Short Sale Transactions

A Short Sale Can Help You to Avoid a Forclosure

A short sale occurs when the proceeds from the sale of a house fall short of what the owner still owes on the mortgage. Many lenders will agree to accept the proceeds of a short sale and forgive the rest of what is owed on the mortgage when the owner cannot make the mortgage payments.

As a result, the lender can avoid a lengthy and costly foreclosure by taking a short sale, and the owner can pay off the loan for less than what they owe. The attorneys Taub & Bogaty PLLC are experienced in successfully negotiating a short sale.

Short Sale May Be an Option if Can No Longer Afford Your Mortgage, but it Takes Time

A short sale may help a homeowner avoid foreclosure. The homeowner, due to economic hardship, can no longer pay their monthly mortgage payment. The primary options for such a homeowner are:

Discontinue paying the mortgage and ultimately lose the home through a foreclosure proceeding;
Seek relief from the debt by negotiating a short sale. A short sale avoids default and has less of a negative impact on the homeowner's credit than a foreclosure.

When a lender agrees to a short sale, it means that they are willing to release their lien against the property for less than the outstanding mortgage amount and allow the deal to occur. The incentive for the lender to agree to a short sale is to avoid foreclosing on the premises because foreclosure is an expensive and time-consuming process.

It is Best to Start the Short Sale Process Before a Foreclosure Procedure Starts

On average, the foreclosure process takes more than a year to complete. Over this period, the lender will have to retain an attorney to pursue the foreclosure action and repossess the property.

The process of repossessing the property, overcoming legal hurdles in court, finding a purchaser, and selling the property can cost the lender tens of thousands of dollars. Especially if the homeowner vigorously defends the foreclosure. The bank can avoid all the time and expense associated with foreclosure by agreeing to a short sale.

The homeowner does not have to be delinquent in their mortgage payments to begin negotiating a short sale. Ideally, the owner should retain a real estate lawyer as soon as they anticipate an inability to make mortgage payments. Unfortunately, however, most homeowners begin short sale negotiations only after they have missed some payments or foreclosure proceedings have begun.

The bank will continue to seek repossession of the property while the owner is seeking a short sale. It is not until the short sale is negotiated and closed when the foreclosure proceeding ends.

A short sale is more complicated than the average real estate closing. The complexities of a short sale make it vital for you to hire an experienced short sale attorney to negotiate and act as a buffer between you and the lender.