Due to financial hard ships, a mortgagor may have his or her own home foreclosed by the lender. That means losing the home, and a certain sum of money. When a mortgagor fails to keep up with the mortgage payments, he starts to owe the lender more and more money. And as the interest compounds, the mortgagor soon finds himself in a downward spiral situation. The longer he delays the payments, the more money he owes, and therefore loses. The only way to avoid this scenario, is to seek professional help as soon as possible. There are several options for the mortgagor to choose from in the face of a possible foreclosure. So it is definitely possible to minimize the losses while the damage is still manageable. For sure, it would be a pity if a mortgagor fails to tackle the problem early and loses his home and a huge amount of money just because he is unaware that help is readily available.

It is beyond the scope of a single article to discuss all the possible solutions to solving a foreclosure problem. So let’s focus on the short sale option in this article. First thing first, what exactly is a short sale?

A short sale means both the mortgagor and the lender agrees to sell off the property at a price to offset the outstanding loan balance. The loan balance is usually discounted. The lender, however, in such a circumstance, will have the final sale as whether a sale is approved or not. Once the short sale is complete, the discounted loan is considered settled, and the mortgagor no longer owes the bank any more money, thus saving himself from having to potentially repay a huge amount of interest owed.

You would probably have observed that the goal of the short sale is to minimize loses and prevent further damage being done to the mortgagor’s already suffering financial situation.

For example, a mortgagor may have lost his job during a recession. And because of the recession, he is unable to land himself a new job any time soon. So he finds himself unable to meet the mortgage payments. Now he wants to consider selling away his property, since he cannot keep up with the payments. But he finds that the market value of his house has gone southward, again due to the bad market conditions. He realizes that no matter what he does, he is still losing money. If he doesn’t pay up soon, his home will be foreclosed by the lender. And before his home is foreclosed, he would have owed the lender several months of mortgage payments, on which is accruing interest as long as he doesn’t pay up. So to stop the situation from getting from bad to worse, he may have to consider negotiating a short sale with the lender. This will help sell the house faster, as the mortgagor can now sell it at a lower price to offset the discounted loan amount.

Do consider engaging the help of professionals to help negotiate a short sale, as they may be able to sell the property for a discount. In addition they may be able to assist in finding a new home. Do not go through a foreclosure and ruin your credit get professional short sale help now.

Short sales homes can be a saving grace for borrowers facing foreclosure. The process involves selling the property short of what is owed on the mortgage note. When borrowers become delinquent with their payments and do not possess the financial means to become current, some lenders will grant short sale approval to prevent the property from falling into foreclosure.

Short sales homes are sold below the appraised value and proceeds are used to satisfy the debt. Obtaining short sale approval requires borrowers to undergo a financial audit through their mortgage lender and locate a qualified buyer to purchase the property.

Borrowers must work with an assigned loss mitigator. This individual is generally employed by the bank to develop a plan to either cure mortgage arrearages and help borrowers become current with payments, or short sell the property within a specific timeframe.

Not all mortgage lenders offer short sales, nor do all homeowners or properties qualify for approval. Those who do offer the option of short selling handle the process according to their established protocol.

Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for negotiating with lenders to obtain short sale approval. However, borrowers who have accrued equity in their property or those who own valuable assets which could be used to repay the note cannot apply for mortgage short sales. The only way to know if properties qualify for short sale approval is to contact their lender.

Short sales are usually handled through the bank’s loss mitigation department. When borrowers become delinquent on their mortgage loan their account is turned over to a loss mitigator. This person acts as a mediator between the borrower and lender. Mitigators do not make final decisions, but can offer guidance and advice throughout the process.

The first step of the short sale process involves submitting a packet of financial documents. Similar to an IRS audit, loss mitigators carefully review borrowers’ financial status to determine if they are financially insolvent or possess assets which could be used to repay the loan.

Borrowers are usually required to submit payroll documentation, previous years’ tax returns, list of income and expenses, property tax and homeowners’ insurance premiums, credit card and banking statements, and various other documents.

Many mortgage lenders require borrowers to have a buyer in place before discussing the option of short selling property. If so, a copy of the sales contract must be provided to the lender. Other banks allow borrowers time to list their property through a realtor and grant two to three months to locate a buyer. The borrower must then submit a copy of the listing agreement to the bank. If a buyer cannot be located by the deadline, lenders commence with foreclosure proceedings.

If you are facing foreclosure and need to sell your house quickly to satisfy a short sale agreement, consider seeking out private real estate investors. Many investors are attracted to distressed properties because they are sold below market value and make good investment properties; particularly for investors who engage in house flipping.

Many investors buy homes with cash in order to expedite the deal and increase their power of negotiation. Locating an investor who purchases properties with cash can improve borrowers’ chance of obtaining short sale approval.

Borrowers should take time to become educated about the process of short selling their home and weigh the pros of cons of this decision. As they say, knowledge is power. The more you know, the better your chances of obtaining a successful outcome.