Not All Florida Short Sales Are Distressed Sales
Hi Folks. There was a time when all Short Sales were “Distressed Sales”. That time has now passed. There are many Florida Short Sales on the market where the Seller has no financial hardship at all. The only hardship they have is that they have to move and can’t sell because they are underwater on their mortgage.
There are also Florida Short Sale Sellers that are just wanting to unload debt. These are Strategic Short Sales. These sellers have made a financial decision to dump a property that is drowning in debt with no hope showing. They have decided to quit throwing good money after bad and take their losses now.
In both cases the Lenders may very well agree to “settle” the mortgage for less than owed. You do NOT have to be facing foreclosure to work out a settlement with your lender!
When these Sellers borrowed the money they signed an agreement with the Lender. The agreement basically states that if you pay you stay and if you don’t pay you don’t stay. Pretty straight forward.
But what happens if you are paying but you still need/want to sell the property? Well there are 2 options. Bring the difference between what is owed and what you sell the property for to closing. OR work out a settlement with the Lender. This is what a Non Distressed Short Sale is. It’s making your Lender an offer.
And just like any offer the Lender can:
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Accept it
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Reject it
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Counter offer it.
My experience is that the Lender will accept it. BUT...if you don’t have a financial hardship the Lender may very well want you to participate in the loss. Participating in the loss is when you make a cash contribution, sign a new promissory note, or both, at time of closing. It’s an agreed settlement between creditor and debtor.
So.....if you feel trapped by your mortgage maybe there is a way out. Questions?
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