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Refinancing "Underwater" Home in Orange County, CA

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Anonymous
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Refinancing "Underwater" Home in Orange County, CA

I live in Orange County, CA.  I have a home that has two mortgages that I bought in July 2004 for $552,000.  The first mortgage is for $440,000 and is interest only at 5.75%.  It will adjust in spring 2014 at market rate to a 20 year loan.  The second mortgage is a HELOC for $125,000 and is 0.25% above prime.  It is interest only and readjusts in spring 2015 to a 20 year loan.  Despite a complete remodel of the house, it has fallen in value substantially.  Other identical homes in the area appraise for $429,000 but have nowhere near the upgrades (professional kitchen, redone bathrooms, new tile floor, etc.).  I can easily pay both mortgages at this point ($2156 for first, $390 for second).  I have a FICO score of 785 and an annual salary of $130,000.  I have no car payments or credit card debt.  I would love to refinance now but my LTV ratio is horrible.  I am very worried about being shut out of refinancing due to the LTV ratio and getting stuck with some very high mortgages in four years.  I know I'm way ahead of the loan due dates but I'm looking for the best strategy to make myself as attractive as possible for refinancing.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
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1 REPLY 1
Lel
Moderator Emeritus

Re: Refinancing "Underwater" Home in Orange County, CA

Unfortunately, since you are upside down by a considerable amount, refinancing is not an option, not even through the Making Home Affordable plan, since the refinance program will only go up to 105% of the current market value of your home.

 

You could try to approach your lender of your first mortgage to see if they would grant you a loan modification.  You probably won't get relief through the MHA plan either, since (1) you're not having trouble affording your payments, (2) the payment amount of your first mortgage is substantially less than 31% of your monthly gross income, and (3) since the loan balance was $440,000 when opened in 2004, it exceeded the conforming limits, so your loan is probably not backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.  Nevertheless, you could still request a loan modification outside the MHA plan.  Lenders are swamped with requests for modification, however, so it may be difficult to get someone to consider your case.  To get a modification, you'd probably have to agree to have your loan converted into a fully amortized loan, which might get you a slightly better interest rate but higher monthly payments.

 

Your HELOC would have to be considered separately from your first mortgage, even if they are with the same lender.  Trying to combine the two will not be easy, and is more likely to slow down your process.

 

One option to consider would be to start paying down your principal on your first mortgage, since it currently has the higher interest rate.

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