What is a short sale?

A short sale occurs when a house sells for an amount short of what is owed to the lender.

What happens to the difference between what is owed and what the lender gets?

In an ideal short sale the shortage is forgiven and the borrower never has to pay it back. Yes, the lender issues a forgiveness, in writing. Often the forgiven debt is tens of thousands of dollars or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Does the lender always forgive the shortage?

No, not always. It varies but in most cases they do. There are programs in place (at this writing) where you may qualify for financial assistance to help with your move. That could be between $1500-$5000 depending on your lender.

Why would the lender forgive tens of thousands of dollars?

The lender recognizes that market values have dropped drastically in recent years. Borrowers who have to sell for family, health, job related reasons and other reasons cannot sell their house for enough to cover the loan payoff. Once we notify the lender that you need a short sale they know they are going to lose. The lender wants to reduce their losses by settling now instead of losing much more money later. They don't want to own your house or foreclose on you, and you want to avoid foreclosure. Everyone has the same goal. The bank will pay all of your fees including any commissions, closing costs, back taxes, and more!. This will preclude a foreclosure from being on your credit report for 7-10 years.

This sounds too good to be true. Does this really happen?

We successfully close dozens and dozens of short sales every year. Our clients are HUGELY thankful at the closing and come back to us to purchase their next home when they can qualify for a new loan. (in most cases that is 2 years later). We assist them with finding a rental home or even a Rent-to-Own home.