It’s time to take another look at short sales...

It’s time to take another look at short sales…

As recently as a few months ago, if you would have told a real estate agent who specialized in short sales that they’d be raving about a lender’s stellar service and rapid approval times—not to mention significant cash incentives for financially strapped homeowners for pursuing a short sale—you’d have gotten some strange looks.

That’s all changed.  And it’s changed faster and to a greater extent than most real estate professionals ever could have imagined.

With a glut of bank-owned properties dragging down the recovery of the real estate market, as well as the national economy, major lenders are more eager than ever before to avoid foreclosure. So they’ve sharpened their focus on short sales. Big time.

The biggest lenders in the country have staffed up to ensure rapid processing of short sale applications. They’ve ponied up with cash incentives at closing for homeowners who pursue a short sale. And they’re proactively reaching out to CDPE agents and putting them in touch with delinquent borrowers.

This is big news and the media has not really caught onto it yet. What’s important for you to know is that whatever you’ve read or heard in the past about long lag times and frustrations with short sales is probably no longer the case.

As a member of the CDPEAdvanced community, I’m tapped into major lenders and on top of major developments affecting short sales and bank-owned properties.  I invite you to visit my website www.HeleneHelps.com to learn more and feel free to contact me any time at 443-465-8443 or HeleneSellsHomes@gmail.com if you or anyone you know is struggling with an unmanageable mortgage.

Should I get a home inspection?

Should I get a Home Inspection?

“The house shows well”, “It’s just been renovated”, “I can handle any repairs”, “The seller will fix everything wrong with the house.”





These are just a few of the comments some buyers may make when previewing Baltimore Homes. When advising my clients of their right and recommendation of a home inspection, I often hear the same reasons as to why a home inspection is really not needed.





What is the answer? “YES” you should ALWAYS get a home inspection! I can’t think of any reason not to get a home inspection. Even if this is house number 2 or 3, renovated or even if you are very handy. There is no guarantee a seller will fix any repairs. This is true on all homes, especially foreclosures, estates and short sales. The banks usually don’t do repairs either.





A Baltimore Home purchase is one of the biggest financial investments a buyer will make. When spending several hundred thousand dollars on something for the long term, YOU DO want to know as much as possible about the house. There could numerous things going on with the home that “civilian” eyes can’t and won’t see. In addition REALTORS cannot attest to the condition of anything in the home.


What tends to happen is the house is so cosmetically appealing or the buyer may be super handy and minimize the need for an inspection and may just want to save a few bucks. Keep in mind, the home inspector is testing the systems in the home (this is not happening during the walk through) roof, foundation, electrical, appliances, plumbing etc. This is just as if not more important than the look of the house.




In addition to getting the home inspection I request that my clients be there for the inspection. It can take a few hours, but not only will a buyer learn about the home, the inspector can show them in person and explain the issues so the buyer will know if it’s a repair or a maintenance issue that may need to be address after moving in. A few hours may be sacrificed at work, but most employers are understanding and willing to allow this.






Looking for a Baltimore Home? Be sure to visit Baltimore Buyer Agent to begin your home search.


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