Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA) Program
If your mortgage payment is unaffordable and you are interested in transitioning to more affordable housing, you may be eligible for a short sale or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure through HAFA. The benefit of a HAFA short sale is that you are no longer responsible for the difference between what you owe on your mortgage and the amount that your home sells for. You will also receive $3,000 in relocation assistance upon successful closing of your short saleIn a short sale, the servicer allows you to list and sell the mortgaged property with the understanding that the net proceeds from the sale may be less than the total amount due on the first mortgage. or deed-in-lieu of foreclosureWith a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure, you voluntarily transfer ownership of your property to the servicer— provided the title is free and clear of mortgages, liens, and encumbrances. Generally, if you make a good faith effort to sell your property but are not successful, a servicer may consider a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure.
Eligibility*
You may be eligible to apply if you meet all of the following:
•You live in the home or have lived there in the last 12 months.
•You have a documented financial hardship.
•You have not purchased a new house within the last 12 months.
•Your first mortgage is less than $729,750.
•You obtained your mortgage on or before January 1, 2009.
•You must not have been convicted within the last 10 years of felony larceny, theft, fraud or forgery, money laundering or tax evasion, in connection with a mortgage or real estate transaction.
*Eligibility criteria are for guidance only. Contact your mortgage servicer to see if you qualify for HAFA.
Program Availability
HAFA is available for mortgages that are owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac or serviced by over 100 HAMP participating servicers. A list of HAMP participating servicers can be found here.
For More Information
If you have additional questions about getting mortgage help, contact one of our housing advisors at (888) 995-HOPE (4673). These HUD-approved housing counselors will help you understand your options, design a plan to suit your individual situation, and prepare your application. Research shows that homeowners who work with housing counselors like these are more successful and have better long-term outcomes. There is no cost to you for this valuable, around-the-clock service. Help is available in more than 160 languages.
The above information was pulled directly from http://www.makinghomeaffordable.gov/Pages/default.aspx
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If you are experiencing a hardship such as job loss or divorce, have a home that you owe more than it's worth or possibly facing foreclosure there is help for you. I have assisted many homeowners through the short sale process which has allowed them to get a fresh start. If you would like a free consultation about your options, please call or email me. You can also visit my short sale website at http://www.ShortSaleQandA.com . You are not alone in this process and I am here to help you every step of the way!
Cell: (707) 410-6634
melanie@solanomoves.com
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Making a good first impression
You need to attract more buyers if you want to sell your home, and one way is to take good pictures. During a buyers' market, sellers must try to come up with better marketing techniques because there will be many more homes than buyers in the market.
A seller must look for a way to make the home stand out from all the others that are available, and one way to do so is to let potential buyers view a home through pictures. The point is that if buyers do not call, then you will not sell your house. However, in order to get buyers to call, they have to be interested in your house. You have to show the best aspects of your house through your pictures. Some agents will post two or three pictures of the outside of the house, and leave it at that, without any further consideration. However, most buyers are now beginning their home searches online, and good photographs are a way to entice and attract them. Many home buyers will simply go on to the next listing if there is not at least one good picture of the exterior of the home.
Buyers are first attracted visually to a home, and then they will begin to look at everything else. A good photo will have no other distractions because you want the eye of the buyer to focus on the home. Therefore, some pictures will need to be doctored or fixed up with photo editing software. It's important to try to crop the sidewalks and the street from the picture. If you have a great front yard, you want to showcase that and not the street leading up to it. You have to remember that the main idea behind the picture is to show the home in the best manner possible.
Prior to you (or if hiring a Realtor to sell your home, they would be taking the pictures for you in most instances) make sure that you mow the lawn and trim the bushes to make them look attractive. If you have pets, your front yard should show no evidence that there are pets. You also must remove vehicles, bicycles, toys and anything else that will create clutter in the picture from the driveway, front yard, or any other part of the front of the home that is being shown. You must include up-close photos of special features of the house, and try to include some angled photos to give the buyer's eye a different perspective.
It's also a good idea to stay away from shaded areas of the house because they will not show well, unless you are an excellent photographer, and you really know how to make use of shaded and light areas to create interest and contrast. If not, then you should try to take your pictures when the front of your house has the best light so that it can be seen well.
Prior to photos being taken, you should also make sure that you clear away any and all shrubs, bushes, plants and any other vegetation that may block a view to the front door or the path to the front door. You want to show that the way is open to your house, rather than show an obstructed view, and make sure that you avoid shooting into the sun. If you show off your exterior well, it will very likely interest buyers into wanting to know what is inside.
When moving to the interior of your home, it's important to take pictures that highlight it's best features, but also to show the home so the buyer feels like they are moving through it as they look at the pictures. You should always take pictures of the kitchen, baths, living areas and bedrooms along with the backyard if it is an important selling feature. When taking pictures of bedrooms, take a picture from every corner to find the best view of the room to share with buyers. Depending on how natural light is coming into the room, you may need to open or close blinds for the best picture. Obviously, if a room or feature does not show well or may be a detriment to intriguing a buyer to call for a showing, those pictures are not necesarry to include in the marketing of your home.
Some good pictures might generate the calls and interest that you are looking for and possibly bring better value to your home. As a real estate professional, I feel it is very important to take as many pictures as I can of my listings to market them to their full potential. I take pictures of all of my listings for my clients and put them into a professional slide show that is posted everywhere I advertise/market the home. If you are thinking about selling your home and would like assistance or advice from a Realtor, feel free to call me anytime for a FREE consultation.
Make the WRIGHT choice today!
http://www.solanomoves.com/
(707) 410-6634
A seller must look for a way to make the home stand out from all the others that are available, and one way to do so is to let potential buyers view a home through pictures. The point is that if buyers do not call, then you will not sell your house. However, in order to get buyers to call, they have to be interested in your house. You have to show the best aspects of your house through your pictures. Some agents will post two or three pictures of the outside of the house, and leave it at that, without any further consideration. However, most buyers are now beginning their home searches online, and good photographs are a way to entice and attract them. Many home buyers will simply go on to the next listing if there is not at least one good picture of the exterior of the home.
Buyers are first attracted visually to a home, and then they will begin to look at everything else. A good photo will have no other distractions because you want the eye of the buyer to focus on the home. Therefore, some pictures will need to be doctored or fixed up with photo editing software. It's important to try to crop the sidewalks and the street from the picture. If you have a great front yard, you want to showcase that and not the street leading up to it. You have to remember that the main idea behind the picture is to show the home in the best manner possible.
Prior to you (or if hiring a Realtor to sell your home, they would be taking the pictures for you in most instances) make sure that you mow the lawn and trim the bushes to make them look attractive. If you have pets, your front yard should show no evidence that there are pets. You also must remove vehicles, bicycles, toys and anything else that will create clutter in the picture from the driveway, front yard, or any other part of the front of the home that is being shown. You must include up-close photos of special features of the house, and try to include some angled photos to give the buyer's eye a different perspective.
It's also a good idea to stay away from shaded areas of the house because they will not show well, unless you are an excellent photographer, and you really know how to make use of shaded and light areas to create interest and contrast. If not, then you should try to take your pictures when the front of your house has the best light so that it can be seen well.
Prior to photos being taken, you should also make sure that you clear away any and all shrubs, bushes, plants and any other vegetation that may block a view to the front door or the path to the front door. You want to show that the way is open to your house, rather than show an obstructed view, and make sure that you avoid shooting into the sun. If you show off your exterior well, it will very likely interest buyers into wanting to know what is inside.
When moving to the interior of your home, it's important to take pictures that highlight it's best features, but also to show the home so the buyer feels like they are moving through it as they look at the pictures. You should always take pictures of the kitchen, baths, living areas and bedrooms along with the backyard if it is an important selling feature. When taking pictures of bedrooms, take a picture from every corner to find the best view of the room to share with buyers. Depending on how natural light is coming into the room, you may need to open or close blinds for the best picture. Obviously, if a room or feature does not show well or may be a detriment to intriguing a buyer to call for a showing, those pictures are not necesarry to include in the marketing of your home.
Some good pictures might generate the calls and interest that you are looking for and possibly bring better value to your home. As a real estate professional, I feel it is very important to take as many pictures as I can of my listings to market them to their full potential. I take pictures of all of my listings for my clients and put them into a professional slide show that is posted everywhere I advertise/market the home. If you are thinking about selling your home and would like assistance or advice from a Realtor, feel free to call me anytime for a FREE consultation.
Make the WRIGHT choice today!
http://www.solanomoves.com/
(707) 410-6634
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