Saint Augustine Short Sale

St. Augustine FL Short Sale Realtors

To feel no pressure when dealing with foreclosure is almost a joke. With all of the struggles homeowners find themselves in at this time it’s hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel. But rest assured that there are other alternatives. With these options out there, above the rest is a short sale. Short sales give homeowners the opportunity to sell the home for less than the current balance owed. Lenders agree to this due to current market value on the home and it helps save the bank money is costs towards the foreclosure process.

With St. Augustine short sales it is imperative that you show your circumstances and have proof to back your word. Having a hardship is no laughing matter, without one you will not qualify for a short sale. This is only for the persons who are in need of this opportunity. Hardships are not limited to loss of income, illness, divorce, and property damage. Be open and honest with your hardship, showing this is necessary for you will only help you get approved for the short sale.

St. Augustine FL Short Sale Facts:

• Borrowers are not required to pay for any of the processes; this is left to your lender to cover all closing costs as well as Realtor fees.
• The average process will differ depending on individual circumstances, but is around 6 months.
• In most situations the lender will forgive the borrower of the remaining deficiency on the mortgage. This is not a requirement of the lender and you may want your short sale specialist to talk this over with them on your behalf.
• Trying to protect your credit through this process is near impossible. But you can choose to start your short sale immediately helping you avoid the biggest hurt to your credit, in missing payments. Each missed mortgage payment results in a 30 point decrease and can make it hard to recover from.
• Lender incentives are anywhere from 5 to 30 thousand cash back and is extra to the HAFA program

HAFA is a government made program to help sway homeowners in choosing their alternative programs to avoid foreclosure. HAFA or the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternative offers a list of incentives including 3k in relocation assistance.

If you would like more information on the HAFA program and its incentives or would like to see if you qualify for a short sale call your St. Augustine short sale specialist now to get a jump on saving your home 1-877-737-4903.

www.Short-Sale-Specialists.com

877-737-4903

Ask a local short sale specialist!

Do you want to short sale your St. Augustine FL real estate with expert Realtor? Our short sale specialists are here to stop St. Augustine Florida foreclosure on your home. All help is FREE help to St. Augustine homeowners in financial hardships. Our St. Augustine short sale specialist Realtors will work areas all over the state of FL.

Copyright First Coast Realty Associates 2011-Sharon Molnar

Do Loan Modifications Offer Permanent Solutions?

Loan modifications is the process of changing the terms and conditions of the loan. Loan modifications are usually done for financial reasons. For example, you took a mortgage on your home and signed an agreement with the bank for the payment of X amount every month. Suddenly after 2 months the market crashes and you lose your job. What do you do in such a situation? Loan modification may be able to help you continue paying but for a lower amount over a longer period of time so that you may not end up getting behind on payments and therefore eventually foreclosing on the property.

Previously, foreclosures were the only way out of such situations. But it is no longer the case today. A person requests for a loan modification only when the loan suddenly goes out of his budget. Modifications are also done in situations where the monthly payments are more than 31 percent of your salary.

Loan modifications are also done in consideration of the market fluctuations. Suppose if a person has a flexible loan and the market is changing everyday and the interest rates are getting higher and higher rather than going down. The person would definitely want to change his flexible loan interest to fixed, so as to save same money that he would lose every month because of these fluctuations.

No person can guarantee how smoothly their life will move on. Many times market depressions, getting laid off, or sudden deaths in the family may lead to financial problems. In such situations as listed, loans become a burden. Repayment of loans is compulsory no matter how burdensome, so one has to find a solution and fix the problem. Through the process of loan modification, a person can make an agreement with bank stating that they won’t be able to pay the X amount and would rather pay the Y amount for an extended period of time.

Loan modifications usually only offer temporary solutions though this is not always the case it is more often than not. Loan modifications may solve the financial difficulties to some extent and give a person some relief in his already difficult times but it will not fix the hardship that caused the need for the modification and may lead to missing the modified payment in the future as well if choosing to get a modification had to do with money being tight. People who find it hard to pay their EMI’s should definitely apply for a relief. The loan modification process leads to a reduction in the interest rates and reduced monthly installments which can help if you think your hardship will not make it impossible to keep these payments in the future as well.

A person can also change the type of interest he or she is paying for the mortgage (fixed or flexible) the fixed lending rates are fixed as their name suggests. They do not change with the fluctuations in the market, whereas, flexible interest rates can change every day with the market. Both of these have their own pros and cons. So, a person can get his fixed rate changed to flexible and vice versa through this process. But mind you, this process takes time and should be initiated a little in advance.

So if loan modifications are not a permanent solution for you what other options are there for homeowners facing foreclosure? A short sale is the most popular and is a permanent solution. It is smart to fix your problem before it gets worse and missing payments negatively affect your credit score. If you choose a loan modification and it takes months to get approved and then eventually is no longer going to keep you from missing your payments you may have wasted time and money in a property you may not be able to keep. With a short sale you can keep some of your investment and make out in a better solution to your problem.

People, who cannot afford to pay back any amount to the bank, usually arrange for a short sale and sell down their property for whatever amount is being paid. If the house sells for less than the loan amount, the bank forgives the person the rest of the amount and forfeits the right to the property. Though it rarely happens that a person is unable to pay a single penny, hence most of the loan modifications are done just to change the interest rates.

So to the question: “Is a Loan Modification a permanent solution?” The answer is no. Allowing a modification is totally in the hands of the bank. A bank may deny a person the option of loan modification. The initiation of the process totally depends on the reason behind it. If the reason comes under the norms of the bank, a bank will take the matter under its wing and complete the process as soon as possible. Also, multiple requests of loan modification are not appreciated. A person applying for the modification should think twice before applying for it.

For more information on how to do a short sale or if you would like to see if you qualify contact a Saint Augustine short sale specialist today! 1-877-737-4903

www.Short-Sale-Specialists.com

877-737-4903

Ask a local short sale specialist!

Call today if you want to choose to do short sale! Need a St. Augustine Short Sale Realtor Distressed Property Expert Certified in St Augustine short sales to offer free short sale services? Our stop Florida foreclosure short sale real estate agents are here to help, and are Certified or trained in the HAFA short sale program.

Copyright First Coast Realty Associates 2011

GMAC Short Sale Program Information

If you are a client of GMAC and are facing foreclosure you may be considering a short sale. You may be a little skeptical and nervous, lets us ease your mind. The GMAC short sale program offers quick approval times and ending terms are typically more than reasonable.  GMAC is at the top of the lenders when dealing with short sales. So how do you get started on GMAC short sales?

First you must find yourself an agent to assist in the sale. A short sale specialist is ideal when choosing an agent; they specify in short sales and have experience and knowledge that other agents do not. To get in contact with your local short sale specialist call 1-877-737-4903.

Once this step is complete your short sale specialist will speak on your behalf and guide you through the process. GMAC will request a short sale package; this package has personal documents that prove your word in claiming you are unable to continue to make payments on your home.

You will need a short sale Hardship letter. This letter shows the event that occurred in setting you behind. Not all hardships will be accepted.

The acceptable hardships are the following:

• Illness- this can result in extra medical cost and fees.
• Loss of Income- yourself a contributor or yourself has lost a job and has resulted in less over all money going into making your payments possible.
• Reduced Income- This can be from a contributor or yourself taking an unexpected cut in pay.
• Death- This is from a death of an immediate family member or close friend resulting in funeral costs, the flights to attend, or any additional costs that may result from the death.
• Incarceration- this is from the lack of freedom to financial control as well as court costs and fees
• Divorce- This is when a Co-Borrower no longer contributes to the payments as well as lawyer fees and ext.
• Marital Separation- When the Co-Borrower is no longer contributing to the payments on the mortgage
• Property Damages- This can be unnatural (Personal accident, ext.) or natural (hurricane, earth quake, sink holes, ext.)

When assembling your package you will need additional documents, 3 months of current bank statements, 1 month of current paystubs, your last year’s tax returns and W-2’s, as well as a financial statement showing your income verse expenses.

If you are interested in trying to qualify to do a short sale within the HAFA program and would like to check the HAFA program, your assigned GMAC short sale specialist can also assist in helping you achieve this as well as working towards the $3,000.00 incentive of relocation assistance. Contact your short sale specialist now 1-877-737-4903.

GMAC will cover all closing costs and brokerage fees. Our Network of Realtors will work to help you at no cost to you!

www.Short-Sale-Specialists.com

877-737-4903

Ask a local short sale specialist!

Call today to see if you qualify for the GMAC short sale program! Need a St. Augustine Distressed Property Expert Certified in short sales to offer free GMAC short sale services? Our FLshort sale real estate agents are here to help, and are Certified or trained in the GMAC HAFA short sale program.

Copyright First Coast Realty Associates 2011

Bank of America Short Sale Incentives

Bank of America to offer cash incentives of up to $20,000 for sellers to choose short sale in distressed situations as the alternative to foreclosure. This is alternative to other modification options and  is exclusive to the state of Florida. Bank of America is offering relocation assistance to help jump start the homeowners in agreeing to pre-offer short sales.

The relocation assistance payment is based upon what the unpaid principal balance of the loan as well as the type of short sale the homeowner completes. Based upon the calculations you will only receive between $5,000 and $20,000. Calculations will be based on the balance of the loan as of August 2011 including the program the homeowner is qualified. If the homeowner stays compliant with all terms than the payment will be received at the time of the closing. This includes the satisfaction of all second liens and a presentation of the clear title for the home.  The payment may be used to clear these liens. Bank of America short sale incentives are made to help show the benefits of short sales to the homeowner.

There are extra benefits to these pre-offer programs such as the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives also known as (HAFA) and any in house programs exclusive to that lender. With these additional programs, the deficiency on the mortgage may be waived for the homeowner. If you are interested please consider the following.

To find out if you’re eligible:

• The short sale must be in the beginning process without an offer between late September and the end of November
• The short sale must be closed successfully by the end of August 2012
• The customer will need to have eligibility for one of the “without offer” programs including but not limited to the fore mentioned HAFA
• Relocation assistance must be a minimum of $5,000 and cannot be more than $20,000. This is based off the unpaid principal balance.
• Homeowners must have the property within the state of Florida

Excluded:

• All properties outside the state of Florida
• All short sales imitated “with an off” will not gain eligibility for the enhanced relocation assistance
• FHA loans
• Ginnie Mae loans
• VA loans
• USDA loans
• Lot loans

Q: Is there anything I have to do additionally or unusual to the process when inquiring or finishing a short sale?

A: No. As long as the inquiry has been within the time frame stated above, and the property is closed by the end of August 2012 you will be eligible with no extra steps needed.

Q: Is there a way I can find out if the homeowner can qualify for the relocation assistance?

A: Yes. Find out if your lender is one of the many offering these alternatives and contact a Short Sale Specialist 1-877-737-4903. Hours are Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

Q: Are the relocation assistance funds going to be documented on the HUD-1?

A: Yes. Additionally, the 1099-MISC will be issued.

Q: Is the relocation assistance additional to the other incentives?

A: No. The homeowner receives anywhere from $5k to $20k in place of the normal incentive.

Q: Can the relocation assistance be used to pay the existing liens off?

A: Yes, as long as the investor on the home is willing to approve it.

Q: Is the enhanced relocation assistance available for any additional programs excluding short sales?

A: No. The enhanced relocation assistance is available only to the short sale programs initiated “without an offer”.

Have Additional Questions on Bank of America Short Sale cash back Incentives?

Homeowners may call 1-877-737-4903 to be connected to a St. Augustine short sale specialist for more information about this exciting relocation assistance offering.

www.Short-Sale-Specialists.com

877-737-4903

Ask a local short sale specialist!

Are you looking for a St. Augustine FL short sale Realtor? Look no further! Our stop Florida foreclosure specialists provide FREE short sale expert services to Saint Augustine homeowners in hardship. Call today to see if you qualify for a short sale! Need a St. Augustine Distressed Property Expert in short sales to offer free Chase short sale services? Our St. Augustine FL areaDistressed Property Expert real estate agents are here to help, and are Certified or trained in the Florida Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives, or HAFA Government short sale program.

Copyright First Coast Realty Associates 2011

We have been through quite a few Florida short sale negotiations and we have learned that there are more than a few steps to take before we can finally receive that approval letter. None of those steps suddenly enable you to jump from A to Z right away. You simply have to learn what you’re dealing with so you can know how to manage the process more effectively. Short sale advice such as this, though simple, should be valued by short sale Realtors as well as struggling borrowers hoping to short sale their homes.

So, without offering any wacky secrets, here are some straightforward tips for successfully negotiating a St. Augustine short sale.

1.) Submit a complete short sale package and make sure it gets assigned to a mitigator quickly. If it doesn’t get assigned, the offer will never be seen. Make sure to follow up and see if the lender has received your offer. Lenders lose short sale packages all the time or claim they never received them. Don’t let this happen to you.

2.) Be determined to get the information you need, but don’t be demanding. Loss mitigation departments are trying to keep up with a lot of short sale cases at once, and you’ll need to be understanding if yours doesn’t make it to the top of the pile right away. Make time to call every two or three days until someone can tell you what you need to know. You don’t have to leave a message each time. Just hang up and try again later.

3.) Ask your loss mitigator who actually owns the homeowner’s mortgage loan. Whether you’re dealing with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, or VA loans, they all have a predetermined percentage of the property value that they will accept in a short sale. Knowing this ahead of time will make your job a lot easier.

4.) Summarize your offer for the loss mitigator and ask them to get an interior appraisal or BPO as soon as possible.

5.) Conduct an effective BPO.

6.) Make sure you know what’s on the title by pulling a title report after the BPO has been done. You don’t want to get to closing and find liens you didn’t know about.

7.) Don’t be shy about asking the loss mitigator about the BPO number. You might get an answer, and you might not. If you do find out, count on paying 90% of that number.

8.) If the lender refuses to disclose the BPO, you need to ask for a counteroffer. (When they make their counteroffer, this is usually equal to the amount of the BPO anyway.)

9.) Submit your own counteroffers with additional proof to validate your offer (days on market from the MLS listing, repair estimates, low comps, negative articles on the area or city).

10.) Make sure the lender knows if you’re a cash buyer and can close quickly.

We’re not selling any magic potions, and we’re not selling any hyped-up baloney. The truth is much more powerful. Lenders don’t normally view short sales as their best option, but short sales aren’t their worst option either. All you have to do is convince the loss mitigator that your solution makes the best financial sense for them. If you’re ready to educate yourself, develop a good attitude, and be persistent, you can successfully negotiate a short sale. Contact a St. Augustine short sale Realtor to better understand the short sale process!

www.Short-Sale-Specialists.com

877-737-4903

Ask a local short sale specialist!

Do you need expert short sale advice? Our St. Augustine FL areaDistressed Property Expert real estate agents are here to help, and are Certified or trained in the Florida Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives, or HAFA Government short sale program.

Copyright First Coast Realty Associates 2011

The Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA) program has been designed for homeowners who cannot secure a permanent loan modification and are at the verge of foreclosure. With the number of property foreclosures rising out of control in the United States, the government has decided to introduce an extension program to an already functional program known as the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP).

HAFA aims at providing lenders with incentives so that they allow short sales as a positive option for homeowners who are in default and qualify for Florida short sale conditions. No doubt, it cannot help the homeowner retain his property, but it can eliminate the far reaching negative effects of a foreclosure on the homeowner’s credit. HAFA offers financial incentives of $1,000 as a servicing bonus to lenders and up to $3,000 as a relocation bonus for displaced homeowners.

However, to become qualified for HAFA assistance homeowners must meet eligibility criteria set out by the HAMP. Its conditions include principal residence, first-lien mortgage, serious delinquency, unpaid balance under $729,750, and a mortgage payment being over 31 percent of borrower’s gross income.

Benefits of HAFA for the Homeowner:
The foremost benefit of the HAFA program is that it gives an unbiased way to evade foreclosure by either executing a short sale or giving the property back to the lender through Deed-in-Lieu.

Lenders cannot force you to wait for a long time to get the short sale process completed. They must process the short sale within thirty days without wasting time in examining your financial information to confirm that your debt to income ratio is not less than 31%. Moreover, lenders cannot even ask for a promissory note, cash contribution, or deficiency judgment to complete a short sale or deed in lieu. These confirmations are done solely by HAFA.

On one hand, borrowers are entitled to $3,000 as relocation assistance while on the other hand they are fully forgiven of any future liability in connection with mortgage debt. Furthermore, other lien holders are also required to release borrowers from liability.

Who Qualifies for the HAFA Program:
As mentioned, borrowers must meet the eligibility conditions designed by HAMP in order to qualify for participating in the HAFA program. Following are some major conditions:

• The borrower must be, or recently was, the primary resident of the house.

• The first mortgage started before January 1, 2009.

• The mortgage is, or is soon to be delinquent and the borrower’s hardship is justifiable.

• The unpaid principal mortgage loan balance is no more than $729,750 for a single family property; $934,200 for a dual unit property; and $1,129,250 for a three-unit property.

• The borrower’s total monthly mortgage payment exceeds 31% of his net income.

• The lender must be a participant in the HAMP program.

How to Apply for HAFA?
The homeowners who meet the above conditions and are interested in participating in the HAFA program to avoid foreclosures should contact their lenders. The participating lenders are bound to contact their eligible borrowers within thirty days and send them a short sale agreement mentioning the terms and conditions pertaining to the homeowner. You should hire an experienced Ponte Vedra short sale Realtor who has prior experience in HAFA short sales. This HAFA Realtor can look out for your needs while walking you through the entire short sale.

www.Short-Sale-Specialists.com

877-737-4903

Ask a local short sale specialist!

 Our stop Florida foreclosure specialists provide FREE short sale expert services to Ponte Vedra FL homeowners in hardship. Call today to see if you qualify for a short sale! Need a Ponte Vedra FL Distressed Property Expert in short sales to offer free short sale services? Our Ponte Vedra area Distressed Property Expert real estate agents are here to help, and are Certified or training in the Florida Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives, or HAFA Government short sale program.

Copyright First Coast Realty Associates 2011

Short sales have a direct relationship with credit history. A house owner who is negligent in paying the money back to the bank could earn a bad reputation. However, sometimes this turns out to be the only option for the owner. To prevent a foreclosure both the lender and the borrower can settle for an agreement. In the agreement the borrower agrees to sell the property for a smaller amount. The lender usually takes the initiatives as this is mutually beneficial.

Until recently home owners were eligible for a short sale business if there was any negligence to pay back the amount. Today the scene has changed and now the owner can short sell the property. This also ensures the owner that there will be no foreclosure or such extreme measures in the future. This means that you can reduce the damage caused to your credit history. The damage that a foreclosure can do is much greater. With a short sale, the damage is reduced considerably. This has attracted the public towards short sale measures, however many are still wondering how a short sale affects credit score.

Most lenders have mitigation departments that handle short sales. These departments decide when to conduct the sale. The process is simple because an agreement has already been reached by both the lender and the borrower. In order to reduce the bank loss, some lenders offer a share of the sales proceeds to the borrower. This is provided as an incentive to the borrower, but is a measure that helps the banks to cover the losses. However, it must be noted that there can be no advantage in credit scores for any borrower if she/he is not negligent in payments.

People are often concerned when it comes to foreclosures and St. Augustine FL short sales. Both these practices in some way or the other bring a bad reputation to your credit history. However people still want to know which of these measures results in more damage. Both are damaging to your credit and there will be around 85-160 point variation. Though the drop in credit score can be similar between the two, the long term effects are very different. A short sale appears on one’s credit history just like any other settled debt, looking much better to future lenders and employers than “foreclosure.” You can obtain a new loan years quicker if you short sale rather than allow your home to foreclose.

TransUnion, Equifax and Experian are the major credit bureaus. They keep a close account of your credit, which involves your borrowing and paying back to the lenders. All these details are collected and compiled to create your individual credit report. The credit score is calculated from the credit report. The formula introduced by Fair Isaac Corporation is the most commonly used formula for calculating the score. However there are multiple formulas. The formulas can be confusing. So the best option is to consider them as numeric codes of your credit history. Contact a St. Augustine short sale Realtor now, so that you can better understand a short sale and it’s impact on your credit.

www.Short-Sale-Specialists.com

877-737-4903

Contact a local short sale expert.

Are you looking for information on how a short sale affects credit? Call today to see if you qualify for a short sale! Need Distressed Property Expert Certified in short sales to offer free short sale services? Our St. Augustine areaDistressed Property Expert Realtors are here to help, and are Certified or training in the Florida  HAFA Government short sale program.

Copyright First Coast Realty Associates 2011

The Internet is a great resource for almost all projects; that goes without saying. If only we would have a way to measure the impact of information on foreclosures and short sales on the way troubled homeowners made their decisions, we would be able to fully appreciate the nature of this network that we take for granted. One of the best and most crucial pieces of information is on planning your short sale when you see the first signs of a default payment. As most home owners are aware, the possibility of a St. Augustine short sale decreases drastically with every passing day if inaction is the order. Keeping this in mind, many home owners have taken initiative to plan out the painful process and saved their families from unnecessary hardships.

Since time is a rare and crucial resource for home owners who might default, one often wonders if there is any way time can be bought in the process. Well, the answer to that is a yes. That’s no reason for procrastination though. The deadlines are not flexible, but they can accommodate a few extra days if the homeowner has made enough efforts and done all in his power. To some, this may be discouraging, since it does not mean you can buy time for correcting your mistakes. It is almost like extra time is a bonus for those who have been working hard from day one. Keeping this in mind, read ahead to get more details on the specifics.

The first step as soon as you know that a foreclosure may be possible is to get in touch with your lender. This first sign may very well be your first missed payment. By keeping in touch with the lender regularly and communicating your efforts to them, you can postpone the initial foreclosure filing and the sheriff sale date. The former can actually gain you more time to get a short sale approved. However, any extra time earned is useless if your efforts are not in the direction of finding an alternative to foreclosure. For those who have been slacking, and even those who have been responsible but frozen into inaction due to emotional stress, such postponements are virtually impossible!

In alternate scenarios this time can be used to perhaps have the loan reinstated or to qualify for an affordable loan modification plan. Remember, if the foreclosure is filed, the loans rise because of the court and attorney fees and the steep increase in the interest rates. It cannot be emphasized enough how a qualified and experienced short sale agent can help you in this situation. Similarly, the sheriff sales date can be postponed in case there is sufficient evidence of work being done and alternative solutions that are credible.

Remember, once the two dates have passed, there is little chance that the final eviction date will be postponed. The lender will actually be looking forward to recovering the costs and adding balance to their cash flow. All in all, postponing foreclosure is an added incentive to for a homeowner to do his due diligence and keep the lender informed of the entire process.

www.Short-Sale-Specialists.com

877-737-4903

Contact a local St. Augustine FL short sale expert.

Are you looking for a St. Augustine FL short sale Realtor? Look no further! Our stop Colorado foreclosure specialists provide FREE short sale expert services to St. Augustine homeowners in hardship. Call today to see if you qualify for a short sale! Need St. Augustine Distressed Property Expert in short sales to offer free Chase short sale services? Our St. Augustine areaDistressed Property Expert real estate agents are here to help, and are Certified or training in the Florida Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives, or HAFA Government short sale program.

Copyright First Coast Realty Associates 2011

First Coast Realty Associates and The Short Sale Specialist Network do NOT offer short sale or foreclosure rescue services outside the state of Florida.  We can refer you to a local agent, which is not considered a real estate brokerage service.  If you are in the Northeast Florida area and choose to utilize our local brokerage company to assist with a short sale, the following will apply – 1. You may stop doing business with us at any time. You may accept or reject the offer of mortgage assistance we obtain from your lender [or servicer]. If you reject the offer, you do not have to pay us. If you accept the offer, you will have to pay us commission as agreed to in the listing contract for our services. 
2.  First Coast Realty Associates and The Short Sale Specialist Network are not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender; and 
3. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan. 4. If you stop paying on your mortgage, it will have a negative impact on your credit.  We never advise anyone to do this, and encourage you to seek professional tax and legal advice where appropriate.

Whenever you plan to buy or sell a home, the first thing that should come to your mind is the short sale real estate agent. You should always look for real estate agents who can advise you in this regard. Once it’s fixed that you are interested to work with a real estate agent, the floodgates will be opened for you. You will get bombarded with lots of proposals. So, it will become difficult for you to choose the best agent to work with.

Now you need to ask your friends and family members if they recommend any particular St. Augustine short sale Realtor. The past clients can refer you to various real estate agents. Top producing agents are always resulted from the referrals only. They provide quality of services to impress their clients who then become impressed and begin to tell their friends and others, who in turn again tell others. In this way their business goes on expanding from here.

When somebody refers you to some agent, start by asking why they are recommending them. If they don’t have any particular reason besides the fact that they worked with them in the past, then it will be your own interest to pull out something more by digging.

If you want to gather information about an agent, you can call them and ask them some questions such as how long they have been in the business, how many short sales they have closed, and also request some testimonials.

When asked about the real estate market, the agents should ask you short sale questions about the market you’re in. Is that the condo market or the luxury market? Do you want to invest? Do you want to sell a home? Will you pay the cash or do you need financing?

Do they listen or just hear?

After an effective conversation, the real estate agent should show you some homes matching your criteria. If your purpose is selling, keep in mind that you are provided some homes in your price range, inventory and absorption rates.

If they show you a home that does not match your requirements, it means that they didn’t listen carefully. First they have to get information from you if any agent wants to perform an analysis on your home. They should also ask you about the updates if any were made, after you bought the home. Why did you buy the home? Answering this can help you reach a buyers’ market that holds the same interests you once had while home shopping.

The price can be told by any agent, but if you want to sell your home based on the price you bought, you will need some time which can be given only by a good agent. Also they will adjust their marketing strategy. So, you can get your bottom line with the help of a good agent.

Are you comfortable with the team?

Trustworthiness and honesty are some of the most important factors when determining which real estate agent to use during the short sale process. You will be happy to work with an agent who may not be very experienced but may be very trustworthy and honest. Thus, you can’t always be certain that just because an agent has a lot of experience they are the best agent to work with.

Are you getting the proper response?

The most frustrating thing while working with an agent is if you are not getting a proper response from his side. If the agent is not able to answer your phone calls, he should at least have some type of assistant who can help you when required. Many agents have their teams or an assistant who can help you out if they are attending some other clients. These agents work together along with the team members so as to step up and get the work done in a simple way which otherwise would not have been done so easily. So, if you are the one with a rigorous schedule always go for the agent who has a team.

It isn’t always easy to determine whether your agent is capable or not. The simple procedure you can follow is to call the references and talk to people they have worked with in the past.

Before buying or selling home, take your time to choose an agent.

www.Short-Sale-Specialists.com

877-737-4903

For more information on the short sale process or to receive a free evaluation of where your home stands in today’s market, fill out the form below.

Are you looking for a St. Augustine FL short sale Realtor? Look no further! Our stop Florida foreclosure specialists provide FREE short sale expert services to Saint Augustine homeowners in hardship. Call today for short sale information on the St. Augustine short sale process and to see if you qualify for a short sale! Need a St. Augustine FL Distressed Property Expert Certified in short sales to offer free Chase short sale services? Our Saint Augustine area Distressed Property Expert Certified real estate agents are here to help, and are Certified or training in the Florida Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives, or HAFA Government short sale program.

Copyright First Coast Realty Associates 2011

First Coast Realty Associates and The Short Sale Specialist Network do NOT offer short sale or foreclosure rescue services outside the state of Florida.  We can refer you to a local agent, which is not considered a real estate brokerage service.  If you are in the Northeast Florida area and choose to utilize our local brokerage company to assist with a short sale, the following will apply – 1. You may stop doing business with us at any time. You may accept or reject the offer of mortgage assistance we obtain from your lender [or servicer]. If you reject the offer, you do not have to pay us. If you accept the offer, you will have to pay us commission as agreed to in the listing contract for our services. 
2.  First Coast Realty Associates and The Short Sale Specialist Network are not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender; and 
3. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan. 4. If you stop paying on your mortgage, it will have a negative impact on your credit.  We never advise anyone to do this, and encourage you to seek professional tax and legal advice where appropriate.