WHAT IS A B.P.O?

Question: My lender said that the offer of $360,000 on my house was too low because the realor hired by the bank to perform a BPO said it was worth $380,000. What is a BPO?

Answer: A BPO stands for Broker's Price Opinion. When a lender wants to know the market value of a home for that moment in time they will often hire a realtor ( or a company who hires realtors) to give them their opinion of what the current market will bear for the property in question. This is not a full appraisal but there are certain parameters that must be followed by the realtor. In general the parameters are:

3 active listings and 3 recently sold comps that are:

1. Within 1 mile of an urban property, 2 miles of a suburban property,and 20 miles of a rural property

2. Within 20% of the gross living area and lot size of the subject property

3. Within 10 years of the age of the property

4. Not a foreclosed or short sale property unless a lot of the neighborhood sales are distressed properties

These comps should bracket the subject property, that is they should be a little above and a little below in all parameters and ultimately in value.

By sticking to these parameters a value can be placed on the home.

Problems can arise when there are not enough active listings or sales in the previous 6 months of similar homes to make comparisons. When this happens the realtor needs to go outside the required parameters and then make adjustments. Most problems BPO's happen during this adjustment time.

If your BPO comes in at a price that seems off the wall, the listing realtor can do his/her own or hire an appraiser to justify what they think is market value. Of course, it is ultimately the bank or their investor's decision, so they can listen to reason or not.

If you have any other questions about short sales please ask!

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

650-619-9285

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

D.R.E,  01191194

Marcy Moyer Keller Williams Realty Palo Alto, Ca. Specialist in Trust and Probate Sales

Why Don't Banks Act Rationally in a Short Sale?

Why do some short sales get approved, and others rejected? 

Why do some short sales with loans from the same bank get approved while others don’t? 

Why do some short sales with loans by the same bank in the same developments get approved while others are denied?

The world of the short sale is changing on a daily basis, and what you know today will be different tomorrow. The rules change, the players change, the documentation changes every minute.  There is, however, one constant: you do not always know whether a short sale will close or not. 

Two years ago only about 5% were closing, now that number is more like 50%. Still, it's quite risky for buyers and sellers to get their hopes invested in a successful short sale when the odds are 50/50.  There are some things you can do to help insure the process has the best chance of closing. 

In general if the following are true then the chances are better:

1.     The realtors on both ends know what they are doing and have the time, energy, and resources to follow up to set expectations appropriately.  The buyer can not be in a hurry!

2.     The fewer the liens the better. One loan is best, two loans with the same bank is second, two loans with two banks third, two loans with other liens such as taxes are probably not going to work out.

3.     The short sale process was started before a notice of default was filed.

4.     The buyer is well qualified.

5.     The home is owner occupied.

None of these things will guarantee a positive result, but they help.  The biggest problem in the short sale process comes from third parties who are not the bank, but either investors that purchased the loans like hedge funds, or insurance companies who insure the loans for the banks (not mortgage insurance for the borrower). 

These entities can derail a short sale, and it is not possible to know if they exist, or what they will say before the process begins, unless of course you are dealing with a bank approved short sale--but that is a different story.  So the lender may appear to be Bank of America or Chase, but the investor who put up the money maybe someone else and if so they have to agree to the price and terms.  Or sometimes the second lender will get more money in a foreclosure and will not agree to release the lien.  When this happens, what appears to be an irrational move by the bank, may have nothing to do with them.

These are a few of the reasons why seemingly illogical things often happen in the world of short sales. 

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

DRE  01191914

marcy@marcymoyer.com

www.marcymoyer.com

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Do You Want to Buy a New Car?

OR: What Hurts More, A Short Sale or One Where There's Still Equity But You Have Lost A Lot

This morning my husband opened up an envelope with information about his stock options. He looked at me and said, “Do you want to buy a new car?” 

My answer was of “Of course not.” He then explained we'd just lost $50,000 in value from his stock options. 

My response? “Don’t be so greedy.”  

We are both working, our mortgages are almost paid off on the house and rental properties, and the stock options are like dessert, nice but not essential. However, it was painful to him to lose that much money on paper.

It made me think of my latest clients.  Some have lost all equity and if they have to sell it will be a short sale. By the time they get to me it is gone, and they do not seem to be concerned about the price as much as the process.  Others who are losing equity when they sell seem to fall into 2 categories: those who are grateful to be able to sell and those who are fighting for every penny and do not seem to see the value in taking an offer to make a sale if it means losing a little more money.

If you are a buyer then your life will be much easier if you can find one of the former sellers. If you are working with a seller who is emotionally invested in every penny they are losing it will be a much more difficult sale.

If you are a seller it is important to clearly understand your goals when putting a home on the market. If you only want to sell at your price, then if your price is market value, you may get it. But if your price is above market, it won’t sell. Period.  

The most difficult part once you understand your financial choices is overcoming the emotional ties to a particular number.  If you want 1.5 million and you only get 1.4 million and life can go on, can you let go of your emotional attachment to to 1.5? If not, this may not be the best time for you to sell.

It is no different if you want 400K and you can only get 380K.  If your life can go on with a lower price and you need to sell, you may have to eat the emotions.  If you are just testing the market, don’t bother. In this environment you will fail. If you focus on your need and not your want you will get to your goal of selling a house much quicker and easier.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

650-619-9285

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