Why I am thankful for short sales – it’s more than dollars

Short Sales and the New You

With Thanksgiving just around the corner and pumpkin pies already being purveyed at the local grocers, it’s time for me to say it again: I’m thankful for short sales. (I’m not talking turkey.) Of course, I’m not thankful for short sales in the same way that I am thankful to my wonderful family and the health and happiness of the ones I love, but I do have a strong sense of gratitude for how this market and short sales have changed my approach to real estate. And, agents, you should also be thankful for short sales.

Here’s why:

Short sales can push you to the limits and teach you to be the best that you can be. Never before have I been forced to think about real estate in the way that I do now. Never before have I had to strategize so much in order to reap success. Never before have I been required to study settlement statements and title reports with so much detail. Never before did my paperwork need to be so thoroughly prepared, reviewed, and complete. When the market changes, I will be at the top of my game and understand the scope of the real estate transaction more thoroughly and completely. Thus, I’ll be able to provide an amped up version of the 1990’s real estate me.

Now I can take more listings then ever before. With so many people having trouble making ends meet, there is no shortage of borrowers who may need to participate in a short sale. This, of course, means that my sign can be everywhere in town. And, that provides me with lots of exposure. It is this added exposure that will fuel my real estate career for many years to come.

It’s very rewarding to help someone else out of a jam in an honest and ethical manner. That fact alone should pretty much provide me with life long referrals if I update my database and contact my sphere of influence and past short sale clients regularly.

Last, but not least, I am always up for a good challenge. In fact, the more difficult the challenge, the more motivated I become. The short sale transaction has certainly challenged me to be the best that I can be.

Every year, when Thanksgiving rolls around, there are all sorts of programs and columns about the 77 trillion ways to prepare a turkey. All of this turkey drama would indicate that the process of cooking a turkey is complicated. That being said, the Thanksgiving meal preparation has nothing on the short sale transaction.

>>Interested in making short sales part of your new year’s plan? The Short Sale Expeditor® provides tips, tools, and distressed property education to agents throughout the U.S. 

AGBeat and Melissa Zavala are not affiliated with the Short Sale Association of America (SSAA).