What is a Short Sale?

A short sale happens when the lender is shorted on a mortgage, meaning the lender accepts less than the total amount that is due. If your mortgage is $100,000, but your home is worth, say, $90,000, you are $10,000 short, not including costs to close the sale such as real estate commissions, recording fees or title and escrow charges.

Sometimes, to avoid going through the costs of foreclosure, a lender will sanction a short sale by letting a buyer purchase the home for less than the mortgage balance while the home is in pre-foreclosure stage. A pre-foreclosure stage is one of the three stages of foreclosures.

Here are sample steps of a short sale:
Seller signs a listing agreement with a real estate agent subject to selling as a short sale with third-party approval.
The agent finds a buyer who makes an offer for less than the amount of the mortgage.
Seller accepts the buyer’s purchase offer.
Seller’s lender accepts the buyer’s purchase offer.
Transaction closes when the buyer delivers the funds, the lender releases the lien and the seller delivers the deed.

In fairy-tale land, everybody lives happily ever after. Except the seller. There are consequences.

Qualifications for a Short Sale

Before you eagerly climb aboard the short sale bandwagon, consider the following to determine whether you may qualify for a short sale. If you cannot answer yes to all four requirements, you may not qualify for a short sale.
The Home’s Market Value Has Dropped.
Hard comparable sales must substantiate that the home is worth less than the unpaid balance due the lender. This unpaid balance may include a prepayment penalty.

The Mortgage is in or Near Default Status.
It used to be that lenders would not consider a short sale if the payments were current, but that is no longer the case. Realizing that other factors contribute to a potential default, many lenders are eager to head off future problems at the pass.

The Seller Has Fallen on Hard Times.
The seller must submit a letter of hardship that explains why the seller can not pay the difference due upon sale, including why the seller has or will stop making the monthly payments.

A few examples that do NOT constitute a hardship are:
Bad purchase decisions. Blowing your paycheck on a home theater system with surround sound does not qualify as a hardship.
Unhappy with the neighbors. Even if every home on your block has turned into pot growing houses, that will not qualify as a hardship.
Buying another home. The lender will not care if you have decided the home is no longer suitable for you or your family.
Pregnancy. Increasing the size of your family or starting a family is not considered a hardship.
Moving into an apartment. If you decide to move out of your home, that is a lifestyle decision and not a very good reason to abandon your home.
Examples of hardship are: Unemployment
Divorce
Medical emergency / sudden illness
Bankruptcy
Death

The Seller Has No Assets
The lender will probably want to see a copy of the seller’s tax returns and / or a financial statement. If the lender discovers assets, the lender may not grant the short sale because the lender will feel that the seller has the ability to pay the shorted difference. Sellers with assets may still be granted a short sale but could be required to pay back the shortfall.

For example, if the seller has cash in a savings account, owns other real estate, stocks, bonds or even IRA accounts, the lender will most likely determine that the seller has assets. However, the lender might discount the amount the seller is required to pay back.

Many entities profit from short sales, but there is no seller short sale profit.
Short Sale Consequences

A short sale is dependent on a buyer making an offer to purchase. If you do not receive an offer, you will not qualify for a short sale. So even if you meet all the other criteria, it is possible that no one will buy the short sale. It is also dependent on the lender accepting the buyer’s offer. If the lender rejects the offer, a short sale will not take place.
Tax Consequences
If the lender agrees to the short sale, the lender may possess the right to issue you a 1099 for the shorted difference, due to a provision in the IRS code about debt forgiveness. Many situations are exempt from debt forgiveness, according to the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007.

You should speak to a real estate lawyer and a tax accountant to determine the amount of short sale tax consequences, and whether you can afford to pay those taxes, if any.

Blemished Credit Report
A short sale will show up on your credit report. It’s a pre-foreclosure that has been redeemed. Short sales affect credit ratings. While the damage to your credit report may not seem as significantly bad as a foreclosure to you, creditors may not make the distinction.
Always seek legal counsel before attempting to pursue a short sale. A real estate agent cannot give you legal advice.
John Hybl  SRES
Broker-Owner
Realty Executives Suburban Group
Offices in Bloomingdale & Arlington Heights

398 W. Army Trail Rd  #118
Bloomingdale, Il. 60108

Direct: 630-975-9000
JohnHybl@RealtyExecutives.com
www.HyblHometeam.com

My Blogs: http://dupagecountyillinoisrealestate.wordpress.com

http://www.cambridgepointe.com

John Hybl

Realty Executives Suburban  630-975-9000

Halloween Safety Tips

Official Village Trick or Treat hours are Mon., October 31 from 3 – 7 pm. Parents and guardians are asked to be sure to review the following trick or treat safety tips with children under their care to make Halloween a real treat. following trick or treat safety tips with children under their care to make Halloween a real treat.  make sure the costume fits your child, doesn’t drag on the ground is brightly colored or has reflective marking and is ‘flame resistant’;

Feed your children a snack so they are less likely to eat the candy they collect before you have a chance to inspect it ; Wear a watch you can read in the dark; Costumes accessories like light swords and sabers should be made of soft flexible material; Carry a flashlight and make sure your child’s shoes fit, even if they don’t go with the costume; Obey traffic signals, cross streets between crosswalks or at intersections.

If no sidewalk, walk on the parkway adjacent to the street and never on a street; Walk, don’t run, don’t cut across yards or driveways and stay on sidewalks. If no sidewalk, walk on the left side of the road facing traffic; Never approach a vehicle, occupied or not unless accompanied by a parent or adult guardian; Stay away from and don’t pet dogs you don’t know; Children should trick or treat with a parent or adult guardian; Take extra effort to eliminate tripping hazards on your porch and walkway from flower pots, low tree limbs, support wires or garden hoses and make sure jack-o-lanterns that are lit by a candle are placed away from your home’s entrance so as not to interfere with trick or treaters; Trick or treat in familiar neighborhoods or at the homes of friends and neighbors and avoid unfamiliar and unlit homes; Be courteous and say ‘thank you’ to those who give you a treat and don’t push others when you are at the door; Never enter a home, but remain on the stoop/porch for a treat; Never approach a home that doesn’t have a porch light on; Never play with or around a lit jack-o-lantern; Instruct children to not eat any candy until you have inspected it at !