Short Sales & Foreclosures In South Florida

Buying a Short Sale or Foreclosure can save you thousands!

Are you looking to buy a foreclosure property or short sale home in Boca Raton or Delray Beach, Florida? Are you thinking that now's a great time to find bargains?  Before you make an offer, it pays to know a little about the seller's situation. If a home is being sold for below what the current seller owes on the property—and the seller does not have other funds to make up the difference at closing—the sale is considered a short sale.

Many more home owners are finding themselves in this situation due to a number of factors, including job losses, aggressive borrowing against their home in the days of easy credit, and declining home values in a slower real estate market. A short sale is different from a foreclosure, which is when the seller's lender has taken title of the home and is selling it directly. Homeowners often try to accomplish a short sale in order to avoid foreclosure. But a short sale holds many potential pitfalls for buyers. Know the risks before you pursue a short-sale purchase.

Read more about buying a Short Sale or Foreclosure in South Florida.



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Short Sales & Foreclosures For Sale in South FL

All Listings Under $100,000 $100,000 - $200,000
$200,000 - $300,000 $300,000 - $400,000 $400,000 - $500,000
$500,000 - $600,000 $600,000 - $700,000 $700,000 - $800,000
$800,000 - $900,000 Over $1,000,000
8757 Baystone Cove, Boynton Beach
  • Residential
  • 6 Beds
  • 6 Baths
  • 5,595 SqFt

8757 Baystone Cove, Boynton Beach

$600,900
703 14th St, West Palm Beach
  • Residential
  • 3 Beds
  • 2 Baths
  • 1,172 SqFt

703 14th St, West Palm Beach

$195,000
N/A, Lake Worth
  • Residential
  • 2 Beds
  • 1 Baths
  • 982 SqFt

N/A, Lake Worth

$200,000
4055 Wolverton C, Boca Raton
  • Residential
  • 2 Beds
  • 2 Baths
  • 896 SqFt

4055 Wolverton C, Boca Raton

$171,950 ↓ $9,050
8038 Tangelo Dr, Boynton Beach
  • Residential
  • 4 Beds
  • 3 Baths
  • 2,737 SqFt

8038 Tangelo Dr, Boynton Beach

$600,000 ↓ $10,000
5430 Meadows Edge Dr, Lake Worth
  • Residential
  • 4 Beds
  • 3 Baths
  • 2,600 SqFt

5430 Meadows Edge Dr, Lake Worth

$559,900 ↓ $15,000

Customize your South Florida MLS® Listings search to narrow your results to homes and condos that meet your specific needs. Search Boca Raton homes for sale and Delray Beach real estate listings by MLS Number, Address, Lifestyle (Golf Course/Country Club, Waterfront/Boating, Gated, Active Adult/55+, Luxury), School District, Map Search, Community/Neighborhood, and more!

More about Short Sales & Bank-Owned Properties

You may be a good candidate for purchasing a short sale if:

  • You're very patient.  Even after you come to agreement with the seller to buy a short-sale property, the seller's lender (or lenders, if there is more than one mortgage) has to approve the sale before you can close. When there is only one mortgage, Brian Pearl, a Certified Short Sale Expert, says lender approval typically takes about two months. If there is more than one mortgage with different lenders, it can take four months or longer for the lenders to approve the sale. 

  • Your financing is in order. Lenders like cash offers. But even if you can't pay all cash for a short sale property, it's important to show you are well qualified and your financing is set. If you're pre-approved, have a large down payment, and can close at any time, your offer will be viewed more favorably than that of a buyer whose financing is less secure.

  • You don't have any contingencies. If you have a home to sell before you can close on the purchase of the short-sale property—or you need to be in your new home by a certain time—a short sale may not be for you. Lenders like no-contingency offers and flexible closing terms. 

If you're serious about purchasing a short sale property, it's important for you to have expert assistance. Here are some people you want to work with:
  • Experienced real estate attorney. Only about two out of five short sales are approved by lenders. But a good real estate agent who's knowledgeable about the short sale process will increase your chances getting an approved contract. Also, if you want any provisions or very specialized language written into the purchase contract, a real estate attorney is essential throughout the negotiation. 

  • A qualified real estate professional.* You may have a close friend or relative in real estate, but if that person doesn't know anything about short sales, working with him or her may hurt your chances of a successful closing. Interview a few practitioners and ask them how many buyers they've represented in a short sale and, of those, how many have successfully closed. A qualified real estate professional will be able to show you short-sale homes, help negotiate the purchase when you find the property you want to buy, and smooth communications with the lender. (All MLS permit, and some now require, special notations to indicate that a listing is a short sale. There also are certain phrases you can watch for, such as "lender approval required.") 

  • Title officer. It's a good idea to have a title officer do an initial title search on a short-sale property to see all the liens attached to the property. If there are multiple lien holders (e.g., second or third mortgage or lines of credit, real estate tax lien, mechanic's lien, homeowners association lien, etc.), it's much tougher to get that short sale contract to the closing table. Any of the lien holders could put a kink in the process even after you've waited for months for lender approval. If you don't know a title officer, your real estate attorney or real estate professional should be able to recommend a few. 

Some of the other risks faced by buyers of short-sale properties include:

  • Potential for rejection. Lenders want to minimize their losses as much as possible. If you make an offer tremendously lower than the fair market value of the home, chances are that your offer will be rejected and you'll have wasted months. Or the lender could make a counteroffer, which will lengthen the process. 

  • Bad terms. Even when a lender approves a short sale, it could require that the sellers sign a promissory note to repay the deficient amount of the loan, which may not be acceptable to some financially desperate sellers. In that case, the sellers may refuse to go through with the short sale. Lenders also can change any of the terms of the contract that you've already negotiated, which may not be agreeable to you. 

  • No repairs or repair credits. You will most likely be asked to take the property "as is." Lenders are already taking a loss on the property and may not agree to requests for repair credits. The risks of a short sale are considerable. But if you have the time, patience, and iron will to see it through, a short sale can be a win-win for you and the sellers. 

*Not all real estate practitioners are REALTORS®. A REALTOR® is a member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and is bound by NAR's strict code of ethics.

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BUYING A SHORT SALE OR FORECLOSURE IN PALM BEACH OR BROWARD COUNTIES?

Contact the Short Sale & Foreclosure real estate expert Brian Pearl at Compass Real Estate for help buying or selling distressed properties in South Florida. For a free no obligation consultation, call us at (561) 463-0408 or contact Brian Pearl online.

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Note: This article provides general information only. Information is not provided as advice for a specific matter. Laws vary from state to state. For advice on a specific matter, consult your attorney or CPA.

Listing information last updated on March 29th, 2024 at 3:15am EDT.

All listings featuring the BMLS logo are provided by BeachesMLS, Inc. This information is not verified for authenticity or accuracy and is not guaranteed. Copyright © 2024 BeachesMLS, Inc.

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