Lodi / Stockton CA Homes For Sale & Real Estate Information

Friday – Day 9 – I called Chase for a less than 2 min call with a Steve. Since I was not an authorized caller, he told me he could not talk to me. Short but not helpful!

Monday - Day 12 – I received a call from Chase’s Justin ask me if we were doing a short sale on the property. Duh! He wanted to know if we had a buyer already. Duh. Then he proceeded to tell me all the paperwork that I would need to send in – the paperwork that I had sent in almost 2 weeks ago. He gave me the special short sale fax line – 866-220-4130. The one that I had already sent all the forms into 13 days ago.

Justin said that when I got all the forms into him he could order the BPO. This is different from what Elizabeth in New York had told me on Day 2. Elizabeth had said that they would order the BPO and it would take 7-10 days. We are on day 13 and Justin says they have not ordered it yet.

Prices in Lodi are still falling. The longer it takes to complete this short sale, the lower the value of the home. Banks like Chase (WaMu) started this real estate mess and they seem to be doing all they can to continue it.

Hopefully we will have some good news – and some quicker response soon. Don’t hold your breath.

Day 7 since Chase received the complete Short Sale package. I talked to Kelly in New York at 800-848-9380. I wanted to confirm what Elizabeth in New York had told me about the BPO that was to be ordered and returned within 7 to 10 days.

Kelly could not talk to me as the “legal department” of Chase had not cleared me to talk with the bank. My clients had signed the Chase short sale form “Authorization to Provide and Release Information”. Kelly confirmed that I was indeed listed on the form but the time frame for the “legal department” to review the form and give their blessing for me to talk to the bank is 7 to 14 days.

We have a fantastic offer for the bank – over the appraised value. Every day the bank delays the value of the house drops in the San Joaquin valley and the buyer becomes more frustrated at waiting for the bank to get off their duff and approve their great offer. Could the legal department of Chase hire a few more people to review that the form was filled out correctly and signed by the borrowers???

JP Morgan Chase’s profits for the first quarter of 2010 rose 57%.  How about hiring people to handle the short sales with that profit. $3.3 Billion would hire many people! The bank loses money every day they do not close a short sale. AS usual – this does not make sense to me. Does it make sense to you??

These Blog entries are about a good cash offer on a property that I represent the seller. I am dealing with Chase – which was given WaMu loans by you and me – our government – at a very low price on the dollar. A long time bank employee told me that he thought Chase “purchased” WaMu loans for 30 cents on the dollar. 30% – a 70% discount. I have not found any documentation on the price Chase paid for WaMu – so if any of our readers know where that is in print – send it to us! Thank You.

Friday I called the number on the Short Sale package for Assistance – 800-848-9380. I talked with Elizabeth in New York. Elizabeth looked up the Chase loan by the number I gave her and told me that Chase had received both my FAXes – Thursday and Friday morning. I have heard horror stories from other Realtors on Short Sales where the bank claims to never have received the Short Sale package.

I ask Elizabeth if Chase was recording our phone and she said “yes”. I ask if it would be OK if I recorded the call also?  She said “It is against company policy for anyone else to record the call”!

I ask Elizabeth the time frames for approval from Chase on a Short Sale. Elizabeth said that the Chase would order a BPO – a Broker Opinion of Value – within the next 7 to 10 days. Then someone in Chase would review the BPO and produce a Reconciled Market Value report with the next three to four weeks.

So now we are out 4 to 6 weeks. Next Elizabeth said that the bank would assign a Negotiator to the file. That person would contact me three to four weeks after they were assigned the file. Now we are talking 7 to 10 weeks before we might receive an answer from Chase.

Cash buyer. More than the value. Wait 7 to 10 weeks?

What are your stories about Chase Short Sales?  Do you think Elizabeth is giving me the straight story on the time frames?  Let us hear from you in the comment section at the top of this post.

Hi! This is Steve Davis – the Broker at Realty World – Davis Homes & Properties. Many people hear about how long a short sale is. I have just started on May 6 – Thursday – a short sale with Chase. 

On this blog I will be updating you daily as to the response I receive from Chase. We will see if they really want to serve the citizens of the United States – which Chase as taken billions of dollars from – or is the bank so understaffed and unwilling to work with the public that it is a total mess.

So – here is my first installment! On Thursday May 6 I received the accepted offer back from my seller. The seller also gave me the completed Short Sale package from Chase. I did my part as the listing agent – provided three For Sale homes that we similar to the one we are selling. I also provided three Sold homes that are comparable.

I wrote a two page cover letter pointing out to Chase that the offer that another good agent in Lodi brought to me was more than the house was worth. That Chase would be fools not to accept this offer ASAP. But from all we hear Chase is fools anyway. I am giving them a chance to publicly show that they are serious about the housing crisis and willing to move quickly.

I FAXed the completed Short Sale package to the bank at 800-446-8939. The package was 60 pages long.  I will update this post tomorrow with the results of submitting the complete Short Sale package to them.

Please comment about the pro’s and con’s of dealing with Chase on a Short Sale. Any tips you have for me will be appreciated. Thank You.

According to an article in the Boston Globe, here are four things sellers should understand about today’s market to make their homes as saleable as possible:

1. Real estate pricing is very local: “When you’re looking at comparables, you have to see what’s sold in the past three months. Look at your competition and what’s under agreement.

2. Get property pics online: Stage the property, then take pictures and video. Better yet, hire a professional photographer to do the job.

3. Disclosure is key: Tell potential buyers what’s wrong before they figure it out. That eliminates last-minute re-negotiations and cold feet.

4. Clean, clean, super-clean: A clean and clutter-free property makes potential buyers likely to pay more.

So, whether you’re still living in your home that’s For Sale, or you’ve already moved out, but are trying for a Short Sale in Stockton or Lodi areas, it’s always a good thing to get the most money for your home.

Make it a great day!

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• 7 Ways to Avoid a Crummy Real Estate Agent (usnews.com)

When it comes to buying a home, most potential buyers will use the listing price as the number one factor to determine the homes that they look at.  Even though you and a Realtor may determine the asking/listing price, the buyer will ultimately determine the selling price.  If the price is too high, most buyers won’t give it a second thought – which is why you want to determine the listing price carefully.  Real estate prices have dropped considerably in the last few years here in the Central Valley, so be careful not to chase the market downward with your pricing.

If you set the correct price, you’ll notice a much faster sale.  Setting the right listing price will also attract more potential buyers to your property as well.  You’ll also notice an increase in response from Realtors, and receive more calls about the property.  The listing price is very important – and it can ultimately determine whether or not you even sell your property.

A home can be overpriced due to several reasons.  Overpricing is something you want to avoid, as buyers tend to steer clear of homes that have been overpriced.  Normally, this happens when a buyer asks a lot more than the home is worth or valued at due to emotional reasons.  Some sellers ask a lot more than the value of the home due to location.  Although the location is very important, most potential buyers won’t give the home a second look if they think the price is too high – and more importantly out of their price range.

When you put your home up for sale, most activity will happen within the first couple of weeks.  If you put the right price on your home, you’ll notice immediate interest.  There are always buyers looking for homes in their price range, waiting for new homes to be listed or homes to be reduced in price.  Buyers who are waiting to purchase may miss seeing your home completely if the price is too high.

To determine the listing price of your home, you should always have your Realtor go over the comparable recent sales.  This way, you’ll know the possible value of your home.  You can sell it for market value or go a little under, although you should never attempt to go way over the value.  In doing so, you’ll miss out on a lot of potential buyers.  The home market is very competitive these days, which is why you want your home to draw as much interest as possible, as soon as possible.

Keep in mind that Realtors really have no control at all over the real estate market, only the plan behind the marketing.  Realtors don’t determine the asking price – the seller does through the assistance of their Realtor.  If you do things right and take each process step by step, you’ll set the listing price in the right area and have no problems selling your property, or at least getting offers for it.

Short Sales in Stockton and Lodi, CA areas are what’s fueling the market right now and will stay that way for the near future.  The main thing is to get a good solid offer on your home and then the lender(s) will determine if you get the ‘green light’ or not.  That will most likely only happen if you price it right from the start.

A while back I posted an article about how shipping containers were being used for innovative ways for housing.  I came across another article profiling even more unique ways of using shipping containers for more than just shipping cargo.

I wonder if using these containers in this manner would help or hurt the real estate market in the Lodi, CA and Stockton, CA areas.

To see how these containers are being creatively being used, CLICK HERE.

First American CoreLogic reports that distressed properties accounted for 29% of all U.S. home sales in January. Also, real estate-owned sales rose to 22% of homes sales from 19% in December, and short sales rose to 8% from 7%.

National average sale prices in January were $161,600 for distressed homes, compared to the average non-distressed sale price of $247,700, $141,900 for REO properties, and $215,300 for short sales.

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• Distressed Sales Reach 29% of Entire Market: First American (housingwire.com)

For several months last year I heard a lot that banks were not too willing to jump on   the Short Sale wagon due to they were making more money on a home once they foreclosed on it and then sold it as an REO.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

I’ve been hearing a lot more lately that banks are actually starting to work more easily with Sellers and Realtors® in order to get the process to go more smoothly with the short sale of the home

because it’s less costly to the banks than a foreclosure and they are starting to learn how to streamline the process a little better.

Here is a great that I came across that explains just that…CLICK HERE

I am beginning to see more and more Short Sales listed and being SOLD in the Lodi and Stockton, CA areas.  Here at Realty World-Davis Homes & Properties, we are taking the necessary steps to help homeowners that may be facing the decision to have to do a Short Sale on their home and assist in this process to help make it as less stressful as possible.

READ THIS ARTICLE, then contact us to get your questions answered and see if a Short Sale is right for you.

Randy

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• Don’t foreclose! Do a short sale (money.cnn.com)

Well, we’re getting down to the wire on the deadline for the tax credits.  If you purcase your home last year and haven’t filed your taxes, then here is the much needed info on how to get your benefit:

http://bit.ly/b0P8CP