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By Shannon Petrie, FrontDoor.com | Published: 9/24/2009
Buying a short sale? Be prepared for plenty of obstacles between you and your home.
Don't let the name fool you: buying a short sale can be a long, tedious process. Just ask Rae Catanese, an agent with Prudential Tropical Realty in Tampa, Fla., who is representing three short sale buyers. After being under contract for four months, one of the sales is finally closing -- maybe.
After taking nearly three months to approve the sale, the bank then took another two weeks to determine that the buyers only had 30 days to close. If the buyers couldn't close in 30 days, they would be assessed a $1,350 fee and a to-be-determined per diem penalty. "Any mortgage person can tell you that getting a loan to close in 30 days is going to be difficult," Catanese says. "This is especially true for those that are using FHA financing, which is now taking 45 days."
Fortunately, Catanese and her buyers were able to convince the bank to give them 30 days to close without the penalties. But the problems didn't end there. After the lender took nearly two weeks to set up an FHA account and schedule an appraiser, the buyers decided to change lenders, fearing that their bank would not be able to close and they would lose the home. Two days before close, everything seemed to be going smoothly, until Catanese found out that the sellers had received a notice of foreclosure. For the buyers, this means they have until the end of the month -- or eight business days -- to close on the home before they lose it for good.
TIP: Even under the best circumstances, short sales take a long time to close and may take extra effort from the buyer. If you want to buy a short sale, be sure you have plenty of patience and an agent who has experience with the process.
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