Jonathan Dalton

You may want to speak to an attorney, Kimberly. You're asking advice on how to break and/or circumvent a binding legal agreement and an attorney will be able to give you the best advice in that arena. - A few minutes ago

Yes and no. As I discussed during a panel discussion at the Inman Real Estate Connect conference, it hinges almost exclusively on the continued strength of the Canadian dollar and weakness in the American dollar.

Even with the recent strength in the American dollar (now running around $1 to $1.06 CAD), I'm still seeing Canadians registering to search for properties on my website. After all, $1.06 still is better than the $1.20 to which they've become accustomed over time. Some will remember back to last fall when the USD was worth less than the Canadian dollar but most seem to have some sort of perspective.

Speaking of perspective, it's worth keeping in mind that the Canadian government as a rule would prefer the CAD not be at parity to the USD as it hurts exports. So what does that leave you? A strengthening US dollar and currency from a country where the government would prefer a little less relative strength.

The trend is continuing but the window could be closing dependent on whether the US dollar rally holdsand whether the Canadian dollar can retain it's strength. - A few minutes ago

Unfortunately, Jes, no one has a crystal ball. That probably sounds more snarky than I intend, but here's what I mean ... based on what has happened of late, there's a possibility the value of the home will drop a bit more before it recovers. And when it does recover, odds are that recovery will take place at a somewhat slower rate than the decline (since the current decline is following the quick timeline of the run-up.)

If your time frame for selling is three years, odds are you're not going to see a great return in either Buckeye or Goodyear. But that's just a best guess based on what we're seeing.

The question really becomes where do you want to live? If you're comfortable with driving the extra 10 to 12 miles one way every day from Buckeye (assuming you work in town), then take a look at Sundance. (And also keep in mind when it comes time to sell you'll have to find someone else who doesn't mind the extra miles.)

If you're not up for the elongated commutes, come back into Goodyear and look at some communities with somewhat comparable prices - Centerra, Rancho Mirage, Canyon Trails, etc.

Good luck with the search! - A few minutes ago

Honestly, the type of financing isn't going to be the dominant factor in whether a bank accepts an offer on a short sale. The big question is whether the bank is willing to write off the debt at all and take any offer for less than the mortgage value.

Others here on Trulia Voices have asked whether they are advantaged/disadvantaged by a VA loan since it's 100% financing. About the only real issue that can arise with VA is the condition of the property could be a limiting factor. If a great deal of work is needed ... the type of work required before VA will finance ... then the lender might look twice at a VA LOAN.

Outside of that, your chances of acceptance are no better or worse going with VA. - A few minutes ago

So nearly every builder is unethical, Steve?

I'd settle for classless ... many builders have incentives tied to being a teacher, fireman, policeman, etc. ... community heroes. But these aren't available if you use an agent (or so they say) because they have to pay the agent's commission. So they say, I say, because a good buyers' agent can negotiate that incentive back into the package for you and you don't have to forego independent representation.

Dual agency discussions in this thread are accurate but not when it comes to new builds. It's abundantly clear, on paper and otherwise, that the builder's agent is not representing you. They're representing the builder. Without an agent, you're on your own.

There are a handful of builders who will allow you to bring an agent into the equation after the first visit but that's the exception, not the rule. And if you've had multiple conversations with the builders' agent, at this point you're almost certainly on your own. - Yesterday, 18:37