For release: January 19, 2011
SC HELP Foreclosure Prevention Program Now Available Statewide
Almost $300 million in funds to keep homeowners in their homes.
[Columbia, SC] Following a successful pilot program and Treasury’s approval of South Carolina’s readiness assessment, SC Housing Corp. will take its foreclosure prevention program statewide. Starting January 20, the South Carolina Homeownership and Employment Lending Program (SC HELP) will use almost $300 million in federal funds to help responsible but struggling homeowners in the state.
Key components for SC HELP include:
- Monthly Payment Assistance-assisting homeowners with monthly payments for a defined period of time while they seek employment and a return to self sustainability.
- Direct Loan Assistance-for borrowers who have experienced a hardship but have regained the ability to pay. Funds can be used to pay arrearages in order to bring the loan current.
- Property Disposition Assistance-in cases where the mortgage cannot be salvaged, funds may be provided to incentivize short sales, deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure and to help transition families from homeownership to rental housing.
Homeowners applying for Monthly Payment Assistance or Direct Loan Assistance must meet certain threshold requirements in order to apply for help:
1. Borrower or co-borrower must be able to document that the delinquency was a result of a hardship event beyond his/her control (i.e. unemployment, death of a spouse, catastrophic medical expenses, etc.)
2. Mortgage payments must have been made on time for 12 months preceding the hardship event with no more than two 30-day late occurrences
3. The property securing the mortgage must be owner-occupied as a full-time residence
4. Borrower must provide a financial hardship affidavit
5. Mortgage can be no more than 120 days delinquent
6. Loan servicer/investor must be willing to accept payments and provide required data and reporting
Assistance from SC HELP will be provided in the form of a nonrecourse zero-percent interest, non-amortizing, forgivable loan secured by a subordinate lien on the subject property. The loan will be forgiven over a five-year period at a rate of 20% per year. If property is sold or refinanced prior to the loan termination date, funds will be recovered should sufficient equity be available from the transaction. The Property Disposition Assistance Program will provide a one time, lump sum grant to the recipient.
Additional criteria and documentation requirements must be met for final eligibility determination. Homeowners wishing to make an application should apply online at www.SCMortgageHelp.com. SC HELP officials emphasize that using the online application is the fastest and most efficient way to begin the process. Homeowners without internet access may call toll-free to 855-HELP-4-SC (855 435-7472) to begin the process.
SC HELP is intended to assist responsible borrowers – those borrowers who are facing possible foreclosure due to circumstances beyond their control, i.e. unemployment, death of a spouse, catastrophic medical expenses and/or divorce. SC HELP is NOT intended to serve borrowers who are facing foreclosure due to poor credit and/or debt management, stripping the equity from their home for non-essential purposes, or overall mismanagement of their personal budget.
Additional information, background and resources are now posted on SC State Housing’s website, as well as www.SCMortgageHelp.com, and will be updated frequently.
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SC Housing Corp. is a nonprofit division of the South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority (SC State Housing).
Filed under Announcements, Carolina Real Estate, Foreclosed Houses, Fort Mill SC, Home Sellers, Rock Hill SC, Sell Your Home, Tega Cay SC by 
Buying a home for the first time is so exciting. Be sure you know these tips so that this experience is one you will WANT to remember.
1. Decide your needs from your wants. You may want a fenced in back yard, but can that be something you can add on later, where as you can’t change somethings like a homes location or number of bedrooms. Be realistic and decided what you have to have and what you want to have.
2. Know your budget, and STICK to it. There are many mortgage calculators to help you decide on what you can afford. Just because you are pre qualified for an amount, does not mean that you can afford that amount. You don’t want to be house poor where you can’t afford anything but your house payment and have no emergency fund. As a homeowner, new home or not, there will always be an emergency. Know your numbers. A lender will be happy to help you.
3. Hire a professional. You may think you can do this on your own, but seeking professional advice can save you money. A professional can show you what a good price for the home is, so that you don’t end up over paying for a home.
4. Don’t be fooled by the shiny pretty lights. Always get a professional home inspection, even on new construction. A home can be staged beautifully with pretty new things, but there could be major repairs that a novice wouldn’t know to look for.
5. Don’t hesitate when you find the “one’. If you have found the home that you feel and seems perfect, don’t wait to make an offer. Some buyers think the home will be on the market forever, but often the best homes go quickly no matter what the market is like. This is why it is important to have a professional from the beginning so they can help you act quickly when the perfect home is found.
Now that you have a few tips, good luck, and happy home shopping!
I know it seems like forever and a day that we’ve been talking about just how down the economy is and how there’s so much uncertainty about everything financial, but believe it or not, right now is a GREAT time to buy a house in the Fort Mill or Rock Hill SC area.
How can I say such crazy things?
Here are 5 reasons why I believe it’s such a great time to buy a Fort Mill or Rock Hill SC house:
- It’s a buyer’s market. I don’t think this one comes as any surprise, but today’s buyers have an opportunity to dictate a lot of the transactions. While you should still expect to pay a fair market value, given the state of the economy overall today’s fair market value is considerably lower than what it has been. As a result, there are some real gems available for those willing to do the work and find them.Or you could simply hire a savvy Fort Mill real estate agent to do all of the hard work for you.
- Interest rates are still at all-time lows. I personally don’t remember the days when interest rates where close to 20% so I can’t really speak from personal experience, but I do know that any time interest rates are around the 5% mark we’re dealing with some very inexpensive loans.All of the banks have definitely cracked down on just giving away loans so you’ll need to have good credit and the ability to pay, but that should really go without saying anyway.
- All of your competition is on vacation. With the summer in full swing a lot of your home buying competition is at the beach, in the mountains, or over the river and through the woods to visit dear old grandma. As a result, you’re less likely to face competition when bidding on that new home of your dreams.
- The Fort Mill and Rock Hill SC real estate markets are relatively strong. Unlike other areas of the country, the Charlotte metro area has remained relatively strong, in spite of the many job losses we’ve experienced.York County has done a great job of bringing in new companies and with some of the highest rated schools in the state of South Carolina, chances are we’ll continue to see an influx of people moving to the Fort Mill and Rock Hill area, either for jobs or simply to escape much of the chaos that is the Charlotte Mecklenburg school system.
- The school year is rapidly approaching. As summer moves towards the fall season, it means that school will soon be in session. Whether you’re hoping to get a child enrolled in one of SC’s highest rated school districts or the home seller is looking to be moved out before the school year starts, right now is definitely the time to take action.Remember, it takes 30-45 days to close on a typical residential real estate transaction, which means you’ll need to get moving soon in order to beat the school bus to the corner!
Finally, just keep in mind that any time there is uncertainly and ‘gloom and doom’ talk about the economy it means there are LOTS of great deals available for those willing to put in the time and effort required to uncover them. With a little bit of real estate knowledge and experience (or having someone on your side that has these), you can find that perfect new house that you’ll be able to enjoy for many years to come.
Filed under Buy Your Dream House, Carolina Real Estate, Home Buyers, Life In the Carolinas, Market Trends by
If you are in the market to buy a home, you probably feel like you are king. You have been told over and over again that it is a buyer’s market and the “steal of a deal” you can get.
BEWARE! Many times it’s not always readily apparent why a particular house for sale is such a steal of a deal, and as a result you can be mislead into being a difficult buyer rather than a successful one.
Here are some qualities of a successful buyer to be sure you are on track to find the right house, at the right price, at the right time:
- Provide your real estate agent complete and accurate information, whether it be financial, motivations, or time-lines. The more information they have the more they can help you.
- Set aside consistent time to learn about and to stay abreast of the market inventory. Ask your real estate professional to send you homes currently on the market and keep track what price ranges are moving and what they might be selling at. Your real estate professional can help you with statistics as well.
- Be prepared to be competitive and disciplined.
- Give serious consideration to your real estate professional’s advice. There is probably good reason you hired this professional to work on your behalf so sure before you do hire a real estate agent, make sure they know their facts about the current market.
With these few basic qualities you’ll save yourself time and money, and will not be disappointed by unmet expectations.
Happy Buying!
Filed under Buy Your Dream House, Carolina Real Estate, Hiring An Agent, Home Buyers, Lessons Learned, Market Trends by
Here’s a great article about buying foreclosed home that you should read before you consider buying a Fort Mill SC foreclosed home:
Many people jump at the opportunity to buy foreclosures, but this is definitely a buyer beware market. There are, however, a lot of good reasons to buy a foreclosed home, you just must be prepared to put time and effort into fixing it. If you’re looking for a great deal on a home, or you are a first time home buyer, this is a great way to get your foot in the door and get into the house you’ve always wanted.
It is honestly amazing the deals that you can get by buying a foreclosure. There are so many foreclosed homes that may need little to no work, and simply were abandoned, and there are other foreclosures that will need so much work. You’ll be amazed at the deals you can get in purchasing a foreclosure.
If you are willing to put in the time and effort, you may be able to get a screaming deal. Once you find a foreclosure, have a home inspector go through it. When the inspector goes through it, they will be able to help figure out if there is anything major wrong with the house, or if you just need some renovations.
When purchasing a foreclosed home, unless you are ready for a project, you want to stay away with anything that has water damage, mold, or foundation damage. These projects are probably best left for a contractor, and may be better off left alone. It depends what the price of the house is, but you want to be sure that you don’t get yourself into a project that can cost you more than the house will ever be worth. Better to look at a foreclosed home that doesn’t need quite as much work. It’s easy to update kitchens, tear out carpet or paint and patch walls. That doesn’t cost too much, and is something that can be done relatively easy no matter if you do it yourself or you’re hiring a contractor. These projects can also be completed once you’ve moved into the home and don’t require you living someplace else while you fix up where you want to be living.
You also can make a lot of money by fixing up a foreclosed home, if you’re looking to flip houses, this is a great way to do it. You can get these homes for cheap, and even with labor and supplies you can still sell them to make a profit. This is a whole industry now, and something that even hobby carpenters can get into it and make a few extra bucks.
If you’re ready to buy a home, you may want to look at what a foreclosure has to offer. You can get great deals through these homes, and with a little hard labor, work, and dedication you can have a great home for a very low price. Of course, these are always a buyer beware purchase, but with the right research, the right people, and the right price, you can get yourself a deal.
Louise Scoggins is a leading Realtor in the Cherokee County Homes market. For more information on Cherokee County Real Estate, please visit ThinkLouise.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Louise_Scoggins
Filed under Carolina Real Estate, Foreclosed Houses, Fort Mill SC, Home Buyers, Real Estate Investing by
