What is a CSP?
Real estate professionals that want to offer short-sale options to their clients are a special group that have agreed to undertake this complex and often frustrating task. It is not as easy as it looks. There is much more to completing a short-sale than just filling out some additional forms and making a few calls.
Certified Short-Sale Professionals will learn from a veteran, Jacob Swodeck, with over 10 years of experience in short-selling properties. In addition, you will be instructed by someone with current and relevant experience as he is a practicing professional. There is a big difference in short-sales today than what occurred in the 80s or 90s. As a CSP you will learn how to handle 80/20 loans, No-Equity Loans and Negative Amortized Loans all much different than the FHA short-sales that were handled by many agents in the past.
A Certified Short-Sale Professional (CSP) will be able to guide their client through the complex process of marketing the home, finding a willing buyer, working with the lender(s) and the other parties involved. A CSP will also learn how to determine if a property will even qualify for a short-sale and if the process will be worth the agent�s time and effort.
Why Choose a CSP Agent?
The world of real estate is ever changing and never seems to remain constant for more than a brief period. Just a few years ago few agents or homeowners even knew what a short-sale was. Today the real estate landscape has changed dramatically and the time has come to bring in the certified professional.
A key element in the selling of a property short is knowing who makes the ultimate decision and making sure your proposal will take the least amount of time to process. With the market conditions in some areas causing a flood of short-sale properties having an experienced and well trained guide will make the process much smoother.
The reason you should choose a Certified Short-Sale Professional is similar to the reason you would select a brain surgeon over a family practitioner to perform brain surgery. This very complex balancing act of selling your home in a short-sale position is so far away from what the normal real estate agent has experienced. The risk involved of not completing a short-sale transaction properly is much worse than a situation that an agent is used to, in a normal transaction if the deal does not close the consumer loses mostly just time, in a short-sale if the deal does not close properly you can be foreclosed upon. With this said a CSP designated agent has two goals:
2) Sell your home quickly and as painless as possible.
CSP real estate professionals are expert facilitators of the short-sale transaction, from beginning to end. Those agents that have earned the CSP Designation recognize the impact that a short-sale can have on the sale of a home and have been prepared to provide that value added service for their clients. Who better to work through the issues of short-selling your home than the one that is assuming responsibility for the marketing of your home? Equipped with the knowledge and skills to ensure that your home is fully prepared to present a proposal to the lender, the CSP real estate professional will ensure you have an edge.
Short Sale Foreclosure Specialist
LA SHELLE WASHINGTON Earns NAR Short Sales and Foreclosure Certification Buyers and Sellers Benefit from REALTOR® Expertise in Distressed Sales Las Vegas, Nevada, 22 December 2009, La Shelle Washington with Windermere Prestige Properties has earned the nationally recognized Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource certification. The National Association of REALTORS® offers the SFR certification to REALTORS® who want to help both buyers and sellers navigate these complicated transactions, as demand for professional expertise with distressed sales grows.
According to a recent NAR survey, nearly one-third of all existing homes sold recently were either short sales or foreclosures. For many real estate professionals, short sales and foreclosures are the new 'traditional' transaction. REALTORS® who have earned the SFR certification know how to help sellers maneuver the complexities of short sales as well as help buyers pursue short sale and foreclosure opportunities.
"As leading advocates for homeownership, REALTORS® believe that any family that loses its home to foreclosure is one family too many, but unfortunately, there are situations in which people just cannot afford to keep their homes, and a foreclosure or a short sale results," said 2009 NAR President Charles McMillan, a broker with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Dallas-Fort Worth. "Foreclosures and short sales can offer opportunities for home buyers and benefit the larger community, as well, but it's extremely important to have the help of a real estate professional like a REALTOR® who has earned the SFR certification for these kinds of purchases."
The certification program includes training on how to qualify sellers for short sales, negotiate with lenders, protect buyers, and limit risk, and provides resources to help REALTORS® stay current on national and state-specific information as the market for these distressed properties evolves. To earn the SFR certification, REALTORS are required to take one core course and three Webinars. For more information about the SFR certification, visit www.REALTORSFR.org or call 1-877-510-7855.
