What is the Short Sale of a Home?

Short Sales Explained

A short sale can be an excellent solution for homeowners who need to sell, and who owe more on their homes than they are worth. In the past, it was rare for a bank or lender to accept a short sale. Today, however, due to overwhelming market changes, banks and lenders have become much more negotiable when it comes to these transactions. Recent changes in corporate policy and the Obama administration have also improved the chances of getting a short sale approved.

But to be technical, here’s a more official definition:

  • A homeowner is ‘short’ when the amount owed on his/her property is higher than current market value.
  • A short sale occurs when a negotiation is entered into with the homeowner’s mortgage company (or companies) to accept less than the full balance of the loan at closing. A buyer closes on the property, and the property is then ‘sold short’ of the total value of the mortgage.   

For homeowners to qualify for a short sale, they must fall into any or all of the following circumstances:

  • 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.

This seems simple enough, but it is a complicated process that takes the expertise of experienced professionals. One of our highly skilled RE/MAX agents are ready to identify all possible options and, when possible, assist in the quick execution of a short sale transaction.

If you have questions or feel you may qualify for a short sale, please contact us for a free consultation.

Understanding your options now could mean all the difference in the world.

RE/MAX Across the Bay

813-340-6828

Share This Post

About Rick Frissell

Rick Frissell is native of Florida, born and raised in Tampa. Rick has been in the real estate business for over ten years and has a wealth of experience and knowledge to offer his clients. Rick holds a BA degree from the University of South Florida and is affectionately known as the "Red Baron" by friends and associates in the real estate industry, the Red Baron Real Estate brand has really taken off.
This entry was posted in General Real Estate and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

One Response to What is the Short Sale of a Home?

  1. Joann says:

    WONDERFUL Post.thanks for sharing.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>