Do short sales affect your credit?
Matthew Harrington
Updated on January 26, 2026
A short sale can hurt your credit scores because you’re settling your mortgage loan for less than you owe rather than repaying the full amount as agreed.
Does short selling a house hurt your credit?
According to the three nationwide credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion), a short sale may show up on your credit reports as “not paid as agreed,” which means the lender received less than the full loan amount originally agreed upon.
How many points does a short sale affect your credit?
A short sale will blow a hole in your credit score, dropping it as much as 100-150 points, depending on where you started. The higher your credit score, the more you will fall.
How long does it take for a short sale to be removed from your credit?
seven years
How Long Does a Short Sale Stay on Your Credit Report? Like a foreclosure, a short sale is considered a derogatory item and it can remain on your credit report for up to seven years.
How long a short sale stays on credit report?
A short sale will remain on your credit report for seven years. The starting point for this period depends on the timeliness of your mortgage payments. If your payments were never late and the account was in good standing at the time of the short sale, the period begins on the date of the sale.
Does your credit score go up when you sell a house?
The simple answer is yes. Selling your home could impact your credit score, though perhaps not in the way you think. For instance, selling house won’t negate the payment history associated with its mortgage, though the move could influence your ability to pay down other debts.
How does having a lot of debt affect your credit score?
Paying your loan balances is better for your credit score. Carrying a lot of debt, especially high credit card debt hurts your credit score and your ability to get approved for new credit cards and loans.
What happens to your credit score when you miss a payment?
For example, if you miss payments because you can’t afford your debt, you’ll lose credit score points. Choosing debt settlement or bankruptcy to deal with your debt will result in credit score damage that takes several months, even years, to recover from.
How does settling a credit card affect your credit score?
Your credit card company will notify the credit bureaus that you settled your account for less than the full balance. This has a considerably negative effect on your credit scores because it indicates you lacked the necessary debt management skills to pay creditors in full.
What happens if you settle a credit card for less than the full balance?
Your credit card company will notify the credit bureaus that you settled your account for less than the full balance. This has a considerably negative effect on your credit scores because it indicates you lacked the necessary debt management skills to pay creditors in full. That negative mark will stay on your credit history for seven years.