What is a Short Sale?

Short Sale Definition: Simply put, a short sale occurs when a home's market value is less then the outstanding mortgage debt plus sales costs (sometimes called an "upside down mortgage"). In order for a short sale to actually close, the mortgage bank(s) must agree to write-off a portion of the outstanding loan debt.

Short Sale Example: For example, if a home is currently worth and sells for $600,000 with $20,000 in total sales costs, and the total outstanding loan balance is $670,000, then the lender(s) would have to agree to reduce the mortgage loan debt by $90,000 in order to allow the short sale escrow to close. At the close of all of our short sale transactions, the homeowner is usually debt free and incurs no cost of sales, for we insure the fees and expenses are paid by the bank. 

Why Would a Mortgage Bank Consider a Short Sale? Lenders often entertain such an option for in the long run, they will usually receive a higher percentage of their principal back as compared to forcing the property into foreclosure. In a foreclosure, the mortgage bank runs the risk of property neglect or damage, and additional delays and costs, and other market losses.
Today, most Arizona lenders won't commit to a short sale until there is a valid and firm purchase offer in hand from a qualified new buyer, and a knowledgeable broker/agent who can negotiate the deal. It's imperative to work with an experienced real estate broker, for they will need to prepare a professional and complete short sale package.

How is a Short Sale Negotiated with a Mortgage Bank? Short sales are one of the most difficult and complicated residential transactions. Compared to a normal sale, these transactions require additional paperwork, intricate negotiations with the mortgage banker(s), and careful preparation of the process and purchase offer. A short sale package typically includes: a purchase offer contract, buyer's loan qualifications, a realistic and detailed analysis of the fair market value of the home, current local real estate market conditions, seller financial information, seller hardship letter and more.
Basically, the short sale real estate professional must demonstrate to the mortgage bank(s) that the home is upside down, the purchase offer is fair and just and that the homeowner has a financial hardship worthy of a short sale. This financial hardship can be due to job layoffs, illnesses, divorce or even the unexpected large increase in mortgage payments due to interest rate resets.

What's Causing the High Volume of Short Sales in the Phoenix Real Estate Market? Today, the "upside down mortgages" in Arizona are due mostly to the risky, highly-leveraged loans that were extensively used over the past 7 years to purchase homes with little or nothing down. Worse yet, many of these loans were adjustable rate loans, or negative amortization loans in which the loan balance gets higher every month.
In addition, West Valley home prices have decreased by as much as 35% to 45% in some areas. These factors are causing many homeowners to consider a short sale to solve their financial crisis. The result is, there are thousands upon thousands of Phoenix homewoners who are upside down on their mortgage loan by tens of thousands of dollars and can no longer afford their mortgage payment.

Do I Need a Real Estate Professional to Conduct my Short Sale? It is theoretically possible to conduct your own short sale (ie: Do-It-Yourself). But why would you? In a short sale, the seller is not allowed to net any money from the transaction and the lender pays all Realtor fees. These are very complicated negotiations, which we are trained to handle. In other words, there is no advantage to you NOT using a professional to negotiate on your behalf.