How to Speed Up the Loan Modification Process ?
Foreclosure is always a race against time. Although a home loan modification can slow the process, you have fewer options the longer you wait. Not all lenders have the staff or experience to handle mortgage loan modifications. Even with a capable attorney, the process can drag on for months.
But you don’t have to sit and wait. There are some things you can do to speed up the process. Once your home loan modification is under way, these steps can help you get more positive results.
1. Put everything on paper. It’s not uncommon for lenders, especially smaller ones, to lose track of your application. To prevent delays, make sure all your efforts are documented and kept on file. This includes all the calls you make and receive, both from your lender and loan modification attorney. Keep receipts of all your transactions, and make copies so you don’t have to let go of the originals.
2. Do your own financial statements. Part of every home loan modification is a financial worksheet, which will be your main basis for qualification. Most lenders have their own forms, but it won’t hurt to make your own as well. If your lender insists on using their worksheet, at least you’ll have all the information ready.
3. Be as detailed as possible. Too much information is better than too little, and it limits the chances that they’ll call you for more information. A typical worksheet for a mortgage loan modification will include the following:
-Your contact information (address, home phone and work phone, fax and email)
-Information about your property, including the estimated value
-Your current income
-Any additional income, such as welfare, child support, etc.
-Your estimated total value, including other assets such as real estate, investments, savings and checking accounts, IRAs, 401(k), stocks and bonds
-Liabilities, such as existing loans, monthly bills, medical expenses, and tax liens
4. Keep all your bills. The financial worksheet will require you to dig up old bills and hold on to the ones that keep coming. This will help you keep the information as accurate as possible. You may also need to present these bills (or copies of them) along with your hardship letter, which explains why you need a mortgage loan modification. Even if they don’t ask for it, it’s best to include them anyway. That way, there’s no reason for your lender to doubt your statement. The more proof you have, the better your chances of getting that home loan modification.
Be sure to submit as much truthful and verifiable information to your loan modification attorney so they are able to compile the best case to submit you your lender.
By: Loan Modification Attorney
Benefits of Cashout Refinance
No matter how good our intentions are, with the “Gotta Have It!” society we live in, even the most diligent of us sometimes over-do on debt, especially on credit cards or other non- appreciable debt in the form of installment loans. One popular and beneficial way to wipe the slate clean, or at least get a handle on high debt, is through a “Cash-out Refinance”.
If you have Equity in your house (that is if the appraised value is larger than the amount currently owed on your Mortgage Loan), you can access that money and put it to work for you. Instead of continuing to pay on those high interest credit cards and never seeming to make a dent in the balance, the cash out can help you “start fresh”, and, depending on your area, your home appreciation could grow faster than your cash out!
Some of the benefits of replacing credit card and revolving debt with mortgage debt are:
· Paying off high interest loans (credit cards) with a much lower interest loan, showing less outstanding loans on your credit and a less number of payments at bill time.
· Lowering your monthly net out-go, freeing up cash for everyday expenses or to ad more to the Principle portion of your Mortgage loan. I’ve had examples of homeowners restructuring their current home loans to pay off debt, saving $500 or more per month, which was applied back to Principle, carving 5 or more years off the length of the home loan…which leads to the next benefit…
· Term Reduction with a totally new loan, you have the opportunity of re-structuring with a shorter term directly OR indirectly, as shown above, by taking monthly savings of money not now needed on credit cards and applying the money to your loan, shortening your term.
· Payment Deferral when refinancing, you usually end up skipping a payment, sometimes two, in the lender switch. That can add up to a substantial amount that could be reapplied to your home loan or more pressing necessities.
· Raising Credit Scores, Mortgage loans are looked at more favorably than credit cards, especially when your balances on those credit cards exceed 35-50% of the maximum balance allowed. By paying off these loans, credit scores go up naturally when the companies report their information (usually in 3 month intervals).
· Increasing Tax Advantages. Currently you receive no tax benefit for that payment you’re paying on those credit cards; but when that same debt is transferred to a mortgage loan, you receive a tax advantage on interest paid on that loan. For example, let’s say you’re in a 30 % tax bracket. For every $10,000 spent on interest on your home loan in that year, you could receive a $3000 deduction!
These are only few of the benefits to refinancing for debt consolidation.
There are some precautions, though, that MUST be recognized or you’ll find yourself even deeper in debt. When strategies of this nature are utilized to “pull out of debt”, one must go into such a strategy with just that mindset. If a cash out refinance is handled to clear off credit cards, only to max those cards again, the process can catch up to you. Most lenders view credit reports for just such patterns before approving a loan. Discipline is key. Be careful to follow through on your long-term plan to control your debt so it doesn’t control you, and your decision to refinance with cash out can be a smart move.
Two Interesting notes:
· If you pay only the minimum payment stated on your revolving credit card, in the average case, it can take up to 30 years or more to pay off the balance of $5000. Most mortgages are refinanced every 5 years or less on average, due to increased home value, or moving.
· When lowering your monthly out-go, it’s interesting to see what % of an increase that affords you with your current income. As little as $400 savings per month that you get to keep can mean a substantial “raise” you can give yourself…and you pay no more taxes on it!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tamara Schmitt is currently a Loan Officer with 1st United Mortgage. Tamara is also an Business Partner of Get Loans Cheap, an internet business geared solely to educate and aid the consumer in assessing and obtaining the right loan for their specific needs. View the site for more articles on mortgages and refinancing, or other home loan needs.
By: Get Loans Cheap
Cash May Be Available Through Refinance Loan
For homeowners who have been in their homes for a while, one of the easiest and possibly cheapest ways of getting money out of their house is to refinance their home loan. Depending on the interest rate being offered on home loans, they may also be able to save money on the cost of their loan as well as on the loan’s monthly payments.
Many homeowners bought their houses during the boom a few years back when interest rates were lower by agreeing to a fixed rate mortgage for a set number of years. With the loan converting to a variable rate hinging on the prime rate and in recent years when the prime rate went skyward they find themselves struggling to keep up with the payments. In many cases, they have not been able to make the payments and for different reasons have not been able to refinance the mortgage, ending up with the home loan being foreclosed.
Those who are able to refinance, have also been able to realize extra cash by taking the money earned as equity on their home as part of the loan process. Equity in a home is the difference in the appraised value of the property and balance due on the mortgage and in most cases, after about five years it will be a positive number. Those who are able to refinance their home loans are usually able to receive a loan of about 80 percent of the appraised value, using it to pay off the original loan and have cash left over for other uses. Stellar credit reports can sometimes realize a loan of 100 percent of the value.
Unfortunately, not all houses increase in value and houses that may have fallen into disrepair or been heavily damaged by disaster, may not be appraised at an amount equal to the loan balance. This is considered negative equity and obtaining a refinance loan is usually not possible. For a few, their only option is to either attempt to sell the house for less than they owe, or allow it to go into foreclosure and lose everything they have paid to date.
Home refinance plans are available to those with a clean credit history and in addition to the money available through the equity of the home; they can generally see additional savings through a lower interest rate. It is almost always better to obtain a new loan through the company holding the original mortgage as often the loan can go through quicker and the payment history has already been established. By lopping a percent or two off the interest rate, converting to a fixed rate mortgage, the loan payments will also drop saving money on a monthly basis. Be sure to fully understand the terms of your loan and payment information. If you feel you are not getting the best deal, be sure to shop around for better rates. You may find that you can get exactly what you want by comparison shopping.
By: James Copper