In Foreclosure and Want to Keep Your Home? Try a Short Refinance

This is definitely one of the big banks and lenders best kept secrets. But with the recent increase in foreclosures and the tightening of lender guidelines, which makes it even harder to qualify in today’s market for a refinance, and not to mention the drop in property values in such areas as Fort Lauderdale and Miami has brought the short refinance to the front lines. While some might have heard the term Short Sale – which is the process you would go thru if you are trying to sell but you owe more than the house is worth. Now the Short Refinance – is the process you would go thru if you want to keep you home, but you need a better loan program that will be more affordable and you owe more than your house is worth so you can’t do a regular refinance. Similar to the short sale, the short refinance is a negotiation with your current lender to reduce the amount you owe to facilitate a refinance with a new lender.

Not to be confused with a loan modification. With a loan modification you will stay with your current lender and just renegotiate the terms of you loan, with the short refinance you are getting the lender to reduce the pay off, so you can get a loan with a completely new lender.

Now with any loss mitigation process, including loan modification, short sale, and short refinance, they are all on a case by case basis and the lender has the final say. So don’t expect to get the same results as your neighbor or family member received. Any company out there that offers you a guarantee that you will be approved for any of these loss mitigation options or tell you to stop making payment, you should stay clear of……and I mean run.

Now it is important to note, that you don’t have to be behind on payments or in Foreclosure to qualify for a short refinance, although majority of the people that get approved are normally in foreclosure. Today, with lenders having an abundance of non performing loans on their books has caused them to be more flexible when working with home owners to come to win win agreement for both borrower and lenders.

Also South Florida home owners in such areas as Fort Lauderdale and Miami that have found themselves with either an adjustable rate mortgage or have found themselves upside down on their homes, which has prevented them from doing a regular refinance, now have this option, that if approved, can refinance into a more affordable fixed rate mortgage and avoid foreclosure Because of the increase demand for loss mitigation, it has been taking most lenders a minimum of 45 days and up to 90 days to complete the process.

Normally when a homeowner finds themselves in foreclosure, they would only hear about 2 options either file bankruptcy or try and sell. Lately, loan modifications have become more popular, but that still doesn’t mean that is best solution for most homeowners. Here’s why, we offer the lender a short-refinance offer first and if for any reason it is not successful, then we will proceed with an offer to negotiate a loan modification for the client.

A short-refinance can basically create equity in a property, as we are getting the amounted owed to the lender reduced. It reduces the mortgage to the current market value, while eliminating the upside-down loan. While A loan modification can keep the homeowner’s interest rate down to a comfortable level and put them into a fixed rate loan, while also placing any arrearages back into the loan.

But if the property is upside-down and by the adding the arrearages back into the loan, it could be in worse shape than before. Now don’t get me wrong, if the homeowner’s intentions are to keep the property long enough for the market to turn around, then this is a win win situation for both lender and homeowner. The main purpose of a short-refinance or a loan modification is that the home owner is allowed to stay in their home.

A lot of Fort Lauderdale and Miami homeowners are realizing that their property is not worth nearly what they owe on it, several of them have opted to just walk away. A short-refinance gives homeowners’ hope, that they can get themselves from an upside-down mortgage problem, and in some cases can save their home from foreclosure. This keeps them in their home, gives them a peace of mind, and allows them to get on with their lives as the possibility of foreclosure in now behind them.

While Loss Mitigation may not be for everyone, it is important to work with an expert in the field that can analyze your situation and help you determine the best loss mitigation for you and your family.

Author: Marlon Baugh


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