Skip to main content

Advance Fees and Loan Modification Services

If you are behind in your mortgage payments, you may be contacted by individuals or companies that will offer to help you work out a loan modification with your lender or provide other services to you in order to help you prevent a foreclosure on your home.
You must be very careful if you are asked to pay for any of these services in advance, whether in cash, check or by charging your credit card. First, California Civil Code Section 2945, which regulates "foreclosure consultants", forbids anyone who falls under the definition of a “foreclosure consultant”, as well as a real estate licensee, from collecting any advance fees for these types of services if a Notice of Default has been recorded against your property. If your lender has recorded a notice of default, do not pay an advance fee to anyone. There are non-profit agencies that can assist you without charging you a fee and real estate brokers who can represent you for a fee to be paid after they have completed their work. For information on non-profit housing counseling services, use the following links:
Federal Housing Administration
Hope Alliance Web site
If a Notice of Default has not been recorded against your property, it may be permissible for a real estate broker to assist you in working out a loan modification or otherwise negotiate a possible resolution to your problem with your lender or loan servicer and ask you for payment in advance for their services. However, the broker must have you sign an agreement that tells you what services will be performed, when they will be performed and how much you must pay. The broker cannot have you sign an agreement until it has been submitted to the Department of Real Estate for review and the broker has received permission to use it and collect the advance fee.
The following individual and corporate real estate brokers have submitted advance fee agreements for loan modification and/or similar services to the Department of Real Estate for review, and have received “no objection” letters regarding their use. CLICK HERE You can obtain information on brokers and their locations by clicking on the “License Number” on the attached list or call (916) 227-0770.
The Department of Real Estate does not approve, endorse, recommend or make any representations about any of the agreements or their terms, or any aspect of a licensee’s business activities. Consumers wishing to contract with a real estate broker for loan modification or any other similar or related services should carefully review the agreement(s) and consider obtaining independent advice before signing an agreement(s) or advancing any fees. Consumers should also consider comparing the services and fees offered by other licensed brokers on the list.
Note: Licensed real estate brokers who provide loan modification or similar services without collecting fees in advance are not required to receive the Department of Real Estate’s permission as long as their services are fully completed before you pay them.
The list is updated on a periodic basis and may not include those which have recently completed the review process.
Before you pay an advance fee to anyone for assisting you, first call the Department of Real Estate at (916) 227-0770 to find out if an advance fee agreement is on file.
Article copied from: http://www.dre.ca.gov/mlb_adv_fees.html Copyright © 2007 State of California

We have been successful, with short sales and loan modifcations. Let us show you how we can help

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Low home loan rates create more affordable housing.

HOME LOAN RATES REMAIN LOWER:    NOW MAY BE THE PERFECT TIME TO SEE HOW MUCH YOU CAN SAVE ON YOUR NEXT MOVE.  HAVE YOU BEEN CONSIDERING DOWNSIZING, UP-SCALING,  MOVING TO A BETTER NEIGHBORHOOD OR SCHOOL DISTRICT?   IF YOUR CURRENTLY RENTING THIS IS ALMOST A NO BRAINIER, WHEN YOU COMPARE YOUR RENT TO YOUR INVESTMENT IN OWN HOME.    TODAY'S  CONFORMING LOANS TO 417K OFFER THE FOLLOWING: 5/1 ARM: 3.25%with zero points 10 Year Fixed: 3.375% with zero points 15 Year Fixed: 4% with zero points 30 Year Fixed: 4.75% with zero points. JUMBO TO 729K 5/1 ARM: 3.5% with zero points 10 Year Fixed: 3.875% with zero points 15 Year Fixed: 4% with zero points 30 Year Fixed: 4.75% with zero points out-of-pocket cost is for the appraisal. SUPER JUMBO TO 1.5MM 5/1 ARM: 4% with 1/2 point 30 Year Fixed: 4.75% with 1/2 point    Special attention to consider the 30 year fixed rate on Super Jumbo. This rate has never been...

CASH For Appliances - Just in Time for the holidays

CASH for Appliances— Coming Your Way SOON!! By the end of 2009, consumers nationwide will be able to take advantage of a federal "cash for appliances" program offering rebates on purchases of a wide array of home appliances certified as energyefficient by the EPA's Energy Star program. Backed by an initial $300 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the state-run rebate program is intended to help make American homes more energy-efficient while further stimulating the economy. Who Will Run the Program? Each state will administer its own cash for appliances program. The states will be free to select which residential Energy Star qualified appliances to include in their programs and the individual rebate amount offered for each appliance. What Can You Buy? The Department of Energy (DOE) has recommended that the states focus their cash for appliances rebate efforts on heating and cooling equipment, appliances, and water heaters as these products ...

Walkable neighborhoods command price premiums

Walkable neighborhoods command price premiums A new study says that homes located in more walkable neighborhoods command a price premium over similar homes in less walkable areas. The study, “Walking the Walk: How Walkability Raises Home Values in U.S. Cities” was commissioned by CEOs for Cities and conducted by Joe Cortright using data from Walk Score. Key findings include: · In 13 out of 15 metro areas higher levels of walk-ability were directly linked to higher home values. · In the typical metropolitan area, a one point increase in Walk Score was associated with an increase in value ranging from $500 to $3,000. Gains were larger in denser, urban areas and smaller in less dense markets. · In the typical areas studied, the premium commanded for neighborhoods with above-average Walk Scores ranged from $4,000 to $34,000. More info