The unemployment rate in Florida will create short sale situations for home owners

According to the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation, the unemployment rate in Florida for September 2009 is 11.0 percent. The unemployment rate in Florida has and will continue to create short sale situations for those home owners who have lost their job.

Short Sale

A short sale is created when a home owner is caught up in a distressed situation that makes it impossible for them to make their monthly mortgage payments. When modification or refinancing is not an option, the home owner can choose to list their home for sale, subject to their lender agreeing to accept less than is owed. The loss of a job is a valid reason to approach a lender about short selling the home.

Why would a seller choose to short sale?

Faced with short selling or foreclosure, a home owner may decide on short selling with the future in mind. Eventually the seller will find new employment and may want to start to saving money with the goal of buying another home. A foreclosure on their credit report will increase the number of years it might take to find a lender to approve them for a loan as compared to a short sale.

Each situation is different and if you have recently lost your job and are falling behind on house payments, call your lender immediately. You may also want to speak with an attorney about your personal situation. If you decide your best course of action is selling subject to a short sale, then call me. As a Certified Distressed Property Expert, I can help you work through the short sale process.


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How do you compete with the other 6,000 plus home owners selling their home as a short sale?

A distressed situation has forced you to list your home contingent upon the bank agreeing to accept less than you owe. This type of listing transaction is referred to as a short sale. Short sales are a common occurrence throughout Central Florida including; Osceola, Seminole, Orange, and Volusia counties.

Your situation is not unique. Short sale listings make up a large portion of the active real estate inventory. So how do you compete with over 6,000 plus home owners selling their home as a short sale? That's right, right now in the 4 counties mentioned there are over 6,000 homes listed for sale subject to the lender accepting a short payoff.

How do you make sure your home attracts buyers and receives an offer? You accomplish this the same way it has always been accomplished. The process to market and secure a buyer for your home remains unchanged even though it is a short sale.

• Proper Pricing. A home priced correctly will always attract the attention of buyers qualified in that price range. One of the first steps should be to research sales in the area in order to determine a price that is not to high or to low. Listing the home at real market value will result in offers.
• Market the home correctly. What makes your home standout from the competition besides the price and the fact that it is being sold as a short sale? Don't let yourself be short changed by the marketing efforts of the agent you hire. MLS comments are require to notify all that the home is subject to a short sale but even with the proper disclosure verbiage, there is plenty of room to describe features and amenities that buyers will find desirable. You should expect to receive full marketing efforts from the company you hire.
• Choose and experienced agent. It is important to make sure the agent you hire has short sale experience. When I say experience I am talking about not just in listing short sales but in getting them to the closing table. Ask if the agent has any formal training. Do they have the CDPE designation? Certified Distressed Property designated agents understand the process from beginning to end and are more than capable of helping you out of your situation by selling your home.

I understand you are under a tremendous amount of stress right now. You can reduce some of your stress by listing, receiving offers, negotiating with your lender and closing the sale with an agent who knows how to compete and win against the competition.