Like many areas in the US, California has seen its share of housing challenges in recent years. Foreclosures, short sales, bankruptcies, defaults, trustee sales, and other legally unpleasant circumstances have negatively affected California homeowners.

In response to these special circumstances, the staff of First Residential Real Estate Services, in conjunction with our sister company, San Diego Realty Solutions, has authored a new report, entitled “Complex Real Estate Transactions: Buying & Selling With Special Circumstances.” The Report defines “special circumstance” as a real estate transaction, with a legal component, that can lead to future complications if not managed properly.

We recently met with a couple who are wrought with special circumstances: 1) They are in the process of getting a divorce; 2) There’s a federal tax lien from 2011 they’d like to have subordinated; 3) The mortgage payment is now three months delinquent and the bank has started foreclosure proceedings; 4) They want to sell the home, but owe more than it’s worth (short sale), and would like to avoid taxation on the forgiveness of debt; and, 5) They must maintain their security clearances at work. Can this situation get any worse, you ask? Yes! It can get much worse … by hiring a real estate firm that lacks the expertise to handle a legally complex, multi-layered sales transaction.

As a seller it’s important to know that any real estate brokerage can list a property. However, when the stakes are higher, and your home, large sums of money, security clearance and future peace of mind is at stake, you can’t afford to have a real estate agent who isn’t qualified to handle the messy, technical, no-room-for-error situations that often arise. This is no place for amateurs. Doing the wrong thing – making one simple mistake – can cost you SIGNIFICANTLY. And down the road, it opens you up to additional complications that seemingly never end – all because of the real estate agent’s mistakes or lack of experience.

Don’t do that to yourself! Take the time to hire the PROVEN EXPERTS at First Residential, who know exactly how to deal with problem properties and COMPLICATED real estate issues. We’ve seen it all before – for the last 22 years. And if by chance we don’t know the answer, we’ve got attorneys and CPAs at our disposal, at no additional cost to you.

So if you’ve got a special circumstance, we’re the special agents. Give us a call today. Let’s talk.