Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California

Short sale purchase money loan

Bofa is writing on my short sale approval letter that they can pursue the remainder of the deficiency and this property is a california purchase money loan.

Can they do this?


Asked on 3/18/09, 9:11 pm

3 Answers from Attorneys

Bryan Whipple Bryan R. R. Whipple, Attorney at Law

Re: Short sale purchase money loan

I think so, because a short sale is not a foreclosure. This is an undesirable provision and may affect the desirability of doing the short sale vis-a-vis going through a foreclosure, where a deficiency cannot be pursued.

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Answered on 3/19/09, 10:51 am
David Gibbs The Gibbs Law Firm, APC

Re: Short sale purchase money loan

They absolutely can, and will very likely seek to pursue collection of the amount due. You signed a promissory note agreeing to repay them a certain amount of money. The short sale will not repay all of that money. What they are agreeing to in the short sale is to release their collateral (the home) without being paid in full. They generally do not release the remaining liability, unless whomever is negotiating your short sale is skilled and knows how to get them to agree to waive any further collection. In a foreclosure, they might be barred from collecting that difference (between what you owe them and what they recover on the home at foreclosure) by laws that only apply to foreclosures. You may want to have an attorney or someone who really knows how to negotiate short sales take another stab at it - most Realtors do not know how to properly negotiate a short sale.

*Due to the limitations of the LawGuru Forums, The Gibbs Law Firm, APC's (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided is general and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.

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Answered on 3/19/09, 12:46 pm
Terry A. Nelson Nelson & Lawless

Re: Short sale purchase money loan

Of course, that's the law. Try to negotiate it away if you can.

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Answered on 3/19/09, 1:52 pm


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