Yes, it’s now been said.  Is it possible to take the analytics from the largest shopping day of the year and parlay that to how the road to economic recovery is paved for the next calendar year?  It certainly is possible.

Consumer confidence is all about how fast and where discretionary income flows.  The holidays bring out the best offerings and none better than Black Friday.  People across the country will wake up at the crack of dawn to stand in line for those “deals” at 4am.

Here’s what most people may not know.  Just like major retailers across the country dishing out deals, so do major lenders.  As the calendar year winds down, the lenders ability to write new loans NEXT year is predicated on their overall performance of THIS year.  With all of this buried debt on their books, it’s going to be a mad rush to clear the slate as cleanly as possible.

The timing of this process couldn’t be better.  Here we are in the midst of a housing crunch, the Debt Relief Act is still in effect, lenders will be crunching numbers and attempting to sell these properties at a quick clip.  If you’re in the midst of negotiations with your lender regarding a settlement of debt through a short sale, be prepared for a quick closing.  Lenders will do everything they can to make sure that property is wiped from their accounting files.

This takes us to the next topic:  Buyers, you need to stay in the deal.  The offer you submitted on that short sale may run quicker than you think.  If you’re prepared and ready to close by the end of the year, it will probably happen.  The short selling lender may give you to the end of the calendar year to get this transaction completed.  If you’re ready and able, what a great time to get your new holiday gift, a great deal approved by the short selling lender.

Rather than going out to get $3 electronics at 4am, find the property of your dreams, complete an offer, make sure you’re pre-qualified to purchase, and be prepared to move quickly.  The deals are out there, it’s time to start shopping.