SHORT SALE HOMES, Three Content Parties
July 29th, 2010
Although it is tougher to qualify for a home loan in Phoenix, Arizona these days, now is a great time to buy with the troubled housing market. You can find a great home for a low price.
If you are looking at purchasing short sale homes in Phoenix, AZ, you are not the only one. These short sale homes are a direct results of the crumbling housing market
Short sale homes are exactly as they sound. They are homes that are sold as short sales. The owners of short sale homes have not made their mortgage payments and they want to avoid foreclosure. So this creates short sale homes. Basically, with short sale homes, the home buyer borrowed a pile of money and now the home is not worth that much anymore. For example, Joe Smith borrowed $500,000 to buy a $500,000 home. However, because the housing market is in disarray, his home is now only worth $275,000. So Joe Smith is paying the $500,000 mortgage on a home that is only worth about half as much. And quite frankly, Joe Smith doesn't like that. So, he, like many others have decided, is going to short sell his house. Hence, the term short sale homes.
Short sale homes allow the home owner to sell the property at its current value and walk away from it without facing foreclosure. It seems like it is too good to be true, these short sale homes. But in fact, it has benefits to all parties concerned.
-The home owner gets to sell his home that is not valued the same as his mortgage anymore. With short sale homes, the bank often forgives the remainder of the debt (why would they do that? Keep reading!) Also, by selling the home and avoiding foreclosure with short sale homes, the previous home owners can keep their credit in relatively good standing and purchase a new home in a few short years OR LESS!
-For the lenders that allow short sale homes, it is not an ideal situation. However, it is a better outcome for them, approving short sale homes, than if they had to foreclose on all of the homes that have defaulting mortgages. So, lenders, in many cases, will forgive the remaining debt on the mortgage in order to avoid taking the home over in foreclosure. Remember that ultimately, the bank only wants money. They have no interest in collecting real estate. Every home that they foreclose on costs them thousands of dollars in legal fees. Furthermore, the foreclosed home will get a much smaller selling price at a foreclosure sale than it does if they allow short sale homes.
-For the buyer, short sale homes are the perfect opportunity to get a home that is good condition for a bargain price. Remember, the home owner has not just walked away from the home abandoning it in meager condition as they may in foreclosure.
Short sale homes give all parties, the buyer, the seller, and the lender the best outcome from a bad situation.
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Fred Weaver is a founding co-owner of Group 46:10. He has been working in the financing/real estate business for over 7 years. Fred began his real estate career by working for a large wholesale bank as a processor and rate/lock specialist for home mortgages. After 2 years in the business, Fred transferred from the banking side of home loans to the mortgage side. While on the mortgage side of financing, Fred gained experience originating mortgages and processing files for Morgan Capital of Arizona, Inc.
Kevin is a founding co-owner of Group 46:10. He began working in the real estate business in 2007 after spending 8 years working in the finance industry for companies such as Bank One, Green Tree Financial, & GE Capital.