The Short Sale Process – Foreclosure Protection?
The short sale process is long and difficult. The homeowner is in a situation where their mortgage value is higher than that of their home – the short sale definition. Most of the time homeowners comes very close to foreclosing before admitting that the time has come to begin the short sale process.
There is no short sale without an agreement with the lender. It is an agreement between both the lender and the borrower and is a transaction that contains many complex factors and considerations. Most important for the borrower is that there will be no foreclosure awaiting them on the other side of the short sale process.
The two parties first agree to the short sale, and then they must deal with all of the various and complex aspects of the bank short sale process. For example, they must decide how much of and the manner of the debt to be forgiven, the price of the home, payment of fees, and then deal with the purchase agreement. It is absolutely vital at every stage to have the assistance of a professional. The short sale process is not to be done on your own!
The homeowner will be required by the lender to complete a “hardship letter” which will document every aspect of the owner’s financial trouble. The facts given will be documented by bank statements, pay stubs, and investment documents. This is how the bank will verify the events leading up to the borrower’s inability to pay.
It is at the next stage that the lender appraises the value of the home through real estate professionals. The whole short sale process is used primarily by the lenders to undertake minimal losses. For this reason, it is vital that the lender appraise the home properly – so that the bank can get back as much of its money as possible.
If the home is sold at an acceptable price – within the acceptable time frame, the proceeds will be set forth to settle the debt as per the agreement. Remember, the bank is not going to sit around and wait forever. If the home is not sold on time, they WILL proceed with foreclosure. You can be sure that all of these issues will be drawn out clearly within the agreement drawn up by your lender.
The borrower’s credit rating doesn’t have to be damaged by the short sale process. A short sale involves many complex issues and many people have missed important dates relating directly to their credit rating. Their credit was left in shambles as a result. Some allow their credit to be damaged due to having other finance areas deeply ingrained in the short sale process. Damaged credit is NOT a foregone conclusion here – this is the important point. It is for this main reason that following the advice of our experts is critical.
Our goal is to pass through the short sale process and come out with the least amount of damage possible. If we do it correctly, we could come out with no property taxes, credit rating in tact, all of our fees paid, and neither bankruptcy nor foreclosure! This will be our reward – we may lose our home, but we’ll be in a great position to buy another.
I believe that short sale is not a foreclosure protection, but a runaway. I mean that by people who get desperate to sell the property before a foreclosure situation and go to the S.S method.