Agritopia is one of the neatest communities in the valley. It offers homes from 1200-to over 5000sft with casitas and basements. Once a family farm and now a living, breathing community with a farm in the center that provides fresh seasonal foods to its farmer market and two neighborhood restaurants; Joe’s Farm Grill & The Coffee Shop.

The homes have a very different feel as they are modeled after a more mid-western architecture. They have large front porches, white picket fences & detached garages.

Take a look at the available homes for sale in Agritopia. This list is updated daily, so check back for the most recent listings.

Compounding these issues is the phenomenon of “strategic” defaults. That means a homeowner who can pay his mortgage stops because he sees no reason to continue paying for an asset that is worth less than the debt it carries.

A 2009 study said about 25% of foreclosures are so-called “strategic” defaults—that translates to 700,000 of the 2.8 million foreclosures initiated in 2009.

Is Walking Away a Strategy?
Is it possible that many people are so short-sighted about the investment they’ve made in their homes?

Let’s say a homeowner bought his home at the peak of the market in 2006 for $220,000, the median home price that year. We’ll say he put 5% down and got a 30-year mortgage for $209,000. Now, fast-forward to 2009, when the median home price dropped to $173,000.

If this is a fixed-rate mortgage at 6% interest, the balance at the end of 2009 is $198,000. If our homeowner sells, he’s lost his down payment plus four years of principal and interest payments, a total of $71,144, and he still has to make up the $25,000 difference between the selling price and the balance of the mortgage.

$209,000 (original mortgage amount in 2006)

$198,000 (mortgage balance in 2009)
-$173,000 (home value in 2009)
$25,000 (difference between the 2009 sell price and mortgage balance)

The “wisdom” of the strategic default is to take the $71,144 loss and save yourself the $25,000 hit by walking away instead of selling.

Time for a Reality Check
Maybe, in some alternate reality, this is “wisdom.” That alternate reality would have to be based on stagnant home values and banks that don’t come after you for what you owe them. Let’s try a true reality check:

Reality #1 – Your home is an investment, and any investment—even real estate—will go up and down in value. Walking away from your mortgage now is the equivalent of selling your stock portfolio at the bottom of the market. You guarantee yourself a loss if you don’t stick with your investment until values come back up.

Reality #2 – Home values will recover. If our homeowner sticks it out and stays in his home, he’ll be back to even in five years, based on a conservative 5% rate of appreciation. In less than 20 years, his home will have doubled in value. That is wisdom!

Reality #3 – The bank is not letting you off that easily. Lenders are covered up with foreclosures, so while homeowners who walk may not hear from the bank right away, they are by no means off the hook. Some banks will pull credit reports to see who is current on their other payments to determine if a default is “strategic.” Banks will go to court to garnish wages or hijack tax refunds—whatever it takes to get what they’re owed.

If you are truly unable to make your mortgage payments, you still should not walk away. You signed the contract, so you’re under a moral obligation to pay. If you truly can’t pay and keep food on the table, then it’s time to talk with the bank about a possible short sale.

Article from Dave Ramsey. Find out more at www.daveramsey.com

I will be speaking from my experiences over the last 3+years of Helping homeowners with loan modifications and short sales. Have you tried to modify your loan in the past only to be declined? Learn how and why the banks do what they do, and how the Govt & insurance companies plays into some of those decisions.

I will also share with you the many positive experiences, and success stories. This is a must attend event, our goal is to help and encourage everyone that attends.

************

here are the details on the class:

Does your current economic situation have you confused and frustrated about what to do with your home?

Register now for this free event

Matt Dunshie is a recognized expert in real estate, with particular experience in the areas of short sales and foreclosures. Matt will explain various real estate related issues and answer specific questions to help simplify these complicated topics.

You won’t want to miss Mortgages, Foreclosures and Short Sales Uncovered on Saturday, May 1 from 4:30-6 p.m. on the Mesa Campus or Sunday, May 2 from 4:30-6 p.m. on the Gilbert Campus.

This class will cover:

What every homeowner should know about the local real estate market.
What are the different types of sales, whether you are buying or selling.
Homeowner options- loan modifications (HAFA HAMP), short sales, deed in Lieu and foreclosure.
How different types of loans are treated in AZ i.e. Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, USDA, HELOC, etc
Let us help you sort your way through these programs and uncover the myths that are out there.

See you there!

Date/Time: 5/1/2010 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM Add To Your Calendar
Contact: Vicki Jensen
480.924.4946
Vicki.Jensen@cccev.com

Register now for this free event

I will be speaking from my experiences over the last 3+years of Helping homeowners with loan modifications and short sales. Have you tried to modify your loan in the past only to be declined? Learn how and why the banks do what they do, and how the Govt & insurance companies plays into some of those decisions.

I will also share with you the many positive experiences, and success stories. This is a must attend event, our goal is to help and encourage everyone that attends.

************

here are the details on the class:

Does your current economic situation have you confused and frustrated about what to do with your home?

Register now for this free event

Matt Dunshie is a recognized expert in real estate, with particular experience in the areas of short sales and foreclosures. Matt will explain various real estate related issues and answer specific questions to help simplify these complicated topics.

You won’t want to miss Mortgages, Foreclosures and Short Sales Uncovered on Saturday, May 1 from 4:30-6 p.m. on the Mesa Campus or Sunday, May 2 from 4:30-6 p.m. on the Gilbert Campus.

This class will cover:

What every homeowner should know about the local real estate market.
What are the different types of sales, whether you are buying or selling.
Homeowner options- loan modifications (HAFA HAMP), short sales, deed in Lieu and foreclosure.
How different types of loans are treated in AZ i.e. Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, USDA, HELOC, etc
Let us help you sort your way through these programs and uncover the myths that are out there.

See you there!

Date/Time: 5/1/2010 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM Add To Your Calendar
Contact: Vicki Jensen
480.924.4946
Vicki.Jensen@cccev.com

Register now for this free event

This home features a split floor plan with 4 extra large bedrooms & 3 full bathrooms, Large dining room with private courtyard. Amazing two sided stone fireplace splits the living room from the family room. Large kitchen with custom cabinets & granite counters, full wet bar & pass through serving window for outdoor entertaining by the pool. Large 18,883sft lot with room for toys. Covered RV/boat parking on side yard. All this and NO HOA!

things you need to know: The term short sale does not mean foreclosure, the term also does not exist on ones credit report either. Payments or lack of are the only factors of the credit score.

There are so many myths and bad information being share by Realtors, lenders and online about Short Sales. Bottom line, a Short Sale will help most people far more that walking away. Especially in Arizona, since Az is a non recourse state that protects the consumer. We are working with HAFA (Homes Afordable Foreclosure Alternatives ) and their agencies to reach out to home owners in need. Which is the majority of the Phoenix metro area.

Highly desirable Bellagio floorplan! 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and a den. The eat in kitchen features granite countertops, stainless steal appliances, island, and upgraded cabinets. Neutral carpet and tile throughout. One of the few units with a backyard. Great location close to ASU, loop 101/202 and shopping!

2401 E Rio Salado PKWY 1171 Tempe, AZ 85281
list price $215,000

But to be technical, here’s a more official definition:

-A homeowner is ’short’ when the amount owed on his/her property is higher than current market value.
-A short sale occurs when a negotiation is entered into with the homeowner’s mortgage company (or companies) to accept less than the full balance of the loan at closing. A buyer closes on the property, and the property is then ’sold short’ of the total value of the mortgage.

or homeowners to qualify for a short sale, they must fall into any or all of the following circumstances:

-Financial Hardship – There is a situation causing you to have trouble affording your mortgage.
-Monthly Income Shortfall – In other words: “You have more month than money.” A lender will want to see that you cannot afford, or soon will not be able to afford your mortgage.
-Insolvency – The lender will want to see that you do not have significant liquid assets that would allow you to pay down your mortgage.
-Relocation-We do a lot of these, especially with the job market the way it is. Sellers can be current on ALL payments too.
-Preventative-If you can foresee a change in the future and your income, or familiar status may be changing. Act NOW. you DO NOT have to behind on payments to short sale.

This seems simple enough, but it is a complicated process that takes the expertise of experienced professionals. We have closed on over 200 short sales in the last 3 years.

-If you have questions or feel you may qualify for a short sale, please contact us for a free consultation.
-If you know of someone that could benefit from speaking with us, please forward this and contact me.

Another HUGE benefit to short selling is that FHA has now released financing for buyers that have have been through a short sale on their previous home.

Understanding your options now could mean all the difference in the world.

Matt Dunshie-Realtor
Certified Foreclosure Specialist CFS
REO Default Certified Professional
Keller Williams Integrity First Realty
2836 North Power Road Suite 114
Mesa, Arizona 85215
Office- 480-776-8380
Mobile-480-862-2811
Fax-480-776-8395
www.MattDunshie.com

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2885 E Superstition Gilbert, Az