If Investments Are Hurting Your Credit, It's Time To Cut Your Losses
When a lot of people think of investment properties they seem to assume that they are treated much differently from the home that you live in, but that's not true, especially where issues like payments and foreclosures are concerned. Any investment property that's facing foreclosure is a serious problem because that will go on a person's credit like any other foreclosure. The payments on the investment property have to be kept current and that can be hard to do in a recession and a tight credit market where an investor might not know from month to month whether the money to make the payment will be available.
Investment properties were very popular back when the housing market was booming, and everyone was buying and selling them. Flipping them and reselling them was popular, and so was renting them out for the income. There were waiting lists and houses that went to the highest bidder because people were so eager for them.
Now, though, there are some properties that are almost impossible to even give away. Cities like Detroit and others are allowing people to buy property that nobody else wants for amounts only in the hundreds of dollars, not thousands or tens of thousands. If you picked up a lot of investment properties when the market for them was really hot you probably did very well, but what happened when the bottom fell out of the market and you suddenly weren't doing so well anymore?
If you're in that 'I don't know what to do with this investment property' situation, you're definitely not alone, and you'll find plenty of other people to commiserate with, most of whom have lost a lot of money to an uncertain and very volatile market. You could also be one of the people for whom things have gone from bad to worse and you're finding that your investment property is costing you so much that you're getting behind on the payments and can't make them for much longer. If that's where you are, you have two choices: you can try to stick it out because the market is showing some slow signs of improvement or you can try to sell the property and get out from under it before it totally destroys your credit rating.
As for your credit rating, it's possible that there will be some damage done already, but stopping that as quickly as possible would be the thing that you would want to focus on, since the sooner you get away from late payments and other problems and the shorter amount of time that they show up on your credit report the better off you'll be. If you aren't able to complete avoid the damage to your credit, lessening it is the next best step and to do that you'll have to work with the bank or lender that you're paying for the investment properties. Find out what you owe on the property, what it's worth through an honest appraisal, and what the bank will help you with to get out from under it, since you might be able to do a short sale or a deed in lieu of foreclosure instead of having an actual foreclosure and letting your credit take such a hit.
One of the smartest things that you can do with financial difficulties that involve paying for an investment property (or properties) is to talk with your lender and be honest and upfront about the issues that you're facing. It's best to talk with your lender before you get behind on your payments but a lot of people are afraid to do this and they are very uncomfortable and embarrassed about admitting that they can't pay their bills - and they keep expecting and hoping that things will turn around. You don't want to let those things ruin your credit rating and your financial future, though, so talk to your bank or lender right away, at the first sign of any upcoming problems.
If you're up front about things, a lender that's handling your investment properties will be more likely to work with you and try to help you renegotiate your way to a better rate, a longer term, or something that can help you continue your investment. If it becomes clear that you won't be able to keep the property, though, talk to your bank about the options you have. You really want to keep a foreclosure off of your credit if at all possible, so check out the possible options that you have and pick the one that's the least damaging to your credit rating. - 23226
Investment properties were very popular back when the housing market was booming, and everyone was buying and selling them. Flipping them and reselling them was popular, and so was renting them out for the income. There were waiting lists and houses that went to the highest bidder because people were so eager for them.
Now, though, there are some properties that are almost impossible to even give away. Cities like Detroit and others are allowing people to buy property that nobody else wants for amounts only in the hundreds of dollars, not thousands or tens of thousands. If you picked up a lot of investment properties when the market for them was really hot you probably did very well, but what happened when the bottom fell out of the market and you suddenly weren't doing so well anymore?
If you're in that 'I don't know what to do with this investment property' situation, you're definitely not alone, and you'll find plenty of other people to commiserate with, most of whom have lost a lot of money to an uncertain and very volatile market. You could also be one of the people for whom things have gone from bad to worse and you're finding that your investment property is costing you so much that you're getting behind on the payments and can't make them for much longer. If that's where you are, you have two choices: you can try to stick it out because the market is showing some slow signs of improvement or you can try to sell the property and get out from under it before it totally destroys your credit rating.
As for your credit rating, it's possible that there will be some damage done already, but stopping that as quickly as possible would be the thing that you would want to focus on, since the sooner you get away from late payments and other problems and the shorter amount of time that they show up on your credit report the better off you'll be. If you aren't able to complete avoid the damage to your credit, lessening it is the next best step and to do that you'll have to work with the bank or lender that you're paying for the investment properties. Find out what you owe on the property, what it's worth through an honest appraisal, and what the bank will help you with to get out from under it, since you might be able to do a short sale or a deed in lieu of foreclosure instead of having an actual foreclosure and letting your credit take such a hit.
One of the smartest things that you can do with financial difficulties that involve paying for an investment property (or properties) is to talk with your lender and be honest and upfront about the issues that you're facing. It's best to talk with your lender before you get behind on your payments but a lot of people are afraid to do this and they are very uncomfortable and embarrassed about admitting that they can't pay their bills - and they keep expecting and hoping that things will turn around. You don't want to let those things ruin your credit rating and your financial future, though, so talk to your bank or lender right away, at the first sign of any upcoming problems.
If you're up front about things, a lender that's handling your investment properties will be more likely to work with you and try to help you renegotiate your way to a better rate, a longer term, or something that can help you continue your investment. If it becomes clear that you won't be able to keep the property, though, talk to your bank about the options you have. You really want to keep a foreclosure off of your credit if at all possible, so check out the possible options that you have and pick the one that's the least damaging to your credit rating. - 23226
posted by X - Men @ 11:16 AM
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