Posts tagged Short
Insight Into Real Estate Short Sales
Jun 30th
What is a short sale?
When the amount of a mortgage is more than the home is worth, the property may be a candidate for a short sale. A short sale is when the lender agrees to take less money for the home than the amount that is owed on the mortgage. The balance, technically, can be attached to the seller, so if you are considering a short sale it is important to work with an experienced real estate attorney.
A short sale may make sense for a seller if they must sale the home and the value of the property has dropped. A short sale may also make sense if your home is in or close to reaching default status or pre-foreclosure status. If the seller needs a way to get out from under a mortgage, due to unemployment, a divorce, a health crisis or death, a short sale is an option to consider. If the seller has assets, such as in savings or investment accounts, it will probably not be possible to negotiate a short sale with the bank.
Who benefits from a short sale?
What Are Real Estate Short Sales?
May 31st
In many parts of the country, home prices doubled during the period from 2000 to 2005. During this same time, creative financing programs (e.g. zero down payment, adjustable rate loans, interest only loans, option ARMs loans, negative amortization loans, etc.) gained popularity and helped some people buy homes who would not normally qualify based on their income, debt level and credit history.
Most real estate markets are now cooling, and some are even experiencing declining prices. In times of dropping real estate prices, the amount owed on a loan by some homeowners may actually exceed the value of a property. If homeowners cannot make their monthly mortgage payment, there is a potential for default on the loan and foreclosure of the property by the lender.
The term “short sales” is used to describe a situation in which a homeowner is at risk of defaulting on their loan, and the lender agrees to sell the property below the original appraisal price in order to avoid foreclosure. Most lenders do not readily agree to short sales, although exceptional circumstances such as a homeowner losing his/her job or the death of a wage-earning spouse may make some of them more open to doing so.
Colorado Springs Real Estate: Short Sales Save the Day
Mar 10th
Short Sales are the hot real estate topic in Colorado Springs.
Faced with foreclosures, banks and homeowners are working with industrious market professionals to sell property at lower costs.
If a homeowner is behind on payments and is in danger of foreclosing, a realtor can assuage the situation with a short sale.
Short sales are tricky, though. According the Colorado Springs Business Journal, it takes a dedicated, savvy realtor to complete the process.
The article reports:
There are several keys to the process, but one of the most important is to contact the borrower’s lender. That’s a lot easier when the lender is local. Otherwise, you end up spending hours trying to track down loan information — and even more to get current home values, public records or to work through loan serving companies.
Short sales are an alternative to foreclosure. They sell property for less than what is owed by the homeowner. They offer the lender roughly 80% of the property’s value, which, obviously, is better than losing out completely.
A foreclosed home faces challenges. Banks need to reestablish its value. If the home is damaged, they need to pay for repairs. Broker commissions are often high, and it may takes many months or even years to sell the property again.