Short Selling Your Home

short sale property

We’ve all seen the stories in the media about homeowners in financial distress and people who face a lender’s foreclosure on their home. Maybe you personally know someone who went through this, or, worse, perhaps you went through this yourself. This difficult period left millions of American home owners wondering what to do.

Like many financial downturns throughout history, the housing crisis produced its share of rumors and misinformation. One of the biggest ones was “just let it happen.” Why fight back, this line of thinking goes. It’s too emotionally draining, and the government’s loan modifications aren’t helping many people. Well, that’s only partly true.

While government loan modification programs have fallen short of the mark in the past, there is another solid, sensible option for many homeowners and it’s called a short sale. A short sale is a sale to a buyer where the seller’s lender agrees to accept less than the full amount owned.

Why Is a Short Sale Better Than a Foreclosure?

Agents who have closed hundreds of these transactions provide this list of reasons:

AVOID THE FORECLOSURE STIGMA
Homeowners will always have to disclose that they had a foreclosure on any mortgage application and (many job applications) that they submit in the future. This can have an adverse affect on their future mortgage rates. Foreclosure is asked about specifically in credit inquiries. There is no seven-year time limit on this item.

PROTECT CREDIT SCORE
Credit scores can go down by 300-plus points (per loan) in a foreclosure. The impact of a short sale is only about half that much.

IMPROVE ELIGIBILITY FOR A GOVERNMENT INSURED LOAN
The homeowner will be ineligible for a government insured loan for 5-7 years (only two years in a short sale). A foreclosure is the one credit report item that is almost impossible to have repaired.

AVOID A DEFICIENCY JUDGEMENT
Lenders can seek a deficiency judgment against the homeowner and collect any amount they do not recover at sale.

PROTECT EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS
Many employers run credit checks on prospective employees. Foreclosure is one of the top items that will put a potential new hire, or even current employment, in jeopardy.

These are the top reasons, but there are more. An expert short sale specialist agent can give a full picture of the options.

Contact Granite Equity Group to find out if a short sale is right for you.