Buying SHORT SALE HOMES
August 12th, 2009
In the wake of cruel economic times in Phoenix, Arizona, selling and buyer a home is very different. One of the trends in today’s market is short sale homes.
What are short sale homes?
Short sale homes are homes that are sold with a short sale. A short sale is when the seller wants to sell their home before it is foreclosed on. Short sale homes are good for sellers because their credit will not be affected as much as if they go into foreclosure. Short sale homes start with the sellers getting approval from the bank to sell their homes as short sale homes and then they wait for offers.
First You Make an Offer
With short sale homes, your offer will be documented so that you understand you are buying the home as is. You will also be notified by the lender that the seller will not be getting any money from short sale homes and they will not pay any fees usually. Many times, there is not a disclosure statement. For the buyer, this used to mean that you could be buying a real money pit. However, with all of the people that have nice homes and ARM or sub prime mortgages, many short sale homes are in very nice condition.
Then you Get To Wait
When you make offers on short sale homes in Phoenix, AZ, the offers get sent to the lender with other documents like proof of financing. Because short sale homes are flooding the market, this waiting period can take several weeks to several months. The lender, because they are getting all of the money, may wait to receive several offers. You can not specify that you want a response in a couple of days like a normal sale. There is usually no way to know if the lender wants more than your offer or is willing to take less. Patience in the process of buying short sale homes is probably the toughest part, but remember the great deal you will get if your offer is accepted.
When You Get Accepted
If the lender accepts one of your offers on the short sale homes, they will notify you of the time that you have to close. This timeframe is a MUST or the offer will be voided. After the offer is accepted you can have short sale homes inspected. Do not forget this step! You need to know the condition of the property before you close.
The Key To Buying SHORT SALE HOMES
It is absolutely paramount that you find a real estate agent that is experienced in dealing with short sale homes. The agent should represent you only as the seller. Finding someone with the experience in dealing with short sale homes can make the process much less stressful during every step.
Watch Kevin and Fred, Short Sale Specialists, on the Short Sale Power Hour. Video for Short Sale Specialists.
Posted in 
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.