Monday, August 31, 2009

Weekly Snapshot Statistics - Santa Barbara Real Estate Market

For the week of 8/24/09-8/30/09:

42 new listings
44 price changes
29 sales pended (21 under $1M, four $1-2M, three $2-4M, one over $8M)
32 closed
68 off market (20 expired, 11 canceled, 7 withdrawn)
14 back on market

Can you believe it?? We are starting to hear about multiple offers again...

Thursday, August 27, 2009

This Week's C.A.R. Mortgage Update

C.A.R. Mortgage Update

This week’s C.A.R. Mortgage Update contains information about what to do if a mortgage is sold to another servicer.

Approximately half of all mortgage loans are sold from one lender to another, often because the original lender is not equipped to collect payments, manage escrow accounts, pay taxes and insurance, respond to questions, and prepare payoff statements when the home is sold or refinanced. Some borrowers may receive letters in the mail alerting them of the sale of their loan a few days after closing, while others may not receive a notice for years.

In the mortgage-industry, this is called a “transfer of servicing,” and is a common practice. Borrowers should not be concerned about these changes, as the majority of lenders transfer their servicing rights to loans. Generally, the selling of a mortgage loan from one lender to another is a smooth transition and does not impact the borrower. Every so often though, there is a misstep by either the loan buyer or the loan seller.

Under the National Affordable Housing Act, when a mortgage loan is sold, the borrower is required to receive a “goodbye” letter from their current servicers at least 15 days before their next payment is due. The letter must state the name, address, and telephone number of the new servicer; the date the old company will stop collecting payments; and the date the new company will start accepting them. Under the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, signed by President Obama on May 20, the new owner of the loan—which may or may not be the servicer—also must notify the borrower of the transfer within 30 days, known as the
“hello” letter.

The “hello” letter should outline the same information as the “goodbye” letter sent from the former loan servicing company. Borrowers should be cautious if they receive a “hello” letter without receiving a “goodbye” letter, as they may be the intended victim of a scam by someone who is hoping to unlawfully receive the monthly mortgage payments. Concerned borrowers should contact their current loan servicer to verify if their loan has been transferred. If it hasn’t, authorities should be notified immediately.

In most cases, a mortgage payment sent to the old servicer automatically will be forwarded to the new servicer for a brief amount of time, typically 60 days. However, if payments are not sent to the correct servicer, they could become lost, and the homeowner may incur late fees.
To read the full story, please click here:
http://www.latimes.com/classified/realestate/news/la-fi-lew23-2009aug23,0,714106.story

Monday, August 24, 2009

Source: bit.ly
Increased transactions and relatively low foreclosure resales spell good news for these markets.

This is a great article - check it out! Santa Barbara is listed in the Top 10 Cities for Recovery.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Weekly Snapshot Statistics - Santa Barbara Real Estate Market

For the weeks of 8/3/09-8/16/09:

95 new listings
96 price changes
77 sales pended
49 closed
68 off market (35 expired, 24 canceled, 9 withdrawn)
22 back on market