Don't Confuse Offer Negotiations with Short Sale Bank Negotiations

It seems that whenever I am doing my job as a Northern Virginia Short Sale Listing Agent, and my Seller counters a low offer to ensure they are taking their home off the market for an offer that has a great chance at getting approved by their Bank, the Buyer becomes wary.  The Buyer seems to think that the advice I gave my Seller to counter to a higher price will somehow have me negotiating against the contract once it is submitted to the Bank. 

I get messages from Buyer's Agents after the negotiation dust has settled, and a contract has emerged that will say, "The Buyers just want to make sure you will fairly present this offer to the bank."

First of all, when an offer comes in, it my job as a Northern Virginia Short Sale Listing Agent to make sure my Seller is putting their best foot forward.  Why take their home off the market for an offer we all know has no chance of being accepted by their Bank?  Mind you, sometimes these counter offer situations can get intense and last for days.  The reason behind the counter offers is to make sure the Buyer is serious and that the offer my Seller accepts is worthy of bank acceptance.

Once terms are accepted by the Seller and the Buyer, we have a contract.  It now becomes my duty as A Northern Virginia Listing Agent to make sure that the Short Sale Contract gets approved.  If you are a Buyer that has been through some tough negotiations with my Seller, for whom I am the mouthpiece, please do not fear for one second that I will be on the phone with my Seller's Bank talking down your offer.  That is not my job.  My job is to take that Contract, with the terms that all parties have agreed to, and get the Bank to accept it.

I would never advise my Seller to accept a Contract that I didn't think was acceptable to the bank.  So rest assured, when negotiations have ended between Seller and Buyer, my job is to get that Contract approved.  The past negotiations, no matter how tense, are forgotten and I moving toward a successful Settlement of the Contract with Bank Approval.  That is in my Seller's best interest.  It is not in my Seller's best interest to talk down a Contract that they will need to be accepted to complete their Short Sale.

Chris Ann Cleland, Realtor- Licensed in Virginia, GRI, SFR, Northern Virginia Short Sale Specialist. Affiliated with Long & Foster, 7526 Limestone Drive, Gainesville, VA 20155.  To contact Chris Ann, call 703-402-0037 or email chrisann@LNF.com.  Or you can visit her website:  www.nvarealestate.net.