Presenting a Short Sale to a Homeowner

Well the economy has changed and seventy-five percent of the homes are upside down (term of art which simply means that the mortgage is higher than the market value of the home) and our locators run into homes that we can not purchase unless the banks will take a loss. So how do you get a homeowner to agree to take a short sale on a home?

One of our locators has had the opportunity to perform two short sales during the month of July both were signed by the homeowners. This article will focus on the basics of a short sale from the locators view and the packaging of the short sale to the homeowner.

What is a short sale?

A short sale (sometimes known as a pre-sale by the banks) is a loss mitigation technique for the banks that allows them to move the property without having to foreclose upon the property. Yes the bank will lose some money and may need to get permission from the insurer on the loan to allow a short sale, but the bank is looking at it as less money lost than would be if they were forced to foreclose and then sell on the open market.

In our first example the homeowner had listed her property on the market for $299,000.00 and had lowered to $270,000 130 days later. The listing had expired by the time it came into the system.

We first placed it in our system on July 20, 2006. Administration thought that the house had equity. Last sale of the house was in 1992 for the sum of $128,000.00 dollars. The same owner continued to own the property. It was placed in a route first visit was on July 22, 2006 at 10:30 in the morning. Locator met the homeowner and scheduled a presentation for Monday July 24, 2006 at 10:00 a.m.. Based upon the note of the locator more research was completed on the property ( an index and rehab budget). It was the position of administration that the property had a value of $265,000 fixed and that if it could be purchased for 156-165,000 it would be a good deal. The locator visited the home on the 24th and wrote the following note:

Visited 7/24/06; 10:15AM. Presented HO with Fresh Start Program. Secured release; faxed to Admin. HO indicated that she will be 4 months arrears @ end of July. Monthly mortgage is $1700. Principal due is $209K before fees. HO indicated that the furnace is defective and will need replacement. Current system is steam by oil. Oil tank is in the basement and appears in good shape. Basement is unfinished, stone foundation with cement floor. Basement was wet; not flooded. Difficult to photo because there were no lights that worked. Water is probably due to the failing/rotted bulkhead door. There is no inner door leading out to the bulkhead. Clutter everywhere. HO indicates that the roof was redone 5 years ago. No leaks were observed except around the primary entrance. Some damage due to a problem with the gutter backing up. Entire yard is knee deep in grass. House is surrounded by overgrown shrubs. Interior is primarily open living. Windows – sill rot. One bathroom – needs rehab. Kitchen – cabs are in good shape; gas stove; no overhead range. Don’t recall seeing a dishwasher. Wood floor is in good shape on main floor. Basically, two bedrooms with an oversize utility room that could be made into a third. All carpeted and will need replacement. Ceilings and walls in good shape. Addition is a huge room that needs new floor as well as paint. Deck appears to be in good shape. Above ground pool – liner intact, cover is destroyed. Not sure about the pump and filter. HO did indicate that the septic needed replacement. fireplace on the main floor is used regularly. Not impressed with the wood stove in the “Great Room”. Roof line between the Main house and the addition has a visible seem. Poor construction. Property has potential as a good starter home I suspect. Certainly a stretch to call this a “3 bedroom”. No clean way to set up a 2nd bathroom or a laundry room without major rehab. Could be wrong.
Based upon the note we now knew that we needed to purchase this property for under what is owed. We needed to do a short sale. On July 27, 2006 the documents were placed up on the site for a short sale at a pourchase price of $155,000 plus 10,000 in a bill of sale for the fixtures in the house.
The locators presentation was scheduled for the following evening at the homeowners brothers house. The locator spent at a minimuim of one hour preparing for the meeting and took portions of the short sale memorandum, the index to complete a package for the homeowner to review while he discussed the pricing f the property.

From our conversations with the locator he started with the purchase price of the home in excellent condition being $265,000.00 dollars. Once the homeowner agreed that was the purchase price he went through the list of things that needed to be fixed. (deferred maintenance) Septic system and the cost of replacement. Heating system and the cost of replacement, paint of the interior and exterior. Windows etc. The homeowner agreed that the cost of the rehabilitation of the property should reduce the selling price to a minimum of $225,000.00 dollars. With that and a brokers fee the homeowner would walk out with little to no equity.

The locator then explained our short sale procedure and what it would net the homeowner if we were able to get the bank to agree to the process. Here the homeowner would receive $10,000.00 dollars for her dishwasher, washer and dryers and other personal property in the home. Consequently, the homeowner signed the deal because it was netting her more money than a regular straight sale.

Five Tips For Choosing the Best Christening Presents

Invited to a christening? If you’re determined to give the most meaningful christening presents, there are some important things you need to know before you begin. Just follow these five tips for giving christening presents.

1. A important factor when you start to shop for christening presents is making sure that you put some thought into it. The reason why this is important is because many people just buy some sort of silver item and think it’s ok. If you don’t put some thought into it, then you run the risk of giving yet another silver rattle or comb, and they will not get much use because everyone gave it!

2. Another important consideration for finding unique christening presents is to think about your relationship to the family and child. It’s critical that you don’t just give a Holy Bible because this is a common gift, and only the godparents should do that. If you make sure that you don’t give a gift the child can’t use, then you’ll be fine.

3. You don’t have to spend lots of money in order to give good christening presents. Even what you spend at a restaurant would make a fine gift. All you need to do is shop around, and make sure that you give something useful.

4. Instead of complicating yourself by looking for a perfectly fitting piece of clothing or hat, try it this way: give something the child cannot outgrow! In fact, if you give something that will be more useful down the road – maybe like a pocketknife – then you will find that your gift keeps on giving!

5. Have you considered giving an investment? It’s not as difficult or expensive as you might think. Anything will help. What you need to do is talk to a financial advisor, and within an hour you can have one of the most useful christening presents for boys or girls setup.

So if you really want to give good christening presents, follow these tips to ensure success.

Freelancers and Entrepreneurs — Let’s Examine Our Present and Recently Past Influences

What are the influences that are either helping or hindering you in your business and personal life? By making ourselves aware of them, we are more likely to work toward positive changes. In this article, my goal is to get you to examine your present and recently past influences.

The people we know, work and play with. Yes, we are heavily influenced by the people we let into our lives. If we hang out with negative, critical, complaining people, we can easily lose our enthusiasm and drive. If we join groups and make friends with those we want to emulate, we will be on our way. It is just like tennis and chess. The way one gets better is to play with someone who is better than we are. I am not suggesting that you drop the friends you have now, but I am suggesting that you join groups of winners, network with people who are known as successes and volunteer for worthy causes.

Life-long learning with books, tapes and magazines. It is astonishing to find out how few people read a book after graduation. I am sure that none of you reading this article would fall into that category. However, I must mention the wonderful scope of topics available today in book form, the plethora of tapes that inform and motivate — I listen and re-listen to tapes by Brian Tracy, Jim Rohn, Earl Nightingale and am always influenced to take a new action step toward success.

Visit your public library. It offers a wealth of influence — I always use my driving time to listen to tapes and CDs. In addition, there are almost too many magazines to read. I have found that the best way to benefit from the great information is to scan and then only read those articles that pertain to some part of my business or life. No matter what your specialty is, there are magazines that address your problems and situations.

Physical activity and a focus on health. One of the strongest influences on my well-being, business acumen, and energy level is daily exercise and sensible nutrition. Studies have shown that there are so many side benefits from regular exercise and proper eating that one could easily fill a wall with post-it notes listing them.

By pushing oxygen to the heart and brain, we keep both healthy and smart. If you are having a difficult time getting started, I suggest finding a buddy to go to the gym with you or work out with you. In the fitness classes I teach, the people who participate have become friends and they cheer each other on — another positive influence.

I ask you again, what are the influences in your freelance living? Are they helping or hindering your progress? What new and better influences can you and will you embrace in the future? What bad influences and toxic companions are presently draining you of your energy and passion for living?

It is time to make two lists — one with the bad influences (past and present) and one with the good influences. Congratulate yourself on the good influences and continue to pursue them. On the list with the bad influences, add an action step and a new influence to replace each one. Take action and you will be on your way to success!