Special offer

Bank of America Short Sale Relocation Assistance Program

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Green Realty Properties® - 954-667-7253 BK3175566

A while back, Bank of America sent out a similar email for a Florida Relocation Incentive that I was able to get for a several of my short sale sellers during the time they were offering the incentive. The amounts really do vary from investor to investor, but I can tell you that I have very pleasantly surprised sellers once those approvals came around.

Whether your seller qualifies for these incentives or not, it’s always a good idea to try to get the short sale started and possibly even approved before you go under contract so that you know exactly what the lender is looking for and the guesswork is taken out of it.

I know that not all lenders will do this for every file, but it’s worth a try. We find that most of the time, if we just ask, they go ahead and order values and work on the short sale before we go under contract. Either way, this is great of Bank of America to extend this to short sale sellers once again, as I know from experience that it truly helps distressed sellers move on.

This is especially key if the seller has a 2nd lien holder because that money can be used to pay them when the sellers may not have other resources to contribute.

I hope that many of you who do short sales will take advantage of this incentive for your sellers while it lasts.


 

 
 
 
 

Short Sale Agent Update

July 11, 2012

     
     
 
     
   
Short Sale Relocation Assistance Program:
Your clients could receive $5,000 to $30,000 in relocation assistance 

Your financially distressed clients want to avoid foreclosure. You want to help them. So do we!

That's why Bank of America is excited to offer enhanced relocation assistance. Qualified homeowners who initiate a Preapproved Price Short Sale (without an offer) could be eligible to receive $5,000 - $30,000* in relocation assistance and owe no more on their mortgage with the sale of their property, depending on the investor involved. 

Don't miss this limited-time offer to get your distressed clients the help they need by initiating a Preapproved Price Short Sale today at agent.equator.com. 

Determining your clients' eligibility is easy:

Once you initiate the short sale at agent.equator.com, we will quickly evaluate the homeowner to determine if they qualify for the enhanced relocation assistance.

The homeowner must participate in one of the Preapproved Price Short Sale Programs, such as:

  • HAFA (Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives)
  • Bank of America's Cooperative Short Sale Program

Specific investor participation and eligibility criteria do apply to these programs.

Homeowners not meeting eligibility requirements for the enhanced relocation incentive may still qualify to receive $2,500 - $3,000 in relocation assistance from government- and bank-sponsored programs. 

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: How can I find out if my client qualifies for this limited time offer?
A:
Call a Bank of America short sale specialist at 1.877.459.2852
Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Eastern.

Q: Do I have to do anything special when initiating or completing the short sale?
A: No. But act quickly by initiating the short sale at
agent.equator.com.  This is a limited-time offer that your clients won't want to miss out on.

Q: If a short sale is initiated with an offer, will it qualify for this enhanced relocation assistance?
A: No. Short sales initiated at the time an offer is received do not qualify for the enhanced relocation assistance funds.

Q: Is the enhanced relocation assistance eligible to non-owner-occupied properties?
A: Yes, it is available to non-owner-occupied properties.

Q: Will the relocation assistance funds be reported on the HUD-1?
A: Yes, funds received at closing will be documented on the HUD-1, and a 1099-MISC will be issued.

Q: Can the relocation assistance funds be used to pay off existing liens?
A: Yes, the homeowner may use funds to pay off existing liens or to help with relocation expenses.

Q: Is the enhanced relocation assistance added to any other incentives, such as the HAFA or Bank of America Cooperative Short Sale Program incentives?
A: The homeowner incentive will be inclusive of the $3,000 HAFA incentive. For example, if the homeowner is eligible for $5,000, then $3,000 will be from the HAFA funds and the remaining $2,000 will be from Bank of America homeowner incentive funds.

Click here to read the press release.

* The relocation assistance payment is calculated based on the appraised value of the homeowner's property.  The total amount will be no less than $5,000, but no more than $30,000.  The payment will be delivered at the time of closing if the homeowner complies with all terms and conditions of the Short Sale Agreement, which include but are not limited to the following: a full walk-through appraisal must be completed and the homeowner must satisfy all junior liens and provide clear title for the property (the relocation assistance payment can be used to clear those liens).  The short sale must close by Sept. 26, 2013.  If the homeowner does not comply with all terms and conditions of the Short Sale Agreement, they will not receive the relocation assistance payment.  The amount of any deficiency and relocation assistance will be reported to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on the appropriate 1099 Form or Forms.  We suggest that the homeowner contact the IRS or their tax preparer to determine if they have any tax liability.

   

 

Posted by

If you or anyone you know need help Selling or Buying a Home in Broward & Miami-Dade Counties, please don't hesitate to call me at 954.667.7253

 

Help lots of people and have a great day!

Patty Da Silva, CDPE©, RESS®, AHWD®, e-PRO®, GREEN, CFS, TRC, RSPS

BROKER - REALTOR® Serving South Florida ::: 954. 667. SALE (7253) ::: Green Realty Properties®

Visit www.WeLoveSouthFlorida.com for SouthEast Florida's best properties.

 

 

Copyright © 2008 - 2015 By Patty Da Silva, CDPE©. All Rights Reserved.

Legal Stuff: This article (Contents) reflects the opinion of the author and it is not to be considered legal advice. The author is not an attorney or a CPA. If you are in need of legal or tax advice, it is recommended that you to contact a trusted professional advisor.

Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Patty- kudos to you for keeping up with the Short Sale information and for looking out for your clients!  You're who Sellers need if they're thinking of a Short Sale. 

Jul 12, 2012 11:28 AM
Marianna Athanasiadis
Green Realty Properties® - Davie, FL

Great programs because most of the work is already done by the time the buyer comes around, so there's less risk of them walking for any number of reasons.

Jul 13, 2012 12:22 AM
Dale Baker
Baker Energy Audits and Commercial Properties Inspections - Claremont, NH
New Hampshire Relocation Real Estate Information

Howdy and evening Patty

Patty my friend, this here Relocation Assistance Program sure sounds like a mighty fine one, and sure helpful to folks that are needing to sale their home as a Short Sale. It sure nice of you to post about the Program so more folks know about!

Have a good one

Dale in New Hampshire

Jul 13, 2012 03:53 PM
Bruce Walter
Keller Williams Realty Lafayette/West Lafayette, Indiana - West Lafayette, IN

Patty, this is an unrelated question, but with all your lobbying efforts have you heard anything about the federal government extending the debt forgiveness as a tax liability issue that will expire at the end of 2012?

Jul 15, 2012 11:20 PM
Irene Durocher
Coldwell Banker BUYERS AGENT - Boca Raton, FL
homesweethome4u@att.net

Hi Patty, this is good news for a lot of people in distress. I hope it works for someone

you are working with. Enjoy your day.

Jul 16, 2012 10:06 AM
John Juarez
The Medford Real Estate Team - Fremont, CA
ePRO, SRES, GRI, PMN

Patty,

Thanks for sharing this information. It can certainly make a world of difference for some short sale sellers. Bank of America is serious about getting problem assets off their books before they become and even bigger problem…foreclosures. Good for the lender and good for the short sale seller.

Jul 20, 2012 01:27 AM
Broker Patty Da Silva Da Silva
Green Realty Properties® - 954-667-7253 - Cooper City, FL
Top Listing Broker

Kathy, I have to! I don't have the name of short sale queen for no reason ;o)

Marianna, very true.

Dale, we all should be sharing this information so that we all can help distressed Sellers. It really does make a big difference to the Seller. I've had Sellers that actually wouldn't be able to physically move out of their home and into a rental but for these incentives.

Bruce, great question and I wish I had an answer. I honestly don't know, but being that this is an election year, I hope that they do it since most voters would benefit from it. Let me know if you hear anything before I do.

Irene, it sure does. I try it with every eligible file and see if it sticks.

John, I agree, good for Bank of America. Chase 1st started offering people a good chunk of money to do a short sale, and I think that the rest of the lenders took notice that it was working very well.

Jul 20, 2012 04:11 AM