Jennifer A. Klein
By Jennifer Klein
The current real estate market is tricky to understand. In this video with Steve Ostrom, we discuss who is obligated to whom, both in a short sale and in the case of bank owned homes. Understanding who our agreements are with as agents will help buyers better navigate the market.
Jennifer Klein is a REALTOR® in Northern California who is experienced in short sales, investments, and property management. Connect with Jen at RosevilleAndRocklin.com, JenKlein.com, and @JenKleinSac.
Cory Brewer
By Cory Brewer
In the past year or so I have run across several examples of REALTORS® (myself included) being tempted to be a “jack of all trades” when it comes to serving their clients. Let’s face it, we don’t want to give up control and we are also worried about potentially giving up a paycheck.
However, is it really in your best interest to step outside your area of expertise? More importantly, is it in your clients’ best interests? Sometimes the answer to these questions is no, and that’s when you have to step back and think about giving up a little bit of that control.
I had an eye-opening conversation with a local colleague of mine recently who focuses his entire business on short sales. I have closed my fair share of them, but that is virtually ALL he does. The point of the conversation came down to a key statistic: Success Rate. This REALTOR® closes about 90 percent of all short sale listings that he puts on the market, whereas the national average is somewhere around 25 percent.
Here is the food for thought: Are you better off busting your hump to have a 25 percent chance at a 100 percent commission (which could very well be reduced by the lien holders, especially if you’re not a seasoned short sale negotiator) or are you better off referring it out and having a 90 percent chance at a 25 percent referral commission? Think about all the time, effort, and marketing dollars that go into a listing. Now think about how much longer (and how much more work) it takes to see a short sale through to closing successfully. And finally, think about who is truly doing a better job for the client…you, or the specialist that you trust to take care of them? Continue reading »
Jennifer A. Klein
By Jennifer Klein
When in doubt, it’s best to disclose. Protect your sellers’ best interest with this advice:
Jennifer Klein is a REALTOR® in Northern California who is experienced in short sales, investments, and property management. Connect with Jen at RosevilleAndRocklin.com, JenKlein.com, and @JenKleinSac.
TG Gallaudet
By TG Gallaudet
Wait…I’m totally lying. Is there anything more painful? 
It’s no mystery that short sales can be really tough because of all the variables involved:
* Unclear timelines from the bank.
* Undisclosed liens.
* Back HOA expenses the bank won’t pay.
* Non-straightforward buyer.
* Inexperienced listing agent.
* Cash contributions (increasingly more and more).
* Etc., Etc., Etc…
But the hardest side to represent as an agent is the buyer’s side of a short sale because the buyer’s agent has no control of ANYTHING, and has to hope for a solid listing agent who knows what they’re doing. Right?
I just ended a painful short sale transaction where I represented the buyer that lasted 7 months and went nowhere. Granted, it wasn’t the easy one-loan in equator kinda deal, but we had absolutely no worthwhile answer from the bank after 7 months, which is totally inexcusable in 2011 as far as I’m concerned. The main problem, in my opinion, is that the listing agent saw this sale as a small income producer and pawned the negotiation responsibilities over to his part time TC. The TC had little-to-no experience with short sales, or negotiating any deals, and therefore little experience in working with banks. Because of her inexperience, I think she had little confidence in dealing with the bank and their personnel and couldn’t push back or demand results when she was entitled to do so. After being a listing agent on several short sales, I’ve come to understand that the burden of success lies heavily on the listing agent and specifically how s/he communicates to both the buyers’ agent and buyer, how she sets expectations and what answers she deems acceptable from the bank. Continue reading »
Jennifer A. Klein
By Jennifer Klein
Sometimes short sale clients need to be referred to a tax professional or real estate attorney. Overcome your fear of losing the listing and do your due-diligence as a real estate professional.
Jennifer Klein is a REALTOR® in Northern California who is experienced in short sales, investments, and property management. Connect with Jen at RosevilleAndRocklin.com, JenKlein.com, and @JenKleinSac.
Kelly Reark
By Kelly Reark
I have been representing a buyer since June of this year when he made the decision to put in an offer on a short sale. We aren’t closed yet, and it has been a bumpy road. Our journey actually began in January of 2007, but who’s counting?
There are many ways that this deal could die along the way. Here are my top five buyer bail scenarios that could stop you in your tracks.
1. Before actually writing the offer, counsel your buyer on what a short sale will likely involve. Make sure they are prepared for the waiting game. It is up to you to keep them interested and excited about their purchase.
2. Buyer’s remorse. Are the buyers seeing other properties sell for the same amount or less than the one they have the offer in on? A longer waiting period between the offer and the acceptance can issue a set of military spec cold feet. Keep a working CMA for your buyer that you can update during the waiting period. Point out the benefits to the home they have chosen.
3. Work with the lender to get your buyer’s finances in order ahead of time. If they are serious about making a purchase, they should begin the paper trail for their loan package long before hearing back from the seller’s representative. State your contract in such a way that there will be ample time to complete a mortgage after the seller’s approval comes back. (And lock in that great rate!) In the case that their offer is denied, they will be ready for the next one. Continue reading »
Jonathan Osman
By Jonathan Osman
If you ever want to start a heated discussion among agents in my area, ask them their opinion of short sales. What will pour forth is the most draw-dropping tales of sheer lunacy; always ending with “I’ll never show or sell another short sale again.”
This presents a problem for me on a number of levels. First, to my own self interests, I list and sell short sale listings. While most of the agents I have interacted have not done business with my group, they are hesitant to jump back into one of these transactions with anyone…and I totally get that. Out of the four short sale contracts written by my buyer agents on other listings, only one closed. Today in the Charlotte area, we have more than a 13 month supply of short sale listings and only a 3 month supply of REOs. That may not say much until you learn that the actual inventory numbers for the REOs are slightly higher than the short sales; the results of those bad experiences.
Beyond my own interests is the interest of a home owner facing foreclosure. Due to any number of hardships, they now face the difficult prospect of losing their home, a future deficiency judgment, and possible bankruptcy if things don’t work out this time. Along with that home owner is a neighborhood with values that drop with every foreclosure, pushing another home owner to a short sale, strategic default, or walk-away. The most profound statistic I compiled through data in our local MLS and through the state was that last year, more home owners lost their home to foreclosure in my county (the largest in North Carolina) than agents closed homes through the MLS. Continue reading »
Dave Robison
By Dave Robison
Mo Money Mo Problems! Bank of America has got it all. If they can’t even order a payoff, how is the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program (HAFA) going to help? Do a short sale with them in 30 days! And a cry for help!
If the government gave you $45 billion dollars, what could you do with it? With that amount of money most of us probably think we could change the world! Bank of America got that much in bailout money. They got MO MONEY, but it looks like they aren’t changing the world, it looks like they have just inherited MO PROBLEMS! Yes, we all know the nightmare on their short sales; however there are more problems than that. Bank of America can’t even order a payoff for a home that isn’t a short sale and they are foreclosing on the wrong mortgage on property where they issued a reconveyance on their own loan.
There is some good news out there. There’s a practitioner in my CYBERSTAR Agent Network (group of practitioners nationwide) who did a B of A short sale in 30 days. I’ve been using equator.com to do short sales with Bank of America as well and have accomplished a 60 day turnaround. The main hiccup with us wasn’t B of A; it was my seller getting their information entered into their system. It is an online system that we knew they were going to convert to over a year ago. It took them a while to implement it but its up and running and working good! So here are the tips in working with B of A on short sales:
Tip one: Sign up on Equator.com Our short sale process has gone from 6+ months to 2 months. Continue reading »
Laura Rubinchuk
By Laura Rubinchuk
For the past two years, I’ve been able to bury my head in the sand when it comes to distressed properties. It’s just not a huge part of the market in the area I do most of my business. As of this morning, only about 6 percent of the active listings were short sales, and fewer than 3 percent were REOs. However, hearing of the shadow inventory that’s possibly coming on, and that most of the properties that were bought in 2005-2007 around here are underwater (some more than others) I finally pulled my head out of the sand and realized it’s not going anyway any time soon, and probably will increase in market share.
I attended a seminar on “The Truth About Short Sales” this week. The amount of information that I didn’t know, and didn’t know that I SHOULD know made my head spin. It got me wondering… how many “short sale experts” are doing a real disservice to their clients? How many want a quick sale and push a short sale without considering the whole picture? I know that I’m not qualified to tell you whether a short sale, foreclosure, bankruptcy, or using your house as a coffin and continuing to pay is the best option. But I can listen. I can help you make sense of a messy situation and direct you to the resources who can help you get to the right decision for you.
As real estate professionals, we know what the market is doing. Are prices coming up any time soon? If not, you know how to market and sell the property, when/if a short sale is right for the client. If not, direct them to someone who can help. Earning someone’s trust in a very uncertain time is hard, but rewarding. Not only will you feel good about helping someone who desperately needs it, but I bet you they’ll be loyal for life. Be a neighbor, be a friend, first and foremost, by putting their needs ahead of your agenda.
Laura Rubinchuk, GRI, is a real estate practitioner with Keller Williams Realty in McLean, Va. Visit her blog at www.ArlingtonRealEstateNews.com or her Web site at www.TheLJRGroup.com.
Brian Copeland
By Brian Copeland
I love reading warning labels. One of my favorites is “For external use only,” which has been spotted on numerous curling irons. Another favorite is on a child’s Halloween superman costume that says “Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly.”
Wouldn’t it be great if homes came with warning signs posted with the true warnings that buyers may need to know? Here are some of the signs I’d recommend.
“Warning! This house is overpriced by $30K because the seller has been under a rock for the past 18 months.” Real estate practitioners carry the power to prevent this label, but find that getting the sign in the yard, getting the bragging rights that he/she “won” the listing, or getting to put it in an internet lead system to get more buyers is more important than being honest with the seller. The same holds true for a buyer’s agent who is too concerned about a paycheck to pull true comparatives for a buyer.
We have the responsibility to point out the pricing warning sign to today’s buyers and sellers. We need to tell sellers, “Oh, and by the way, if you think that you should price it higher because you need negotiation room, you may not see any showings and your home may become stigmatized as a stale home. This could cause buyers to question their ability to resale the home in the future.” As a buyer’s agent we should pull comparatives for every home that has landed in the client’s top five for consideration before going to contract.
“This house is lipstick on a pig.” It’s one of my favorite pulled quotes that the local CBS affiliated pulled out of an interview they did with me when I THOUGHT the camera was off. It holds true though. Some renovated homes are pretty, cosmetic make-up put on a trash of a structure. Be super cautious of renovated homes. If someone is renovating homes in this market, likely they are smart, conscientious and know what they are doing. Only the best try this buy, remodel, resale market of 2009 and 2010. Continue reading »
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