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Home Page > Finance > Real Estate > Persuasive Short Sale Hardship Letters - 7 Significant Writing Pointers

Persuasive Short Sale Hardship Letters - 7 Significant Writing Pointers

Posted: Apr 11, 2010 |Comments: 0
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Those who apply for short sales normally are required by their creditors to write a hardship letter that would be used to explain why the homeowner has failed to service their mortgage payments properly. If written properly, a hardship letter could be an extremely useful tool to help homeowners work on short sales easily, and present a stronger case to their creditors, especially to stop home foreclosure. Getting approval for your short sale is not easy, but with a well-drafted hardship letter, you could do it without much hassle. Let us now look at seven important tips that would make your hardship letter persuasive and favorable for you:

1) Make sure that you write the hardship letter yourself, not only would the letter be more believable, it would also make a more convincing case when you negotiate with your lenders. There is an option to hire a consultant to write the letter for you, but this could add unwanted expenditure, making it even more difficult for you

2) Explain clearly why you have been unable to service your mortgage payments. Reasons such as job termination, illness, death in family and job relocation would come in handy when you draft your letter. Don’t forget to explain why it has become difficult financially for you as well

3) Explain that you have tried to sell your home personally, or with the help of a real estate agency prior to this, but unsuccessfully. Also include the price that you started off with, and the price that you are willing to accept now. Make sure that the lenders understand that you are not running away from financial obligations, and that your financial situations is in reality precarious

4) Make sure that you letter is logic, and make sure that you attach all relevant information and documents with the letter when you send it to your creditor. Also check on the accuracy of the information provided, as you do not want to be careless when you draft a hardship letter

5) Make is clear to the bank that you want to avoid bankruptcy at all costs, and that is the reason that is driving the short sale. Lenders would be less likely to entertain your letter if they realize that you are preparing to file for Chapter 7.

6) Propose to the bank what you expect from them, and let them know how much the short sale would help you (as well as the bank). Also do not forget to put a clause that releases you from all future debts in regards to your home once the deal is clinched, this would safeguard you from future problems.

7) Last but not least, do not blame the bank for your financial complications, as this would only work against you!

Follow the seven writing tips as mentioned above, and stop foreclosure now successfully!

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I was denied a Hamp mod due to NPV caculations. My lender will not explain these terms to me. They said they cannot help me. I need to short sale and get out. Can u please help me
What are tax implications of short sale ?
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Persuasive Short Sale Hardship Letters-7 Critical Writing Tips


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Persuasive Short Sale Hardship Letters-7 Critical Writing Tips

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Persuasive Short Sale Hardship Letters-7 Critical Writing Tips

By: Gerald Lucas

About the Author

Gerald Lucas, ‘The Short Sale Authority’ http://performanceshortsale.com/ has successfully negotiated hundreds of short sales over the past decade he has spent in the real estate business.  He shares his extensive experience as a real estate investor, coach, college professor and lecturer. Mr. Lucas is Managing Director of Performance Property, LLC, a short sale negotiation company based in Jersey City, NJ http://www.performancepropertyllc.com/  Mr. Lucas holds an undergraduate business degree from Howard University as well as an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

(ArticlesBase SC #2866240)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ - Persuasive Short Sale Hardship Letters-7 Critical Writing Tips





Most lenders require homeowners applying for a short sale to write a hardship letter.  A hardship letter is a written explanation describing why a borrower is not able to make his or her mortgage payments.  The thought of writing a hardship letter sometimes causes fear and anxiety in homeowners, but it’s really quite simple and if written properly, a good hardship letter can help a homeowner make a powerful case to their lender.  Certain elements written into your hardship letter can help make your case to the bank while others can hurt your chances of getting a short sale approval.  Here are 7 tips to writing a persuasive hardship letter:

Write it yourself. This is your story, only you can tell it convincingly, so make sure you write it.
Explain the events and personal circumstances that contributed to your inability to make your mortgage payments. Examples include: tenant problems, a medical condition or illness, job loss, job relocation, death in the family, divorce etc.  Also, describe any additional circumstances currently making your financial situation difficult.
Describe all attempts previously made to sell your home either by you personally or through a real estate agent. Be sure to include all previous price adjustments.  The fact that you’ve already tried to sell your home helps make a more compelling case to your lender that your financial hardship is real and that you are not just trying to walk away from your financial obligation.
Don’t blame the bank for your financial trouble in your hardship letter. Scapegoating the people that you are trying to convince to reduce your mortgage does not work to your advantage, so don’t do it!
Make sure your hardship letter makes logical sense. More specifically, make certain your hardship letter does not contradict any of the other personal documents your bank is examining as part of your short sale application (i.e. your bank statements, personal financial worksheet, pay stubs, tax returns).
Tell your lender that you want to avoid bankruptcy. If the bank believes that you intend to file bankruptcy, it will be less likely to seriously consider your short sale application.
Tell the bank what you want them to do. Although your ultimate goal in pursuing a short sale may seem obvious to you, it may not be to your bank.  In your hardship letter, don’t forget to ask your lender to accept your buyer’s sales contract, approve your short sale application and forgive any deficiency that may arise as a result of the short sale.

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(ArticlesBase SC #2866240)

Gerald Lucas -
About the Author:

Gerald Lucas, ‘The Short Sale Authority’ http://performanceshortsale.com/ has successfully negotiated hundreds of short sales over the past decade he has spent in the real estate business.  He shares his extensive experience as a real estate investor, coach, college professor and lecturer. Mr. Lucas is Managing Director of Performance Property, LLC, a short sale negotiation company based in Jersey City, NJ http://www.performancepropertyllc.com/  Mr. Lucas holds an undergraduate business degree from Howard University as well as an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

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Gerald Lucas, ‘The Short Sale Authority’ http://performanceshortsale.com/ has successfully negotiated hundreds of short sales over the past decade he has spent in the real estate business.

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A short sale hardship letter is perhaps the most important letter any homeowner will ever write. The letter of hardship allows borrowers to present the circumstances that caused them to become delinquent on their mortgage note.

When writing a short sale hardship letter, it is important to remember the letter will be read by a human being. Banks employ loss mitigators to work as mediators between borrowers and lenders. Although loss mitigators do not make the decision to approve or disapprove a short sale request, they do have considerable input.

The words and emotions expressed within the hardship letter can sway the loss mitigator to help borrowers obtain short sale approval. This is not to say homeowners should fabricate misfortunes. In fact, people who lie in order to obtain short sale authorization could be charged with a criminal offense.

It’s always a good idea to draft an outline of the letter of hardship. Most people find they need to write this letter several times before obtaining their final version. Start by creating a timeline of the events which led to your inability to pay the mortgage. Then, write out a detailed description of these events and how they affected you.

Keep in mind that banks don’t like losing money. Many people believe a short sale means they can sell their home for any price they want and write-off the remainder of their mortgage balance. Most banks only allow borrowers to list their real estate at around 10-percent under market value and require the sale be facilitated through a licensed realtor.

The following is a sample short sale hardship letter. While each lender requires their own format, this will give you an idea of what banks are looking for.

Dear Lender,

We are contacting you today to request short sale approval for our property located at 1212 Sunny Lane. Unfortunately, we have fallen on hard times and are no longer able to meet our mortgage obligation.

We purchased our home in March 2006. At the time, I was employed as a construction supervisor and my wife operated a licensed daycare center from our home. In April 2007, I was involved in a car accident and had to undergo multiple surgeries. I was unable to return to work on a full-time basis for over a year.

In August 2007, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. Due to her treatments and hospitalization, she had to close the daycare. This caused us to lose over $2500 in income each month.

In December 2007, the company I worked for went out of business. Not only did we lose my income, we also lost our health insurance. We were unable to find an insurance provider who would pay for my wife’s treatments because they were considered pre-existing.

Although we were able to obtain some financial assistance through the hospital, we had depleted our savings account by June 2008. My wife has recently been able to reopen the daycare, but at this time she is only able to care for three children. Currently, she brings in $900 per month.

My unemployment benefits run out in June of this year. I have yet to find fulltime employment, but work odd jobs when I am able to find them. Our combined monthly income is around $1700. Considering our house payment is $1450 per month, I believe you can see why we are unable to cure our arrearages and become current.

We sold my wife’s car and my motorcycle so we could continue paying for medical treatments. We have enrolled in budget billing through our utility company and eliminated extra features on our phone and cable. We shop at discount grocery stores and utilize coupons whenever possible. We do not go out for dinner, go to movies, or engage in frivolous spending habits. However, we simply do not earn enough to make ends meet.

Obtaining short sale approval would eliminate a tremendous amount of stress and allow my wife to focus on improving her health. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to participate in a short sale and thank you for taking time to review our situation.

Sincerely,

John and Jane Doe

If you are delinquent on your mortgage and feel a short sale would benefit you, you must contact your lender to discuss this option. Not all banks engage in short sales; nor are they required by law to authorize this type of real transaction. Therefore, it is crucial to be respectful and not lose your temper when talking to the loss mitigator handling your case.

Once a short sale is authorized, you must work closely with your lender and provide requested documents in a timely fashion. Even more important, you must learn how to write a hardship letter that is compelling, factual and concise. Doing so can greatly increase your chances of success and potentially free you from your mortgage loan debt.

Simon Volkov, author of “The

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