What are Orlando Short Sales sales all about?
Working as an Orlando short sale specialist for over eight years, I get questions from both clients and realtors about short sales all of the time; How does a short sale work? Do I have to be behind on my mortgage to do a short sale? How will it affect my credit? Will my lender come after me for the balance? Can I get money back even though I’m in foreclosure? What are the tax repercussions?…just to name a few.
This two part post ” Orlando Short Sale Guide” is for people who have unanswered questions about short sales. This week I will talk about every aspect of short sales; what they are, how they work and the do’s and don’ts of whole process. In my next post I will also be talking about probably the single most important part of the whole process and that is finding the right Orlando realtor for you.
I think the best way to start this off, like anything else is by giving you a clear definition of what a short sale is. A short sale is a sale of real estate in which the proceeds from selling the property will fall short of the balance of debts secured by liens against the property and the property owner cannot afford to repay the liens’ full amounts, whereby the lien holders agree to release their lien on the property and accept less than the amount owed on the debt. Any unpaid balance owed to the creditors is known as a deficiency. Short sale agreements do not necessarily release borrowers from their obligations to repay any deficiencies of the loans, unless specifically agreed to between the parties.
An Orlando short sale is most often the best method to Stop Orlando foreclosure because it mitigates additional fees and costs to both the creditor and borrower. While credit is also typically damaged much less than from a foreclosure, both often result in a negative credit report against the property owner.
Who qualifies for an Orlando Short Sale?
Even though someone can easily prove that their house is worth less than what it owes, most lenders require the mortgage holder to be at least 30 days late on their payment to even consider a short sale. In my opinion, this is a huge flaw in the short sale process and I believe that any property that is worth less than what it owes should qualify as a short sale candidate. Creditors also require the borrower to prove they have an economic or financial hardship preventing them from being able to pay the deficiency.
The Short Sale Process
Creditors holding liens against real estate can include primary mortgages, junior lien holders—such as second mortgages, home equity lines of credit lenders, home owners association HOA—all of whom will need to approve individual applications for a short sale, should they be asked to take less than what is owed.
Some liens such as student loans, back child support and I.R.S. liens cannot be discounted and have to be paid in full in order to get the deal closed. In our office, these liens are sometimes referred to as “Deal Killers”.
Most large creditors have special loss mitigation departments that evaluate borrowers’ applications for short sale approval. Often creditors use pre-determined criteria for approving the borrowers and the terms of the sale of the properties. Part of this process typically includes the creditor(s) determining the current market value of the Orlando real estate by obtaining an independent evaluation of the property with an appraisal, a Broker’s Price Opinion or [BPO]. One of the most important aspects for the borrower in this process is putting together a complete short sale package including hardship letter explaining why a short sale is needed on you Orlando property.
Due to the overwhelming number of defaulting borrowers due to mortgage failures and other causes as part of the 2008–2012 global financial crisis, many creditors have become adept at processing such short sales applications; however, it can still take several months or even a year for the process from start to finish, often requiring multiple levels of approval.
Jenny Zamora, Lic RE Broker/ Orlando short sale expert.
