Tami Vroma

Grand Rapids Short Sales-What documents do I need to gather for my West Michigan Short Sale?

2011-05-31T23:53:00Z

DocumentsNeededShortSale

Grand Rapids Short Sales-What documents do I need to gather for my West Michigan Short Sale?

Grand Rapids Short Sales-What documents do I need to gather for my West Michigan Short Sale is a question many people ask. You have decided you don't want your Grand Rapids Home to Foreclose and have decided a short sale is the way to go. You have chosen an agent who is experienced in doing short sales in the West Michigan and Grand Rapids area. Before you call, many like to gather the documents they will need to do their short sale.

You need to understand that the banks want to know EVERYTHING. They may even ask for your first born—ok I am kidding there but they will want your entire financial history. Selling your Grand Rapids Home at short sale requires the bank to know everything about how you are sitting financially. To give them a clear picture of this, you will need to gather several pertinent documents. Collect the following documents and know you may need to update them regularly.

Last two year of taxes-Signed 1040’s with W2’s and any Extensions

Two months Most Recent Bank Statements

Two months Most Recent Paystubs or Proof of Income (Profit/Loss Statement or Unemployment)

Most recent Mortgage Statement (s)

Correspondence Regarding Mortgage Delinquency

These are the documents you should already have on hand to do your West Michigan Short Sale—all you will need to do is gather the information. For some this is easy because they are extremely organized but for others, this is something they will have to work at.

Our next blog will cover what expenses you need to consider and document in order for the banks to consider your Grand Rapids Short Sale.

West Michigan Short Sales-If I knew then what I know now about Michigan Short Sale Experts

2011-03-15T22:11:00Z

West Michigan Short Sales-If I knew then what I know now about Michigan Short Sale Experts I would have been able to help some really incredible people stop their home from foreclosing. I would have been able to put them in the position to purchase a home in 12-18 short months iinstead of years!

I was once told I would never make it in the Grand Rapids Real Estate business because I cared to much. How can anyone care too much about people?

Many years ago I was referred by a lender to a couple who needed to sell their Rockford home because they could not make their payments. He said he gave them my number because money was not the driving force in my life. That was quite a compliment.

The meeting with the couple was heart breaking, to say the very least. They had six children ranging in age from about 4 to 21. They all lived in the Rockford house which was immaculately cared for. The distress in their eyes was evident as they told the story of how they came to own the home. Too many people in cahoots including a lender that dropped the bomb on them at close that there were two loans. They wanted to back out but were told there would be lawsuits.

With all my heart, I wished I had been there when this couple purchased the house but it was too late for that and they were in serious trouble. The financial information they gave me was devastating. There was absolutely no way they were going to be able to sell this house and pay the real estate fees. They were drowning in debt and this house was the cement block around their neck. At that time, I didn't even know what a West Michigan Short Sale Specialist was!

Life has taught me that if you pay if forward, you will be given back. I listed the house taking no commission for myself.
Even with no commission for myself, the home did not sell. Even though this home was only a few years old and on over an acre, there were other homes just as nice selling for less. So many people had lied to this couple and I didn't want to give them false hope, so I told them honestly that there was no reason for me to keep the home listed. My heart broke for them. The house foreclosed!

With all that I am, I wish I had known then what I know now about Michigan Short Sales. If I knew then what I know now, they would probably already be purchaing a home. Now I count myself among the Michigan Short Sale Realtor Experts that our times have demanded. There are quite a number of West Michigan short sale homes, but there are a very limited number of agents who really are West Michigan Short Sale Experts. Not only is it important to have an agent experienced in selling a Greater Grand Rapids Short Sale, but it is also important for buyers to have a West Michigan Short Sale Expert representing them in the sale.

For sellers, it can be extremely difficult to weed through and find an agent who is truly experienced in selling Ottawa County Short Sales and Kent County Short Sales. What questions should a seller ask to find a West Michigan Short Sale Expert? See my next blog, West Michigan Realtors Experienced in Short Sales - 6 Tips on How to Hire a Short Sale Agent to find out what steps you need to take to make the best choice.

Let me know if you would like a West Michigan Short Sale Consultation. Everything is kept confidential and there will be no pressure--I think you probably have enough pressure in your life at this moment. When you fill out the information on to submit a West Michigan Short Sale, I will contact you. We will go over your situation and I can let you know if I can help. Please feel free to call if you just want to talk.

Hiring a Grand Rapids Realtor - What would be your best advice?

2009-05-07T20:28:00Z

Hiring a Grand Rapids Realtor - What would be your one piece of advice that you would feel is the most important?

Isn't it interesting how people love to ask questions in elevators? Since I am one of those people who can talk to anyone and being a Realtor in the the Grand Rapids Real Estate Market, the question I hear the most is, "If you had to give one piece of advice for a seller interviewing agents to sell their Grand Rapids Home, what would it be?"

That's simple . . . .HIRE ME!! Ok all kidding aside, it is a question that is extremely easy to answer and one I enjoy answering!

If I had to give just one piece of advice on hiring an agent to sell a home in this difficult West Michigan housing market it would be to Google the agents name.

While there are a lot of important considerations to make, this one will tell you if the agent is operating as a high tech Realtor who knows you must be internet savvy to get the home sold or if it is an agent operating in the times of listing cards and door to door. The days of the Realtor being the keeper of all the information pertaining to a house are gone! It used to be, the only way to find out the listing price on a house, was to call a Realtor and ask. The internet has changed that idea tremendously. No longer are Realtors the keepers of the information. They are distributors of the information.

Will your Realtor know how to distribute that information out on the world wide web to market your home to its fullest potential?

So what does Googling their name have to do with anything? What it will show you is what type of on-line presence they have. An agent who has very few hits on their name is not one that has a huge presence. The probability of being able to Google one of their listing addresses and have information come up is slim to none. One site is not enough because different buyers search in different areas.

When you Google a name, put it in quotes. Jennifer Kassick could return, Hal Kassick, but if you Google "Jennifer Kassick", the search will make sure the first and last name are kept together. Once you have your list of hits, look to see if it has to do with real estate. So what is a good number of hits? When my name is Googled, "Tami Vroma", there are 3,890 hits. This is something I have worked on for over 5 years. The agents with hits in the 1000's take internet marketing very seriously.

There are a lot of Grand Rapids homes for sale, so this is not the only parameter you should use to guide yourself when hiring an agent but it will certainly give you a good place to start. For more guidance on hiring your Grand Rapids Realtor, check out my series, How to Hire a Grand Rapids Realtor.

Please let me know what you thought of this article--I would love to hear your comments!

Photo Attribute: Elevator; Google

Single Story For Sale in Kenowa Hills

2009-05-01T06:00:00Z

• 1,000 sq. ft., 2 bath, 3 bdrm single story - MLS® $119,900

Kenowa Hills, Walker - This 3 bedroom 1 bath ranch home has had all the "majors" done in recent years. New furnace-2006; new air conditioner-2007; new water heater-2006; new replacement windows 2005; new refrigerator 2007; new slider in dining area 2005; new garage door 2000; even the roof has many years on it as it was replaced in June of 1998. So you first time home buyers . . . what will you spend your $8000 on?!?!?!?! It won't be on appliances-because those are all included-even washer and dryer! What's more is that you have a 204 square foot four seasons porch to enjoy that looks out onto the nice back yard. Clean and solid! All that is left is for you to do is remove some wall paper, paint and replace some of the bedroom carpet and this home will be immaculate!! This home has been well cared for by the same owners since it was built!. Even better it isn't a foreclosure and you won't have to wait forever because it isn't a short sale eitherjust a nice normal sale.

Property information

Ranch For Sale in Wyoming

2009-04-16T06:00:00Z

• 1,560 sq. ft., 1 bath, 3 bdrm ranch - MLS® $69,900

Wyoming, Kent County - 2 Bedroom starter home with lots of potential. Nice size living room with fireplace, fenced back yard and a 2 stall garage. Big basement with another fireplace. Square footage is approximate.

Property information

Ranch For Sale in Kentwood

2009-04-16T06:00:00Z

• 1,350 sq. ft., 1 bath, 3 bdrm ranch - MLS® $80,000

Kentwood, Kent County - This 3 bedroom (one room is walk through) is cute, cute, cute, and located at the end of a street with very little traffic. Newer vinyl siding with a front of field stone. The back yard is fenced in with a separate area for gardening. Bonus- the side yard that butts against woods is actually owned by the city but has been used and maintained by the owners for years. Inside is a big family room, a kitchen , pantry/laundry room and another living room plus a huge bathroom with whirlpool tub. You've got to see this one!!

Property information

2 Story For Sale in Grand Rapids

2009-04-13T06:00:00Z

• 5 bdrm 2 story "2 unit rental" - MLS® $68,200

Grand Rapids, Plainfield Township - This rental unit is in great shape! Investors take a look at this one first and compare to the others--when compared..this one WILL be at the top. If you love all the classic hardwoods then you need to get into this unit. The upper unit is a 2 bedroom and the bottom unit is a 3 bedroom. The bottom unit is rented and approved for section 8 housing. Electric is separate for each unit. The whole unit has all new replacement windows and several new doors. Your renters also have a garage to park in.

Property information