How We Source Our Information

Mortgage and foreclosure decisions can affect your home, finances, and legal rights.

You should be able to see where important information comes from and decide whether you trust it.

Short-Sale.com gives priority to primary and authoritative sources. These may include government agencies, laws and regulations, courts, official mortgage programs, and mortgage servicers.

We use these sources across our educational content, tools, Help experience, and Decision Briefs.

When possible, we show the source close to the information it supports so you can review it for yourself.

Why the right source matters

Mortgage and foreclosure rules are not the same for everyone.

The answer to a question may depend on:

the state where the property is located,
the type of mortgage,
who owns or guarantees the loan,
the mortgage servicer,
the stage of delinquency or foreclosure,
and when a rule or program applies.

A source can be reliable and still not apply to your situation.

For that reason, we look at both the quality of a source and whether it fits the question being answered.

Our source hierarchy

We do not treat every source the same.

When possible, we start with the source that has the most direct authority over the issue.

Level 1: Primary authority

Primary sources receive the greatest weight.

They may include:

federal and state laws,
federal and state regulations,
the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,
the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,
the Federal Housing Administration,
the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,
the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
the Federal Housing Finance Agency,
the Internal Revenue Service,
state agencies,
courts,
county governments,
and local government sources.

We use primary sources when they directly answer the question.

Level 2: Official mortgage and program sources

Some questions depend on a specific mortgage program, investor, or servicer.

These sources may include:

Fannie Mae,
Freddie Mac,
FHA program guidance,
VA loan guidance,
USDA loan guidance,
mortgage servicer instructions,
investor or guarantor rules,
official borrower forms,
servicing manuals,
loss mitigation requirements,
and official notices.

A general mortgage rule may not answer what is required for a specific loan. In those cases, the program or servicer source may be more useful.

Level 3: Qualified secondary sources

We may also use trusted secondary sources for explanation or added context.

These may include:

legal aid organizations,
recognized housing nonprofits,
professional associations,
academic research,
and reputable industry research.

These sources can help explain a topic. They do not replace a controlling law, regulation, court rule, mortgage program, or official servicer requirement.

The source must fit the question

A reliable source is only useful if it applies to the issue being discussed.

For example, a federal mortgage servicing rule may explain one part of the process while state law controls the foreclosure procedure.

A general mortgage guide may explain loss mitigation while an FHA, VA, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or servicer rule controls what is required for a specific loan.

When we review a source, we ask:

Who has authority over this issue?
Does the source apply to this state?
Does it apply to this loan or program?
Does it apply to this stage of the process?
Is it still current?

We try to use the most direct source available instead of relying on a broad summary when a more specific source controls the answer.

When sources disagree

Reliable sources can sometimes appear to conflict.

When that happens, we generally give more weight to the source that is:

more authoritative,
more current,
more specific to the loan or program,
more specific to the state or jurisdiction,
and more directly related to the question.

For example, a general article about foreclosure should not override a current state law or court rule.

A general mortgage guide should not override a current program rule that applies to a specific FHA, VA, Fannie Mae, or Freddie Mac loan.

If we cannot resolve an important conflict with enough confidence, we should say that clearly instead of presenting one answer as certain.

Keeping sources current

Mortgage programs, foreclosure rules, servicing guidance, and government resources can change.

A source that was correct when a page was written may no longer be the best source today.

We track important details such as the publisher, date, jurisdiction, version, and when a source was last reviewed.

When an important source changes, is replaced, or is no longer current, related content may need to be reviewed or updated.

Important pages should also show a review date when appropriate.

Learn about our content review process →

The same source should support the same fact

We aim to use the same reviewed source material across Short-Sale.com.

That may include:

educational articles,
glossary definitions,
state and local guides,
interactive tools,
Help,
calculations and explanations,
and Decision Briefs.

This helps reduce conflicting answers.

It also makes it easier to trace important information back to the source that supports it.

We separate facts from estimates

Not every piece of information has the same level of certainty.

We try to make the difference clear.

Sourced fact

A statement supported by an identified source.

Program or servicer rule

A requirement tied to a specific mortgage program, investor, or servicer.

Calculation

A result based on known numbers or information entered by a user.

Estimate

A value that may change or need to be confirmed.

Examples may include:

property value,
selling costs,
net proceeds,
equity,
or a timeline.

Explanation

A plain-language description of what the facts may mean.

We try to separate what a source states from what Short-Sale.com calculates, estimates, or explains.

A calculation or estimate should not be presented as if it came directly from a government agency or other source.

People remain responsible for published content

Sources do not review themselves.

Our content process includes human review of important claims before publication.

That review looks at whether the source supports the claim, whether the source applies to the topic, and whether the information is presented clearly and fairly.

Some topics may also require review by a qualified professional.

When professional review is used, we aim to identify the reviewer and review date on the page.

Learn about our content review process →

Sources and artificial intelligence

Short-Sale.com uses artificial intelligence in parts of the platform.

AI may help find, organize, summarize, classify, or explain information.

AI is not treated as an authoritative source.

Important claims should trace back to an appropriate underlying source.

AI can still make mistakes. Source quality and human review remain important even when AI helps create or explain information.

Learn more about how Short-Sale.com uses AI →

Sources we treat with caution

Some sources are useful for learning what people are asking or experiencing. They should not be the only support for an important mortgage, foreclosure, legal, tax, or program claim.

We generally treat these sources with caution:

anonymous forum posts,
social media posts,
AI-generated answers,
unsourced marketing pages,
outdated articles,
search-result snippets,
summaries with no supporting authority,
and third-party articles when a current primary source is available.

These sources may still help us understand common questions, consumer experiences, confusing terms, and areas that need more research.

They do not replace stronger authority when a stronger source is available.

Links to other websites

We link to outside websites when they provide useful primary information or added context.

We give preference to official government, court, mortgage program, nonprofit, and other authoritative sources when they directly support the topic.

An outside link does not mean Short-Sale.com controls or agrees with everything published on that website.

External pages can also change after we link to them.

When there is no clear answer

Sometimes there is no single source that fully answers a question.

In that case, we may review several sources and explain:

what is known,
what may vary,
what still needs to be confirmed,
and who may need to make the final decision.

We should not fill an important gap with a guess.

If a mortgage servicer, court, government agency, attorney, housing counselor, or other qualified source must confirm the answer, we try to make that clear.

If you see something we should review

Sources can change. Links can break. Rules and programs can be updated.

If you believe a source is outdated, incorrectly applied, or missing important context, please tell us.

It helps if you include:

the page URL,
the statement you are questioning,
and the source you believe should be reviewed.

We review reported issues and correct material errors when needed.

Report an issue →

Learn more about our standards

Important information

Short-Sale.com provides general educational information and decision-support tools.

It does not provide legal, tax, financial, mortgage servicing, or individualized housing counseling advice.

Mortgage programs, foreclosure laws, timelines, tax consequences, and available options can vary by loan, servicer, investor, location, and individual circumstances.

When an official source, mortgage servicer, court, government agency, or qualified professional controls a decision, that source should be used to confirm the answer.