Friday, April 29, 2011

Community Responsibility

I read lots of blogs talking about all of the great things people are doing with their businesses. I wanted to take a minute and let everyone know what 5280 Homes, Inc does outside of providing world class service to those wanting to buy or sell homes.

We are committed to be socially responsible. Out of almost every closing, a small donation is made to a local charity. Over the past two years we have donated money to the Carson J Spencer Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House and other 501(C)(3) organizations. As the managing broker for the company, I have been determined to keep 100% of our donations in the local community. While I understand catastrophic events happen around the world, I can never forget about the people in my own community who so greatly benefit by keeping my donations local.

One of our broker associates is in the process of launching her very own not-for-profit organization. This charity will help to spread information about suicide prevention. This is a very personal issue for her and an extremely worth while cause. 5280 Homes, Inc is proud to be the very first donor to this charity and we look forward to providing financial and volunteer assistance in the future.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

More from the land of short sales

A recent news article I read in the Denver Post indicated that more the 20% of homes in Colorado are now worth less than the mortgage(s). I know far to many people who have lost their jobs or have had significant income reductions and just aren't able to readily afford their payments any longer. Couple this with a home that isn't worth the amount of the mortgage and you have all of the ingredients to lose a home to foreclosure.

To often, people in this situation don't ask for any help until it is WAY to late. Lenders are not nearly as forgiving in Colorado as other states when you get behind on your payments. Colorado has a unique Public Trustee system to handle foreclosures and they move very quickly once the initial foreclosure filing is submitted.

If you find yourself in this position, here are some things you MUST do right away!
1) Call your loan service provider and discuss your situation! If you do this right away, the will know you are serious about keeping your home and will be more willing to help you.
2) If you know you can no longer afford your payments, you must discuss what your options are for a "LOAN MODIFICATION."
3) If you don't qualify for a loan modification, consider a "short sale". A short sale is where you ask the lender to forgive part of your debt so you can sell your house. There are many different requirements that must be followed you need to work with an experienced short sale expert.

In my next blog post, I'll go over questions you should be asking when interviewing a short sale specialist.