It pays to talk to several short sale negotiators before signing on the dotted line! Prices can vary by THOUSANDS of dollars in the Jacksonville short sale market.
I recently had a client that asked "a friend" for the name of a the person that negotiated her short sale. The attorney they recommended "only charged $2200" to negotiate the short sale. Wow. Our corporate attorney charges $700 for a simple short sale like this one and maybe $1000+ for a "complicated" short sale. They offer a complimentary consultation to address the Sellers concerns and will give them a price to negotiate the short sale. It was too late for me to help. She had already signed off on a contract to represent her.
I listed the property and we had an offer in 3 days for full price. The lender approved the price within 4 weeks and we will be closing in 3 weeks. All of this for more than TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS out of pocket. I am so frustrated. The Seller really doesn't have the money. She qualified for a HAFA payment so the attorney "will just take that at closing". Oh my! This Seller could have really used the HARP funds to pay for her new apartment. 
Remember!!! SHOP AROUND FOR A SHORT SALE REAL ESTATE AGENT AND LET THEM HELP YOU FIND THE BEST OPTION FOR A SHORT SALE NEGOTIATOR! My Broker doesn't allow our 125+ agents to do short sales on their own. We use a third party or attorney for ALL short sales. There are just too many liabilities and pitfalls that may make the process have a very "unhappy ending" for all involved. Take the liability off of the agent and Seller and let the attorney handle the nuts and bolts of the short sale process.
Jacksonville continues to see a steady stream of short sales entering the market. Contact a Magnolia Properties agent today to help take the stress out of the process for you. We will help walk you through the process and help you find the best short sale negotiator to fit your needs.
Buying and selling real estate doesn't have to be stressful! Let us help with your Jacksonville FL real estate needs today.
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