A home owner thinking of a short sale recently asked us why they should short sale versus just walking away and letting their lender foreclose on the home. We gave them the normal answer: “It’s much better for your credit.”
That was the first thing that popped into our head. But, I knew there are more benefits to a home owner than simply better credit. So I put together the entire list and here they are.
Discover how other sellers successfully did a short sale to avoid foreclosure by clicking here.
1. The upside down debt is erased in most cases. If you are selling because of a financial hardship, then the upside down debt will be automatically erased in most cases. Is your loan is owned or insured by the following agencies: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, and or VA? If you are short selling because of a financial hardship, their policies state that your debt will be erased.
2. You are eligible to buy another home much sooner compared to a foreclosure. The most common loan program, Fannie Mae, stipulates that you can buy another home under their program in 2 years. FHA, a popular low down payment loan program stipulates that you can qualify for an FHA loan within 3 years.
3. No Cost To You. That is right. A short sale costs you nothing. All of the expenses are paid for by your lender. That includes the title insurance, any county taxes or fees on the sale, attorney fees, and the Real Estate Agent. If the lender foreclosed on the house and then tried to sell it, they would have to pay all the costs. So why not pay the costs with a short sale?
4. Your credit suffers less damage. Most people think that a short sale will be the kiss of death to their credit. That is the one big advantage of a short sale over a foreclosure.
Upon completion of the short sale, your credit score will drop between 50 and 100 points. However it will rebound fairly quickly. The other benefit is that you will have less debt. (A lot of debt hurts your credit score.) You will have a lower debt to income ratio, which will boost your credit.
In a couple of years your credit will be back to normal and you can buy another home. In addition, anything and everything bad on your credit can be fixed thru the dispute process.
5. You can often rent a comparable house for less than your former mortgage payment. In one example, a homeowner in foreclosure found a larger home. It even had a fenced backyard for their kid and a garage. Their prior mortgage payment was $1,500. They rented the nicer, bigger house for $850 a month.
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