Negotiating a short sale requires an understanding of the process. When you submit the short sale package, you are dealing with a servicer, who collects the payments and administers the loan. You need to be able to involve the investor to get the right result.
The Internet provides an abundance of information but keep in mind the legal requirments.
In order to use the online services for Fannie or Freddie, you need written authorization from the borrower. What if Fannie or Freddie are not the investor, which is a frequent even for luxury housing. Many servicers will not tell you who the investor is, possibly because they do not want the investor to know how poorly they are processing your short sale request. However, many servicers have rules that require them to furnish the investor’s information if the borrower/seller requests that information in writing.
Some commentators say that another way you can find the investor is to look them up in MERS, the Mortgage Electronic Registration System. It allows borrowers to see which company manages and owns their loan. The site was made public as part of The Helping Families Save Their Home Act.
Why do you want this information? When the servicer knows that their client, the investor, will be looking into how the short sale is being processed, the servicer wants to make it look better.
For a more detailed discussion on this topic, please go to http://shortsalesr.us/short-sale-how-to/negotiate-short-sales-better-find-the-investor/.