northern virginia short sale agent: We Need to List The White House & All Federal Buildings as Short Sales
- 02/24/13 07:57 AM
We Need to List The White House & All Federal Buildings as Short Sales
As we face sequestration, I can tell you that the folks in the suburbs of Washington, DC are paying close attention to what is happening. We are hearing tales of federal employees that are expecting twenty percent pay cuts if Congress can't get a budget together. While we are currently experiencing an abundance of buyers and very little homes to sell, that scale might tip the other way if those salary cuts hit. We'll definitely see it switch up if we see mass lay offs.
If Congress … (31 comments)
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northern virginia short sale agent: The Feeling of Having No Control is Awful
- 02/17/13 07:08 AM
The Feeling of Having No Control is Awful
The past week in the news, there were stories that really brought home the point of feeling powerless. First, we hear reports of a cruise ship stuck at sea. Passengers on board have no way to leave or communicate. They are stuck in a situation in which the only thing they can control is their attitude. Raw sewage was backing up on floors. There were worries about food shortages. And they have zero control of when they would be home.
Then there were the folks in Russia that got a meteorite scare. A … (37 comments)
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northern virginia short sale agent: The Last Thing a Short Sale Agent Needs to Hear When She's Sick...
- 02/04/13 10:15 AM
The Last Thing a Short Sale Agent Needs to Hear When She's Sick...
A little over two weeks ago, this Northern Virginia Short Sale Agent was diagnosed with a raging case of strep throat. After my antibiotic course, I felt like a million bucks...until last night. The sore throat started again, accompanied by swelling and white sores. You tend to pick stuff up when you touch as many door handles as I do. I really need to get better about using antibacterial gel, but I digress.
So while I was waiting in the doctor's office, feeling like crap, I was subjected … (17 comments)
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northern virginia short sale agent: TBD: Initials That Shouldn't Be Used When Writing on a Short Sale
- 01/12/13 10:24 AM
TBD: Initials That Shouldn't Be Used When Writing on a Short Sale
TBD stands for "to be determined." It's not unusual, when an offer comes across my desk as a Short Sale Listing Agent, to see those letters in places where they have no business being. In fact, the only place I can think where they are acceptable is in naming a home warranty provider. If you've given a dollar amount the warranty won't exceed, but still haven't chosen the provider, who cares? The dollar amount can't change.
Where I commonly see TBD misused is in naming a settlement date. A … (5 comments)
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northern virginia short sale agent: Can You Please Help Me With a Short Sale?
- 10/11/12 02:04 AM
Can You Please Help Me With a Short Sale?
Inquiries by phone and email, pleading for help with a Short Sale, are nothing new to me. Sadly, neither is the response I get when I ask the person requesting assistance if they are working with an agent.
"Yeah. We've got an agent, and she's done a great a job. Has done everything in her power to sell our house. She's awesome. She's just not a Short Sale Agent and can't help us with the Short Sale aspect."
If you need Short Sale Approval to sell your home, you should never hire … (12 comments)
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northern virginia short sale agent: Why Buying a Short Sale Isn't the DEAL You're Thinking It'll Be
- 09/06/12 04:26 AM
Why Buying a Short Sale Isn't the DEAL You're Thinking It'll Be
I've been a Northern Virginia Short Sale Agent since 2007. I've dealt with banks that took 18 months to approve a sale. I've dealt with losing buyer after buyer on a Short Sale listing. I've had a two week approval turn around. I've had banks set list prices on my Short Sale listings. I've seen the very bad and the very good. And since 2007, things have changed a lot.
From 2007-2009, you could get a great deal on a Northern Virginia Short Sale. The market value was dropping … (36 comments)
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northern virginia short sale agent: How Many BPOs Does a Bank Need To Order on a Short Sale?
- 08/31/12 08:33 AM
How Many BPOs Does a Bank Need To Order on a Short Sale?
I am really at my wit's end when it comes to banks and BPOs at the moment. In two separate Short Sales, each with different banks, my sellers and I seem to be stuck on the BPO hampster wheel.
The first is really ponderous. It's a Bank of America Cooperative Short Sale. In these sales, Bank of America orders an appraisal or BPO early to establish their net sales price. That's what is supposed to make Bank of America Cooperative Short Sales so easy to deal with. … (8 comments)
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northern virginia short sale agent: When a Professional Goes on Vacation...
- 08/17/12 05:35 AM
When a Professional Goes on Vacation...
I am getting ready to take a much deserved trip to see a friend. Even though I will only be gone a few days, my business will be handed over to competent agents who will be there to watch it, in the event something happens. Maybe an offer will come in on a listing. Maybe a buyer will find a home online that they just have to tour. There's nothing like making plans to be out of your business to make things suddenly happen out of nowhere.
Imagine my surprise yesterday, when chatting with my … (17 comments)
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northern virginia short sale agent: Seller Cooperation is KEY to Short Sale Success
- 08/14/12 09:09 AM
Seller Cooperation is KEY to Short Sale Success
I've been a Northern Virginia Short Sale Agent since 2007. If there is one thing I know about a Short Sale, it is that the banks will drive you crazy with requests. Requests to get someone in to photograph your home and do an evaluation of your property. Paperwork requests...those are endless and repetitive. If you aren't up for the quick turnarounds required of you, a Short Sale may not be for you. Cooperation is key.
Last week, I was scheduled to meet with potential Short Sale Sellers who had found me online. … (11 comments)
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northern virginia short sale agent: There are Some Problems that Short Sale Agents Can't Solve
- 08/09/12 02:47 PM
There are Some Problems that Short Sale Agents Can't Solve
The other day I was chatting with a friend of mine. She and I are HUGE Bee Gees fans. We were lamenting over the fact that we both skipped the opportunity to see them in the late 90's. Now, with Robin and Maurice gone, we are kicking ourselves that we never saw the Bee Gees live. My problem solving kicked into overdrive and before you know it, I had paired Barry Gibb up with Justin Timberlake and Adam Levine on a stage in my head.
Those are the only two … (10 comments)
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northern virginia short sale agent: Short Sale Sellers Shouldn't Be Left in the Dark
- 07/30/12 07:51 AM
Short Sale Sellers Shouldn't Be Left in the Dark
A few weeks ago I received a call from a gentleman in another state whose home was under contract in a Short Sale. He was beyond stressed as he unloaded his tale of woe on me. His agent had taken all the necessary paperwork, allegedly sent it to the bank, and then....nothing. He hasn't heard from the agent since. And that was MONTHS ago. He wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help him figure out what was up with the progress of his sale.
Of course, I … (18 comments)
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northern virginia short sale agent: Fear of the Unknown? Hiding Under the Bed Won't Make It Go Away.
- 07/24/12 09:08 AM
Fear of the Unknown? Hiding Under the Bed Won't Make It Go Away.
Last night the Cleland house experienced a bit of drama. Our oldest male cat, Rudy, seemed to have an eye injury/condition that was worsening by the hour. His eye had been tearing all day, then producing puss and apparently getting so uncomfortable that he couldn't keep it open by midnight. So, with the regular vet closed and his dear Real Estate Agent Mom (yours truly) having a full day on the calendar for Tuesday, I decided it was best to take him to the emergency vet and get it … (7 comments)
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northern virginia short sale agent: A Northern Virginia Short Sale First!
- 07/06/12 06:11 AM
A Northern Virginia Short Sale First!
It's not often that something new happens in the world of this Northern Virginia Short Sale Agent. Today was a rare, probably once in a lifetime event, of hand delivering a Short Sale contract package to a local bank. The loan is a second trust with a government employees credit union. The loan number isn't some nine digit account number that I have zero chance of remembering. It's three digits, the first one being zero, the second being one.
I was so excited. I had all the documents indexed and in a three ring … (11 comments)
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northern virginia short sale agent: Ever Get Tired of Trying? Don't Ask a Distressed, Upside Down Home Owner.
- 05/06/12 08:13 AM
Ever Get Tired of Trying? Don't Ask a Distressed, Upside Down Home Owner.
I'm a Northern Virginia Short Sale Agent and part of my job is to counsel home owners who have attempted loan modification and been denied, and now find themselves facing foreclosure. Short Sale is a great way to have more control of the situation, do less damage to your credit in the long run and so forth. It is far more desirable than foreclosure. It's a logical choice.
However, I understand the emotions that drive a person who has been in talks with their mortgage companies over loan … (8 comments)
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northern virginia short sale agent: Bank of America Steps Up the Short Sale Negotiation Process
- 03/28/12 04:17 AM
Bank of America Steps Up the Short Sale Negotiation Process
About a week ago, Bank of America sent out a new third party authorization form to Short Sale Agents. They will no longer accept any other third party authorization form. So what's so special about Bank of America's new third party authorization form? Well for starters, you have to be a licensed real estate agent or attorney in good standing with your licensing board to be authorized to speak with Bank of America regarding Short Sales.
It's about time! I've been preaching this one since 2007. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, … (6 comments)
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northern virginia short sale agent: Can You Really Claim to Be a Short Sale Agent if You've Got Someone Else Handling the Short Sale Negotiations?
- 03/24/12 02:37 PM
Can You Really Claim to Be a Short Sale Agent if You've Got Someone Else Handling the Short Sale Negotiations?
I received a call last week on a Short Sale listing that had been withdrawn from the MLS. It was an ambulance chasing Short Sale Agent that was ready to pick up the deal and resuscitate it. You see, he had made the assumption that the sale was somehow rejected by the banks. It wasn't. It was accepted, but the Sellers had decided to ditch the Short Sale and go for loan modification.
He went on to extoll his glories to me … (19 comments)
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northern virginia short sale agent: Northern Virginia Short Sale Quiz: Question #10
- 03/11/12 04:35 AM
Northern Virginia Short Sale Quiz: Question #10
Northern Virginia Short Sale transactions are fraught with loads of misinformation. This series of questions is designed at getting the major misconceptions set straight for buyers, sellers and real estate agents. If you want to go back to question #9 and work your way through the entire quiz backward, please click the link.
Now here we are at the final question in the quiz.
Sellers who have completed a Short Sale, without declaring bankruptcy, will qualify to purchase another home
A) Three years past the Short Sale if they missed mortgage payments during the process
… (4 comments)
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northern virginia short sale agent: Northern Virginia Short Sale Quiz: Question #9
- 03/08/12 01:15 AM
Northern Virginia Short Sale Quiz: Question #9
It still amazes me that there are agents listing Short Sales in Northern Virginia that have no idea what is involved in the Short Sale process. I guess the thought is that if they sat through a Short Sale designation class, they are more than qualified to do a Short Sale. Either some of these courses aren't teaching reality or the students are buried in their cell phones and tablets the entire time, because some of the worst offenders I've met are agents with Short Sale designations, but I digress.
This series of questions … (8 comments)
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northern virginia short sale agent: Northern Virginia Short Sale Quiz: Question #8
- 03/06/12 04:25 AM
Northern Virginia Short Sale Quiz: Question #8
Working with Northern Virginia Short Sales since 2007, I have certainly learned more from the Short Sales I've closed than I could ever hope to learn in a Short Sale designation class. Experience is a phenomenal teacher. The problem with classes is that they often perpetuate misunderstandings of what REALLY happens in a Short Sale. That's why I developed this series of questions....to find a new way to get some of the urban legends in the Short Sale world out of the heads of buyers, sellers and real estate agents.
If you've missed any … (5 comments)
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northern virginia short sale agent: Northern Virginia Short Sale Quiz: Question #7
- 03/04/12 03:21 AM
Northern Virginia Short Sale Quiz: Question #7
Sometimes I feel like a caped crusader in the fight for a true understanding of what a Northern Virginia Short Sale is and how it works. Not only do buyers and sellers have a hard time understanding the ins and outs of a Short Sale, but so do real estate agents who have little to no experience with them. As a fun way to get some misunderstandings on the subject cleared up, I've created this Northern Virginia Short Sale Quiz. We've already have question #1, question #2, question #3, question #4, question #5 and … (6 comments)
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We Need to List The White House & All Federal Buildings as Short Sales
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