Foreclosure Options

From the Superpages.com

Receiving a Notice of Default from your mortgage lender is a frightening experience, even when you understand how far behind on your payments you are. Rather than going into a full-scale panic, assess your foreclosure options. Ways may exist for you to avoid the dreaded foreclosure auction and keep your home.

Before you receive a default notice

Your proactive efforts to remedy the situation before receiving the default notice from your lender directly affect your foreclosure options. Not every lender begins the foreclosure process at the same time. Some will act as soon as the law allows while others may wait a year to take action. For best results, assume your lender will be quick to action and contact them before you miss your third consecutive payment.

Although your lender may require you to work with the Collections department, be clear that you need to speak with someone in the Loss Mitigation department. This is the group with the power to work out a payment arrangement or loan modification. Both of these are preferable to your other foreclosure options.

Working with your lender

After you receive the default notice, you may still have foreclosure options beyond the loss of your home. Make no mistake about it; your lender wants their money, not your house. Be honest with your mortgage company about why payments are delinquent and what steps you’re taking to correct the situation. Find out if they can add the amount you owe to the principle balance and adjust your payments to compensate for the change in order to bring you current.

Another foreclosure option is to turn over the deed to your property. You will still lose your house, but a foreclosure will not appear on your credit and the lender will not continue pursuing you for the money you owe. Not all lenders will agree to this; however, doing so will save the company a considerable amount of money on attorney’s fees by not continuing the foreclosure.

FHA loan options

When you have an FHA mortgage—one backed by the Federal Housing Administration—special foreclosure options may be available to you. Depending on the exact nature of your financial situation, you may qualify for a loan to bring your mortgage current. This loan does not charge interest and you make no payments. In fact, you take no further action with this loan until you payoff or sell the home.

Always remember that even when none of the alternative foreclosure options work for you, things are not as dark as they may seem. At the end of the day, a house is still just a house. What you do and who you are is what turns any piece of property into a home.

With Baby on the Way, Mila Kunis Selling LA Home

AUTHOR:EMILY HEFFTER
ZILLOW

Actress Mila Kunis recently went on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show to clarify that while she and fiance Ashton Kutcher are having a baby together, she’s the only one who is pregnant.

Now Kunis is making way for the new baby by selling her 5,000-square-foot Mediterranean-style home in Los Angeles.

The Ukraine-born actress, 30, moved to the U.S. with her family when she was 7 and rose to stardom on “That ’70s Show” and in films such as “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Black Swan.”

The home she’s selling at 3028 Paulcrest Dr has beamed ceilings, dark hardwood floors and an open floor plan. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors open to the home’s best feature: a large entertaining patio around the pool, with views of the city. She bought it for $2.885 million in 2008 and is positioned to make more than $1 million on the home if she gets her asking price of $3.995 million.

Kunis and Kutcher are a hot couple at the moment, their every move followed by celebrity magazines. Kutcher sold his bachelor pad in June, and in May, the couple reportedly bought a more traditional house in Beverly Hills to settle down in.

The Altman Brothers are representing Kunis in the sale.

Common fertilizing mistakes - Getting careless

By the DIY experts of The Family Handyman Magazine
TheFamilyHandyman.com

Spread with care

As much as fertilizer can be a valuable tool to keep a lawn healthy, dense and great looking, it can also create environmental concerns if not used responsibly.

“It’s not the use of phosphorus and other nutrients that are creating environmental issues; it’s the misuse of them.”

As much as fertilizer can be a valuable tool to keep a lawn healthy, dense and great looking, it can also create environmental concerns if not used responsibly. Too often I see people not paying attention when fertilizing. They’re in a hurry or just don’t care. They think the little bit of fertilizer that gets washed off your lawn and into the street doesn’t matter. But what if all your neighbors thought this? Or worse yet, every lawn owner in your town? Not only can we help our environment by using less fertilizer, we can do even more by making sure it stays where it’s intended.

Never apply any type of fertilizer close to wetlands, rivers, streams, lakes and ponds. We’re trying to grow lawn grasses, not aquatic weeds. Heavy nutrient loads in these types of water features will create excessive weed growth and algae blooms. Nobody wants that. Stay at least 6 to 8 ft. away from water when applying fertilizer.

After you’re done fertilizing, sweep up and collect what remains on hard surfaces, such as your driveway, sidewalk or street. If fertilizer is left on these surfaces, rains will eventually wash it into water features and storm sewers.

Never apply fertilizer to frozen ground. This can easily happen in the spring if you’re anxious to apply your crabgrass preventer. If the ground is still frozen, it’s too early to apply crabgrass preventer anyway. In short, be a good environmental steward.

Labor Day Weekend Events in Miami 2014

By Amy Reyes | MiamiHerald.com

IFE-ILE Afro-Cuban Dance Festival
Watch as some of the most dynamic Afro-Cuban dancers show off their moves at this annual festival during a free street performance at the monthly Viernes Culturales event and at a variety of exciting dance and drumming workshops, culminating with a gala performance Saturday night. 
7-11 p.m. Friday at Viernes Culturals, 1637 SW Eighth St.; 8:30 p.m. at the Koubek Center, 2705 SW Third St., Miami; www.ife-ile.org.

Miami Home Design and Remodeling Show
The Miami Beach Convention Center is transformed into a home improvement paradise, featuring thousands of products and services for residential decorating, remodeling and home improvements indoors and out, during Labor Day Weekend. Attendees can shop, compare products, get advice from experts and buy at special show prices. 
6-10:30 p.m. Friday, noon-10:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, noon-7:30 p.m. Monday, 6-10:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Dr., Miami Beach; homeshows.net; $7.

Floatopia Miami
Bring your floating rafts, inner-tubes, rubber tires, foam noodles - anything that floats - for a day of fun in the sun at Miami Beach. 
10 a.m. Saturday Aug. 30 at South Pointe Park, 1 Washington Ave., Miami Beach.

South Beach Bike Week
Hog lovers roar into South Beach for the second annual South Beach Bike Week with a “Biker Village” featuring vendors, a bike show, live music, tattoo artists and other motorcycle-related fun plus parties and events for those who were born to ride.
11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday-Sunday at Tenth Street and Ocean Drive, Miami Beach; www.southbeachbikeweek.com.

Cooking Class with Cheft Dustin Ward
Includes cooking demo, three-course meal and beverages. 
2:30 p.m. Saturday at BLT Prime Miami, 4400 NW 87th Ave. (Trump National), Doral; 305-591-6606. $50.

Ritz-Carlton South Beach
Get your hands on some chic barbecue favorites at the Ritz-Carlton’s Off-the-Clock BBQ, available Saturday-Monday with chipotle baby back ribs, bacon cheeseburgers and black bean-quinoa burgers. 
Saturday-Monday at Ritz-Carlton South Beach, One Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach; $19.

Neighbor Days
Jungle Island gets neighborly this long weekend with one of its best deals - $10 admission Saturday through Monday, which gives access to the entire park and Jungle Island’s Neighborhood Block Party with sidewalk chalk activities, DJ dance parties, face painting, character appearances, hula-hoop competitions and animal encounters.
10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday-Monday at Jungle Island, 1111 Parrot Jungle Trail, Miami; 305-4000-7000; $10. 
Labor Day Weekend Sunset Party 
Enjoy barbecue and cocktail specials from Beauty & the Feast on the hotel’s fifth floor oceanfront terrace. Free with RSVP.
5-10 p.m. Sunday at the Atlantic Hotel & Spa, 601 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. eventbrite.com.

Up Past Bedtime Kids’ Movie: “Finding Nemo” 
Teach the kids to love the great outdoors by plopping them in front of a huge screen al fresco at this family-friendly outdoor movie presentation of “Finding Nemo,” the story of a timid clownfish who leaves the safety of his home on the Great Barrier Reef to find his missing son. Flashlights are recommended and pets are not invited.
7 p.m. Sunday at The Barnacle Historic State Park, 3485 Main Hwy., Coconut Grove; 305-442-6866. Admission: $5 ages 6 and up; $3 ages 2-5; under 2 free.

Native Bird Festival 
Experience the birds that make Florida their home with live bird presentations and aviary tours, pick up birding tips from expert Paddy Cunningham of Birding Adventures then visit with the Sierra Club, Audubon Society and other wildlife organization booths to learn more about Florida’s wild inhabitants and habitats. Bonus: Labor Day is a Half-Price Day.
9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday at Flamingo Gardens, 3750 S Flamingo Rd., Davie; www.flamingogardens.org or 954-473-2955; Half-Price Day admission: Ages 12 and up $9, ages 3-11 $5, children 2 or younger and members are free.

OTC Brunch
Start off September with $20 bottomless Mimosas and dishes like Korean Chicken N Waffles, Korean-style fried chicken, miso aioli, carrot slaw, pure maple syrup or The OTC Benedict - brioche toast, runny egg, crispy pork belly, sundried tomato and hollandaise. 
11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Monday at OTC, 1250 South Miami Ave., Miami; 305-374-4612.

Free Tours at PAMM
Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) offers free exhibition tours on Labor Day at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. led by museum guides plus visitors who arrive to PAMM by Metromover on Monday [Sept. 1] will receive free museum admission. 
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday at Perez Art Museum Miami, 1103 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami; www.pamm.org. Admission: Adults $12; seniors (62+ with ID), students (with ID) and youth (ages 7-18) $8; members, children (under 6) and Active U.S. Military (with ID) free.
The Butcher Shop 
Labor Day Special Dish is pork wings glazed with Rekorderlig Wild Berries Cider and a summer salad with a cranberry and Rekorderlig Pear Cider dressing. $12.
Monday at The Butcher Shop, 165 NW 23rd St., Miami.

Miami Marlins vs. New York Mets
Catch The Fish as they take on the New York Mets on Labor Day. 
1:10 p.m. Monday at Marlins Park, 1380 NW Sixth St., Miami; $15-$225.

FEMA schedules open houses on revised flood maps for Palm Beach County

By Christine Stapleton, The Palm Beach Post, Fla.

McClatchy-Tribune Information Services Aug. 26--The Federal Emergency Management Agency has released a new set of preliminary flood maps for Palm Beach County after an outcry last year from property owners, local governments and elected officials who claimed the maps contained errors that put huge swaths of the county in high-hazard flood zones requiring costly insurance. To ease public concern about the new maps, the agency has scheduled public meetings from 4-7 p.m.Sept. 8-11 at four locations in the county. Property owners can learn about changes to the maps and how those changes will affect their property, and insurance experts will be present to explain flood coverage and costs at these open houses. FEMA released preliminary versions of new flood maps in June 2013 after updating the county's flood maps for the first time in 30 years. Large areas that once appeared relatively free of major flood concerns -- including Wellington,Royal Palm Beach, Loxahatchee and The Acreage -- were now in various levels of high-risk flood zones on the preliminary maps. Banks generally require mortgage-holders in high-risk zones to obtain flood insurance. In response, the county's congressional delegation sent a letter to FEMA Administrator W. Craig Fugate, saying the proposed maps could harm the county's real estate market and would have "far-reaching negative economic impacts" that could devastate the county's tax base. Ken Todd, the county's water resource manager, also sent FEMA a letter, complaining that FEMA did not take up offers by local officials to provide technical and anecdotal input about flood control in the county. FEMA listened and allowed local engineers, water managers and building officials to reveal present new data to dispute the maps, including any errors and miscalculations they believe existed in the 2013 maps. The new preliminary maps were released on Aug. 18 and appear to have removed many properties in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach from the high risk category. At a West Palm Beach Commission workshop on Monday, officials were given a brief overview of the new maps. More than 7,200 parcels in the city were affected by the 2013 preliminary maps. After presenting new data to FEMA, the city successfully removed 4,990 parcels from high-risk flood zones. In particular, Baywinds, RiverWalk, Andros Isle, Oakton Preserve, and many Eastern Residential Areas all received relief with the new maps. The annual city-wide savings is estimated between $6 million and $7 million, according to the presentation by city officials on Monday. "With the incorporation of the South Florida Water Management District's recent basin study and other data submitted by the county and municipalities, the preliminary maps significantly improve the depiction of flood risk in Palm Beach County," said Mark Vieira, senior engineer at FEMA's Risk Analysis Branch inAtlanta. "We encourage residents-- including homeowners, business owners, insurance agents, and real estate agents -- to attend the open houses the week ofSept. 8 to get their questions answered." Staff writer Eliot Kleinberg contributed to this story.

Report: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West Buying in Hidden Hills

AUTHOR:EMILY HEFFTER
ZILLOW

Celebrity news sites, including E!, are reporting that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West — more efficiently dubbed Kimye — are in contract to buy an 8,000-square-foot Hidden Hills estate formerly owned by Lisa Marie Presley.

Source: People

The luxurious French country-style home includes a vineyard and sits on 3 acres in the hills of Calabasas. The kitchen has not one, not two, but three islands and attaches to a comfortable family room.

The master bathrooms — one for each of them — have steam showers and saunas and a private patio with a spa. There are 8 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms, some of them in the separate guesthouse.

Just completed in 2012, the home is designed to feel like a home in the South of France, but it’s up to date with smart technology. Outdoors, the estate has more than 1,000 square feet of patio entertaining space, including two pools and two spas.

The home was originally listed for nearly $22 million, but it’s not clear what it sold for.

If you’re having trouble keeping up with the West-Kardashians, they bought a different mansion in Bel-Air last year.