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What Happens to Your Credit Score After a Lakeland FL Short Sale?

By
Managing Real Estate Broker with Lakeland Real Estate Group, Inc. BK646565

What Happens to Your Credit Score After a Lakeland FL Short Sale?

In one of my recent appointments of listing a Lakeland Fl short sale, the seller asked me what impact does a short sale have on my credit score? Here are my thoughts and opinion about credit score impact when doing a short sale.  Before applying for a Lakeland FL short sale for your home, it is very important that you enter into this with your eyes wide open. Forget about real estate agents who have told you that short sales won’t have any impact on your credit score. Of course it does, but the good news is that the damage is not usually as bad as what a foreclosure or deed-in-lieu could do to your credit score.

Loss of Points

Your FICO score goes down by a certain number of points depending on the undesirable action you have previously taken with regard to your financial standing or credit.

Late Payment – Before applying for a Lakeland FL short sale, you may have already committed one of the unforgivable sins and that’s to make late payments for your mortgage. Being one month behind can already decrease your FICO score by 40 to 110 points. If you are three months late, then your FICO score could go down by as much as 135 points.

Short sales versus foreclosures – A Lakeland Florida short sale can cause your FICO score to dip by anywhere between 85 and 160 points. In many cases, foreclosures and deeds-in-lieu cause more credit damage than short sales.

Bankruptcy – If short selling your home is not enough to save you from financial ruin, then you may be forced to declare bankruptcy. This would result into having as much as 240 points deducted from your credit score. In worst case scenarios, you may even lose as many as 300 points because of the various factors that have contributed to your current financial state.

Waiting or Recovery Period

After having your Lakeland FL short sale application approved and successfully sold your home, you need to cool your heels for a little bit and allow your credit score to gradually recover. If you apply for a new loan the instant you have sold your house, your application will most probably be rejected.

You need to give credit bureaus enough time to catch up with your most recent transactions and update your records accordingly. You also need this precious amount of time to provide bankers and creditors with more reasons to believe that you have changed – for the better.

With deeds-in-lieu and foreclosures, most homeowners have to wait anywhere between 2 and 6 years before applying for a new loan. But with Lakeland FL short sales, you can wait for as little as 18 months before you can successfully apply for a loan. 

Again keep in mind your credit score does affect differently based on your history of whether or not making  other payments such as your car, mortgage and credit card payments.  Being current on payments the less damaging is your credit score when doing a Lakeland Fl short sale. 

You can check your credit for free at https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp for Equifax, TransUnion and Experian

 

I hope you found this post useful! If you need help finding or selling your Lakeland, Florida home, please contact Petra Norris - REALTOR(R) at 863-619-6918. If you’re new to Lakeland, I’d especially like to extend a warm welcome. I value my clients and provide them with honest, reliable service. Allow me to introduce you to the Lakeland FL real estate landscape and all it has to offer.

 

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Copyright © 2012 By Petra Norris *What Happens to Your Credit Score After a Lakeland FL Short Sale?* 

Comments(33)

Charlie Dresen
The Group, Inc - Steamboat Springs, CO
Steamboat Springs, CO e-Pro

This is great information!  I know a lot of people wonder one way or the other how a short sale will affect their credit score.  Thanks for the excellent post!

 

Jul 24, 2012 06:04 AM
Tammie White, Broker
Franklin Homes Realty LLC - Franklin, TN
Franklin TN Homes for Sale

Petra, sellers don't often understand the impact a short sale will have on their credit but it is a more viable choice than being forclosed on. You have done an excellent job educating your Lakeland FL short sale sellers. It's because of you that sellers are able to move on in their life after a financial hardship.

Jul 24, 2012 06:09 AM
Silvia Dukes PA, Broker Associate, CRS, CIPS, SRES
Tropic Shores Realty - Ich spreche Deutsch! - Spring Hill, FL
Florida Waterfront and Country Club Living
Petra, another great post with valuable short sale information. Thanks for sharing!
Jul 24, 2012 07:52 AM
Ginny Gorman
RI Real Estate Services ~ 401-529-7849~ RI Waterfront Real Estate - North Kingstown, RI
Homes for Sale in Southern RI and beyond

Petra, great information and yes keeping current on all those loans and credit card bills will help the recovery effort in getting back to being able to borrow again...it is the not paying that truly impacts the credit..great well deserved post for the Lakeland FL short sale agent in the know for her clients!

Jul 24, 2012 09:43 AM
Sandy Acevedo
951-290-8588 - Chino Hills, CA
RE/MAX Masters, Inland Empire Homes for Sale

So many times these people are so devastated by the situation they are in, that they cannot fully grasp this type of good news. Eventually, they will. Great post.

Jul 24, 2012 10:09 AM
Bas Panch
SCV Home Buyer - Valencia, CA

Hi Petra,

Congrats on the feature! This is great information, it's so important for homeowners to know what the possible outcomes are when they do a short sale. Keep up the good work as a top Lakeland FL short sale agent!

Jul 24, 2012 11:54 AM
Joan Whitebook
BHG The Masiello Group - Nashua, NH
Consumer Focused Real Estate Services

Petra -- Things are not clearcut.  It is important for seller to consult with their lawyers and tax accountants to determine what is in their best interests.

Jul 24, 2012 01:00 PM
Christine Donovan
Donovan Blatt Realty - Costa Mesa, CA
Broker/Attorney 714-319-9751 DRE01267479 - Costa M

Petra - This question comes up over and over again with short sale sellers understandably.

Jul 24, 2012 04:31 PM
Petra Norris
Lakeland Real Estate Group, Inc. - Lakeland, FL
Realtor, Lakeland FL Homes for Sale

Thanks everyone for commenting, it is much appreciated.

@Bob #11 - I just hope for the Mortgage Debt Relief Act to be extended as I think short sales will remain for some years.  However time is running out therefore it is important the homeowners in distress must act now and not wait. 

Jul 24, 2012 09:01 PM
Joe Manausa - Tallahassee, FL
Joe Manausa Real Estate - Tallahassee, FL
Tallahassee Real Estate

Great reference piece Petra, thank you!

Jul 24, 2012 10:01 PM
Laura Murray
Weichert - Silver Spring, MD
Search Montgomery Co., MD for homes www.MDRealEstateOnline.com

Interesting.  I have a good friend who is upside down on a mortgage and is considering a short sale, because she recently lost her job.  The goal is to keep her ability to purchase again in the near term.

Jul 25, 2012 12:39 AM
Mark Loewenberg
KW of the Palm Beaches - Palm Beach Gardens, FL
KW 561-214-0370

always the question I get from potential sellers about their possible listing for short sale

Jul 25, 2012 01:01 AM
Bob Miller
Keller Williams Cornerstone Realty - Ocala, FL
The Ocala Dream Team

Just talked with one of my short sale sellers last night.  Her credit is back up to the point she can buy in only 2 years.

Jul 25, 2012 02:17 AM
Deborah L. Kessler
Hawaii Life Real Estate Brokers - Kapaa, HI
Kauai Broker

I did a short sale on my own residence last year. I pulled my credit just before closing and found it had dropped about 10 points for each month I had missed a payment.  I haven't pulled it again to see what the effect of actually closing the short sale did. But my sellers have told me they had similar experiences.

Jul 25, 2012 03:35 AM
Pamela Seley
West Coast Realty Division - Murrieta, CA
Residential Real Estate Agent serving SW RivCo CA

Recovery after short sale is quicker than if there is bankruptcy and/or foreclosure. Some of my clients saw their FICO scores jump back up after one year, but they didn't have any other negatives.  Great information, much success to you!

Jul 25, 2012 05:18 AM
Bob Marshall
Home Smart Ion Real Estate - Lynnwood, WA

Great article.  I think the same situation applies here in Washington.  A number of potential short sale clients have asked about the effect a short sale will have on their credit score, thinking that it will have minimal effect.  In fact, a couple have told me they were told by brokers that a short sale, if done right, will have no effect on their credit and they can go right out and get another mortgage.

Jul 25, 2012 05:22 AM
Nan Jester
Exit Real Estate Gallery Jacksonville Beach, FL - Jacksonville Beach, FL
Realtor, Exit Real Estate Gallery

Always good to refresh your skill with it comes to short sales. We have a ton of them here in my area. Crazy time frames for us, crazy consequences for the sellers.

Jul 25, 2012 06:03 AM
Hal Tennant
HomeTown Lenders - Murfreesboro, TN
Get a Zero Down Mortgage - How to buy a home with no money down

Petra,

You are correct. A short sale will hurt a borrower's credit. Less than a foreclosure but nevertheless a significant derogatory. I am doing a loan for a borrower who had a short sale but never had a late payment - that's a lot better than being behind and facing default.

How many points does it cost? Depends on where the score was before the event. Also, how recent but I wouldn't be surprised to see a 50-60 point hit.

Just so you know for the future, a settled account sits right between a 90 day late a BK.

here's what FHA says about the waiting period: 

Borrower current at time of short sale:

No wait if all mtg and installment debts pd on time for 12 months preceding short sale.

 

Borrower delinquent at time of short sale:

3 years from date of sale.

 

If previous mortgage was FHA, 3 years from date CAIVRS claim was paid.

 

Jul 25, 2012 07:31 AM
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
Real Estate Broker Retired

I always forget the numbers so it's good to keep up & read them again. People are always asking & I always forget. Still, each person seems to be different & so does each agency.

Jul 26, 2012 12:59 AM
Evelyn Kennedy
Alain Pinel Realtors - Alameda, CA
Alameda, Real Estate, Alameda, CA

Petra:

Good information.  I just assumed that when you have to do a short sale on your home your credit score would be way down.  

Jul 27, 2012 05:08 AM