Selling for sale by owner during the holidays.

Well it's November and the holidays are coming whether you’re ready for them or not. Most people think that it's the slowest season for selling real estate but that doesn't mean you can't sell.

            Yes it's probably true that there is less buyers buying during these times but there is also less sellers selling. This is your chance as a seller to make your home stand out and get noticed.

            It's important to take advantage of this lol in the business to maximize the opportunity available to make your home the one to buy this holiday season.

            Yes like I said there is less buyers but that's because there is less sellers willing to list and show during the holidays.

     Stand out. Schedule open houses and have showing availability be a top priority to insure that you stand out among the other properties on the market.

            Make sure your home is showing condition ready at all times and do all the usual things to insure that your home is inviting to those doing a walk through. Many people are going to have many different answers regarding how to stage your home and what to do and not do during your processing of trying to obtain an offer.

             I would say that it's safe to follow these five easy tips:

1.    Keep the home clean at all times.

2.    Make your holiday decorations minimal or none at all to avoid pushing people away or any other issues.

3.    Have set hours for viewings

4.    Hold open houses

5.    Remove clutter

     It's important to try to get as much exposure as possible for your home. Use this holiday time to mention your plans of selling to all the people you speak to during the holidays and ask them are they looking fr a new home like yours or do they know anyone they could refer that might be looking for a home like yours?

     This is your time to shine make your home the star of the holidays and get it sold. For any questions please don't hesitate to contact me at any time.

     Also remember we have special flat fee options that will save you thousands while still providing you with full representation. So save money and get your home sold this holiday season. Just ask us how. We would be happy to schedule you for our no cost no obligation initial consultation. All it is, is an opportunity to make sure that working together is the best fit for both you and our company.

Asset Management and Liquidation Solutions, Inc.

G@amlsonline.com

424-209-8297

California department of real estate broker’s license number  01900987

     Today we will discuss just for a bit one of the most vital parts of a short sale and where most transactions are won or lost. The HUD and how it's prepared and by who. When dealing with short sale you need to be sure that you have a reliable team in place. This means an escrow company that understands short sales and the hurry up and wait pace that they can take.

     What I mean is first your escrow company should be able to provide you an updated HUD within 30minutes to an hour at the most. That means the very first time and any additional time that changes are requested your escrow should be able to provide you with those changes to the HUD quick.

     Your escrow must understand that the bank does not pay a lot of the junk fees that sometimes are thrown in on a HUD by both escrow and title and must be willing to negotiate their fees to be willing to cut them if the lender so request it. This is of vital importance.

     Your escrow must be willing to not charge a buyer if a transaction is cancelled and a deposit is returned because a buyer has changed their mind. This is also important because a buyer must put a deposit in to escrow but know that if for some reason the transaction does not work out for them that their deposit is safe and free of any fees as long as they have acted in good faith.

     Your HUD must be clear and always have the buyers and sellers names on it clearly printed on it. It should also clearly have the name or names of all the agents and or brokerage companies involved in the transaction.

     Your HUD should have money allocated to all lenders and clearly define where the money is coming from and who is getting what net. This is EXTREMELY important because if anything is missed you will have to go back and get your deal re-approved by the lender.

     Your HUD is for negotiation purposes and always should be submitted with 10k for the second lender and 5k to the third and 3k to any additional lender and your file should be submitted only to the first mortgage first for negotiation and approval. We will discuss why in a later post. If anyone has questions before then please don't hesitate to contact me with them at any time.

     Your HUD should include the starting amounts I mentioned for the Jr. lenders always sometimes they'll be approved and most of the times they won't but having them in the initial HUD in the initial short sale package will insure that the first is aware of the other lenders and gives you a starting point to negotiate.

     Your HUD should always be correct when it comes to taxes/HOA dues/outstanding liens. You must work with a title company and escrow company that know how to make sure that nothing is missed before submitting for negotiations. This will insure that you don't have the whole deal blow up at the end.

     Your escrow should always include an amount for termite if you didn't happen to get a termite inspection before submitting your package to the lender. You should always get a termite report before submitting to the lender. Again this is to insure that nothing is missed and gives you a starting point of negotiations. $2,500 is a good amount to start at for termite.

     Your HUD should include any and all cost of repairs that you think might be needed to get the transaction closed. This means get contractors to get you bids and include them in your HUDS.  Also make sure to include any city laws or rules or codes that state if a property must be repaired before close of escrow may happen. This will let the lender know that regardless they will be paying for these repairs either now during the short sale or later when they have the property as an REO.

     Your HUD will make or break your transaction and your escrow and Title Company will either help or hurt you. So please work only with people who are experienced in short sales and are willing to do the extra work it takes to insure that a deal closes with the least problems possible. If you'd like to know who I use just shoot me a message and or an email and I'll be happy to send you their info. I'm not promoting to use my preferred escrow and title people just telling you the escrow officer who has been great on regular transactions for years for you isn't always the best one to go with when it comes to short sale transactions. Also the title rep that you've been friends with for years may not be the best person to help you protect yourself during short sale transactions.

P.S.  Always work with escrows that are willing to reword a HUD and make it fit what a lender wants. Sometimes escrow companies are set in their own ways and don't want to meet what a lender is asking for because they don't understand it. The escrow should be willing to do what needs to be done even if they think it's crazy or doesn't make sense.

P.S.S. Don't is swindled out of your commissions by negotiators or attorneys charging huge fees to get your deals approved. We chart a flat fee of $795 per transaction regardless how many lenders are involved and regardless what is the list price. If you don't close you don't pay. Also we will do no cost in office training for your entire office or teem at no cost. We will be there to help from before listing to after close. All, at no cost. The other thing I've noticed is too many coaching companies getting in agents and brokers pockets to teach things that are basic and should be part of the negotiation help provided when hired to negotiate a transaction. See the better we get you at short sales the easier our job is.

Guillermo Serafin

Asset Management & Liquidation Solutions, INC.

DRE: 01900987

Toll Free: 855-GET-AMLS

Fax: 866-408-0563

Email:  g@amlsonline.com