foreclosure: Housing Counselor Recommends Gambling to Avoid Foreclosure? - 05/17/13 12:12 PM
Housing Counselors working with homeowners seeking solutions to their financial hardship and alternatives to foreclosure comb through the homeowners’ individual situations. We’ll look at their past, current and possible future circumstances, making several recommendations based on that in-depth review. We’ll make sure those homeowners are aware of resources available in their communities that may help stabilize their household. This might be anything from medical, food, energy assistance, tax preparation, legal services to emergency housing in the event a foreclosure is imminent, in addition to working with Servicer/Investors to find a way to avoid foreclosure on a mortgage. We do some serious … (2 comments)

foreclosure: The Check's in the Mail| Independent Foreclosure Review Check That Is - 04/19/13 02:24 PM
The process for handling homeowners who experienced wrongful foreclosure and deficient mortgage servicing practices - i.e. Robosigning, foreclosure going through on a mortgage that was not in default, foreclsoure for servicepersons protected by poor handing of loss mitigation requests, etc. - changed a LOT with 13 major servicers. It went from requiring application and review by potentially 3.8 million homeowners seeking restitution for there practices, to 13 named servicers self-directing the restitution and reaching out to 4.2 million homeowners.
Homeowners are receiving anywhere from $300 to $125,000 with the vast majority in the lower ranges. I know of someone who recently … (2 comments)

foreclosure: Settlement of $8.5+ Billion For Unsafe|Unsound Foreclosure|Servicing - 01/07/13 12:08 PM
Looks like 2013 is starting off with a concept many of us are familiar with – the only constant in life is change! And many times CHANGE is GOOD.
The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency   announced today they have reached a settlement with ten of the servicers that were part of the Independent Foreclosure Review:
·         Aurora ·         Bank of America ·         Citibank ·         JP Morgan Chase ·         MetLife Bank ·         PNC      Sovereign ·         SunTrust ·         U.S. Bank ·         Wells Fargo They are still working out settlements with … (0 comments)

foreclosure: Good News For Homeowners Facing Mortgage Debt Cancellation - 01/02/13 03:02 PM
Happy New Year! I was happy to start off my 2013 with the news that the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act was extended a year with the passing of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. Bet the Realtors on this site are, too!
Housing Counselors sort through many options with homeowners facing financial hardship that have them seeking foreclosure alternatives. Many of those options could potentially lead to the possibility of tax consequences - i.e. principal forgiveness under the National Mortgage Settlement program's modification or refinance programs, in addition to a short sale, deed-in-lieu of foreclosure or foreclosure.
Good news … (2 comments)

foreclosure: HUD Certified Housing Counseling for Southern Oregon Homeowners - 12/31/12 01:54 PM
There is FREE help for homeowners facing foreclosure in Jackson and Josephine County! Most Southern Oregonians know ACCESS for the safety net services provided to area residents needing them. The high demand food and energy assistance programs have been helping seniors and low income individuals and families bridge income gaps since 1976, and are just two of the many services ACCESS provides to Southern Oregon. 
The Southern Oregon Housing Resource Center at ACCESS became the HUD certified housing counseling agency providing home buyer education, administering down payment assistance and assisting first time home buyers in 1991. Since the decline of the … (0 comments)

foreclosure: Good News for Oregonian Homeowners Trying to Avoid Foreclosure - 05/23/12 10:44 AM
There is good news for Oregon Homeowners who are trying to avoid foreclosure. The Oregon Senate and House passed Senate Bill 1552 on March 5, 2012, and forwarded this bill along to Govenor Kitzhaber to sign. Oregon Senate Bill 1552 ends the “dual tracking” of homeowners who were being foreclosed on while attempting to work out an alternative to foreclosure with their Servicer/Investor.
 
Want Layman’s terms on what this means for the homeowner?:
 
·         Mandatory Meeting face-to-face with homeowner, lender and mediator to review foreclosure alternatives if homeowner elects this process when notification received ·         Notice of right to … (4 comments)

foreclosure: Help for Borrowers – Independent Foreclosure Review - 03/20/12 12:24 PM
The Office of Comptroller of Currency and Federal Reserve created a process to help borrowers who were facing foreclosure in 2009 or 2010 with several servicers. This process will help these borrowers who believe they suffered financial injury as a result of errors in the foreclosure process present their case to an independent third party reviewer. These borrowers have been identified and were sent a Notice with clear instructions how to apply to be reviewed.
The borrowers’ greatest chance of obtaining financial restitution will be a clearly documented, supported paper trail they can provide to the independent third party reviewer. Situations … (0 comments)

foreclosure: Sorry, Suze, But It Just Isn’t That Simple - 09/24/11 08:46 PM
As a housing counselor here in Southern Oregon working day in and day out with homeowners who have encountered financial difficulties the one common thread I see throughout my day is their stories are complicated!
The homeowners who own property that has been in their families for 100 years – are they going to walk away because when their turn came to take over their family’s American Dream it was at a market peak and they are now sitting at 140% LTV? Or the family who took cash out to build an additional dwelling unit because their brother lost their job … (7 comments)

foreclosure: The Ultimate Bad Day – The Day I Learned I May Lose Our Home - 05/27/11 11:47 PM
 
Today was a bad day. A day generating results I really did not expect to have to face. Yeah, I know…”get over it Karen – we ALL have bad days”. I also know that there are many, MANY people out there facing the loss of their home due to circumstances beyond their control. I WORK with and FIGHT for these people every day, but I really did not ever envision finding myself where I am today.
 
Today was the day I learned that justice can be more blind than we could ever possibly envision – the day I learned … (11 comments)

foreclosure: Oregon Homeowners Exercise Your Rights Under Senate Bill 628! - 05/20/11 12:48 AM
I have almost 100 active cases in my role as housing counselor for homeowners seeking help with their financial hardship. Many of these cases are for Southern Oregon homeowners wanting to keep their home. Homeowners who have taken the time to investigate the options available to them, and homeowners who need help figuring out what their options are. Many of these homeowners applied for modification of their home loan. When I review the documentation we collect to verify their financial hardship, I see that many of these homeowners appear to be pretty darn good candidates for the mortgage modifications they are … (1 comments)

foreclosure: Do We Really Believe Mortgage Servicers Will Regulate Themselves?!?!? - 04/20/11 12:26 PM
I came across an article by First Tuesday about the banks regulating themselves in the current environment we are in. I can vouch that this is NOT an acceptable solution, as we HUD Housing Counselors continually run in to situations where the Big Banks do not abide by the rules, guidelines and laws they've agreed to follow. States and their Attorney Generals are working toward resolving the many gaps in our systems to make protection available to our consumers, but we aren't quite there yet. I agree that accountability and restitution are indeed part of the equation that appears to be … (4 comments)

foreclosure: Consumer Action in Lieu of Property Disclosure Statement of Bank Owned Property? - 01/23/11 09:13 AM
What would happen do you think if homeowners who have encountered financial difficulties that they are unable to resolve with their bank and its investors did their own Property Disclosure Statement and notified their bank/investors, surrounding neighbors, banks’ listing agents and State Real Estate Agency when the property reverts to the bank? Maybe posted it publicly in case buyers are considering purchasing the home on the court house steps at the Trustee Sale or delivered it by attending the sale themselves?
 
Since the banks and their investors like Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, HUD and other institutions are not required by … (7 comments)

foreclosure: Working to Stem the Tide of Foreclosures - Thanks, Senator Merkley! - 01/21/11 12:18 AM
Obviously, this message is close to my heart. I see the people affected by this crisis every day, and not just at my job. I see them at the grocery store, in church, at the park...their kids go to school with mine. Who doesn't know a homeowner that has been affected by the economy and foreclosure crisis? Especially those working in industries directly affected - construction, real estate, finance?
 
Merkley works to stem the tide of foreclosures | MailTribune.com www.mailtribune.com Way to go Senator Merkley and team! It was great to meet you in person to be able to thank … (8 comments)

foreclosure: Time is Running Out to Apply for Oregon's Mortgage Payment Assistance Program - 01/08/11 12:34 PM
Oregon was one of the states awarded money to help its communitites suffering from high foreclosure and unemployment rates. One of the programs Oregon designed was to help eligible families pay their mortgage payments - up to $20,000 or 12 months, whichever is less. Jackson County Oregon was given 276 slots for this program by the State of Oregon and Josephine County was given 216 slots. Once the deadline passes on January 14th for online applications (January 15th for in person ones), the State will hold a random drawing for each County that was awarded slots for this funding. In Jackson … (2 comments)

foreclosure: When a Neighbor Crosses the Threshold from Bad to Dangerous – Part 2 of 2 - 10/29/10 02:32 PM
We went up to introduce ourselves a few months ago to new neighbors on the street behind ours when we heard sounds of a backhoe running in our hillside neighborhood. This property had an additional dwelling unit built on it a while back, which we didn’t think too much about – until we started having signs of destabilization on OUR property. Next thing we know, the ADU is torn down by the new owners, and we know there are issues. When that backhoe fired up, we went straight over to see if they were digging, and to let them know we … (9 comments)

foreclosure: When a Neighbor Crosses the Threshold from Bad to Dangerous – Part 1 of 2 - 10/29/10 02:19 PM
The real estate market in Southern Oregon has a high percentage of foreclosure homes working their way through the inventory. One of those bank owned homes sold earlier this year on the street behind ours. We were sad to hear another local contractor had lost their home in this bad economy we are all struggling through. Maybe the new family will come with children that will be friends of ours…we hope for good, compatible neighbors every time one of the surrounding properties changes hands. We all want good neighbors, right?
 
We used to have a family next door to us, … (6 comments)

foreclosure: When Best Laid Plans Go Awry | Tips from a Housing Counselor - 09/22/10 12:24 PM
For some, the American Dream of Homeownership has gone drastically awry. The days of anticipation of closing on that dream home seem long ago to them. Today, focus may be on getting food on the table and keeping the lights on. Maybe this is because of bad decisions made along the way, but more often it is because of job loss, reduced income, medical bills – situations beyond their control – and/or revolving debt accrued to keep payments up and cover budget gaps.
 
Along come the Making Home Affordable Programs and Hardest Hit Funds to help struggling homeowners hang on … (3 comments)

foreclosure: The Reality of the Hunt - 07/31/10 03:39 PM
We look at this trophy we now have. It wasn’t long ago we were filled with trepidation, determined to make a go of reaching our goal. We spent time preparing, educating ourselves, readying for this new, big adventure. Then the hunt was on. It was a tough hunt, an endless search for just the right prize to bring home. We were so nervous…so determined. Hours and hours we looked for you. Once, we had our prize in our sights only to lose you to fellow hunters, hunters who entered the hunt earlier, who were quicker and more prepared than us. Patience … (0 comments)

foreclosure: Short Sales|The Under Utilized Partnership - 07/24/10 03:51 PM
There is a valuable partnership not being described much…are you using this partnership? The partnership I am referring to is that of the short sale real estate broker and their local HUD certified housing counselors. Many homeowners in financial distress seek the assistance of their local HUD certified housing counseling agency. They come seeking the expertise and guidance of a housing counselor. They may have found this resource through the marketing efforts of the agency, they may have been pointed that direction by a family member, friend, colleague or their existing lender. How many are pointed that direction by the real … (4 comments)

foreclosure: Going…Going…Gone? How Long Will These Low Home Loan Interest Rates Hang Around? - 11/23/09 12:44 PM
This week, I’m locking in interest rates lower than I’ve ever seen before, lower than I’ve even gotten for my own personal home loans on a wholesale basis. I really did not expect to see 15 year conforming fixed rates back at the 4.25% I locked my own interest rate at several years ago. It’s exciting to see the homeowners I’m working with who have enough equity in their homes to be able to refinance out of resetting adjustable rate mortgages to fixed interest rates at the same level those adjustable rate mortgages were at. Most of them were nervous about … (5 comments)

 
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Karen Pierce

Medford, OR

More about me…

Karen Pierce | Housing Counselor |Oregon

Address: PO Box 4126, NMLS#223305 , Medford, OR, 97501

Office Phone: (541) 779-6691

Email Me

Bringing 29 years of experience providing Southern Oregon and California Home Buyers and Homeowners | Serving all of Jackson County Oregon including Ashland- Talent- Phoenix- Medford-Jacksonville- Ruch- Central Point- White City- Eagle Point- Shady Cove- Gold Hill, as well as Josephine County including Grants Pass- Merlin- Wilderville | Helping Southern Oregonians on the road to fulfilling the American Dream of Homeownership - and staying there!


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