Things to Know About a Snohomish County Short Sale and Everett Foreclosures
What expenses can a homeowner expect in a short sale?
First, there is no cost to list your home as a short sale. When you list your home as a short sale, you sign a listing agreement with us saying that we will collect a commission at closing. That commission is not coming out of your pocket. You do not have to bring it to closing. The commission will be deducted from the proceeds that your lender receives from the buyer.
Your lender will pay for most of the closing costs. Each lender has different policies regarding fees. If you are behind in your property taxes, the lender will pay those at closing from the proceeds of the sale.
Your lender will not allow you to have one penny from this sale. Any monies that you receive must be given to your lender. If anybody tells you that they are going to give you money for selling your house as a short sale, they would be committing "mortgage fraud". We suggest that you do not take any "deals" like that.Your short sale lender is going to require that you pay all of your utility costs. Some utilities will place a lien on your property if you are late with your payments. Pay special attention to your water and sewer bill.
Choosing Qualified Representation!
Experience is crucial in this process. You need to ask the right questions:
How long have you been negotiating short sales, and how many have you done?
Our team has over 30 combined years of full time real estate experience, plus attorneys who specialize in real estate and tax law.
Who handles the negotiation on the seller’s behalf?
Some agents will outsource the entire negotiation process, missing one of the key elements for advancing the sale to closing.
What are my tax liabilities?
This is a big question that needs special attention. It must be answered by a qualified professional. We will help guide you to the professionals who specialize in short sale law and taxes..
Rebuilding your credit.
Fannie Mae recently changed their underwriting guidelines. If you complete a short sale you could qualify for a new mortgage in as soon as two years. With a foreclosure it can be five to seven years.
As you can see this is not a typical transaction and by choosing the wrong representation you can put yourself one step closer to a foreclosure.