Just in case you’re wondering a short sale happens when the bank agrees to take less money for the house than the current homeowner owes on it. It has been estimated lately that around 14% of homeowners Nationwide owe more than their house is worth. The really scary statistic is that in some parts of the country that number could be up around 50%.
Like everything else in life there are both good and bad sides to short sales. One good thing is the sellers are usually still living in the home. What does this mean for you? Often these homes are in good shape and in tact. Homes that have gone through the foreclosure process are often left in very poor condition with many of the fixtures missing. You may find VERY nice homes where the homeowner just couldn’t quite afford the home so they are trying to get out from under their large monthly payment.
One thing you must understand about short sales is that the process can take a very long time.
Forget about closing in 30 days, sometimes it can drag on for 6 months or more. In reality this can be good for those of us who are patient enough to wait because a lot of prospective buyers are scared off leaving lots of homes for the rest of us. Keep your eyes open for the following problems and you could end up getting a lot of house for a lot less money.
With so many people asking their lenders to accept a short sales the processors are being overwhelmed. Often times these departments have been downsized and there just aren’t enough people to do the job in a timely manner. Don’t get discouraged though, lenders are usually willing to negotiate the short sale because often they will end up losing more money if they have to go into foreclosure.
Just be patient and always remember that if you’re selling a property and looking to buy a short sale that you may need to budget up to 6 months of rent so that you have someplace to live while you’re waiting to sign the papers on your new house.
Make sure you find a realtor who is experienced in short sales. Usually the lender will ask the realtor to accept a smaller commission than they normally receive. Because of this many realtors will try to steer you away from a short sale. Always ask your agent how many short sales he has closed in the last year or so. If they have only done 1 or 2 you may want to find a more experienced realtor.
Once you find a property you are interested in always look for these red flags. Try to avoid properties with more than one lien against it. This means there will be even more people to negotiate with and will probably take longer than a normal short sale. Also, you may want to avoid properties that have multiple offers. Sometimes the offers are considered one at a time which means one or several people may have to go through the entire process before they even look at yours. This could stretch the process out much longer than if you were the only potential buyer.
When you have found the right house and you want to make an offer, don’t just rely on the listing price to make your bid. Often times the owners are desperate to get some offers so they will low ball the listing price just to get things moving. Ultimately the lender has the final say in the selling price NOT the homeowner. Have your agent search the market for comparable properties that have sold recently. This is the best way to judge what the home is really worth and it will also give you something to take to the lender to justify the price you have offered. ALSO, always get a pre-approval letter from your vendor before you make an offer. All things being equal if one offer is pre-approved and another is not the bank will usually accept the pre-approved offer.
If everything goes well and you are asked to sign a sales contract always see if the lender will cover all the closing costs. Also, do not have any appraisals or inspections done on the property before the offer is approved. This way you will not be wasting money for a home that you will never own.
Remember to be persistent. The lenders are very busy these days trying to save their institutions all the money they can; however, every day the house sits empty they lose a little more money. Don’t be afraid to have your realtor call the lender often and check on the status of your offer and remember if the negotiations drag on for a long time the property may actually go down in value so make sure you keep up with the neighborhood values so you have a strong hand to negotiate with.