What is a Short Sale?

In real estate, a short sale is when a bank or mortgage lender agrees to discount a loan balance due to an economic hardship on the part of the mortgagor. The home owner/debtor sells the mortgaged property for less than the outstanding balance of the loan, and turns over the proceeds of the sale to the lender in full satisfaction of the debt.
In such instances, the lender would have the right to approve or disapprove of a proposed sale.

Extenuating circumstances influence whether or not banks will discount a loan balance. These circumstances are usually related to the current real estate market climate and the individual borrower's financial situation.

A short sale typically is executed to prevent a home foreclosure. Often a bank will choose to allow a short sale if they believe that it will result in a smaller financial loss than foreclosing. For the home owner, the advantages include avoidance of having a foreclosure on their credit history. Additionally, a short sale is typically faster and less expensive than a foreclosure.

In short, a short sale is nothing more than negotiating with lien holders a payoff for less than what they are owed, or rather a sale of a debt, generally on a piece of real estate, short of the full debt amount.

Lenders have a department (typically called a loss mitigation department) which processes potential short sale transactions. Typically, lenders do not accept short sale offers or requests for short sales until a Notice of Default has been issued or recorded with the locality where the property is located. Lenders have to approve of any buyer's or listing agent's commission in advance, a primary reason for non-brokered short sales with a specialist or facilitator to save on the margin.  Many of these facilitators work with a private lending party for their financing, such as a partner or syndicate.

Lenders have a varying tolerance for short sales and mitigated losses. The majority of lenders have a pre-determined criteria for such transactions. Other distressed lenders may allow any reasonable offer subject to a loss mitigator's approval. "Red tape" is very common in short sales, similar to REO and HUD properties, requiring potentially multiple levels of approvals and conditions. Junior liens, such as second mortgagees, HELOC lenders, and HOA (special assessment liens), may need to approve of the short sale. Frequent objectors to short sales include tax lieners (income, estate or corporate franchise tax - as opposed to real property taxes, which have priority even unrecorded) and mechanic's lien holders. It is possible for junior lien holders to prevent the short sale.

While it is frequent if not common for a lender to forgive the balance of the loan in question, it is unlikely that a lien holder that is not a mortgagee will forgive any of their balance. Further, it is common for a lender to omit updating the zero balance and settlement option on the mortgagor's credit report, or even flat refuse to do so "due to their financial loss."

There are many ways to lose a home but signing away ownership in a manner that destroys credit, embarrasses the family and strips an owner of dignity is one of the hardest. For owners who can no longer afford to keep mortgage payments current, there are alternatives to bankruptcy or foreclosure proceedings. One of those options is called a "short sale." When lenders agree to do a short sale, it means the lender is accepting less than the total amount due. Not all lenders will accept short sales or discounted payoffs, especially if it would make more financial sense to foreclose.

As a real estate broker, I am not  a lawyer nor a CPA and cannot give any legal advice. However, I work hand and hand with many lenders in this area.

We have successfully closed many short sale deals this year. We have an excellent success record  .

  If your were to hire a lawyer to do all these services for you it would cost thousands $$$$ of dollars for their services.

We offer all theses services above plus negotiating on your behalf at a much lower reasonable rate. We will even get the lender to pay all commissions for the sale for you.

Here is a list of companies we have a good solid  working relationship; Lenders & Banks

Give me a call at 239-898-2120 for more detailed information.

Be aware the Internal Revenue Service. will consider debt forgiveness as income, and there is no guarantee that a lender who accepts a short sale will not legally pursue a borrower for the difference between the amount owed and the amount paid. In some states, this amount is known as a deficiency. A lawyer can determine whether your loan qualifies for a deficiency judgment or claim.

Although all lenders have varying requirements and may demand that a borrower submit a wide array of documentation, the following steps will give you a pretty good idea of what to expect.

 

• Call the Lender
  You may need to make a half dozen phone calls before you find the person responsible for handling short sales. You do not want to talk to the "real estate short sale" or "work out" department, you want the supervisor's name, the name of the individual capable of making a decision. Lenders we have a relationship with: Vadala Realty Contacts

   

• Submit Letter of Authorization
  Lenders typically do not want to disclose any of your personal information without written authorization to do so. If you are working with a real estate agent, closing agent, title company or lawyer, you will receive better cooperation if you write a letter to the lender giving the lender permission to talk with those specific interested parties about your loan. The letter should include the following:
  
   
  • Property Address
  • Loan Reference Number
  • Your Name
  • The Date
  • Your Agent's Name & Contact Information

   

• Preliminary Net Sheet
  This is an estimated closing statement that shows the sales price you expect to receive and all the costs of sale, unpaid loan balances, outstanding payments due and late fees, including real estate commissions, if any. Your closing agent or lawyer should be able to prepare this for you if you do not know how to calculate any of these fees. If the bottom line shows cash to the seller, you will probably not need a short sale.

   

• Hardship Letter
  The sadder, the better. This statement of facts describes how you got into this financial bind and makes a plea to the lender to accept less than full payment. Lenders are not inhumane and can understand if you lost your job, were hospitalized or a truck ran over your entire family, but lenders are not particularly empathetic to situations involving dishonesty or criminal behavior.

   

• Proof of Income and Assets
  It is best to be truthful and honest about your financial situation and disclose assets. Lenders will want to know if you have savings accounts, money market accounts, stocks or bonds, negotiable instruments, cash or other real estate or anything of tangible value. Lender are not in the charity business and often require assurance that the debtor cannot pay back any of the debt that it is forgiving.

   

• Copies of Bank Statements
  If your bank statements reflect unaccountable deposits, large cash withdrawals or an unusual number of checks, it's probably a good idea to explain each of those line items to the lender. In addition, the lender might want you to account for each and every deposit so it can determine whether deposits will continue.

   

• Comparative Market Analysis
  Sometimes markets decline and property values fall. If this is part of the reason that you cannot sell your home for enough to pay off the lender, this fact should be substantiated for the lender through a comparative market analysis (CMA). Your real estate agent can prepare a CMA for you, which will show prices of similar homes
  
   
  • Active comparables on the market
  • Pending sales in your area.
  • Properties that have sold in the last 6 months.

   

• Purchase Agreement & Listing Agreement
  When you reach an agreement to sell with a prospective purchaser, the lender will want a copy of the offer, along with a copy of your listing agreement. Be prepared for the lender to renegotiate commissions.

Now if everything goes well, the lender will approve your short sale. As part of the negotiation, you might ask that the lender not report adverse credit to the credit reporting agencies, but realize that the lender is under no obligation to accommodate this request.

So, is the borrower off the hook?

Not necessarily. The lender still has options to try to collect this shortage. As a condition of the short sale the lender may require the borrower to sign a note to repay the shortage. They may also file a collection or a judgment for the amount of the shortage. This is something that an attorney with expertise in this area of real estate needs to be consulted.

Also, the IRS may come after the borrowers for income taxes on the amount of the shortage. If the shortage was forgiven, the lender will report the shortage as income to the IRS and the IRS will collect taxes on this amount. Again, for the specifics on this please consult a tax professional.

The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007

Foreclosure Deficiency Judgment

  How Vadala Realty will Market and Sell your property.

 

Not all agents work the same way. The most important attribute of an agent is that he/she is well connected to the real estate industry. In addition, you also want to look for an agent that is honest, assertive, and one that best understands your needs. Large oversized companies can't give you that personalized service. We all have the same amount of exposure, no matter how many offices or agents. The Multiple Listing Service is working for all of us the same no matter what size you may be. The differences between Vadala Realty and other companies is we can offer personalized service!  So don't be fooled by all theses statistics agents sell you on.
Vadala Realty is committed to providing quality service to all of their clients and to ensure your property is marketed to an optimum level and receives high market value. I am available to my clients 24/7 for any questions or concerns they may have. Below is Vadala Realty's marketing plan for you. Communication & Trust is a strong foundation to success.

1. View and Photo Home, make recommendations on how to increase the value to Market the Home the most effective.

2. Agree on Price, Terms and Financing

3. Submit personalized Listing to MLS

4. Install a distinctive sign and Lockbox

5. Team up and run a campaign with the Real Estate Book for all lee county   Multi Media Marketing homes

6. Local advertising with Realtor.com      National advertising in the duPont Registry on listings over 1.5 Mil.   dupontregistry.com

7.Internet marketing on our website www.sellcapecoralflorida.com ,  www.listhub.net, www.listingbook.com and the major search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask.

8. Email 81 Million Target Prospects Monthly. That's 2.7 Million Target Prospects a Day! http://www.webtrafficmarketing.com/

9.State-of-the-art Technology ( Talking House)  

10. 24/7 Appointment service and showings

11. Hold Open House for Public & Brokers

12 Phone All Potential Buyers in our data base with Details of Listing

13. Follow Up on Open House for Public & Brokers

14. Mortgage Broker referrals for buyers. Title company referrals for sellers

15. Help make the transaction for the buyers and sellers as simple as possible (available 24/7 car internet access)

16. Give You a Status Report & evaluate anything I can do better to met your goal.

17. Go Over Any Changes

18. Review Pricing

19.Create or revise  Marketing Plan if needed


Remember you always want to look for an agent that is honest, assertive, and one that best understands your needs.
www.vadalarealty.com