Why Selling as a Short Sale is Better Than Foreclosure

There has been a lot of questions about how short sales and foreclosure will affect homeowners in the future. Credit Financial Planning Inc., www.creditfixed.com provided some great information for homeowners that are deciding weather to short sale their homes or let them go to foreclosure.

Here are some of the advantages of selling your home as a short sale instead of letting your home be foreclosed on.

1. Fannie Mae Guidelines for Primary Residence Loans- If you short sale your home, you will be eligible for a Fannie Mae backed mortgage after 2 years with no restrictions. With a foreclosure eligibility would be after 5 years with restrictions, and after 7 years with no restrictions.
2. Fannie Mae Guidelines for Non Primary Residence Loans- An investor who has done a short sale is eligible for  a Fannie Mae backed mortgage after 2 years. An investor who has had a property foreclosed on cannot get a Fannie Mae backed loan for 7 years
3. Credit Score- With a short sale, late payments will show up as short as 12 to 18 months after the completion of the short sale. Credit scores can be affected negatively 50 to 100 points depending on how the lender reports it. With a foreclosure, the credit score is typically affected for at least 3 years. Credit scores will be negatively affected between 200 and 300 points.
4. Credit Application Questions (Form 1003)- There are no questions on the credit application regarding a short sale. If you have had a foreclosure you will need to answer “Yes” to question C, section VIII: Have you had property foreclosed upon or given title or deed in lieu thereof in the last 7 years?
5. Credit History- Short sales may or may not be reported on a credit history depending on how the lender reports it. A foreclosure will remain as a public record for 10 years or more.
6. Security Clearance- A short sale does not usually raise red flags regarding security clearance. With a foreclosure, security clearance will usually be revoked.
7. Deficiency Judgement-On a short sale, this is a negotiable issue between the seller and the lending institution. With a foreclosure there are no negotiations between the homeowner and the lending institution. It is up to the lender whether to file a deficiency judgement.
8. Deficiency Judgement- If there is a deficiency judgment on a short sale, the amount is usually lower. The foreclosure process usually will cost the lender more, hence resulting in a larger deficiency judgment if the judgment is filed.

Selling your home as a short sale can be a good option for homeowners who have a financial hardship instead of foreclosure. If you are considering selling your home as a short sale, the first step is to contact your CPA and attorney to make sure that it is the best option for you. The next step is to call Brent and Jill Johnson for more information on how to short sale your home!

Please contact us for more information regarding short sales in South Lake Tahoe. You can also view a current list of bank owned foreclosures in South Lake Tahoe for sale.

Short Sales Are Here to Stay!

The number of short sale listings on the South Lake Tahoe mls has been on the rise, and many buyers are now giving short sale transactions a chance. Out of the 519 single family homes on the market in South Lake Tahoe, 75 are listed as short sales. Currently 32 of the 75 short sale listings in South Lake Tahoe are in escrow.

With so many homeowners in trouble or upside down on their mortgages, lenders are now realizing that short sales can be a better option than foreclosure. According to Sean O’Toole, founder and CEO of ForeclosureRadar“While many complain that lenders are foreclosing too aggressively, and others claim a wave of foreclosure sales is imminent, the data actually shows that lenders are doing everything possible to delay foreclosure. The reality is that we have very few homeowners being foreclosed on when viewed as a percentage of those scheduled to be foreclosed on, delinquent, or upside down on their mortgage.”

Although lenders are taking short sales seriously, the process is still far from seamless. The time that it takes to get an approval on a short sale is one of the biggest challenges that we are facing. It can take from as few as a couple of weeks to over 6 months to get an approval or to have a negotiator assigned to a short sale file. This time can be cut down by having a real estate agent with experience in short sales. It is extremely important to submit a 100% complete short sale package so that the lender will take your file seriously!

So far this year there have been 158 single family homes in South Lake Tahoe that have been reported as sold on the the mls. WIth only 13 out of the 158 homes (8%) sold as short sales, the number of short sale closings is still relatively low. Now that there are 32 short sales in escrow, it will be interesting to see how many of them close in the next few months.

With so many homeowners upside down in their mortgages, it will be essential for lenders to continue to streamline the short sale process. Now that buyers, sellers, and lenders are realizing the benefits of short sales, short sales are here to stay!

South Lake Tahoe Real Estate Review for May 2009

For the third month in a row, the number of new escrows for single family homes on the South Lake Tahoe mls has increased. In May there were 56 single family houses in South Lake Tahoe that went into escrow, this was up from 43 in April, and up from 38 in March. The total number of houses in South Lake Tahoe that are in escrow is now up to 96. With 20% of our current single family housing inventory in escrow, the South Lake Tahoe real estate market seems to be stabilizing.

Distress sales are still accounting for about half of our current escrows. Out of the 96 houses that are in escrow, 19 are bank owned foreclosures, and 31 are short sales. Out of the 56 new May escrows, 11 are bank owned foreclosures, and 14 are short sales.

The listing prices of the houses that went into escrow in May were also up from the escrows in April.  Both the average list price per square foot and median list price of the new escrows was up slightly.

Statistics for the Pending May Single Family Homes in South Lake Tahoe for May

• There were 56 new single family houses in South Lake Tahoe that went into escrow in May (up from 43 in April)
• The median list price for the homes was $369,700 (up 5% from $349,900 in April)
• The average list price per square foot was $253 (up 3% from $246 in April)
• The median days on the market was 75 (down from 129 in April)
• 11 of the new escrows were bank owned foreclosures (13 foreclosure escrows in April)
• 14 of the new escrows were short sales (15 new short sale escrows in April)

The foreclosure listings in South Lake Tahoe that went into escrow in May were priced much lower than the non-foreclosure listings. The average price per square foot for the foreclosures in South Lake Tahoe was only $177. The median list price for the foreclosure listings was $295,000 and the average list price was $296,405. Many of the foreclosure listings had multiple offers on them and went into escrow within just a few days of being listed. There are now currently 19 foreclosures in South Lake Tahoe that are in escrow.

The new short sales in South Lake Tahoe that went into escrow had a much higher list price per square foot at $249. The median list price for the short sale listings was $479,000 and the average list price was $481,600. The short sales also took longer to sell, the average days on the market was 146.

The number of houses in South Lake Tahoe that actually sold in May was 26, up one home from April. There should be a lot more closed escrows in June from the pending sales from April and May. Escrows are now taking from 45 to 60+ days due to the fact that lenders are now taking longer to push loans through. The average sales price, median sales price, and average price per square foot were all up in May compared to April.

Statistics for the Sold Single Family Homes in South Lake Tahoe for May

• There were 26 houses in South Lake Tahoe that sold in May
• 11 of the sold houses were bank owned foreclosures
• The average sales price was $360,169 (up 13% from April when it was $334,696)
• The median sales price was $315,000 (up 8% from April when it was $291,000)
• The average sales price per square foot was $222 (up 5% from April when it was $210)
• The average days on the  market was 125
• None of the 26 houses sold in May were reported as short sales!

With 31 short sales in South Lake Tahoe currently in escrow, and none that closed escrow in May, short sales are still a bit of a challenge to say the least.

The 11 foreclosures in South Lake Tahoe that sold in May had an average sales price of $187, a median sales price of $240,000, and an average sales price of $261,682. The median days on the market for the sold foreclosures was 69, including the escrow period.

The South Lake Tahoe real estate market is definitely showing signs that the bottom is either near or has passed. The amount of pending sales continues to rise and the median and average sales price has increased over the past month.

Make sure to keep reading Brent and Jills South Lake Tahoe real estate blog for the latest statistics for real estate in South Lake Tahoe!

Short Sale Sellers Beware!

According to the National Association of Realtors, an increasing number of lenders are going after borrowers who sell their homes for less than they owe - known as a short sale - in order to recover more of the difference between the amount owed and the sale price.

In order for short sale sellers to protect themselves from lenders trying to recover lost money in the future, it is essential to have a note satisfaction and/or lien release and verbiage that the loan amount is paid in full. This release should be in the short sale approval letter. If there is no such verbiage in the approval letter, it should be requested. If there is more than one loan on the property, there should be a satisfaction and/or lien release from all lenders involved.

Short sales are not for everyone. Lenders say the factors that they consider when they decide to seek more money are:

How large was the unpaid debt?  Lenders are more likely to go after a large loss than to bother with a small one.
Was the property an investment or a personal residence? Lenders have less tolerance for short sale sellers of investment properties. They are more likely to forgive a primary residence short sale seller.

 
How much money does the borrower make and what other assets does he have? If the short sale seller has other assets to go after, the lender will be more inclined to make an effort to recover their lost money. This also brings up the question if the seller could have some how made the payments, or just sold as a short sale to cut their losses?
What is the policy of the mortgage insurer or the holder of the second lien?  When there is a second lien involved, the second lien holder usually will only get pennies on the dollar and will take a big loss in a short sale.

A PMI Group Inc. spokesman says the mortgage insurer “primarily target[s] borrowers who are not experiencing hardship - but those who simply elected to walk away from the property due to its decline in value.”

If you are considering selling your home as a short sale in South Lake Tahoe make sure to speak with your accountant first. For more information regarding short sales in South Lake Tahoe, South Lake Tahoe real estate, or foreclosures in South Lake Tahoe, give Brent and Jill Johnson a call today!

Source: The Wall Street Journal, Ruth Simon (04/30/2009)

South Lake Tahoe Short Sale Listing!

If you are looking to invest in South Lake Tahoe real estate, make sure to take a look at this fantastic short sale opportunity!

913 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Offered at $529,000

Short Sale Listing in South Lake Tahoe!

• Custom built in 2006
• Sunny 12,342 square foot lot
• Priced at only $185 per square foot!
• Viking stainless steel range
• Custom granite counter tops
• Maintained in mint condition
• Short sale subject to banks approval of a short sale

If you are in the market for South Lake Tahoe real estate and would like to set up an appointment to view this short sale listing in South Lake Tahoe, contact South Lake Tahoe real estate agents Brent and Jill Johnson today!

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