The short-sale process is expected to get shorter starting June 15. New guidelines issued under the Federal Housing Finance Agency will require Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to give homebuyers of short sales notice of their final decision within 60 days. The new guidelines also will require the mortgage giants to respond to initial short-sale requests within 30 days of receiving an offer.
The speedier process is expected to be a boost to the housing market, Michael McHugh, president of the Empire State Mortgage Bankers Association, told the New York Times. Homebuyers and sellers often have to wait months before they receive a short sale decision from a lender. Some deals fall apart just from the wait alone.
Short sales have been increasing in recent months as many lenders find them more appealing than foreclosures, which can cost more and take longer to remove from their books.
Short sales now outpace foreclosure sales in many parts of the country. Short sales represent more than 14 percent of existing-home sales, according to CoreLogic housing data from March, the most recent month available.
McHugh says that a faster short-sale process may be particularly helpful in speeding the recovery in judicial states, where foreclosures must go through the courts before they are approved. Now short sales may be viewed by defaulting homeowners as more of an option if they want to avoid foreclosure.
“There should be a significant improvement in the turnaround,” McHugh said regarding housing markets with judicial foreclosure processes.
Source: “Speeding Up Short Sales,” The New York Times (May 24, 2012)
A short sale occurs when a seller, sells his/her home for less than the amount owed. For example, seller A owes $100,000 for their single family home, but sells to buyer A for $50,000. Since the home is sold for less than what the seller owed, this transaction is called a “Short Sale”. Short sale homes relieve the seller of a mortgage they could no longer afford and allow a buyer to purchase the home at a great price point. The short sale process could be cumbersome and takes a lot longer than traditional sales. The turnaround times can be anywhere from 90 days to nine months, sometimes even longer. According to the latest Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance HousingPulse Tracking Survey, short sale purchases for first time buyers have dropped to 39.7% of total transactions for the month of August. The survey further explains that buyers are frustrated with the approval response times, the extended time to close and the unexpected delays. Some buyers consider placing multiple offers on different homes and choses the home that wins the race to the closing table. When looking to purchase a short sale, hire a Realtor who can help you uncover all that you can about the home.
