Hi Margaret,
Regarding a short sale, the house is still owned by the seller. The way that this works is the seller hires a realtor to list the house, an offer comes in like normal, however the offer is then submitted to the bank who holds the deed of trust for approval. This can take several months to more than six months sometimes to accomplish, and the bank does not have to approve the deal at all either. Many times they do not and will counter the buyer.
An REO or bank owned home has gone back to the bank already so they can sell it because they do own it. I hope this helps and makes sense to you. Please feel free to contact me anytime if I may assist you more. I can be reached at 951-204-1864 or calljoan4homes@aol.com.
Kind regards,
Joan Patterson, B.A., A.S.P., G.R.I., Realtor, License #01431647
Keller Williams Realty
8250 White Oak Avenue, Ste 102
Rancho Cucamonga, Ca 91730
951-204-1864
http://www.calljoan4homes.com - Sun Sep 20 2009, 15:10