Tuesday, September 7, 2010

How Real Estate Short Sales Work

A Short Sale is a very different type of transaction than a normal sale with equity. Parties in the transaction have a different set of priorities, expectations, and concerns. The Short Sale Listing Agent needs an entirely different skill-set.

Here is everything you need to know about how a short sale works. (from a Seller’s perspective)

Pre-Listing Considerations

Marketing and Selling a Short Sale

Submitting a Short Sale Package

The Short Sale Bank Approval Process

The Short Sale Escrow Process and Close

How Short Sales Die

Getting a New Buyer

Credit, Collections, and Tax Consequences

Pre-Listing Considerations

Most of the same considerations you would have when selling under normal circumstances still apply: De-clutter, touch-up the paint, keep the landscaping tidy, etc. Here are some of the extra issues that Short Sellers face and some questions they often ask…

What should you look for in a Listing Agent?

More than anything, you need an agent who has a decent amount of experience with short sales and has shown exceptional market knowledge. Fancy fliers, glamour-shots, and a “neighborhood specialist” won’t do you any good in a short sale. And don’t hire a “Short Sale Expert” just because they call themselves one.

A great Short Sale Listing Agent will have:

  • Good Short Sale experience. Seeing as how we’ve been doing them for 4 years, an agent you hire should have done at least 20 or so successful short sales. Be wary of someone who says they’ve done hundreds…many of them won’t have the time or inclination to give you the extra effort when you need it most.
  • Excellent industry and market knowledge. Short sale transactions are so much longer and more complex. It seems like there are a lot more things to go wrong. A good short sale agent needs to understand appraisals, different lending standards and practices, inspection and repair issues, and generally be the kind of person who can come up with the solutions needed to keep a deal moving forward. (more)

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