We thought about it all day...slept on it all night....and still it gnaws away at the very core my being...it fuels my passion and angers my compassion.....what...you say has the power to do all of that...the less than compassionate blogs we see about the boycott of short sales...while I was reading the whining and bashing...in the next room my husband was negotiating short sales for...
- A Seller who had multile heart attacks and lost his once thriving self employed business
- A Couple who had both lost their jobs and he was diagnosed with cancer
- A Seller who bought with no money down and had children with overwhelming medical expenses
- A retired gentleman who had his mortgage adjust $1000 a month, got divorced and seriously ill all in the same 30 days
- A Seller who had an outstanding six figure income and due to a combination of his once thriving company no longer surviving, illness and divorce has a short sale
The next time you decide that a short sale offer is "too much work"....the selling agent really has no more work than they ever did...just has a buyer who can be patient and in return gets an outstanding value on a property....TRUST a LISTING agent with experience...who knows short sales...who has a reputation for closing them....who does the negotiation themselves,..not with an unknown outside source.
The next time you decide you won't show a short sale...You decide to bad mouth this kind of transaction..to your buyers,....to your office...on your blog...Think about the people your keystrokes, your words, your less than compassionate approach has and continues to hurt....
There for the grace of whatever higher power you believe in Go you....
ARE YOU A COMPASSIONATE REALTOR....Do you just PRETEND you are in the business of "helping people" but actually...you forgot a long time ago that it has to be about THEM and not about you...and until it is....It will never be about you....You won't ever get a referral from another agent who understands the value of being compassionate...you have branded yourself on the internet and everywhere else as being about YOU and not in trying to make the business better...If you have had a bad experience with a short sale...was it because the listing agent was clueless...are all listing agents for short sales clueless...of course not...Be Part of the Solution...NOT a negative part of the problem. Sour grapes never yield sweet wine.
Sally K. & David L. Hanson, ABR, CDPE, CSS, e-Pro,ILHM, REDS
darn you.... I am writing about this too... you are my muse. Mine's got to be members only though.
Sally: Great Post! Right On The Money - People need help . . . PERIOD! I got a referral last week to help a gal try and refinance her family farm. 3 years ago she took out an ARM on her primary which included house + 150 acres. They also tagged the old homestead adjacent which has another rental home and 100 acres. Total property value - $600k to $800k give or take. Loan is approx $315k
The current loan is at a 13% interest rate!!!!!!!!! ARG! No one coached her or provided a plan to get out of the ARM before it adjusted. She is 66 year old and working 16 hours per day to make the $3500 per month payment and save the family homes and land....... Credit has been compromised, etc., etc...... This will be the challenge of the year, but I will not give up on her and I WILL FIND A SOLUTION.......
What you and David do Sally is great. Thanks for sharing your passion. Rock On!!!!!!
Thanks Maureen (must be your Wisconsin roots that give us ESP with each other...let us know when you visit this direction and we'll down a few
Hey Gwen..appreciate your comment...kinda makes you think twice about who would dare refer someone to when such harsh less than caring attitudes are out there...hope you find someone who can help your gal !
No I comment stalk you... kidding. I was watching yesterday... I wondered if your post yesterday was the result of Greg Nino's featured post. So when you commented on his post and I got the comment notification I had to look.
I completely agree. As with everything in life, we never really know what is going on in someone's life behind-the-scenes. Not everyone who is trying to do a short sale is in that position due to negligence on their part. There are lots of people who are in this situation due to circumstances beyond their control and feel totally helpless. Their agent is their only lifeline!
~Renae
Sally
Tom says he is hungry. Also about bad grapes; if you gave Tom enough wine it would all taste like Gatorade to him. Tommy is an honest guy, but he sure can be an interesting breed.
Sally, why does he say to me all the time that you are his Princess, and that he fears one day you are going to wollup him with thr royal septor? This is a private joke somwhere here.
His health is better today, and he can walk better, but his voice is back to that Elmer Fudd thing.
Glenn Shong
What ever happened to the old adage, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all"? Remember that one? Agents need to just realize that if short sales aren't your thing, if you find them too cumbersome, too time-consuming, or too whatever, just move on. There are plenty of agents who are ready, willing and able to help those people who want and need a short sale.
Kathy
All of the situations you described above are hardship situations that have a chance of getting a short sale negotiated. There are some sellers that want to negotiate a short sale then buy a new house.
Buyer's agents are relying on listing agents to know how to screen sellers and get these deals processed. If the listing agent isn't up to the task, it creates a lot of problems.
You are correct Melina....we are CDPE (Certified Distressed Property Experts) and been well schooled and continually schooled....we have closed them all....both residential nad commercial.
Right Kathy...what goes around...will come around and around....
You Bet Glenn...Haven't you heard...? I AM the Princess....Of Quite A Lot !
Thanks Renae...one never knows what lies around the corner...and a hand up is appreciated by everyone....agents who think WRITING a short sale is too much work ought never list one !
It's funny throwing stones at glass houses! :) OK I have to chime in! To me short sale experts provide a wonderful service which is not meant for everyone meaning...sellers...buyers...and even REALTORS...there is a certain type of person needed to complete these transactions...patience...a know how and not to take any of this personally.
One of my customers...was in a coma...was out of a coma...was in a coma..and is fighting several diseases. Her beautiful home was no longer a home but a trap due to medical bills and guess what she had insurance. She also has been working to make ends meet even while her health is failing! Is that not a true service? It certainly is!
How about the person who buys into new construction and the project is never complete? Or some builder from another part of the coutry attempts to turn apts into condo's and the development goes under..and certain violations start to occur.. and every day these properties lose value...is this the customer's fault?
People need to realize that sometimes short sales are warranted...regardless of who's fault it is..it could be you the next time it happens. In our business we must have a certain level of empathy..we are not hear to judge...we are hear to work...and provide valuable services.
One of my friends was recently laid off...the same day their mate took a huge monthly paycut...guess what they are behind on their mortgage...on top of that...2 weeks later...the party working is no longer working today...they were laid off at the end. People can say what they want to say...and have this brave front but the truth is its happening everywhere...everyday and to many people.
It doesn't matter to me whether people love or hate short sales...the bottom line...they are really needed and sometimes appreciated...especially in the state of Florida!
Great post and and yes I do have lots of compassion! Why do you think I got in this business in the first place!
Sometimes we all get so wrapped up in our own interests and what "is in it for me" attitude, you forget about what people like you and me are going through on the other side of the fence.
Greg Cavaiani
You could alter your post just slightly and apply it to just about any person in any situation. I've learned over the years not to presume anything about anyone else at any time. If they want to volunteer information, that's great. Otherwise I just do my job and help where I can.
Thank you Russell...we just want agents to have an open mind to short sale opportunities and not poison the potential sale waters !
Just read this post & agree that these sellers need our help. The selling agent, however, often has no control over what the less experienced listing agent is doing on their end to get the short sale approved. I've been on both sides of the table on short sales & if the listing agent doesn't understand what the lender(s) needs, the short sale approval is doomed.
To all those listing agents out there that really don't understand the process, please learn or refer the listing to someone who does!
You bet...you don't control what they do or do not do, but it helps to know their experience before you even show the property...if they have none or little...NEXT !