Can I Put That Destin Condo on Layaway?

I have been negotiating a short sale offer for a Destin Florida condo for about a week. Today I received the following email from the buyer's agent: "Here is my buyer's final offer for the condo. "

Purchase Price - $150,000

$50,000 at closing, $50,000 in 12 months and the other $50,000 in 24 months.

Seller to pay all closing costs

Seller to pay 6 months of condo dues

He would like an answer by 2pm on Monday."Enough said.



It's Wendy!
Wendy Rulnick, Broker, CRP, CRS, GRI, ABR Rulnick Realty, Inc.
Destin FL Real Estate
Destin Short Sales & Pre Foreclosure Help.
Read Wendy's Destin Real Estate Blog
Call toll-free 1-877-ITS-WNDY (1-877-487-9639) or local 850-650-7883 ext 204
Email Wendy: itswendy@rulnickrealty.com
Wendy is a short sale and pre-foreclosure specialist and has been featured in "Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine" and "Florida Realtor Magazine". Call Wendy Rulnick, Broker/Owner,to list and sell your home or condo on the Emerald Coast of Florida in Walton, Okaloosa and Santa Rosa County- Destin, Santa Rosa Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, Bluewater Bay, Navarre, Seagrove Beach, Watercolor, Sandestin, Seaside, Crestview, Rosemary Beach, Mary Esther, Shalimar, Eglin AFB, Hurlburt Field.

Short Sale Bank Negotiator Interview Coming Up

Saturday August 29th.... Bryant Tutas and Wendy Rulnick will be interviewing a Short Sale Negotiator from one of the major lenders. He's been doing this for 18 years and is a wealth of information. He has agreed to spend 90 minutes answering our questions.
Bryant and I have been negotiating with him for a couple of weeks now and have finally came to terms on his fee and the terms for the interview. He has to remain anonymous as it could jeopardize his job if they knew he was giving this interview.It's feels kind of like "The Insider"!
We can assure you that the Interview is going to be awesome. Wendy and I spoke with him for about an hour recently and were blown away at the stuff we learned in such a short period of time.This knowledge WILL make you money!
The time is Saturday August 29 at 11:00am Eastern (10:00 Central). The place is your computer as the interview is being done as a Webinar. The cost is.......
$27
The Interview is being recorded and will be available on MP3 just in case you can't make it "live". Folks...... this may be the best $27 you have spent in a long time. If you want to join us, check www.ShortSaleSuperstars.com

Why I Negotiate My Own Short Sales

In the last couple of days I've been approached by two Destin FL sellers who wish to do Short Sales. After explaining the Short Sale process, I explained what items I would need. When I got to "financial worksheet" etc. I was stopped in my tracks. These sellers told me that their attorney said not to turn over any information, that he would be handling the short sale negotiations. I immediately told the sellers that I will only take the listing if I handle the entire transaction including bank negotiations. Why?

To take on a listing in this market, and any market, involves taking a risk. That is, a substantial business investment covering the cost "doing" business, which includes time, advertising, payroll, insurance, licensing, internet, phone, rent, etc. etc.. In a normal market, the calculated risk of the business investment is that the listing will most likely sell, and the burden of expenses will reimbursed, plus some business profit. With a Short Sale, the risk is much higher. Why? The Short Sale lender may not approve the sale. And the time investment to reap a return may be five times longer than a normal sale, reducing any profit if the sale is approved. To lessen the key business risk of an unapproved Short Sale-- both for me and my seller, I must control the Short Sale from start to finish. Why? Because I can:

Assemble excellent lender packages personally reviewed by me
Directly and immediately respond to negotiators' calls and emails
Immediately provide well-written market narratives and critical analyses proving price
Ensure that appraisers and bank BPO agents understand the subject property's challenges
Immediately provide additional documentation required by the lender
Keep the parties well-informed and in the deal
Document all tasks in detail for transaction-saving reference
Provide creative solutions to negotiators' demands such as promissory notes and cash contributions
Use twenty years of negotiations skills to ensure success

Can a third party do all this? Perhaps. But I know I can. If I pass along the critical Short Sale negotiation stage to a third party, my company's business success is entrusted to others, as is my seller's chance of approval.

It's Wendy!
Wendy Rulnick, Broker, CRP, CRS, GRI, ABR Rulnick Realty, Inc.

Search Destin FL real estate
Short Sale Pre Foreclosure Help.

Call toll-free 1-877-ITS-WNDY (1-877-487-9639) or local 850-650-7883 ext 204

Email itswendy@rulnickrealty.com

Wendy Rulnick specializes in real estate sales, short sales, traditional sales on Emerald Coast of Florida: Destin Florida real estate, Santa Rosa Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, Bluewater Bay, Navarre, Seagrove Beach, Watercolor, Sandestin, Seaside, Dune Allen, Blue Mountain Beach, Freeport, Rosemary Beach, Mary Esther, Shalimar, Eglin AFB, Hurlburt Field. Wendy Rulnick, Broker and Realtor, has been selling real estate for almost 20 years. She has won numerous awards, including the coveted ADDY for advertising design. An expert marketer of real estate listings, she negotiates successfully to her dients' advantage. She is supported by a team of top buyer specialists. She lists and sells homes, condos and townhomes.

All Rights Reserved. *Why I Negotiate My Own Short Sales* Contact Wendy Rulnick regarding Destin Florida real estate and vicinity. Copyright © 2008 by Wendy Rulnick.
This site, Wendy Rulnick or Rulnick Realty, Inc. is not providing legal or tax advice. The information provided is for educational and informational purposes only. It is recommended that sellers considering a short sale should consult an independent legal and tax advisor for more information.

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Vanderbilt Mortgage: Attitude and Guessing Games

I am working on getting a short sale approval for a house in Destin FL. The mortgage is about $200,000 and the offer is for $130,000 (modified for the sake of confidentiality), which is slightly under maximum market value of $145,000. The lender is Vanderbilt Mortgage. To be blunt, they are not nice. Most lenders have been in this game long enough to know how the system works, and have probably had thousands of short sale requests. Vanderbilt just doesn't want to play. Here is what is going on:

Faxed Vanderbilt 41-page short sale package with typical items, contract, settlement statement, hardship letter, etc.

After several days and numerous phone calls to Vanderbilt, they state the party handling the file is on "vacation" and to fax all to a different number.

After several more days and numerous phone calls to Vanderbilt I am told they cannot find the fax. OK, I am used to this sort of thing, so ask where they want me to fax it the third time. The girl says, "You don't need to fax it again, just tell me the net." I was a bit dumbfounded, and pressed that I didn't want to waste the effort I had made in preparing the package. She insisted and I told her. She said she would give the "credit manager" the net figure and told me to call back on Wednesday. I called back on Wednesday as instructed, and was told the offer was "rejected". Oh, that's nice. "What's the counter?" I asked. I was already getting a sick feeling about this bank, call it "short sale intuition". The gentleman told me there was no counteroffer, but if I called back Thursday he would tell whoever was in charge to give me a counter.

I called back on Thursday. That's today. I was told the person I spoke with yesterday "did not know what he is talking about. We do not counter offer." I asked "Is this a guessing game?" She wasn't very pleasant, and said mortgage balance was $200,000. I told her that wasn't market value. (By the way, most lenders understand that.) She actually said, "Well, it may or may not be market value." And she proceeded to arrogantly spew forth about how they normally don't entertain short sales and they don't do things like other companies do.

Fascinated by this statement, I decided to do a Google search on Vanderbilt Mortgage. Wow. On their site they claim to be the largest lender for manufactured homes. But several of the Google results are findings like "ripoff report", "scam fraud alert" "complaints", etc. Apparently a lot of people don't like Vanderbilt. Me either.

It's Wendy!
Wendy Rulnick, Broker, CRP, CRS, GRI, ABR Rulnick Realty, Inc.

Search Destin Florida real estate and vicinity.
Short Sale Pre Foreclosure Help.

Specializing in real estate sales on Emerald Coast of Florida: Destin Florida real estate, Santa Rosa Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, Bluewater Bay, Navarre, Seagrove Beach, Watercolor, Sandestin, Seaside, Dune Allen, Blue Mountain Beach, Freeport, Rosemary Beach, Mary Esther, Shalimar, Eglin AFB, Hurlburt Field.

Call toll-free 1-877-ITS-WNDY (1-877-487-9639) or local 850-650-7883 ext 204

Email me at itswendy@rulnickrealty.com

Copyright © 2008 By Wendy Rulnick. All Rights Reserved. *Vanderbilt Mortgage: Attitude and Guessing Games* Contact Wendy Rulnick regarding Destin Florida real estate and vicinity.

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Winning: Tennis & Short Sales

What does it take to be a winning Short Sale listing agent? Among other qualities, the number one attribute is: tenacity. Webster's dictionary says to be tenacious is to be "persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired".

One can liken the attitude to that of Rafael Nadal's, who just won the Wimbledon tournament by enduring five grueling sets against the long-time reigning champion, Roger Federer. It was the longest finals in Wimbledon history at four hours and 48 minutes. No matter how grim the outcome looked, overcoming the challenge of the grass court, overcoming Federer's brilliant play, and overcoming missed chances to win again and again, Nadal prevailed. He never gave up. And he won.

When interviewed he said "I had a very positive attitude, l felt confident with myself.
"It's the final of Wimbledon so I have to continue fighting all the time... I had a winner's attitude.... If you play with a good mental attitude, even if you are not 100 percent, you can win because you win more with your heart, with your will power than with anything else.... If you fight all the time, if you have a good mental attitude, it works."

Each Short Sale we have is like the Wimbledon final. It is us against the big bank, the big corporation, the black hole of voice mail, check boxes, customer service reps, missed faxes, flawed appraisals and bad attitudes. It is fighting every "NO" and coming back with brilliant volleys, critical thinking, quick recoveries and getting back up after every lost point. It is tenacity- never giving up.

Successful Short Sale listing agents have this attitude. That's how they win.

It's Wendy!
Wendy Rulnick, Broker, CRP, CRS, GRI, ABR Rulnick Realty, Inc.
Specializing in SHORT SALES and FORECLOSURES on the Emerald Coast of Florida: Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Santa Rosa Beach, Niceville, Bluewater Bay, Sandestin, Seagrove Beach, Navarre and vicinity.

Call 1-877-487-9639
www.ShortSaleForeclosureHelp.com
www.RulnickRealty.com

Bank That's Never Done a Short Sale

Much of my Emerald Coast market is both resort and military. There are at least three air force bases in the Destin-Fort Walton Beach area, so I do a lot of real estate business with military members. One of my recent Short Sale listings used a local air force credit union for his second mortgage/home equity line. Well, I almost fell off my chair today when I found out I was the "FIRST" request they have ever had for a Short Sale.
I was making my standard call to notify the first and second lienholder that I had placed the seller's property on the market seeking a Short Sale. I caused a stir when I called the second, the military credit union, and asked what their standard Short Sale procedures were. I got a clue when the customer service rep asked me what a Short Sale was. I explained it briefly, then asked to be transferred to their Loss Mitigation department. She didn't know what that was, so I was placed on hold and eventually transferred to the mortgage department. This time I was not placed on hold, but could hear the conversation in the background, "She is NOT authorized on this account! She said she is calling for Loss Mitigation?". I had to admit, I had a big smile on my face. Finally, an authoritative-sounding woman got on the phone and said she was in charge of the real estate department at the bank. I explained what I was doing, and she confessed, "We have never had a Short Sale, maybe we've just been lucky." I would say! She told me she was not sure what to do in this situation, and asked if the first usually loses money, too? I told her always! (Well, almost). Anyway, I offered her my assistance and told her the procedures most of the big banks use, and even emailed her my checklist for sellers and short sale website www.ShortSaleForeclosureHelp.com. I also added I would be happy to assist her if her bank runs into any other situations with Short Sales. I've got to say, this is going to be interesting!

It's Wendy!
Wendy Rulnick, Broker, CRP, CRS, GRI, ABR Rulnick Realty, Inc.
Specializing in SHORT SALES and FORECLOSURES on the Emerald Coast of Florida: Destin, Santa Rosa Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, Bluewater Bay, Navarre, Seagrove Beach, Watercolor, Sandestin, Seaside, Dune Allen, Blue Mountain Beach, Freeport, Rosemary Beach, Mary Esther, Shalimar, Eglin AFB, Hurlburt Field.
Call toll-free 1-877-ITS-WNDY (1-877-487-9639) or 850-650-7883 ext 204
www.RulnickRealty.com

AmTrust Short Sale Appraisals

I have a Short Sale in process with AmTrust as the first mortgage holder. Their appraiser recently went out, and boy, we have a problem. AmTrust Short Sale appraisal guidelines require the comparables to be within 1 mile of the subject in suburban areas. And, they cannot use foreclosures as comps. The situation is as follows:

Subject: 1400 SF basic house, built 2004, no garage, in neighborhood with many trailers and dirt roads

Offer: $172,000

Real Buyer Comps: Many homes four miles away in new subdivisions, more substantial, 1600-1800 SF, garages, selling in the $180's very recently

Problem: Appraiser cannot use those comps. Only sales in subject's neighborhood are an errant house on pilings that sold for $200,000 six months ago and some other odd-ball sales. Appraiser's forced value is coming in around $200,000

Solution: Appraiser is allowed to get a statement from his "peer" justifying the sale price. He contacted me, as a peer (I am a real estate Broker) and I told him,

"A buyer would not pay $200,000 for the subject property. Foreclosures are reasonable to use as comps in this market, because they are making the market. A typical buyer for the subject, who could afford it, would certainly pay in the $180,000's for a much more substantial home 10 minutes away versus the subject property. In conclusion, using comps that are four miles away is reasonable in the current market, as is using foreclosures."

The appraiser was completely sympathetic and frustrated he was not allowed to use realistic comps. He said I may be asked for a written statement down the road. I will be delighted to provide it.

It's Wendy!
Wendy Rulnick, Broker, CRP, CRS, GRI, ABR Rulnick Realty, Inc.
Specializing in SHORT SALES and FORECLOSURES on the Emerald Coast of Florida: Destin, Santa Rosa Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, Bluewater Bay, Navarre, Seagrove Beach, Watercolor, Sandestin, Seaside, Dune Allen, Blue Mountain Beach, Freeport, Rosemary Beach, Mary Esther, Shalimar, Eglin AFB, Hurlburt Field.

Call toll-free 1-877-ITS-WNDY (1-877-487-9639) or 850-650-7883 ext 204

www.ShortSaleForeclosureHelp.com
www.RulnickRealty.com

Chase: Second Lien Holder

Today I received a call from a negotiator from Chase, the second mortgage holder on one of my listings with a short sale offer. The gentleman was refreshingly nice, I must say. Chase is owed $101,000 on the note. The first, AMTrust is owed about $200,000. The offer is for $175,000. This is a very fair market offer. The Chase negotiator said with such a loss he must get an approval from G-d. He was pretty funny. He asked me to email him a price history of the listing, a preliminary HUD and a market write-up. He wanted me to have my sellers call him so he could inquire about them paying a promissory note or doing a cash contribution. He knew that was not likely, but had to follow his checklist. He said if he called them, they might not answer if they have caller id! How true. He said that Chase would combine a BPO price with a computerized value compared to the original appraisal. The value becomes the "Reconciled Market Value" or RMV. He also interestingly noted that there was always an investigation as to whether appraisal fraud may have occurred with the original loan, and that more and more cases were turning up. Compared to the recent experience I had with the ASC negotiator, Mr. "Chase" was courteous and refreshing!

It's Wendy!
Wendy Rulnick, Broker, CRP, CRS, GRI, ABR Rulnick Realty, Inc.
Specializing in SHORT SALES and FORECLOSURES on the Emerald Coast of Florida: Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Mary Esther, Shalimar, Santa Rosa Beach, Niceville, Navarre, Crestview, Sandestin, Seaside, Inlet Beach, Blue Mountain Beach, Freeport, Rosemary Beach, Seacrest, Dune Allen, Miramar Beach, Florida.
1-877-487-9639

www.ShortSales-EmeraldCoast.com
www.RulnickRealty.com

And Then I Became That Buyer's Agent

I recently wrote about Short Sales: For Buyer's Agents. Well, I just became that agent! Having practiced real estate for almost nineteen years, I have spent the last many specializing in listings. I work with buyers infrequently, and almost always on a referral basis. That is because I enjoy the listing aspect more. Yes, after I end up working with a buyer, I usually find it rewarding. But it is not my normal modus operandi. Today I had an interesting scenario arise where I became the Short Sale Buyer Agent. A little background....

About three weeks ago I received a phone call from a gentleman who had three properties he needed to sell short. He was a retiree who had made some investments in condos in Destin about three years ago. He thought he could flip them for a profit, but was never able to. Meanwhile, his rent revenue had diminished and he was several months behind in his mortgage payments. I told him I could help him, and referred him to my website www.ShortSaleForeclosureHelp.com. After a day of discussions, he said he felt guilty he was not working with an agent who tried to help him previously. I understood perfectly well, and let it go at that. Today, I noticed his three listings came on the market with that particular agent. One was substantially underpriced. I received a phone call from one of my out-of-state sellers who was shocked at the price, as I have one of his units for sale in the building, at a much higher price. He referred a friend of his to me to write an offer on the new listing.

I called the listing agent to inform her I was writing an offer. I gently (I thought) asked if I could be of any assistance regarding the Short Sale aspect. (Short Sales are 90% of my business, and I often have local agents refer their Short Sale listings to me). She said, "No, I do these ALL the time." Of course, I had seen in my MLS statistics that she had only sold five houses in the last 18 months, none of them being Short Sales. I asked, "Who is the lender?" She said, "I don't disclose that." I asked why, and she said "I am protecting my client, and that's how things are done." I automatically told her it was public record. She then told me she had had enough of the "Drama" and "didn't have time for this". Etc., etc. I, stunned, asked if I had missed something? She again repeated she did not have time for the "Drama". I did find the previous lender authorization her seller had sent me a few weeks prior indicating the bank was Countrywide.
Hmmm. Having to be diplomatic to protect my buyer's interest is going to take some restraint on this one.

UPDATE- DAY 2: The offer I submitted yesterday had a response deadline of 6:00 p.m. today. I just called the listing agent at 5:45 p.m. I asked if her client was going to make the response time. She said "No, we have multiple offers, and I am going to present them all at once." She had not intended on notifying me that the response time would not be met. I then called and told my seller that we may be in an "auction" situation since the listing was underpriced, it probably generated offers above asking. He said he was not going to participate in the game.

Wendy Rulnick, Broker, CRP, CRS, GRI, ABR Rulnick Realty, Inc.
Specializing in SHORT SALES and FORECLOSURES on the Emerald Coast of Florida: Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, Navarre, Crestview, Grayton Beach, Sandestin, Seaside, Rosemary Beach, Dune Allen, Blue Mountain Beach, Bluewater Bay, Mary Esther, Shalimar, Freeport and vicinity. 1-877-487-9639

www.ShortSaleForeclosureHelp.com

Short Sales: For Buyer's Agents

Are you the selling agent in a Short Sale market? Arm yourself with information for a successful transaction:

1. Prepare your buyer by going over steps in Buying Short Sales.
2. Ask the listing agent if he has gathered the information necessary to submit the Short Sale package, including: letter of authorization, financial statement, recent pay stub or last quarter profit and loss, recent bank statement, last year's tax returns, hardship letter, and payoff if more than one lender. If the listing agent has not already done so, prepare the buyer for a longer wait. I would also ask what the hardship is. If the listing agent will divulge that information, it may assist you in determining whether it would be a viable short sale situation. The hardship should be loss of income, medical, divorce, etc. where they might be a reasonable expectation for approval by the lender.
3. Decide with the buyer whether to make the contract effective date, depending on your board of Realtors, the date the seller signs the contract, or the date the offer is finally approved by the seller's lender. The contract effective date is normally the trigger from which other actions are based. For example, if it is customary in your market to conduct inspections within two weeks, your buyer may wish to wait for bank approval before proceeding. Conversely, if the buyer conducts inspections early, that shows strong intent to complete the transaction.
4. Advise the buyer regarding potential valuations of the Short Sale property by the lender. If the buyer is going to make an unreasonable offer that you know may not be approved after several months of waiting, it is better to inform him at the beginning. Look at the property in the eyes of an appraiser. If recent comparable sales don't come close to justifying the buyer's offer, this may not be a transaction worth pursuing, for you, the buyer or the seller.
5. Once the contract is signed by the seller, follow up gently with the listing agent. A call every two weeks to check on the status of the offer with the lender should be enough of a reminder, and should satisfy your buyer's anxiety during the long wait toward approval.

Wendy Rulnick, Broker, CRP, CRS, GRI, ABR Rulnick Realty, Inc.
Specializing in SHORT SALES and FORECLOSURES on the Emerald Coast of Florida: Destin, Sandestin, Santa Rosa Beach, Blue Mountain Beach, Dune Allen, Watercolor, Rosemary Beach, Seaside, Niceville, Bluewater Bay, Freeport, Crestview, Navarre, Fort Walton Beach, Mary Esther, Shalimar and vicinity. Call 1-877-487-9639.

www.ShortSaleForeclosureHelp.com