The Philadelphia Real Estate Blog

Philadelphia Short Sales:  A Winning Formula for Short Sale Success !!

Stephanie Somers here from The Somers Team.   Call me a pessimist.  Call me a realist. Call me what you will, but I never really been called "lucky". Though in hindsight, perhaps I am particularly with Philadelphia Short Sales.

I think I may have stumbled onto what seems like a formula for a successful short sale:

P + R + L = SSS

Pessimism + Realism + Luck = Short Sale Success

This formula is based on 3 different factors to be taken with a dose of humor and awe at the utter randomness I have unveiled ! Too much Freakonomics !

1) Back-out Buyers (Be careful what you wish for)

2) Customer Service Representatives

3) Good ole Lady Luck

Pessimism Spurred by Back-out Buyers

As a Realtor partner of Chris Somers the Team Leader,  I pretty much do a majority of the back end work on our Short Sales. I will call on Chris,  nick name "big guns", when I have exhausted all of my charm with the negotiators of Short Sale deals. Very recently I have taken notice that "Back-out Buyers" are a growing phenomenon with almost every Short Sale that parks itself on my desk lately. It has become so prevalent that I have vowed from now on, I will assume that at least 1 buyer will back away from every short sale we do between the time we begin the process until we reach the end.  Call me a pessimist ! I have started to tell our clients to expect to go through more than 1 buyer during the Short Sale process. I have also begun to develop a list of Back-up Buyers in the event that a Back-out occurs.  If or when it happens, I want my client to be prepared. The short sale process is difficult enough for the seller and if they are blindsided by a back-out buyer, they may loose hope in the process and loose faith in me thier Realtor and advocate.

Realism:  It is what it is.  Deal with it.

I think we'd all agree that educating the consumer is certainly part of the Real Estate profession. And I will be the first to admit that there are Realtors out there that could use a few tutorials.  I wonder why the Bank's Customer Service Employees, the ones that heard all of the incoming Short Sale calls, do not have more education regarding Short Sales and Customer Service ? In my experience, it is not uncommon for the customer service person in the Short Sale department of any given bank, not to know what they are talking about. The right hand typically does not know what the left hand is doing. They may not know how to use the computer software to access the note on your file.  They may not fully read the digital files and miss telling you about important tings that will impact your Short Sale. They may not be familiar enough with the terms used in the notes to feel comfortable reading them to you, and thus omit very important information. This is not true in all cases but it is sadly true in many many many cases. I mean no insult. It is what it is. I expect it and deal with it though persistence.

Just the other day I found that one of our short sale files was "closed-out". A close-out often occurs when the Short Sale Package is incomplete and the negotiator gives up trying to work on the file due to lack of data or communication from the customer or Realtor. They just shut the file down and focus on another file. I do not blame them. They are beyond busy.  BUT, they closed-out one of MY Short Sales!!!  They claimed that they have been emailing me for a week or two and I had not returned their email ! Absurd I say ! I had called at least 2x per week for the last 3 months and each time I called I had to give all of my contact info to the representative including my email and phone number every time ! Somehow they wrote down the wrong email once.  Then they used the wrong email address.  Talk about luck... and when I had called in as usual the customer service reps I spoke to  NEVER communicated that they were trying to contact me. I was tipped off that something was wrong when I was transferred to an automated message: DO NOT CALL AGAIN FOR ANOTHER 30 DAYS. IF YOU DO, IT WILL JEOPARDIZE THE SHORT SALE PROCESS. (Bank of America) Luckily I had caught this mistake within minutes of the Close-out and was able to salvage the process. I guess luck was on my side.

No logical explanation can make sense of what can sometimes transpire with Short Sales.  Just go into it with Pessimism + Realism + Luck and you may get a taste of Short Sale Success !

Good luck out there !

Recently, we have had 2 long, hard-fought short sale deals where we went to war per se to get the deals approved. With diligent follow-up and negotiation and up against a deadline on both deals, the great news is that we got both deals approved !  Woo hoo !!!  Wait, wait... the buyer is no longer interested ??  What ???  Thanks for telling me now buyer agent.   How long have you known this ??  This is 100 percent different from our conversation just one week ago.

One deal was approved within our contract time-line and the other deal was a few days after-wards.  So at least in one case the buyer is in default.  But more importantly than that, what about the time lost for each of these sellers ?  Each deal took approximately 3 months to get that short sale approval.  What are these buyers thinking ?

Is this a trend ?  Are others seeing this in their markets ?  I hope it is just an isolated case for us.

The good news for us is that our streak of every short sale listing we have taking on has received short sale approval.  We will continue to work hard to get new buyers for these properties to maintain our streak of having every short sale listing go to settlement too.

I guess it goes back to that saying for these "remorseful buyers".....  BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR !

Please share similar experiences or what your thoughts are in regards to this situation.

Philadelphia Short Sales:  When a Loan Modification does not work - Short Sale Success in Mayfair !

Philadelphia Short Sales:  Every short sale listing we take on is a different experience as you really will never know what will transpire.  What you do know is to concentrate on what is within your control to maximize the success of your listing selling and then being approved by the bank and closing.  There was a terrific featured post recently here on Active Rain called 10 Reasons Why Your Short Sale Will Not Close by Noel Padilla which is a must read.

In any event, our recent success story relates to struggling home owners in Mayfair who were almost out of options.  They received Counseling Services from the City of Philadelphia in addition to paying other Loan Modification companies with no success whatsoever.  Finally, they found out that a short sale was an option to them.  Sadly, this was not communicated to them in the beginning from all these other great loan modification companies as they were the perfect candidate for a short sale.  So they googled a few words for a Philadelphia Short Sale Expert and found us.

It was not the easiest short sale as their bank was tough to deal with and our second buyer had to switch mortgage companies for her loan to go through.   The seller's bank counter-offered the first deal we had accepted and the buyer decided to pass.  No big deal as we now knew what the number was that the bank was willing to accept. 

Within a week we wrapped up another deal that initially appeared like a no-brainer, 20 percent down, no inspections, great buyer with fantastic credit, income and assets.   The buyer was trying to do her loan through Bank of America who called for all sorts of repairs on the property and for a home inspection to be done even though the appraisal came in $4,000 above the contract price.  The repairs that were called for were just ludicrous.  What do you do ?  I told the buyers agent to run from her mortgage company and recommended a local mortgage broker with Cardinal Financial.  They still wanted to try Bank of America because "their rate was lower".   Thus, the buyer paid for a home inspection, gave the report to Bank of America (very few things came up) and they still would not remove their conditions.  A waste of money !  Thus, after coming close to terminating the deal and finding another buyer, they did decide to go with Cardinal Financial who got the deal closed 2 weeks later.   Everyone was happy ! 

At settlement our sellers said, "Boy, you guys are good ! If we only knew to have called you first."  

Short Sales do work !  For us, our ratio is still 100 PERCENT in the last 3 years !!  How cool is that ?

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The Somers Team - Philadelphia Real Estate 

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Philadelphia Short Sales:  Another Successful Short Sale in Graduate Hospital !

Philadelphia Short Sales:  Yesterday we had another successful short sale settlement for 2337 Federal St in Graduate Hospital.  When we first got this listing, the seller met with 7 agents !  Well, it turns out he made the right choice in choosing The Somers Team !  It was a challenging scenario as we first tried a traditional sale but after quickly realizing that it would not fly, we made an adjustment in the listing and marketed the property as a potential short sale.

The seller's bank was quite cooperative.  In fact, we got the short sale approval in a little over one month ! Amazing, isn't it ?  It does happen sometimes, but you cannot plan on that happening much at all with other short sales.  In any event, we took a lot of pride in terms of helping out this seller wipe his hands clean of this property and move on.  Outside of a hiccup at settlement in regards to a title issue that we had already worked out ahead of time, this was one of the smoothest short sale transactions that we have been involved with.  The seller said afterward, "Man, I am so glad I went with you guys".  That warms our heart.

The great news for us AND for our clients is that this continues our streak in that EVERY SHORT SALE PROPERTY THAT WE HAVE LISTED HAS SETTLED !  How cool is that ?  How often do you hear people complain (Realtors especially) that these properties do not settle ?

Philadelphia Short Sales do work !!!  You just have to plan ahead and have the right Realtors involved from the beginning !  If you are in the need of doing a short sale in Philadelphia or one of the surrounding counties, feel free to contact us.

If you are interested in additional info on Short Sales as well as all the other topics we discuss, please subscribe to our blog !  Is only a click away !  If you are in our neck of the woods, please contact us via phone or email or ask about our new office location in Northern Liberties !

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If interested in buying or selling properties in Graduate Hospital, contact Chris and Stephanie Somers at thesomersteam@yahoo.com or 215-400-2612 . You can connect with us on Facebook and Twitter .  For investment properties, check out our new investor site at Philly Investor Hub and ask us about Philadelphia Foreclosures and Short Sales .

The Somers Team - Philadelphia Real Estate 

Search the MLS Properties Here in Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Real Estate Blog

Click here to receive our Blog updates via email ! 

Areas of specialty include Northern Liberties, Old City, Center City, Fishtown, Graduate Hospital, Art Museum, Queen Village, Pennsport, Old Kensington, Port Richmond, Bridesburg, Society Hill, Loft District, Spring Garden and more !

Philadelphia Short Sales:  Another Successful Short Sale in Castor Gardens !

A seller called me as she was in a bind regarding a property she owned in Castor Gardens.  It used to be her primary residence but she ended up renting it out.  Based on what she owed on the property, it was clear that she would either have to show up at settlement with money or do a short sale.  In meeting with her, there was a definite case of hardship that warranted to go the short sale route.

It was a tough deal in dealing with the dramas of the tenant.  And tougher dealing with the bank.  Not in terms of negotiation but the length of time it took to get the final decision.  It was also tough dealing with the buyer as he got impatient many times along the way.  It is understandable... that is the nature of short sales !!!

The good news is that Sovereign bank finally came around and approved the short sale.  The buyer was thrilled that he could finally close on the property and our seller was so happy that we got her out of the situation.  It is what makes our job worthwhile when there is so much appreciation in the end.  For this seller, we also sold 2 more of her properties to allow her family to move to North Carolina to basically start fresh.  I am very happy for them.  Look for a testimonial from them soon on our website "The Somers Team" ! 

This continues our streak that every Philadelphia Short Sale listing that we have taken on has made it to settlement !

Philadelphia Short Sales do work !!!  You just have to plan ahead and have the right Realtors involved from the beginning ! 

If you are interested in this topic as well as all the other topics we discuss, please subscribe to our blog !  Is only a click away !  If you are in our neck of the woods, please contact us via phone or email or ask about our new office location in Northern Liberties !

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If interested in buying or selling properties in Castor Gardens or Mayfair, contact Chris and Stephanie Somers at thesomersteam@yahoo.com or 215-400-2612 . You can connect with us on Facebook and Twitter .  For investment properties, check out our new investor site at Philly Investor Hub and ask us about Philadelphia Foreclosures and Short Sales .

The Somers Team - Philadelphia Real Estate 

Search the MLS Properties Here in Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Real Estate Blog

Click here to receive our Blog updates via email ! 

Areas of specialty include Northern Liberties, Old City, Center City, Fishtown, Graduate Hospital, Art Museum, Queen Village, Pennsport, Old Kensington, Port Richmond, Bridesburg, Society Hill, Loft District, Spring Garden and more !

Philadelphia Short Sales: How Long Will A Short Sale Take?

Philadelphia Short Sales:  That is the question of the year ! It is a great question ! It is one that every Buyer, Seller, and Realtor ask when dealing with Philadelphia Short Sales.   The simple answer is, " Your guess is as good as mine !"  The more appropriate answer is, " It depends on the bank."  Not that either response is a good answer ! 

Chris and I are self proclaimed Short Sale Specialists in Philadelphia. We have had a lot of Short Sale Success in Philadelphia.  It is not that Philly has a sinking Real Estate Market.  In fact just the opposite is true.  We are simply Ready, Willing, and Able to do the work that is needed for a Philadelphia Short Sale.  (Low commissions and lots of work are not popular in our industry.)

Yesterday I was on the phone with Bank of America to discuss one of our pending short sales.  They have a 3 Phase process that I like for educational purposes that we will elaborate on to help answer this elusive question.  I am certainly not thrilled with the length of time it takes for the process.  Their 3 Phase process can explain in a general way, what goes on behind closed doors at most banks and explains why it can take 1 month or 6 months for a short sale to occur !

Phase 0 - The 100% complete Short Sale Package is submitted, digitally recorded and awaits assignment.  This takes 24hrs to 12 days as long as it was received by the right department and every document was submitted and received.  (Note - it is imperative not to submit an incomplete short sale package - a definite way to lose time ! )

Phase 1 - A negotiator is officially assigned to review the package, make sure all documents are there, order the BPO (BPO is like an appraisal). This Phase can take from 25-45 days depending on the bank, their staff, and their work load... and dare I say the quality/integrity of the bank's management.  See featured post regarding my Short Sale NIGHTMARE with TD Bank ! .

Phase 2-  Here a new representative might be assigned. This phase is where changes on the preliminary HUD-1 are made. (HUD-1 is a form that lists all of the money and charges to the seller.) The BPO is reviewed, and they determine if a counter needs to made, then the package is sent to the investor (the ones who own the money) for their review. 25-45 days !

Phase 3 - Once the investor is satisfied, it is possible that yet another person will get assigned to the file. But good news is that the closing negotiations commence. This is when the bank tells you their verdict... Yes, No, Counter Offer, or Yes BUT you need to sign a Note for the deficit.  Phase 3 is when the final settlement procedures are communicated to the Realtor.  At this stage a closing can be scheduled within a few days from acceptance.

We have had Philadelphia Short Sales accepted in 30 days.  We have had Philadelphia Short Sales accepted in 6 months.   But the typical Short Sale is approximately 90 days for us.

If you are involved with a Short Sale, you have to be patient and flexible.  As a Realtor on the Sell Side... there is plenty of paper work and follow up with the bank throughout the process.  Very little information is communicated during the entire process but much work is being done behind the scene by the Bank and the Listing Agent.

I hope this info on Philadelphia Short Sales helps buyers and sellers answer some of their questions about the process.  If you find the information informative, please subscribe to our blog !  Is only a click away !  If you are in our neck of the woods, please contact us via phone or email or ask about our new office location in Northern Liberties !

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If interested in buying or selling properties in Philadelphia, contact Chris and Stephanie Somers at thesomersteam@yahoo.com or 215-400-2612 . You can connect with us on Facebook and Twitter .  For investment properties, check out our new investor site at Philly Investor Hub and ask us about Philadelphia Foreclosures and Short Sales .

The Somers Team - Philadelphia Real Estate - our main site

Search the MLS Properties Here in Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Real Estate Blog

Click here to receive our Blog updates via email ! 

Areas of specialty include Northern Liberties, Old City, Center City, Fishtown, Graduate Hospital, Art Museum, Queen Village, Pennsport, Old Kensington, Port Richmond, Bridesburg, Society Hill, Loft District, Spring Garden and more !

TD Bank Says "No Means No - we choose Foreclosure and do not call here again !"

"No Means No. We have chosen foreclosure. We Will Not Negotiate. We will not put it in writing. Do not call here again. "

This is a true story... this happened today May 11, 2009 from a deal that was sent to TD Bank on March 12, 2009.

After endless weeks of leaving messages with the short sale rep Dawn Dean at TD Bank and never receiving a call back from her, I decided to see if I could speak to her supervisor for assistance.  Joanne, one of the many faceless and genuinely rude service representatives from TD Bank was the lucky gal to get my call today.  Apparently service was not on the menu at TD Bank again since Joanne refused to give me any of the info I requested. After struggling for the mere morsel of assistance with Joanne, she denied there was a supervisor over Dawn Dean and she ended my call by yelling at me saying, "I do not want to get involved!" and she hung up on me abruptly. Wow.  A complete perversion of proper communication.

We somehow found the nonexistent supervisor's name (Jenniffer Zimmerman) and tried to call her. Unfortunately and amazingly my call was expertly intercepted by an Art Brosius who told me, "Jennifer  does not speak to customers."  Either way, he said,  "The decision has been made!" that my client's home "will be foreclosed on". He repeated that "they decided" to not move forward with a short sale.  Who is "THEY" I wondered ?  He also mentioned that since my client was "unable to pay a note for the full amount owed on the property" that "there will be "no negotiating" no effort will be made for a "work out". "The short sale is denied!" "We will not put it in writing!" I was told by this man as he lost total control of his emotions and began to scream at me as if I was his teenage daughter, "NO MEANS NO! DO NOT EVER CALL HERE AGAIN!" I was violently hung up on, aggressively spoken to, and this was the second time today by a TD Bank rep! Brutal ! Guerrilla customer service techniques, wouldn't you say?

You read it right. Today, May 11th, 2 different representative at TD Bank said that they would rather have our client's home fall into a foreclosure than to accept a short sale from a ready willing and able buyer.The BPO / appraisal was completed 2 weeks ago. We had the home listed for sale and for rent for months. There were countless price reductions and a very short list of people interested in even seeing the home.  We originally listed this house in September of 2008 and finally got a deal that was acceptable in March of 2009.

It is amazing in this day and age with the Mortgage Mess and with an economy in crisis that a bank would respond this way.  I would not mind if a professional representative would call us and have a conversation and tell us why this short sale request was denied.  I would be happy to listen.  I wonder what would happen if an executive at TD Bank sees this blog ?  Whatever happened to the folks at Commerce Bank ? If so, please contact us at thesomersteam@yahoo.comor call Chris Somers at 215-400-2612.

It is also amazing how our seller bought this property in the first place and then was able to refinance.  The person who did the appraisal must have never gone inside the property but that is another story...  Could it have been predatory lending ?  How did the appraisal value come in for the REFI ? I do not know... 

For now, it would be just be nice to get an official answer on the short sale.  Or at least have TD Bank respond how they say they do on their customer service website:

TD Bank - What is a workout ?  or

I have an offer on my house but it is less than what I owe.  What can I do ?

As of today, I would suggest TD Bank alter their customer service website and friendly greeting on the phone to say something entirely different such as "We cannot help you.  Do not bother to call" .

What do you think ?

Have any experiences with TD Bank ?

TD Bank - is our experience something that happens often ? 

Please respond with your thoughts and comments.

Another Settled Philadelphia Short Sale - thank you Google and Active Rain !

A few months ago, an out of state seller googled "top producing RE/MAX agent in Philadelphia" and found us - The Somers Team !  He had a property in Overbrook that he needed to do a short sale on.  We got the ball rolling with the client with his hardship letter and obtaining the necessary information from him and determined that he was a great short sale candidate.

The property was not an easy sale even with it priced aggressively. A tenant was on her way out at the property and it was a mess.   The seller did not want to pay for a clean-out as he was jammed up.  There was trash everywhere and an abandoned, broken down-car in the garage.  All in all, we had over 70 showings at the property !

In any event, I used the opportunity to have someone on my team handle the short sale as it would be a great learning experience for her.  The client was fine with this as he was just thrilled that so many people were helping him.  Long story short, another agent from our office brought the buyer, the deal was accepted and submitted to the bank.  And then the waiting... and the waiting...  At the last moment, we demanded from the bank an answer and received the short sale approval.  The buyer's agent went above and beyond by helping clean out the mess at the property as well as arranging for the removal of the old junked-up car.  Now that is what I call client service !  He will have a client for life.

The good news for us is that our record of Philadelphia short sale listings going to settlement remains at 100 percent !  Every deal has settled ! Now that is what I call a high closing ratio ! So for all the folks that are nervous or hate short sales, not for nothing, these deals do close ! 

Also, this is another example of the power of Google and blogging on Active Rain !  After all that is how the seller found us! And on an even more positive note, all the Agents involved in this deal helped save one seller from a foreclosure, helped another buyer receive a great deal and helped the City of Philadelphia by avoiding having a boarded-up property in the Overbrook neighborhood !

We often hear the negativity in regards to short sales but there are also many positives that are happening daily. For this blog post, please comment or share your experiences in terms of what is working or what has worked with the short sales that you have been involved with. 

For related Philadelphia Short Sales blog posts see below:

Short Sale Challenges and Success in Somerton

Short Sale Success in Philadelphia - Third Time was a Charm !

Philadelphia Short Sale Success in Fishtown !

Short Sale Specialists in Philadelphia - what is a short sale ?

Short Sale Specialists in Philadelphia - Plan and Prepare for Success

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If interested in buying or selling properties in Philadelphia, contact Chris and Stephanie Somers at thesomersteam@yahoo.com or 215-400-2612 . You can connect with us on Facebook and Twitter .  For investment properties, check out our new investor site at Philly Investor Hub !

The Somers - Philadelphia Real Estate - our main site

Search the MLS Properties Here in Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Real Estate Blog

Click here to receive our Blog updates via email ! 

Areas of specialty include Northern Liberties, Old City, Center City, Fishtown, Graduate Hospital, Art Museum, Queen Village, Pennsport, Old Kensington, Port Richmond, Bridesburg, Society Hill, Loft District, Spring Garden and more !

Philadelphia Short Sales: Opportunity for Qualified Buyers !

For those of you who are not certain exactly what a Short Sale is, here is my definition: When a homeowner sells their home to a buyer for less than what they owe on their mortgage and the bank agrees to accept that lesser amount as payment in full. In essence the lender agrees to forgive and forget. Hardship must be substantiated of course and some lenders may not completely forgive and forget but for the most part they do. At least that has been my experience.

We have 3 new Short Sale properties that we listed in the last week. It is our unrelenting goal to help our clients toward a fresh start. And what a fantastic opportunity for qualified buyers to take full advantage of these potentially discounted homes.

522 Montrose Street is located in the popular Queen Village neighborhood. Named after Queen Christina, this popular Philadelphia neighborhood stretches from the Delaware River to 6^thSt. and from Lombard to Washington Avenue, and is filled with decades of history, architecture, and culture. 522 Montrose Street is a Duplex property that has been updated throughout. Both of the 2 bedroom bi-level units that can be easily converted into condominiums or rented. This is great for a person looking to off set the cost of their mortgage with the tenant's income. The asking price is only $375,000.

Sample photos of the 1st floor at 522 Montrose Street above. The 2nd floor has heated tile floors and a deck.

2921 Lardner Streetis located in the youngest section of North East Philadelphia called Mayfair (established in the 1930's). The Mayfair boundaries have been long debated but it is loosely located between Frankford Avenue and the Roosevelt Boulevard. I was born in Mayfair in 1966 and my grandmother (who moved from Old Kensington) had a house very much like 2921 Lardner Street. This home has 3 bedrooms and a finished basement as well as a huge deck off of the dining room. It is listed at only $99,900.

2921 Lardner Street Living room above followed by a photo of the deck from the rear driveway.

1324 Cleveland Street is located on a block at the boarder of Graduate Hospital. Graduate Hospital ends at Washington Ave but with all of the development going on in the neighborhood "G-HO" is pushing its boundaries toward Federal Street. Still a little rough around the edges, this home has been partially rehabbed and is waiting for an investor to gobble it up. It has 3 bedrooms, a finished basement, and most cosmetics are completed. The list price is $99,900.

Partially finished kitchen above and a view of the new bathroom fixtures.

If you have questions about Short Sales please contact us. We will do our best to help you.

Related articles on Philadelphia short sales:

Short Sale Challenges and Success in Somerton

Short Sale Success in Philadelphia - Third Time was a Charm !

Philadelphia Short Sale Success in Fishtown !

Short Sale Specialists in Philadelphia - what is a short sale ?

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The Somers - Philadelphia Real Estate

Search the MLS Properties Here in Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Real Estate Blog

Click here to receive our Blog updates via email !

Short Sale Challenges and Success in Somerton (Philadelphia Real Estate)

Listing a property as a short sale typically brings with it great challenges.  Your chances of success right from the beginning are diminished due to all the hurdles that you can go through to get to settlement.  It becomes a business decision for the agent to decide when they take the listing if it makes sense to move foward or to pass.  If it does succeed, one more short sale does mean one less foreclosure !

On December 30th, we had a successful settlement for a property that was a short sale in Somerton (Philadelphia Real Estate) from a listing that we initially put on the market in March 2008.  After 3 buyers and many hurdles, the goal was accomplished !

Below is the story of the deal:

1.  Listing taken in March 2008 - my past clients contacted me about their situation and not knowing what to do.  A friend was going to list their property at "whatever price they wanted" and at a lower commission.  They asked my thoughts.  Once I found out how much they owed on the property due to refinacing during the height of the market, I knew that their only option would be a short sale (or lose the property to foreclosure).  Since my past clients also had a very good case for hardship it made sense to move foward.  They decided to not go with the "friend" and had us list the property in March 2008.

2. Buyer # 1 - We got the property under contract in the first 60 days, but within the first month, the buyer backed away from the deal saying that they could not wait for the short sale to be approved.

3. Back on the market - Property goes back on the market - back to square one !

4. Dealings with the bank - We are told by the bank that the sellers had to do counseing as part of the short sale process.  This had me worried as I was not sure I was going to be able to get husband and wife (who were not living together anymore) to some sort of counseling class.  Isn't this more for buyers, not sellers ?  I blogged about this awhile back and received a call from an executive at the bank that said this step was not necessary after all ??  We got it worked out with the bank.

5. Buyer # 2 - We got the property under contract again at a higher price ! Buyer was putting down 35 percent - everything looked great !

6. Short sale approved - woo hoo !

7. Buyer # 2 cannot procure financing even though he was putting down 35 percent ! Was mislead by the buyer's mortgage company from the beginning and with the mortgage guidelines changing, that did not help.  The buyer calls around several different mortgage professionals but no luck. 

8. Market slows down - after losing all that time with buyer 1 and buyer 2 there is not as much activity.  We have to lower the price and work it out with the seller's bank for they already approved the short sale based on deal number 2 at that higher sales price !!

9.  Negotiatie more with the bank - We needed to get a lower deal accepted, that was apparent.  Also now there is a significant amount of money owed for liens, for Gas bills and water bills.

10.  Buyer # 3 - We have another deal accepted.

11.  After intensive discussions with the bank and updated comparable sales fowarded to the bank, we get the deal accepted and have some of the liens approved by the bank !!

12.  Negotiated an agreement between all of the parties for the excess liens.

13.  Buyers mortgage company requires several certifications last minute over the XMAS holiday in order to approve the loan.  Fortunately for us, we have great relationships with contractors who were able to go out to the property over the XMAS break and provide the certifications.

14. Property settles !

The look of relief on our seller's eyes was priceless and it reminds me of why we became a Realtor to begin with - to help people.   Without the right representation, this property would have been a forecloseure which would have destroyed our sellers credit for years. 

As a consumer, in today's market, it is imperative to have experienced representation right from the beginning, no matter what the situation is.

I had a strong sense of accomplishment, pride and purpose that day.  Was one of the tougher and longer deals, but we put out the effort and got it done !

I am sure as a consumer or an agent, you can relate to these stories.  Please add some of your own tough stories that had a successful outcome during 2008.

For prior blog posts regarding short sales, please see the following posts:

Short Sale Specialists in Philadelphia for those behind on their mortgage

Short Sale Specialists in Philadelphia - Plan and Prepare for Success !

Short Sale Success in Fishtown / Old Kensington

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