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Buying the home with a loan insured by the Federal Housing Administration can save you additional money up-front on the down payment. As if short sales weren’t enough of a hassle to buy for most people, the type of financing a buyer uses has a huge impact on the sale, for a variety of reasons. If you try to get the wrong type of loan, even if your short sale is approved by the seller’s bank, you might not be able to close that transaction because of financing problems. As a homebuyer, once you've viewed a short sale home you'd like to purchase your agent will need to write up the offer to purchase which will be presented to the mortgage lender.
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How to Buy a Home with No Money Down: 6 Different Ways
We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information. Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. If you’re interested in buying a short sale home, you still need to get pre-approved for financing. Sometimes it takes weeks or even months for a short sale offer to be accepted or rejected.
Examples of qualifying hardships include the onset of a disability or life-threatening illness; divorce; job loss; and/or death of one of the homeowners. Don't assume that the home seller is behind on their mortgage when they've listed their home as a short sale. The short sale will stay on your credit report for seven years, but you can finance a new home purchase within one to four years of a short sale depending on credit score, loan type and down payment.
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Regardless of what the home sells for, with a short sale the homeowner doesn't receive any money. Purchasing a short sale home can be a good way to stretch your home purchasing budget. However, it can make the home buying process longer and more complex. This guide covers the basics of buying a short sale home, including details about how a short sale works for the seller, to help you decide if pursuing a short sale is worth the extra time and effort.
An FHA loan is a mortgage that is issued by the Federal Housing Administration. On top of being insured by a federal entity, FHA loans require low down payments and have lax credit criteria. Using an FHA loan to buy a short sale property is possible as long as you get prequalified by the lender. Also, FHA loans are typically intended for owner-occupied properties.
Find a local lender on Zillow to discuss your options.
In addition, short sale properties are transferred free and clear of any liens. If you purchase a foreclosed property on the courthouse steps, you could inadvertently buy property with unknown liens and other title glitches. You won't have problems getting title companies to insure a short sale property, which is required to get a mortgage on the home.
To get started, learn the five hurdles you need to watch out for when buying a short sale. The seller of a home in a short sale who attempts to buy a new home of comparable value in the same area will not be eligible for a new FHA loan. At this point, the lender will issue a document approving the short sale, and the purchase can be finalized. “Saving up a higher down payment than the minimum the lender requires can also speed up the process,” says Raisul Islam, chartered accountant and director of Hadee Lutful & Co. “Typically, the bank or lender agrees to a short sale to recoup a portion of what’s owed to them,” Kahan says. We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money.
If you can show extenuating circumstances caused the mortgage default, you may be able to qualify sooner than the three-year period. If the prior mortgage was also an FHA-insured loan, from the date that FHA paid the claim on the short sale. When there is more than one lienholder on the property, a first and a second mortgage, for example, it is necessary that all lienholders agree to accept less than the amount owed as payment-in-full.
Your credit history, income and monthly debt will determine your spending budget. If qualified, you will receive an estimated maximum sale price to buy a short sale property. Financing real estate investments can be done through various methods. Below is a detailed overview of the options for financing a short sale property.
If you're considering buying a short sale, expect the entire process to take up to a year from the time you submit an offer to when you actually take possession of the home. Although it's possible for a short sale to close in as little as a few weeks, it's important to be realistic about the timeline. The home seller is close to defaulting on their mortgage, and they have no assets which can be used to cover their mortgage payments. Simply put, a short sale may be authorized by the mortgage lender when the current value of a home is lower than the outstanding balance on the mortgage. You can also consider applying for other new lines of credit, but only if you intend to make payments on time and use it responsibly.

To circumvent the use of its insurance to build an investment portfolio, FHA only gives one loan to a borrower at a time. It requires that the borrower establish occupancy within 60 days of getting the loan and live in the home for the majority of the year. Foreclosure is a legal process that happens when the homeowner forfeits the property to the bank as a result of being unable to pay the mortgage. Short sales are often the first course of action, followed by a foreclosure auction where bidders can buy foreclosed properties on the spot.
Both a foreclosure and a short sale can damage your credit, but the latter may be less harmful. Still, if you’re wondering how long a short sale stays on your credit report, the answer is seven years, which could impact your ability to get a loan in the future. In a short sale, the homeowner needs to sell his or her underwater home — and the mortgage lender gives permission for the property to be sold for less than the outstanding balance. Sometimes, Wells Fargo FHA short sale banks will reduce the amount typically paid by other banks because Wells Fargo says its guidelines for FHA prohibit a full 3% credit in some circumstances. Also, some short sale banks will automatically reject a buyer closing credit if the buyer is putting down more than 3.5%. Even if your loan is conventional, the appraiser might note a failing roof and ask for a replacement before agreeing to finance that short sale.
If there are two loans on a short sale, you will need the consent from both lenders to close. You are taking a risk if you move forward with an appraisal or home inspection before you receive approval from both lenders. One lender might agree while the other might reject the short sale or object to the seller contribution on the HUD. Ask the listing agent if the bank will pay a concession toward closing costs when you write the offer or offer more than list price to compensate.
What Happens If I Have a Lien on My House?
In a typical home sale, you can negotiate contingencies with the seller to reduce closing costs, cover fees, or make repairs before you finalize the deal. However, in a short sale, the lender also needs to be taken into consideration, and it is less likely to approve your contingencies. No social security number is required to get started, and all quotes come with access to your live mortgage credit scores.
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