Return to Home Ownership, a work shop for people that have lost their home

For those that have lost their home because of bankruptcy, foreclosure, short sale or other financial event, a Return to Home Ownership is easier than many of them may think.

The “Return to Home Ownership” no obligation, no pressure, educational workshop will help people that have lost their home to bankruptcy, foreclosure, short sale and other derogatory credit events to create a path to buying a home.  The date and time for this no cost event is May 19, 2015 at 7:00 to 8:00 pm.  It is being held at the offices of Real Estate One, 26236 Woodward Avenue, Royal Oak, Michigan.

Home ownership is one of life’s biggest dreams.  It can be a deeply satisfying experience.  It provides a sense of security and control over the lives of the owners and their families.  It also provides both a tax deduction for the mortgage interest and property taxes as well as a return on investment over the long term that out performs most other safe investments.

Many people in the last housing downturn and slow economy lost their homes.  Foreclosure, short sale, bankruptcy and many other events forced them to leave their cherished home.  Job loss and other credit issues also placed pressure on the family resources forcing them to sell their home.  Now, they are renting and not taking advantage of all the benefits of home ownership.

For someone that lost a home, they may think that it is impossible to overcome the loss and Return to Home Ownership.  But, not only isn’t it true, recovery is much easier than most people think.

The “Return to Home Ownership” no obligation, no pressure, educational workshop will provide the information and tools needed to create a path to home ownership.  It will address:

How long to wait before applying for a new mortgage;

The steps to applying for a mortgage;

Documents needed for a mortgage application;

The home buying process;

Insurance issues; and,

Closing process.

This no pressure, no obligation, free educational workshop is coordinated by Morris Hagerman, Realtor for Real Estate One and other home buying services offered by the Real Estate One Family of Companies.

For more information contact:

Morris Hagerman, Realtor

Real Estate One, 26236 Woodward, Royal Oak, Michigan  48067

248-854-8440

morrishagermanproperties@gmail.com

www.morrishagermanproperties.com

Morris Hagerman is a local real estate agent with Real Estate One in Royal Oak, Michigan.  He serves Berkley and the other Woodward 5 communities in southeast Oakland County. The Woodward 5 communities are Berkley, Ferndale, Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge and Royal Oak.  He is a resident of Berkley and member of the Berkley Chamber of Commerce.

Full List of presenters:

Real Estate One:      Morris Hagerman      248-854-8440

John Adams Mortgage: Mark Sera               248-760-0288

Insurance One:        Leah Wood              248-864-3292

Capital Title:            Debra Paone            248-414-1255

Help paying your back property taxes

ACT NOW TO GET $30,000 TO SAVE YOUR HOME

Dear Friend:

This letter is to inform you of a new program to help pay your delinquent property taxes up to

$30,000 if you face a hardship preventing you from paying your property taxes.

The program is called the “Step Forward Michigan Loan Rescue Program for Property Tax

Assistance,” and is helping some eligible homeowners pay off their delinquent taxes.

You may be eligible if the following criteria apply to you:

1. Owner Occupied Homes Only – You must live in your home, no land contracts.

2. Delinquent Taxes – You must owe delinquent taxes, interest, or fees on that home.

3. Hardship – You must face a hardship preventing you from paying your taxes.

4. Cash Reserves – Less than 1.5 times your annual property tax bill in your account.

Applicants are encouraged to apply with help from our partner agencies, including:

Community and Home Improvement, Oakland County; Community Housing Network;

GreenPath; JVS; Lighthouse; New Hope; OLHSA; Southwest Housing Solutions; and

University of Detroit-Mercy Legal Aid Clinic.

With the help of your certified housing counselor, apply for the “Step Forward Michigan

Loan Rescue Program” online at www.stepforwardmichigan.org or by calling 866-946-7432.

Please contact our office at 248-858-0624 and we will get you connected with a certified

housing counselor to begin the application process.

Taxpayers with delinquent taxes should schedule a Taxpayer Assistance Meeting with

our office to arrange a payment plan and prevent foreclosure.

Sincerely,

Andy Meisner

Oakland County Treasurer

Here is a list of partner agencies

Oakland County Treasurer

1200 N. Telegraph Rd., Dept. 479

Pontiac, Mi 48341-0479

Andy Meisner

County Treasurer

Jody Weissler Defoe

Chief Deputy Treasurer Office

(248) 858-0612 Fax (248) 858-1810

Certified Housing Counselors

Community & Home Improvement, Oakland County

250 Elizabeth Lake Rd., Suite 1900,

Pontiac 48341

(248) 858-1891

Community Housing Network

570 Kirts Blvd., Suite 231,

Troy 48084

Step Forward Michigan Hotline

(248) 269-1330

GreenPath

36500 Corporate Drive,

Farmington Hills, MI 48331

888-776-6735

JVS

29699 Southfield Rd.,

Southfield 48076

Clarissa McMillon (248) 233-4482

Reda Nafso (248) 233-4263

Lighthouse

46156 Woodward Ave.,

Pontiac 48342

 (248) 920-6060 Ext. 2411

New Hope Community Development

19487 Evergreen Road,

Detroit 48219

(313) 255-6275

OLHSA

196 Cesar E. Chavez Avenue,

Pontiac 48343

Autumn Butler (248) 209-2797

Elena Steek (248) 209-2644

Southwest Housing Counseling Solutions

3627 W Vernor,

Detroit 48216

Main Line (313) 841-9641

Tina Ellis (313) 297-0065

LEGAL AID

University of Detroit-Mercy Law Clinics

651 E. Jefferson,

Detroit 48226

Professor Joon Sung (313) 596-0262

Blog post by:

Morris Hagerman, Realtor

Real Estate One Royal Oak

26236 Woodward Avenue

Royal Oak, Michigan  48072

248-854-8440

morrishagermanproperties@gmail.com

Morris Hagerman Real Estate One website

Help for people behind on their property taxes

A letter from Andy Meisner, Oakland County Treasurer

Dear Friend:

This letter is to inform you of a new program to help pay your delinquent property taxes up to $30,000 if you face a hardship preventing you from paying your property taxes.

The program is called the “Step Forward Michigan Loan Rescue Program for Property Tax Assistance,” and is helping some eligible homeowners pay off their delinquent taxes. You may be eligible if the following criteria apply to you: 

1. Owner Occupied Homes Only – You must live in your home, no land contracts.
2. Delinquent Taxes – You must owe delinquent taxes, interest, or fees on that home.
3. Hardship – You must face a hardship preventing you from paying your taxes.
4. Cash Reserves – Less than 1.5 times your annual property tax bill in your account.

Applicants are encouraged to apply with help from our partner agencies, including: Community and Home Improvement, Oakland County; Community Housing Network; GreenPath; JVS; Lighthouse; New Hope; OLHSA; Southwest Housing Solutions; and University of Detroit-Mercy Legal Aid Clinic.

With the help of your certified housing counselor, apply for the “Step Forward Michigan Loan Rescue Program” online at www.stepforwardmichigan.org or by calling 866-946-7432. Please contact our office at 248-858-0624 and we will get you connected with a certified housing counselor to begin the application process. 

Taxpayers with delinquent taxes should schedule a Taxpayer Assistance Meeting with

our office to arrange a payment plan and prevent foreclosure. 

Sincerely,

Andy Meisner

Oakland County Treasurer

Morris Hagerman Properties Index

Morris Hagerman Real Estate One Website

Michigan can't collect transfer tax from Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac

In 2011, Oakland County and Genesee County filed class-action suits against the firms that won nearly $200 billion in U.S. bailouts to collect real estate transfer taxes.

Oakland County said it was owed millions of dollars in transfer taxes, largely from the sale of foreclosed property by the two government-sponsored enterprises. U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts wrote a March 2012 opinion ordering the firms to pay the taxes. Her ruling was reversed. The county said the two firms may have recorded thousands of deeds without paying any transfer taxes.

In a unanimous decision by a three-judge panel, Appeals Judge David McKeague reversed a lower court ruling that had upheld the right of the counties and state to collect the taxes.

Congress expressly said government-sponsored housing corporations the Federal National Mortgage Association, known as Fannie Mae, and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., Freddie Mac, along with the Federal Housing and Finance Agency, were exempt from all taxes. The counties — joined by the state of Michigan — argued that when Congress exempted them from “all taxation,” it didn’t mean to include state and local transfer taxes.

“Because the statutes are clear, we are not in a position to second-guess Congress and create a new exception in the statute for state and county real estate transfer taxes,” said the opinion written by McKeague, who was a federal judge in Grand Rapids before being appointed to the federal appeals court bench by President George W. Bush in 2005.

Michigan imposes a $7.50 fee per $1,000 in value on the property sold; counties impose a $1.10 per $1,000 in value of the property fee. They are paid at the time a deed is recorded, when ownership of a property is transferred.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac step in when a property is foreclosed as the purchaser or entity that guarantees 65 percent of the nation’s new mortgages. After the housing market collapsed in 2008, Congress seized the two publicly traded firms as part of bailouts nearing $200 billion and placed them in conservatorship.

In July 2008, Congress created the Federal Housing Finance Agency to oversee Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks. As of September 2010, the combined debt and obligations of these government-sponsored enterprises totaled $6.7 trillion

The opinion was joined by Judge Boyce Martin Jr., an appointee of President Jimmy Carter, and Ralph Guy, a former lawyer for the city of Dearborn named to the appeals court by President Ronald Reagan.

Morris Hagerman is a local real estate agent with Real Estate One in Royal Oak, Michigan.  He serves Berkley and the other Woodward 5 communities, including Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak and Huntington Woods.  Hagerman is also a member of the Berkley/Huntington Woods Area Chamber of Commerce.  You can contact him by phone at 248-854-8440, email at morrishagermanproperties@gmail.com or visit his web page.