It is quite possible to do a short sale and still have decent credit afterwards. When you do a short sale, you can sometimes negotiate with the bank about two major issues: how they report your credit, and how whether they can go after you later for their financial losses.
The reason you can sometimes negotiate this is that you are not letting your house go through the foreclosure process and leaving it to the bank to deal with. When you do a short sale you are helping the bank. You are getting rid of a problem for them.
Most people don't realize that when they tell the bank that they are not going to be able to pay their mortgage anymore, the bank has a problem. And by selling the house, you are saving the bank tens of thousands of dollars they would otherwise spend going through the foreclosure process, getting the house back and fixing it up, marketing it and selling it.
Since you are doing this for the bank, you can make some requests in return. Especially if you have someone sharp helping you with the short sale.
If you want more information on Short Sales & Bank-Owned Properties, visit Understanding Foreclosures Las Vegas.
