Fannie Mae recently introduced a new tool to help short sale real estate specialists successfully close short sales. Short Sale listing agents are now asked to register accepted short sale offers (accepted between the buyer and homeowner) with Fannie Mae to provide greater transparency into the process and allow Fannie Mae to proactively work with the mortgage servicer / lender to finalize the sale. This process is the next step in Fannie Mae’s effort to work more collaboratively with real estate agents on short sales.

“Fannie Mae recognizes the very important role real estate professionals play in the short sale process and we want to work closely with them to get short sales done,” says Jay Ryan, vice president for real estate sales, Fannie Mae. “Our objective is to help stabilize neighborhoods by completing short sales as close to fair market value as possible. We believe this new process will help ensure all parties are in communication early on and are able to come to an agreeable and appropriate sales price. At the end of the day, Fannie Mae wants to get short sales done so that we can prevent foreclosures and help neighborhoods recover.”

Moving forward, agents are asked to provide short sale offer information, such as the property address, MLS listing information, offer details, and subordinate lien information, through Fannie Mae’s Homepathforshortsales.com website. Agents will also be asked to upload scanned copies of the sales contract, estimated net sheet or HUD-1 settlement statement and borrower authorization form. REALTORS® are also encouraged to proactively reach out to Fannie Mae early in the short sale process to request list price guidance to aid in marketing efforts.

Agents who have challenges such as valuation disputes, delays by servicers or uncooperative subordinate lien holders may also use the short sale escalation process on the website to request assistance. Once a case is escalated, Fannie Mae will directly engage with the agent or servicer to address challenges. Since the escalation tool was announced in February 2013, over 10,000 short sale cases have been submitted and successfully closed. In 2012, Fannie Mae completed 73,528 short sales.

For more information, visit www.fanniemae.com.

If you are a homeowner who feels they might qualify for a loan modification or short sale please give us a call as we’d be happy to assist you in your efforts to understand your options and in determining which option is the best for you! All consultations are COMPLETELY CONFIDENTIAL and ABSOLUTELY FREE.

The Opland Group Specializes in Real Estate Sales, Luxury Home Sales, Short Sales in; Bexley Columbus Delaware Downtown Dublin Gahanna Grandview Heights Granville Grove City Groveport Hilliard Lewis Center New Albany Pickerington Polaris Powell Upper Arlington Westerville Worthington

Article originally from RisMedia by Keosha Burns - Fannie Mae Takes Additional Steps to Streamline Short Sale Process