Tag: Northern California

A Cinderella Story…Nisi and Rip

UPDATE – Nisi and Rip just celebrated their 4th Anniversary at their home.  Keeps getting better.
In this blog series I have entitled “A Cinderella Story” – I plan on reminiscing on some tough transactions with some very happy endings.
Let’s go back a couple of years before CA Real Estate took the dive.  My very first friend from college Nisi (we met in math class our first day) and her boyfriend Rip were ready to buy their first home.  Armed with their pre-approval from Melanie Flynn, we headed out to the East Bay to find their future home.  Flash forward through all the junky homes we checked out to “the one”.  The one, I might add, they found at 2am the day it came on the market.  At a more reasonable time in the morning my friends called me with excitement ready to go.  With the help of the Listing Agents we got them in to see the home right away, since I’m pretty sure they were standing outside when they called me.  But I know why.  It was a beauty.  A pristine and loved Art Deco Bungalow all fixed up for sale.  It was their dream home!  The moment they saw it, the moment we saw it – we all knew – it was the one.  And The Caton Team was going to do everything we could to make this happen.
The rest has turned into a blur over the years so let’s jump ahead.  Their offer was accepted.  That night we all popped champagne even though it wasn’t theirs yet.  Don’t worry – we didn’t jinx it – it’s the power of positive thinking.  So, the next day the fun begins, the clock starts ticking for their loan and property condition contingencies.  Thank goodness Nisi’s uncle was a home inspector who came at a moments notice and did an awesome job checking out the house.  Rip even climbed under the house to check his own foundation.  I will never do that – I am scared of small spaces and spiders!
The home had its issues for an 80-year-old place, but our friends and clients knew they could handle it.  Next came the FHA appraisal.  Let’s just say the FHA appraisers did as thorough a job as the home and pest inspectors.  Everything was running smoothly, we had one day left on our contingencies and we waited on pins and needles for the banks ok.
Then the news story broke.  Front page news, I still have the copy of the paper.  Parts of the East Bay had depreciated enough in value that banks we no longer lending.  It’s called red-lining – and they’re not supposed to do it – but they did.  It was the beginning of what would be our Real Estate decline.  ‘Cept nobody knew it yet.  Suddenly their bank did not commit on the loan and our friends and clients were at stake.  As I recall, it was a $25,000 difference in value from one day to the next, all over one news headline.
So we got on the phone and had a heart to heart.  Weighed the pro’s and con’s and my friends and clients still wanted this house.  We wanted them to have this house – it was meant to be theirs.  So we came up with a plan.  We wrote a letter on behalf of our clients explaining to the seller and their agents what had occurred with their home loan, my friends wrote a letter about how much they loved this house and how much love they wanted to put in it.  We also asked to reduce our offer price by the difference, $25,000.  It was a bold move for 2 four-eyed Realtors.  (haha True Grit reference).  To this day, our lender Melanie is still impressed we negotiated the price down after the offer was accepted.  That doesn’t happen!
Turns out the sellers loved the buyers, the Listing Agents happen to be the next door neighbors and the $25,000 difference didn’t matter so much if they were going to truly love their home (a home the sellers had lived in for ages).  It helped that The Caton Team are strong negotiators and we even sent a copy of that newspaper too.  Either way, in the end my mother’s old adage still applies.  What’s meant to be is meant to be.  Doesn’t hurt if you put a little effort in it too.

Congratulations Rip & Nisi – many more happy years in your beautiful home!

This is a picture of the day we handed them they keys!  It the favorite part of my job!  Champagne is chilling – let me know when you are ready.

Got Questions? – The Caton Team is here to help.  Email us at Info@TheCatonTeam.com or visit our website at http://thecatonteam.com/

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Please enjoy my personal journey through homeownership at http://ajourneythroughhomeownership.wordpress.com/

A Quick Review on Short Sales

SHORT SALES

What is a “Short Sale”?

A short sale is a property that will go into foreclosure if not sold before the three month “non-payment mark” and “notice of default” is filed. When an owner is in distress and they know they can no longer afford their mortgage    payment – they should contact their Realtor and their bank immediately to discuss the possibility of the bank receiving less than what is owed. The term “short sale” refers to the agreement that the bank will accept less than the amount of the loan they have on the property. This course of action is the last chance an owner has to get out of the loan and keep their head above water. A bank will not agree to a short sale if the owner has other assets they can   liquidate to bring the loan current.

Why Would a Bank Accept a Short Sale?

Banks would much rather not hold foreclosed property. And in a short sale they will probably receive more money than at a foreclosure sale. However, not all owners will qualify for a short sale agreement. The circumstances around a short sale vary. For example, perhaps through a job loss or other reason they have been unable to make regular     mortgage payments and that balance due plus late fees are added to the total loan amount. Suddenly the owner may owe more on their loan than the home can sell for. If the owner forecasts that they can no longer manage their monthly payments they will need to contact their bank in advance to    begin negotiations. However, the owner cannot have any other assets available. If so, those resources will have to be exhausted first before the bank will agree to a short sale. In this case, before the 3-month mark of    foreclosure – the owner can place the home on the market and see how much they get. The home will be listed by a Realtor and advertised as a short sale – where time is very much of the essence. Interested buyers will need to act quickly in order to purchase before foreclosure proceedings begin.

Another reason a short sale can become an option is when, due to market changes, a seller owes more on the property than it is currently worth. For example – Let’s say the owner purchased the home 2 years ago and paid top dollar for it. Since buying a home is a long-term investment; 2 years generally doesn’t give the owner time for the property to appreciate. Suddenly, for whatever reason, they are unable to make their monthly mortgage payment and cannot sell their property for what they purchased it for. They find themselves “upside down”. Meaning the market has changed and the value of the property has dropped from where it was when they purchased it. As professional Realtors – we advise our clients when purchasing a property that they will need to hold their investment for a minimum of 5 years to see appreciation. In this particular case, no matter what, the loan on the property is greater than what the home can be sold for. If the bank agrees, the home will be listed by a Realtor and advertised as a short sale where interested parities will need to act quickly before foreclosure proceedings begin.

Why Should a Buyer Consider Purchasing a Short Sale?

Because the clock is ticking on short sales – it can be very advantageous for the new buyer to purchase under these   circumstances. Short sales are no fault of the property. Your Realtor will do a comparative market analysis to inform you of current home values to help you better decide your purchase price. Although disclosures and inspections may not be available for the property – the opportunity to perform inspections is allowed by the bank. Time is of the  essence, so a buyer will have to act quickly. The bank has agreed for a limited time to take the highest offer received – there is the opportunity for the buyer to purchase the property at below market value – thus having instant equity.

Before you get involved with a short sale purchase or sale – consult a Real Estate Attorney and a professional Realtor.

For all your real estate questions please contact The Caton Team  Email:  Info@TheCatonTeam.com  Website:  http://thecatonteam.com/

 

Visit us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sabrina-Susan-The-Caton-Team-Realtors/294970377834

To read my personal journey through homeownership – visit http://ajourneythroughhomeownership.wordpress.com/  Enjoy!

A Quick Review on Foreclosures

With all the media coverage surrounding foreclosures, auctions and short sales we hear our clients ask for clarification every day. So here are some quick answers to these confusing questions. Please feel free to contact us to explain this further by email at Info@TheCatonTeam.com

FORECLOSURES

 How Do You Fall into Foreclosure?

When an owner can no longer afford their mortgage and stops making payments all together – they are waiting for the bank to foreclose on them. (Highly unadvisable course of action – contact your Professional Realtor for advice if you can no longer pay your mortgage immediately!) After about 3 months of non-payment, the bank will file a “notice of default” and inform the owner that unless they bring their account current immediately – they will be foreclosed upon. Meaning, the owner will be evicted, their credit ruined and the bank will take possession of the property. Now the bank owns the property and needs to sell it. They will either list the property with a Realtor and sell it as a “REO” – a bank owned property – or they will sell the property at auction to the highest bidder.

How Do You Buy a Foreclosure?

For those who are inexperienced in Real Estate – buying a foreclosure at auction is NOT the way to start investing. Generally, when the property goes to auction – the buyer must have liquid assets to purchase the property immediately. Generally one cannot acquire a loan to buy a foreclosed property at auction. Another concern is disclosures. A      property being sold in a foreclosure auction usually does not have inspections or disclosures informing the potential purchaser of the condition of the property or the condition of title. A drive by of the property is allowed and rarely there is a date to view the property where the buyer can bring their own inspectors to view the home at their own cost. This type of transaction is truly a “Buyer Beware” scenario.

However, instead of the bank auctioning off the property – they may list the home with a Realtor and sell it as a “REO”. In this case, the home is placed on the market like any other home sale and available to view with your     Realtor. Usually there are no disclosures or inspections of the property – if the buyer were concerned they would have to pay for their own inspections to determine the condition of the home. In some cases limited disclosures are available to the buyer – nonetheless, this is still a “Buyer Beware” scenario and as professional Realtors we advise all our clients to go forward and pay for their own inspections before they write an offer – or incorporate time for inspections in the offer.

Final Thoughts on Foreclosures

Though they sounds so tempting on TV, foreclosures can be a messy business and we haven’t even touched on the issues of other lien holders, tax liens, other loans remaining on the home or “investor” purchase issues. Before you get involved with a foreclosure purchase – consult a Real Estate Attorney.

For all your real estate questions – contact The Caton Team Email: Info@TheCatonTeam.com Website:   http://thecatonteam.com/

To read my personal journey through homeownership – visit http://ajourneythroughhomeownership.wordpress.com/  Enjoy!