How to Sabotage a Short Sale

July 24, 2009 By

Looking to waste months on a short sale in the Tampa Bay area? Are you seller who wants to drive the buyer away before bank approval? Or are you a buyer looking to wait months on end with a low probability of success? To increase the chances that a short sale falls apart, follow these 7 monumentally bad ideas below: 1. Make sure you have a listing agent who lacks experience with short sales. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying a Home, Selling A Home, Short Sales Tagged With: , ,

White House Prods Lenders to Move Faster

July 19, 2009 By

Frustrated with delays on mortgage modifications, refinancing and short sales? Think that banks are unresponsive? You are not alone.  Treasury Secretary (and noted tax dodger) Timothy F. Geithner is pressuring the country's largest banks to speed implementation of the federal foreclosure prevention program known as Making Home Affordable.   Many Tampa homeowners have applied for mortgage … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying a Home, Financing, Selling A Home, Short Sales Tagged With: , ,

Are Foreclosures & Short Sales a better buy? The Lexington Oaks Example.

July 17, 2009 By

People call me all the time saying "I want to buy a foreclosure". The calls tend to spike when Oprah talks about the issue. While there are many hidden costs to purchasing a short sale or a bank owned foreclosure, are they still a better deal? Leaving aside the uncertainties of short sales and the disrepair of foreclosures - can you really steal one of these homes? To find out, we will dissect … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying a Home, Short Sales, Tampa real estate Tagged With: , ,

Foreclosures in the Tampa Bay Metro Market

July 16, 2009 By

Florida has the 3rd highest foreclosure rate in the nation. The Tampa Bay area has had 33,906 foreclosure filings between January and July 2009. One in every 39 households is behind on mortgage payments according to RealtyTrac. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying a Home, Selling A Home, Short Sales Tagged With:

Accelerate the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit

July 11, 2009 By

If you have not owned a home in 3 years, then you might qualify for the first time home buyer tax credit. While the $8000 tax credit is great, many buyers do not want to wait until next April 15th to recoup the $8000. Our trusted CPA partners may have some solutions for obtaining the $8,000 quicker: after closing, you can amend your 2008 tax return and receive the money in a few weeks. In fact, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying a Home, Financing, Tampa real estate Tagged With:

Making Home Affordable Refinance Program Expanded

July 10, 2009 By
mha_logo_1

Have you though about re-financing your Fannie Mae loan to take advantage of today's low interest rates? Were you ineligible because your home had dropped too much in value to appraise? The Making Home Affordable Refinance program is designed for homeowners who are current on their mortgage, but who are not able to take advantage of today’s low rates because they are currently upside down on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Financing, Selling A Home, Short Sales Tagged With:

Is an "Approved Short Sale" easier to buy?

July 9, 2009 By

Question: Is an "Approved Short Sale" easier to buy? I'm looking at a home in Tampa that says approved short sale - can close fast...is this true? Answer: Not so much. Short Sales are approved on a case-by-case basis. A lender will approve or decline a short sale based upon a specific contract for a specific buyer. If you see a home marketed as an "Approved Short Sale", you need to know that this … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying a Home, Short Sales Tagged With:

Homepath – Special Financing on Government Foreclosures

July 8, 2009 By
homepath

Act now for special financing on Fannie Mae foreclosures in the Tampa metro market. Go to Homepath.com to see if a property is  owned by Fannie Mae and qualifies for HomePath Mortgage financing.  Enter a target zip code to search for available foreclosures. For example, here are the foreclosed homes, townhouses and condos in New Tampa (33647) that qualify: FannieMae New Tampa … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying a Home, Financing Tagged With: ,

Pitfalls of Buying a Short Sale

July 7, 2009 By

Wow - that is a great price! What is a "short sale"?  Short sales are a large part of the Tampa Bay real estate market. Locally, short sales comprise over one third of all sales, but they often result in massive frustration and canceled transactions.  While we have helped many people buy homes at fantastic prices via short sales, the process neither quick nor painless. Short sales are still … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying a Home, Short Sales Tagged With: ,

Tampa / Hillsborough County School Assignment Look-up

July 6, 2009 By

With new schools opening and school boundaries changing, what school will you child attend next year? Click the link below to find out which schools are assigned to your home address: http://apps.sdhc.k12.fl.us/locator/ The Hillsborough County School District (SDHC) in Tampa, Florida is the nation's 8th largest school district.  The SDHC's School Locator is also an invaluable tool for those … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Tampa Schools Tagged With:
« Older Posts