Once notorious for their difficulties, short sales are becoming a more common solution. Recent legislation has made it more difficult to process foreclosures, yet many banks still find that they have a backlog of homes. Unable to clear the backlog through traditional foreclosure, many may be more open to short sales. These factors can empower you.
Skilled Los Angeles Foreclosure Attorneys
Oaktree Law offers an array of foreclosure defense tools, including short sales. If appropriate, a short sale attorney in Los Angeles can negotiate with your lender and a real estate broker to help you set your debt aside.
Contact us or call 800-535-1627 to speak to an experienced short sale attorney.
Los Angeles Short Sale Lawyer
If you’re at risk of default, a short sale, where the lender agrees to sell a property for less than the mortgage balance, may be worth considering. Legislation now protects sellers from lien holders, making this option more viable than ever.
Often referred to as pre-foreclosures, short sales have begun to outnumber foreclosure sales nationally. Loan servicers have more incentive to accommodate these sales and banks have sped up their processing time.
Short sales will always be more complicated than traditional home sales. An Oaktree Law short sale attorney in Los Angeles can help guide you through the process. We’ll outline your tax obligations and the impacts on your credit. We’ll help you understand the lenders’ responsibilities. And we’ll defend your rights before and after the sale.
Frequently Asked Questions
A short sale occurs when the property is sold for less than the loan amount with the cooperation of the lender. It permits more owner control over the process and according to Fannie Mae, less credit consequences than a foreclosure. Not all lenders will approve a short sale and not all owners or all properties qualify for short sales.
Both your property and you have to qualify for short sale consideration.
Comparable sales must substantiate that your home is worth less than the unpaid balance of your loan. These comparable are identified in a document called a BPO, a Broker Price Opinion letter.
You must prove a hardship that makes it impossible to continue making loan payments. A hardship is the result of a circumstance beyond your control that forced you into a position where you can no longer afford loan payments. The criterion for hardship is more stringent for loan modification than at short sale. Some examples of hardship include:
Unemployment or loss of a primary income source
Inability to work due to health crisis
Mounting medical expenses
Employment relocation
Business failure
Bankruptcy
Death of spouse or significant other
Divorce or separation
A short sale coupled with 90 day late pays will damage your credit almost as much as a foreclosure. However, Fannie Mae has stated that you will be able to obtain a home loan in two years after short sale whereas you will have to wait about seven or more years following a foreclosure.
With a few exceptions, as of 7/15/11 in CA, you will not have deficiency liability following an approved short sale. If the approval letter releases deficiency rights, you also will not have deficiency liability.
Yes, however, if the short sold home qualifies as your principal residence; you may claim an exemption from payment of debt relief income under the Debt Forgiveness Act of 2007 if it is still in effect at the time of the sale. There are other exemptions you may qualify for, such as the insolvency exemption. You may still have to report debt relief on your state return, however, unless your state has parallel exemptions available.
It should not take longer than two to three months to obtain an offer. The approval process should not take longer than six weeks to two months at most from the time we have an accepted offer.
A Short Sale Negotiation Team
Contact us or call 800-535-1627 to talk with a short sale attorney in Los Angeles and Orange County. A short sale doesn’t have to be a struggle. We can improve your odds of success.
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