From the category archives:

Short Sales

Negotiation With Short Sale Lenders

Short sale negotiationsIn working in the short sale arena for the last five plus years, I have seen lenders do just about everything when it comes to negotiating short sales with home owners. There really is no “standard” in short sales. The way one short sale file at one particular lender is handled can be totally different on the next.

One of the biggest reasons for this is that every lender has different investors that actually own the loans. There could be more than twenty five different investors that have interests in loans at one lending institution. So for example just because Bank of America may have done something for a home owner in one circumstance does not mean they would do the same thing for another home owner in the exact same circumstance.

More often than not this is because one investor may not have the same needs or requirements as another investor.

There are basically three scenarios for a seller when completing a short sale. They are a:

  • Cash contribution to the lender at closing.
  • Signing a promissory note to pay back some portion of the short sale debt.
  • A combination of these two things.
  • A complete debt removal.

The biggest consideration for most home owners completing a short sale is debt removal. My goal of course in any short sale is to get the most favorable terms and conditions for the seller which is a complete debt removal. Going back five years ago getting complete short sale debt removal was a lot easier than it is today. Many lenders today want sellers to have some kind of  “skin in the game” if they are going to grant a short sale.

In my experience the terms that most home owners get from short sale lenders is very favorable. Home owners are typically asked to bring a cash contribution or sign a note that basically amounts to pennies on the dollar compared to what they owe.

A typical scenario could be a home owner being substantially under water…..for argument sake let’s say $100,000. It would not be unusual for a lender to ask the seller to bring $5000 to the closing and letting the short sale take place. Another possibility if the seller does not have $5000 is to work out a promissory note. Maybe the lender asks for a$15,000 note to be paid back over the next five years at an attractive interest rate. As mentioned previously it could be a combination of these two options. These are just quick examples to give you an understanding of what happens in the short sale world on a daily basis.

There can be circumstances although not real often, where the lender will only accept a cash contribution in order to close. The short sale lender may have this requirement for one of the following reasons:

  • The seller has money in liquid accounts.
  • The seller has not been late with any mortgage payments.
  • The cash contribution is a requirement of waiving the deficiency (debt removal).
  • The seller has a good credit score and are current with other debt.
  • The residence is an investment property.

One of the most difficult parts of going through a short sale as a seller is the long wait involved from the time you get an offer from a buyer until the time you actually begin negotiations with the lender. Sometimes there can be months in between the two. As a seller it is easy to feel in the dark and helpless. There can be times where you will be in this waiting game wondering what the lender is going to require of you and then their request finally comes. They ask you for a cash contribution that you just don’t have.

I have an outstanding short sale attorney that works on behalf of the seller with all of my short sale transactions. In a circumstance where the lender asks for a cash contribution that the seller just can’t come up with the first course of action will be to try to work out an amicable compromise with the lender/investor. This would typically be one of the following:

  • Negotiate to get the cash contribution lowered to something the seller was able to bring to closing.
  • See if the seller can get the funds from a family member or borrow from them.
  • Try to get the lender to accept a promissory note instead.
  • Ask the buyer to pay the cash contribution if lender allowed this to occur.

Short sale cash contributionIn the vast majority of the short sales I have been involved in we have been able to work it out so a compromise was reached and everyone got what they wanted. Should sale negotiations can be difficult at times but if you know what your doing common ground can often be reached.

What would you need to do in the rare instance where a large cash contribution was required that the owner just did not have and the lender would not budge? If all else fails what you would need to do in the scenario above is to put the home back on the market and build in a cash contribution to the lender right into the transaction.

So for example you would add a cash contribution for the lender on behalf of the seller on line 104 of the buyer’s side of the HUD settlement statement. You would also place the same contribution on line 404 of the seller’s side of the HUD as a “Cash Contribution To The Lender”. The  payoff amount would then go to the lender.

This is how short sale negotiations work with lenders. If you know what you are doing you can usually find common ground. Of course there are numerous things to look for in a short sale contract which I have covered in a number of articles I have written.

Other short sales articles worth a look:

If you are need to short sale your home or condominium in Ashland, Bellingham, Blackstone, Douglas, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Natick, Northboro, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southboro, Sutton, Wayland, Westboro, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton and Uxbridge MA.

I am successfully completing short sales through out the Metrowest Massachusetts and Worcester County areas. So far, knock on wood, I have a 100% success rate for short sale approval! Short sales are specialized transactions that are critical to have the right Realtor representing you. Do not make the mistake of picking an agent that does not understand how to get to the closing table on a short sale. Nationally less than 30% of all short sales close!

If you are outside of the Metrowest Massachusetts area and need to do a short sale please feel free to contact me and I would be happy to refer you to a Realtor in your location that handles short sales and knows what they are doing! I have referred short sales to other Realtors all around the country.

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About the author: The above Real Estate information on Short sale negotiations – seller cash contributions was provided by Bill Gassett, a Nationally recognized leader in his field. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-435-5356. Bill has helped people move in and out of many Metrowest towns for the last 25+ Years.

Thinking of selling your home? I have a passion for Real Estate and love to share my marketing expertise!

I service the following towns in Metrowest MA: Ashland, Bellingham, Blackstone, Douglas, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Natick, Northboro, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southboro, Sutton, Wayland, Westboro, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton and Uxbridge MA.

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Short sale or foreclosure?It is probably safe to assume that most consumers like to work with folks they know can be trusted. In Real Estate, like some other businesses there are those that can always be counted on for delivering great advice and others that only care about their own pocket book.

I always tell people some of the best Real Estate agents are those that don’t NEED to make a sale! It makes perfect sense because an agent that NEEDS business is far more likely to tell a buyer or seller something they want to hear rather than the truth.

Short sales unfortunately are a specialized Real Estate transaction where information is often times bandied about with no basis of fact. Many Realtors blindly go around telling people in financial distress that a short sale is better for their financial future because their credit score will not be impacted like going through a foreclosure.

Folks this could not be further from the truth! While there are certainly advantages of pursuing a short sale vs foreclosure, credit scoring is NOT one of them. There will be plenty of Realtors that will read this and argue with me telling me I am wrong.

As a Realtor who is tech savvy and social media connected you will see many of my articles in places such as Linkedin, Twitter and other Real Estate forums.

They will see some of my short sale articles and flat out tell me that I have incorrect information. When I mention the credit scoring impact of a short sale compared to a foreclosure is just about the same they scowl in disbelief. They will tell me I don’t know what I am talking about because they just learned differently at some short sale course their local Real Estate board was putting on. At this point I will be laughing because the people that teach these courses are usually Realtors that couldn’t make it in the business. They teach this nonsense because it is propaganda that helps get Realtors more business.

By now you are probably thinking how do I know the credit scoring impact is similar in these two financially stressful events. You have every right to be wondering! I know because I go right to the source. My FICO is the governing body for credit scoring including what happens in both a short sale and foreclosure.

Short sale vs foreclosure credit scoring impacts

Since I am often getting challenged on the credit scoring impacts by other Realtors and get asked all the time by my clients, I am going to share a very interesting study that was conducted by Fair Issac corporation.

The FICO study took various types of mortgage delinquencies on three credit bureau profiles of consumers that had scores of 680, 720 and 780, respectively. The study focused on consumers whose credit characteristics (e.g., utilization, delinquency history, age of file) were typical of the three score points considered. All of the consumers had an active currently-paid-as-agreed mortgage on file.

Results of this credit scoring study are shown below. The first chart shows the impact on the credit score for each stage of delinquency and the second shows how long it takes the score to fully “recover” after the fact including a short sale or foreclosure.

Credit Scoring Short Sale vs ForeclosureWhat you can easily see by this  study is that there is a negligible difference in credit scoring when comparing a foreclosure or short sale. While it seems unfair, those that had a higher credit score to start will see a greater scoring drop. In addition, the higher starting score, the longer it takes for the score to fully recover.

While there is a minimal difference in scoring impact between moderate and severe delinquencies, there may be a significant difference in time required for the score to recover completely.

These statistics are right from the guys that make credit scoring. They are not opinions. This is actual data that was put together and sourced by FICO themselves.

Benefits of a short sale vs foreclosure

So what are the benefits of going through a short sale rather than letting a lender foreclose on your property? The biggest advantage is that you will be able to buy another home in the future a lot quicker than you would with a foreclosure. Generally speaking the turnaround time for getting another loan after completing a short sale is two to three years. In a foreclosure it is typically five to seven years. There are a number of circumstances that can affect the time frame including whether the loan is FHA, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. For a complete financing guide see buying a home after short sale or foreclosure.

One of the other big factors you need to consider is your employment status. There are a number of large companies that will not hire a new employee that has a foreclosure on their resume. While this may not seem fair with all the financial turmoil that has taken place over the last five years, employers look at a foreclosure as a black mark on your record. In other words when you short sale a property you are owing up to a financial commitment. In a foreclosure you are walking away and taking no responsibility for your debt.

The last reason why more and more will choose a short sale over a foreclosure is just the sheer embarrassment of going through a foreclosure proceeding. In some states an auction is held right on the front lawn of the property. Who wants to lose their home and then have salt rubbed in the wound by watching a bunch of buyers compete over it. This is an unsettling experience for most.

The goal of almost anyone that goes through a short sale or foreclosure will be to improve their financial stability moving forward. Of course improving the impact a short sale or foreclosure had on their credit scores will typically be one of the first areas that people look at once they are back on their feet. There are certain things you can do to help fix your finances after a short sale or foreclosure that are covered in this helpful article.

Unfortunately, sometimes people just don’t realize they have options and just lose their home to foreclosure. Many have never taken the time to do any research and just assume there are no alternatives. A short sale can be a great alternative for some home owners – best of luck if you are one of them!

If you are need to short sale your home or condo in Ashland, Bellingham, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holden, Holliston, Hopedale, Hopkinton, Medway, Mendon, Millbury, Milford, Southboro, Westboro, Natick, Northboro, Northbridge, Whitinsville, Upton, Uxbridge, Shrewsbury, Sutton, or Worcester get in touch! I would love to interview for the chance to represent your short sale transaction.

I am successfully completing short sales through out the Metrowest Massachusetts and Worcester County areas. So far, knock on wood, I have a 100% success rate for short sale approval! Short sales are difficult transactions that are critical to have the right Realtor representing you. Do not make the mistake of picking a Real Estate agent that does not have experience closing short sale transactions.

If you are outside of the Metrowest/Worcester Massachusetts area and need to do a short sale please feel free to contact me and I would be happy to refer you to a Realtor in your location that handles short sales and knows what they are doing! I have referred short sales to other Realtors all around the country.

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About the author: The above Real Estate information on Credit scoring impacts of short sale vs foreclosure was provided by Bill Gassett, a Nationally recognized leader in his field. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-435-5356. Bill has helped people move in and out of many Metrowest towns for the last 25+ Years.

Thinking of selling your home? I have a passion for Real Estate and love to share my marketing expertise!

I service the following towns in Metrowest MA: Ashland, Bellingham, Blackstone, Douglas, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Natick, Northboro, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southboro, Sutton, Wayland, Westboro, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton and Uxbridge MA.

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Getting a mortgage after foreclosure

There are not many things that can negatively impact your credit score more than a foreclosure or short sale. In fact one of the more common untruths you will hear from many Realtors is that short sales don’t impact your credit scores like foreclosures do. This is absolutely WRONG!

If you fail to pay your mortgage during a short sale the credit score impact will be nearly identical to a foreclosure according to My FICO the governing body for credit scoring.

Being a Realtor myself for the last twenty five years it does not surprise me when I hear this misinformation being spewed in person or around the internet.  Some Real Estate agents will paint a short sale as your ticket to the promised land and a foreclosure as a ticket to financial misery for the rest of your life.

They do this of course because they want you to list the property with them as a short sale. A true Real Estate professional should be going over all possible financial options with you and not just looking to put money in their wallet.

There are of course advantages to doing a short sale but a better credit score is not one of them unless you are able to complete a short sale without missing mortgage payments. The sad truth is that most but not all of the time a lender is not going to grant short sale approval unless you are behind in your mortgage payments. From a lender’s perspective if you are able to continue paying your mortgage why should they grant you a short sale?

The advantages of a short sale vs a foreclosure center around the time you will be able to purchase a home again in the future. You will be able to buy a home after completing a short sale much quicker than a foreclosure.

For a complete breakdown of how quickly you can get financing after both of these events see getting a mortgage after short sale or foreclosure. If you can show extenuating circumstances of why you had to do a short sale or lost your home to foreclosure you may be able to get a loan sooner. Some of the acceptable hardships that could factor into a lenders decision are divorce, loss of a job and unexpected medical expenses.

Another advantage of a short sale is how future employers, as well as other types of creditors look at you in the future. Having a foreclosure on your resume is not something an employer is going to look at favorably. In a short sale you have at least attempted to live up to your debt and not just walk away.

Owning a home again after a foreclosure/short sale

Work on increasing your credit score

Fixing bad credit

One of the most important steps you can take to getting back into the home ownership arena after a foreclosure is to work on increasing your credit scores. This article provides some excellent tips on building back your credit score as quickly as possible. There is no doubt that building your credit score after a foreclosure or short sale is a difficult task. On average you can expect your score to drop between 150-200 points so you will have a lot of work to do!

Two or the most important things you can do to raise your score is to pay your bills on time and keep your credit card bills below the maximum levels.

Keep your employment stable

One of the things lenders look for with borrowers especially after a short sale or foreclosure is employment stability. Unless you have the opportunity to move into a position that offers a much higher pay you will be better off sticking with the job you have. The lender is going to want to see you are grounded with work and not changing jobs.

Rebuild your savings after foreclosure

Lenders are also going to want to see that you have squirreled away some money. Working on saving any extra money so that your nest egg is built back up becomes important. A six month reserve is a safe bet to show lenders that you have a fall back plan should you happen to become unemployed.

Owning a home again after short sale or foreclosure is certainly achievable is you work diligently towards getting your financial house in order!

Other Short sale articles worth a look:

If you are need to short sale your home or condominium in Ashland, Bellingham, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holden, Holliston, Hopedale, Hopkinton, Medway, Mendon, Millbury, Milford, Southboro, Westboro, Natick, Northboro, Northbridge, Whitinsville, Upton, Uxbridge, Shrewsbury, Sutton or Worcester get in touch! I would love to interview for the chance to represent your best interests.

I am successfully completing short sales through out the Metrowest Massachusetts and Worcester County areas. So far, knock on wood, I have a 100% success rate for short sale approval! Short sales are specialized transactions that are critical to have the right Realtor representing you. Do not make the mistake of picking an agent that does not understand how to get to the closing table on a short sale.

If you are outside of the Metrowest Massachusetts area and need to do a short sale please feel free to contact me and I would be happy to refer you to a Realtor in your location that handles short sales and knows what they are doing! I have referred short sales to other Realtors all around the country.

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About the author: The above Real Estate information on Fixing your finances after foreclosure or short sale was provided by Bill Gassett, a Nationally recognized leader in his field. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-435-5356. Bill has helped people move in and out of many Metrowest towns for the last 25+ Years.

Thinking of selling your home? I have a passion for Real Estate and love to share my marketing expertise!

I service the following towns in Metrowest MA: Ashland, Bellingham, Blackstone, Douglas, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Natick, Northboro, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southboro, Sutton, Wayland, Westboro, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton and Uxbridge MA.

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Short Sale Problems

One of the grossly misunderstood topics in Real Estate is the short sale transaction. There are a large number of Realtors who unfortunately do not possess the knowledge to properly educate their clients on what should be expected of them when trying to make a short sale purchase.

The problem is further exacerbated because there are an inordinate amount of Realtors who are now listing short sales who have no business doing so!

Having poor seller representation in a short sale is far worse than a traditional sale because the home owner is relying on this person to help them navigate out of a financially difficult time.  Without a short sale approval the most likely outcome is a foreclosure which is the very thing a seller was trying to avoid by going the short sale route.

As the volume of short sales has grown so has the amount of Realtors who are looking to cash in. Money all too often gets in the way of sound decision making.

The code of ethics in Real Estate clearly states that you should not get involved in a type of Real Estate transaction in which you have no expertise.

This is the reason why there will be short sale lawsuits against Realtors! When I am representing a seller in a short sale and receive an offer from a buyer’s agent, most of the time the offer will have significant changes that need to be made in order to protect the seller’s interest.

Below are 8 reasons why you will more than likely NOT be buying one of my clients short sales if you don’t agree to modify your offer:

Low ball short sale offer ~ If you think a short sale is an automatic invitation to submit a ridiculous offer to the seller you might as well not even bother. The majority of the time you will see my short sales priced right at market value or even slightly below market.

The property is already a bargain to begin with. Both buyer’s and seller’s need to understand that once a short sale offer is submitted to the lender they will be sending out either an appraiser or Real Estate agent to do a broker price opinion (BPO). The contract price needs to be within reasonable proximity to market value or the offer will be rejected.

Inappropriate escrow funds ~ In Massachusetts the typical deposit when buying a home is $1000 at the offer and a balance of 5% upon signing a purchase and sale agreement, as we are a two contract state. These figures are of course negotiable but don’t expect you are going to be putting up two nickels the seller can rub together. The whole point of having escrow funds is to ensure a buyer does not walk away from the transaction. You need to have enough funds to prevent that from being easy to do.

Doing a home inspection after short sale approval ~ This is not in the slightest bit negotiable. A buyer will do their home inspection up front in the normal time frame for doing an inspection which is typically 7-10 days from the offer being accepted. Do you really think we are going to wait a significant amount of time to get short sale approval and then you are going to be able to walk because you don’t like the the fact there are no GFI plugs in the bathroom or the water heater is at the end of it’s life expectancy? Sorry friend it does not work that way.

Short Sale Success Massachusetts

If you are buying a short sale and are worrying about losing $400-500 you shouldn’t be looking at one. Additionally, if there are issues from a home inspection you can negotiate a possible credit. Once short sale approval comes the lender doesn’t want to hear about any problems.

As a buyer the other thing to consider is the fact that you would be out of the market for months when you could have discovered an issue that might cause you not to move forward without waiting all that time.

Leaving the purchase and sale signing date until after short sale approval ~ You are either going to purchase the home or you aren’t. We will not be waiting until after short sale approval to have a contract in place. Everything will be negotiated and agreed to up front.

Not getting a financing commitment right away ~ If you are going to purchase one of my short sale listings you will apply and get your financing before short sale approval. When the lender approves the short sale they will more than likely ask for a 30 day closing. We will NOT be waiting to find out if you are able to get financing that quickly or if at all!

Submitting an unrealistic closing date ~ Short sales should really be called “long sales” because most of the time they take longer to complete than a traditional sale. If you are buying a short sale you need to take this into consideration. If you are not committed to waiting then don’t get involved with a short sale. My short sales on average take about 90 days for short sale approval. The closing date should read “30 days from short sale approval”. You can not put an exact date when we don’t know when it will be!

Not agreeing to wait 90 days for short sale approval ~ The buyer we will be looking for is going to be committed to the property. If you think that you are going to find your self restless 5 weeks later because we don’t have an approval yet then a short sale is not right for you. Don’t forget you are purchasing a home that is probably a pretty decent value. It is worth the wait! It clearly would not be in the best interest of the seller if a buyer bailed on the transaction a month or two in and they had to start the process all over again.

Asking to take over the short sale because you are an investor ~ Sorry my friend if you are an investor please feel free to make a realistic offer but don’t think you are going to take over the negotiations with the lender. Don’t think you are going to make a low ball offer and the seller is going to accept it while you look for an end buyer to sell to and make a handsome profit. No I don’t think so! The seller hired me to complete the short sale. I don’t feel like defending myself in court on why I let an investor take over the obligations I was hired to perform.

Folks these are the kind of things that go on every day in short sales because seller’s do not do their home work in picking a short sale Realtor to work with. Don’t make that mistake. When you need to short sell your home do your research and hire a pro! These are all great reasons to reject short sale offers.

Who you work with to complete your short sale will have the greatest impact in helping you reach your financial goals. Completing a short sale remains a much better alternative than letting a property go to foreclosure for a number of reasons centered around credit and your ability to buy another property in the future.

I am successfully completing short sales through out the Metrowest Massachusetts area as well as parts of Worcester County. As of this writing in four years, knock on wood, I have a 100% success rate for short sale approval!

I work hand in hand with a local short sale Real Estate attorney who knows how to get short sales to the closing table!

If you are outside of the Metrowest Massachusetts area or even in another state and need to do a short sale please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to refer you to a Realtor in your location that handles short sales and knows what they are doing! I have referred short sales to numerous Realtors all around the country.

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About the author: The above Real Estate information on 8 reasons why you will not buy my short sale listing was provided by Bill Gassett, a Nationally recognized leader in his field. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-435-5356. Bill has helped people move in and out of many Metrowest towns for the last 25+ Years.

Thinking of selling your home? I have a passion for Real Estate and love to share my marketing expertise!

I service the following towns in Metrowest MA: Ashland, Bellingham, Blackstone, Douglas, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Natick, Northboro, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southboro, Sutton, Wayland, Westboro, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton and Uxbridge MA.

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Buying a Home After Short Sale or Foreclosure

March 21, 2011

As a Realtor who has been heavily involved closing Massachusetts short sales over the last five years, one of the questions that I get asked quite often from home sellers is how long will it take before I will be able to buy a home again. The answer to this question does not have any [...]

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Short Sale Realtor Mistakes

February 16, 2011

As a Realtor who has been successfully completing short sales over the last four years I get to see quite a bit of the inner workings of a short sale transaction. In many of the articles I have written about short sales, I have expounded on how important it is for a seller to have [...]

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Lenders Choosing to Foreclose Instead of Short Sale Approval

February 7, 2011

Why would a lender foreclosure instead of approving a short sale? As a Massachusetts Realtor who deals with short sale transactions on a daily basis, I have seen and learned quite a bit since I started getting involved with these types of transactions four years ago. One thing that I am extremely proud of is [...]

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Short Sale Low Ball Offers

January 10, 2011

There is no question that short sales are like the wild West. Almost every single sale is different. Each lender and even the investors that hold the loan may have different procedures on how they want things done. There are some folks that believe that because a home is a short sale it is an [...]

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Short Sale Lenders Lying to Mortgage Holders

December 21, 2010

Over the last few years while working with Massachusetts sellers looking to short sale their home I have encountered on a couple occasions folks that were deliberately lied to and told that a short sale was not possible. Fortunately these particular home sellers were savvy enough to realize their short sale lender was lying to [...]

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Short Sale Lawsuits Will Realtors Be Next?

November 29, 2010

Avoiding short sale lawsuits There is no question that in this economic down turn we have experienced over the last five years or so that short sales and foreclosures have become part of our everyday Real Estate landscape. Every week there are countless new short sale listings that hit the market in Massachusetts. In many [...]

33 comments Read the full article →