Selling Property in a Depressed Market

Written by ama on Friday, December 11th, 2009 in Uncategorized.

It is a simple fact of life that, when the economy performs badly, the number of people purchasing property drops drastically. This is because of the large amount of money involved in buying a home. Most people simply find themselves unable to afford to purchase a new house, and with the times being uncertain, are also unwilling to take the risk of obtaining a loan from a bank. In addition to that, many people who would qualify for bank loans during more normal conditions find themselves ineligible for bank loans under the stricter requirements that banks impose during periods of economic turmoil.

Unfortunately it is during the tough times that people find themselves being forced to sell property. Plenty of people need the money from selling property to dig them out of debt in these tough times. A lot of property owners find themselves struggling with the loans that they took in order to purchase their house in better times. Pay cuts, rising interest rates, and rising costs of living are all factors that could drive real estate owners to sell their houses.

Some homeowners find themselves waiting for weeks or even months for someone to respond to their advertisements with absolutely no success. This can be a truly frustrating and stressful time for a homeowner attempting to sell property. Every phone call becomes a matter of picking up with a pounding heart hoping to hear a potential buyer’s voice only to be disappointed. This can even lead to tension between couples, and cause the entire family to become depressed and unhappy.

If you are about to throw your hands up in despair and declare that ‘I will never be able to sell my house,’ then you definitely need to take a look at the Easy Home Sales website. Easy Home Sales is a company that specializes in helping homeowners selling property in South Africa. Their testimonials consist mainly of relieved customers talking about how ‘I was able to sell my house,’ and you can add your voice to theirs in no time at all.

They provide this service by buying your property directly from you. Unlike real estate agents, who simply act as middlemen to locate potential buyers for you, Easy Home Sales is your buyer. This is the perfect solution for homeowners who need to sell their property as quickly as possible. Once you contact Easy Home Sales, your property will be sold within 48 hours, which is an incredibly short period of time when it comes to selling property.

48 hours seems almost absurdly short when you consider the fact that most property owners wait at least several weeks before they are able to sell their property. If you are in financial trouble and need the money from the sale of your property to bail you out of that trouble, then this is the fastest and most convenient method of getting your hands on that money and getting yourself out of trouble.

Tips On Selling Your House And Earning A Profit

Written by ama on Friday, December 11th, 2009 in Uncategorized.

At some point in time, most real estate owners contemplate the idea of selling their house. Most people tend to live in their home for between 3 to 5 years before moving. They will then purchase new real estate due to a change in income, relocation due to a career or for a simple change in scenery.

There are many options available when it comes to selling property. Many people who sell property contact estate agents to do so. This is one of the most popular and over used methods of selling a home. The problem is that this method is used by thousands of people in your area. That means that the sale of your house is not getting the personal attention that it needs.

Most real estate agencies only have a handful of agents who are selling hundreds to thousands of homes at one time. This means that your house is just one of many priorities on their list. You will not receive maximum exposure for the real estate you are selling when you use a typical real estate agent or company.

Additionally, the process of using a real estate agent can sometimes take weeks or months to get started. There are many steps that real estate agents take before preparing you and your home for potential sale. This process may additionally be drawn out further if the real estate agency you are choosing to do business with is dealing with a large workload.

Sell my house on my own?

Therefore, you may wish to seek out alternative methods to selling your property. One such alternative is selling your house yourself. Nevertheless, if you do not have the knowledge and know-how to accomplish this task, you could actually end up selling your property for thousands of rands less than it is worth. Additionally, you will have to pay numerous fees for proper legal filings and inspections that you will be required to complete before putting your house on the market.

In fact, if you have limited or no knowledge of real estate you could quickly find that you are ‘in way over your head’. Therefore, you should only attempt to sell your house on your own if you are an expert when it comes to real estate or are a licensed real estate agent. Otherwise, you could run the risk of losing a substantial amount of money in your home selling endeavors.

The third and most proven and reputable method to selling your home is by simply selling your home to a company. There are numerous companies who buy homes from real estate owners and then turn around and sell them individually. The best part about a service such as this is that you can generally get the process rolling in less than 48 hours and you don’t have to sit around waiting for the company to show your home off. They simply buy your home directly from you.

These types of companies will save you a great deal of time and money! Additionally, they purchase property close to market value. They will also take care of all the legal issues and documentation filing that is needed to make the sale of you property legal and successful.

Prevent Repossession With A Sell And Rent-Back Scheme

Written by ama on Saturday, October 31st, 2009 in Uncategorized.

The economy has been very shakey in the past couple of years and property owners have felt this hit more than others. The South African property market has felt the tough times from home prices falling and many homeowners are afraid they’re going to lose their home by repossession.

Banks are always willing to work with the real estate owners to try to get them back on track with their monthly bond payments. Although banks may have the reputation for having deep pockets to take your money and being eager to take your home away from you, this image is not completely accurate. Banks do not stand to gain a lot when they repossess a house. They made have ownership of the house but they have to bid on it at public auction.

They are not concerned with how much the house is worth. They will only bid on what the borrower owes them - nothing more. So, they are not making a profit, especially with the way property values have dropped recently. Property owners definitely do not stand to gain anything from a property repossession. They maybe won’t have their monthly bond payments to make but they also do not have their home and they have a negative credit report that can haunt them for years. In addition to this, ***selling property*** when it comes to pressured times can be an absolute nightmare and is not something to look forward to.

Homeowners that are struggling in South Africa to keep their home from repossession are finding a good solution in ’sell and rent back’ services. Sell and rent back companies are being used more and more now with so many property owners at risk of losing their property in repossession. The great thing about these sell and rent back services is that you no longer have to lose sleep every night worrying about getting kicked out of your home because you can’t make the monthly bond payments. This is one sure way to stop repossession of your home. These sell and rent back companies buy your property for cash and allow you to stay in the property and rent it from them.

Your life can continue the way it was before you began having such financial troubles. You’ll still be in your home but won’t have to worry about large monthly bond payments, taxes or the many other financial strains owning a house can cause. You’ll have a chance to get back on your feet financially, without the stress of uprooting your family and having to find another property to live in. Not to mention, if the home was repossessed, you would be black listed with credit companies and would have a difficult time getting credit or even renting a home as landlords also do a check of your credit history before renting out property.

Sell and rent back companies don’t often charge fees for their services so you don’t have to worry about coming up with cash upfront to sell your house; this is another fantastic way to prevent repossession. Another great bonus is that they also offer you a buy-back option. In the future when your financial situation improves and you’re ready to buy a home again, you can buy back your home. So, before you give up completely on your home, contact one of the rent and buy back companies and see how they can help you and your family.

Repossession - How To Stop It Now

Written by ama on Saturday, October 17th, 2009 in Uncategorized.

Home repossession is probably the most stressful and daunting experience a homeowner can go through. There is no blow quite as devastating as knowing you’re going to lose your property. Everything you’ve saved for and dreamed about will be gone. As horrible as this sounds, hundreds of people in South Africa, as well as other parts of the world, go through this every year. Their most valuable asset, gone.

The Economy has been very hard on everyone with soaring interest ratings and inflation that just won’t seem to slow down. Real estate owners who may have started their real estate bond paying a low interest rate are now paying a high rate, making it very difficult to keep up with the monthly payments. Some property owners have had to refinance and have two mortgages on their house. With the value of their house falling, refinancing is not an option to help them keep up because the equity is just not high enough.

Unforeseen circumstances often cause financial difficulties to homeowners as well. A well-paying job they may have had when they bought their house may no longer exist. Death in the family, divorce, separation or the high cost of living may all contribute to homeowners being unable to make their monthly bond payment. The result in many cases is a house repossession. They knew this was a risk when they signed the bond agreement with the bank but never thought they’d be in such a frightening situation.

If any of these circumstances sound familiar to you, don’t give up and feel repossession is your only choice. There are solutions to prevent repossession of any person’s house. There are several options. Contacting your bank is always the first step that should be taken. Don’t wait for them to contact you and ABOVE ALL don’t avoid talking to them. If you’re honest with them about your situation and believe there is a way that you can catch up, they’ll want to work with you. No one wins in a home repossession and banks will only repossess a home if there is no other choice for them to get their money back.

Many people tend to give up and feel that repossession is their only answer. They even mistakenly believe that the bank will sell their property and give them any leftover money after the bond is paid and they can start over. This isn’t how repossession works here. The bank will bid on your home at a Sheriff’s auction and will only bid as high as the amount you owe them. So, you will lose your home and any equity you may have in the home. There are however methods to stop repossession of your property. Selling property to the public isn’t one of these methods when you are experiencing time restrictions with your bank.

Your credit history will also be severely damaged with a record of repossession. You’ll be black-listed and won’t be able to get credit for up to 10 years. If you thought things looked bad before you lost your house, you’ll find out they are a lot worse after repossession. Repossessions often go so quickly so you won’t really have time to try to sell your home and get a decent price for it.

If you aren’t able to work out a compromise with the bank, your best option may be to contact a repossession company to help you. They’ll quickly buy your home from the bank so you won’t have repossession on your history. You may also be given the option of renting the home from them or buying it back when your financial situation is better. Although many consider repossession companies as a last resort, it’s often the perfect choice to stop a home repossession.

Understanding Home Repossession

Written by ama on Saturday, October 3rd, 2009 in Uncategorized.

We are hit with many predicaments and catastrophes every day but none can be worse than experiencing a home repossession. Unfortunately for many homeowners, home repossession is something that more and more people have to live through, often through no fault of their own. We’ve suffered some very difficult financial times what with the constantly rising interest rates as well as inflation and the economy in general.

As bad as the prospect of a home repossession may seem, you don’t need to just give up and accept what you think is inevitable. You may be in for some stressful times ahead while you try to save your home but there are things you can do to stop a home repossession. Home repossession is a constant and very real threat when you fail to make your monthly bond payment for your home. While everyone is late occasionally and many people are finding it difficult to keep up, the bank will take steps to repossess the home if consecutive months are missed. The idea of selling property then crosses the seller’s mind.

If after contacting your bank you still find that it is almost impossible to keep up with your payments, the next option may be to sell your property before the bank has a chance to repossess it and sell it at a Sheriff’s auction. When it’s sold at a Sheriff’s auction, the bank will only bid as high as the amount that you owe the bank and possibly to cover fees. Any thoughts you may have had of making a profit after the bond is paid off, you can stop having! There is some good news at least, and that is that it is most certainly possible to stop repossession of your home.

When faced with a possible home repossession, many homeowners try to sell their home on their own. With inflation and the economy as it’s been, many properties have been reduced in value over the past few years, making it tricky to even sell the house for enough to pay off the bond. There are also many expenses involved in selling your home, which a person facing repossession often can’t afford. Another negative about trying to sell your home is that there often isn’t enough time to get it sold before the actual property repossession takes place even though it takes a few months.

These are all stressful events that can add a lot of frustration into the family home. A much easier option, when all else fails, is to contact a repossession company to buy your home. They’re fast at what they do and will usually make the bank an offer within a day or two of meeting with you. They’ll only offer around 70% of the market value but this is still better than the alternative, which is losing the property and having it on your credit history.

Repossession companies can often delay your eviction so you won’t have to worry about being kicked out and having to look for housing. This is another great solution to prevent repossession of your house. They’ll also rent the house to you, which makes it easier if you have children in local schools or a job nearby. They’ll do everything possible to make this horrible time in your life as stress-free as possible. They also may offer to sell you your property back when your finances are in better shape. While repossession companies may be your last option and only when you can’t work with the bank any longer, they are a much better option than losing your property and your credit worthiness.

Repossession - Be Familiar With The Effects

Written by ama on Sunday, September 6th, 2009 in Uncategorized.

Losing your property due to repossession is not number one of anyone’s list. Although it’s the most feared situation of any property owner, many make the mistake of almost “welcoming” it when they find themselves in the daunting circumstances of not being able to make their bond payment.

Homeowner’s often find they are unable to meet their financial obligations with the bank for a variety of reasons. The reasons may be illness, divorce, death in the family, redundancy, to name just a few. Despite the reason, falling behind on your payments can be demanding and scary. Many real estate owners feel they don’t know what to do and feel trapped so they do nothing. This is a big mistake, there are ways and means to avoid repossession of your property.

When homeowners first buy their home and sign for their bond/mortgage, they make an agreement with the bank to make monthly payments until the bond is paid in full. They have full knowledge that if they fail to make the payments, their home may be repossessed. Yet, once they start to have critical financial troubles, they tend to resign themselves to the fact that their home is going to be repossessed without fully understanding the consequences and many effects of repossession.

In spite of what many people believe about repossessions, banks don’t stand to make a large profit when they repossess a home.  Homeowners also have the mistaken belief that if the bank repossesses their home and sells it, they’ll get a huge profit and give it back to the homeowner so they can pay off other debts. This isn’t how it works when your house is repossessed in this country.

The bank does not care about the value of the home and have no real interest in owning the home or property. All they are interested in is selling the home for enough money to get their money back-only the money that is owed on the bond plus any possible expenses they’ve had to put out involving the repossession.

The home or property will be given to the Sheriff to sell at a Sheriff’s office. This must take place prior to the bank becoming the new owner of the house. The bank will be at the auction to bid on the house; however, they will only be bidding as high as what is owed on the house bond. They’re not concerned with the true value of the home or if they could get more money than is owed. Once the home is finally sold to the highest bidder, the Sheriff will pay off all creditors and give the balance to the seller. Properties that are sold at a Sheriff’s auction seldom get sold for more than the property owner owes the bank. So, one effect of repossession is that you will lose your property and won’t get any of the money. As mentioned before you can prevent repossession if you look at your alternatives. Selling property in any market can be a difficult task indeed.

Another major effect of repossession is that your financial situation will be affected for many years. If you’ve undergone repossession, you will have difficulty obtaining credit for many years to come. This can and will affect your life in many ways, possibly even more than the actual repossession. These are things that should be considered carefully before you decide repossession is your only option.

Stop Repossession From Ruining Your Life

Written by ama on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 in Uncategorized.

Property owners are losing their houses through repossession now more than ever before. This can be a very daunting experience but one that can possibly be avoided if the correct steps are taken at the first sign of financial problems.

Many property owners feel ashamed or embarrassed when they can no longer make their bond payments on time. When the bank attempts to contact them, they avoid them rather than face their difficulties head on and stand the chance to stop repossession of their home. Your payments are not going to make themselves and the bank is not going to suddenly ignore the fact that you’re behind on the payments. In actual fact, ignoring the bank and not speaking to them is only going to make matters worse for you and your family. You are not the first person to not be able to make their bond payments. The economy has taken a hit on many people so don’t feel like you’re alone and helpless.

The possibility of losing their home is a very stressful thought that can damage a person’s physical as well as mental health. In many cases it’s not through any fault of the homeowner. There is however light at the end of the tunnel with regard to one being able to prevent repossession completely. Often personal circumstances such as bad health or loss of job create problems that cannot be helped. Too many homeowners facing a potential repossession feel they are going to lose their home regardless of what they do, so they do nothing. This is a huge mistake.If you choose to deal with the problem and the bank sooner rather than later, you’ll increase your chance of keeping your home rather than having it repossessed.

Just giving up on your house and turning the keys over to the bank can cause many serious consequences for you and none of them good. Your name will not only be black-listed at banks and financial lenders but you’ll also have a very bad credit record. If you do get black-listed or damage your credit record, you’ll most likely find yourself banned from financial institutions from 5 to 10 years. Having a bad credit record will make it impossible to get another bond for a house, get approved for credit cards of any kind, cell phone accounts or even rent a home as almost all landlords do a credit check before renting out their property. In other words, losing your home to repossession will just be the beginning of your financial difficulties. Don’t let a potential repossession ruin your life. Take steps now to help yourself!

At the first sign of financial difficulty that you know will prevent you from paying your bond, contact your bank. They honestly do want to help you. When a property is repossessed, no one really wins. They are going to be more lenient and able to help you when you contact them rather than making them “hunt you down” with letters and repeated phone calls that get ignored.

The bank may have different options to help you get through your rough spot. A holiday period is often an option banks offer to their customers to help them keep their property. This may give you from 3 to 6 months where you don’t have to make any bond payments. This holiday period will give you time to get your finances in order. Selling property is not a trivial task so this holiday period can really help one out. Another option they may offer or you can suggest is increasing the term of your bond. This will allow you reduced payments. The only way you can get these offers, however, is to get hold of your bank and tell them about your situation.

The Correct Way To Avoid Repossession

Written by ama on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 in Uncategorized.

There aren’t many things in life that are more distressing and frightening than the thought of having your house repossessed and losing everything you possess. Nevertheless many real estate owners are being faced with this very overwhelming and devastating possibility. When property owners are threatened with losing their house because they can no longer make the bond payment each month, it’s frightening and extremely depressing.

You start getting threatening letters in the mail and it seems like your phone just won’t stop ringing from the constant debt collectors. Your first instinct is to take the phone off the hook, don’t read the mail and lie down and cry. It’s doing these things that cause many real estate owners to actually lose their property when there may have been solutions to their problem.

The rate of home repossessions in South Africa has been very high in recent years and many homeowners may have been able to prevent losing their home if they would have been prepared and not chosen to ignore the problem. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t know that there are solutions that can avoid repossession. There is help available out there. All you have to do is reach out for it. If more property owners in South Africa were aware of some of the possible solutions, the rate of property repossessions would decrease drastically.

You may already be aware of many of the solutions mentioned, but they are critically important. Talking to your bank is probably the most important step you can take to prevent repossession.If you get hold of them as soon as you realize you are going to be unable to make your payments, they will be much more willing to help you work out a solution to help you both. As repossessing a house is pricey to the bank, they do not want to repossess it unless it’s absolutely necessary.

There are several options the bank may offer you to help you lighten your financial load and keep your home. Many banks will offer you a “holiday” or “grace” period where you won’t have to make your bond payments. This period may be from 3 to 6 months and will give you enough time to get your finances in order, pay off other debts, and find employment or whatever needs to be done to help your financial situation.

Increasing the term of your bond may also be a great help. Most South African bond agreements are for 20 years. By extending your term to 30 years, you may be paying more interest but you’ll be paying a lower monthly bond payment. You can always revert back to the 20-year term when your finances recover.

Banks may even be willing to lessen the balance on your bond. While this may be the option the bank likes the least, they may still consider it because they’re still getting money, even if it’s not as much as they would like. They still consider it a better option than having to go through the costly and time-consuming process of a home repossession.

If all else fails and you can’t work something out with your bank, don’t waste any time and contact a repossession expert. They’ll not only give you helpful advice but may also buy your property from the bank with cash so it is not repossessed, a process that will devastate your credit history for many years. As we all know, selling property when facing repossession can be a very stressful and daunting time for the home owner as well as their family.

Prevent Repossession – A Daunting Time In Our Lives

Written by ama on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 in Uncategorized.

Facing repossession can be a very emotional time in our lives. At the end of the day, as emotional as it is, it needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. It is no myth that a dliemma as serious as this won’t simply vanish into thin air if action is not taken. Many home owners unfortunately do tend to have this attitude as they are unaware of how to deal with the situation at hand and it’s a lot easier to just run away from the problem. It is natural to think that you are doomed either way when the bank informs you that they are about to step in and repossess your house. Times like this can put a large amount of pressure on the home owners personal life, and can even be detrimental to their health. Yet it does not have to be this way, because you can stop repossession.

It is important to remember that there is no reason to be embarrassed about your situation if facing repossession. These things tend to happen in life and are often caused by no fault of our own. Instead of hiding from reality, the best thing to do would be to take action immediately in order to stop repossession of your property.

It is natural for most property owners to feel like giving up and simply handing the keys over to their bank, however this can have extremely negative repercussions down the line such as obtaining a bad credit record. This typically means that the home owner’s name  will be black-listed. Once a home owner gets a bad credit record they will typically be banned from the credit industry for the next 5 - 10 years. Having a bad credit record would also mean that something as basic as renting a home in future may prove to be difficult as most landlords perform credit checks before signing a tenant up. They will also be declined for basically any type of credit application that they apply for. This would include applications for credit cards, shopping accounts, cellphone contracts etc.

Fortunately the news is not all bad and there is light at the end of the tunnel. There are a few things one is able to do in order to prevent repossession.

The following actions should be taken by all home owners looking to prevent repossession:

- Make contact with your bank as soon as possible and let them know of your dilemma. They will generally be understanding and will respect you for being open and honest. This will also tend to make the bank follow a more lenient and understanding approach when tackling the situation with you.

- Arrange for an extended bond term. If your bond is currently over a period of 20 years, you could request to change the term to 30 years. This will decrease your monthly repayments by a small amount. Even though it wont be a great amount, every little bit helps.

- Attempt to arrange a ‘holiday’ period. This is typically a 3 to 6 month period in which you do not have to make any bond repayments. This will give the home owner enough time to hopefully get themselves back on their feet.

Then, as an absolute last resort, there are fortunately people out there who specialize in helping distressed home owners out of their situation. These repossession services are usually made up of a group of property investors who specialize in purchasing houses for cash and as a result provide home owners with an instant and guaranteed home sale before the bank swoops in and proceeds to repossess the home. These repossession services may not offer the full market value for the property, but instead will offer up to around 70% to 80% of the market value for a quick and hassle free sale. This can sort out the home owner’s problem pretty fast because these companies understand how the lenders operate.

At the end of the day the idea is to arrive at a ‘win win’ situation where the property owner is helped out of a very stressful situation, the property owner’s account is paid up and their credit history is kept in tact. As a trade-off for providing this service to the real estate owner, the property investor gets to buy the house at a slight discount, and everybody is happy. These services will even allow the home owner to remain in their home after the sale, renting it back from the repossession company which can be very helpful if the home owner intends to remain in their home.  

It seems clear that utilizing the services of a repossession company who are able to buy houses for cash far outweighs sitting around and simply ignoring the problem at hand only to have the bank step in and claim everything the home owner owns, and ultimately leaving them with nothing but a bad credit record. It is vital that the real estate owner gets hold of such a service while there is still time to avoid the repossession. Contact Easy Home Sales today to find out how they can help you out of your predicament today.

Know The Options To Avoid Repossession

Written by ama on Thursday, August 6th, 2009 in Uncategorized.

The thought of losing your home under any circumstances can be extremely frightening, stressful and depressing. Nonetheless, the results can be even worse when you’re losing it due to the repossession of your property. Your lifetime savings suddenly disappear. You have to look for a new home for yourself and your family and your credit history is pretty much shot. The future looks pretty bleak for you, doesn’t it?

With the souring rate of house repossessions in South Africa (it has doubled since 2006), several property owners are facing this every day. However, there are options homeowners can take to avoid home repossession and by knowing what these options are, you may even be able to maintain the property you’ve worked so hard to get.

Every homeowner that is worried about home repossession has different financial circumstances that led to their problem. Some may be severely in debt with all their bills while others may only be having problems with their monthly bond payment. If you fall in the second group, perhaps refinancing your bond/mortgage may be an option if there is enough equity in the home. This is a nice alternative to selling property in a tough market when you are faced with time constraints. 

Sometimes, refinancing your bond may be just the help you need to get back on your feet. The past due amounts are gone and you may have a new monthly bond payment that’s lower and easier to pay. For others, refinancing is just a short term solution to help them avoid a home repossession. It’s also a solution that will help preserve your credit history, especially if you’re managing to pay your other debts on time. Your credit history may not be good, but having a history with a listed repossession would be even worse.

Despite this being something most property owners in financial trouble stay away from, talking to your financial lender should be almost the first step in order to prevent repossession. They want what is owed to them but repossessing your home is a final resort for them. The more willing you are to discuss the matter with them, the more willing they are going to be to help you. This is particularly true in circumstances where you can demonstrate that you are able to repay your bond with a little assistance from them.

There are numerous options they can recommend to you in order to assist you in minimising the financial crisis you’re in and even stop your house from being repossessed. Financial lenders may adjust the term of your loan so you’ll have more time to pay but with a reduced monthly bond payment. Your financial lender may even grant you a free grace period in which you will not be required to make any monthly payments for a few months. This is often very helpful for homeowners as it gives them the opportunity to catch up on their other debts and restructure their financial situation so they don’t have problems in the future.

Although it’s their least favorite solution, they may also be persuaded to take off some of the balance you owe them. Even though they won’t be getting the amount of money they’d hoped for with principal and interest, they’re still getting their money without having the hassle and cost of a home repossession.

At times, regardless of all these options available, an appropriate answer can’t be found. In situations like this repossession specialists are the best choice as they can swoop in and save the day by paying cash to buy your home. They’ll guarantee a fast sale with no hassle and often will rent you the home or sell it back to you in the future when you can afford it. As you can see, when faced with a home repossession, once you know your options and that there are options, you can avoid losing your home to repossession.



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