Bowie Maryland Short Sales - HAFA Program Information

I’m preparing to put my home on the market.

We’ll need to determine an acceptable price for you to market your home. You may have heard this referred to as a fair market value. To determine the fair market value, we’ll order a valuation of your home.

We’ll also work with all parties necessary to approve your first mortgage HAFA short sale request. Even if you are pursuing a short sale with us, in most cases, there is a third party that has ownership of the loan. We will need their approval in order to finalize the short sale.

If the sale is approved, you’ll receive a Short Sale Agreement with the acceptable offer price for your home. You’ll need to sign and return this agreement to us within 14 calendar days.

If you have a Bank of America home equity loan or line of credit (also referred to as a second lien), we’ll take care of getting approvals for your HAFA short sale request. But, if your home equity loan or line of credit is with another lender, you will have to contact that lender and have them sign a Second Lien Release form before any offer can be considered. To avoid any delays, it’s in your best interest to contact them right away.

I am trying to find a buyer.

Under a HAFA short sale, you are required to work with a licensed real estate professional. We strongly recommend working with an agent who has experience with short sales. They can help guide you through the process, and you won't have to pay the cost of the agent since they’ll be paid from the sale of the house.

Typically, you’ll be given 120 calendar days to market and sell your home.

I have received an offer on my home.

Once you receive an offer, you will have 3 calendar days to submit the offer letter (signed by the buyer) as well as a Request for Approval of a Short Sale. If you have a home equity loan or line of credit (also referred to as a second lien) on your home with another lender, we cannot consider any offer without a signed Second Lien Release form. We’ll get back to you with a decision within 10 business days.

The offer on my home was accepted.

Once we accept the offer, we will provide you with an approval letter releasing the home for purchase. With everything in order, final documents will be prepared for closing. You will receive a letter outlining the details of the sale of your home and a set of the documents that must be signed, notarized and returned to us before your HAFA short sale can be completed.

As with any home sale, unless otherwise negotiated, you will need to move out of your house by the closing date. At the closing, you will receive $3,000 to help you with your relocation expenses. The sale of your house is now finalized and your mortgage and any other loans against the home are settled from the proceeds of the sale. Under the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives program, you are fully relieved of any obligation to repay the mortgage.