Ever wonder what these words really mean?

In today's market there are an abundance of properties for sale. Some of these properties are being sold by sellers; some are short sales, REO/bank owned and pre-foreclosures. Here is a list the definitions of each and what it means to you as a buyer and the choices you make when looking at homes.

• Regular Sale ~ a sale where the seller has equity in the property, the buyer and seller will the negotiate price and terms of the sale. The seller is required to provide Transfer Disclosures according to California Law and statute. There is sense of urgency with the seller to negotiate and move on.

• Short Sale ~ a short sale is the sale of real property where the fair market sale price is less than the loan(s) on the property. A short sale means the seller's lender is accepting a less than the existing loans on the property. Just because a property is listed with short "sale terms" does not mean the lender will accept your offer, even if the seller accepts it. Many of these properties have been trashed, are in ill repair and are sold their present "as is" condition (what you see is what your get) without any repairs to the property. The property may not meet your lenders standards to obtain your loan. There is not much flexibility and room to negotiate price.

If there are two loans, there could be a problem. The first mortgage lender's position is protected by the second lender, unless the second lender does not want to foreclose. The first lender will need to give something to the second to gain cooperation.
The process for lender approval can take as long as 5 months. There is no guarantee the lender will approve of the sale. Statistics show over the last six months that only 20 % of these sales have closed.

• REO/Bank Owned Property ~ REO is an acronym for a real estate owned property that has been foreclosed on or repossessed by banks or lenders. These properties are sold in "as is" condition (what you see is what you get) without any repairs or warranties, in ill repair and some have been trashed. There are no disclosures on the property. The property may not meet your lenders standards in obtaining your loan. Not much flexibility and room to negotiate price. The process for bank approval can be anywhere from 3 - 10 days.

• Pre-Foreclosure Property ~ a property where the homeowner has fallen behind in their payments or when a Notice of Default (NOD) has been filed against the property by the lender. May not have much flexibility in negotiating. These properties may be regular sales or potential Short Sales.

• Auctions ~ Many properties that have been turned over to auction houses have been bank owned properties that did not sell or in some instances they can be builder closeouts. The condition varies depending where the property came from. When the auction is all said and done there is a 5-10% fee paid to the auction house in addition to the find bid price. These properties are all "as is" sales without inspections or warranties and may not meet your lender's standards in obtaining your loan.

• New Construction ~ Most builders are cooperating with your Realtor in today's market. It is important to take your Realtor accompany you on the 1st visit to the new development to register you. Your Realtor will represent you in the negotiation process so you obtain the best price and builder upgrades for your price.

(Copyright © 2008 By Pam Winterbuaer All Rights Reserved.)

Considering Moving to the East Bay? ~ Do you want to Buy or Sell a home?
Do you have clients with needs in the East Bay?
Please give me a call if you have questions about the East Bay Real Estate market.
I can be reached at 925 824-4878 or Toll Free 877 876-8889 or you can visit my website at http://pamwinterbauer.com