A short sale can negatively affect your credit, but there is no universal number of points that every homeowner will lose. The effect depends on the mortgage-payment history leading up to the sale, how the lender reports the account, the amount of other debt on the credit report, and the borrower’s overall credit profile. For many homeowners, the most serious damage is not caused by the property transfer itself. It comes from repeated 30-day, 60-day, 90-day, or more severe mortgage delinquencies reported before the short sale closes….