Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Unlock AG Pro Today

Why Now?

AG Pro gives you sharp insights, compelling stories, and weekly mind fuel without the fluff. Think of it as your brain’s secret weapon – and our way to keep doing what we do best: cutting the BS and giving you INDEPENDENT real talk that moves the needle.

Limited time offer: $29/yr (regularly $149)
✔ Full access to all stories and 20 years of analysis
✔ Long-form exclusives and sharp strategy guides
✔ Weekly curated breakdowns sent to your inbox

We accept all major credit cards.

Pro

/ once per week

Get everything, no strings.

AG-curious? Get the full-access version, just on a week-to-week basis.
• Unlimited access, no lockouts
• Full Premium archive access
• Inbox delivery + curated digests
• Stop anytime, no hoops

$
7
$
0

Get your fill of no-BS brilliance.

Pro

/ once per year

All in, all year. Zero lockouts.

The best deal - full access, your way. No timeouts, no limits, no regrets.
A year for less than a month of Hulu+
• Unlimited access to every story
• Re-read anything, anytime
• Inbox drop + curated roundups

$
29
$
0

*Most Popular

Full access, no pressure. Just power.

Free
/ limited

Useful, just not unlimited.

You’ll still get the goods - just not the goodest, freshest goods. You’ll get:
• Weekly email recaps + curation
• 24-hour access to all new content
• No archive. No re-reads

Free

Upgrade later -
we’ll be here!

Unlock AG Pro Today

Why Now?

AG Pro gives you sharp insights, compelling stories, and weekly mind fuel without the fluff. Think of it as your brain’s secret weapon – and our way to keep doing what we do best: cutting the BS and giving you INDEPENDENT real talk that moves the needle.

Limited time offer: $29/yr (regularly $149)
✔ Full access to all stories and 20 years of analysis
✔ Long-form exclusives and sharp strategy guides
✔ Weekly curated breakdowns sent to your inbox

We accept all major credit cards.

Pro

/ once per week

Get everything, no strings.

AG-curious? Get the full-access version, just on a week-to-week basis.
• Unlimited access, no lockouts
• Full Premium archive access
• Inbox delivery + curated digests
• Stop anytime, no hoops

$
7
$
0

Get your fill of no-BS brilliance.

Pro

/ once per year

All in, all year. Zero lockouts.

The best deal - full access, your way. No timeouts, no limits, no regrets.
A year for less than a month of Hulu+
• Unlimited access to every story
• Re-read anything, anytime
• Inbox drop + curated roundups

$
29
$
0

*Most Popular

Full access, no pressure. Just power.

Free
/ limited

Useful, just not unlimited.

You’ll still get the goods - just not the goodest, freshest goods. You’ll get:
• Weekly email recaps + curation
• 24-hour access to all new content
• No archive. No re-reads

Free

Upgrade later -
we’ll be here!

Quick tip to save yourself from a major short sale headache

Sometimes I hear stories about stuff going on in the field of real estate and I think, “You can’t make this stuff up. Even if you wanted to.” Today I was looking through old Agent Genius posts to figure out if I had ever written about the loan lookup tools offered by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and I stumbled upon an article about agents mistakenly eating pot brownies at an open house. Also, my friend Jane told me about how a client’s little dog jumped into a buyer’s lap to say hello and immediately left a deposit in the buyer’s lap.

Well, when it comes to short sales, I cannot believe some of the stuff that I experience. In hindsight, I couldn’t make up my experiences either. Most recently, like many busy short sale agents, I have been facing significant challenges with the processing of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac short sales—especially if we are in the final two months before the trustee’s sale (a.k.a. foreclosure date).

You see, when it comes to short sales, Fannie Mae is not in the giving mood. If you are a few days from the foreclosure date, they may (or may not) postpone that sale in order to entertain that short sale offer. I have one particular transaction that was stuck in review for HAFA (it’s a Fannie Mae deal) for a couple of months. When I finally got it moving (after sacrificing my first born), I was told that we may not have time to close because the sale date is imminent.

So, what’s a short sale agent to do?

Here’s what you need to do. Before you go to the listing appointment, you can check and see whether your client’s note is owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. That way, you will know what you are in for. I knew what I was in for when I began processing this short sale listing. I just never thought that a short sale negotiator would say to me, “If I give you the approval today, can you close tomorrow?”

Like I said, “You can’t make this stuff up.”

Photo: flickr creative commons by pretendtious.

Melissa Zavalahttps://www.agbeat.com/
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.

34 COMMENTS

Subscribe
Notify of
wpDiscuz
34
0
What insights can you add? →x
()
x
Exit mobile version