San Jose Short Sale Agent: Silicon Valley Foreclosure Prevention Specialists

If you have been following my blog, you know that I am personally offended by these scam artists out there who are preying on homeowners going through difficult times right now.  I try to warn people about scams and point them in the right direction.

If you are one of the 10 Million Homeowners who is behind in mortgage payments and have come to the difficult conclusion that you can no longer afford to keep your home but also cannot sell it either and are looking for a way out, there are dignified solutions available to you.  Foreclosure is not the only course.  You may not be aware, but there are alternative solutions which may not only allow you to sell your current unsellable home, but may also provide you with  thousands of dollars to make it happen, if you qualify.

The HAFA (Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives) program is a Federal Government sponsored program to help homeowners in distress.  IT COSTS NOTHING TO THE HOMEOWNERS.   Real Estate agents can help you with the process, but the homeowners do not pay the Realtors; their commissions are paid from the proceeds of the HAFA sale.

Unfortunately, many homeowners are not aware and are being duped by swindlers who claim to be able to help.    Below are 10 signs of Mortgage Modification Scams.
Mortgage Payments Weighing You Down Report

If you follow this blog, you know one thing I really hate are frauds against people facing distress.  Nothing worse, in my opinon, than taking advantage of people who are desperate because they are about to lose their homes.  It’s targeting one of the most vulnerable segment of society in order to make a few bucks.  Those fraudsters are the worst scum in my opinion.

I found a blog by a Realtor named Monique Bryher in Southern California who writes about various California Real Estate Frauds, it is called Califorinia Real Estate Fraud Report.  I found it to be an excellent place to learn about the fraud of the day, if you will.  I wanted to take a moment to talk about it because it is well orgranized by topic and because you can also receive a weekly report about the fraud du jour.

The best way to avoid being victimized is to be educated about scams.

http://www.californiarealestatefraudreport.com/

Check it out.

As the San Jose short sale specialist, I get emails from anonymous people who find me on the net here in Silicon Valley.  They want to know if they can do short sale.  They give me a few lines.  ”I’m upside down…….”  ”I don’t know if I really have a hardship…….”  ”I borrowed  $xxxx but owe  $xxxxx…….”  ”Can I do a short sale?”  Really, that is the extent of the email.

Maybe it is because we have been raised in the instant gratification mode for too long, but these emails I get all want an answer now, or yesterday because they are in a tight situation and are worried.  They don’t want to talk to me or for me to ask questions.   I truly understand the pressure and stress people in this situation suffer from because I talk about it with so many of my clients, but there is a protocol and procedure to how theses things work.

When I write back that I need to sit down and talk in person so that I can get a better determination of what is at the heart of their inability to pay and what is truly at issue, they get mad.   They question my ulterior motive and question why I am trying to dig personal information out of them and refuse to answer their question and help them out.    I try to explain that is not what I am doing; I  need to understand their situation so that I can create a narrative for the lenders to understand and for them to want to approve the short sale, if they qualify. If you can’t/won’t take a few minutes out of your day to explain to me why you cannot pay, then I cannot successfully plead your case to your lender.    The more you share with me, the better I can create that narrative on your behalf.   Each short sale approval is different because each person’s financial situation and their hardship is different; there is no universal solution, despite what some may claim.

People who have read  some things here and there on the Internet seem to believe that getting a short sale approval is their right.  I hate to tell you, but you have to qualify for a short sale; it is a privilege and not a right.

Listen, I really do understand the stress and the sleepless nights you are going through from the fear of losing your home and the sense of shame that comes with such experiences.    I am committed to helping everyone I can, fight foreclosure. I am willing to commit time out of my day to sit and talk with you.  I will tell you if I think you do not qualify.  But you have to show me the same level of commitment; afterall, it is your home that is at risk, not mine.   Sit down and talk to me, or talk to someone else, but take the time to discuss your case with some specificity if you want a customized strategy to fight foreclosure.   We need to find out things like whether you are on a path to dual track foreclosure if you were working on a loan modification, we need to know if a Trustee Sale is right around the corner and you don’t even know.

It is because people are in desperate situations and want to simply hear what they want to hear without  having to share “personal” information, that they often fall prey to people who want to take advantage by making guarantees or incredible solutions.

Folks, take a few minutes out of your busy schedule to learn if someone can really help you fight foreclosure.  Believe me, it will be worthwhile.

The California Legislature is taking steps again to stop this deceptive practice of what I consider a dual-handed scam:  telling the borrower they will work with them on the loan modification, while simultaneously initiating foreclosure measures, often without letting the borrower know of this fact.   I believe this is a form of scam that the banks are perpetrating on the borrowers, especially in those instances when they do not disclose that the foreclosure efforts are not being put on hold.

Common sense would dictate that if the bank is working on a loan modification with you, then it should at least hold off on the foreclosure proceedings until the matter has been fully resolved. Borrowers often get lulled into a false sense of security, thinking foreclosure efforts are put on hold, when they are not.   Once the loan modification has been denied, then there is no time for other available alternatives, such has short sales.    If someone is about to lose their home, then they should be given every opportunity to remedy the situation.

Hopefully this courageous effort will go through.

http://mobile.latimes.com/p.p?m=b&a=rp&id=208114&postId=208114&postUserId=7&sessionToken=

California Bill Ending ‘Dual Track’ Foreclosures Faces Key Vote

The prosecution and conviction of people engaged in fraudulent loan modification assistance programs continues.  This time, two San Diego men were charged with” duping homeowners who were falling behind on their mortgages into paying $2,500 to $3,000 for loan modification services.”

Interestingly, these guys used a PO Box address near the White House and used a seal that looked like it could have come from the US Capitol and made falsely made claims to have attorneys and forensic accounts on staff.

Never, ever pay up-front money to anyone, who claims to be able to get your loan modified.