Short sales are a lot of work but, if you are like me, you get a lot of satisfaction from helping people who otherwise would end up in foreclosure. Even when you have a negotiator handle the bulk of the paperwork and phone calls, an unqualified or worse yet an unwilling seller can squash your work, your wallet and your closing.

If you are in a declining market (who isn't) you should probably begin adding a qualifier into your normal list presentation right now. I know a lot of Realtors who find out in the 11th hour that Joe and Jane seller have not made a mortgage payment in three months and that the auction is looming. This throws your entire system out of whack. You now have to rev up you marketing, get with the lender, drop the price and call everyone you know to try and get an offer at the last minute. Chances are that without an offer on the table, the lender will not stop the sheriff sale. All your time, money and efforts are now wasted because you just didn't know.

So, what can be done to help these people in distress. The seller probably didn't tell you because they were embarrassed to tell a stranger their financial woes. In this current market, they need to spill their guts. Its not easy or comfortable to come right out and ask them if they are making their mortgage payments. That is why you need to know the qualifier questions that will lead them into the answers that will help you, to help them.

Start by asking questions that are not personal but opens up the seller to what needs to be said. Simple questions like "why do want to sell" can lead the conversation into where they are and what motivates them. "What do you think your house is worth" and "would you consider reducing the price to sell" are questions that will get you some interesting perspectives on what they perceive the market to be in your area. The great qualifier is "how quickly do you NEED to sell"? When the eyes shoot to ground or defense mechanisms come into play you know its time to dig in and find out if they've lost their job and they are prolonging the inevitable.

Another problem that I see a lot is that the seller calls the Realtor to list the property a week before the auction or, in redemption states after the auction has taken place! These are the sellers that you need to be very careful with. They waited until the last minute to sell their house and more times than not it is out of shear desperation. These people are the ones that can drain every bit of energy from you and walk away from the house without a care in the world.

First of all, why didn't they call you when they were only a month or two behind? There are some legitimate reasons. Maybe they thought that they would be back to work or, they knew that their house was not worth what they owe so why bother trying to sell it. These are the ones that you may be able to help.

The other ones ... . Desperate people do desperate things and when you get caught in the middle of their indecisive behavior, you are asking for trouble. These are the people who care a whole lot today and not at all tomorrow. You will work 10 times harder for them and probably will not close the deal.

Common traits of these wishful sellers are:

• 1. They rarely return your phone calls and when they do it is when they believe that they will get your voice mail.

• 2. Troubles getting buyers into the home. I.E. No return phone call,

• 3. You get only portions of the paperwork needed to properly perform the short sale. There are many documents that the seller needs for the lender and if they don't have the initiative to do something as simple as write a hardship letter. Expect not to sell this house.

• 4. Overall bad attitude. Who needs it! You are trying to help them and if they can't get that through their thick skulls then you will not be appreciated enough to get it sold.

• 5. Misinformation- how someone forgot that they just got out of bankruptcy is beyond me? What? You didn't know that you had a tax lien on your home? I guess the IRS forgot to call them?

• 6. They vanish! That's right. I've seen many of these people just up and leave and take your sign with them. There's nothing worse then getting an offer and you excitedly call the seller who suddenly has disappeared with no forwarding number or address. (this happens far more often than you think).

Fortunately there are some ways that you can qualify these sellers. Now that you know some of the questions to ask, make them come to you. Nothing extraordinary but, asking them to bring some paperwork to your office is a simple request and it may weed out the unmotivated.

My reasoning is that if they want your help, they will do a little extra to ensure the successful sale of their home. If they are resistant to simple requests, it is a red flag that you need to take seriously. Otherwise, you may find yourself going the extra mile for someone who has plans on leaving their worries behind, and that includes you!

Most people do not know that there are options open to them. Many lenders now offer workout deals for homeowners who are able to re-adjust their mortgage into a manageable rate. Some of these people may just need to refinance out of an ARM in order to save their home. There is no reason that you, their agent should not lay all of the options out for them. A short sale is the last option before foreclosure and there is no sense in marketing a home that should not be sold. Pre-qualifying your seller will save you lots of time, money and headaches.

Published: May 21, 2008

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Rob is a Michigan licensed Real Estate Broker, trainer and short sale specialist. As President of Short Sale Pathways, Rob works with homeowners and REALTORS® across the nation helping them sell their homes through short sale. Education is at the core of the business which focuses on creating a network of real estate agents who have the knowledge to help beleaguered homeowners who have no other alternatives but sell their homes. Rob teaches short sales in weekly seminars for real estate professionals. These seminars help agents understand the often aggravating and painstaking process that goes into successfully completing a short sale.