Real Estate Finance Problems - Go BK or Foreclosure Route?

America is the land of second chances. If you have financial problems, you might be wondering which the better option for you - bankruptcy or foreclosure?

Bankruptcy has been around for a long time. It was the answer to the question of what happens to someone with immense debts. Whereas people were previously imprisoned in debtors' prisons, bankruptcy was based on the idea of modifying or eliminating debts to give people a new start.

Foreclosures, in contrast, have long been viewed as a remedy for a lender, not homeowner. A foreclosure is not about giving a person a second chance. It is about a lender taking back a home that a person has failed to make loan payments on. There is no redeeming element to the foreclosure for the person in question. It is just a disaster.

So, which is route should you go with real estate problems? Well, both are damaging to you. That being said, bankruptcy is probably going to be viewed in a worse light. Why? Bankruptcies typically are filed where you've made a complete habberdash of your finances, not just run into problems with paying a mortgage. Thus, it is seen as a more comprehensive failure on your part and lenders are going to be very hesitant to loan money to you.

There is a second reason foreclosure is more favorable than bankruptcy. It is no secret great swaths of homeowners are in dire financial situations. Millions will end up in foreclosure. These millions, however, are also future homeowners. Once the current mortgage mess and credit crunch cleans up, it is believed that a solution will be created for these foreclosed individuals to borrow again in the future.

If you are facing foreclosure, you have a better option than bankruptcy. Contact your lender and see if they will allow you to do a short sale. Lenders really do not want to own homes, so they will give out forbearance and short sale options like candy. A short sale can hurt your credit, but nothing like a bankruptcy or foreclosure.

How to Finance Investment Property - 4 Key Questions You Need to Ask Yourself!

How to finance investment property is a question that anyone involved with making money from property has to ask themselves at some point. This article will help you to understand some things that you need to understand, and questions you need to keep in mind in order to finance investment property effectively and profitably.

What is the long term goal for the property?

This question is key because if you plan to renovate the property and sell it straight on then you will want to make sure that you have your finance set up in such a way so as not to incur large fees to pay off any loan you have taken out to buy the property. If you plan to rent it out and you are UK based then you will need a buy to let mortgage and you might want to have a fixed rate for a least a couple of years on the mortgage, especially if the interest rates are fluctuating at the time of purchase.

Do you have back up funding in place?

Ideally you want to have more than one lender as an option to fund your purchase; therefore, if the lender you are using gets cold feet or wants to back out for some reason, you have other options already prepared. This is particularly important in the current market place since we are in the midst of a global financial crisis and many lenders are either tightening their purse strings or filing for bankruptcy.

Are you credit worthy?

Even if you have bought investment property before, don't take it for granted that you are credit worthy enough to buy it again. As a professional property investor or developer one of your main priorities should be to make sure that you have an impeccable credit history.

The strange thing is that this actually means having some debt. You could have 10 properties that you pay the mortgage for on time every month without fail, yet when you try to buy another one, they refuse you. There are many potential reasons for this, one of them being that sometimes lenders like to see you with some unsecured debt that you are paying off. If in any doubt as to your credit worthiness check with one of the top credit reference agencies to see what they have on file about you and to get some advice.

What are the tax implications of the purchase?

When thinking about how to finance investment property, you need to have a grasp on what the tax implications are for you personally to invest in the property you are considering buying. Sometimes it is better to buy property as an individual; sometimes it is better to buy as a company.

There is no hard and fast rule. A major consideration, is what are your plans for the future, if you plan to move abroad in five years for good, you might invest with a different strategy than someone who plans to live in their particular country for the rest of their life.

It is advisable to speak to a tax specialist about your plans for buying property and your long-term goals in life in general, so that you buy the right type of property in the right way. By doing this one thing you could be saving yourself hundreds of thousands of pounds in a relatively short period of time.