REOPro – How Can We All Benefit?

REOPRO is a new site that is focused on REO Agent education. At the time of this writing, there are about 150 members. From a very rough review of the site, my guess is about half of us have little or no REO experience and want to break into the niche du jour while the other half has been doing this long enough to think they know what they are doing. I like to think I fall into the later category.As with any new site, our success depends on one another. I hope that we do not fall into two different camps – those in the know and those wanting to know. We are all here, I assume, to grow and better perfect our trade.MY METHOD - BLOGA method that I have been very successful with in my own personal growth is to teach. When I teach, I am forced to research and know the answers before I share them. Now, I don’t teach in a traditional classroom or even with traditional students. Rather I write.That’s right, I will find a topic of interest to me – typically one that I know enough about to be dangerous – but not an expert. What usually prompts me is I question something that I think I know, but am not sure of. So, I research and I document my research. Other times, I write about my experiences as I go through a certain aspect of my business / life.If you are a seasoned REO Agent, then you have something to share. I know you are busy, but this is an effort that will come back and reward you many times over – if you do it right.If you were to Google my name, you’d find that I have over 400 articles published – most on my primary blog – HemetRealEstateBlog.Com. I do have 4 or 5 other blogs that I write to on occasion, plus I am a guest author on another handful of blogs. When you Google me, make sure you check out Video as a search option and you’ll find that I have nearly 200 videos published as well – all of them from the very early days of video on the internet – March to June 2006. I quit, because I was not satisfied with my editing capabilities and I thought I looked goofy. However, there is not a month that goes by when I still don’t receive a phone call or email asking a specific question about the content of one of my videos.I share this because a public forum like REOPro can give you instant credibility and it helps everyone else who participates.MAKE THE MOST OF REOPRONow, this is a site that is dedicated to REO real estate and not all aspects of real estate. So, I for one truly hope that we will not see a bunch of articles that are off topic – you know what I mean…no one cares bout new home sales, FSBO’s, or any other real estate topic that cannot be tied to REO’s.OK, so if you are new, what can you write about? Well that’s easy…document your journey. Write a diary of what you go through to build your business. When you see something that someone in your market is doing good, let us know…then again if you see something that someone in your agent is doing that gives REO’s a bad name, let us know that too.Being new to the niche will mean you have the most questions. Instead of asking the same questions over and over again in different blogs, why not turn your question into your won blog post and solicit help from readers. I would suggest a format where you ask the question and give your best idea of what the answer is – and ask for clarification and further input.GOOGLE AND SEOBy generating your own blog, you are now generating your own credibility – both here in the REOPro community as well as in your own market. The good news, the more article that are written the more Google and the other search engines will respect this site and give us higher search engines in our own market. I’ll add some article here about blogging and the search engines – but believe me when I say, the more the merrier for everyone.The second step you can take to make REOPro a more productive networking platform is to add comments to others blogs. If you read something that makes sense to you – or maybe it doesn’t….leave a comment for the author. As a blog writer I can tell you that comments on my blog validate me which encourage me to write more. Maybe you missed Stacie Cunninghams blog article about me - well, I've got to tell you it motivated me to start contributing here.Way to network Stacie!Another task you can take on yourself is to invite others to REOPro - remember, the Team spirit - Together Everyone Achieves More!Finally, the way I see it, REOPro is so new that we are on the ground floor. This can get as big and as important in our industry as we make it. Can you imagine the clout the agents who started NRBA or REOMAC have in those organizations today?So, to all of those REO REALTORS and those who want to be, welcome to this site and I hope you will make it your own.John Occhi, REO REALTOR®Century 21 Crest – CrestREOJohn Occhi is a REO REALTOR® thatspecializes in the sale of bankowned homes in the Inland Empireregion of Southern California. Hehas helped many buyers acquiregreat deals on these REO homes.His company, CrestREO, the REODivision of Century 21 Crest – the77th largest C21 in the Nation, hasSold Over $1Billion in REO Sales.

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Comments

  • Dear John (Sorry, I couldn't resist - it's late and I feel silly)

    I just read this post. I know it's over a year old, but I like how you think; love the genuine way you said it and am looking forward to networking and sharing what I have learned over the 15 years. Even though I have only listed about a dozen REOs in this current REO market, I've sold hundreds over the past years and I have been involved in over a thousand REO transactions from the corporate aspect during this last year and have seen and learned a lot that I am more than willing to share.

    You are truly correct when you say that "our success depends on one another" This market can be challenging but there is so much information and such a positive energy shared here. I am proud to contribute.

    - Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass . . . it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.
  • Hi John,

    Thank you for your enocuraging words of motivation to participate, learn and share on REOPRO. I am taking a risk to participate more, as a new agent in the REO world and sometimes feel that I may not have anything of "real" substance to share. But as you have indicated, this site has began and will continue to be an awesome tool for support from experienced agents and a reminder to experienced agents on how important it is to help shape our industry as a whole. I firmly beieve that there is "room" for new agents to enter the REO market and help prove to society that we as real estate professionals take our careers serious and want to help in getting this economy back on its feet. Comments from less experienced REO agents can provide much valuable contribution to this network and allow the experienced REO agent to shine their knowledge and serve as a mentor for all (directly or indirectly).

    Remember, paths cross one another for a reason.....
  • Hi John;

    Great commentary, I really appreciate your sincere approach to REOPro and I hope many others will be inspired to do the same.

    I hope what truly makes this website different is more than that it’s free! I know that sounds silly but, I believe in the power of people voluntarily coming together, holding each other accountable, expanding our knowledge base and using our combined influence to create positive change for everyone in the REO Industry with out financial obligations.

    Stay tuned because I promise more exciting possibilities to come!
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