We never met our seller in person. All of our transaction was via phone and email. It was an investment property owned by a commander in the Navy, a pilot who did not live here in Florida. 
He found us on our ActiveRain blog and then went to our website to read the short sale articles we have written over the years. When he first called us about listing his property as a short sale we told him that it would not be easy.
It would not be easy because he needed the lender to forgive his debt.
Many military officers need security clearances and those clearances are compromised by creditors when they are not given a full and complete waiver of deficiency. Because this was an investment property and the property was in the state of Florida- a deficiency state- it was going to be an uphill battle and everyone knew this going into this.
His testimonial that he wrote below tells the story of how this short sale became such a nightmare.
Here is a man serving his country, putting his life in danger every day and you will not believe what his lender put him through.
We went through several buyers and this became an 18 month ordeal. Each time we went back to the short sale lender they came up with a different excuse about denying the short sale or not giving him the deficiency waiver or requiring too much money to satisfy the request for deficiency waiver. We never gave up. We kept going back to the short sale lender.
One time the short sale lender told us we only had 24 hours to get something signed by the seller. They knew perfectly well that our seller was flying a Navy plane in the middle east. They expected him to find a fax machine in the middle of a sand storm somewhere. He was put through unwarranted stress. We refused to allow him to be bothered while he was in the heat of battle somewhere. If we lost another buyer, well, we would find another one.
This listing was a lower end listing. We thought about not taking the listing but knowing he was fighting for our country it was the right thing to do. I am sure we are in the deficit financially on this short sale. But we are rich in gratitude for his service to our country.
Nestor,I'd be more than happy to write you a little testimonial. This event would have never happened without the persistence, dedication and commitment of you, Giedra and your team.It's been more than 18 months since we first started this process and I would have given up without you guys driving this thing from start to finish.What amazed me is that you guys accepted this listing knowing the total commission would be a pittance compared to the time and effort that you and Giedra would need to put in.Multiple different buyers and contracts and the bureaucracy and general incompetence of my bank made it a nightmare but you guys made it happen by calling in favors from your contacts in the industry and working the issues diligently.Living in Texas and deploying several times overseas during the process made it even more of a challenge for you. I always felt I really had someone in my corner throughout the entire process and it gave me piece of mind when I was overseas knowing that you guys were doing all you could to help me. I can't thank you enough.If I ever get back to Florida I will make a special effort to come find you guys and take you to lunch. I owe you both much more than you realize. I could go on and on.Feel free to take bits and pieces of the above and post it wherever you like. I'd be happy to take a call from anyone that wants a glowing recommendation anytime. You guys have thanked me for my service before and I want you to know that you guys have truly given me something that I will always appreciate. Thank you for your commitment to me.Best Regards,D. RhodesCommander, U.S. Navy
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