Monday, December 28, 2020

Rental Assistance in COVID -19 Resources for Renters and Homeowners!

 


There is still help for homeowners and renters!   Please see the resources below that may assist you and your family in this difficult time. There are a few steps to take but you can move forward and be  successful getting through the red tape!


1. Find out if assistance is available for your location
2. Register with FEMA 
3. ( check the deadlines)  Must apply within 60 days 
4. Apply for loan with SBADisaster assistance

 You do NOT have to take the SBA loan.. but YOU HAVE TO APPLY to get disaster assistance




- Other items to remember to do
1.contact insurance company
2.contact creditors
3. contact utility companies





View rental assistance programs in your state HERE

HUD and its PHA and private landlord partners have been taking steps to mitigate the impact of COVID and the states’ phased reopening of their economies. All HUD-assisted renters are eligible to report any decreases in wages, job hours, and family income so that income-based rent payments can be temporarily decreased and housing subsidies can be temporarily increased. Where families may still be liable for non-payment of rent post-moratorium, HUD strongly encourages Owners and PHAs to enter into repayment agreements so that families may continue to be housed during this difficult time.

The best option for renters during the eviction moratorium is to pay their rent, if they are able. Those experiencing financial hardship should reach out to their landlord to discuss their situation and potential solutions. If your building or property is located on one of HUD’s database maps, you have free access to our Disaster Response Network. For renters experiencing financial challenges from COVID-19, a natural disaster, or other difficulties, the Disaster Response Network’s HUD-approved housing counselors may be able to help with:

  • A personalized recovery assessment and action plan.
  • FEMA and insurance claims.
  • Federal and state housing assistance. 
  • Unemployment, nutritional assistance, and any other available benefits.
  • Non-legal support in communicating with landlords.
  • Ongoing check-ins to help ensure a successful recovery.


Next Steps:

Call 877-542-9723 to speak with a housing counselor at our Disaster Response Network.


Tips on Communicating with Your Landlord

If you’re struggling to pay rent or can no longer pay, contact your landlord right away to discuss your options. During stressful financial times, your landlord is likely experiencing challenges as well. Try to communicate with them clearly and calmly. Here are some tips to help guide you through a conversation with your landlord:

  • Be candid about your situation. If you’re impacted by COVID-19 or other difficulties, share how your income has been affected.
  • Consider mentioning any resources and assistance options you’ve found.
  • Explain how your family would be impacted by a loss of housing.
  • Ask about payment arrangements.
  • Keep any email and text conversations and make notes of when you spoke in person.

Read our publication, Addressing Tenant Concerns During the COVID-19 National Emergency


Centers for Disease Control Order Banning Evictions

On September 4, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued an order banning evictions for certain renters through December 31, 2020. The CDC is issuing the eviction moratorium to protect public health and prevent further spread of COVID-19. The order is separate and independent from the expired CARES Act eviction moratorium.

To be eligible for eviction protections under the order, residents must sign a declaration form (see link below) and meet the requirements outlined in the order, which are also described in the declaration form.

The order is available at: https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2020-19654

The declaration form is available at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-eviction-declaration.html

View declaration form in other languages

FAQs: HHS/CDC Temporary Halt In Residential Evictions to Prevent The Further Spread of COVID-19


COVID-19 Help — CARES Act Eviction Protection

The CARES Act, signed into federal law on March 27, 2020, provided 120 days of eviction relief for tenants in multifamily rental housing that is federally insured or backed. You should not have been served with an eviction notice solely for nonpayment of rent before July 25, 2020, and any notice must have provided you with at least 30 days to leave the property (August 24, 2020).

During the 120-day eviction moratorium, your landlord was prohibited from charging you late fees, penalties, or other charges for paying your rent late. It’s important to note that the eviction moratorium did not relieve you of your obligation to pay your rent. It merely forbid your landlord from evicting you during that period for late payment.


Know Your Rights:

For information on Coronavirus-related tenant protections by state (and county and major cities, if applicable) visit Nolo.com. You can also search websites of local news and faith-based organizations for assistance programs in your area.


Additional Resources Available for You:

For Multifamily properties with FHA-insured mortgages, or assisted through Section 202, Section 811, and certain other assistance programs administered by HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing, where the mortgage is in forbearance, owners cannot evict tenants solely for non-payment of rent for as long as the mortgage is in forbearance. Further, owners must provide tenants with 30 days notice of eviction when their forbearance period ends.

To determine if you reside in a property with a Multifamily FHA-insured mortgage or a property that is participating in one of HUD’s assisted housing programs administered by its Office of Multifamily Housing, use our online property search tool.


Watch Out for Scams

Scam artists offer fraudulent assistance to those affected by disasters or other economic distress. Always confirm the legitimacy of offers and never feel pressured to “take immediate action.”

Learn more about COVID-19 scams and other signs of fraud




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Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Fraud Prevention Checklist! Protect yourselves!!




Your security is our top priority!We’ll never ask you to provide personal information such as an account, Social Security or Tax ID number via text, email or online. (In some instances, your debit PIN may be required to authenticate you when you sign in to Online Banking or our mobile app.)  
  • We will take immediate steps to work with you if you (or we) suspect fraud has taken place.
  • Every partner, colleague and vendor is held to strict privacy and information security rules.
The best way to avoid getting tricked by scammers is to know the tricks they use – and the red flags that signal scams.
Know the red flagsThe most common types of scams will target you through fake emails (a technique known as phishing), text messages (SMSishing or smishing) voice calls (vishing), letters or even someone who shows up at your front door unexpectedly. No matter which technique the scammer uses, you may be:
  • Pressured to send money
  • Threatened with law enforcement action
  • Told to purchase gift cards and provide codes as a form of payment
  • Asked to cash a check for a stranger or send money via wire transfer
  • Instructed to make a cash deposit for a sweepstakes
  • Offered more than you’re asking for something you’re selling, with a request to send the overpayment elsewhere
Remember: Zelle® transactions should be considered the same as cash. Zelle® should only be used to send money to friends, family or others you trust and not to buy goods or services from people you don’t know.*
The best ways to avoid getting scammed
  • Don’t respond: If you’re not 100% certain of the source of the call, email or text, then hang up the phone, don’t click on the link in the email and don’t reply to the text message.
  • Don’t trust caller ID or answer phone calls from unknown numbers: If you recognize the caller ID but the call seems suspicious, hang up the phone. Phone numbers can be easily spoofed to appear to be from a legitimate caller.
  • Don’t give out your information: Do not give out any personal identifiable information unless you’re absolutely certain the person and reason are legitimate. Remember: Bank of America will never ask you to send us personal information such as an account number, Social Security or Tax ID over text, email or online.
  • Research and validate: If the individual or organization seems suspicious, make sure the request being made is legitimate by calling the organization through an official number from their website or consulting with a trusted family member or friend.
Contact us immediately if you feel you may have been a victim of a scam.

Common types of scams
Show allAnswers  |  Hide allAnswers
*Zelle and the Zelle related marks are wholly owned by Early Warning Services, LLC and are used herein under license.

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Before you ask your agent for a discount.. please know this


Friends,

Before you go and ask for a discount on commission from a Realtor for helping you sell your home, please understand what you're truly asking them to do, and ask yourself this question: If your boss came to you and asked you to work overtime, but wasn't going to compensate you for doing so, would you still do it?


Another day, another person who says realtors are overpaid and an unnecessary part of a transaction. I’m assuming that those who think this have either been watching too much Million Dollar Listing or think they know how to do it all on their own.

A few things to consider:
There is no salary in their job.  No guaranteed income for them until the home actually sells (or you utilize their services to purchase one).  If it doesn’t go through for any reason, all of hours and time spent helping you and your loved ones go without any compensation for the time spent.  That means that all of the agents efforts, time energy gas spent traveling to your property and possibly showing you another home.. are gone and the agent is actually injured.

You see 3% on a $300k home as $9k. The agents sure don’t. That commission is paid to them:
- Before taxes
- Before broker splits
- Before marketing
- Before board dues
- Before office bills
- Before professional photographs on your home
- Before Listing fees to MLS and Syndications so that your home is broadcasted over the internet
- Before all the other costs of doing business

Out of what’s left of their checks after all this, they can then begin paying for everything else. But wait, that’s not all!

They don’t get afforded a lot of the things that those who have "regular jobs" have. For example.. 

They don’t receive:
- Employer healthcare
- Employee matched retirement accounts
- Paid vacations
- Weekends off
- Nights off
- Maternity leave
- Bereavement pay/leave
- Company car

They pay for all of this out of our own pockets. Every single penny.

Yes, there are some realtors married to people working company jobs who receive some of these benefits. But the vast majority of real estate agents, they support their families on what’s left after their benefits are taken out and spoken for.

Yes, they did choose to sell real estate. It’s a career which they love and it allows virtually uncapped growth and income potential. But they also have to often be available at any time of the day when needed. Whether it’s showing homes at 7pm, writing offers at 11 pm or doing final walkthroughs at 6am. They are there, available to help their clients when they are needed.
So before you tell another one of them that they make too much money and aren’t really needed anymore, I encourage you to do the following ...

Get your own real estate license, start lead generating on your own, find clients who like you and trust you to help them with the BIGGEST purchase of their lives.
Make sure you know not only what goes in the blanks of the contracts, but also what the promulgated parts of them say.

Learn the legal steps of what happens once you write a contract, and what business partners are a good fit to help you and your clients and who’s a scam.

Try and keep deals together when they’re about to go south with critical thinking skills all while staying within legal parameters.

Educate your new homeowner clients about what’s going to happen after they close and what to expect in the years to come.

Then listen, repeatedly, as others tell you the money you’ve been paid is WAY too much and they could do what you’ve done for much, much less.

Then ask yourself if you would go to work everyday and commit yourself to all the tasks above fulltime for ZERO compensation.  Real Estate agents work so hard and do all of this on a "promise to pay" at the close of the transaction.

Exhausting, isn’t it?

Thank you for considering and reading this post :-)
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Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Georgia Dream Hardest Hit Fund Down Payment Program Ending October 1, 2020



The Hardest Hit Fund Down Payment Assistance Program (HHF DPA) provides
up to $15,000 in down payment assistance to eligible households purchasing an
existing home in seven of Georgia’s hardest hit counties: Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton,
Muscogee, Douglas, Chatham and Bibb.


The Hardest Hit Fund Down Payment Program will be ending on October 1, 2020.

Last Date for Loan Registration: on or before June 30, 2020
Final Date for Loan Approval/Commitment: on or before September 1, 2020
Final Date for Loan to be Purchased: on or before October 1, 2020.
  • For existing home purchases up to $200,000 (higher price limits apply for
    Atlanta and surrounding areas)
  • Household income limits apply
  • Minimum credit score of 640
  • Minimum required investment of $1,000
  • Other eligibility requirements may apply

For additional information, visit dca.ga.gov.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the Georgia Dream Homeownership Program?

The Georgia Dream program was created to make homeownership possible for eligible low and moderate income Georgians by providing affordable financing options, down payment assistance, and homebuyer education.

2. How does the Georgia Dream Homeownership Program work?

The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) acts as the secondary market for lenders who want to provide an affordable mortgage product to low and moderate income Georgians.  Potential home buyers apply with participating lenders for Georgia Dream loans.  The loans are secured or guaranteed by FHA, VA, USDA-RD or conventional uninsured loans.  Once the lender has completed the process and gives credit approval, the information is forwarded to DCA for compliance review and funding approval.  Georgia Dream rates are available from your participating lender.

3. Who is an eligible applicant?

An eligible applicant is a first time home buyer, or a home buyer who has not owned a home in the past 3 years, or a home buyer who purchases a home in a targeted area (See What is a targeted area?).  Applicant must have a minimum middle credit score of 640, must meet income and purchase price limits and must have limited liquid assets.  Refer to the brochure or contact a participating lender at https://www.dca.ga.gov/GeorgiaDream/  for current program guidelines.

4. What is a targeted area?

An entire county or a census tract in which at least seventy percent (70%) of the families have a Household Annual Income that is eighty percent (80%) or less of the state-wide median family income, or an area designated by the State as an area of chronic economic distress and approved by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Secretary of the U. S. Department of Treasury.
An eligible applicant does not have to be a first time home buyer if they purchase in a targeted area.  To check if you are in a targeted area, see page 5 of the Georgia Dream brochure for a map of Targeted Counties.  Check with a participating lender for a list of targeted census tracts.  An eligible applicant purchasing in a targeted area may not own any other real estate, and may not be on title of any other real estate at the time of closing on the Georgia Dream loan.

5. What if I have owned a home in another county or state, but I did not live there in the past 3 years?

If you can demonstrate that the home was rented or used by someone else, and that you lived in another residence, then you may qualify for the Georgia Dream program.  However, you cannot own other real estate when you close your Georgia Dream loan.  The previous home would have to be sold, or your name would have to be removed from the title.

6. How long does the Georgia Dream process take?

The average Georgia Dream process takes about 60 days from application to closing.  A delay may occur if the applicant does not provide the documentation necessary for the lender to complete the application and process the loan.  Many lenders may complete the process with a shorter timeframe.

7. How do I apply for a Georgia Dream loan?

Georgia Dream loans are originated by Participating Lenders across the state.  These lenders can take your mortgage loan application for an FHA, VA, USDA-RD, or conventional uninsured loan and process all paperwork required by the Georgia Dream program.  You do not apply directly to DCA for the Georgia Dream Homeownership program.

8. What do I do first?

a.  Contact a participating lender to be prequalified.  If you qualify, you can start your home search process.
b.  Take a home buyer education class.  Georgia Dream requries all applicants to attend Housing Counseling classes, workshops, or one-on-one counseling that is provided by HUD-approved Housing Counseling Agencies.  Applicants must contact and attend a class with one of the Housing Counseling agencies on DCA's website or HUD's website or applicants may complete the online class at http://www.ehomeamerica.org/dca. The charge for these classes can range from $50 to $100.

9. What is the "Ready, Set, Go" program?

Online and individual pre-purchase housing counseling assistance is available through the "Ready, Set, Go" program to assist home buyers who are not eligible for Georgia Dream (if the middle credit score is below 640).  After an interactive online course a home buyer will receive personalized housing counseling from a participating "Ready, Set, Go" Housing Counseling Agency at http://www.ehomeamerica.org/dca.  The cost for "Ready, Set, Go" is $50.

10. What is the income limit?

The maximum income varies by county and by the size of your household.  See page 2 of the Georgia Dream brochure.   For the Georgia Dream program, "income" means the total income of all household members.  However, some income may not be included.  For example, the income of students under the age of 18 is not included.  Discuss your total household income with your lender.

11. What is the liquid asset limit?

An applicant may have liquid assets of no more than $20,000 or 20% of the sales price of the home being purchased, whichever is greater, at the time of closing.  GIfts of substantial amounts are considered liquid assets.  Stocks and other readily salable securities are considered liquid assets, unless they are restricted by IRA, 401(k) or other similar requirements.  IRAs, 401(k) plans and other similarity qualified retirement accounts are not considered to be liquid assets. 

12. Who sets the interest rate I will be charged?

DCA sets the interest rate for all Georgia Dream loans.  A participating lender must use the Georgia Dream rate and approved fees.  No uncommon fees or discount points are allowed on Georgia Dream loans.  The lender reserves the rate electronically and the rate is locked for 75 days. (We typically change the rates weekly but reserve the right to change the rate more often.)

13. What are ratios?

Two ratios are used to qualify applicants for a mortgage loan.  The housing ratio is the percentage of your potential new monthly mortgage payment, including monthly cost estimates for property tax and homeowners insurance as compared to your gross monthly income.  The total debt ratio includes your prospective new monthly mortgage payment plus your existing debt payments compared to your gross monthly income.  Your lender can calculate these for you and discuss if your ratios meet the Georgia Dream program ratio requirements.

14. How much money will I need to have?

The applicant must contribute a minimum of $1,000 of their own money or documented gift funds into the purchase transaction in order to receive the down payment assistance.  There may be additional costs associated with the purchase of your home that will be your responsibility.

15. Who do I make my first mortgage monthly payment to?

State Home Mortgage will be your servicer and all mortgage payments will be made to State Home Mortgage on the first of each month.  You will receive a coupon at closing for your first payment.  For questions regarding your mortgage payment, please contact State Home Mortgage at 1-800-781-8346.

16. Do I have to pay back the down payment assistance loan?

Yes.  The down payment assistance is a 0% interest loan with no monthly payment.  A second mortgage lien is placed on your property.  It is due when you sell, refinance or no longer occupy the home as your primary residence.  When funds are paid back we use the money to help the next generation of applicants start the process.  The Georgia Department of Community Affairs may offer other down payment assistance programs that could have different requirements regarding repayment of the down payment assistance.  Information regarding other programs will be on the Georgia Dream website.

17. May I pay off the first mortgage loan early?

Yes, there is no prepayment penalty with the Georgia Dream program.

18. Who do I contact for payoff information on my first or second mortgage loan?

Contact the servicer, State Home Mortgage, for a payoff quote on your first and/or second mortgage at www.statehomemortgage.net or 1-800-781-4346. 

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Rental Assistance in COVID -19 Resources for Renters and Homeowners!

  There is still help for homeowners and renters!   Please see the resources below that may assist you and your family in this difficult tim...