 TITLE: How Does a Short Sale Affect Credit? CONTENT: A short sale could impact your credit scores as long as it remains in your credit reports, which may be up to seven years—similar to many other negative marks. If the short sale was preceded by one or more late payments, the seven-year timeline starts with the date of first delinquency that led to the short sale.\nIf you never missed a payment, the mortgage account will fall off your credit report seven years after your account was reported as settled. END