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Seattle real estate is in a buyer’s market, but are you looking for a way to get into a Seattle house even cheaper?

Seattle buyers: You might consider a short sale, but be prepared to wait and wait and wait. Not only will you not get an answer immediately when you put in an offer for a short sale, you will more than likely have to wait for weeks and weeks.  The bank is in no hurry to sell you this house for $50,000 or more under market, and they also like to drag their feet to wait for a better offer.  If you want the deal, you have to be very patient and understand what you are getting in to.

What is a short sale?

Simple Short Sale Definition:  A Short sale is when the seller owes more than the house can be sold for in the current market, so the bank has to agree to write off the difference and sell the house for less than they are owed.. Coming up with an acceptable price for the bank when they are losing money on a loan can be tricky and requires someone who is willing to go to bat for both parties – the buyer who wants to get a good deal and the seller who wants to get out of a loan without a foreclosure on their record. It is also in the bank’s best interest because they want to save on the time and money it would talk to foreclose on a property that is in arrears.

The problem? 

 There are no guarantees that just because a house is listed for a certain price that it will sell for that price or even close to it.  The listing agents list these short sale homes as “subject to lien holder approval” in the agent only remarks.  I strongly think that this lingo should also be put in the public comments so that a prospective buyer is well aware that the price is not a definite and that even the sale is not a definite until a lien holder approves of it. In fact, in most cases if you put in a full price offer, the bank will likely counter back at a higher price than the property is listed at! Doesn’t seem fair does it? There is a difference between an approved short sale and a short sale. With an approved at least there is some guarantee of price range, but the fact of the matter is that most short sales listed are not approved short sales. It is just too difficult to get a bank to pin down a number without an offer in front of them!

Good news!

The good news is that a Seattle short sale can work out for all parties involved and benefit all! Make sure you are working with someone that knows how to do a short sale! Search for Seattle Short Sales.

Courtney Cooper ….For all your Seattle Washington Real Estate Needs! Seattle Area Real Estate Agent: Broker and Realtor serving North King & South Snohomish County.  Seattle Real Estate and Seattle Suburbs!  Cooper Jacobs Real Estate Services:   Experienced REALTOR with a background in accounting - I love my clients and work hard for them! Please call me if you are looking for a home or investment property realestate (including short sales, preforeclosures, foreclosures, and REO properties) in Seattle (Ballard, Crown Hill, Phinney, Ravenna, Maple Leaf, Green Lake (Greenlake), Greenwood, Northgate, Lake City,University, Sand Point, Laurelhurst, Windermere, Fremont, Wallingford, Queen Anne, Westlake, Eastlake, Lake Union, Downtown, Madison Park) & other Seatle neighborhoods, Shoreline, Edmonds, Brier, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Lake Forest Park, Bothell, Mill Creek, Everett, or other Seattle Suburbs!