White House threatens to veto bill aimed at ending Making Home Affordable

It’s no secret that the $75 billion government-sponsored loan modification program, Making Home Affordable, has fallen short of expectations since its introduction two years ago.

As of the end of Jan. 2011, there had been about 550,000 permanent modifications made nationwide, according to the January Housing Scorecard. That’s good news for some, but bad news for many when compared to the program’s original goal of preventing 3 million to 4 million foreclosures.

The Treasury Department recently admitted that the foreclosure prevention program will probably never attain the original goal that it set back in 2009.

Based on this lackluster performance, there is a movement among Republicans in the nation’s capital to put an end to Making Home Affordable, which they say would save about $1.4 billion and result in 100,000 fewer loan modifications subsidized by taxpayers, according to NASDAQ.com.

In fact, there is a bill currently on the table that would do just that and it is expected to be voted on later this week.

But White House officials are basically saying don’t waste your time because President Obama would never let that happen. Why?

Because Making Home Affordable “is still benefiting tens of thousands of borrowers every month” and it is “important to the nation’s sustained economic recovery.”

Stay tuned to see how this stalemate unfolds.

For ore information and details on the various foreclosure prevention programs offered under Making Home Affordable click here.

Stop foreclosure programs: How to avoid foreclosure sale fast

Information and acronym overload is just one of many ways to describe all the home-saving programs currently huddled under the federal government’s Making Home Affordable umbrella.

Finding out which program may be best for you, as well as whether or not you qualify for it, can be an overwhelming experience. And if you’re in a tight spot like many of your other neighbors, struggling to meet your monthly mortgage obligations, you’re already probably way past the point of being overwhelmed.

MarketWatch.com has compiled a very helpful list of the various foreclosure, loan modification and short sale programs that are available today.

We’ve shared the most important information below, as well as direct links to the various websites where you can gather more information and request/download all the information you need to remedy your situation as quickly as possible.

Check it out:

[Read more...]

‘Picky’ homebuyers missing out on great real estate deals

That’s because a “startling” 87 percent of first-time homebuyers feel that finding a move-in ready home is important to them, according to a recent survey conducted by Coldwell Banker Real Estate.

Homebuyers these days are so fussy, in fact, that they “walk out of well-priced houses solely because of relatively minor imperfections” such as:

  • The kitchen appliances are by different manufacturers
  • There are no granite countertops
  • A carpet needs to be replaced, or the color doesn’t match their furniture
  • Wall colors are “wrong”

Most of these complaints seem trivial, but perhaps more alarming, fixable … for relatively modest costs, too.

As a result, buyers are “missing out” on excellent deals. Minor imperfections that “would not have bothered shoppers during the previous two decades.”

It’s clearly a buyer’s market these days and the rest of us are just living in it.

To find foreclosed homes for sale near you click here.

Secrets to buying foreclosed homes at auction (Video)

Allen Iverson house foreclosure in Denver, Colo., to sell for around $2.85 million

Allen Iverson isn’t just refusing to practice playing basketball, but the tattooed sharp shooter is also refusing to practice paying his mortgage on time.

Denver Post reports that the 11-time NBA All Star walked away from a 6,848 sq. ft. six-bedroom, nine-bathroom mansion in Denver, Colo., which he purchased for $3.875 million in Jan. 2008.

“The Answer,” who played for the Denver Nuggets for two seasons, “let the property in the Buell Mansion subdivision slip into foreclosure on an outstanding balance of $2,572,914.”

He apparently had a buyer lined up, too, who was “close” to paying the asking price of $2.85 million.

The good news is that the sale can still go through as planned; however, Iverson — who signed a blockbuster $70 million contract before the 2000 season — will likely have to pay around $10,000 in attorney’s fees when all is said and done.

Sounds like a “strategic” financial crossover on the part of the prolific point guard, who is currently a member of Besiktas Cola Turka of the Turkish pro league.

That’s because he recently told Philadelphia Magazine that he still has money … “a lot.”

Hmmm …