In case you’ve been living under a rock (not The Rock), the real estate market has sort of been in the toilet for the last 2 years and change. It’s unclear whether I’m screwed as a result in terms of dropping home values — as I will discuss herein, within the past 8 months, my place appraised at $45,000 and $20,000 more than I paid for it…yes, I got two appraisals and will explain why — but at one point, when my bank tried to screw me, I fought back and prevailed!

For background, I closed on a brand new condo in March 2007 (great timing, eh?). I paid $415,000 for it, plus some upgrades for about another $7,500 — nicer hardwood floor, nicer sink in one of the bathrooms, etc. I actually caught a break too — long story short, through a clerical error on the part of the seller’s real estate agent (which the developer decided to honor), combined with a little haggling on the part of my real estate agent (a.k.a., my Mom), I ultimately paid almost $60,000 less than what the developer was initially asking! My building has 4 floors of residential units. The second and third floors are single level units, while the third and fourth floors consist of lofts. I live in the smallest unit on the fourth floor — that is, the least expensive and highest loft unit.

Important Note: units on the third and fourth floors are identical, and by and large, are priced at exactly $20,000 less than units on the fourth floor — and the unit immediately below mine (my sister unit on the third floor) sold for about $452,250. So aside from the fact that I completely love my place, this also made sense to me from an investment point of view.

Anyway, in order to finance my purchase, I made a downpayment of 5% — that is, $20,750 — and took out a 30-year fixed mortgage for $325,000 at a rate of 5.875% (I locked in this rate some time in 2006 and paid one point — an extra $3,250 — up front to get this lower rate) and a HELOC for the remainder ($62,250). For those who don’t know, “HELOC” stands for Home Equity Line of Credit. Basically, it functions like a bank account whose limit is a certain amount of equity in one’s residence. It’s kind of like a second mortgage, except you can draw down on whatever amount you’ve repaid at any given time — so if you draw down the full amount, then repay half, you still have access to half. Make sense? More information here.

So in my case, based on the appraised value of my place, my bank let me borrow $62,250 from them, with this amount being secured by the value of my home. I then used the full amount to help finance the purchase of my place — another long story short, this was a good move because it permitted me to get around PMI (purchase money insurance).

So here I am, making monthly payments on my 30 year fixed mortgage and also on my HELOC. Both loans are secured by my home, but from the bank’s perspective, my home is only as good as what it’s worth. So the real estate market tanks, and in January 2009, I get a letter from my bank telling me that my home (which I bought in March 2006 for $415,000 and which, according to my bank, had appraised at that time for $440,000) had an estimated value of $350,000 — a drop of $90,000, according to their appraisals! Thus, because my HELOC lender was afraid that the loans on my place were greater than what my place was worth (i.e., that I was underwater), the bank told me it was “suspending future draws against [my] account as of January 20, 2009.” In other words, my HELOC effectively became a run of the mill loan that I had to repay and whose balance would only decrease.

I was shocked! I was appalled!! I was outraged!!! After all, I bought my place for $415,000, had put in about $7,500 worth of upgrades off the bat (sink, hardwood floor, etc.), and between March 2006 and January 2009, I calculated that I’d put in another $17,000 or so in various improvements. So my place had to be worth at least $440,000, which was $25,000 more than I paid for it, right? OR if you were to use $440,000 as a starting point (remember, that’s where my bank said it appraised my unit at in March 2006, then it would be worth $465,000, right?? OR if you were to compare my unit to my sister unit on the third floor, which sold for $452,250 and add $20,000 off the bat (remember that units on the fourth floor sell for that much more than units on the third floor), plus the $25,000 in improvements, we’re looking at almost $500,000, right??? Well, my bank didn’t think so.

But regardless, so what? I’d already drawn down the full $62,250, and they weren’t making me pay that back immediately, so I was OK, right? Well, not exactly…

You see, after buying my place, I was trying to be a good boy and was socking away money each month to start an emergency fund…but rather than put this money into a high interest-bearing savings account, which is where I keep my savings now, I had been paying down my HELOC, assuming I would be able to withdraw this money in the event of an emergency. By the time January 2009 rolled around, I’d saved about $7,500, and while I knew that banks were starting to freeze HELOCs, I just didn’t think home values in my city had been as affected by the subprime crisis as other areas had. Well, it was looking like I was wrong!

So what was I to do? Well, in the letter the bank sent me, there were instructions for how to appeal the bank’s decision to freeze my HELOC — I had to obtain my own appraisal putting the value of my home at $440,000 and had to submit it in accordance with the terms of the bank’s letter. So my first step was to obtain an appraisal, and you can be sure I had the name and number of an appraiser within the course of a week, and after a few months worth of back and forth, including E-Mails about the upgrades I’d made, real estate comps, and the market in general, I had an appraisal in hand reflecting an appraised value of…

…wait for it…

$460,000!!!!! Appreciation of $20,000 over the bank’s appraisal in March 2006 and $45,000 compared to my purchase price!!! Well, you can be sure I put together a very lawyerly package for the bank and had it out to them the day after I got the appraisal in. And lo and behold, they unfroze my HELOC!!

The only thing that was troubling me was that I had to pay $360 for the appraisal, and you know, if you think about it, it’s really not fair that I should be out of pocket that much money when the bank clearly goofed in its appraisal. And as I’ve told you before, Bub always taught me that the answer is always “no” if you don’t ask. So I added to my lawyerly package that I thought I should also be reimbursed this $360 — and the bank reimbursed me!

Well, I’m no dummy (most of the time, anyway), so I immediately drew down the full amount in my HELOC (about $7,500) and put it into my high interest-bearing savings account (at the time, I was using HSBC, but I later switched to Schwab). Since then, I’ve upped my emergency fund to $15,000.

So in the end, I fought the Bank and the…Bank lost! I think the lesson here is that you really need to stand up for what you believe in and vigorously defend your personal finances! I’m not sure if banks are still freezing HELOCs, but if anybody is facing this issue, I’m glad to help guide you through the process.

And as if this story weren’t sweet enough, there is a beautiful silver lining that drips with poetic justice (not Poetic Justice). But I’m exhausted, so I’ll have to fill you in on that later. Thanks for reading this far!

-TS

Why Now May Be a Good Time to Consider Refinancing a Mortgage

With mortgage rates hitting record lows, it may be time to think about refinancing.

The rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage with no points hit 5.01 this week, slightly up from 5 percent last week but down from 5.97 percent this time last year, and the 15-year fixed mortgage rate hit 4.46 percent, compared with 4.47 percent last week, according to the latest data released Wednesday from Bankrate.com. These rates are at, or close to, the lowest levels since the company’s tracking began in 1985.

At the same time, the Mortgage Bankers Association said interest rates on the 30-year fixed-rate mortgages it tracks fell for a sixth straight week, remaining below the 5 percent level, “widely viewed as a psychological tipping point” according to this article.

The record lows are thanks to a combination of the Federal Reserve showing no inclination to raise short-term interest rates and investors and foreign central banks maintaining a healthy appetite for debt issued or guaranteed by the United States government, said Greg McBride, Bankrate.com’s senior financial analyst. And they come as many homeowners are finding themselves owing more than their house is worth and are having trouble making mortgage payments.

There is also a limited-time government program that helps people to refinance if they are slightly underwater. The “Home Affordable Refinance Program” is not as widely discussed as the related loan modification program. And it has been criticized by some housing experts for helping financial players profit. Still, it aims to help homeowners who have a mortgage balance equal to or greater than the value of their home refinance and obtain more affordable monthly mortgage payments.

The program is available until June of next year to homeowners who meet certain qualifications, including having loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac and having a first mortgage that does not exceed 125 percent of the current market value of the home. (See if you qualify and find out how to apply if you do here).

With the risk that rates may not stay this low for long and that the government program will end, “there is a window of opportunity” for refinancing that will not be available for long, Mr. McBride said. He recommended that those who think they may not qualify for the program to double check what their home is worth to confirm this. Then, even if you don’t ultimately qualify, he suggested considering trying to refinance anyway if you are paying a higher rate on a fixed-rate mortgage or have an adjustable-rate mortgage.

“Today’s record low mortgage rates represent an opportunity for homeowners to refinance at lower fixed rates or to trade out of an adjustable rate mortgage before an inevitable increase in rates and lock in permanent payment affordability,” he said.

Are you considering refinancing in this environment? Why or why not? If so, what kinds of problems and hurdles, if any, have you run into trying to refinance? (Find more information about mortgages here and more information about loan modifications here).

Original link: http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/02/why-now-may-be-a-good-time-to-consider-refinancing-a-mortgage/

I get a lot of calls from people who ask me if the San Jose or San Francisco Bay Area mortgage or refinance rates are the same as everywhere else in the nation.  The answer is no.  When comparing mortgage or refinance rates it is extremely important to make sure your specific property address qualifies for a certain rate.  Many times I have provided mortgage or refinance interest rates to people for investment properties or condos and they say the rate quote is higher than what other lenders have quoted.  In every single instance the property type or occupancy type wasn’t correct.  In some cases lenders quote the lowest mortgage rates to get you in the door.  Then they say you aren’t qualified and the interest rate is higher.  At this point in the process most people just continue the mortgage transaction, and these lenders understand this.  To get the best mortgage rates in San Jose and the San Francisco Bay Area it is important to ask the right questions when obtaining a mortgage rate quote.  Make sure you confirm the property type and occupancy status in the beginning.  Also make sure you understand the three variables in the cost of the mortgage.  The first is the mortgage or refinance interest rate.  During the comparison process make sure you understand the type of mortgage home loan you are applying for.  Let’s say it is a 30 year fixed mortgage.  Make sure the mortgage interest rate quotes you receive are for 30 year fixed mortgages and not for adjustable rate mortgages, because the mortgage rates for adjustable rate mortgages are typically much lower.  You also need to understand if you are paying points to achieve a particular rate.  If you are, this is a cost to you and must be weighed against the mortgage rate quotes you receive without paying points.  The last thing to consider in mortgage rate comparison shopping is the closing cost.  If the mortgage or refinance rate is low and the closing costs are high you need to figure out if the mortgage or refinance program makes sense for you.