Windermere’s Roger Sullivan (La Quinta office at 47-250 Washington Street) has earned the prestigious Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) designation, having completed extensive training in foreclosure avoidance and short sales. This is invaluable expertise to offer at a time when the area is marked by numerous properties at various stages in the foreclosure process.

Short sales allow the cash-strapped seller to repay the mortgage at the price that the home sells for, even though it is lower than what is owed on the property. With plummeting property values, this can save many people from foreclosure and even bankruptcy. More and more lenders are willing to consider short sales because they are much less costly than foreclosures.

“This CDPE designation has been invaluable as I work with sellers and lenders on complicated short sales,” said Sullivan. “It is so rewarding to be able to help sellers save their homes from foreclosure.”  In the La Quinta area, about 200 homes are currently in danger of foreclosing. It is happening in all price ranges. Local experts say that even high-priced homes are not immune.

Alex Charfen, founder of the Distressed Property Institute in Boca Raton, Fla., notes that Realtors® such as Roger A. Sullivan with the CDPE designation have valuable training in short sales that can offer the homeowner much better alternatives to foreclosure, which strongly impacts their credit rating.