All Forum Posts by: Alex Shay

A short sale in real estate refers to a concept whereby a lender (mortgagee) agrees to discount the amount of money owed on the loan made to a borrower (mortgagor), due to hardship on the part of the borrower. It basically allows the homeowner (mortgagor) who owes money to the lender (mortgagee), to sell the home or condo for less than the amount owed to the lender.

The benefit to the mortgagee is that the lender gets to cut losses, which would be much greater if the lender is forced to foreclose on the property. The advantage to the homeowner (mortgagor) is that he/she gets to sell the property for less than he/she owes, avoids foreclosure, and the balance of the debt is forgiven. The advantage to the buyer is that he/she gets to buy the property on the cheap, so to speak. It seems like a win, win, win situation for everyone.

Ah, but we have often heard that all that glitters is not gold, so what is the problem? The problem is that the entire ordeal can be very frustrating, and often enough, an effort in futility. Why? The easiest part is making the deal between the buyer and the seller. The seller is eager to sell, thereby avoiding foreclosure, and the buyer is eager to buy the the home or condo at a great price.

They may come to an agreement as to price and terms, and execute a legally binding contract, but then the problems begin, because the deal must be presented to the lender, and the lender must agree to the price before a sale is made. The mortgagee's required agreement to the sale is listed on the contract as a contingency. Without the fulfillment of the contingency, there is no sale.

Long delays by the lender in responding to the contract for sale can be very frustrating for buyers and sellers. Buyers often walk away in frustration or even anger. Then there is the question of price. Banks and other lenders like to make money, but they can’t stomach losing it, so they often wont just agree to the price on the contract. Again a frustrated buyer may walk away, and the process has to begin anew. That is the long and short of a short sale.

According to a report by CNN, the 5 most expensive housing markets in the USA in 2007 along with average home prices were Beverly Hills, CA $2,206,883, Greenwich, CT $2,018,750, La Jolla, CA $1,800,000, Santa Monica, CA, $1,785,000, and Palo Alto, CA $1,687,000 .

The 5 least expensive housing markets in the USA in 2007 along with average home prices were Killeen, TX $136,725, Minot, ND $139,033, Arlington, TX $139,175, Canton, OH $146,333, and Muncie, IN $150,000.

According to the National Association of Realtors, the 5 cities with the biggest drop in home prices in 2007 were Palm Bay, FL $182,400 (median price) 12.4% (price drop), Sacramento, CA $335,700 (median price)10.5% (price drop), Sarasota, FL $287,400 (median price) 10.4% (price drop), New Orleans, LA $160,200 (median price) 8.2% (price drop), and Hagerstown, MD $208,400 (median price) 8.0% (price drop).

The 5 fastest appreciating housing markets were Bismarck, ND $161,600 (median price) 15.3% increase, Salt Lake City, UT $246,700 (median price) 14.1% increase, Yakima, WA $163,200 (median price) 13.6% increase, Binghamton, NY $119,600 (median price) 11.4% increase, and Charlotte, NC $220,100 (median price) 11.0% increase.

It's officially a buyer's market in Miami. Miami FL real estate market conditions have been less than favorable lately if you are a seller in Miami. According to data supplied by the Coral Gables, Homestead-South Dade, Kendall-Perrine, and Northwestern Association of Realtors or their MLS, in June of 2005, there were 3,261 single-family homes on the market in Dade County (which includes Miami, Miami Beach, and a number of surrounding smaller cities), with 1,196 sales. In January of 2006, there were 6,364 single-family homes on the market, with only 687 sales. In August of this year, there were 10,579 single-family homes for sale in Dade County, but there were only 705 sales. September of 2006 saw 11,103 single-family homes in Dade County, for sale; with only 758 homes sold.

The condo market in Dade County has been similar. In June of 2005, there were 5,550 condos for sale in Dade, and there were 1,564 sales. However, moving into January of 2006 there were 11,800 condos listed on the market for sale, but only 915 sales. In August of this year, there were 18,133 condos in Dade for sale, with the number of sales falling to a 15 month low of 823 condos sold. September of 2006 fell lower with a total of 18,974 condos for sale in Dade County, and 805 sales.

This is all good news if you are looking to buy real estate, because there is so much to choose from, and the savvy buyer can make a wonderful deal in this real estate climate.