About Short Sales

Short sale investors has a specialty – that certain type of deal that they do better than any other. In many cases, the success of a deal can tilt on how acquainted you are with the type of negotiations that go along with it. If you are getting started in the short sale business, you may want to spotlight on a type of property or transaction that is easy to find right now, in today’s market, to maximize your ability to find deals.

One way to maximize your opportunities is to acquaint yourself with the HAFA process. The HAFA acronym stands for Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives, and it is the government has designed to help homeowners who cannot keep their homes avoid foreclosures. This program is mandatory in many cases – particularly if a home is occupied by the owner – so being familiar with the process can give you a huge advantage in the short sale process.

HAFA homes frequently come with a long list of requirements that may discourage other short sale negotiators. For example, before homeowners can qualify for HAFA, they have to attempt to qualify for HAMP (Home Affordable Modification Program), a federal program designed to modify mortgage terms to help homeowners remain in homes. Even if a homeowner just wants out of a home, if they want out through HAFA – and the incentives that come with this program – they have to try HAMP. Your ability to navigate the HAMP process can make you a more attractive candidate to ultimately perform their short sale.

You might want to avoid the stresses of government programs all together. In that case, you will want to look for homes and homeowners who simply cannot qualify for participation in HAMP and HAFA, since people who do qualify are often required to go through the entire process whether they like it or not. You might want to focus on vacation homes, rental properties, second homes or other types of properties, but are not owner-occupied.

It doesn’t matter what area of area you favor, creating a short sale niche for your benefit can be a great way to get going in this business faster. Also remember that there are many short sale investors out there who are looking for their own specialty deals, so if you encounter a deal that does not work for you, you may still be able to monetize that lead if you know someone who is looking for that type of property.

For more valuable videos on short sales go to www.FreeShortSaleCourse.com

Recently, Bank of America sent out nearly 100,000 solicitations to distressed homeowners offering them a chance at a deed-in-lieu transaction. “Deed-in-lieu” refers to giving the deed to your home to a lender in order to circumvent the foreclosure process. You get to walk away from your home, and the lender declares the debt resolved because you returned the home, your collateral. Many lenders have announced that they will offer a variety of incentives for this type of transaction because it saves them a great deal of time and money in processing costs even though they may take a hit when they try to resell the home in today’s market.

Some short sale investors are viewing this new trend with concern, particularly since some lenders have stated that they find deed-in-lieu transactions preferable to short sale transactions since they take less time. Additionally, homeowners who are going to lose their homes anyway may find this to be a more acceptable alternative since it is being portrayed as a route to 100% resolving the debt rather than worrying about being followed up with later for the remainder just when you have gotten back on your feet.

Short sale investors, should not be too worried about this. For starters, there are tons homes that will still go through the short sale process, and not all circumstances are going to warrant or qualify for a deed-in-lieu. You can also point out to homeowners who may be backing out of a short sale that unless the wording in their deed-in-lieu a arrangement states that the debt is considered entirely resolved by the return of the property, which is not always the case.

Furthermore, while both deed-in-lieu and a short sale do go on your credit history and negatively impact your credit score, a deed-in-lieu remains on your history for a full 7 years, and you may have to request that it be removed. According to new legislation, short sales may be removed as soon as 3 years in some cases.

Certainly, some homeowners may opt for a deed-in-lieu transaction instead of a short sale transaction with you. However, the current deed-in-lieu “push” could actually be a positive, since it may put a dent in homes that lenders were unwilling to short sell anyway. Simply be prepared to answer questions about this style of transaction, then continue doing your short sales and helping people in trouble resolve their personal housing issues.

For some great video training visit www.FreeShortSaleCourse.com

Most people in the US are aware of the current real estate crisis and the unsettling fact that many people are losing their homes to foreclosure. Before a home is in the process of becoming foreclosed, it is in the pre-foreclosure stage. The pre-foreclosure period can last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, and is considered by many real estate investors as the absolute best time in which to negotiate the purchase of a home.

Many houses that are ‘for sale by owner’ are houses that are in a period of pre-foreclosure. The lenders sometimes allow the homeowners to try to sell their home before foreclosing it. The banks are not in the real estate business themselves and would rather the owners sell the home instead of (the lenders) having to foreclose it.

Here are many advantages to buying a pre-foreclosed home from a homeowner rather than bidding on a foreclosed home at an auction:

- Pre-foreclosed houses are often cheaper considering as it’s being sold by a home owner that is in a hurry to sell to avoid facing foreclosure and the bad credit that goes along with it.

- Because you are working with the owner you’ll be able to ask questions about the property you wouldn’t be able to otherwise.

- There is usually less competition for a pre-foreclosed home than a auctioned foreclosed home. You won’t have to worry about placing the highest bid.

- More time to evaluate financial scenario then at an auctioned property.

- Auctions can be either overwhelming or lead to egotistical or emotional decisions.

- You can bring an inspector along with you to inspect a pre-foreclosed home.

- You will be allowed to make a low down payment on a pre-foreclosed house. This is not the case at a foreclosure auction.

Always check to make sure that the pre-foreclosed home you’re interested in has no liens or judgments against it. You should also bring along someone to inspect the home for you so you’ll know of any problems. The risks in purchasing a pre-foreclosed home are similar to purchasing a home the traditional way, only a lot less expensive.

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