One of my searches led me to a couple of REO property flips involving a corporation represented by the same attorney.  All the properties are located in Brooklyn. One of the transactions, the spread was over $320,000! Nice profit, isn’t it?  So how did they do it?  Buyer took out a conventional mortgage of $635,000 and closed the beginning of November 2008.  Most, if not all, conventional lenders have seasoning requirements.  Did this corporation buy the property and hold for 90 days?  Nope.  Now I am sure you are wondering – well how does she know?  I know, because all of these transactions are part of the public record and, if you know what to look for, it is honestly simple to discern the methodology.  These particular parties are stupid. But, they also had to be aided by the title company. So what did they do?

Take a look at this snapshot of one of the transfer tax documents – the RP5217 – that I copied straight from the ACRIS system:

Now look at the crossed-out dates (this one is such a particularly poor job, but it closed). I propose that it did, in fact, close on September 10, 2008.  Look at the CRN number on the bottom of the form (circled in red). The CRN number starts with the year, month and day the property is supposed to change hands and is inputted by the drafter. These transfer tax returns are usually prepared within days of closing.  This vast time difference would never occur.  The parties needed to back date the transaction because of the bank’s seasoning requirements. Also, they needed to back date it far enough that they could avoid any additional value requirements for transactions taking place within 180 days of acquisition.

Suffice it to say this is only one of this buyer’s reo transactions and they rest follow the same trend.  It is all laid out there in the public record. This kind of trend would certainly supply law enforcement with enough probable cause to obtain a warrant to secure the documents from both the first and the second closings.  Perhaps there will be a show check, fake income documents and other indicia of fraud – who knows?

Now question yourself, if I can find this blatant evidence of REO fraud, who else could be looking?

Related posts:

1. Mortgage Assignments are Not the Real Estate Investor’s Dream!
2. Short Sales & No-Flip Clauses in the Approval Letter – Removing a Roadblock
3. Seasoning and FHA’s Time Restrictions on Resales – a Legal Analysis

“In today’s market, FHA research finds that acquiring, rehabilitating and the reselling these properties to prospective homeowners often takes less than 90 days. Prohibiting the use of FHA mortgage insurance for a subsequent resale within 90 days of acquisition adversely impacts the willingness of sellers to allow contracts from potential FHA buyers because they must consider holding costs and the risk of vandalism associated with allowing a property to sit vacant over a 90-day period of time.”

The online real estate community was buzzing yesterday as news of this waiver spread quickly. The investor “gurus” are, of course, rejoicing and spreading the news far and wide, without a careful read of the Waiver itself.  The intent of this temporary policy change is to allow investors to take title to a property, rehab it and sell it quickly. It is not a panacea for those investors who pick up a property at a discount, seeking to flip it for a profit in a “back to back” or “double” closing.  For those types of transactions, the 90 day seasoning rule is a non-issue if you utilize a land trust correctly.

HUD’s Mortgagee Letter 2006-14 clarified the Rule and Regulations set forth in 24 CFR 203.37a concerning the eligibility of properties for FHA insurance and the rules governing sales of property.  As I have discussed in a previous blog post,  Legal Analysis of FHA’s Seasoning Requirements, the real estate and mortgage industry routinely misunderstands and applies these eligibility rules incorrectly and it appears that the trend is continuing with this new Waiver.

FAQS:

1. Does it have to be a property bought through a small sale, bank auction or an REO to be eligible under the Waiver?

No. There are no requirements in the Waiver concerning the status of the property itself.  It is not necessary to demonstrate the distressed nature of the property.

2. So I can get a property under contract, do a contract with a potential FHA buyer and close with my FHA buyer the same day or the day after I buy the property?

No this transaction would not be eligible for FHA insurance. The waiver is really of the requirement that the real estate contract be executed on the 91st day after the investor takes title to the property. The requirement that the investor own the property is still in effect and therefore Contract Vendees and Assignments of contract are still prohibited.  Further, an application for an FHA mortgage cannot be submitted to a Lender for consideration without a fully executed Contract.  Therefore, Back to Back Closings will be impossible.

3. So I can close a week after I take title?

Virtually impossible for several reasons. I venture that there are nearly no Lenders in this post-bubble market that will take an application for an FHA mortgage and be in a position to close a week later.  I am going to stretch that to probably 30 days.  This is certain if your sale price to your FHA buyer is 20% or more higher than your acquisition price (do the math – its not that hard to hit that number – especially in certain areas of the country where housing prices are below $50,000). If the sale price exceeds the 20% threshhold, the investor will have to document the increase in value with supporting documentation and/or a second appraisal and the Lender will have to obtain a Property Inspection Report (see paragraph 2 of the Waiver).  This report will not be ordered prior to application submittal and as discussed previously, that doesn’t take place until there is a fully executed Contract of Sale.

4. I found this fantastic property that my buddy picked up 2 months ago for $120,000.00.  He rehabbed it and I am in contract to buy it from him for $220,000.  I want to flip it to an FHA buyer for $250,000.00 can I do it?

You will have to wait until the 91st day after you close title to enter into a Contract of Sale with the FHA buyer. The Waiver will not apply if there is a history of prior flipping activity in the 12 month chain of title (see paragraph 1(c) of the Waiver).

5. In April, the Treasury’s Small Sale Program goes into effect and there should be a lot of distressed properties coming on to the market. The Waiver is going to be a huge help in moving those properties!

No, it isn’t.  Apparently, government offices do not communicate with each other before issuing rulings – one of the requirements under the Treasury small sale program is that the Contract include a representation that the Purchaser will hold the property for 90 days post-closing.  Perhaps the Treasury will revise its Directive and remove this offending language (which, as I had discussed previously, is extremely small-sighted).

Conclusion

Investors should rejoice as finally they are receiving the recognition they deserve: properties are moving because of their hard work and without the proper incentive, it wouldn’t happen. Instead of being the black sheep of the real estate community, investors are a major part of the solution.  This Waiver is what investors need to get the properties rehabbed, sold and occupied to ameliorate the problem of abandoned and blighted homes. It is not a license to flip and should you wish to engage in that type of activity, you will not be able to use this Waiver to accomplish your goals.

Related posts:

1. Mortgage Assignments are Not the Real Estate Investor’s Dream!
2. Seasoning and FHA’s Time Restrictions on Resales – a Legal Analysis
3. Short Sales & No-Flip Clauses in the Approval Letter – Removing a Roadblock

The first tale I saw on small sale flipping yesterday was reported by the Sarasota Herald Tribune.  In typical fashion, using strong words such as “schemes” and “scams” (I despise those words by the way) which clearly demonstrate the bias of the author, theyappear to  imply that small sale flips, in and of themselves, are fraudulent.  I believe the Home Equity Theft Reporter has a better take on the subject, as indicated by their post title: “Small Sale Flipping Fraud: Use of Inflated Appraisals, Straw Buyers, Sale Terms Undisclosed to Lenders All Indicate that Scammers Are Still At It“. I recommend reading it.  I would also add to that small list of fraudulent activities, non-arms length transactions and realtor fraud.  Also, read the FBI Press Release on Operation Terrible Deeds and more specifically, the US v. Bills case (page 4-5 of the Press Release) for a description of small sale fraud.  Note the use of straw buyers, the lies to the homeowners etc.

There is nothing incorrect with flipping properties as long as you do not engage in the fraudulent activities enumerated above.  If you tell, in writing, in your Contract of Sale that 1) you are a real estate investor and 2) you intend to immediately resell the property for profit, you have satisfied the disclosure requirement.  As far as the allegations that investors are “fooling” or “tricking” the small sale bank in accepting a “low-ball” offer, that is pure rubbish.  The small sale lender is free (and usually does) to order an independent appraisal or BPO to determine value and based upon that report, among other information, makes a business choice as to what it will accept as a small payoff. This is a business choice based purely on economics.

Personally, I reckon inflated appraisals is a non-issue in this age of the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC).  Mortgage brokers can no longer order their own appraisals and as such, the sphere of influence is greatly reduced if not eliminated. The other fraudulent activities have been discussed ad nauseum throughout the blogosphere and if you don’t know by now you shouldn’t include straw buyers in the mix, or have side  agreements, well, you should stay far away from real estate investing.

As for non-arms length transactions, this one is simple: 1) Don’t involve yourself in any sort of transaction whereby the homeowner is going to keep possession of the property and 2) Realtors: if you are the listing agent you cannot be the investor.  These two roles are diametrically opposed.  Your fiduciary duty is to get the highest price possible for your client, the homeowner.  If you make a low offer and set up a second transaction at a higher price, that is prima facie proof that you have violated your duty.

Some other suggestions: Structure your transaction so that every document you submit is legitimate.  No back dating deeds or title, no fake HUD-1s, etc. If you are going to sign a HUD-1, there had better be a real estate transaction to support it.  Make sure each transaction can stand on it own – use transactional funding and do not fund the first transaction with funds from the 2nd.  In my opinion, this is an issue of “appearances” not law, but in the current market, a wise choice. Make sure that you have a excellent team behind you with experience and a working knowledge of the law in this area.

Related posts:

1. Short Sales & No-Flip Clauses in the Approval Letter – Removing a Roadblock
2. Mortgage Assignments are Not the Real Estate Investor’s Dream!
3. Seasoning and FHA’s Time Restrictions on Resales – a Legal Analysis

HISTORY
To know seasoning, it is essential to examine the events that caused FHA to make this underwriting requirement.

Real estate speculators would often locate distressed real estate, buy the property at a substantial discount, make repairs and improvements and quickly resell the improved property at a substantial profit. There is nothing inherently incorrect or illegal about this model of flipping real estate and often, it led to revitalization of run-down neighborhoods and increased neighboring property values. Some speculators would do a Contract to buy a distressed property and turn around and assign the right to buy the Contract to another buyer for a price and at closing, would receive their profit without any investment at all. Again, nothing inherently incorrect with the Assignment or Contract Vendee flip model either.

The problem was in a number of these transactions, the speculator would collaborate with the appraiser, the loan officer and sometimes the end buyer to artificially inflate the value of the home or to falsify the borrower’s documentation so that they would qualify for a mortgage.  These types of fraud transactions had a high rate of mortgage defaults because it was either never the intent of the buyer to pay the mortgage or the buyer was tricked into taking out a loan he could not afford. The Lender would foreclose and find that the value of the real property was woefully inadequate.

Therefore, to curb the fraudulent activity that often went hand in hand with flip transactions, FHA instituted a title seasoning underwriting requirement for those seeking FHA financing.

ANALYSIS
FHA’s title seasoning underwriting guidelines are codified in 24 CFR 203.37a and further clarified in its Mortgagee Letter 2006-14.

FHA starts it’s discussion of the Property Flipping Prohibition by defining property flipping as ”

practice whereby
property is resold a small period of time after it is bought by the Seller
for a considerable profit with an artificially inflated value, often abetted by
a lender’s collusion with an appraiser”. This practice is addressed by FHA with a two-prong rule: (1) only Owners of Record may sell the property and (2) prohibits resales of property 90 days or less from the last sale. (Note, there is a rule for resales that occur between 91 and 180 days as well as up to 12 months but I am not going to discuss that here).

OWNERS OF RECORD This requirement speaks directly to the assignment/contract vendee flip transaction and therefore, the Seller on the original Contract of Sale must hold title to the property.  There can be no intervening deed or assignment of Contract etc. Further, FHA sets forth certain types of documentation that would be acceptable proof of Ownership but also specifically indicates that it is not an exhaustive list: (1) property sales history report; (2) copy of recorded deed from Seller or other such documentation like a property tax bill and (3) title commitment or binder demonstrating seller’s ownership and the date it was bought.  Any of these items are sufficient to establish that the Seller is the Owner of Record for this test.

PROPERTY RESALES OCCURRING 90 DAYS OR LESS FOLLOWING ACQUISITION The rule is: “If the owner sells a property within 90 days of the date of acquisition, that property is not eligible security for a mortgage insured by FHA unless it falls within one of the exceptions to the time restrictions on resales set forth in Section 203.37a(c) of the Regulations”. Those exceptions are as follows:

1)
Sales by HUD of Real Estate-Owned (REO) properties under 24 CFR part 291 and of
single family assets in revitalization areas pursuant to section 204 of the
National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1710);
(2)
Sales by another agency of the United States Government of REO single family
properties pursuant to programs operated by these agencies;
(3)
Sales of properties by nonprofit organizations approved to buy HUD REO
single family properties at a discount with resale restrictions;
(4)
Sales of properties that were bought by the sellers by inheritance;
(5)
Sales of properties bought by an employer or relocation agency in connection
with the relocation of an employee;
(6)
Sales of properties by state- and federally-chartered financial institutions
and government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs);
(7)
Sales of properties by local and state government agencies; and
(8)
Only upon announcement by HUD through issuance of a notice, sales of properties
located in areas designated by the President as federal disaster areas. The
notice will specify how long the exception will be in effect.

One essential definition often glossed over is the Date of Acquisition.  Most realtors, loan officers and underwriters are under the mistaken impression that the seasoning clock is reset upon every title transfer.  But, FHA specifically defines the Date of Acquisition as “the date of settlement on the seller’s buy of that property“ (emphasis added).  Therefore, not every title transfer is to be considered in determining the Date of Acquisition for the purpose of the seasoning test.

WHAT ABOUT A TRANSFER OF REAL PROPERTY FROM A HOME OWNER TO A TRUST?

Does a transfer of title from a Homeowner to a Trustee of an inter-vivos,
revocable trust wherein the Homeowner retains 100% of the Beneficial Ownership
of that Trust constitute a Resale of Property within the meaning of 24 CFR
203.37a and HUD Mortgagee Letter 2006-14?

The transfer of title
from a homeowner to a Trustee of an inter-vivos, revocable trust wherein the
Homeowner retains 100% of the beneficial ownership of said trust does not
constitute a Resale of Property, within the meaning of 24 CFR 203.37a and HUD
Mortgagee Letter 2006-14, and therefore, as long as homeowner’s initial
acquisition meets the test set forth in the Regulation and Mortgagee Letter,
the subsequent sale of the real property is eligible for FHA financing, even if
the transfer to the trust is 90 days or less from the sale contract date.

FHA will not provide
financing when the Seller’s Date of Acquisition is 90 days or less from the
Purchaser’s sale contract date. FHA
defines the Date of Acquisition as “the date of settlement on the seller’s
buy of that property” (pg 2 Mortgagee Letter). The transfer of title
from the Homeowner to a Trustee is not a buy but a mere change of
identity. The trust and the homeowner
share a commonality of ownership and control over the real property. Such
transaction is without consideration and exempt from the payment of state and
local transfer taxes based upon the “mere change of identity”
exception. Therefore, the Date of
Acquisition is the date the Seller originally bought the real property for
consideration.

It is unnecessary and
improper to look to the codified exceptions to the 90 days or less rule,
outlined in 24 CFR 203.37a(c), if the date of the title transfer to the trustee
is 90 days or less than the purchaser’s sale contract date because such date is not
the Date of Acquisition under the Rule and Mortgagee Letter. If the contemplated transaction has a Date of
Acquisition that is 90 days or less than the sale contract date, the Rule
provides certain exceptions to the time restrictions on resales. But, as the date of title transfer to the
trust does not constitute the Date of Acquisition, it is unnecessary to look to
the exceptions provided in 24 CFR 203.37a(c), except if the date the Homeowner bought the property, for
consideration, is 90 days or less from the sale contract date.

CONCLUSION

The real estate flip is not illegal in and of itself.  The often accompanying loan and appraisal fraud is what makes this perfectly legitimate transaction fraudulent and the basis for FHA and other lenders to institute title seasoning underwriting requirements.  If done correctly, the flip often revitalizes neighborhoods and increases home values in the surrounding areas.

I hope that this clarifies exactly what is meant by Title Seasoning and how this underwriting requirement should be correctly applied to a contemplated real property transaction.  Remember, not every title transfer triggers that seasoning clock but be mindful of those that do!

Related posts:

1. Mortgage Assignments are Not the Real Estate Investor’s Dream!
2. Short Sales & No-Flip Clauses in the Approval Letter – Removing a Roadblock
3. FHA Limits on Cash Out Refinances drops to 85%

FHA EXTENDS FINANCING FOR IMMEDIATE BUY OF FORECLOSED HOMES Measure seen to bring stability to home values and accelerate sale of vacant properties

WASHINGTON – In an effort to stabilize declining home values in certain neighborhoods, the Bush Administration today announced a temporary policy that will extend government-backed mortgage insurance and allow for the immediate sale of vacant foreclosed properties.For one year, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will insure foreclosed properties marketed and sold by property disposition firms on behalf of lenders. The properties, which must bought by owner-occupants, will no longer be subject to the customary 90-day waiting period.”A glut of foreclosed and abandoned homes harms neighborhoods, frustrates homebuyers and delays a community’s recovery,” said Brian D. Montgomery, Assistant Secretary of Housing-Federal Housing Commissioner. “The action we take today will allow homebuyers to buy these homes in much greater numbers and ease the excess supply of unsold homes in neighborhoods across the country.”FHA’s new temporary policy will help stabilize neighborhoods experiencing high rates of foreclosure by reducing the inventory of unsold properties. Many foreclosed properties remain vacant for months, inviting vandalism and reducing values of surrounding homes. To address that sizeable inventory, lenders have hired companies that specialize in the marketing and disposition of foreclosed homes. It’s reasonable and appropriate that these firms have the ability to sell the properties to borrowers using FHA financing.With certain exceptions, FHA currently prohibits insuring a mortgage on a home owned by the seller for less than 90 days. This prohibition is intended to prevent property “flipping,” a predatory practice that strips a home of its equity before being quickly resold at an inflated price to an unsuspecting buyer. FHA’s new policy will permit the immediate sale of foreclosed properties to legitimate borrowers wishing to use FHA-insured financing.

HUD News Release 08-082

Tags: FHA, REO, foreclosure, flipping, resale, property, mortgages

Related posts:

1. FHA Limits on Cash Out Refinances drops to 85%
2. Seasoning and FHA’s Time Restrictions on Resales – a Legal Analysis
3. Mortgage Assignments are Not the Real Estate Investor’s Dream!