Real Estate Short Sales
Short sales are becoming very popular. Many investors are learning this technique and creating large profits.
When a lender agrees to a discount to mortgage to prevent foreclosure auction this is a short sale. In short sales are buying from a lender instead of a seller for a discount. For instance, if a homeowner has a first mortgage off about $300,000, you present an offer to the lender for $220,000. This is accepted as full payment.
Why do lenders these discounts? First, banks don\’t like having excess inventory and bad loans. This is why when they have the opportunity to sell a home without losing much money, they will do it. Second lenders realize they could lose much more money, if a home goes on the auction block. There are a lot of fees involved with an auction so they are better off taking the discount ahead of time and be done with the whole process.
Foreclosures are a problem all across the country. This means that there are many opportunities. Lenders are overwhelmed with the surplus properties, because of bad loans. Most lenders will do a short sale but a few will not take a discount. It all depends on whether the numbers will work or lender.
The best strategy for doing a short sale is when a property is in pre-foreclosure. You are able to do a short sale if the bank owns the property, but you will not profit as much. Pre-foreclosure is a two stage process. The first stage is when individuals are behind on payments. The second stage is when the homeowner receives a notice of default. To work a short sale properly, contact homeowners who have received a notice of default or are over three months behind on their mortgage payments. When a notice of default has been sent out banks are also motivated to sell. Because of this you will probably get a discount. Banks rarely discount mortgages during the early stages of the process because homeowners still have an opportunity to make payments and satisfy their loan.
Mortgages are able to be discounted no matter kind of house it is or the condition it is in. This is why short sales are an effective way to discount loans in real estate. Large investment opportunities are created by short sales and are necessary if you have the desire to be competitive in real estate.
The most significant step in short sales is acquiring the deed to the property. Often novice investors will skip this step. It is important to get the deed because home owners often change their mind. They may also backed out because of fear or because they desired to renegotiate. If you do not have the deed, the homeowner can step away from the potential short sale even after a significant amount of time has been spent working on their property. By acquiring the deed, you have control of the property and you can begin the process.
When calling the bank to do short sales, there is a certain process. Banks usually know If you are someone who can a novice at short sales. When calling the bank, do not tell them you are an investor. This is a big a mistake that many rookies make. If you come off as a rookie, this could result in the lender not doing a short sale with you. Instead, call the lender and request to be short sales packet. You should tell them that you are able to hire or that in view are representing the homeowner. Sometimes banks will ask If you are someone who can a lawyer. If this happens just tell them who you are and be sure not to use the term investor. Request dates short sales or work out packet. When you receive the packet it will instruct you on how to make a short sales deal successful.
A lender will probably request from the homeowner a letter of hardship and a financial statement. A letter of hardship will explain know why a home owner cannot make their mortgage payments. Lenders may request bank statements and income statements. Be sure to send them what they ask for because if you do not a short sale will not go through. Be prompt when sending things back to the lender. If an auction is forthcoming you may request a postponement of the auction. They will do this in most cases especially if they believe it is a legitimate offer.
With foreclosures continuing to spread across the country, short sales can be a profitable venture.
208,078 New Listings - November 2009 - Last update November 20, 2009 12:30 PM EST 











The short sale is a wonderful tool to help our current foreclosure problems. Homeowners get out, banks don’t take on more property and a patient buyer can get a deal.