If you're about to attempt a short sale, you probably have questions. Questions are always on my mind, too. I wonder about such things as why does Google's homepage show the feet of a Muppet character today? How focused am I on short sales that I did not know the World Series is going on? Why is it when my cat, Pia, rubs on my monitor, she always manages to hit that hidden button that turns it off, and what are the odds that I'll be typing when it happens?

When hopeful short sale sellers call me to ask questions about doing a short sale in Sacramento, I email them my short sale package. This package includes a wealth of information created by reputable legal counsel. It answers a bazillion questions, some of which many sellers didn't even know they had until they read the answers. The package also addresses how short sales affect credit and the possible consequences of taxation on canceled debt.

I do this because I am not licensed to give legal advice, but it's important to me that my sellers are informed. I suggest that sellers obtain legal and tax advice before embarking on the short sale path. This helps them to understand the ramifications of a short sale because not every short sale follows the same procedures.

If sellers have sizable assets to protect or discretionary income, I may also suggest that it could be in the best interests of those sellers to hire a lawyer to negotiate the short sale. I still handle the sale of their home but, in those cases, a lawyer has direct contact with the short sale bank, not me. Banks seem to be more afraid of a lawyer than a Sacramento short sale agent.

I've also witnessed what lawyers can do. One client had more than $200,000 on hand and, by hiring an experienced Sacramento law firm to negotiate the short sale, that client retained the cash and received a clean short sale approval letter without demands for a seller contribution. So, I know it's not always necessary to be upside-down financially to qualify for a short sale. That same law firm is handling negotiations for a few of my other short sale clients who are current and not in default.

If you're looking for answers to your short sale questions, call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916 233 6759, and I'll do my best to provide you with enough information for you to decide whether you want to pursue a short sale. Most of my Sacramento short sales sell within a week or two. And my success rate is high. Remember, too, on a short sale, banks pay my commission.