If you’re underwater on a home you can no longer afford, a short sale lets you sell for less than you owe — with your lender’s sign-off and no foreclosure on your record. We handle the lender, the paperwork, the negotiation, and the buyer. You don’t lift a finger, and it costs you nothing out of pocket.
Informational only — not legal, tax, or financial advice.
You owe more than the house is worth, so you can’t sell it the normal way — that would mean bringing cash you don’t have to the closing table. You can’t refinance out. And every month the payment gets heavier. It’s a genuinely stuck position, and it’s more common in Maricopa County right now than most people realize.
A short sale is the managed exit: you sell with the lender’s approval for less than you owe them, avoid a foreclosure on your record, and in many cases come out in a materially better financial position than letting it foreclose. Depending on your situation, that can even mean less spent overall — but which path is right for you depends on details only you and your advisors can weigh.
Add it up: a professionally managed exit, possible cash at closing, a softer credit outcome, and a bill of $0 from us. That’s the point of doing it right.
Unbiased Options is a licensed Arizona real estate brokerage. Nothing on this page is legal, tax, or financial advice. Every situation is different — please consult your own attorney, CPA, or financial advisor before making a decision.
General comparison for a typical situation. Outcomes vary by loan type, lender, and your circumstances — confirm the specifics with your attorney and a credit professional.
A short sale isn’t right for everyone, and we won’t steer you into one that doesn’t serve you. You’re the one we’re here to help — our job is to lay out every option clearly and honestly so you can make the call that’s best for your family.
If reinstating, refinancing, a loan modification, or a straight sale is actually the better path for you, we’ll say so and point you in that direction. Getting you to a good outcome is the whole job. What that outcome should be is a decision for you and your advisors.
Unbiased Options is a licensed Arizona real estate brokerage. Nothing on this page is legal, tax, or financial advice. Every situation is different — please consult your own attorney, CPA, or financial advisor before making a decision.
Arizona is a non-judicial foreclosure state — there’s no courtroom, just a trustee’s-sale clock that keeps ticking. The earlier you reach out, the more options are on the table and the more time there usually is to work with. Wait too long and the best moves can come off the table.
There’s no cost and no obligation to find out where you stand — so it’s worth finding out now, while there’s still room to work.
A homeowner we worked with bought new from the builder in 2023 with an FHA loan and 3% down — around $375,000. A nearly identical home down the street, bought with conventional financing and 5% down, had already sold for about $280,000. Two years later our client still owed roughly $355,000 on a home the market now valued far lower. Underwater, and stuck: they couldn’t sell to an investor and couldn’t bring cash to a traditional closing.
We walked them through every option, ran the short sale, and negotiated the exit — including relocation assistance at closing. They left the situation behind and moved forward. Same brokerage, same honest process we’d run for you.
Representative example based on a real client situation; identifying details changed and figures rounded for illustration. Your numbers and outcome will differ.
Here’s what trips people up. Arizona’s anti-deficiency law can protect a qualifying homeowner — but a short sale is not a foreclosure, so whether you’re fully off the hook can depend on your loan type and exactly what the lender’s approval letter says. Get it wrong and you could sell the house and still be pursued for the shortfall.
Getting the deficiency waived in writing is one of the most important pieces of the whole deal — and it’s exactly what we work to negotiate for you.
General information about Arizona law, not legal advice. Your protection depends on your specific loan — confirm it with your attorney.
In a lot of states, when a lender forgives part of what you owe, the IRS can treat that forgiven amount as taxable income — you get a Form 1099-C and it can land on your tax return. Arizona homeowners are often in a meaningfully better spot, and it’s worth understanding why.
When Arizona’s anti-deficiency statute protects your home, your loan is treated as non-recourse — the lender’s only remedy is the property itself, not you personally. And under federal tax rules, forgiveness of a non-recourse loan generally does not create cancellation-of-debt income. Arizona attorneys describe the tax result in these qualifying cases as “no debt discharge income… no tax consequence.”
This is general information, not tax or legal advice, and tax rules change. We are not accountants or attorneys. Please confirm your specific situation with your CPA and attorney before relying on any tax outcome.
A short sale isn’t a normal listing — it’s a negotiation with the lender’s loss-mitigation desk, and it’s intricate. We’ve seen homeowners listed by a well-meaning agent at a price that will never sell, with the short-sale box not even checked on the MLS. Months later they’re still making payments they can’t afford, still on the market, with no idea what’s happening — and they often land in the same place anyway, just more worn down. That’s what hiring wrong can cost.
Experience here isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the difference between walking away clean and getting buried in a process you didn’t understand.
Often, no — and this is where Arizona can differ from other states. When Arizona’s anti-deficiency law protects your home, the loan is treated as non-recourse, and forgiveness of a non-recourse loan generally doesn’t create taxable cancellation-of-debt income under federal rules. Arizona attorneys describe qualifying cases as having “no debt discharge income… no tax consequence.” It typically applies to a purchase-money loan on a qualifying home; the lender still issues a 1099-C (marked “not personally liable”), and cash-out refinances or HELOCs may be treated differently. We are not accountants.
Consult your financial advisor or attorney about your specific situation.It can — but a short sale is not a foreclosure, so it can depend on your loan type and exactly what the lender’s approval letter says. Getting the deficiency waived in writing is exactly what we work to negotiate.
Consult your financial advisor or attorney about your specific situation.A short sale is generally viewed more favorably than a foreclosure, and many people are able to qualify for a mortgage again sooner than they would after a foreclosure. Your exact impact depends on your credit profile.
Consult your financial advisor or attorney about your specific situation.Often yes — but the clock is running. Engaging a short sale can sometimes create more room to work. The sooner you reach out, the more options are typically available.
Consult your financial advisor or attorney about your specific situation.Nothing from us. The lender pays our commission at closing. We never take a fee directly from you.
Consult your financial advisor or attorney about your specific situation.In many cases, yes — relocation assistance is often line-itemed at closing. We can’t promise it, but it’s standard practice and we know how to ask.
Consult your financial advisor or attorney about your specific situation.No cost. No obligation. No pressure. Just an honest look at every option you’ve got, in writing within 24 hours. Worst case, you learn something. Best case, you find a managed way out with your credit and your dignity intact.
Informational only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Call (480) 630-0590.