I had a duplex owner call yesterday who is staring down the barrel of foreclosure.
And the government is willing to pay him up to $3000 to do a short sale.
The Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternative (HAFA) program, gives struggling duplex owners two options for transitioning out of their mortgage: either a short sale, or what’s known as a Deed-in-Lieu of foreclosure — which is, essentially, simply handing the keys back to the bank.
In order to receive a HAFA payment, a duplex owner must have:
Lived in the duplex within the last 12 months
Have a documented financial hardship
Not have purchased a house or another income property within the last 12 months
Have a balance left on their first mortgage that’s less than $729,750
Gotten their mortgage prior to January 1, 2009
Not have been convicted in the last ten years of larceny, theft, fraud, money laundering, forgery or tax evasion in connection with a mortgage or real estate transaction.
Fallen behind on mortgage payments
Have a duplex payment larger than 31 percent of their gross income
Applied for the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) and been denied
Like all government programs, there are a lot of hoops to jump through. But without trying, what’s the alternative?