Since the Obama Administration took office, it seemed that their goal was to keep home owners in their homes. Now, the strategy appears to have changed with a recent announcement from the U.S. Treasury. Recently, the Treasury revealed that it would encourage home owners to leave their properties – by paying them. It is believed that the new plan will prompt home owners that are behind on their mortgages to choose short sales, which could reduce the amount of foreclosures throughout America.
During short sales, home owners who are delinquent on their mortgages agree to sell their houses for less than the remaining balance of the loan. In return, banks and mortgage lenders agree to undertake losses (in lieu of not receiving any debt service from borrowers).
With an increase in short sales being eminent, many people are wondering what bearing Obama’s short sale plan will have on the real estate market. With the new plan coming into play, there are a few things people with a mortgage can expect.
First, fewer people may pursue loan modifications. In the recent past, big banks said that they were committed to helping struggling home owners who had defaulted on their mortgages. Yet, according to ABC News, of the 1.1 million people that have requested help from banks, only 168,000 have completed loan modifications this year. With the loan modification success rate being so low, more home owners may view short sales as a viable option.
Next, the number of foreclosures may decrease as the number of short sales continues to increase. Finally, more home buyers will choose to purchase short sale properties. Prior to the plan, home buyers and real estate agents wanted little to do with short sales because these real estate transactions involve long waits and complicated paperwork. Now, due to the increase in short sales and bargain prices, more home buyers will stop turning a blind eye to these types of properties.
While it is still too early to determine how US real estate markets will be impacted by the President’s short sale plan, it is apparent that more home owners will be persuaded to sell their homes and receive a payout than enter into foreclosure.
Keith Munsell 
