Short Sales
Lenders are motivated to accept short sales for a number of good reasons. Lenders can avoid the costs of property maintenance, utilities and homeowners’ association fees. Properties that go into foreclosure can take longer to sell, particularly in a declining market.
Foreclosure is of one of the most traumatic experiences a homeowner can face. The embarrassment of losing a home to foreclosure is compounded by the foreclosure’s devastating effects on your credit scores and ability to qualify for new credit. Foreclosure is a process by which a secured creditor such as a bank takes back ownership of a home or condo in default due to failure to pay. This can take a few months or more after payments stop and during that time ( pre-foreclosure ) the property owner may try to sell the home at a reduced price. short sales spare the homeowner the embarrassment and credit damage that can result from a foreclosure.
Mortgage lenders will give you a loan 3-4 years after a foreclosure, but only if you fully qualify and have a decent down payment. Mortgage short sales can affect your credit. But paying a crushing mortgage payment isn’t a good solution either, if it means losing all your savings and eventually going into foreclosure.
House prices can get too high. What we have lived through since 2003 is a bubble; an unsustainable run up in price. Household budget cuts have to be made, and for some the newfound frugality is harkening back to lessons learned at grandma’s house. Houses near REO have lost even more value, and that’s the flash point for the trend. As more houses are settled through well intentioned federal programs, like HASP, more homeowners begin to recognize that their house is now worth so little, relative to its previous value that walking away becomes the only solution. This is why so many are turning to short sales as their solution to getting out of this problem.
Banks would rather negotiate short sales than foreclose, especially if foreclosure rates and home inventories are high. When you present a purchase and sale offer and your inability to pay is crystal clear, lenders are more willing to settle for less. Banks are going to want you to discount your commission. Rates offered can vary, but are typically 1 percent to 2 percent below averages in the market, say interviewees. Banking regulators and government agencies frown upon this and banks want to get these real estate assets off their books as soon as possible, which is why banks are also motivated to do short sales.



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