Are you looking to buy a new home? Well, in this market there are a lot of bargains and Short Sales are a top pick for those looking to buy a home at a discount. A short sale is different from a foreclosure, which is when the seller's lender has taken title of the home and is selling it directly. Homeowners often try to accomplish a short sale in order to avoid foreclosure. Although a short sale purchase is becoming increasingly popular due to today's economic environment and the great bargains available, a short sale holds potential pitfalls for buyers. So you need to know the risks before you pursue a short-sale purchase.
If you're serious about purchasing a short-sale property, it's important for you to have expert assistance. We have agents that specialize in Short Sales and have the CDPE designation that proves it. If you are serious about purchasing a Short Sale, it is important you work with an agent who is qualified and experienced in Short Sales. There are many real estate agents who don't know anything about Short Sales, don't like to do Short Sales and will hurt your chances of a successful closing if they have no clue what they are doing. There is a lot of work involved to get a Short Sale approved and lots of communication to be had with the lender and if you have the wrong agent on your side it can mean disaster. Short sales aren't high on the list of a buyer’s agent favorite transactions. Deals take longer to close and sometimes they don't close at all. The listing verbiage needs to assure the buyer's agent it's worth the time invested. We suggest you interview agents and ask them about their Short Sale experience, how many buyers or seller have they represented and how many Short Sales have they successfully closed.
Genesis Real Estate Service's agents will be able to show you Short Sale homes available in your area, help negotiate the purchase when you find the property you want to buy and smooth over communications with the lender.
Potential for Rejection
Lenders want to minimize their losses as much as possible. If you make an offer tremendously lower than the fair market value of the home, chances are that your offer will be rejected. Our expert agents will sit down with you to strategize your offer once you find a property you want.
Bad Terms
Even when a lender approves a short sale, it could require that the sellers sign a promissory note to repay the deficient amount of the loan, which may not be acceptable to some financially desperate sellers. In that case, the sellers may refuse to go through with the short sale. Lenders also can change any of the terms of the contract that you’ve already negotiated, which may not be agreeable to you. There may be times where the lender can change the potential closing date to a longer or shorter time frame already agreed upon in the original agreement that may not be convenient to you.
No Repairs or Repair Credits
You will most likely be asked to take the property “as is.” If the property is already abandoned, there may be a strong chance that the home may have been or will be vandalized. If that the case, the bank will not make any repairs. Lenders are not in the construction business so don't expect them to bend to any requests for repairs. The seller is most likely going through a difficult time so chances are they are not going to make any repairs either. You must be aware of the type of mortgage you are approved for. FHA requirements are very strict and most of the time appraisers will require repairs. If they do, these will have to be repairs that the buyer will have to assume and the bank would have to agree to those terms. Remember that lenders are already taking a loss on the property and may not agree to requests for repair credits.
Seller Assist
When a buyer may not have enough funds to cover closing costs, they usually request a percentage of the seller's profit to cover those costs. Six percent is the highest allowed by law at this moment. Problem is, in a Short Sale scenario, there is no profit. The seller doesn't receive any money on the sale and the lender is already taking a loss. Banks in advance calculate what they are willing to lose. If you request seller assist, chances are the bank may deny your offer and wait for one that is not requesting it or may be asking less of it. Remember, in a Short Sale scenario, the bank is also paying out real estate commission to the buyer and seller agents while still assuming a loss. So, be careful what you ask for!
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