Do I qualify for a short sale?
The qualifications for when to short sale include any or all of the following:
- Financial Hardship There is a situation causing you to have trouble affording your mortgage.
- Monthly Income Shortfall – In other words: “You have more month than money.” A lender will want to see that you cannot afford, or soon will not be able to afford your mortgage.
- Insolvency – The lender will want to see that you do not have significant liquid assets that would allow you to pay down your mortgage.
Is a Short Sale right for me?
Mortgage lenders are increasingly willing to work with borrowers faced with a financial hardship to accept a discounted payoff on a mortgage. If you are faced with a hardship that makes it likely you will be unable to meet your obligation on your mortgage, your lender would prefer to settle the matter with you as opposed to taking the property through foreclosure.
As you consider the option of pursuing a Short Sale, remember your lender is looking to limit any potential loss on your loan. By completing a Short Sale, your lender has arrived at a solution that is, for them, much better than a foreclosure.
Bottom line, your lender wants to work with you.
If I do a Short Sale, how much will I have to pay to sell my home?
Nothing. It’s true, in most cases you will pay literally no sales costs if your lender approves the Short Sale. All commissions, title and escrow fees, and even most repair expenses are paid by the lender as part of the Short Sale approval. We will include the *following clause in the contract.
“Seller’s agreement to sell is subject to approval by existing lender of a Short Sale at no cost to Seller. Seller shall not be required to deposit funds to close escrow.”
Remember, lenders approve Short Sales and accept the resulting loss in an effort to avoid bigger losses through foreclosure.
What sort of hardship would my lender consider legitimate?
To some extent, that will depend upon the mortgage company considering the Short Sale request. Generally, so long as the hardship is real and the mortgage company believes the loan is likely to become delinquent as a result, the Short Sale request will be processed by the Loss Mitigation Department. A big key to getting Loss Mitigation to accept a hardship is to submit a strong hardship letter. The hardship letter sets the tone for the entire file.
Below you will find a list of “hardships” that are common and frequently accepted by mortgage lenders.
- Family illness or injury
- Illness or injury in the extended family – particularly if it forces relocation
- Job relocation when the property is equity deficient
- Job loss or significant income loss
- Divorce or split of domestic partners
- Adjustment in mortgage payment or unforeseen increase in living expenses
I am current on my mortgage, will my lender consider a Short Sale?
The answer is, maybe. Some lenders will accept a Short Sale file for approval on loans that are not delinquent. Other lenders will not accept the file until the loan is delinquent. We can put your Short Sale file together within a couple days and submit it for approval. (Remember, there is no charge for this). That is the best way to determine if your lender will accept a file for approval on a loan that is current.
I have two loans, can I still do a Short Sale?
Yes. We can work with both lenders (many times the same lender holdthe 1st and the 2nd loans) to put together a Short Sale transaction. Even if the value of your home is below the balance of the 1st mortgage, we can normally get the two lenders to cooperate.
In the end, neither lender wants to own another home through foreclosure.
My property is in rough shape and needs work, can I still do a Short Sale?
Absolutely. In fact, lenders are more motivated to do a Short Sale on a property that needs work than on a property that doesn’t. The lender knows the risk of loss goes up when they foreclose on a property that needs lots of work.
Aside from expense of completing the work, lenders are simply not set up to get the work done. They are in the loan business, not the fix- it business.
I am concerned about my credit, how will a Short Sale affect my credit?
The big key here is to avoid foreclosure. By nearly any measure, a foreclosure is the most damaging event your credit status can encounter – worse than bankruptcy. In the course of getting your short sale approved you may miss your mortgage payments, and these will show on your credit.
By avoiding foreclosure, you will likely be able to resume normal borrowing (car loans, credit cards, consumer goods and such) relatively quickly.
What is a Forbearance Agreement?
A Forbearance Agreement is a written agreement with your mortgage company in which you arrange to keep your home. The agreement will normally include two primary elements:
The borrower’s promise to remain current on the mortgage going forward
Some plan for making up the delinquent interest and other charges. It may mean making additional payments to the mortgage company or the delinquent amount could be added to the loan to be paid later.
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