Losing It In Rockaway

Over and over again we profile 100% financed properties that end up in foreclosure. If purchaser does not have a down payment - not even three percent - it shows saving and budgeting are usually not a high priority. Another common thread with 100% financing is that most of the purchases are underwater almost immediately upon the purchase. This gives the homeowner no leeway (but also no real incentive) to renegotiate the mortgage.

The ease that home buying became during the Great Housing Bubble gave people that would not ordinarily be able to purchase a house a chance. Hopefully there are some people embracing the unique chance they were given. But today is another case of someone that did not.

When a property owner falls into foreclosure within a year of purchasing the property the most common reason is that budget and financial management was the problem. Although there are some reasons the foreclosure may have occurred. The owner may have fallen into financial distress immediately upon the purchase - perhaps a layoff or an illness did not allow for the mortgage payments. Perhaps the owner was never in a financial position where they could afford the property - the mortgage company messed up and allowed a loan that never should have been given. Or maybe the previous owner is trying to game the system through an inflated price and appraisal through the use of a straw buyer.

It will be interesting one day if we (a collective, societal we) can catalog the details of these cases and find out what the real driver for the huge rate of foreclosures was. That way we could develop the necessary rules and regulations to prevent such losses in the future. However, that is for another time. Today we will look at a no money down home-buyer that fell into foreclosure within months of ownership. Let's take a look at today's feature property from Rockaway.

Here is the property -



Here is the property info -

Single Family Property Status: Active County: Morris Year Built: 1962 3 total bedroom(s) 2 total bath(s) 2 total full bath(s) 8 total rooms Style: Ranch Master bedroom Living room

Family room Kitchen Den Basement Master bedroom is 14x12 Living room is 16x12 Dining room is 15x14 Family room is 20x14 Kitchen is 12x14 Den is 14x12 Basement is Finished

2 car garage Attached parking Heating features: 1 Unit, Radiant - Hot Water,Gas-Natural Central air conditioning Interior features: Eat-In Kitchen, Basement Level Rooms: Den, Family Room,Ground Level Rooms: 3 Bedrooms, Bath Main, Dining Room, Kitchen, Living Room, Second Bedroom is: 14x17, Third Bedroom is: 11x10 Exterior construction: Aluminum Siding Roofing: Asphalt Shingle Approximately 0.27 acre(s)

Here are the financials -

• The property was purchased March 2006 for $435,000.

• The original mortgage in March 2006 was for $348,000 with Fremont Mortgage using an ARM with a balloon rider.

• A second mortgage was taken the same day in March 2006 for $87,000 also with Fremont Mortgage.

• The foreclosure process started with a Lis Pendens filed in January 2007.

• The property is currently for sale through a realtor for $324,900.
  

The home buyer was 100% financed and within 10 months the foreclosure process started. It usually takes at least 3 months for the foreclosure to start. The first mortgage payment is usually not due until the second month of ownership. Most likely this owner made less than 6 months of mortgage payments before falling into foreclosure.

The total loss for this property if purchased at the current sale price with the realtor receiving the standard commission will be at least $129,594. The buyer is not losing anything other than their credit status. However, whoever bought the mortgage from Fremont Mortgage is out that money.