Short Sale Tips

Realtors seem to have a genetic predisposition toward- or away from- short sales. There are some truths: they can take a long time to close, the foreclosure department can work behind the scenes to squash a deal, and lenders can be frustrating to deal with. BUT- short sales are a fact of life, and if we truly want to help our clients, we need to learn to deal with them. I'm looking for any opportunity to help people in real estate and establish strong relationships. That's why I worked to get my SFR designation- short sale/foreclosure resource. I am helping people that don't know where else to turn, don't have time to chase down lender reps, and are just plain scared of losing their homes, having their credit score torpedoed, and dealing with the other issues that got them in the fix in the first place. Tip: don't wait until you've missed four or five payments to contact a realtor. If you miss ONE payment, get on the horn-- because the bank is tracking you! Many times just talking with the lender creates some credibility for working out your problems- don't create an emergency and expect someone else to bail you out. Any thoughts on this issue??

Housing Market PreCursor?

National press noted new job creation is edging up, which is a major indicator of economic health. Although there are many still out of work, and the hiring criteria tend to favor those currently employed, the trend is encouraging for my market, residential housing. People will follow that old pyramid of needs, by taking care of survival matters, first(getting a job for food money), then improving shelter and self esteem(housing!) Got my fingers crossed for continued improvement!