Santa Clara County Short Sale/Foreclosure Update through 3/31/2013

Looking for a distressed property in Santa Clara County? Don't hold your breath. Santa Clara County has very few short sales or bank owned properties this year. Here are the numbers:

Number of Santa Clara County homes for sale (single family and condos): 1123
Active Santa Clara County Short Sales: 32
Percentage of Santa Clara County homes for sale that are short sales: 2.8%
Active Santa Clara County foreclosures: 26
Percentage of Santa Clara County homes for sale that are foreclosures: 2.3%
Percentage of total Santa Clara County distressed sales: 5.1%

This is not enough to have any effect on total home values. Many cities in Santa clara County have no short sales as home values have reached and exceeded the peak in 2007-2008.


Closed sales in Santa Clara County in 2013: 2928
Number of closed Santa Clara County short sales in 2013: 402
Percentage closed Santa Clara County short sales in 2013: 13.7
Number of closed Santa Clara County foreclosures in 2013: 150
Percentage of closed Santa Clara County foreclosures in 2013: 5%

The percentage of closed Santa Clara County short sales and foreclosures is more a reflection of the past, not what is going on in the market now. Santa Clara County short sales can take up to a year to close, and foreclosures can be in the works for years before they hit the market.

The bottom line is, if you are looking for a deal in Santa Clara County, you will not likely find it in a short sale or foreclosure, because their are not enough of them and the total inventory is so low the 90% of all homes on the market get multiple offers.

If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in Santa Clara County please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer
Keller Williams Realty
www.marcymoyer.com
marcy@marcymoyer.com
650-619-9285
DRE 01191194

Los Altos Ca Short Sale/Foreclosure Round Up

In Los Altos from Jan 1, 2012 until June 30, 2012 there were:

3 closed short sales
3 closed bank owned homes
Total sales during this time period were 192
Total % Short Sales: 1.5%
Total % REO Sales: 1.5 %
Total Percentage  Los Altos Distressed Properties: 3%

Again, we have a high priced neighborhood and almost no distressed property sales. Values are appreciating and there are more pople trying to buy homes than there are homes available.

Additionally, there is very little new contruction before the crash, so there is not a big group of people who bought into a large development and are now underwater.

If you have any questions about short sales or foreclosures in Santa Clara County please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer
Keller Williams Realty
www.marcymoyer.com
marcy@marcymoyer.com
650-619-9285
DRE  01191194

What Does it Take to Win in a Silicon Valley Short Sale Multiple Offer Situation

The real estate market in the Silicon Valley is very heated up this days, but there are still plenty of short sales being offered. Many of these short sales are in higher price ranges that have previously not seen a lot of short sale activity. What that means is that agents who do not have a lot of experience with short sales are making offers. Because the inventory is so low, most of these short sales are getting multiple offers. So if you are an experienced agent but not with short sales, or a buyer here are some things you need to know:

1. Don't low ball. The bank won't accept it and you will have plenty of competition from buyers wanting to pay market value.

2. Follow all of the instructions the agent gives on the MLS. If they say email instead of call, SEND AN EMAIL. Do not pester the agent with multiple calls a day. Your pre offer behavior is a sign of how you will act during the long short sale process.

3. Fill out the short sale addendum carefully. The addendum allows for the deposit and contingency period to start after bank acceptance unless you change it. CHANGE IT!!!!  At a minimum you should put the deposit in escrow immediately. If you really want the home I would also recommend offering to do the inspections right away instead of waiting for bank approval. It is a risk to the buyer in case the bank does not approve, but it is better than waiting 1-3 months for an approval and then finding out the home has more repairs needed than the buyer is willing to make.

4. The home is being sold "As-Is" Don't ask for repairs.

5. Don't ask for buyer credits unless it is an FHA loan. Banks are most likely going to reject the request for credit and if your buyer needs to have it or they walk it does not put you in a good position.

6. Don't change the title and escrtow company. The seller's company has already done a lot of work and has a relationship with the listing agent.

7. Give at least 90 days for approval on the short sale addendum.

8. Present a great case on why your client is able to wait for short sale approval.

If you have any questions about short sales in San Mateo or Santa Clara Counties please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer
Keller Williams Realty
www.marcymoyer.com
marcy@marcymoyer.com
650-619-9285
D.R.E. 01191194

Silicon Valley Short Sales Arms Length Transactions: Are They Too Onerous?

Arms Length Transactions in Silicon Valley Short Sales Is It Too Onerous?

When a seller sells their home as a short sale, most lenders  will make everyone, the buyer, the seller, and the agents sign and notarize an Arms Length Transaction document. This states that the sellers and buyers do not know each other, are not related, and the seller will never again, EVER, live in the house , or ever make any profit off of the sale of the home. They can never rent the house or ever buy it back from the new owner.

The intention of this rule is obvious. The banks do not want to sell a home for less money than is owed on it and then have the seller get the benefit of being able to own the home for less money than they originally promised to pay for the home. I am not going to take sides here on whether the seller or the bank has the moral high ground on this. I am just going to say that the banks have made a decision that it is in their best interest not to reduce principal on most loans, but allow a short sale with new owners instead.

In addition to not being able to buy back the house for less money, or have a friend or relative buy the house for less money, the seller is also not allowed to rent the house, ever. This is where I start to have a problem. Some  banks have been allowing foreclosed owners to stay in the homes as renters which makes a lot of sense. The house does not get stripped or destroyed and the renter has a relationship with the house which will help preserve the home's value.  So why can't a seller rent from the new owner in a short sale? Many of these sellers do not have money to move and except for HAFA short sales or an occasional generous bank they are not given moving expenses.  It may be hard to find a place to rent after having some credit hits from missed mortgage payments or high credit card bills due to trying to keep up with the mortgage. It seems like an onerous rule to me, and one that does not directly benefit the bank anyway. Why should the bank care who the next owner rents to, especially if the original bank no longer owns or services the note?

And most importantly, what is wrong with a little humanity? Why can't families stay in their familiar surroundings, keep their children in the same schools, have the same neighbors? Isn't is enough punishment to lose your home, your equity, and your savings?

What do you think?

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

650-619-9285

D.R.E. 01191194

Marcy Moyer Keller Williams Realty Palo Alto, Ca. Specialist in Trust and Probate Sales

Indymac/Service Link Very Quick Short Sale Approval

I have a short sale listing in Gilroy which had an offer accepted by the seller at the beginning of December.  All of the paperwork was forwarded to Indymac who had it for about 2 1/2 weeks and then gave to Service Link for negotiation.  By then it was Christmas Week.  A negotiator was assigned who contacted me the first week of Jan.  I got approval, at purchase price, on Jan 10th. That was fast! There were no special tricks I used other than the way I handle all of my short sales.

1. A realistic, but still a good purchase price, not too high, not too low, but on the lower end of market value.

2. All the documentation was submitted at one time and the documents were tripled checked to make sure everything was there.

3. The sellers provided every single financial document that was required.

4. I followed up to make sure everything was in order and received by Service Link.

This is my first short sale with Service Link, who has just recently ramped up their short sale department.

I am now officially an Indymac/Servive Link short sale fan.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

650-619-9285

D.R.E. 01191194

Marcy Moyer Keller Williams Realty Palo Alto, Ca. Specialist in Trust and Probate Sales