The Market Value of Your Home

With the economic twists and turns over the last couple of years, more people than ever are wondering “What is the value of my home?”  Many factors contribute to the value of your home, including the cost of homes recently sold near you, what comparable homes are selling for in the area, if there are any foreclosures in your neighborhood and the condition of your home. 

Homes that have recently sold in your neighborhood are a huge indicator of what your home may be worth.  Additionally, if there have been any foreclosures in your neighborhood, that can alter to price of your home as well.  If you are wondering what a home in your neighborhood sold for we can tell you what that home sold for for free when you fill out the info in the link.  

If you are wondering what the fair market value of your home is, we can run a free “Comparitive Market Analysis” to give you the fair market price.  Remember, if you are looking to sell your home, properly pricing it in the beginning greatly reduces the amount of time it will take your home to sell.

Let us help you determine what your greatest investment is currently worth.

Adairsville, GA Real Estate

What an opportunity to buy an adorable 3 beroom, 2 1/2 bath cottage!  The George Street Cottages in Adairsville, GA are currently listed as short sales which means they could be a great deal for you.  These homes were built in 2006 and feature 1 car garages.  The master bedroom is on the main and the homes include gas heat, fireplace, formal dining room, and breakfast bar.  These homes reside in the city limits of Adairsville which make them easy acces to I-75 and the city schools.  They have an Old English cottage feel with all of the craftsman style amenities. 

2 Georgian Circle, 3 Georgian Circle, 5 Georgian Circle, 7 Georgian Circle, 13 Georgian Circle, and 16 Georgian Circle are being offered for $94,850.  Don’t miss out on this great opportunity!

For more information or for directions, call our office at (770) 606-0054 or visit our listings at www.mullinaxteam.com/properties

Foreclosures are expected to subside in the coming year

The latest data released by UFA L.L.C., a firm located in Ann Arbor Michigan that researches mortgage activity, states that foreclosures are expected to decrease in the next year.  After four years on the rise there is no doubt that it will be nice to see foreclosures start to subside.

Improvements in the foreclosure arena are seen linked to tighter lending practices, home prices stabilizing, and an improving economy.  One of the major elements working against foreclosures is the increasing unemployment rate which will leave a lot of families without the ability to make their mortgage payments.

The onslaught of no-doc loans and inflated home prices led to four years of increasing foreclosures.  The decline of real estate values is largely attributed to an elevated rate of foreclosures.  A decrease in foreclosures will be a welcome sign for a real estate market that has seen better times. For more detailed information on foreclosured properties contact The Mullinax Team. 

Click here to read an article at Business Week about foreclosure rates.

If you are currently in a situation where you must sell your home and you owe more on your home than what it is worth to sell, a short sale can be a very good solution to your problem. Many myths have evolved over time, but understanding today’s reality is a way to help your family. Seven short sale myths are:

1. Short sales are impossible and never get approved. It is true that short sales are more difficult but they are not impossible. Bonnie Mullinax is a Bartow & Cobb County area Certified Distressed Property Expert who has extensive training to help area homeowners who may be in distress.
2. Banks Don’t Accept Short Sales. In reality, banks are doing whatever they can to avoid foreclosure proceedings.
3. You must be behind on your mortgage to negotiate a short sale. Many lenders today focus on verifiable hardship, monthly cash flow shortfall and insolvency – not just people in default.
4. Buyers Avoid Short Sales. Many of our fellow agents report that buyers call them looking for short sales every day. Short sales are becoming synonymous with a “good deal”.
5. Listing your home as a short sale is embarrassing. Recent estimates state that 1 out of 5 homeowners in the U.S. are in this situation. The state of Georgia has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation!
6. Banks prefer to foreclose. Banks do NOT want to foreclose. Banks, investors and the federal government have all publicly stated that if a person qualifies for a short sale, then the deal needs to be considered.
7. There is not enough time to negotiate a short sale before my foreclosure. Many lenders in todays market will stall a foreclosure up to the final day of the process, with a legitimate contract.

For more updated information please visit our website at www.avoidbankforeclosurenow.com or call The Mullinax Team today at 770.606.0054.

Today many people in the Bartow County and surrounding areas are interested in Short Sales as a way to avoid Foreclosure. The definition of the short sale process is when the lender of a residential property allows the property to be sold for less than the amount due on the mortgage loan.

The benefit of the short sale process is to allow the seller to avoid credit report damage associated with a foreclosure. A foreclosure can stay on your credit report for up to 10 years and can take an emotional and financial toll on you and your family.

If you are interested in knowing more about a somewhat complicated short sale transaction, here are the three very uncomplicated things lenders look for when qualifying a short sale:

• Financial Hardship:  This is defined as a verifiable reason that has or will cause you to miss a payment. Examples that qualify are mortgage payment adjustment, a job loss, too much debt or a business failure.
• Monthly Shortfall: Lenders want to see that you cannot afford to pay your mortgage. You will be required to provide your agent a financial worksheet that demonstrates this. The shortfall equation is simple. Total Monthly Income – Total Monthly Expense = Monthly Shortfall.
• Insolvency: You must be able to prove to the lender that you owe more than you have in cash. Insolvency can be proven in many cases, even though you may still have some money for living expenses.

Because of the documents required, the short sale process can be lengthy. But if done correctly, it can benefit all parties involved. The lender avoids the uncertainty of the foreclosure process, the seller avoids a foreclosure on his or her credit report, and the buyer hopefully got a good deal on a property.For more information about Short Sales see About.com.

Some key points on President Obama’s Foreclosure-Prevention Plan:

• Loan terms may be modified by reducing payments for distressed borrowers
• Refinancing for those current on payments, but have little or no equity in their home
• Plan starts right away and is strictly for primary residences that are not vacant or condemned
• Call your mortgage lender for help to see if you qualify
• There are no fees for this type of loan modification 
• To be eligible, your loan must be owned or guaranteed by a government-backed mortgage company such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac
• Modification plan are set to end on December 31, 2012
• Loans can be modified one time only

More information is available at http://www.financialstability.gov/docs/counselor_qa.pdf or contact our office at 770.606.0054.

Bonnie Mullinax of Keller Williams Northwest

launches website and marketing plan specific to homeowners facing

foreclosure hardship in the Bartow/Cobb real estate market

Cartersville, GA— Bonnie Mullinax of Keller Williams Northwest, a Cobb/Bartow County real estate specialist, has developed a marketing strategy and website that is focused on assisting distressed homeowners find information and investigate options to avoid the foreclosure process. As an expert in foreclosures and short sales, a real estate transaction option that banks will consider instead of foreclosure with specific guidelines, Mullinax is determined to provide essential knowledge to homeowners in Bartow and Cobb County facing this unfortunate circumstance. Read the rest of this entry »

How the Banks Approve A Short Sale. Short sales happen when a lender agrees to accept less than the amount owed against the home because there may not be enough equity to sell and pay all costs of real estate sale.

It is impossible to just one day decide you’re going to sell your home by asking for a short sale. Some lenders may not even consider a short sale if your payments are current, but that has changed. However, understand that lenders will be more willing to negotiate with you if your payments are in arrears. Plus, if you have cash assets, the lender might try to tap those accounts.

Some descriptions for short sale listings might be described with the phrases ”subject to bank approval” or “subject to lien-holder approval” or “as-is”. Rarely will you see “short sale”, so it’s best to be armed with some crucial information about short sales before considering buying one.

• In this type of transaction there is an additional party involved besides the buyer and the seller; the bank. The bank must approve the sale, and this can make the time to close much longer than usual. Expect it to take anywhere from four to six weeks, if not longer. And once the bank’s approval is granted, they will expect you to be ready to close as soon as possible.
• You will need to pay for your own inspection, and since the sale is “as-is”, this means that no repairs will be done and there will be no closing cost credits for repairs.
• You will also need to pay for your own appraisal. The bank will do their own as well, and have been known to reject the sale based on their appraisal. Also, they may ask the buyer to raise their offer before approving the sale.
• These things are obvious risks to the potential buyer, as you could end up out of your inspection costs.
• Deferred maintenance on the home is a potential risk for the buyer. Consider that since the mortgage payments were not being made, it’s highly likely that the homeowner was not able to afford regular home maintenance.

For more information about short sales go to About.com.

For anyone facing a foreclosure life can become extremely stressful, as there are so many new issues that you will be faced with. There is a time of change and uncertainty in todays economy, there are actually people out there that are preying on homeowners that are going into foreclosure.  Scam artists are coming out of the woodwork and are offering homeowners all over the country who are facing foreclosure a “deal” to renegotiate their loans for a fee. What people need to know is that in many states it is illegal for a person to ask homeowners for an upfront payment to renegotiate a mortgage – unless the Department of Real Estate holds record of them meeting license and registration requirements. Check with your local Georgia real estate broker, so that they can verify this information and also check to make sure that your real estate broker and attorneys have valid licenses at http://www.grec.state.ga.us/.

Always be skeptical and remember to never give anyone money in advance for services they are offering without doing your research on the company. There are many non-profit groups that offer legal aid for free of charge to homeowners that are having trouble making their monthly payments. See more information regarding foreclosures at www.avoidforeclosurenow.com