Posted January 3, 2022 in Real Estate Advice,Short Sale Help
If you are in the process of short-selling your home, you will be asked by your lender to present a short sale hardship letter or financial hardship letter. This letter should be a quick sum-up of what has happened to you which would require them to agree to sell the home for less than what you still owe on the home. There will be numerous forms that you will need to submit to the lender, but a short sale hardship letter should allow anyone to look at the file and quickly understand the situation. A short sale hardship letter can be very important to the short sale process, and oftentimes a bank will request revisions of hardship letters or will reject them altogether. Below are 5 real estate tips for how to write a short sale hardship letter.
This may be the most important part of understanding how to write a short sale hardship letter. Our How to write a short sale hardship letter short sale clients are usually uneasy about writing their short sale letter. It is important to remember that all you are doing is presenting your current situation to your lender. If you are using an experienced real estate agent, they would know if you are a candidate for a short sale or if you should pursue selling your home in Henderson traditionally instead of a short sale. If this is the case, all you have to do is honestly present your situation. If your situation seems “mundane” or not as catastrophic as other people’s situations, don’t worry – and more importantly, don’t lie to make it out like your situation is worse than it is. Lenders will often fact-check your letter, so lying will most likely get you nowhere and waste your time. In your short sale hardship letter, simply outline why you are unable to make your monthly payments.
Though many of our clients are confused about what a short sale hardship letter should be, the letter itself should really be simple and easy to read and understand. Don’t feel like you have to use large words or phrases that you wouldn’t usually use in regular conversation. Be very literal and to the point. Your hardship letter really doesn’t need to be larger than a page and oftentimes just a paragraph or two will work.
One thing to keep in mind when looking for how to write a short sale hardship letter is being apologetic. Though your situation was most likely caused by something that was out of your control. Even though this may be the truth, being humble and apologizing for not being able to make monthly payments or to continue to make monthly payments at some point in your short sale hardship letter is a good idea. Being apologetic also indicates to the bank that you are contrite and they are not the only ones financially losing out because of the hardship that happened in your life.
How to write a short sale hardship letter Henderson short sale specialist Nevada Desert RealtyEXPLAIN WHY YOU CAN’T MAKE THE PAYMENTS
This can be extremely simple, “I have lost my job and have not been able to find another.” Whatever your specific hardship, be sure to sum it up in one sentence in the first part of the short sale hardship letter.
Explain how despite your hardship, you’ve still tried to figure out a solution before short selling your home in Henderson. Explain how you’ve sold personal belongings, had temporary assistance from family or a program, used up your unemployment, or whatever you had done to avoid the short sale. This may not specifically apply to your situation, but if you did do anything to avoid the short sale, let the lender know.
Once you’ve completed your short sale hardship letter, be sure to go over it with your experienced short sale real estate agent. They will be able to help you with specific advice that applies to your situation. If you have not currently hired a real estate agent to help you with your short sale, be sure to contact Nevada Desert Realty’s Henderson short sale specialist at 702-509-1446 for a free face-to-face consultation to help you understand your options and walk you through the short sale process.
