A new program for homeowners who are struggling to make their mortgage payments is finally giving relief to borrowers who are “upside down” in their homes. The WWWF program for Wachovia, Wells Fargo and World Savings borrowers, is designed to help homeowners sell their homes, even if they owe more than the home is worth.
This program provides professional services in an environment where people are being treated with the respect they deserve. No hostilities, no judgments, no guilt trip just for being a struggling homeowner. Over-mortgaged homes have been a major problem in Arizona, as homeowners who desperately want or need to sell their homes have found it difficult to do so.
As many homeowners are discovering, working with their lender on a short sale can be extremely frustrating and often unsuccessful. A short sale is a transaction in which the bank accepts a lower sales price for the home than is owed on the mortgage. The WWWF program bridges the gap between the seller and the lender, giving Wachovia, Wells Fargo and World Savings customers special access to these lenders and a huge shortcut in the short-sale process.
WWWF is the brainchild of local real estate broker Justin Rollins of Justin Rollins Group WestUSA, who discovered just how horrible a predicament over-mortgaged homeowners are in when a family member of his was struggling to pay a mortgage and could not sell the home.
"Maybe I was naïve; I don’t know,” said Rollins. “But I never really realized just how a big a problem this is.
Rollins says he was “absolutely stunned” at how difficult negotiating a short sale is for a troubled homeowner. Often, struggling homeowners just don’t know where to turn.
Their lenders might be willing to work out a short sale, but understanding the process is a huge undertaking in itself, Rollins said, and on top of that there is the whole matter of getting a hold of the right person at the bank and following all the steps required when they finally do get the lender to listen.
“It can be overwhelming,” Rollins said. “Imagine being out in the middle of the ocean, and you’re drowning. You don’t know how long you’re going to last, and you’re waving your arms and screaming for help--and either nobody is around to help or they’re simply ignoring you.”
The WWWF program provides the lifesaver, Rollins said. It includes:
►A personal, face-to-face consultation with a representative from your lender to go over all your options. There is no fee for this service and no obligation.
►An accurate, updated property evaluation for your home.
►If accepted into the program, there is no house payment, and you can stay in the home until it is sold.
►Assistance in finding new housing for when the home sale goes through.
On top of that, Rollins said, there is something else borrowers need, as he learned from his family member’s struggles.
“This program provides professional services in an environment where people are being treated with the respect they deserve," Rollins said. “No hostilities, no judgments, no guilt trip just for being a struggling homeowner.”
For more information, visit www.wwwfprogram.com.
