RISMEDIA, December 14, 2009—Short sales and home warranties seem to go hand in hand, especially considering the realities of today’s real estate market.
“Short sales have a hundred moving parts; a hundred problems that all need to be solved at the same time,” says Bonnie Overbeck of Three Blondes and a Short Sale. “While you are dealing with a stressed seller, a buyer who doesn’t entirely trust the situation and money problems everywhere, the home warranties we provide through HSA Home Warranty act as an extra layer of security.”
While short sales have a 25% close rate nationally, Overbeck and her two partners, Coleen Holt and Holly Maloney, have a 91% success rate.
Having to turn away clients because they were upside-down on their mortgage was an eye-opening situation for Maloney, Overbeck and Holt, whose personal mission is to counsel home sellers and let them know there are options other than foreclosure. Maloney, Overbeck and Holt started Three Blondes and a Short Sale on their own once they realized they could help the individuals who needed it most.
“Once we started to think about the fact that we were turning away clients who needed our help, we decided to contact the bank and muddled our way through our first short sale,” says Maloney. Since that first success three years ago, the three women have made it their job to train real estate agents across the country on how to deal with short sales.
“When we originally started talking with agents about short sales, their immediate reaction was negative,” says Overbeck, “but once we began to counsel agents and tell them what to look for and how to speak with clients facing short sales, they are now calling us with two to three properties a week.”
Educating real estate agents as well as their clients allows everyone to be on the same page throughout the short sale process and creates a happier situation at the end.
“Short sales are a hot niche, especially in the market we are experiencing today,” says Overbeck. Not only have the three identified a solution for sellers whose hardships may not have been resolved; they have also created an answer to a problem in which no other answer applies.
Since there is no standard operating procedure when it comes to short sales, Holt, Maloney and Overbeck are working to create a protocol that will enable anyone facing a short sale more security throughout the process.
“Partnering with HSA and using their home warranties for all of our short sale business for the past six months has been a huge advantage for us,” says Maloney.
Short sales are sold “as is.” HSA’s home warranties give sellers the opportunity to get a little help if they need it. In addition, the warranties act as peace of mind for buyers because they enable them to be prepared for the unexpected. “Home warranties give buyers the security of knowing that they are covered when systems in their newly bought home fail,” says Maloney.
“Our rep at HSA has been fantastic and has been paramount in each of our success stories,” says Overbeck. Going above and beyond in providing their clients the tools they need for a successful real estate transaction, HSA has helped Maloney and her two partners keep numerous deals together.
“Since a majority of our clients are stressed out by the time they are facing a short sale, our partnership with HSA has allowed us to eliminate that pressure,” says Overbeck.
For more information, visit www.onlinehsa.com.
