Foreclosure Trends

Tristan Hunt asked:


People across America are increasingly being faced with a homeowner’s worst nightmare: Foreclosure. The possibility of losing your home to the bank is very real, and it’s very normal to be scared and confused as the process moves along. What’s important is to keep a cool head, don’t panic, and evaluate your options as early in the process as possible. Many people who are approaching or are currently in a foreclosure do not realize that they may be qualified to refinance while in foreclosure and save their home, mainly because by this point in the process they have experienced rejection and denial by their own lender and often several others. But if you have Equity in your home, you can refinance in foreclosure and get back on track to improving your credit.

Refinancing in foreclosure is not like normal refinancing. When you apply for a regular, or conventional mortgage refinance, the most important thing a lender looks at when deciding whether or not to approve the loan is your credit and mortgage payment history. If you have not been more than 90 days late or behind on your mortgage payments, and your FICO credit score is above 500, conventional lenders will look at your refinance application and consider it. They may not approve it, but you’ll at least get looked at. When you go beyond 90 days late on your mortgage payments, no conventional lender will review your application, no matter how much money you make or how much better your situation is now than when you fell behind. Once you are considered 120 days late or behind on the mortgage, or your credit score falls below 500, the conventional lending industry simply cannot take the risks of lending to you anymore. If you’ve been rejected for a loan during the foreclosure process, even before the notice of default was recorded, it is usually because you are over 90 to 120 days late or your credit score is under 500, or both.

You are now in a special situation, and banks don’t like “special”. They just aren’t set up for “outside the box” financing, no matter how much sense it makes, so their response is to either deny your application, or in the case of the lender who holds the mortgage on your home which has fallen behind, they do the only thing they can, foreclose on the home and force its sale at auction to the highest bidder.

In order to handle special situations like this, you need a lender who specializes in refinancing foreclosures. There are only a few out there, but you’ll know one when you find one, because the first question they will ask you is “If you had to sell your home quickly, how much would it sell for?”, followed quickly by “And how much do you owe on your first mortgage”. This is because they are trying to establish how much Equity you have in the property. Equity for these purposes can be calculated easily:

A) Just subtract the Balance of your first mortgage from the Value of your home.

B) Take that Number and divide it by your property Value (there’s that word again),

C) Multiply by 100 and you’ve got your gross Equity percentage.

Because your credit and mortgage history cannot be considered for the purpose of qualifying you for a foreclosure loan, foreclosure refinancing is all about Equity. Lenders specializing in foreclosure refinancing will routinely request that you order an appraisal and an additional appraisal review performed by a realtor, commonly referred to as a BPO or Broker Price Opinion.

Here’s a general guideline: If you have 35% or more Equity in your property, and your property is Valued at $200,000 or more, you are probably qualified for a foreclosure refinance, and you can save your home from the auction block if you act quickly. Again, this is a rule of thumb. Sometimes, you may be able to get away with having a little bit less Equity, or a little bit less Value, and in some states you will need much more Equity and a much higher Value to qualify for a refinance in a foreclosure scenario.

If you have two mortgages, a first and second, you still may be eligible for a foreclosure refinance if you meet one or more of the following conditions:

1. The Balances of your 1st and 2nd mortgages added together amounts to less than 70% of the Value of your home.

2. Your 2nd mortgage can be “subordinated”, or kept in place while you refinance the 1st mortgage.

I can’t emphasize enough the importance of acting as quickly as possible to save your home through a foreclosure refinance. The foreclosure clock starts ticking from the day on which you receive a notice of default or on which you become 120 days past due on your mortgage payments, and it can move very quickly. While most foreclosures don’t get to the stage of a property auction, sherrif’s sale or trustee sale in which you will lose your home until about 120 days from the recording of the NOD ( Notice Of Default ), in many states this can happen much more quickly, as fast as 60 days. While you delay, your mortgage company’s payoff balance, the mount required to cure the default and prevent foreclosure, will increase as legal fees and interest pile up, eating away at your Equity and robbing you of the ability to refinance out of the foreclosure. It’s easy to feel lost, almost paralyzed by the shock and fear of losing your home, but if you are serious about saving your home from foreclosure, get on the phone and find a foreclosure refinancing specialist as quickly as possible.

Don’t forget, your first priority is to save your home, and a foreclosure refinance is considered a short term loan, usually with a fixed rate for 2 or 3 years. This gives you enough time to get your credit back together and refinance at the end of the fixed period into a much lower payment. Because you have shown your current lender, as well as the credit reporting agencies and by association every other lender in the country that you could not make the mortgage payments in accordance with the terms of the loan which is in foreclosure, it’s understandable that the lender providing the foreclosure refinance is taking a substantial risk in lending you the money to prevent the foreclosure, and the financing will not be at a very low rate. However, in most cases, the foreclosure refinance loan’s payments are Interest Only, and will be lower than the payments on most forbearance, or payment agreements, which your lender may have proposed or enrolled you in prior to filing for foreclosure. And if you consolidate high interest debts like credit cards and personal loans, payoff judgments, and clear away liens, you can potentially free up a lot of cash flow from your monthly budget and begin improving your credit score with a clean slate.

Don’t waste time talking to lenders and brokers who don’t know the foreclosure refinance process inside out, there are simply too many out there who will just waste your time and money trying to learn how to get your foreclosure refinanced while you slide closer and closer to a sale date and the real possibility of losing your home. On the other hand, the right lender can help you lay out other options to save the equity in your home even if you don’t qualify for a foreclosure refinance. Find a special lender for your special situation, and you will have a fighting chance of refinancing in foreclosure and saving your home.



DION

Brenda Cote asked:


Foreclosure is a process in which a piece of real estate becomes the property of a lending institution due to the legal owner’s inability to make scheduled payments on the mortgage or deed of trust.

Typically, the lender files a notice of default after a homeowner fails to make his or her mortgage payments for several months. If the loan is not reinstated, the lender moves to foreclose. As a result, the lender becomes the new legal owner of the property and has the right to resell the property and recover any outstanding loan balances in addition to foreclosure expenses.

The foreclosure process consists of three stages: pre-foreclosure, which begins the redemption period; foreclosure, which is when the home is sold at a public auction; and post-foreclosure, which is when the property reverts back to the lender if it fails to sell at the public auction. Although each stage offers bargain-buying opportunities, the pre-foreclosure stage is considered by many real estate investors to be the most promising time to purchase during the foreclosure process.

Investing in pre-foreclosures means you will be acquiring property any time before the scheduled public auction. As the investor, you will be buying the property directly from the owner. The earlier you contact a homeowner in pre-foreclosure, the more time you will have to make a connection, structure a deal and purchase the property.

There is a common misconception that real estate investors purchasing homes from owners facing foreclosure are taking advantage of the homeowner’s misfortune. This is simply not true. A Notice of Default is filed only when a borrower (property owner) has broken the terms agreed upon with lender at the inception of the loan in default. This breech gives the lender every right to protect its financial interests. Therefore, an experienced real estate investor becomes the problem solver by finding a win-win solution that will help the homeowner get out of default.

Property owners facing foreclosure are typically scared or in denial. Many of them hope some miracle will happen that will make their ordeal simply go away. Doing nothing will certainly ensure a homeowner’s foreclosure, loss of home, loss of equity and credit rating damage for an entire decade.

When dealing with an owner in pre-foreclosure, talk to them as soon as possible. It is vital to explain the following three benefits of avoiding foreclosure:

1. Protects their credit

By working with an investor, homeowners may be able to avoid foreclosure and begin rebuilding credit. Even if a homeowner endures the process of losing his or her home, the repercussions of a foreclosure on a credit report are far reaching. A poor credit rating affects everything from buying a car to renting a home. With certain businesses, credit is even a factor in employment. Investors often help homeowners protect credit.

2. Make a profit

While it is true that real estate investors purchase at a discount, a homeowner facing default may still be able to recover some of their equity and walk away with profit.

3. Get a fresh start

Stopping the foreclosure allows homeowners to breathe a sigh of relief. As the pain and pressure of the foreclosure lifts, they find it easier to move on and begin rebuilding their life.

Buying in the pre-foreclosure stage can be the most lucrative slice of a real estate investor’s business. Once rapport and trust have been established, a professional real estate investor can determine whether the sale of a property would truly benefit everybody involved.

There are various ways to profit while helping people find viable solutions for their defaults. The following three are most common:

1. Purchase at a discount

Real estate investors are not likely to make a profit by purchasing at full market value. As an investor, it is essential to inform potential sellers that you earn your living from your profits. Therefore, you must buy for less than retail price while taking into account acquisition, sales and holding costs and any necessary repairs. A discount of twenty to thirty percent of full market value is common practice among real estate investors.

2. Buy property “subject to” the existing loan

There are widely spread rumors that it is illegal to purchase property that involves taking over an existing mortgage. This is completely false. While assumable loans are practically extinct, it is perfectly legal to purchase property subject to an existing loan. It is important to be aware of the “due on sale” clause stating the existing lender can call the loan due upon the transfer of title. In other words, the lender has the right to demand full payment of the outstanding loan balance at the time of transfer. In practice, lenders would rather receive their monthly payments than call the loan. Purchasing property subject to the existing financing means a smaller out-of-pocket investment for the real estate investor.

3. Create instant equity utilizing a Short Sale

Structuring a Short Sale can prove profitable when dealing with a homeowner facing foreclosure whose property is equity deficient. In this market, troubled lenders would rather discount their mortgages than increase their already mounting inventory of foreclosed properties. The type of discount you create will largely depend on the quality of your Short Sale package combined with the quality of your negotiating skills.

Real estate investors prevent a large number of foreclosures every year across the country. There are many ways for investors to make a profit while helping people move on with their lives.

Undoubtedly, the money is there to be made. Pre-foreclosures are a fabulous way to make it.



SAMMY

Frederick A Neustein asked:


Frederick A Neustein, an attorney with the Law Offices of Charles L Neustein PA and www.StopForelcosureLawyer.com respectfully submits the following:

Florida Foreclosure Fraud Protection Law Enacted.

The Attorney General clarified that this new law will not apply to the Attorney / Client relationship or the way attorneys are paid when they are hired to help distressed homeowners.  This law brings much needed protection to those consumers / homeowners who have been taken advantage of by Mortgage Loan Modification Companies - many of which are scams…

Effective October 1st, 2008



501.1377 Violations involving homeowners during the course of residential foreclosure proceedings.

(1) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.–The Legislature finds that homeowners who are in default on their mortgages, in foreclosure, or at risk of losing their homes due to nonpayment of taxes may be vulnerable to fraud, deception, and unfair dealings with foreclosure-rescue consultants or equity purchasers. The intent of this section is to provide a homeowner with information necessary to make an informed decision regarding the sale or transfer of his or her home to an equity purchaser. It is the further intent of this section to require that foreclosure-related rescue services agreements be expressed in writing in order to safeguard homeowners against deceit and financial hardship; to ensure, foster, and encourage fair dealing in the sale and purchase of homes in foreclosure or default; to prohibit representations that tend to mislead; to prohibit or restrict unfair contract terms; to provide a cooling-off period for homeowners who enter into contracts for services related to saving their homes from foreclosure or preserving their rights to possession of their homes; to afford homeowners a reasonable and meaningful opportunity to rescind sales to equity purchasers; and to preserve and protect home equity for the homeowners of this state.

(2) DEFINITIONS.–As used in this section, the term:

(a) “Equity purchaser” means any person who acquires a legal, equitable, or beneficial ownership interest in any residential real property as a result of a foreclosure-rescue transaction. The term does not apply to a person who acquires the legal, equitable, or beneficial interest in such property:

1. By a certificate of title from a foreclosure sale conducted under chapter 45;

2. At a sale of property authorized by statute;

3. By order or judgment of any court;

4. From a spouse, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, or sibling of the person or the person’s spouse; or

5. As a deed in lieu of foreclosure, a workout agreement, a bankruptcy plan, or any other agreement between a foreclosing lender and a homeowner.

(b) “Foreclosure-rescue consultant” means a person who directly or indirectly makes a solicitation, representation, or offer to a homeowner to provide or perform, in return for payment of money or other valuable consideration, foreclosure-related rescue services. The term does not apply to:

1. A person excluded under s. 501.212.

2. A person acting under the express authority or written approval of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development or other department or agency of the United States or this state to provide foreclosure-related rescue services.

3. A charitable, not-for-profit agency or organization, as determined by the United States Internal Revenue Service under s. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, which offers counseling or advice to an owner of residential real property in foreclosure or loan default if the agency or organization does not contract for foreclosure-related rescue services with a for-profit lender or person facilitating or engaging in foreclosure-rescue transactions.

4. A person who holds or is owed an obligation secured by a lien on any residential real property in foreclosure if the person performs foreclosure-related rescue services in connection with this obligation or lien and the obligation or lien was not the result of or part of a proposed foreclosure reconveyance or foreclosure-rescue transaction.

5. A financial institution as defined in s. 655.005 and any parent or subsidiary of the financial institution or of the parent or subsidiary.

6. A licensed mortgage broker, mortgage lender, or correspondent mortgage lender that provides mortgage counseling or advice regarding residential real property in foreclosure, which counseling or advice is within the scope of services set forth in chapter 494 and is provided without payment of money or other consideration other than a mortgage brokerage fee as defined in s. 494.001.

(c) “Foreclosure-related rescue services” means any good or service related to, or promising assistance in connection with:

1. Stopping, avoiding, or delaying foreclosure proceedings concerning residential real property; or

2. Curing or otherwise addressing a default or failure to timely pay with respect to a residential mortgage loan obligation.

(d) “Foreclosure-rescue transaction” means a transaction:

1. By which residential real property in foreclosure is conveyed to an equity purchaser and the homeowner maintains a legal or equitable interest in the residential real property conveyed, including, without limitation, a lease option interest, an option to acquire the property, an interest as beneficiary or trustee to a land trust, or other interest in the property conveyed; and

2. That is designed or intended by the parties to stop, avoid, or delay foreclosure proceedings against a homeowner’s residential real property.

(e) “Homeowner” means any record title owner of residential real property that is the subject of foreclosure proceedings.

(f) “Residential real property” means real property consisting of one-family to four-family dwelling units, one of which is occupied by the owner as his or her principal place of residence.

(g) “Residential real property in foreclosure” means residential real property against which there is an outstanding notice of the pendency of foreclosure proceedings recorded pursuant to s. 48.23.

(3)  PROHIBITED ACTS.–In the course of offering or providing foreclosure-related rescue services, a foreclosure-rescue consultant may not:

(a) Engage in or initiate foreclosure-related rescue services without first executing a written agreement with the homeowner for foreclosure-related rescue services; or

(b) Solicit, charge, receive, or attempt to collect or secure payment, directly or indirectly, for foreclosure-related rescue services before completing or performing all services contained in the agreement for foreclosure-related rescue services.

(4)  FORECLOSURE-RELATED RESCUE SERVICES; WRITTEN AGREEMENT.–

(a)  The written agreement for foreclosure-related rescue services must be printed in at least 12-point uppercase type and signed by both parties. The agreement must include the name and address of the person providing foreclosure-related rescue services, the exact nature and specific detail of each service to be provided, the total amount and terms of charges to be paid by the homeowner for the services, and the date of the agreement. The date of the agreement may not be earlier than the date the homeowner signed the agreement. The foreclosure-rescue consultant must give the homeowner a copy of the agreement to review not less than 1 business day before the homeowner is to sign the agreement.

(b)  The homeowner has the right to cancel the written agreement without any penalty or obligation if the homeowner cancels the agreement within 3 business days after signing the written agreement. The right to cancel may not be waived by the homeowner or limited in any manner by the foreclosure-rescue consultant. If the homeowner cancels the agreement, any payments that have been given to the foreclosure-rescue consultant must be returned to the homeowner within 10 business days after receipt of the notice of cancellation.

(c)  An agreement for foreclosure-related rescue services must contain, immediately above the signature line, a statement in at least 12-point uppercase type that substantially complies with the following:

HOMEOWNER’S RIGHT OF CANCELLATION

YOU MAY CANCEL THIS AGREEMENT FOR FORECLOSURE-RELATED RESCUE SERVICES WITHOUT ANY PENALTY OR OBLIGATION WITHIN 3 BUSINESS DAYS FOLLOWING THE DATE THIS AGREEMENT IS SIGNED BY YOU.

THE FORECLOSURE-RESCUE CONSULTANT IS PROHIBITED BY LAW FROM ACCEPTING ANY MONEY, PROPERTY, OR OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT FROM YOU UNTIL ALL PROMISED SERVICES ARE COMPLETE.

IF FOR ANY REASON YOU HAVE PAID THE CONSULTANT BEFORE CANCELLATION, YOUR PAYMENT MUST BE RETURNED TO YOU NO LATER THAN 10 BUSINESS DAYS AFTER THE CONSULTANT RECEIVES YOUR CANCELLATION NOTICE.

TO CANCEL THIS AGREEMENT, A SIGNED AND DATED COPY OF A STATEMENT THAT YOU ARE CANCELING THE AGREEMENT SHOULD BE MAILED (POSTMARKED) OR DELIVERED TO (NAME) AT (ADDRESS) NO LATER THAN MIDNIGHT OF (DATE) .

IMPORTANT: IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU CONTACT YOUR LENDER OR MORTGAGE SERVICER BEFORE SIGNING THIS AGREEMENT.

YOUR LENDER OR MORTGAGE SERVICER MAY BE WILLING TO NEGOTIATE A PAYMENT PLAN OR A RESTRUCTURING WITH YOU FREE OF CHARGE.

(d) The inclusion of the statement does not prohibit the foreclosure-rescue consultant from giving the homeowner more time in which to cancel the agreement than is set forth in the statement, provided all other requirements of this subsection are met.

(e) The foreclosure-rescue consultant must give the homeowner a copy of the signed agreement within 3 hours after the homeowner signs the agreement.

(5)   FORECLOSURE-RESCUE TRANSACTIONS; WRITTEN AGREEMENT.–

(a)  1. A foreclosure-rescue transaction must include a written agreement prepared in at least 12-point uppercase type that is completed, signed, and dated by the homeowner and the equity purchaser before executing any instrument from the homeowner to the equity purchaser quitclaiming, assigning, transferring, conveying, or encumbering an interest in the residential real property in foreclosure. The equity purchaser must give the homeowner a copy of the completed agreement within 3 hours after the homeowner signs the agreement. The agreement must contain the entire understanding of the parties and must include:

a. The name, business address, and telephone number of the equity purchaser.

b. The street address and full legal description of the property.

c. Clear and conspicuous disclosure of any financial or legal obligations of the homeowner that will be assumed by the equity purchaser.

d. The total consideration to be paid by the equity purchaser in connection with or incident to the acquisition of the property by the equity purchaser.

e. The terms of payment or other consideration, including, but not limited to, any services that the equity purchaser represents will be performed for the homeowner before or after the sale.

f. The date and time when possession of the property is to be transferred to the equity purchaser.

2. A foreclosure-rescue transaction agreement must contain, above the signature line, a statement in at least 12-point uppercase type that substantially complies with the following:

I UNDERSTAND THAT UNDER THIS AGREEMENT I AM SELLING MY HOME TO THE OTHER UNDERSIGNED PARTY.

3. A foreclosure-rescue transaction agreement must state the specifications of any option or right to repurchase the residential real property in foreclosure, including the specific amounts of any escrow payments or deposit, down payment, purchase price, closing costs, commissions, or other fees or costs.

4. A foreclosure-rescue transaction agreement must comply with all applicable provisions of 15 U.S.C. ss. 1600 et seq. and related regulations.

(b) The homeowner may cancel the foreclosure-rescue transaction agreement without penalty if the homeowner notifies the equity purchaser of such cancellation no later than 5 p.m. on the 3rd business day after signing the written agreement. Any moneys paid by the equity purchaser to the homeowner or by the homeowner to the equity purchaser must be returned at cancellation. The right to cancel does not limit or otherwise affect the homeowner’s right to cancel the transaction under any other law. The right to cancel may not be waived by the homeowner or limited in any way by the equity purchaser. The equity purchaser must give the homeowner, at the time the written agreement is signed, a notice of the homeowner’s right to cancel the foreclosure-rescue transaction as set forth in this subsection. The notice, which must be set forth on a separate cover sheet to the written agreement that contains no other written or pictorial material, must be in at least 12-point uppercase type, double-spaced, and read as follows:

NOTICE TO THE HOMEOWNER/SELLER

PLEASE READ THIS FORM COMPLETELY AND CAREFULLY. IT CONTAINS VALUABLE INFORMATION REGARDING CANCELLATION RIGHTS.

BY THIS CONTRACT, YOU ARE AGREEING TO SELL YOUR HOME. YOU MAY CANCEL THIS TRANSACTION AT ANY TIME BEFORE 5:00 P.M. OF THE THIRD BUSINESS DAY FOLLOWING RECEIPT OF THIS NOTICE.

THIS CANCELLATION RIGHT MAY NOT BE WAIVED IN ANY MANNER BY YOU OR BY THE PURCHASER.

ANY MONEY PAID DIRECTLY TO YOU BY THE PURCHASER MUST BE RETURNED TO THE PURCHASER AT CANCELLATION. ANY MONEY PAID BY YOU TO THE PURCHASER MUST BE RETURNED TO YOU AT CANCELLATION.

TO CANCEL, SIGN THIS FORM AND RETURN IT TO THE PURCHASER BY 5:00 P.M. ON (DATE) AT (ADDRESS) .

IT IS BEST TO MAIL IT BY CERTIFIED MAIL OR OVERNIGHT DELIVERY, RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED, AND TO KEEP A PHOTOCOPY OF THE SIGNED FORM AND YOUR POST OFFICE RECEIPT.

I (we) hereby cancel this transaction.

Seller’s Signature

Printed Name of Seller

Seller’s Signature

Printed Name of Seller

Date

(c) In any foreclosure-rescue transaction in which the homeowner is provided the right to repurchase the residential real property, the homeowner has a 30-day right to cure any default of the terms of the contract with the equity purchaser, and this right to cure may be exercised on up to three separate occasions. The homeowner’s right to cure must be included in any written agreement required by this subsection.

(d) In any foreclosure-rescue transaction, before or at the time of conveyance, the equity purchaser must fully assume or discharge any lien in foreclosure as well as any prior liens that will not be extinguished by the foreclosure.

(e) If the homeowner has the right to repurchase the residential real property, the equity purchaser must verify and be able to demonstrate that the homeowner has or will have a reasonable ability to make the required payments to exercise the option to repurchase under the written agreement. For purposes of this subsection, there is a rebuttable presumption that the homeowner has a reasonable ability to make the payments required to repurchase the property if the homeowner’s monthly payments for primary housing expenses and regular monthly principal and interest payments on other personal debt do not exceed 60 percent of the homeowner’s monthly gross income.

(f) If the homeowner has the right to repurchase the residential real property, the price the homeowner pays may not be unconscionable, unfair, or commercially unreasonable. A rebuttable presumption, solely between the equity purchaser and the homeowner, arises that the foreclosure-rescue transaction was unconscionable if the homeowner’s repurchase price is greater than 17 percent per annum more than the total amount paid by the equity purchaser to acquire, improve, maintain, and hold the property. Unless the repurchase agreement or a memorandum of the repurchase agreement is recorded in accordance with s. 695.01, the presumption arising under this subsection shall not apply against creditors or subsequent purchasers for a valuable consideration and without notice.

(6) REBUTTABLE PRESUMPTION.– Any foreclosure-rescue transaction involving a lease option or other repurchase agreement creates a rebuttable presumption, solely between the equity purchaser and the homeowner, that the transaction is a loan transaction and the conveyance from the homeowner to the equity purchaser is a mortgage under s. 697.01. Unless the lease option or other repurchase agreement, or a memorandum of the lease option or other repurchase agreement, is recorded in accordance with s. 695.01, the presumption created under this subsection shall not apply against creditors or subsequent purchasers for a valuable consideration and without notice.

(7) VIOLATIONS. – A person who violates any provision of this section commits an unfair and deceptive trade practice as defined in part II of this chapter. Violators are subject to the penalties and remedies provided in part II of this chapter, including a monetary penalty not to exceed $15,000 per violation.



GALEN

Robert Lam asked:


Before you dive into the exciting world of property foreclosure investing, you should probably be aware of the pros and cons of buying a pre-foreclosed or foreclosed home…

Pros

1. Lower price and higher profit

Pre-foreclosures and foreclosures usually always sell for less than their actual market value - sometimes 20 to 50 percent below the market cost. Among other things, this means that if you turn around and sell the property, you should make a sizable profit.

Nowadays, you can use a short sale to negotiate a lower price with the lender. This is an extremely powerful technique for building equity out of thin air.

2. Rehab potential

Many pre-foreclosures and foreclosures need repairs and renovations. If you know how to rehab a home without spending too much money, you may be able to substantially and cost-effectively increase the value of the home.

3. Lower settlement costs

Since you are often dealing with vendors wanting to get rid of the pre-foreclosed or foreclosed property as soon as possible, you can often get them to agree to lower down payments, better financing options, lower closing costs, and reductions on other settlement costs.

4. Access to the property

Most foreclosure homes are vacant, which means you can often get access to a foreclosed property as soon as you buy it.

Either that or the homeowner knows he/she needs to move out in a short amount of time.

5. More attractive financing

If you’re buying a foreclosure from a bank, they may offer you attractive financing to make the deal more appealing to you.

So what are the cons to investing in pre-foreclosures and foreclosures?

Cons

1. Hidden liens and liabilities

It’s not uncommon for pre-foreclosed and foreclosed homes to carry liens and unpaid taxes. As the new owner, you’ll have to pay these. Sometimes a home owner or seller may not reveal these liens and liabilities to you. However, the good news is that you can find this information relatively easily with a title search and, if necessary, some other research.

2. Poor condition

Just as many pre-foreclosures and foreclosures are ripe for rehabbing… you can also expect many of these to be in extremely poor condition. Unless you’ve budgeted for the required repairs and/or renovations, you may be in for a nasty shock. On the other hand, if you inspect the property or (if buying the property unseen at auction) budget for the worst, such repairs may be well within your budget.

3. Learning curve

Buying pre-foreclosures and foreclosures requires an understanding of the legal foreclosure process. You also need to be familiar with how to locate potential investment properties and, ideally, discover them when they first enter the pre-foreclosure stage of foreclosure proceedings. This can be a hassle for some property investors who prefer the relatively straightforward process involved in buying regular properties. However, once you’re familiar with how to buy pre-foreclosures and foreclosures, you may discover that it isn’t really all that burdensome at all.

Overall, pre-foreclosures and foreclosures are a great investment… provided you’re willing to understand what buying such homes involves, and are prepared for the educated risks. You need the proper education such as with http://www.ForeclosuresUnleashed.net. Most importantly, you need to apply the information that you learn!



ZANE

Emil Emilov asked:


Hi, this is Emil from http://investing-in-property.com.

I hope you’re going to enjoy the following article on investing in real estate. If you want to know more visit my website.

The recent collapses in the mortgage industry have left a large number of consumers scratching their heads in an effort to better understand the economics behind borrowing money. From the opposite side of the spectrum, this rash of foreclosures has left many savvy real estate investors scratching their heads trying to figure out how they can make money from the foreclosed properties. Though the processes can be lengthy and rather complicated, the best place to start is with a basic understanding of how foreclosure works, and what it actually means.

Foreclosure is simply the act of a bank, mortgage company, or anyone else who loaned you money for your house saying, “We loaned you money and you aren’t paying us back in the way that we agreed. As a result, the loan is cancelled. Pay us now.” Most people cannot repay the loan immediately so the house is claimed as collateral. This process can take several different forms.

The first is judicial foreclosure. Judicial foreclosure involves the court system. This is the most common type of foreclosure, and in many areas it is the only legal option of foreclosure available. The court system will oversee the sale of the foreclosed property and the money made from the sale will go to pay back the bank or mortgage company. If there is any money left over, it will be used to pay off any liens that may be held against the property. Liens are claims that other creditors may place against your property. The lien is a legal agreement that says. “Party A owes me money, so if they decide to sell their house then they don’t get any of the money until the debt to me has been paid in full.” After all the creditors and lien holders are paid, the original homeowner will get whatever is left.

The second type of foreclosure is non judicial foreclosure. Also known as “foreclosure by power of sale,” this is the preferred method by most creditors because the process tends to move much faster than court supervised foreclosure. This method is not legal in every state. The distribution of funds follows the same schedule as the court supervised foreclosures, with the original homeowner finally getting whatever proceeds of the sale are left at the end.

If you are an investor seeking to take a 2nd mortgage and buy foreclosed real estate, then you will quickly become familiar with the term, lis pendens. This is a Latin phrase meaning “pending lawsuit.” In the world of mortgages and foreclosures, it is a publicly recorded list of properties that are about to foreclose. Once the process has begun for judicial foreclosure, the municipal clerk in your county or town will publish the list of suits that have been filed. This is a great place to look for real estate investors who may be able to buy homes directly from people who are about to go through foreclosure. It is a chance to pick up property for a good price and for them to avoid going through the foreclosure process.

Before a suit is filed, the creditor is required to issue a Notice of Default. This is a legal notice that informs you, the borrower, that your original loan is in default status and that the original agreement that was established for payment is no longer binding. Most lenders will place a mortgage into default status when the payment reaches the point of being 90 days late. By day 95, the Notice of Default will have been presented to you. If you have a default loan you may still be able to salvage your home, but you will need to act quickly.

As a real estate investor, there are two different ways to buy distressed properties. The first is to purchase pre-foreclosure properties. It is pre-foreclosure because the property still belongs to the original homeowner. Though proceedings for the foreclosure may be underway, the homeowner may be willing to sell the property for just enough to satisfy the amount of the loan. This leaves the investor with a great deal on a piece of property and the homeowner avoids the traumatic experience of foreclosure. Foreclosure property sales that are not “pre” have already reached the point where the property is back in the banks name and they are selling it just to see how much they can recover. Again, this is a great opportunity to buy, as the banks often don’t push for higher prices at auction. They simply want to recover the outstanding portion of the loan.

The increase in sheer volume of foreclosure is evidence that many people simply do not understand what they are getting into when they buy their first home. Having identified this as a problem, there are many government back institutions and even some private ones, who offer assistance to home buyers. While they can help you secure funding, organizations like VA/HUD, Freddie Mac, and Fannie Mae are also excellent sources of information.



JUNIOR

Peter Baptiste asked:


What can I do to stop foreclosure? Are there foreclosure assistance solutions available to help me? These are top questions that many Americans are finding themselves asking today. With so many foreclosures occurring, it leaves families in precarious positions, looking for foreclosure assistance solutions in lieu of foreclosure. Thankfully, there are some great solutions available.

John and Mary were an average couple. Both had jobs, a nice home, two cars, and were doing pretty well. However, John’s company was getting squeezed by the economy, so they laid him off, and at the same time the interest rates on their adjustable rate mortgage jumped, making their payment more than ever before in a time when they had less income than every before. Soon they were missing payments and facing foreclosure, frantically looking for foreclosure assistance solutions to help.

When you’re looking for foreclosure assistance solutions, there are several things to keep in mind. You want to make sure you choose the right solution for your needs, so here are several things to look for when searching for a foreclosure solution.

- Look for an Option That Will Help You Save Your Home - When you are weighing the various solutions available to you today, look for an option that will help you save your home if possible. This is not always possible, but the best choice.

- Make Sure You’re Not Getting Involved in a Scam - There are many scams out there, and when you’re trying to find the right foreclosure assistance solutions, keep your eyes open for scams.

- Don’t Pay for Help - There are many solutions out there and you shouldn’t have to pay for them. So, if they are asking for payment, this is not the right solution for you.

Solution #1 - Talk to Your Lender - Probably one of the best foreclosure assistance solutions to employ if you are facing foreclosure is to start out by talking to your lender. You need to let them know what the problem is. They don’t want to foreclose and can often offer you other great solutions to help.

Solution #2 - Loan Refinancing - Loan refinancing is another of the many foreclosure assistance solutions that is a great option for you. When you have an adjustable rate mortgage, this is definitely a top solution, since you can often save quite a bit in interest. This is a top way to avoid foreclosure but is not always an option.

Solution #3 - Forbearance - Forbearance on your loan can help you reduce your mortgage payments or even delay them for a time period without legal action. If you have dealt with a job loss or extreme financial problems, this is one of the top foreclosure assistance solutions to check into.

Solution #4 - Pre-Foreclosure Sales - If you are not interested in keeping your home and you’d rather make sure that you save your credit and avoid a foreclosure, pre-foreclosure sales can provide you with an excellent option.

Solution #5 - Repayment Plan - Some companies will offer special repayment plans that are great foreclosure assistance solutions. This is a very common method used and includes your lender allowing you to repay the past due amounts by adding part of it to your monthly payment each month so you can get caught up.

Solution #6 - Short Sale - A short sale is not one of the top foreclosure assistance solutions, and it means you’ll be giving up your home, but it is a good option as a last resort. It allows you to sell your home for less than the mortgage amount, but you’ll have to get your lender to agree to it.

Solution #7 - Deed in Lieu - Last of all, deed in lieu is another one of the many foreclosure assistance solutions available, but there are some big disadvantages. While it does help you to avoid foreclosure, it can still damage your credit.

These are just a few of the top foreclosure assistance solutions options that you have today. It’s important that you understand your options and how they work so you can make sure that you don’t get caught off guard by foreclosure. There is help for you if you are dealing with a possible foreclosure, so take the time to find out more about these solutions that are available to you.



ERICK

Real Estate Advisor asked:


Stockton, California reported the highest foreclosure rate among the nation’s 100 largest metro areas from Jan to Jun 2007, according to RealtyTrac, an online marketplace for foreclosure sales. Detroit and Las Vegas documented the next highest foreclosure rates. RealtyTrac’s 2007 Midyear Metropolitan Foreclosure Market Report showed the foreclosure activity in the top 100 metro areas for the first half of 2007. As foreclosure rates continue to rise, 82 out of 100 metro areas recorded year-over-year increases in foreclosures.

Stockton reported one foreclosure filing for every 27 households with a total of 8,169 foreclosure fillings on 4,239 properties. The rate of foreclosure has increased exponentially to three times more than the number reported last year, for the same period.

Detroit, with one in 29 households going for foreclosure, recorded the second highest foreclosure rate. A total of 28,705 foreclosure filings were made on 20,231 properties, which is almost double the number reported from Jan-June 2006.

Las Vegas documented one foreclosure filing for every 31 households, making it the third highest in foreclosure activity among the 100 metro areas. It reported 22,928 foreclosure filings on 13,028 properties, double the number reported during the first half of 2006.

Six of the top 20 metro areas with the highest foreclosure rates were in California and four in Ohio.

The following are the top 20 U.S. housing foreclosure markets from Jan to Jun 2007, the total number of foreclosure filings and households per foreclosure filing.

1. Stockton, California: 8,169 foreclosure filings; one foreclosure filing for every 27 households.

2. Detroit/Livonia/Dearborn, Michigan: 28,705 foreclosure filings; one filing per 29 households.

3. Las Vegas/Paradise, Nevada: 22,928 foreclosure filings; one filing per 31 households.

4. Riverside/San Bernardino, California: 41,351 foreclosure filings; one filing per 33 households.

5. Sacramento, California: 20,516 foreclosure filings; one filing per 36 households.

6. Denver/Aurora, Colorado: 23,842 foreclosure filings; one filing per 42 households.

7. Miami, Florida: 20,275 foreclosure filings; one filing per 46 households.

8. Bakersfield, California: 5,365 foreclosure filings; one filing per 47 households.

9. Memphis, Tennessee: 10,800 foreclosure filings; one filing per 49 households.

10. Cleveland/Lorain/Elyria/Mentor, Ohio: 8,844 foreclosure filings; one filing per 50 households.

11. Fort Lauderdale, Florida: 15,720 foreclosure filings; one filing per 50 households.

12. Atlanta/Sandy Springs/Marietta, Georgia: 36,502 foreclosure filings; one filing per 54 households.

13. Fort Worth/Arlington, Texas: 13,221 foreclosure filings; one filing per 57 households.

14. Fresno, California: 4,867 foreclosure filings; one filing per 60 households.

15. Indianapolis, Indiana: 11,677 foreclosure filings; one filing per 62 households.

16. Dayton, Ohio: 5,966 foreclosure filings; one filing per 63 households.

17. Dallas, Texas: 23,284 foreclosure filings; one filing per 65 households.

18. Akron, Ohio: 4,378 foreclosure filings; one filing per 70 households.

19. Oakland, California: 13,482 foreclosure filings; one filing per 70 households.

20. Columbus, Ohio: 10,706 foreclosure filings; one filing per 70 households.



BENNIE

Reed Lattin asked:


Owning a home is the great American dream. Losing that home to foreclosure in Phoenix can seem like the end of the world. However, Phoenix foreclosures are completely avoidable and can be prevented if you are willing to weigh your options. For starters, you need to know that there are alternatives to Phoenix foreclosure, and you can avoid the process. Whether you’re trying to sell your home before time runs out, or if you just don’t know what to do but can’t afford your home. You need to research Phoenix foreclosures to make sure that you’ve done everything that you can to stop the process. When it comes to Phoenix foreclosures, you should first consider any companies you can find that are willing to buy a foreclosure in Phoenix or will work with a Phoenix foreclosure. These companies are usually made up of real estate investors, and work with cash, so that mortgages aren’t needed. This is one great alternative to Phoenix foreclosures.

Waiting for an individual buyer for your home can jeopardize your time, as well as your financial well being. Phoenix foreclosures don’t happen overnight, but can be a fast process if you’re not prepared. Taking the time to learn about Phoenix foreclosures is the best thing that you can do. If you do nothing about Phoenix foreclosure, you’ll likely face foreclosure in Phoenix much faster that you might have imagined. It doesn’t matter why you are facing this problem. With the current state of the economy, Phoenix foreclosures can happen to anyone, so you need to take them very seriously.

The companies that you can find who invest in Phoenix foreclosures are usually real estate investing teams that can turn your nightmare into a profit for their company. It doesn’t matter what shape your home is in when it comes to foreclosure in Phoenix. You can even avoid Phoenix foreclosure if your house isn’t perfect. It doesn’t matter if the home is in need of repair or just ugly, many companies will take Phoenix foreclosures however they can get them. Phoenix foreclosures are a popular item right now, because of the present state of the economy. It’s unfortunate, but too many people have gotten in over their heads. By educating yourself and getting out before it’s too late, you can avoid becoming another statistic of Phoenix foreclosures.

Even if you feel like you’ve tried everything and failed, that isn’t necessarily true. While your mortgage lender might not be willing to work with you, you can find another company or investor that will when it comes to Phoenix foreclosure. Understanding the process of Phoenix foreclosures is essential to your success. By taking the time to educate yourself and learn about Phoenix foreclosures, you can be certain that you’ll have a better experience than if you were ill informed and did nothing. Facing foreclosure in Phoenix might be scary, but it can be avoided. You need to take the time to learn about Phoenix foreclosures and what options you have. If taken seriously, Phoenix foreclosures can be avoided quite easily.



EMILE

Keith Junor asked:


Have you been served with a foreclosure?

Here are your options:

 

1) Your mortgage servicer’s loss mitigation department may provide you with a “reinstatement figure.” If you pay it, the servicer will reinstate the mortgage and dismiss the foreclosure. This option typically has a couple of problems associated with it. First of all, the servicer will not be very cooperative, even if it promises you that the reinstatement figure is on the way. Even if you successfully obtain a reinstatement figure, you still must come up with the cash to pay the amount due to stop the foreclosure.

(By the way, reinstatement figures often will include hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, in junk fees, such as a Broker Price Opinion, property inspections and other “property preservation expenses”. These fees are often charged to the borrower whether or not the cost was actually incurred or the service actually performed.)

2) You can seek a complete refinance of the existing mortgage in foreclosure. This option is limited to a very small group of people. There must be sufficient equity to entice another lender to pay off the defaulted mortgage. This becomes even more difficult if there is a second mortgage because that must also be paid off. Given the much publicized “credit crunch” on Wall Street, only those borrowers with substantial and verifiable income will most likely qualify.

3) You can place your home on the market and attempt to sell it. This may not be a realistic option because home values are still dropping each day, and you may now have no equity or negative equity. I have previously discussed the possibility of a short sale, but if you are in a foreclosure, you are under the additional pressure of time. There is only a small window of opportunity until closing on the sale of your home will become impossible before a foreclosure sale date, and your mortgage servicer will be in no hurry to cooperate. See option #1 above.

4) You can file a Chapter 13 reorganization bankruptcy. There are a bunch of excellent blogs on the subject of filing a Chapter 13 on Bankruptcy Law Network, but you can only save your home in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy if you can make the monthly Chapter 13 Plan payment. Chapter 13 can buy you time, but if your case is dismissed for nonpayment, the mortgage servicing company will resume the foreclosure. If you have regular income, this is the way to go.

5) You can give up and move out. This is an option that many people are choosing in this current economic climate. Maybe the reason you fell behind in your mortgage is a long term loss of income. You cannot meet the requirements of one of the four previous options, and you are ready to move on. There are two major problems with this option. The first problem is that you will definitely have a foreclosure on your credit report. Secondly, there is a possibility that the mortgage company will still be owed a balance after the foreclosure sale. This leads to a deficiency balance owed by you to the mortgage company.

6) You can fight against your foreclosure. It is not a given that your mortgage servicer will succeed easily in a foreclosure . . . unless you do nothing. This may sound too good to be true, but your mortgage company may have filed an improper foreclosure lawsuit. Across the country, judges are punishing mortgage companies for incomplete record keeping and for violations of law. You may have valuable defenses and counterclaims against your mortgage company that could actually prevent foreclosure and even require your mortgage servicing company to pay you damages. You may even be able to force your lender to completely rewrite the terms of your note and mortgage, enabling you to keep your home.

Here’s how you can fight your foreclosure!

How do I fight my Florida foreclosure?

http://www.mortgagelawnetwork.com

By Chip Parker, Jacksonville Consumer Attorney on Mar 28, 2008 in Attorneys In Our Network, barney frank, mortgage reform

greywolf.critter.netAs I stated in my previous article, you have a limited number of options when you are served with a foreclosure on your home. For many, the best option may be to fight the foreclosure. “How is this possible?,” you may ask. “How can I fight my huge mortgage company with all of its tall building lawyers?”

The truth of the matter is that, despite the millions of dollars spent by the mortgage servicing industry on sophisticated software to process loans, record keeping tends to be sloppy and full of errors. Moreover, the largest mortgage companies hire law firms that do nothing but file foreclosures, and the work goes to the firm that bids the cheapest price per case. It’s not that these lawyers are stupid. More accurately, their volume case load prevents them from effectively litigating contested cases, and their client, the mortgage servicer, does little to assist in the prosecution of the foreclosure case.

Are you aware that your mortgage company is probably not the same company that actually loaned you the money to buy or refinance your home? How do you know if this mortgage company has been properly assigned your note and mortgage? The alleged assignment may be legally insufficient. Does your foreclosure complaint even have copies of the note, mortgage and assignment attached? Most likely, these documents are not attached, and may not even be in the possession of your mortgage company. On October 31, 2007, a federal district judge in Ohio dismissed fourteen (14) foreclosure cases filed by Deutsche Bank for this very reason.

Your mortgage company may be attempting to substitute your original note and/or mortgage with a copy. This is called a “Count to Establish Lost Documents.” There are strict legal requirements to establish a lost note or mortgage, and your mortgage company may be unable to meet the requirements if challenged.

Your mortgage company may have inflated the balance due by charging junk fees, such as a Broker Price Opinion (BPO), property inspections, force placed insurance and other “property preservation expenses.” Additionally, your mortgage company may have placed your payments into a “suspense account” and charged you late fees as if payments were never made.

The bottom line is that your mortgage company may have filed an improper foreclosure lawsuit. You may have valuable defenses and counterclaims against your mortgage company that could actually prevent foreclosure and even require your mortgage servicing company to pay you damages. You may even be able to force your lender to completely rewrite the terms of your note and mortgage, enabling you to keep your home.

Don’t sit on your rights! You have or will be served a copy of the foreclosure complaint by a process server. You typically have only 20 days to respond to the mortgage company’s complaint, so you need to see an attorney immediately if you wish to defend against the foreclosure!



ADOLFO

Attorney William asked:


Foreclosures are up nationwide, and will continue to rise as prices continue to go flat in many markets. For some, the problem is painful. Ask New Century Financial Corporation, the nation’s second largest subprime lender, who recently filed for bankruptcy. Ask the guy down the block from you whose house is in foreclosure.

Foreclosures are up nationwide, and will continue to rise as prices continue to go flat in many markets. For some, the problem is painful. Ask New Century Financial Corporation, the nation’s second largest subprime lender, who recently filed for bankruptcy. Ask the guy down the block from you whose house is in foreclosure.

Some pundits think the rising foreclosures will bankrupt our economy, causing pain for people who lose their business or job as a ripple effect of all these foreclosures. Others think that the rise in foreclosures is a healthy adjustment to the end of a long real estate boom, and is nature’s way of taking care of a free-market economic cycle.

Who’s right? Time will tell, but it’s alarming to see politicians trying to fix this problem. Here are some of their solutions.

Give People Money

Tax the rich, give to the poor. The federal government now wants to fund programs to help people stay in their homes.

Second foreclosure-prevention bill introduced in Senate

A new bill in the Senate proposes giving money to people who can’t pay their loans. We taxpayers are confused. If these people are in trouble because they never should have been given such a loan, why should taxpayer money be used to keep them in their homes that they could not otherwise afford?

Maybe someone in Washington has the answer to that question?

Regulate Foreclosure Investors

I have written extensively about the assault on foreclosure investors that have been initiated by consumer advocate groups, resulting in a tsunami of new “Foreclosure Protection” laws across the country.

A Review of the NCLC’s “Dreams Foreclosed” Report

While protecting innocent homeowners from unethical investors is a good idea, new legislation is not always the answer. Enforcement of existing consumer protection laws and prosecution under existing criminal laws is certainly a better option than creating new laws that limit the options of a seller in foreclosure. The best solution to a foreclosure epidemic is a free market that allows investors to gobble up inventory. By hamstringing investors with complicated, punitive regulations, it will only discourage transactions and result in more properties in lender inventory. More lender inventory forces them to sell at lower prices, which hurts the entire real estate market.

Stop the Foreclosure Process

The Government of the State of Massachusetts just handed the State Banking Division the authority to put up to a two month delay on any lender foreclosure. All a homeowner has to do is file a complaint with that office.

State Orders Foreclosure Delays

It is not year clear on how many lenders this will affect, but certainly this move is troubling. If the government’s action is based on a consumer complaint, what kind of complaint deserves the kind of government involvement that stops a lender from collecting on its debt?

Certainly, any homeowner whose legal rights have been violated under state or federal law can stop or delay a foreclosure with a court order.

Opponents, of course, will argue that since these people in foreclosure can’t afford lawyers, they won’t have the means to seek this remedy. Such is life, that people who are in debt can’t afford lawyers to protect their legal rights. Do people in $1,000,000 homes deserve the same protection as people in $100,000 homes? Do lenders and their shareholders have the right to foreclose and get their collateral back?

And, think about the next logical step… will the government stop allowing landlords to evict if the problem gets bad enough?

Stop the Lenders from Lending

Nobody can seriously deny that lenders got sloppy in how they lent mortgage money over the last 10 years. As a result, many people got into loans they couldn’t pay back, and we now see the consequences.

Conversely, with the exception of gross overreaching by mortgage brokers, it’s hard to deny that most people didn’t understand the risk involved in borrowing money they couldn’t pay back. If you buy a house with no money down and a negative amortizing loan, you are gambling that you will make more money in the future and/or the price of your home will increase. If you are wrong, you lose your home. That’s the gamble. It’s like Vegas, except for one thing – the house doesn’t win when the customer loses. Everybody loses, except the attorneys who get paid to foreclose.

Should the government stop lenders from offering “risky” loans? The answer, I believe, is emphatically “NO”. If lenders go too far, they suffer financially. Thus, the market will take care of itself, in that lenders who lose profits will tighten up loan regulations, and Wall Street will downgrade or reject portfolios of risky loans.

Before you get too excited by this last paragraph, I do believe that some regulation is appropriate to protect the consumers and shareholders from getting duped in the process. Additional disclosures to both homeowners and Wall Street investors are appropriate considering the large number of defaulting subprime loans. However, if people want to borrow money under risky terms and lenders want to lend under a high risk of loss, why should the government stop them? Pawn shops, check-cashing stores and used car lots all operate on a high-level of risk.

Step Up Enforcement of Existing Laws

Instead of stopping the business, I believe the government should throw money at enforcement. Prosecute the bad people and leave the options open for people who want to do business under their own terms. There are enough existing laws that give the state and federal prosecutors plenty of room to go after bad operators, and many of them already have.

The government can put bandaids on it, but only the market can solve it the foreclosure problem. When demand exceeds supply in a given market, prices will go back up, and people will have enough equity to sell their homes. Somehow, I don’t imagine people will learn their lesson and, thus will continue the same cycle in the future. But, most Americans believe it is not the government’s job to stop people from willingly doing stupid things.

When it comes to your financial decisions, be responsible, read the fine print, and remember… “buyer beware”.

Click Here for more info for Foreclosure Problem

Written exclusively for Legalwiz.com by Attorney William Bronchick, Certified Registered Nationally-known attorney, Author, Entrepreneur and Speaker.



ISSAC