PREGNANT ELEPHANTS AND THE ART OF SHORT SALE TIME FRAMES and LIVING IN LIMBO

What do pregnant elephants and short sales have in common?

Long gestational periods.

The average elephant's gestational period is 2 years. The average short sale decision time is about 45 days- which feels like two years for any buyer waiting.

There are no short cuts to a short sale in place to speed up the decision process as of yet- perhaps in our lifetime, but not just yet. Over worked and entirely under appreciated case workers are trying to keep up with the ever increasing demand for rapid answers. It must be a daunting job.

Almost every agent working in Real Estate are equally frustrated. But there are things that you can do to streamline the process.

CLEAR AS MUD

Provide CLEAR copies of the Purchase Agreements- this will save time.

Provide a synopsis of the offer.

BE POLITE! This can be difficult as frustration mounts.

Keep Everyone informed. Waiting is less painful when you have insight as to what is happening or what is expected to happen shortly.

Even small courtesy emails make a difference to buyers living in limbo.

Lastly, make sure all of your documents have the loan numbers on them- this is a must.

Short Sales are not easy- they take a long time but the savings offered in purchasing a short sale will be worth it in the end, if you are patient.