALTORS®).  

We’ve closed Short Sales in as little as 64 days from listing to funding.  Do they all go that smooth? No, they do not.  There are so many variables that can impact the timeline. 

We’ve had buyers tie up a home in a contract while they looked for another property. We had a buyer enter into a contract and fail to disclose they had a home to sell.  They were betting on months to get the short sale approved.  I’ll bet both the agent and the buyers were choking when we had the sale approved in 22 days!  Both terminated their contracts after we gave them notice the sale had been approved and left us to start the process again. 

I’ve sold some properties four times to find a buyer who could close.  I’m to the point that I interview every selling agent who brings me a contract. Do they understand the process?  Have they prepared their clients for it as well?

We encourage homeowners across the United States to get educated on the options available should they become financially distressed. Short Sales are a great tool, providing relief to all parties.

Just remember to choose a REALTOR® with a proven Short Sale track record to negotiate on your behalf. Making the right choice can mean the world of difference to your financial future.

Comments are closed   Real Estate, Short Sales

Short Sales 101 – Introduction

By Tom Branch, on August 31st, 2010

Regardless of the reasons used to explain the current mortgage crisis in the United States, the grim reality is that more homeowners are in financial distress than at any other time in the history of residential real estate, according to the Distressed Property Institute. 

Hence, real estate Short Sales.  If you’re not yet familiar with them, you soon will be.  They are reshaping the way lenders liquidate homes in default.  Historically, these homes would simply be foreclosed upon.  Today, the Short Sale offers a favorable alternative.

Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary defines a Short Sale as, “a sale of a house in which the proceeds fall short of what the owner still owes on the mortgage.”  The lender decides that selling the house at a moderate loss results in less loss and expense for the bank than a foreclosure.  Both the lender and the borrower (homeowner) must consent to the Short Sale process.

You may think Short Sales were created in response to the housing market meltdown in 2007, but they have been around for years.  They have not been widely used in the past for two reasons:

– Until just recently, the lender could seek a deficiency judgment against the borrower for the amount of the loss.   Laws vary from State to State, but the lender was able to garnish wages, engage a collection agency to collect the debt, or seek other legal relief.

– The lender can elect to forgive all or a portion of the mortgage balance.  However, until 2007, the amount forgiven became taxable income.  The lender simply issued an IRS Form 1099 to the borrower.  The tax implications were dramatic.  If the lender forgave $100,000 and issued an IRS Form 1099 to the borrower for the same amount, the borrower potentially wound up owing the IRS tens of thousands of dollars depending on their tax rate.

The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act was a major piece of legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush.  The Act offered relief to homeowners, who, after a Short Sale, owed taxes on the forgiven mortgage debt.  This relief is great news!  Most homeowners no longer have to pay taxes on that forgiven debt.  The Act applied to debts forgiven between 2007 and 2009, but was extended through 2012 by the Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.

The Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA) Program that went into effect April 5, 2010 is a huge step forward in improving the Short Sale process.  It requires borrowers to be fully released from future liability for their first mortgage debt, and, if a second lender receives an incentive under HAFA, that debt as well.  Lenders cannot ask for cash contributions or promissory notes from borrowers, and deficiency judgments are not allowed.  It also places timelines on the lenders to approve or deny Short Sale packages.

Why are these three pieces of legislation important?  They changed the Short Sale from a tool that was not widely used in the past to one we feel offers the best solution to distressed homeowners, lenders, purchasers, the neighborhoods where these homes are located, and the housing market in general.

With the economic downturn that began in 2008, many homeowners lost their jobs.  Others are going through a divorce or have had a spouse pass away.  Losing that income makes it very difficult, if not impossible, to keep up with mortgage payments. 

Most of the individuals or families we consult with would rather lose anything but their home.  They often stop paying credit card bills or even car notes in an effort to keep their home.  Eventually though, they just can’t keep up with the mortgage.  That’s where we can help with a Short Sale.  Sadly, 80% of Americans facing foreclosure have never picked up the phone and talked with their lender or a real estate professional.

Watch for Part 2 in the series where we will begin to explore The Anatomy of a Short Sale

Excerpt from The Field Guide to Short Sales. Copyright © 2010 by Tom & Gina Branch.

Comments are closed   Real Estate, Short Sales

Another Federal Tax Credit for Homebuyers?

By Tom Branch, on August 30th, 2010

Federal Tax Credit - Round 3

Well, just when I thought it was not possible, Shaun Donovan, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, said that the housing market’s July woes were “worse than expected” and that the administration may support a new homebuyer tax credit.

In an interview on CNN, Donovan said the administration is “concerned” about the direction the housing market has taken. He defended the Obama administration’s record on supporting the housing market, despite new signs that the market is still in a downward spiral. Donovan did not rule out a further homebuyer tax credit to support the market. Congress passed a homebuyer tax credit to support first-time buyers. The credit has now expired.

While the statistics show that the housing market was recovering late last year and into early spring, once the current tax credits expired in April, the market went back to its downward trend. I based that on the data put out by the National Association of REALTORS® (see below) showing a marked decrease in sales and a corresponding increase in home on the market. 

What I find interesting about the data is that the November 2009 tax credit had a greater impact than the April 2010 tax credit.  I suspect if the government does a third round of credits that the impact will be less than the earlier two credits.  I’m also waiting to see August’s data as one month does not make a trend.

While the Federal Tax Credits may have stalled the free-fall of the housing market, I’m not convinced that they brought that many new buyers into the market or that the sales of entry-level homes resulted in an increase in sales of move-up homes as many of the buyers cashing in on the tax credit purchased foreclosures and short sales. 

Further, many people who would like to purchase a home cannot do so because of the extremely tightened mortgage underwriting guidelines so until we loosen those standards just a little I don’t expect to see a rash of new homebuyers coming into the market.

It will be interesting to see which position the administration and NAR takes on this issue.

Comments are closed   Real Estate

Side Job?

By Tom Branch, on August 27th, 2010

Have you ever wondered if the agent on the other end is a part timer?  While clearly a RE/MAX promotional, I had to laugh at the story line.

 

 

Note this is not designed to start a debate on part-time versus full-time agents. It’s humor!

Source:  RE/MAX YouTube Page

 

Comments are closed   Humor

Housing Recovery on Hold?

By Tom Branch, on August 27th, 2010

Housing Recovery on Hold

Today was not a great day for news on the economy and its impact on the housing recovery.  

The Commerce Department downgraded the economic growth rate to an anemic 1.6 percent, down from an initial estimate of 2.4 percent last month, confirming the economy has lost significant momentum in recent months.  This is a sign that doesn’t bode well for employment and raises fears that the nation’s jobless rate could climb higher.

I maintain that housing will not lead the way out of this crisis.  Putting people back to work is critical to the recovery. Higher unemployment rates will lead to a greater number of defaults and foreclosures adding to the downward spiral in housing values and upward spiral in available inventory. 

2011 is also the year where the largest number of Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARM) will adjust. Now, the good news is that interest rates are low so the adjustments may not have a huge impact.  The downside is many of these homeowners cannot refinance given the changes in lending guidelines and declining property values.

Why is this a factor?  Most ARMs adjust annually after the initial period so the bubble will slide into 2012 and later years. Many people would like to have the bubble behind us but until we can refinance some of these homeowners or the banks do something to stabilze their portfolios, the bubble will be with us. Eventually interest rates will climb and those ARMs may start defaulting.

We have to get people back to work if we want to stabilize the economy and our housing market.

Comments are closed   Real Estate

Sneak Preview – The Branch Team SMART Car

By Tom Branch, on August 26th, 2010

Well, after a month of working with the graphics designers at SkinzWraps, we finalized a wrap for our SMART car.  We went through a number of designs trying to find something that worked for us.  We got some of the usual “real estate” agent designs but nothing that jumped out.

We have a custom RE/MAX License plate (SLDFST) issue by TXDOT, so the idea of putting a race car on the side of the car was discussed.  The SMART car lacks the real estate (pardon the pun) so we finally decided to make the SMART car look like a RE/MAX sponsored race car. SkinzWraps has experience wrapping race cars and they even added the “netting” to the side windows for a more authentic look!

Part of any NASCAR vehicle includes loads of sponsors.  If it works for NASCAR, it might work for us!  Many of our ancillary services vendors were happy to advertise with us.

The design was approved today and they will start production of the “skins” early next week.

 

Comments are closed   Real Estate
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