Looking for a loan, go for secured loans. Why this particular type of financial assistance? Because, it makes you tension free and more comfortable. The UK financial market has again proved its affection for secured loans with half of the loan takers opting for the same.

What is a Secured Loan?

The loan taken against any secured assets are secured loans. Most probably the secured assets are the houses. This very particular reason makes it a favourite of house owners. Another important feature that makes it more approachable and appreciatable for the customers is their payments. It gives the buyer enough time limits for the repayment. The amount taken as a loan could be repaid in instalments depending on the capacity of the buyer. This particular feature makes this particular finance loans a darling of customers.

Care Taken Against

Always care should be taken against the interest rates and other conditions as the terms and conditions can change with companies as long with the rate of interest changes. A blind attempt to take the loan can result in financial fiasco.

Availing a Secured Loan

Availing a secured loan is very easy. There re a large number of interest lenders in the financial market, who provides loans at very competitive prices? This ensures loans at cheap rate of interest. The loans are taken for a long period, which also ensures low amount repayment per month reducing the burden of monthly instalment. The borrowing capacity of is also high in comparison with unsecured one.

Bad Credit Rating and Borrowing Capacity

A person enjoying bad credit capacity will stumble over financial availability. Here secured loans emerge as a financial savior. It doesn’t care about the customer’s credit or financial background, as he is provided finance against any fixed asset.

Always care should be taken by the customer on the payment as failure in payments can cause heavy damages.

In spite of a few drawbacks, it is always noteworthy that secured loans are always the best to go for.



Rent Back Fast

A balloon mortgage is a loan that is provided for a short period of time for a set amount of money. Balloon mortgages will often involve periodic payments that are made at a fixed interest rate. During this period, the loan may not be amortized. The balance of the loan has to be paid in full at a specific time.

Another feature of balloon mortgages is that they will combine many of the features seen in adjustable rate mortgages and fixed mortgages. The interest rate will remain fixed for a certain period of time, which may be from 5 to 7 years. The payments will be based on an amortization cycle that lasts 30 years. If homeowners can’t pay the balance by the end of the term, the lender will decide how the payments will be made. The sum is usually converted into a fixed rate mortgage.

Advantages?

A balloon mortgage can be good because it offers an interest rate that is much lower than standard 30-year mortgages. If you are buying a larger home, a balloon mortgage can help you. Larger homes tend to have interest rates that are high, and this can make them difficult to pay off if you don’t have a large income. Balloon mortgages can make things easier. They are also good for people who plan on refinancing the home before the term ends.

Despite this, balloon mortgages can be much more complex than standard mortgages. Some homeowners who use them end up running into problems. You will need to make sure you have solid documents before signing up for a balloon mortgage. You will want to make sure you choose the right lender and read all contracts carefully for hidden fees or other terms. Balloon mortgages can be risky for people who don’t understand them.

Extra Charges For Balloon Mortgages

One problem that customers run into with these mortgages is prepayment penalties. These penalties will often be placed on people who choose to pay off the mortgage early. If you refinance your existing mortgage or sell the home, this can lead to prepayment penalties. The problem with these penalties is that they greatly increase the chances that your home could become foreclosed. Mortgages that have balloon payments are highly susceptible to foreclosure.

Pre Payment Penalties

The cost of prepayment penalties can be large. They are usually calculated as a percentage of the total balance owed. This could be as high as 12% and many homeowners have found themselves paying thousands of dollars more than they expected. If you choose to get a balloon mortgage you should make sure there are no prepayment penalties. If you get into a situation where you can’t afford the home, prepayment penalties can keep you from being able to refinance the home in order to get out of debt. These mortgages can be risky, and should only be used by those who fully understand the risks involved.

Short Term Mortgage – Long Term Problems

A mortgage is a serious financial endeavor that you should take seriously. They involve large amounts of money that most people simply don’t have on hand. If you get into a situation where you can’t make your payments, you could end up losing your home and your credit could be ruined. Many people have made the mistake of getting involved with balloon mortgage without doing their research. They chose not to read the fine print on the applications. They often end up in situations that can haunt them for the rest of their lives.

While balloon mortgages may have low interest rates at first, you should have a plan to make your monthly payments after the first term ends. This can keep you from defaulting on your payments.



Rent Back Fast

Pensioners should be sitting pretty regarding mortgages shouldn’t they? After all, they should by now have completed their payments and be the sole owners of their homes. Sadly, for some 600,000 pensioners this is not true – they are still paying off their mortgages, and not just for a couple of years after retirement. For example, over 20,000 who still have to reach the final payment are in their 80’s.

Couple this with the research from the Prudential which reveals that almost 25% have insufficient funds to finance their retirement, and it becomes obvious that some serious problems exist. Having to find the necessary funds to cover the mortgage payments when on a fixed income inevitably means that some other parts of the living costs are not covered.

However, many pensioners would be pleased to be on a fixed income, provided that it was fixed at a point on the cost of living scale! When looking at the reality of an income which is usually increased annually, but by a niggardly amount which bears no relationship to the increases in costs generally (especially council tax), then the true effect is of a reducing income.

Inflation also takes its toll. True it is low at present, but even at 2.5% a year, the spending power of a fixed sum is down by virtually ¼ in just 9 years. So which way to turn? There are a few choices but none of them are particularly palatable.

To provide funds for day to day living expenses it is possible to use the home as security for a re-mortgage up to the age of 75, but the interest rates are set at an expensive level. This is a route taken by many pensioners who can see no other way out of their problems, or are not prepared to take on the complication of other methods. Competition in the marketplace has resulted in more flexible products being available, and a lifetime mortgage may be rather more acceptable than it appears to be at first glance. It has the very positive appeal that it can solve the problems without the necessity to move home, and is worth investigating.

Equity release is another option which helps the homeowner to avoid the need to move, although there are usually conditions which have to be met before an agreement can be reached. For example, it is likely that the person wishing to release the equity on their house will have to be above a minimum age, and the house itself will have to exceed a minimum value. Also the value of the equity release will be only a percentage of the house value and some may find the figure to be disappointing. You would doubtless make your life a great deal easier when you bank the loan, but do not expect to live like a king! One advantage of equity release is that you remain the owner of a substantial part of the value of your house, and so will still have money which you can leave to your family.

Many will probably have contemplated taking in a lodger on a rent-a-room basis. This can work well but a lot depends on the lodger you get. Taking a stranger into your home is not easy, especially if you are of advanced age, and will require some give and take on both sides. Nevertheless, over 15% of pensioners would consider this as a way out of their financial problems.

You do need to carefully examine all aspects of taking in a lodger. Speak to your tax office to establish what the effect of the extra income would be on your taxable money. Also, if you receive benefits you may well find that the additional income has an effect on your entitlements.

If someone else (such as a mortgage provider or an insurer) has an interest in your house, you must get their approval before committing to anything. It would not do any harm to also have a word with the Citizen’s Advice Bureau – they would give sound advice, and could point you in the right direction should you need further information.

If you are reading this and you are well below ‘pensioner’ age, you should take it as a warning – you could find yourself in this position unless you save hard for your pension and start doing so without delay. If you have been putting it off until you have ‘got more time’, you should realise that time is slipping by and you need to see a financial adviser and get things moving without further delay.



Repossession

In the wake of the current property crisis, homes are being repossessed by the hundreds every week in the UK alone. Many home owners are failing to make their mortgage payments every month due to a variety of reasons including rising interest rates and their fixed rate mortgage’s coming to an end leaving them with their monthly payments doubling in some cases – clearly not good news for any home owner.

While many are left in hopeless situations of which there appears to be no way out, it may well be worth their while contacting a reputable property buyer who can either offer them a very quick sale of their property (and the repossession proceedings stopped altogether) or a quick sale and rent back of their property, meaning they will have the ability to remain in their home not as a home owners but as a tenant at the same time as avoiding repossession.

Surprisingly (and unbeknown to a lot of people), the repossession proceedings can be stopped even in the very latest stages if a property buyer gets involved. These companies are experienced in stopping repossessions and manage to successfully prevent hundreds of repossessions taking place on a weekly basis, so you can be sure that if anyone can get you out of your current crisis, they can.

The one thing to look out for is to ensure you get a reputable property buyer (and I emphasize the word reputable). The bad press recently given to the sell and rent back industry has been bought about by a small number of individuals who have failed to fully explain the ins and outs of selling and renting back a property to the homeowner. Unfortunately, this has had a knock on effect on the reputable property buyers out there who genuinely want to help hundreds of people in distress to make the best choice about their current situation. You can use our comparison chart located on our website (follow the link at the end of this article) to help you to judge whether the buyer you are considering fits the criteria of a reputable property buyer.

The idea of sell and rent back is quite basic, the property owner, who for whatever reason can no longer afford to own the property they live in sells the property to a property buyer. The property buyer is different from conventional methods in that they ensure the sale completes within just 28 days (various property buyers differ, but this is our companies current time scale) and a good one will also liaise with the courts on the sellers behalf if they are facing repossession to ensure that the proceedings are stopped immediately. The courts are happy to halt proceedings in most cases as they are aware how quickly a reputable property buyer can move due to their unique purchasing and financing techniques. The homeowner then becomes mortgage free within a month and becomes a regular tenant on an assured short hold tenancy agreement. The property buyer becomes their land lord.

There has also been some bad press lately concerning the fact that a lot of property buyers end tenancy agreements almost immediately leaving the seller homeless. However, do not be deterred straight away, simply ensure that the property buyer you choose is 100% genuine and fully explains everything to you which you need to know. Do not be afraid to ask questions, you have a right to.

Any property buyer worth their salt (us included) can see the great benefits of holding on to investment property for as long as possible even throughout the current climate and beyond. The investors our own company works with actually want properties which they can keep for the long term. The current fall in house prices and rise in interest rates is actually doing the sell and rent back market (and its upcoming customers) a huge favour in that it is weeding out the ‘bad guys’ who are in it only because they once thought it was a good way to raise a quick buck. Those investors are now panicking to sell their investment properties off as they are scared they may loose money – the reputable ones are in it for the long haul, still buying and helping out those in need and not selling a single property. They know that the property market moves in cycles and always has done, and they are not worried by the short term crisis the UK is facing. As mentioned before – they want properties for the long term and do not sell at the first sign of trouble.

There are various reasons why people do choose to sell and rent back their property. Many people want to unlock the value within an asset without having to take on any extra debt. Many people may not be able to refinance (e.g. credit problems, previous bankruptcy, arrears etc) and sale leaseback is the only way to release the money and retain the use of the property. Sale leaseback also gives the previous owner the flexibility to move out and go and do other things without worrying about the property or looking after major repairs.

Here are

just some of the benefits:

1. Repossession proceedings are

stopped

2. Credit rating is not further

tarnished

3. The seller may end up with more money from a property investor as opposed to having the house repossessed and ending up with nothing

4. The seller could reduce his or

her monthly outgoings to a much more manageable level. In many cases the cost of the monthly rent following the sale is less than the previous mortgage payments were.

It is important that if you want to avoid repossession, you contact a reputable property buyer ASAP. Although they can help even at the last minute, obviously the more time you do give them the better the chances of them being able to do something for you.

In my opinion repossession should be avoided like the plague if there is any possible way it can be, and if you have equity in your property that possibility is there. If nothing else, I urge you to get a free cash offer and have a chat to an advisor about your options. As with many things in life, knowledge is everything when it comes to making the right choices.



Quick Property Sale

The securities like your home, car, land, or any other assets etc. are generally capable of serving you a good amount of loan. Regardless of the need, the secured loan can be used by the homeowners, non-homeowners, businessman, student, self-employed or any other person who has some valuable security, equity or assets to put against the loan.

While pledging the collateral, the borrower must know that his collateral that is placed is always under the risk of slipping away from his hands, because he assigns the rights to security to the lender in the event of a default occurred in the payment cycle.

With these loans, one can easily raises the finance for major purchase like buying a sweet home or car, renovating the home to add value, wedding or education expenses, consolidating debts, going for holidays, etc. The secured loans are considered as the first choice of the borrowers as well as the lenders. The borrower is entitled to various fascinating features under secured loans like lower interest rate, easy repayment option and larger approved amount. Whereas, the loan provider feels secured about his money as the lender has the borrower’s assets.

Under secured loans, the borrowers can avail the loan amount ranging as low as 5000 pounds to as high as 250000 pounds. The sanctioned amount is totally depended upon the value of the security placed; higher the asset value higher will be the amount approved for loan. Under these loans, the loan providers offer easy repayment option that range from the 5 years to 30 years. Thus, according to the borrowers’ pocket he can set the option for repayment.

The secured loans are easily accessed from traditional modes like financial institutions, high street banks or private lenders. In addition to that the borrowers can opt for the latest modes like the online option. The online mode helps the borrower to avail the secured loans in quick time as compared to the traditional method. Nowadays, the secured loans are very popular because of their lower interest rate, larger amount and easy pay-off options.



Rent Back Fast

To better help you to read this article, here are some definitions. A bad credit mortgage is as well referred to as a non-conforming mortgage, an adverse mortgage or sub-prime lending. Bad credit mortgages are mortgage loans for borrowers who have faced financial struggles at some time and have an adverse credit rating and now it is difficult for them to be approved a normal mortgage. The poor credit rating may be as a result of absent or made late instalments on past or current financial arrangements.

When you see the term a ’sub prime’ lender, this is a lender who lends funds to borrowers with blemished or low credit ratings. An ordinary customer of a sub prime lender is a person who struggles to take out funds from other traditional lenders. This is due to them falling into financial difficulty at some point in their lives and now being stuck with a bad credit score. Sub prime mortgages are often called Non conforming mortgages.

If you have a poor credit history, such as previous loan arrears, unpaid debts, been declared bankrupt or had a County Court Judgement issued, then an Adverse Credit Mortgage may be the answer to your problems.

Lenders recognise that just because you may have had financial problems in past years, does not mean that you are not now able to sustain repayments on a mortgage. Lenders rates will vary but will in all likelihood reflect how severe you past credit problems have been.

One drawback for those who have an adverse credit rating is that they will in all probability have to find a larger deposit? this could mean anything up to 30% – 35% depending on the severity of your credit problems.

To assess your particular application, lenders normally employ the offices of specialist underwriters who decide whether you would be in the position to keep up with your repayments if the mortgage is approved. For instance, an applicant with a history of large debts would not be looked on as favourably as say, one who has just gone through a divorce but otherwise had a good repayment record. Proof of income and details of finances etc., will be required to help the assessor decide on your suitability for a mortgage.

Your good credit rating should normally be restored after a period of about three years if you have kept up your mortgage repayments and have no outstanding defaults of CCJ’s. This being so, you should then be able to revert to a standard mortgage – allowing for any tie-ins and redemption penalties.

Being refused a mortgage can depend on what may appear very minor reasons. In some cases these can include the late payment of a bill; not appearing on the electoral roll; financial problems encountered when a student; income history or work history incomplete.

How the internet might assist you in the event you are seeking a bad credit mortgage In the event you have a negative credit record, locating a mortgage established for anybody with bad credit can be difficult. And even in the event you do get a mortgage offer, how will you really know that it is the right mortgage product for you? Accessing the web can be a benefit. There is tons of valuable information on the internet linked to bad credit mortgages like, free mortgage guides, and as well, free access to suppliers of bad credit mortgages. Looking through the web also makes it possible to contrast multiple mortgage providers so that you can find out about all the product benefits and features to conclude if it is right for you. There are as well websites online that will receive mortgage applications online and, there are lots and lots that give instant and free quotes online. This means that you can understand the amount of money you can reasonably manage to afford for a mortgage loan.



Sell and Rent Back

It is often seen that as years pass, newer alternatives of older things crop up while the older things fall into oblivion. Secured loans however have withstood competition from a whole range of financial products such as unsecured loans. Unsecured loan lenders tried to deflect borrowers from secured loans by showing them that there home was at increased risk if they took the loan. But, the borrowers who were loyal to secured loans and who knew that secured loan was not as being presented by some others, didn’t move a bit from their choice. Accordingly, secured loans continue to maintain their turf even after years.

Do you know the reason behind borrowers’ insistence to use secured loans? Secured loans help borrowers enjoy a large number of benefits. And borrowers are not ready to give up these benefits by not taking secured loans.

Before going towards the benefits of secured loans, it will be relevant if we discussed about secured loans first. A secured loan is one where amount is lent to the borrower with a pledge that he will repay the loan after a specified period. To give more teeth to the lender, the borrower will have to present certain collateral.

The list of benefits of secured loans to borrowers is endless. Apart from the standard benefits, there are several benefits that will depend on the case particulars. However, we will only talk of the standard benefits of secured loans in this article.

The very first benefit of secured loans is the cheap rate of interest. After mortgage, secured loans charge the lowest rates of interest in the personal finance category. Typical APR on secured loan ranges from 6-25%. Almost all other financial products charge a greater percentage as interest. Many borrowers question the differences between the rates advertised and the actual rates that they have to pay. There may be several reasons for these differences. The rates of interest or APR advertised is the standard rate of interest. However, depending on the value of collateral, borrower’s credit status and several other factors, borrower may not be offered the standard rate. The differences in interest rate may also result because of the delay in accepting the offer. Until borrower accepts offer of loan, interest rate in the entire market changes. The borrower cannot then demand interest on the rate earlier offered.

Another important advantage of secured loans is that borrowers can draw as much of cash as they want. Compare the situation with unsecured loans and you find loan providers cautious in approving loans of higher values. There is always the fear for the non payment of the lent amount. In the case of secured loans, the loan provider is free of any such fears. Thus, borrowers have to just name the figure and the loan is ready.

The discussion about the benefits of secured loans will be incomplete without taking up the issue of easy availability. All financial products are not as easily available as secured loans. It is because of the relative safety that secured loan deals promise to the lender, that no lender will deny these loans to borrowers. Go to any loan provider and you will find secured loan deals

Secured loans are to be used for a diverse range of personal needs. The benefit of secured loan is that it can be fine-tuned to any use. Whether it is debt consolidation or undertaking improvements in ones home, secured loans work as smoothly as ones own cash. The borrower receives the loan proceeds and it is up to him how he uses them. There is a flexibility of use in secured loans. Lenders do not interrupt in the manner of use of the secured loan.

The Benefits of secured loans can be best enjoyed when the borrower has adequately prepared for its amortisation. Would one be able to appreciate the low rates of interest when the asset pledged as collateral is being repossessed by lender? No! Therefore, preparations for the repayment of the secured loan from the first day itself. Either make a monthly payment to the loan provider or discuss an alternative arrangement with the lender. Choose the method of repayment that best suits you and then clear the burden as soon as possible.



Sell and Rent Back

Not only Northern Rock sold off its mortgages to international financiers as securities backed by assets, but nearly all UK banks have used the global marketplace to locate cheap funding. Approximately 25% of all UK mortgages were financed with the sale of mortgage backed bonds.

Approximately 200 billion worth of UK mortgaged-backed bonds are currently trading. It is fairly likely that your mortgage is actually owned by an American pension fund or an Australian hedge fund. While you were under the impression that you had a mortgage from your local building society.

Last summer saw the end of asset-backed securities, causing problems for many mortgage lenders, not just the well-publicised Northern Rock situation. These securities were the source of funds for millions of cheap loans of all kinds, not just mortgages. The inevitable result is an increase in mortgage rates and the scarcity of new mortgage funds.

This shortage has taken the wind out of the sails of a housing market. Basic mortgage backed bonds have led to a few problems; the real trouble has come from other collateralised debt problems related to the US sub-prime mortgage meltdown. These funds have caused a ripple effect of serious problems throughout the regular mortgage backed bonds, market. Firstly, there has been depreciation in the reputation of all securities that are backed by mortgaged properties.

In addition, these collateralised debt organisations with the main buyers of British mortgage-backed securities. However, they are no longer in the market for this kind of wholesale debt purchase. International investors view the British housing market as having some similar problems to those that caused the US mortgage meltdown. Namely, that the British housing market way overpriced and can only go down in the immediate future.

These investors believe that there may be a downturn in the housing market in Britain of as much as 10% over the next 12 months. If these investors do not come back to the UK it could cause serious problems for regular British borrowers in finding loan at a decent interest rate. Recent indications from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, that a new kite mark, dedication for mortgage lenders will come into place. This should help to bolster the wholesale purchase of mortgage assets, giving British lenders the much needed cash to fund new loans.

Once in place, this new system would allow European investment houses to purchase job lots of mortgages from high Street, building societies and banks in the UK. This boost would not only be financial. It would also be a psychological boost for the housing market that may well stabilise it, and possibly bring about healthy upswing in new mortgages and house purchase.

Is essential the government’s plans to keep the mortgage market buoyant, it has been well publicised over the last year that there is a massive shortfall in the number of houses available, especially for first-time buyers. Therefore, the government is very keen to keep the money flowing keep the new housing estates, blossoming across the country. There is a feeling in the mortgage world of white at the end of the tunnel getting closer, and after budget may soon kick start a new house buying boom.



Quick House Sale

Most of the western world, if not the entire first world, seems to be reporting that property market price inflation is decreasing or stalled. In the worst-hit areas we even hear tales of a lowering of house prices and negative equity for some unfortunate new homeowners who jumped on to the property bandwagon at the peak of the recent property boom. High Street inflation never lets up, so it’s natural for property investors large and small to feel that the end of the world is nigh.

 

This state of mind is undoubtedly an over-reaction. The human psyche drives modern man to ensure he has a place he can call home in the shortest possible time after leaving his childhood days behind in the former family house. Fair enough – but does this man of our times actually have to own his home outright, in theory at best? And more tellingly, does this man have a god-given right to expect that with home ownership comes enough lifetime’s wealth to be able to retire from working for an income at his chosen time? The latter scenario is a common desire, and it is based upon the premise that property values will always rise faster than other commodities.

 

We are now finding in Ireland and elsewhere that we have come to the end of a period where property value inflation was outstripping general living cost rises. But we should not be surprised because we have had these ups and downs before. The general trend though is that property prices commonly rise again fairly rapidly after periods of stagnation. It’s all about supply and demand.

 

The demand for new homes or at least of people looking to move house will never cease. Why? Because many old homes become dilapidated for a start. Then we have the new young families who need their own space and cannot expand into the limited environs of parental homes. On top of that, the modern world economy relies upon many workers who must be mobile throughout most of their working lives, thereby prompting housing development and property transactions countrywide and often internationally. And don’t forget those that opt to upgrade or downsize by choice due to family or personal needs.

 

What about the supply side? The builders can’t build fast enough in boom times because handsome returns on their property investments are almost guaranteed. If landbanks are purchased just prior to a stalling of property sales prices, then naturally there is no rush to build and sell at reduced profit margins. So any oversupply rate reduces until it balances demand. This is the period being experienced in many parts of the US and Europe at present.

 

In Ireland currently, un-named property commentators repeatedly get column inches reporting that house prices have dropped by nearly 10% in just 12 months. This type of statement is more than likely associated with party politics prompted by the Irish government’s opposition rather than informed economic commentary.

 

Let’s take a quick look at what the “Irish House Prices in Freefall” sensational headlines really mean when based on the 10% drop in a year statistic. The house price index is based on sales closure prices, not size of property or land acreage; these latter factors generally tend to grow on average at a moderate rate over each decade because we all want bigger and better homes regardless of our individual domestic needs. So bear in mind that the average price of a house per country tends to grow because the asset is getting bigger as well as reflecting local general economy inflation.

 

In Ireland last year, the average price of a house had risen incredibly to over €300,000 from nearer to €200k a decade earlier. That statistic is part of the local Celtic Tiger boom folklore which lending institutions rammed down our throats when selling home loans and risk-laden mortgage deals up until just a few months ago. The 2007 €300k average home was a bit bigger and better than houses available in the year 2000, but it was obviously grossly over-valued in real terms. It didn’t cost that much more to build than the average house completed and sold in 2000, evidenced by the great numbers of new self-builders who wanted a share of the money-spinning action.

 

In mid-2008, the average price of a house in Ireland is €275,000. This seems to be getting closer to a sustainable valuation (if you seriously want to sell, that is) for the average property size available which is typically 3 bedrooms, multiple bathrooms and all the latest mod-cons. A bonus in rural Ireland is that you might even get a generous half-acre of land thrown in.

 

So the “sensational” loss of over €25,000 on average off every Irish homeowner’s wealth is not a true loss as such at all. It is just a realisation of long-term property asset value. Anyone who spent their invisible extra €25k in less than 12 months was a greedy fool, and we shouldn’t have any sympathy for them if they don’t display the caution and prudence of serious property investors.

 

Anyway, it will not be long before the local property market detects the first signs of increased demand again. Sellers will start hiking up prices and the whole cycle will slowly start to revolve again in our favourite upwards direction.

 

So the conclusion is “don’t panic” and take some time to reflect on why existing homeowners feel uneasy every time this cycle reaches its low point.

 

Property is a reasonably sound investment, and it gives the buyer the obvious immediate attraction of having somewhere to live (or work in the case of commercial premises). However there are other ways to exist comfortably which don’t involve organising your life around the demands of meeting hefty monthly mortgage repayments and fretting about why the value of your property doesn’t always rise at a consistent rate.

 

Many young people are opting to rent property. The so-called home-owning critics immediately shout that house rent is “dead money”. To a degree, yes, but if renting frees up income to invest in markets which don’t fluctuate in boom & bust cycles, then isn’t the oft-struggling mortgage payer something of a hypocrite? And who actually owns the majority of private domestic homes anyway? If a homeowner misses a mortgage payment you soon find out that the big financial institutions cold-heartedly treat lenders as no better than tenants of real estate upon which their businesses are founded. And furthermore, as tenants with much less rights than conventional renters of property who have fair and equitable rental agreements with their landlords to rely upon in times of hardship.

 

It’s interesting to note that in previous generations the majority of house dwellers were tenants, particularly in towns and cities. Most homeowners can probably quote that their parents or grandparents lived in rented accommodation, and that is a reason why they strive to ensure that they and their dependants have the security of home ownership. What security, if you worry about why your investment and lifestyle is not always as good as you dreamt? Our ancestors survived, without the disposable income levels of today, so perhaps the property rental option should not be dismissed so readily.

 

Maybe the biggest lesson to be learned by property investors when global economy growth recedes is that only a few property types are guaranteed to grow in value (in the longer term) at a rate generally in excess of other inflationary factors. These are the well-maintained properties in desirable locations whether they be urban or rural. Funnily enough, my experience tells me that these properties are likely to fall into the cheaper price category or the other extreme, the high-end luxury home. The middle range property, by its very nature, forms the bulk of property sale listings, so the seller struggles to promote his property above the multitudes of similar priced homes or sites.

 

I suppose it can be summed up as follows:

 



First-time buyers, transient workers, students and 2nd home buyers will always provide a ready market for low-end “affordable” property, particularly in urban settings.

High earners will always want to upgrade to luxury properties in secure and private surroundings, particularly in established districts of like-minded people.

The rest of us, by far the majority, continue to buy or rent in the mid-price range through necessity of location or finance limitations and a natural desire to match or slightly better our neighbours’ lifestyles.



 

Property buyers, renters or vendors in all three of these categories can benefit greatly from registering with web-based property advertising portals such as my own site (www.Propertysteps.ie). The exclusive luxury homes and the lower-end smaller properties are instantly brought to the fore from hundreds of listings by easy-to-use search functions which detect price range and/or location. The more attractive middle range properties also benefit in that household features and property type listings enable the website browser to easily compare the best value for money of numerous properties in a chosen location.

 

In Ireland, where we are based, I can report that Property Agents say that websites such as ours have contributed greatly to stability in the mid-price range domestic property market. Sale closures in this category, for sensibly priced houses, are regular and commonplace, thereby propping up the market in general. This contradicts the doom & gloom reported in the media, no doubt created by “worried” homeowners who aren’t even active in the buying and selling of property. The lazy expectation that easy money can be made simply by buying and living in a home for life smacks of greed, not reality. These merchants of doom should be ignored.

 

We also read in the press about the owners of expensive houses for sale having to dramatically slash prices to arouse interest. Probably, not maybe, the asking price was unrealistic and based upon outdated market value. The eventual selling price of a luxury home will still have made the purchase a sound investment if it was bought at any time except the very peak of the recent boom. Again, I can report in Ireland that Agents say that there is still a waiting list for desirable upmarket properties. The best of these homes are sold via website mailing lists or by the uploading of the property brochure to Propertysteps.ie and similar internet property portals.

For a fraction of the cost of press advertising, our best value for money website gets quick results. Often you never even see a For Sale sign being erected for property in the more exclusive address category, yet new occupiers appear and everyone involved in the transaction is delighted. You don’t read about these everyday success stories in the media; it appears to me that only boom, doom or gloom stories sell newspapers when the local economy is discussed.



Passive Income

It is sad see that there are many property investors and home owners that can’t pay their bonds due to the recent interest rate increases. To add to the trauma, many have refinanced properties to the extent that getting a quick sale in the open market is close to impossible as there is no equity left to make the deal attractive to another investor.

This makes the situation very unpleasant and dangerous for the credit records of such persons. These incidents seem to leave the property investor or homeowner stuck, panicked and very emotional about the situation.

There are however a few solutions that come from the most unexpected place – the banks.

Even though the banks are harsh and procedural and have deep pockets to easily and swiftly take legal action, they are also interested in solving problems. It is costing the bank money to take legal action and repossess a property, not to mention the time, which in corporate terms equals money.

Though more properties in execution are on the banks lists and some people have not found solutions, we are hoping that this article will give some ideas on how to go about getting help from the lenders themselves.

One may find that the banks are willing to help some bond holders experiencing temporary financial problems. Above all, property investors and homeowners must remember that the banks are smart and fully aware of the fact that rising interest rates have a negative impact on repayments.

But it is not that easy to get help from the bank. May factors needs to be taken into consideration, including factors that are part of the willingness profile of the borrower. The banks job is to keep the bank in business and will not extend help to just anyone asking for help, instead they would rather evaluate each case on its’ merits.

Before we dive into some solutions that the banks may provide, lets look at some guidelines that one needs to remember if approaching the bank for help.

The borrower should contact the bank as soon as they see a problem on the horizon. The issue here is simple. Most borrowers wait far too long before acting on a problem or even informing the bank that a problem exists. This is true for all credit forms not only mortgage bonds.

There are two main reasons for this that are purely emotional:

1) Borrowers are afraid to approach the bank. The bank is big and powerful and seems non-emotional and very threatening. When faced with this fear, one always must remember that humans work in the banks, not monsters or aliens. When talking to a bank, one is actually talking to a person. Though not all people are nice, most can be understanding, as they are also human.

2) Living in denial. This reason is the worst possible as no one can help a person that does not believe a problem exists. In this case, it is very likely that the borrower may be repossessed and never know what hit them.

The borrower should show willingness to find solutions to their problem. In other words, when calling the bank, screaming and yelling doesn’t help. It is not their fault you are in this situation. If you are frustrated, you must be emotionally intelligent enough to be nice and polite and kick your punching bag afterwards to let your frustrations out.

It is very important to remember the points above before even looking at the solutions that the banks may be able to extend. If the borrower manages to upset people at the bank, they won’t even get to a person willing to help, which could make things even worse.

Now we will discuss some ways in which you may find that a bank may be willing to help a financially struggling property investor or homeowner, if the case merits such help.

When falling behind on payments, each bank has certain procedures, however most of them are similar in nature and each case will be evaluated on merit.

All the banks have something called a Collection and Recoveries Department and a Customer Debt Managing Department some also call these Voluntary Restructuring or Loan Modification or Moratorium.

Here are the procedures of what will happen if a borrower falls in arrears:

Pre Legal Section: 0 – +/- 6 payments in arrears. The borrower will get a call whereby they will try and get a promise to pay and arrangements can be made. If these arrangements are broken 3 times in a row, it will be handed to another dept, some call it ICU. Yes, like in hospital. The borrower will be called again and be given +/- 30 days to rectify his/her promises. If nothing happens, its over to the Legal department.

Legal Dept: This is where the borrower will get the option to sign a Power of Attorney to the bank to market/sell his property through listed agents or he or she can arrange to list the property independently.

Depending on each bank these departments may have the following options for arrangements to help a struggling borrowers:

Extension of loan term, 20 to 30 years. Not favourable for homeowners at all, because the savings are not really that much compared to the additional interest. The opposite may be true for a property investor that receives rental income. This option can spell “heaven” as the interest is paid by the income received and the cash flow improves. Many investors choose this option regardless of any financial difficulties, just to boost the cash flow.

The borrower must ask or apply for a Breather Period (this is often called “Holiday”) and it entails no payment for a period of 3 to 6 months. The period would depend on the borrowers profile.

The borrower also has the option of asking for a reduction in payment, usually not less than 50% but it is negotiable.

To conclude, the borrower has to call the bank, and explain the situation in detail and they will offer some options based on personal profile. But remember, the borrower has to call the bank; not any other 3rd party.

This whole process can take quite a bit of time, and by the time, all avenues have been tried and exhausted, one can be sure that once a property is being sold on auction the bank has tried everything.

As a last word for closing. Many people listen to hear say. They have either heard or been close to person that has had a run in with a bank and lost their home. As a result of this they have already judged the bank and hold a perception that the bank is the problem and the enemy. For such people, one can only ask that they put such stories and perceptions aside. Each case is judged individually upon its’ merits, it is worthwhile to giving the bank the benefit of the doubt and working with them. Your case always stands a good chance of having a completely different and perhaps better outcome than those you have heard of.



Repossession