Jay,

Why is the budget getting tight? Has something changed since you bought the property? Meaning your income or your payments. If so, you may qualify for a short sale.


What exactly is a short sale in real estate?

A short sale occurs when the seller owes more on the property than it is worth, does not have the means to pay the difference, and the bank agrees to accept LESS than a full payoff for the amount owed. In such cases, the seller must demonstrate a genuine financial hardship.

Banks lose LESS money on short sales than they lose on foreclosures. Therefore, they have a logical reason to accept a short sale, especially if the sale price is close to the current market value of the property, and it appears that a foreclosure may be likely. The amount owed is not the determining factor. What is important? The fact that the property is worth less than what is owed, and that the seller has a GENUINE FINANCIAL HARDSHIP. These are the two qualifications that are necessary. The fact that the property is worth less than what is owed does not automatically qualify the owner for a short sale by itself.

DO YOU QUALIFY?
Some financial hardship examples include: loss of job, business failure, damage to the property, death of a spouse, death of family members, severe illness, inheritance (when the property is inherited with a mortgage the heirs cannot pay), divorce, mandatory job relocation, medical bills, military service, payment increase, insurance or tax increase, reduced income, separation, too much debt, incarceration.

Sellers do not have to pay the Realtor's commission or closing costs in a short sale. These funds come from the sale of the property, and this is made possible by the fact that the lender is taking less than what is owed.

Sellers are NOT ALLOWED to receive any funds from the sale of the property. After all, the lender is agreeing to take less than what is owed by the borrower. This often amounts to losses of 100's of thousands of dollars on a single mortgage. Weigh the cost of the seller renting a moving truck against the repayment of the mortgage balance and it will quickly become evident who is benefiting the most from a successful short sale - the seller!

Feel free to visit my short sale website if you need more info:

http://barrydunn.yourkwagent.com/

Have a great day!
Barry Dunn
Keller Williams Fort Lauderdale

Jay, your first step would be to contact your Lender to see if you would qualify to have your current loan modified to something that you could afford. Many Lenders are helping their customers more readily now. Hopefully, your Lender would afford you that option. In the event that isn't an option for you your Lender would probably approve a Short Sale for you if you could approve that you have a hardship. If you decide to go the Short Sale route, please feel free to contact me as I have helped a lot of strapped homeowners sell their home as a Short Sale and I'm right here in Coral Springs. You can visit my blogs and website to find out more about me. You can email me at lynnp@ImagineYourHouse.com or call me at 954-464-1100. Vist my Active Rain blog below or my website at: http://www.ImagineYourHouse.com.
Best wishes to you with your Lender.