Knowing why and how much your lender does not want to foreclose on your home is crucial to the negotiating process. It’s oftentimes much more expensive for the lender to modify your loan than it is to simply foreclose on you and sell it, or accept a short offer and pay all the associated sales costs.
Of course, your lender would prefer that you stay in your home and continue making payments but selling it and getting the “bad asset” off their books is frequently their next favorite choice. Many lenders will negotiate short sale terms quite favorable to you, oftentimes allowing you to walk away for free and with zero delinquency judgments.
It used to be that lenders would not even consider a loan modification or short sale if your payments were current, but not anymore. Realizing that other factors contribute to a potential default, many lenders are eager to head off future problems at the pass.