Short Sales & Foreclosures

In the recent challenging housing market, with its dramatic decline in home prices and sales, severe credit crunch and increase in the number of foreclosures, along with other market factors, many homeowners are facing financial hardship.

In situations where a traditional sale or refinancing of a mortgage may not be feasible, foreclosure is not necessarily the only option. Short sales present homeowners with an alternative solution for disposing of their property while sustaining only minimized damage to their credit.

Our team at Geo Properties understands that this can be a time consuming, frustrating and difficult course to take, and we are therefore prepared to make it as simple, easy and comfortable as possible for you. Our Certified Short Sale and Foreclosure Specialists are determined to streamline the process and guide you through each step involved with the sale.

In a short sale, a bank or a mortgage lender agrees to discount the balance of an outstanding current mortgage of the property, due to market conditions and the borrower's financial hardships. However, the property owner/borrower retains the ownership of the property, not the bank. Once sold, the proceeds from the sale are used to satisfy the debt and are turned over to the lender. Typically, short sales are done in order to prevent foreclosure; therefore a short sale may not always involve a property in foreclosure.

In the recent challenging housing market, with its dramatic declines in home prices and sales, severe credit crunch, and increase in the number of foreclosures, along with other market factors, many homeowners are facing financial hardship. In situations where a traditional sale or refinancing of the mortgage may not be feasible, foreclosure is not necessarily the only option. Short sales present home owners with another alternative solution for disposing of their property while sustaining only minimized damage to their credit.

Short sales additionally create an opportunity for home buyers who are waiting for further reduction in prices and the interest rates to come down. A short sale is an opportunity where a seller may obtain acceptance from the lender for a lower pay off, giving a buyer the opportunity to obtain a property at below its' market price.

Although successful short sales provide benefits to both sellers and buyers, short sales are often composed of substantial paperwork and lengthy in-depth procedures. Consequently, the assistance of an experiences and knowledgeable realtor is essential to ensure the success of the process. Our team at Geo Properties understands that this can be a time consuming, frustrating and difficult course to take, and we are therefore prepared to make it as simple, easy and comfortable as possible for you. Our Certified Short Sale and Foreclosure Specialists are determined to streamline the process and guide you through each step involved with the sale. We are committed to:

• Provide an in-depth explanation of short sale procedures to both buyers and sellers
• List the property
• Market the property
• Prepare current Comparative Market Analysis reports to determine appropriate value of a home
• Negotiate with the lender and creditors
• Handle the preparation and submittal of all required short sale documentation
• Assist with credit restoration
• Successfully close the deal

A short sale can be an excellent alternative to the painful, embarrassing and emotional process of foreclosure. The seller may obtain the optimum market value of the property and thus be able to maximize the sales proceeds that can be credited toward the loan default and other creditors versus going through a foreclosure auction where the sales price is unpredictable. Because successful short sales fully discharge mortgage debt, this method also has less impact than a foreclosure on a sellers credit score. (Please consult with your tax advisor for tax implications and benefits of short sale.)

Short sales can be beneficial to a lender because they reduce a lenders inventory of bank-owned properties on their books, minimize pressure from the government for the number of foreclosures recorded and provide a means of circumventing the lengthy and expensive foreclosure process. Because short sale properties typically sell for higher prices than properties that go to foreclosure auction, not only an optimum amount is credited toward the loan default. The higher sales prices obtained through short sales additionally help maintain and/or restore the market value of other homes in the property's area that the bank may also have provided financing for.

When a short sale occurs the buyer is given the ability to acquire a property at a good value. Unlike foreclosure purchases at auction, the buyer is given an opportunity to perform a full appraisal and inspection of the property and is therefore in a better position to make an informed and sound decision before purchasing. In contrast, real estate purchased through a foreclosure auction is often sold uninspected and "as is," thus a buyer takes the risk of purchasing the property with unknown defects and faults.