Reader reaction: Realtor feels obligation to help clients with short sales

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Re On the Level with Debe Maxwell, June 5

After reading the Q-and-A with Debe Maxwell in your June 5 issue, I felt inclined to respond.

I represent many, many homeowners in their short sales. Yes, they are time-intensive and rather a pain, but it’s something I do to help stem the tide of foreclosures and help people in financial distress. Their banks might be difficult to deal with, but they deserve help just like any “regular” homeowner with equity.

The key to a successful short sale is a combination of expectations and systems, which is why we have successfully closed 60 of them in the past few months. We don’t discriminate on price point or situation: We help anyone who wants to be helped. As a Realtor and a neighbor, I feel it’s my duty.

Also, I serve on the Federal Housing Policy Committee with the National Association of Realtors. I just returned from meetings with HUD and our federal representatives in May. We were informed of what is coming down the pike — after this election cycle — and it’s not pretty.

Many folks want to believe that the storm has passed, but I’m a realist who looks at economic numbers, and I would rather be wrong than right about prices not being stable yet. Again, I feel it’s my duty to serve on a broader level so that I can bring that information back home to help my clients.

LEIGH BROWN, broker/owner,

Re/Max Executive Realty,

7752 Gateway Lane, Suite 204, Concord

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