If you’re keeping up to date with real estate news, chances are you’ve heard the word “foreclosure” more and more. If you want more detailed information about foreclosures, then read my post called, “What Is A Foreclosure”. For this post, just know that a property in foreclosure means that the homeowner can no longer pay the mortgage. What does this have to do with a short sale? Read on.

When a homeowner can no longer afford the payments on their property, they may try to refinance their loan to a better rate in order to lower their monthly payments and avoid foreclosure. But when the total balance of a mortgage exceeds the current appraised value of the property, refinancing that mortgage becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible. It becomes a huge risk for any lender to lend money on an asset that is worth less then they are lending. So what is a homeowner to do? They cannot refinance but cannot afford the mortgage. The only option they have is to sell the property. But since the appraised value of the house is less than what the homeowner owes, the home must be sold at a loss. This loss is considered a short sale from a lenders perspective since they are willing to accept less than the amount they are owed as payment in full.