Selling A Property Subject To The Existing Mortgage

When selling or buying properties there are many ways to get a it sold. There are plenty of legal creative options for both buyers and sellers can agree on a win-win deal to get a property sold. One option of selling a property in Illinois is selling a property subject to the existing mortgage.

There are many basis and valid reasons for both buyer and seller would agree to a subject to the existing mortgage option. If done correctly, it is a great way to buy and sell a property in Illinois. If done incorrectly it can put both buyer and seller at risk.

What Is Subject To The Existing Mortgage When Selling Real Estate?

Selling a house subject to the existing mortgage means the existing mortgage is NOT being paid off.  The existing mortgage stays in place and the buyer takes over the payments and the deed is transferred to the buyer.

Benefits For Buyers When Selling Property Subject To The Existing Mortgage

Buying a house is costly and requires the buyer to come up with cash for the sales price or a percentage of the sales price. Plus the buyer is subject to current interest rates from a traditional lender of a private money lender.

Other Benefits When Buying A Property Subject To The Existing Mortgage:

• Frees up cash so the buyer has money to repair the house
• Cash outlay for the buyer is less which makes it easier for a buyer to buy the property.
• Interest rate and monthly payment is low because the buyer is not having to loan a money from a private lender that charges high interest rates.
• Financing is already in place enabling the buyer to close fast and does not require an appraisal or for the loan to be approved.

Benefits for Sellers When Selling Property Subject To The Existing Mortgage

• Excellent way to get a hard sell a house
• Sell a house with No Hidden Charges, NO Fees, NO Commissions, NO Closing Cost on the date of their choice.
• Seller might earn little bit more money when selling their property because the buyer might be willing to pay a little more for the house.
• Upon closing of the property, the seller usually walks away with CASH if there is equity. This cash that the seller will get is the difference of the agreed upon sales price and the balance of the mortgage.

Worst scenarios can happen to good people. Like loss of work, death of a loved one or an unexpected health issue. There are many things in life that can cause financial pressure and make home ownership become a problem. When home ownership becomes a burden often times the up-keep on a home is not done. So now their is stress of paying the mortgage on top off fixing things when needing repair. This is all part of home ownership. You can stop the of frustration of your unwanted house by selling it through subject to the existing mortgage.

The Pitfalls of Subject To The Existing Mortgage

Title Insurance and Mortgage Servicing

Getting title work done and title insurance is important when buying a house Subject To The Existing Mortgage. If you are the seller consult with the escrow offer so you can protect yourself against the buyer not making payments on time. Make sure you also set the mortgage payment up to be serviced through the escrow company so, as the seller, you know the mortgage is being paid on time.

As the seller, ask the escrow officer about doing  a “mirror wrap” so if the seller does not make the payments you can get your property back. A “mirror wrap” accomplishes the same thing but has better protection for the seller.

The Due on Sale Clause

The due-on-sale clause can potentially be one of the biggest pitfalls. This is a clause in the original loan documents of the seller. In essence, it says that if title is transferred or changes hands, the bank has the right to call the loan due and in full. Keep in mind, I said “right to call the loan,” but the real question is how often do they?

Heartland Funding Inc. has help tons of  homeowners in Illinois who are in need of selling their home through Subject To The Existing Mortgage. The longest we have ever held on to a property and kept the mortgage in place has been less than 12 months. We have never had a bank call the loan due in full. We have always made the mortgage payment on-time. We service the mortgage through the escrow company making sure everything is done above board.

Home Owners Insurance

Making sure the home is insured is a priority. Most mortgage payments have confiscated accounts which includes paying the property taxes and home owners insurance when making the mortgage payment.

It is best for the seller not to cancel the home owners insurance since it is being paid through the mortgage.

If the home owners insurance is canceled, this can cause the bank to investigate the triggering of the due-on-sale clause and it will send a note to be paid in-full.  It is best to keep the current insurance policy in place.

It is easier to have all parties named as insured or additional insured on the one policy, including previous and current owners.

Types Of Mortgages You Can and Cannot Sell Subject To Existing Mortgage

When selling a property Subject To The Existing Mortgage the mortgage needs to be a conventional loan. If you have an FHA or VA loan you can’t sell your property subject to the existing mortgage. The government loans are very strict about when can be done with an FHA or VA loan and the title companies wont insure the property at the sale if you have an FHA or VA loan.

Another thing to be aware of… If you have a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) it will need to be paid off through escrow when selling Subject To The Existing Mortgage. As the buyer, you want the HELOC paid off at closing because with an open line of credit the seller could pull money from the line causing you to have to come in with more money when you paid off the mortgages or line of credit when you go to sell the property or when you agreed to paid of the mortgages. Title companies will usually require HELOC’s to be paid off and close when buying subject to the existing mortgage.

Heartland Funding Inc. buys houses. If you have a house, or even a mobile home in Chicago, Aurora, Bloomington and other areas in Illinos, sell your property to us and we will give you a fair cash offer. Just quickly give us a call at 800-255-8250.