Oakley CA - 
Some homeowners have watched the value of their home be cut by 30-50%. They paid 700k for a house that is now worth 400k. They want a principle reduction, but the lender won't agree to it. So they keep on insisting for one. Lenders will drop your interest rate to 2% for five years. But, they are very reluctant to grant principle reductions.
Here is why. They are forced to take huge write off on their books when they give you a principle reduction. No, this is not a "tax" write off. If they give you a 300k principle reduction, they have to take that directly off that year's earnings. That hurts earnings, which hurts the stock price, which hurts the likelihood of the people at the top getting bonuses. This makes principle reductions so rare. Instead, they like to reduce your payment down to the equivalent of a 400k principle amount. How? By dropping the interest rate to 2%. The lower interest reduces your payment down as much as a principle reductions would have done. The banks hope that you can limp along for five years until the economy recovers. Hopefully by then housing prices will recover, or you will be able to afford the higher payment after the interest rate reset. But, many experts do not think the housing market will recover in 5 years, much less 10 years.
This is why I recommend a short sale and renting to anyone who is upside down by 30%. Now, you may be saying, "Of course you do recommend that. You get more sales that way." Sure, I like more sales. But, if that was true, then why would I give away free loan modifications kits to homeowners in foreclosure? I would hope that they would be forced to short sale with me. (Click here to request a copy of our Oakley Loan Modification Kit that has the instructions you will need to get a loan modification approved with your bank.)
I believe that most loan modification are a temporary band-aid that doesn't solve the underlying problem. Most people that short sale are already suffering and their credit has been hurt by a pending foreclosure. What if they accept the loan mod offer and can't afford the payment reset in 5 years? They may have to stop paying, hurt their credit again, and apply for another loan modification. Why not wipe out the upside down debt while your credit is already damaged? Agree? Disagree? Please put your comments in the comments section below.
Thanks for reading this post.
Adrienne Smith
CA DRE# 01121873
Phone: 877-843-8300 Ext. 1
Email:ThePropertyAngel@gmail.com.
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