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Mortgage News Matters

What are the Pros & Cons of Selling a Short Sale for Sellers

Though they are not necessarily an ideal situation for sellers to find themselves in, short sales can be beneficial to financially distressed sellers looking to avoid foreclosure.

What are the benefits of a short sale for sellers?

  • Seller can avoid foreclosure. A short sale is one of the last options that a seller has before going into foreclosure, which is more detrimental to their credit.

  • Save on common fees. Sellers can avoid paying common fees, like the cost of a realtor’s commission if they sell their home with a short sale.

  • Possible debt forgiveness for the seller. In certain cases, the lender will accept the money made from the short sale and forgive the seller’s remaining debt. It is important to note that, in some cases, a short sale will not eliminate a seller’s debt if the lender chooses to get a deficiency judgement against the seller for debt owed.

  • No barrier to re-enter the housing market. With a short sale, sellers are eligible to re-enter the housing market if they wish to purchase a new home with an FHA loan, in some circumstances.

What are the drawbacks of a short sale for sellers?

  • No negotiation power. When a seller decides to sell their home through a short sale, they are relinquishing any negotiation power they may have had because the sale is now in the lender’s hands.

  • Loss of profits. Because the seller still owes money to the lender in the case of a short sale, all the profits go to the lender.

  • Damage to credit score. Though the damage to the seller’s credit is much less damaging than in the case of a foreclosure, the seller will still experience a negative effect on their credit.

  • Delay in obtaining another mortgage. When a seller goes through a short sale, they are required to complete a waiting period anywhere from 2-7 years before they can qualify for a new mortgage.

  • Deficiency judgement. There are some instances when the lender will choose to sue the seller for the remaining money owed on the property in what is called a ‘deficiency judgement.’ If the lender chooses to do this, the seller will experience a hit on their credit, like that of a foreclosure.

Are you looking to sell your home through a short sale? To learn more, contact a VanDyk Loan Originator today!

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Mortgage News Matters

What are the Pros & Cons of Purchasing a Short Sale for Buyers

In a short sale, a financially distressed homeowner sells their home for less than the amount owed on the mortgage and all the proceeds go to the lender. Though it is often a more complicated and lengthy process, there are both benefits and drawbacks to purchasing a home through a short sale.

What are the benefits of a short sale for buyers?

  • Purchase a home at a discounted price. Though the property in a short sale will be priced at market value, lenders are eager to sell. This means that buyers can usually count on getting a better deal.

  • Less competition. Because short sales are a much more complicated process than the typical homebuying process, they attract much less attention from buyers. This means that those who are willing to invest the time, will have much less competition.

What are the drawbacks of a short sale for buyers?

  • Time-consuming. Due to the lender’s involvement, a short sale typically takes longer than a traditional sale. If there are multiple lienholders involved, the process will take even longer as they will often take their time negotiating the sale to get the best deal possible. The process can also be delayed if the seller is unprepared with the necessary paperwork or changes their mind.

  • Riskier. Because a short sale is sold “as-is” buyers are taking a greater risk to purchase. They are also risking spending time and money on a property that is not guaranteed to sell.

  • Requires more work. The buyer must put in more effort when purchasing a home through a short sale. It is their responsibility to discover the market value of the home, the number of lienholders there are on the property, as well as any issues with the property’s condition.

  • Property condition. Buyers often end up spending more money on making necessary repairs, as the seller is unlikely to have been paying for needed upkeep.

Are you considering purchasing a home through a short sale? To learn more, contact a VanDyk Loan Originator today!

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Mortgage News Matters

What is the Difference Between a Short Sale & a Foreclosure

short sale written on a note

Short sale vs. Foreclosure: What’s the Difference?

Though both short sales and foreclosures provide financial relief to homeowners who are unable to make their mortgage payments, they are two entirely different processes that result in significantly different consequences for the homeowner.

Initiated by the lender, rather than the borrower, a foreclosure is the lender’s last option, in the case that a borrower can no longer make their mortgage payments. In a foreclosure, the lender seizes the borrower’s home to try and make back the money they’ve invested. Most often, foreclosures take place after the homeowner has already abandoned the home, but if the homeowners have not left, they are evicted.

When a foreclosure takes place, it is typically a much quicker process than going through a short sale as the lender will try and liquidate it as quickly as possible.

Foreclosures are kept on a borrower’s credit report for seven years and can prevent the borrower from purchasing a home for 2-7 years after the home is seized by the lender.

A short sale, which is typically a much longer process, is less damaging to a borrower’s credit. And, in some cases, allows the borrower to purchase another home immediately.

To learn more about the difference between a short sale and a foreclosure, contact me today!

Categories
Mortgage News Matters

What is a Short Sale?

for sale short sale sign in from of home

A short sale is when a financially distressed homeowner sells their home for less than the amount that they owe on the mortgage. In this case, all the proceeds from the sale go directly to the lender, and they either (1) forgive the remaining balance or (2) get a deficiency judgment, which requires the homeowner to pay the lender all or part of the difference between the sale price and mortgage amount. In certain states, the difference must legally be forgiven in the case of a short sale.

Key points of a Short Sale

  • A lender must approve a short sale before it takes place.
  • The lender, or bank, requires documentation explaining reasons for the short sale.
  • Short sales typically take up to one full year to process due to a laborious paperwork process.
  • Are not as detrimental to a homeowner’s credit rating, as a foreclosure.

When does a home go into a short sale?

A property will go into a short sale (pending the lender’s approval) when the homeowner can no longer afford to make the mortgage payments. Rather than go into foreclosure, which is more damaging to one’s credit, the homeowner can initiate a short sale process by submitting an application to the lender.

When determining whether to approve a short sale, the lender will look at the following factors:

  1. The home must be worth less than the amount that the homeowner currently owes on it. The lender will often review sales of comparable properties, to make sure that the decision is sound.

  2. The seller must be able to prove they are financially distressed. This requires the seller to show the lender proof of insufficient income or assets to pay the outstanding loan amount.

    It is important to note that the source of the homeowner’s financial trouble must be new and not something they were previously withholding.

To learn more about short sales, contact a VanDyk Loan Originator today!