by Julie Fontaine
In San Diego we love our homes, our gardens, our neighborhoods, and our sunshine. A lot of memories are made and our home is one of our most cherished possessions. We have poured our hearts into our heart, and sometimes our wallets too. But for many, these dream homes have become our biggest nightmare, as our mortgage payments have become unaffordable. Today many are turning toward a loan modification as a solution to their mortgage problems. A loan modification is attractive for many people because of the emotion attachment to the house and the lure of lower mortgage payments for the next several years. After all, it is your home, not just some investment to be dumped at a whim.
But if If I told you that reduced mortgage payment and the temporary monthly payment reduction is actually costing you upward of $17,000 a year EXTRA by staying in the house, would you believe me? So to understand the loss or gain associated with a loan modification versus a short sale let’s do the math. Let’s take a San Diego example.
1) Assume your loan is for $400,000, at 6.5% fully amortizing rate (meaning you are paying down the loan) and it is for30 years 2) After 30 years between interest and principal you will have paid $910,177 to the bank to payoff the loan. Thats a lot of money! In 5 years if you need to sell you would still owe $365,000. That is $162,000 in negative equity to be made up in a very short period of time.
What if lenders are not granting short sales at that time? You will still not have made any money on that house, you will have paid out $30,339 in interest and principal - AND YOU WILL GET NONE OF IT BACK. The bank still might take your home.
So lets look at the scenario where you got out today in a short sale, and bought another house in 1 year, which is possible if you are aggressive with your credit repair. In one year that same home will likely be worth less. So you go out and buy a similar house, now worth $175,000 with 10% down. Your loan would be $157,500. For comparison sake lets assume the interest is 6.5%, fully amortizing for 30 years. Your total interest paid for the life of the loan would only be $200,244. To pay off the entire loan over 30 years you would end up paying $357,244. Take $910K - $357K that’s a savings of $552,993.00 - a half a million dollars!
So by moving on, particularly if you are facing a financial difficulty, you will not only get out of your negative equity situation (and essentially be losing money), but you will save over $500,000 by getting out and getting back in.
In San Diego houses are still experiencing a decline in prices. So perhaps in one year that house is now worth $175,000 and you buy a similar one in the same neighborhood with 10% down. Your loan would be $157,500. Let’s assume the loan’s interest is 6.5%, and is fully amortizing for 30 years. Your total interest paid for the life of the loan would only be $200,244. To pay off the entire loan over 30 years you would end up paying $357,244. Thats a savings of $552,993.00 of a half a million dollars! ($910K-$357K)
Let me ask you, does it financially make sense to stay in the home? I know you love it, but separate out the emotions from the finances. What ultimately will be best for you?
About the Author:
Before you short sell your home in San Diego or other real estate markets, make sure you have a team of experts working for you. A real estate agent alone cannot effectively complete a successful short sale in a timely manner. Trouble Property Solutions, centered in San Diego is working nationwide
Troubled Property Solutions to provide you that team to get the house sold quickly.