It is difficult to go through a daily dose of bad economic news
without seeing or hearing the endless barrage of terms that
journalists, reporters, politicians, and pundits alike sprinkle about
in an effort to help all of us to truly appreciate the gravity of our
plight. Many of the terms are in actuality very specific when
describing the condition of real estate. What we often find is that
many of us are not completely sure what they are talking about. We
will attempt to provide some basic definitions of a few of the terms
that may cause some confusion.
FORECLOSURE: A foreclosure is the legal process by
which a bank, mortgage company, or other party who has a financial
interest in a property can take possession, and sell the property
toward repayment of a debt. Typically, a foreclosure sale of real
estate is posted for notice in the local newspapers, and then takes
place at the local court house.
REO (Real Estate Owned): REO is the term used to
describe the ownership interest of the property after the bank or
mortgage company has taken possession of the property. Many financial
institutions have a REO, ASSET, or INVENTORY department which is then
in charge of selling the properties in order to mitigate or reduce the
institutions loss. Many times, these REO properties are listed for
sale with local real estate brokers.
SHORT SALE: These are the myriad of properties that
fall somewhere between the normal sale of a property from a seller to a
buyer, and the FORECLOSURE/REO process. A "SHORT SALE" occurs when the
seller seeks some form of cooperation or forgiveness from the bank or
mortgage company when the sales value of the property is going to fall
below the value of the amount owed to the lender. The seller typically
does not have the financial resources to make up the difference. This
is often referred to as being UPSIDE DOWN on their mortgage.
If you would like additional information about the OPPORTUNITIES
& OBSTACLES of the current real estate market in Northern Virginia,
Prince William County, or Fairfax County, please do not hesitate to
contact Kevin & Debra Hagan at 703-367-0546.