Monday, December 22, 2008

A great opportunity for the smart real estate investor

By Rem

The term 'real estate short sale' is being bandied about more and more as of late. The popularity of real estate short sales in TV and other media can be attributed to financial institutions choosing them over foreclosure in a negative real estate market.

In all parts of the country, real estate prices are down and the time it takes to sell properties has risen dramatically. It is no exaggeration to say that some regions are experiencing a virtual market meltdown (the Detroit market is one good example). A real estate market that is not doing so well is the giving the need for short sale real estate opportunities to grow.

A real estate short sale happens when a bank lets a property be sold for less than the amount owed on it. In order for this to occur, two conditions must be met. Firstly: Market values are such that the property's sale price cannot cover the outstanding mortgage balance(s). An inability to make additional payments on the property is the second requirement.

Let's look at an example property that was bought five years ago for the rate of 217,000 dollars with an adjustable rate mortgage. Two years after purchasing their property, the owners also took an additional mortgage out, to the price of 10,000 dollars. In a five year time span, the amount the mortgages would have been paid is negligible. Further assume that the property is in a part of the country where market values have fallen to 215,000 dollars for comparable properties, and that the adjustable mortgage interest rate has recently increased from 7 to 11 percent. Once one of the owners loses their job, the situation is ripe for a real estate short sale.

A foreclosure costs a lot of money and time delays that the bank may not want to waste, and thus, they might allow a short sale instead. It's better to accept a definite amount of money right away, so that the property can be off the bank's book, than to accept an unknown amount at a distant point in the future. This is generally how a real estate short sale works, though there are other complications that can arise from having owners and lenders not agreeing to the terms of the sale.

A real estate short sale is an unpleasant experience for an owner, but it is not the worst thing in the world. If nothing else, it certainly beats being forced to accept a foreclosure on your credit report. On the other hand, a truly savvy investor can take advantage of these short sales for excellent buying opportunities. - 16955

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