Tips for writing a short sale hardship letter…
The topics you need to cover in your hardship letter include:
a. How you got into your present situation
b. What you have done to try to get out of this situation
c. Why this situation is permanent
What to avoid when writing a hardship letter…the simple (and difficult) answer is: hope. Writing a hardship letter can be a daunting task and we all want a rosy outlook, but the risk in being overly optimistic about your situation is that the bank may deny your request or ask for a seller contribution from you to mitigate the loss.
Seller contributions may be requested should the bank identify any of the following:
a. Disposable income / the bank will likely try to get you to commit this income to offset their losses
b. A history of refinancing / refinances that were used on what would be considered non-essential items – a boat, say – will encourage the bank to seek seller contributions
c. State laws that allow for a deficiency judgment / in some states, the banks have the option to sue the homeowner for damages due to the loss of profits on the home
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