Boomerang buyers, returning to market after short sale, foreclosure

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Bernice Lutchman was determined to be a homeowner.

"Everybody on the outside was telling you, you'll never be able to own a house again," Lutchman said.

A few years ago she went through a short sale.

“I had to pay the penalty by renting for about three years."

During that three years she worked hard to fix her credit.

“It did come with some sacrifice," Lutchman said.

But she had a team backing her up. First Bernice started working with mortgage consultant Erick Cantele.

He says there are some easy steps you can take to get your credit heading in the right direction.

"You always want to maintain your balances. Try not to have balances over 40% of the available credit limit for instance. And pay on time, because an underwriter is going to look at the last 12-24 months of how you're paying your bills and it’s very important."

And just three years after her short sale, Bernice was ready to buy.

“Because Bernice was so well prepared we found her a home in about 2 hours. And within a 30-day time period she was a homeowner again. And that's based on her diligence and her hard work," Real estate agent Melissa Scagliola-Cantway said.

“You can do it if you have that will and that courage and that faith and believe," Lutchman said.