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1099

If the bank sells my house for less than what was owed on it can they come after me for the balance…

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Question: If the bank sells my house for less than what was owed on it can they come after me for the balance…

Answer: Yes…The bank has 3 options at this point. Either they will do nothing or they will 1099 the homeowner or they will file a deficiency judgment for the amount they lost. In most cases they will 1099 the homeowner and count the loss as income to the homeowner. If you talk to your accountant, sometimes IRS form 982 will counteract the 1099 and you won’t have to pay a huge amount of taxes. They could also file a deficiency judgment against the homeowner and require the debt be paid off. Since most homeowners in this situation can’t pay it off, they file bankruptcy which will get rid of the judgment. There are some things you can do to ensure that a judgment is not filed and that is by doing a short sale. If you have someone who knows what they are doing, they can ask for a satisfaction or to satisfy the loan which means the bank can no longer come after the borrower for the deficient amount. The loan is considered paid in full. Plus with a short sale, the home is sold and foreclosure stays off your credit.

I own a home in Southern California. I bought the home using my VA benefits.

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Question: I own a home in Southern California. I bought the home using my VA benefits. I am 3 months behind in my mortgage. It doesn’t look like the mortgage co. (Countrywide) is going to modify the loan so that I may keep it, already contacted HUD and they sent a modification proposal to Countrywide 30 days ago but Countrywide has yet to receive it. My question is, I owe $64,000 on a Home Equity Line of Credit I got through Washington Mutual Bank on the house. If Countrywide forecloses, do I still owe the Equity Line of Credit? Will Washington Mutual come after me for the money? I owe $220,000 on the house, it was just appraised at $175,000. Thank you.

Answer: – California may be one of the few states where they don’t come after you for a deficiency judgment. If your home is foreclosed on, typically they will 1099 the borrower for the amount they lost. However, VA loans have special exceptions. With VA loans, I believe they may have the right to come after you for the deficiency judgment. You may want to check with an attorney in California on this, but it seems like that’s what I remember.

If my home goes into foreclosure what happens to my Home Equity Line of Credit?

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Question: I live in Idaho. If my home goes into foreclosure what happens to my Home Equity Line of Credit that is attached to the value of the property?

Answer: -Your home equity line of credit (HELOC) gets wiped out if no one bids. Then, typically your 2nd lien holder will 1099 you or file for a deficiency judgment. It’s more common to receive a 1099.

Arizonas (anti-deficiency state) law when foreclosed on

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Question: I have a home in Arizona [anti-deficiency state] that was purchased with an 80/20 loan. I have never refinanced the loans. We were in the process of negotiating a short sale, got approval from the first [with Country Wide] and they agreed to pay the 2nd [Citi] $3k, when we went back to Citi to get final approval we discovered that they charged off the 2nd and sold the loan to a subsidiary which has now turned it over to an attorney that claims they are going to file a deficiency judgement against me and collect the debt. They claim that since it was a second mortgage and it was charged off that they can do this. It was a second but it was a “purchase money” loan. Can they come after me for the deficiency?

I bought a condo in CA. Should I tell the tenants to move? Do I keep making the 80% payments when the payments increase? Should I keep my property manager? Is this considered “rent skimming”?

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Question: Here is the situation:
I bought a condo in CA and lived in it for 6 mo, moved out and rented it for the last 2 yrs to a couple who cover 80% of my mortgage.I claim it as income property on taxes. My “interest only” loan caps in 2 mo., then payments increase 2 1/2 times the amount I am paying. I cannot afford this. The bank wants me to do a short sale. The house is worth 75,000 less than the loan. I am not in default yet. Here are my questions: Should I tell the tenants to move, if so legally how many days notice? Do I keep making the 80% payments when the payments increase? Should I keep my property manager? He takes 8%. If I keep 2 mo. rent to refund the tenants their deposit is that considered “rent skimming”?
Concerned Landlord

Answer: – Even if you make 80% of the payment, they will initiate foreclosure unless the other 20% is a 2nd mortgage in which they could initiate foreclosure, but will most likely just write it off and 1099 you for the amount they lost. Depending on how many properties you have now and the tenants you have living in your property, you definately want to consider whether or not to use a property manager. Some tenents you never hear from, others are constantly bugging you in which case a property manager is worth every penny. As for rent skimming, here is what it says under California Civil Code 890…

890. (a)

(1) “Rent skimming” means using revenue received from the rental of a parcel of residential real property at any time during the first year period after acquiring that property without first applying the revenue or an equivalent amount to the payments due on all mortgages and deeds of trust encumbering that property.

(2) For purposes of this section, “rent skimming” also means receiving revenue from the rental of a parcel of residential real property where the person receiving that revenue, without the consent of the owner or owner’s agent, asserted possession or ownership of the residential property, whether under a false claim of title, by trespass, or any other unauthorized means, rented the property to another, and collected rents from the other person for the rental of the property. This paragraph does not apply to any tenant, subtenant, lessee, sublessee, or assignee, nor to any other hirer having a lawful occupancy interest in the residential dwelling.

(b) “Multiple acts of rent skimming” means knowingly and willfully rent skimming with respect to each of five or more parcels of residential real property acquired within any two-year period.

(c) “Person” means any natural person, any form of business organization, its officers and directors, and any natural person who authorizes rent skimming or who, being in a position of control, fails to prevent another from rent skimming.

You may want to see if you can resolve this with your tenant and let them know of the situation, at least that way they know what’s going on.

Equity Line of Credit and Foreclosure

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Question: I live in California; if my home goes to forclosure and I have a an equity line of credit, will the line of credit, $150,000 also be wiped out? The line of credit is secured by the property.

Answer: Yes, if the line of credit is secured by the property in foreclosure. Most homeowners have a home equity line of credit that takes a 2nd lien position on their home. If the home is foreclosed on by the 1st lien holder and no one bids at the auction, the 2nd is wiped out, and the bank has the option of issuing a 1099 to the homeowner or filing a deficiency judgment against them. In most deed states, including California, it’s very uncommon for the lender to file a deficiency judgment. If you know what you are doing, there are things you can do to prevent a deficiency judgment altogether so it’s never an issue.