Until a few years ago, short sales were rarely used. The market was strong and properties were rising in value. With the collapse in the economy, home values have plummeted and home owners have found that they owe more on their home than what it is worth.
So quite simply, a short sale occurs when a homeowner wants to sell their home and owes more money than it can fetch in the market. In most cases, the homeowner will petition the bank for permission to sell to a willing buyer thereby releasing their lien on the property and allowing the transfer to occur. In most cases this involves debt forgiveness from the bank holding the mortgage and it can also include debt settlement or a lien release fee.
Short sales are extremely useful for homeowners that are severely underwater. In general if a homeowner is greater than $50k underwater on the value of their home they should consider the possibility of hiring a short sale professional. By moving forward with a short sale, a homeowner can wipe clean the bad investment and start clean in as little as 2 years. This is a great option rather than waiting 10 or more years to break even on the debt.
There are many options that can be negotiated in a short sale but the main benefits are, debt forgiveness and the ability to undo bad market timing. A good short sale professional can get you amazing results to put you back on a sound financial track.
I see a lot of people who choose not to participate in short sales but really should consider it. There are many reason why, but ultimately it comes down to fear, complacency, and ego.
Fear… since nothing can be guaranteed in a short sale, people are sometimes afraid to move forward. I can tell you that 99% of all of our short sales are successful and that you always retain the option to bring your mortgage current and keep the house. I can also tell you that most of my clients have recovered their credit score in as little as 9 months once their debt has cleared up. But ultimately it takes courage to make a change.
Complacency… This is a killer. A lot of people just avoid change at all costs. They are comfortable to die a slow death. Unfortunately its difficult to overcome this. Its a long slow death as the long term damage will only become apparent in 10 or more years. These individuals are often deluded by the belief that the market will just magically come back and fix everything. The housing market will recover, but what a great opportunity be lost.
Ego… another tough one. I can tell you that most homeowners are not upside down due to mismanagement. They are upside down because the institutions that were supposed to regulate the market failed and actually caused this financial melt down. You shouldn’t take it personal because you market timing was bad. It wasn’t your fault. It was the greed and bad policy making of our banks. They were supposed to be the gate keepers. Tax payers have bailed them out, but its really time to help you out too.
Time is running out. The mortgage forgiveness debt relief tax act is soon to expire. After expiration the tax man will make you pay for complacency. I recommend action now! Good luck to you and please call if we can be of service.
