Here’s a practical, real-world guide to life after a short sale—what typically changes, what doesn’t, and the steps that help you recover faster.

1) The first 90 days: expect the credit dip, then a roadmap forward

A short sale usually impacts your credit because the mortgage is not paid as originally agreed. The effect varies widely based on your credit profile going into the short sale:

• If you were current before the short sale: you may see a noticeable drop because it’s a new negative event on an otherwise healthy report.
• If you were already behind: the score damage may be less dramatic because late payments were already pulling the score down.

What matters most next is what you do immediately after closing:

• Make every payment on time (especially auto loans, cards, student loans)
• Keep credit card balances low
• Avoid applying for a bunch of new credit at once

Your credit doesn’t “heal” overnight—but with steady habits, many people see meaningful improvement within the first year.

2) Your credit report: what to check so you’re not rebuilding on bad data

After the short sale closes, your loan should update to something like:

• “Settled” / “Paid for less than full balance” / “Account closed”
• Possibly “Charge-off” in some cases (depends on timing and lender reporting)

Within 30–60 days of closing, pull your credit reports and look for:

• Incorrect late payments after the closing date
• A balance still showing as owed when it should be $0
• Duplicate mortgage tradelines (servicer transfer errors)
• A deficiency balance listed that contradicts your agreement

If something’s wrong, dispute it with documentation from your closing and approval letters. This is one of the most overlooked ways people lose months (or years) of progress.

3) Deficiency balance: will you still owe money?

This is the biggest “financial life after” variable.

In a short sale, the lender may:

1. Forgive the deficiency (best-case outcome)
2. Reserve the right to collect (sometimes later)
3. Negotiate a settlement or promissory note
4. Pursue collection (less common when properly negotiated, but possible)

The only thing that truly matters is what’s in writing:

• Short sale approval letter
• Settlement language
• Closing documents

If your approval letter says the deficiency is waived/forgiven, keep multiple copies forever (digital + printed). If it’s not waived, you may want a plan to settle the remaining amount—preferably in writing with clear terms.

4) Taxes: is forgiven debt treated like income?

Sometimes, forgiven mortgage debt can be considered taxable income. Other times, it isn’t—depending on federal rules, state rules, and your situation (like insolvency).

After the short sale, you may receive a tax form related to cancellation of debt (commonly a 1099-C). Don’t panic, and don’t say “I guess I owe taxes” without reviewing options. This is one of those moments where a CPA is worth it, because the difference can be thousands of dollars.

5) Renting after a short sale: how to get approved (even with bruised credit)

Many people rent for a period after a short sale, and that’s not failure—it’s strategy. Landlords and property managers often care about:

• Income stability
• Recent payment history (especially last 12 months)
• Past evictions (short sale is not an eviction)
• Cash reserves / ability to pay deposit

Tips that help approval:

• Have proof of income ready (pay stubs, bank statements)
• Offer a higher security deposit if feasible
• Provide a short explanation letter: job loss, medical issue, divorce, etc.
• Show a clean payment streak after the short sale

A short sale on your credit is less scary to landlords than a pattern of missed payments across everything.

6) Buying a home again: yes, it’s possible—and planning matters

A short sale doesn’t “ban” you from owning again. But there are typically waiting periods depending on the loan type and your overall credit profile. In many cases, the waiting period is shorter than foreclosure.

The key is to treat the next purchase like a project:

• Rebuild credit intentionally
• Save cash reserves
• Stabilize income
• Avoid major new debt (especially big car payments)
• Keep documentation that explains the hardship and shows recovery

If homeownership is your goal, a good loan officer can help you work backward from a target date and give you a step-by-step credit and savings plan.

7) Rebuilding smarter: a simple 12-month action plan

If you want a practical framework, here’s a clean starting plan:

Month 1–2

• Pull credit reports and fix errors
• Create a realistic budget you can stick to
• Build a small emergency fund ($500–$1,000)

Month 3–6

• Keep utilization low (ideally under 30%, even better under 10%)
• Add one “credit builder” tool if needed (secured card or credit-builder loan)
• Keep every payment on time—no exceptions

Month 7–12

• Grow emergency fund toward 3 months of expenses
• Pay down high-interest debt aggressively
• Avoid “quick fix” credit repair gimmicks
• If buying again is the goal, talk to a lender early to map out requirements

Consistency beats intensity. You don’t need a perfect plan—you need a plan you can follow.

The mental side: short sale isn’t a life sentence

A short sale can be emotionally draining. People often carry shame, even when the hardship was outside their control. But financially, this is a chapter—not your identity.

Many people come out of a short sale with:

• Less monthly stress
• A clearer budget
• Better financial habits
• A path back to owning (if they choose)

Your next year matters more than your last year.

Final thoughts

Financial life after a short sale is about stabilization and rebuild. The short sale itself is a major event, but what determines your future is what happens after the closing: clean reporting, smart budgeting, steady credit habits, and a plan for housing.

Sean Wilder

Loss Mit Services

860-265-3727

If you’re behind on your mortgage in Connecticut, you have more options than most people realize—but timing matters. Connecticut is a judicial foreclosure state, meaning the lender generally must go through court, and (importantly) Connecticut often uses a process called strict foreclosure.

Below is a practical, homeowner-friendly guide to the CT foreclosure process, plus the main strategies to stop it.

Many homeowners find themselves living in homes whose market values have dipped below their mortgage balances—commonly referred to as being “underwater.” Whether due to divorce, job relocation, job loss, or unexpected expenses, this situation can feel paralyzing—especially when foreclosure looms. But a short sale offers a timely lifeline.

What Is a Short Sale—and Why It Matters?

A short sale occurs when your lender agrees to accept less than the full mortgage balance in order to allow the home to be sold. Unlike a foreclosure, which can devastate your credit and delay future homeownership, a short sale tends to be less damaging and can offer a faster resolution.

Enter Loss Mit Services: Your Partner in Relief

Loss Mit Services, based in Connecticut (Enfield), specializes in helping homeowners navigate short sale negotiations—especially those who owe more than their homes are worth. Here's how they support you:

• No cost, no obligation: Homeowners can submit their property details, and receive a strategy recommendation—without any upfront fees.
• Expert guidance: Loss Mit Services handles communication and negotiation with lenders, removing the common headaches homeowners face.
• Broader support: They also assist real estate agents, attorneys, investors, and other professionals who encounter short sale transactions.
• Licensed and regulated: They’re the first licensed debt negotiation company in Connecticut (NMLS #828273) and their lead—Sean Wilder—is also a licensed mortgage loan originator (LO‑831853) and real estate Broker (REB.0794687)

Protecting Their Reputation

At Loss Mit Services their commitment to ethics, professionalism, and transparency is part of what sets them apart.

What You Can Expect from the Short Sale Process

Working with Loss Mit Services means you’re not going it alone. Generally, here's what homeowners should expect:

1. Submit Property Info: Through Loss Mit Services' free account system.
2. Human Evaluation: A consultant reviews your circumstances and helps craft a strategy.
3. Lender Negotiations: Loss Mit Services liaises with your lender, presenting the short sale package and hardship documentation.
4. Closing Strategy: If approved, they help guide you through the closing process—keeping credit impact minimal and timeline efficient.

Why This Matters—Homeowner and Market Outlook

• Homeowner relief: Short sales offer a chance to avoid foreclosure, protect your credit, and move forward more quickly.
• Market stability: Short sales can anchor struggling markets by reducing vacancy and blight. Organizations like NAR and government programs such as HAFA have championed streamlined short sale guidelines to support communities in distress.
• Lender incentive: Banks often prefer short sales over foreclosures to minimize costs and liability, making this a solution that—when handled effectively—benefits all parties.

Final Thoughts

Short sales aren’t just about closing a home sale—they’re about finding a path forward when traditional solutions fall short. With Loss Mit Services, homeowners gain more than just expertise—they gain a trusted advocate who navigates the complex terrain of lender negotiations so you don’t have to.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by mortgage debt or risk of foreclosure, consider exploring a short sale—particularly with a skilled partner by your side. It could be the fresh start you need.

Sean Wilder

Loss Mit Services

860-265-3727

If you’ve taken on a short sale listing, you already know the challenge. Convincing a lender to accept less than what’s owed is complicated, time-consuming, and often frustrating. On top of managing your client relationship, you’re suddenly expected to become a negotiator, legal document preparer, and loss mitigation expert.

That’s where many short sales fall apart—agents burn out, buyers lose patience, and lenders drag their feet.

Why Partnering with a Short Sale Expert Matters

Instead of juggling every moving part yourself, you can focus on selling the property and let an experienced team handle the lender negotiations.

Loss Mit Services, Connecticut’s first licensed debt negotiation company (NMLS #828273), has built its business on helping agents succeed with short sales. Here’s what they bring to the table:

• Dedicated Negotiation Team – They deal directly with the lender, so you don’t have to spend hours on hold or resubmitting the same paperwork.
• Compliance & Credibility – Licensed and regulated, they know how to structure a file that lenders will actually approve.
• No Cost to You or Your Client – They’re paid through the transaction, not out of pocket, which means you and your seller get full support without added expense.
• Protecting Your Reputation – By outsourcing negotiations, you can confidently tell your client their case is in the hands of specialists.

How the Process Works for Agents

Working with Loss Mit Services is simple:

1. List the Property – Do what you do best: market and find a qualified buyer.
2. Bring Them In – Once you know the deal with be short, even before there is an offer, Loss Mit Services steps in to determine the facts and strategize the sale and negotiations with the lender.
3. Stay in the Loop – They keep you updated while they push the file through approvals.
4. Close More Deals – Instead of spending months wrestling with banks, you can focus on new listings and clients.

Why This Partnership Benefits You

• More Closings – Faster approvals mean more deals that actually make it to the closing table.
• Happier Clients – Your sellers avoid foreclosure, protect their credit, and are grateful for your guidance.
• Professional Edge – By aligning with a licensed debt negotiator, you can take on listings other agents may avoid.

Final Word for Agents

Short sales don’t have to be a headache—or a deal killer. With Loss Mit Services as your negotiation partner, you can confidently take on short sale listings, knowing the lender side is covered.

That means more listings, more closings, and more satisfied clients—without burning yourself out on the phone with banks.

View our 3-Hours of live short sale training videos.

In August 2018 we conducted a live 3-hour training event for all real estate professionals.  We had over 150 attendees including real estate agents, paralegals, attorneys and mortgage originators.  It was a great event.  Many people that wanted to attend were not able to do so due to other conflicts.

Well, we had the event professional recorded and broke down the event into 20 digestible video clips, organized by topic.  We've posted these videos on our website and our Facebook page.  You can click here to view the videos on our Facebook page or click the Videos tab at the top of the page to view them here on our website.

Sean Wilder

Loss Mit Services

860-265-3727

We review a ton of short sale contracts and we see the same mistakes made commonly.  So let's discuss the best practices.

The different banks and mortgages services have different requirements but there are some common issues that we see across the board.  Here are a few of them with my suggestions to avoid delays.

1. The contract must be Subject to Short Sale Approval.

This seems pretty obvious but we often see offers come in that have no short sale contingency.  The best practice is to use an addendum or rider. The rider or addendum has more language that just stating "subject to short sale approval" in the Other conditions of the contract.  These other terms typically have more protections for the seller should the lender approve a short sale but not waive deficiency.

2. Closing dates.

Unlike with a regular sale, we do not know when we may be able to close on a short sale since approval is required from the bank first.  The best practice is to use "On or before 60 days from short sale approval" for the closing date. the lender's approval letter will have its own deadline which closing must occur by.  Closing prior to the approval deadline or expiration of the contract is fine.  But setting the closing date this way addresses several possible delays down the road.  The 1st delay is when the bank is ready to issue approval.  If your closing date on the contract is going to be prior to the deadline on the bank's approval letter, they often will not give the approval until you show them an extension to the contract first.  So that just caused a delay.  The next possible delay is if you need an extension of the approval deadline.  Often the bank gives 30 days to close on their approval letter.  Many times the buyer's loan takes longer than 30 days.  Getting a 30 day extension is common.  However, now they are again looking at the closing date on the contract and is their extended approval going to have a deadline beyond the date listed on the contract.  So if you had "On or Before 60 Days from short sale approval" as your original closing date on the contract you avoid a delay in getting the approval and letter and avoid a delay if an extension to that initial approval is needed.

3. As-Is Contingency

Most of the banks now require there be an as-is rider on the contract.  This is just them pounding their chest a little.  From their perspective, and really everyone else's perspective, it sucks to go through the whole process of approving a short sale and then the buyer comes back asking for a bunch of repairs which the bank was never going to agree to do and the seller usually has no funds to do.  The bank wants the buyer put on notice from the start that repairs will not be made.  Now an as-is rider just states the property is sold as-is and repairs will not be made.  It does not remove the buyer's inspection contingency.  So all the same protections remain for the buyer that come with the inspection contingency.

4. Use the term "Short Sale"

Usually, this is obvious.  But there are instances where we see other terms used.  In particular, we see "Notice Receipt Date" used instead of Short Sale Approval. This is because this term is used in a couple short sale riders here in CT.  The problem is, this is not a common terms that the banks are aware of. And with thousands of files in review at any time, they are not going to search through the contract to find this terms and it's definition.  Best to just use Short Sale Approval instead to avoid delays and having to amend the contract later on.

5. Fill in the contract completely and clearly

Again it seems pretty common sense. But we see it not done all the time since it is not always common to be as thorough as the banks require.  Complete the contract using the full Address with City, State and Zip Code wherever you are entering the address.  Do not use abbreviations.  Never use Owner of Record as the seller's name.  Any fields that are not used in the contract, enter N/A.  And best to type the contract so it is as clear as possible when the lender reviews it.

This not an exhaustive list of issues we have seen the banks reject contracts over.  But these are by far the most common that we see, literally every day.

As always reach out to me with any questions.

Sean Wilder

Loss Mit Services

860-265-3727

I get this question all the time "Who cares about that minor error or missing information on the paperwork?" The answer is... THE BANK DOES!

When you are dealing with a short sale negotiation on your real estate sale transaction, there is a lot more Dot your "I" and Cross your "T" than most agents are used to on non-short sale transactions.

So very often agents get frustrated or at least ask, why is all this needed?

The simple answer is that the Banks Require it. But why do the banks require it?

I think most people remember the whole "Robosigning" lawsuits where the federal Attorney General, as well as many state Attorneys General, sued many of the largest mortgage servicers and banks for sloppily doing their foreclosure paperwork causing them to cause much harm to the public with errors such as foreclosing on properties that were not collateral for a mortgage or where payments were current.

Well, those big bad banks ended up settling with the Government for Billions and Billions of dollars over those issues.  Since then, the banks, for the most part, are extremely diligent with their foreclosure files to avoid another issue like this.  So then you ask, "what does this have to do with a short sale? This is not a foreclosure, it is a sale."

The issue for the banks is that once the loan is delinquent, anything they do in regard to trying to assist the homeowner to keep the home or avoid foreclosure becomes part of their foreclosure file if they do have to foreclose.  So they are just as diligent with the paperwork on a short sale as they would need to be in a foreclosure lawsuit.  In addition, there is much more regulatory scrutiny and compliance that they have to abide by these days.

So this all results in the banks requiring nearly every document they receive to be next to perfect.  Now that said, the banks are not all created equal.  Some of them take these requirements to the limit and others are more lax and allow for a little more sloppiness than others.  But to avoid delays, the best practice it to have your paperwork as well put together as possible.

I specifically state that this is best practice "To Avoid Delays". Here is why.  If you send something to the bank that they request as part of the short sale review, it typically takes a least a couple days for it to get reviewed and sometimes over a week.  If when it gets reviewed the bank rejects it for some error or missing information, it can then be a couple days or more before you even know about it, if you are diligently following up with the bank.  If you are not diligent, it can be weeks before you know.  Then you must go about correcting the problem and resubmitting the information to the bank, which again will take some time to be reviewed.  So just one issue can cause a delay in the review of your short sale of a few days to over a month, depending on the situation.  I think we would all agree that taking a little more time to perfect your documents before submitting them would have caused less delay.

So what kind of picky issues are we talking about here?  Below is a list of very common issues we see all the time that we then must request be addressed so as to not cause more delays in the short sale review process.

Common Document Issues

• Incomplete information
• Unreadable information
• Cross out on listings or sales contracts
• Unknown terminology
• Missing pages
• Gaps in consecutive documents
• Unsigned or Undated documents
• Documents that do not fully address the required information
• Outdated documents

I do not want to make this article too long, but if you have made it this far, you are interested for more information.  So let me add some detail to the above list.

1. Incomplete info information.
   1. This is common on listing and sales contracts.  The full property address with City State and Zip Code must be filled in every place the address is listed.
   2. Abbreviations are often not accepted.
   3. Ares of the contract or listing not used should have an N/A placed in them or the lender may consider it incomplete.  Do not just Cross through it.  If you, they will want it initialed.
2. Unreadable information.
   1. For listing and sales contracts, typed is best and faxed as few times as possible is also best.
   2. If any part of the document is cut off, even if you think the missing information is of no consequence, the bank will likely reject the document.
   3. Sloppy handwriting that is not understandable is often rejected
   4. Use BLACK ink.  Blue ink will scan or fax much lighter and may not be readable
3. Cross outs.
   1. Seems like common sense.  But if there is anything crossed out, all parties that signed the document will have to initial the cross out.
4. Unknown Terminology
   1. Acronyms are often not understood
   2. In CT we often see the acronym NRD used.  This stands for Notice Receipt Date and can be found on the GHAR short sale rider.  The issue is this is not a widely used term nationally.  The banks don't know what it is are not willing to search around the other documents to figure it out.  They simply reject it stating the document must use Short Sale Approval instead.
5. Missing pages.
   1. This is most common with seller documents.  For instance, if a bank statement is numbered pages 1-10 the bank will require all 10 pages.  It does not matter if the last page is blank or has junk information on it.  The bank does not know that unless they see it.
   2. If your sales contract pages are numbered, all pages will be required by the bank.  Where we this cause issues is if you include the property condition disclosures in those page numbers.  If they are numbered, the bank will want to see them.  Normally the bank does not ask for the disclosures.  But now that they need them because they were numbered with the contract, they will be picked through with the same scrutiny as the other documents.
6. Gaps in Consecutive documents
   1. Usually, pay stubs or bank statements.  They just be in order.  If the bank wants last 4 pay stubs.  They must be last 4 in a row.  Same for bank statements.
7. Unsigned or Updated Documents
   1. Documents such as the bank's application form, hardship letter, and tax returns must be signed and dated.
   2. On the tax returns, the 2nd page of the IRS 1040 form must be signed and dated in the signature and date field.  Typically the copy the seller has is not the signed copy that was sent to the IRS.  They simply have to sign and date it today.  The date does not have to be the date it was sent to the IRS.  It can be today's date.
8. Documents that do not fully address the required information
   1. Proof of Funds from the buyer for 100% of the purchase price.  This means if they are getting 80% financing and are putting 20% down at closing, the bank wants to see proof of funds from them that they have the 20% needed.  A bank statement, brokerage statement or letter from a bank branch can be used.  3rd party verification from their lender stating the lender has verified that they have the funds, will not be accepted.
   2. Bank statements.  The banks require bank statements from the sellers for ALL accounts they have.  If they have transfers from savings to checking and only supply checking statements, the bank will see the transfers and know they have other accounts and will require them.  Same thing if they have their income direct deposited into more than one bank account.  The bank will see it and make sure they have all the accounts.
   3. For the self-employed.  For income verification, a minimum 3-month profit and loss statement is required as proof of income.  The same is true of 1099 employees where their employer does not deduct for taxes when paying the employee.
9. Outdated documents
   1. Again pretty self-explanatory.  If they ask for the most recent, then documents from a month ago will not be accepted.

Okay now that I have thoroughly bored you, you may go about your day .  For those of you that made it through this far, congrats to you being thorough enough to care about the subject.

As always, feel free to reach out to me with any questions.

Sean Wilder

Loss Mit Services

860-265-3727

I have said it many times.  There are more reasons a seller can be denied for a short sale on an FHA loan than on any other type of mortgage!

Unlike many of FHA's rules for short sales, this one is simple and straightforward.

Once the loan is 40 payments delinquent, a short sale is no longer an option.

Simply put, FHA will deny any request for a short sale if the file is 40 payments or more behind.  That sounds like a long time and you could think that the homeowner "dragged it out" long enough.  The truth is that many homeowners can find themselves in this situation because they have been struggling for years to try to save the home.  Having gone through years of running around with their lender and still not having a resolution, they find themselves this far behind on payments and then someone finally suggests a short sale.  But by then it is too late if the loan is FHA.

Another challenge with this rule is that many of the mortgage servicers do not know it. Chase for instance, will have you go through the whole application and review process which can easily take 4 months and not till they send it to FHA for the final approval, do they learn that FHA rejects it for being over 40 payments behind.  This is partially due to how convoluted the FHA guidelines are.  This particular rule is actually not written in the guidelines.  But if you call the HUD National Servicing Center, they will confirm that it is, in fact, a rule.

So the take away here is that you need to find out what kind of loan you are working with and the current status of payments.  If it is FHA and over 40 payments behind, a short sale is not an option.  If it is FHA and nearing 40 payments behind, then you have very little time to get a short sale done.

As always, feel free to reach out to me with any questions.

Sean Wilder

Loss Mit Services

860-265-3727