Does Drama Have a Place in Short Sale Negotiations?
I’m a little bit embarrassed to admit it, but one of those Kardashian reality television shows was on at my house. While I was doing my blogging thing, I could hear it in the background. It was my white noise. I later commented that it seemed like the family was always fighting. Who wants to watch people on television that are always fighting?
Okay, maybe the Kardashian family has a good thing going in the television arena. People love the drama. They love to watch that drama on television. They love to talk about the drama at the water cooler and on social media sites.
While celebrity drama may be a hot topic, is drama and bickering going to get you anywhere in the field of short sale negotiations?
If you plan to be successful and close multiple short sales, drama and bickering will get you nowhere. Yelling at short sale negotiators will get your file to the bottom of the pile—maybe even lost in the circular file below the negotiator’s desk.
When working short sales, you need to consider how you can be successful, pleasant and professional—all while getting what you need (short sale approval) quickly and efficiently. Yelling and bickering will likely burn some future bridges. I’ve got over 100 deals in process with Bank of America right now. Just imagine what would happen to my short sales if I told someone where to go and what they could do when they got there.
Best Strategy for Short Sale Success
A better strategy for short sale negotiation success would be to learn about the short sale process at each individual bank where you are currently working on a short sale file. Find our why something might be taking way too long or why your fax hasn’t arrived despite the fact that you sent it awhile ago. Then, figure out what you can do in order to help the bank employee do his or her job more quickly. Maybe your fax didn’t arrive because you didn’t write the bank account number on every page. So, that’s what you would need to do next time in order to make the deal move along more quickly and efficiently.
So before you opt for Kardashian-style short sale drama, consider being part of the solution—although with some lenders that may be a little more difficult than tolerating Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
Melissa Zavala is the Broker/Owner of Broadpoint Properties and Head Honcho of Short Sale Expeditor®, and Chief Executive Officer of Transaction 911. Before landing in real estate, she had careers in education and publishing. Most recently, she has been able to use her teaching and organizational skills while traveling the world over—dispelling myths about the distressed property market, engaging and motivating real estate agents, and sharing her passion for real estate. When she isn’t speaking or writing, Melissa enjoys practicing yoga, walking the dog, and vacationing at beach resorts.
