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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!

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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!

Categories
Mortgage News Matters

Pros and Cons of Holding an Open House

home for sale with open house sign out front

What is an Open House?

An open house is a scheduled time set for potential buyers to walk through a property that is for sale. Typically hosted by a broker, the owners or renters of the property are absent from the viewing and many potential buyers are welcome to tour the space.

How Does it Work?

Typically scheduled during weekends, brokers welcome potential buyers to leisurely view the property and ask questions, they would otherwise not have the opportunity to do so without a broker present. It is customary for brokers to provide drinks and small plates for those who attend, and many provide collateral that buyers can take with them and refer to with information on the home, such as square footage, number of rooms, and information on the surrounding neighborhood.

The goal of an open house is to secure interest from buyers by providing a rare opportunity to take their time looking at a property closely, before placing an offer.

Advantages of Holding an Open House:

  1. Provides an opportunity to attract potential buyers. When an open house is planned correctly and properly marketed, it can provide a great opportunity to attract potential buyers, and possibly even lead to an offer. Many realtors suggest sellers hold an open house the first weekend that the property goes on the market – to generate the most buzz.

    Open houses can also bring in potential clients who may not have even planned for such an event but happened to be driving by. It’s a great way to appeal to potential buyers in a more casual way and low-pressure scenario.

  2. Provides feedback to realtors from visitors. Another benefit of holding an open house is for the potential for realtors to gain real feedback from visitors – both positive and negative.

    Many realtors find that potential buyers often share their feedback out loud as they walk through the home. This can give realtors crucial insight into buyers’ perceptions and any issues that could keep the owners from making the sale.

  3. Can lead to an immediate offer. If done properly, and by generating enough buzz, an open house can sometimes lead to an immediate offer. When potential buyers are browsing a home with many others also looking to buy, they can get a good sense of their competition. If competition is high, this may encourage them to make an offer much quicker than they ordinarily would otherwise.

    This is beneficial to sellers and buyers alike, as it gives the buyers a realistic idea of how many others like them are also looking to buy in their desired neighborhood.

  4. Allows sellers to cast a wide net. Showing a home to multiple buyers, rather than one at a time only widens the reach of potential buyers for the seller. It is also much more efficient to spend the same amount of time showing a home to a group of people, rather than an individual.

    This, in addition to potential feedback from viewers and an understanding of competition in the market, are huge benefits to holding an open house.

So now that we’ve covered its advantages, what are some of the disadvantages to holding an open house?

Disadvantages of Holding an Open House:

  1. Requires much effort – sometimes more than it’s worth. Planning and executing an open house is not an easy task. In addition to coordinating a time that works best for the owners to be out of the house for an extended period, making accommodations for pets or children, and removing all personal items throughout the home, putting on an open house requires money and time spent on marketing to bring viewers in. And if no offer is made – it can feel like a huge waste.

    That’s why it is important to take the time to properly plan, market, and organize for your open house, if you decide to hold one.

  2. Compared to online listings, an open house requires more time to reach potential buyers. Nowadays, most homes for sale are listed online before they even schedule an open house. And most buyers go online and browse properties from the comfort of their own home.

    Buyers can find almost all the same information online as they would at an open house, like the condition of the home, its details, and even view photos of the property from every angle. This alone, can make open houses seem unnecessary and even antiquated.

  3. Owners are typically required to leave their home for a designated amount of time. Typically, when holding an open house, the homeowners are asked to leave their home and take with them any personalized photos or memorable that can be found throughout the home.

    This can be tedious and difficult to plan for with the daily bustle of normal life. Some would rather avoid having to deal with this added stress and simply list their home online.

  4. Can open the home up to potential theft. Though there are benefits to opening your home for sale to many individuals – with hopes that with increased awareness, comes increased offers – doing so can open you up to potential theft. Open houses can give opportunities for criminals to explore a property and plan a break-in.

    If you are considering hosting an open house, make sure to hide any valuables, or take with you anything that you would not want to get stolen or damaged.