What The Homeowner Needs To Ask!

Short Sales are rising at a steady pace. You can’t look for a house for sale without noticing that there are short sale listings everywhere. No community is immune.

Most homeowners do not know that a short sale is an option. If you have been served with foreclosure papers, please call us right away so that we can talk about your options. If you need foreclosure defense, moving quickly is very important.

There are many people who qualify for a short sale but have no idea what a short sale is. This is why we started our specialty in Short Sales. We want to educate homeowners about short sales, so you can understand this as an alternative to foreclosure.

A short sale can be arranged when you owe more money to your lender than you can get for your house. The lender agrees to accept less than what you owe, to avoid foreclosure.

What expenses can a homeowner expect in a short sale?

First, there is no cost to list your home as a short sale. When you list your home as a short sale, you sign a listing agreement with us saying that we will collect a commission at closing. That commission is not coming out of your pocket. You do not have to bring it to closing. The commission will be deducted from the proceeds that your lender receives from the buyer.

Your lender will pay for most of the closing costs. Each lender has different policies regarding fees. If you are behind in your property taxes, the lender will pay those at closing from the proceeds of the sale.

Your lender will not allow you to have one penny from this sale. Any monies that you receive must be given to your lender. If anybody tells you that they are going to give you money on selling your house as a short sale, they would me committing mortgage fraud. We suggest that you do not take any “deals” like that.

Your short sale lender is going to require that you pay all of your utility costs. Some utilities will place a lien on your property if you are late with your payments. Pay special attention to your water and sewer bill.

Choosing Qualified Representation!

Experience is crucial in this process. You need to ask the right questions:

• Is the agent qualified (and willing) to act as a Distressed Home Consultant under the new amendments to RCW 61.34?

• How long have you been negotiating short sales, and how many have you done? Our team has over 30 combined years of full time real estate experience, plus attorneys who specialize in real estate and tax law.

• Who handles the negotiation on the seller’s behalf? We do NOT outsource the negotiation process, This is one of the key ingredients to getting to closind!

• What are my tax liabilities? This is a big question that needs special attention. It must be answered by a qualified professional. We will help guide you to the professionals who specialize in short sale law and taxes..

Rebuilding your credit. Fannie Mae recently changed their underwriting guidelines. If you complete a short sale you could qualify for a new mortgage in as soon as two years. With a foreclosure it can be five to seven years.

As you can see this is not a typical transaction and by choosing the wrong representation you can put yourself one step closer to a foreclosure.

Call us today to get your house listed as a short sale as soon as possible. It takes time to market and prepare short sales so every day counts.