When I call Bank of America, what questions should I be asking them?
I posted this in the wrong spot earlier, my apologies if you are reading this again.
I have a short sale package with Bank of America for 5 weeks now. I have been calling in 1-2 times a week and over the past month they have been telling me: the paperwork is in . . . just waiting for a negotiator to be assigned . . . Negotiator has been assigned, but give her a couple of days before you call.
I think I am progressing well . . . and then I called the negotiator. I should have known something was wrong when she answered the phone right away and was friendly and cheerful. She was surprised to get a call from me as she has not worked in the short sale department for over a year! So I called the short sale department back and I got a very nice gentleman who took the time to look things up and then he said my file was not even active! He said the people I have been talking to do not know what they are doing or worse . . . they are just telling me something to get me off the phone. He made my file "active" and while I had him on the phone, he looked up another file and it turned out that file was not active either! He said I am basically starting from the beginning with both of my files.
I have done several short sales but Bank of America is a real challenge. What specifically do I need to do when I call in? What questions do I ask, and how do I know the person I am talking to is telling me the truth? How will I know which phase I am in? Do they tell me? When I call, do I call the short sale department, customer service, or my negotiator? Should I also be calling the Home Retention Department, which I think is also the foreclosure department? Do I ever have a reason to call the local attorney who is handling the foreclosure for them?
I have a short sale package with Bank of America for 5 weeks now. I have been calling in 1-2 times a week and over the past month they have been telling me: the paperwork is in . . . just waiting for a negotiator to be assigned . . . Negotiator has been assigned, but give her a couple of days before you call.
I think I am progressing well . . . and then I called the negotiator. I should have known something was wrong when she answered the phone right away and was friendly and cheerful. She was surprised to get a call from me as she has not worked in the short sale department for over a year! So I called the short sale department back and I got a very nice gentleman who took the time to look things up and then he said my file was not even active! He said the people I have been talking to do not know what they are doing or worse . . . they are just telling me something to get me off the phone. He made my file "active" and while I had him on the phone, he looked up another file and it turned out that file was not active either! He said I am basically starting from the beginning with both of my files.
I have done several short sales but Bank of America is a real challenge. What specifically do I need to do when I call in? What questions do I ask, and how do I know the person I am talking to is telling me the truth? How will I know which phase I am in? Do they tell me? When I call, do I call the short sale department, customer service, or my negotiator? Should I also be calling the Home Retention Department, which I think is also the foreclosure department? Do I ever have a reason to call the local attorney who is handling the foreclosure for them?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Wendy Rulnick on
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Hi Karen - Call 866-880-1232... BYPASS all the prompts. Resist typing in the loan number... it will take a couple of minutes, but they will finally transfer you to a rep in the short sale department, otherwise you might end of going to customer service, who will have to transfer you again. The best thing to do is continue to call every few days. It is true, some phone reps want to get you off the phone, or don't know what they are doing and give inaccurate answers. ASK what Phase the file is in. ASK if the file has been referred as a short sale (or it may be stuck in loan modification if the homeowner previously was trying that). Take notes on each conversation. If a phone rep gives you conflicting information, read your notes and the date. They have the ability to look up previous inquiries, and some don't want to take the time. ASK also for the negotiator's name, email address and phone number, and contact them as well.
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Permalink Reply by Tessa Wilborne on
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Karen,
It is a mess and we have all been dealing with the same thing. If you think they are giving you conflicting information please ask to speak with a manager, sometime is works, sometimes it doesn't. The only time you will need to contact the attorney is to make sure if a sale date has been set by the bank and they placed the file on hold to process the short sale, that the attorney's office is aware of the hold. I had one where they did not notify the attorney's office and I had to call both BofA and the attorney's office everyday for 4 days straight to make sure we were all on the same page. The sale date was within a weeks time of the phone calls. Watch this closely. All we can do is take very detailed notes and ask the person on the phone to please scroll through all the notes in the system especially the most updated notes. Sometimes they will just look at what is on the screen at the time of the call and not research the entire notes database. Just hang in there and be persistent -
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