First Cash Financial Services

First Cash Financial Services

First Cash Financial Services

As the real estate market begins to dip, sellers will need to find more creative ways to sell their home. One of the major problems in today’s real estate market is the lack of financing vehicles available to buyers. Buyers with good to average credit find it harder and harder to get approved for the amount of money they would like at an interest rate that they feel comfortable with. Seller financing provides an easy bridge to close a buyer’s financing gap.

Basics of Seller Financing

Before offering seller financing, sellers need to be sure they completely understand their obligations. Most of the time seller financing requires no direct cash outlay from the seller. Sellers simply substitute a portion of their equity interest in exchange for a promissory note from the buyer of the property.

The promissory note acts like a second position or second lien loan. Essentially, this puts the seller in the same position as a home equity lender or second mortgage lender. In event of foreclosure, the primary lender must first be made whole from the proceeds of a forced sale, and then second lien holders split what is left. In up markets this is not a problem because most houses sell for enough to cover both positions.