If you are living paycheck to paycheck and find yourself with an ARM mortgage that is about to reset, foreclosure may be in your future. With today's prices increasing steadily and incomes decreasing, a sudden illness or job loss can quickly add up to missed mortgage payments. Stop foreclosure loans can be planned ahead if you get the impression that lady luck may not be in your court. There are some things that you can do now that can help you have the funds you need later or help you to qualify for stop foreclosure loans in the future, when you might need them.
Home Equity Lines of Credit as Stop Foreclosure Loans
While your fortune is flush and you still have a good credit rating, use the leverage in your home to set up a home equity line of credit. Once the job is gone or the mortgage payments have been missed, it will be too late. So, thinking ahead can help you find funds that you can use as stop foreclosure loans, in case the worst does happen. The key here is to set this up when you buy the home as this is typically when you don't have to buy another appraisal to get approved. In that case, your potential stop foreclosure loan could just be an additional document that you sign giving the bank the ability to open a home equity line of credit for you. Of course, you have to be disciplined in using these funds only in cases of emergencies or they too can help land you in hot water later.
Reverse Mortgages as Stop Foreclosure Loans
If you are at least 62 years old and have significant equity in your home but poor cash flow, you can use a reverse mortgage like stop foreclosure loans. There are guidelines you need to meet in order to qualify, but for people who are retired or on fixed income a reverse mortgage can be one way to keep the home while accessing the equity within it. In a way, it can be a relief to know that you can live in the home until you die, although there is some counseling involved in taking out reverse mortgages.
Bailout Loans as Stop Foreclosure Loans
These are the last ditch efforts to try and save a home that is at the tail end of a foreclosure proceeding. The loan to value ratio of the home has to be 65 to 75% and points can be 4 or 5 on the loan. These are expensive, but don't require a good credit standing.
Private foreclosure loans are given out by private lenders to individuals who are in need of a foreclosure bailout loan or who might want to finance a home purchase without proper credit. If you are looking for private foreclosure loans, you might want to ask your bank or lender if they know of any “hard money” lenders. That's how they are referred to in the banking industry. The reason they are called hard money lenders is because the terms and conditions by which one obtains money from such lenders is much harder than other types of loans. Soft money, on the other hand has fewer strict conditions and more favorable terms to the borrowers.
Rates Are Higher
Hard money lenders usually charge between 12 to 20% interest, annually. This is on top of four to five origination points to close the loan, sometimes even 10 points. Since a point is 1% of the full loan amount, you are looking at some hefty upfront fees to get your hard money loan. So, why would anyone consider private foreclosure loans? There are a variety of reasons. They may not have stellar credit. They may have exhausted all other avenues of soft money. Or, they may be close to foreclosure and this is their last resort. Another reason people use private foreclosure loans is when they are investing in fixer-uppers and need capital to do the repairs. If the after market value once repairs are done is expected to be far higher, they can finance the repairs through hard money loans and thus, use none of their own capital to get the work done.
How Private Foreclosure Loans Work
Once a hard money lender agrees to do private foreclosure loans for a customer, they will have to pay the points and agree to the strict terms of the loan. This can help the borrower buy time to sell the house and recoup some equity or stave off foreclosure proceedings. They will typically only do deals for private foreclosure loans with a loan to value ratio between 65 and 75%. So, if you are upside-down on the mortgage and the value of the home can't support a loan, it won't qualify for a hard money loan either. If, however, your market value hasn't slid too much, you can use the loan to finance time to sell the house and recoup your equity. In comparison, if you go into foreclosure, you will lose all your equity, so paying significant fees to become current on the loan can pay off in the end. The lender does make a lot of money on these types of loans, but they also are free to give the money based on their conditions and risk assessment.
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