California Mortgage & Rent Help During COVID-19
Hi friends!
Worried about paying your California Mortgage or Rent Payment?
Wanted to share this video with you and let you know about some important financial resource links if you’re struggling to make your mortgage or rent payments due to the recent Coronavirus Pandemic.
Renters, you should know there is a moratorium on evictions until May 31st. Click here for more info on the California rental moratorium: https://www.gov.ca.gov/2020/03/27/governor-newsom-takes-executive-action-to-establish-a-statewide-moratorium-on-evictions/ . If you are working virtually and in a position to pay your rent, please don’t use Coronavirus as an excuse not to. This will put undue pressure on the people who really do need this relief.
Landlords & small business owners, you’re likely eligible for some financial assistance through the SBA’s Paycheck Protection program. Here’s a PDF from the US Chamber of Commerce with more info to see the criteria to qualify:
Click to access 023595_comm_corona_virus_sma.pdf
Additionally, you can click here to apply for the SBA Disaster Relief Fund. This online form takes about 10-20 minutes to complete. Funds can deposit into your bank account in as little as 3 days: https://covid19relief.sba.gov/
Homeowners, you’ve got help as well. Most banks and loan servicing companies are offering a forbearance option. It’s ok if you don’t know what forbearance is – here’s the Wikipedia definition:
Forbearance, in the context of a mortgage process, is a special agreement between the lender and the borrower to delay a foreclosure. The literal meaning of forbearance is “holding back.”
When mortgage borrowers are unable to meet their repayment terms, lenders may opt to foreclose. To avoid foreclosure, the lender and the borrower can make an agreement called “forbearance.” According to this agreement, the lender delays its right to exercise foreclosure if the borrower can catch up to its payment schedule by a certain time. This period and the payment plan depend on the details of the agreement that is accepted by both parties.
Historically, forbearance has been granted for customers in temporary or short-term financial difficulty. If the borrower has more serious problems, e. g. the return to full mortgage payments in the long term does not appear sustainable, then forbearance is usually not a solution. Each lender is likely to have its own suite of forbearance products.
Now a word of warning. Homeowners, PLEASE read the fine print from your bank, and only use this option if you need to. Many times you’ll get more interest in the end, or a really big payment after a forbearance, so you need to understand what you’re getting into.
We’ll also offer the same advice as the renters here..If you’re able to pay your mortgage, please pay it. This will keep funds flowing to the banks, and allow the banks to keep lending to new buyers that need a place to live. Our real estate market has slowed, but it hasn’t stopped. We definitely don’t want to add fuel to this fire and create a bigger issue.
If you’ve been doing research on various financial assistance programs out there, feel free to share. Please comment any links you’ve found for Coronavirus or financial relief below.
Hope all of you are feeling healthy and excited to go out and do great things once you’re back into the world! Consider reading our post on 5 Important Things to focus on during COVID-19 next, and let’s make some long term progress while we’re here at home. If you’re not sure what to do, you can always setup a website to crowdfund your next down payment with Vow2Save, install CreditKarma to check your score, or call your lender about a low interest refinance 😉
Orange County Real Estate Success 
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