Pay to Play? Show me the listings! 

I've been selling REOs since 2004.  Since the very first one, I have never signed up to sell for companies that have given me listings.  Somehow, they managed to find me out of the 100s of Realtors in my community.  I've always found that fascinating.

As the market trended down in 2007 I noticed another trend emerging.  I guess the best way to describe it is "Pay to Play."  Companies started coming out of the woodwork with grand promises of REO listings and BPOs if you would only pay $99, $199, $299 to $499 to be listed on their high octane websites.  Along with the promise of listings and BPO exposure was the promise to put your name in front of 1000s of REO companies and asset managers.

With a declining economy, who wouldn't want to be listed amongst the Nation's top REO agents?  One company promised that "they" were the primary source of information for asset managers, and for a measly $1200 your name would be at the fingertips of every important REO company.  Another more recent offer promised even more exsposure for $3500.  All you had to do was sign up, and BANG, your real estate sales would skyrocket!

Some of these companies will send an unsuspecting agent an email stating that they have a BPO in their area, but in order to receive future assignments they would need to sign up.  The agent signs up, does the BPO, collects a $50 check and pays the $199 for the privilege.   Now, I have an MBA, but I'm not a mathematician.  That really looks like the agent just paid $149 for a $50 BPO.  Once the fee is paid, the company disappears until renewal time.  No additional work shows up in between.

Well, I've turned over a new leaf for 2011.  No more pay to play.  I had a company contact me last week asking why I didn't renew.  I told them, "I don't pay for non-performance."  They immediately rolled out all the media reports of how their website was an REO generating machine, but my experience had been "Company $199 / Me $0."

I would encourage you to think before you plop down your money.  Do a little research.  See what kind of experience other agents have had with these companies.  I've never had a single company that I work with, and it's around 25, ask me for money.  On the other side, I've never had a single assignment from a company who asked for money up front.

If you would like to do REOs and BPOs you can sign up with 100s of companies that don't ask for cash up front.  Jesse Gonzales of REOPro, and Nicole Ocean, of the BPO Automation Group, offer a list of REO and BPO providers, and they include ratings of agent experiences.  You can find that link at http://bpo-companies.com/ .  Kim Knox has also made a list available on "Real Estate Community" at http://www.aareaforum.com/reo-bpo/. 

These lists are good solid roads to more work.  I spent one Saturday morning signing up with many of these providers.  At the first of the week I received 12 BPO orders from companies I had never worked with before.  It didn't cost me a dime to get the new work.  For me, I say, "SHOW ME THE LISTINGS," and then I'll show you the money.

That brings me back to my point.  I will not pay to play in 2011.  One hundred percent of the REO / BPO work I've done in the past seven years has not cost me one cent up front.  There are a lot of companies getting rich off of struggling Realtors, and I think it's time we close our checkbooks, hide the cash and say, "No More!"

The answer is, ask your lawyer? When a home is being sold through a trust, the heirs of the estate need to be informed. If there are any objections they need a chance to express their concerns.  It does not mean that the home can not be sold, just that whatever the objection is needs to be dealt with, sometimes through court action.

There heirs can agree to to forgo the 45 day waiting period for the Notice of proposed action by singing off before the home is sold. So, if you are selling a home in trust be sure and ask your lawyer if the waiting period can be waived before the sale of the house so that the escrow can close in less time.  You don't want to sign an offer with a 30 day close and find out there needs to be a 45 day waiting period.

If you have any questions about selling a home in San Mateo or Santa Clara that is in a trust or probate please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

650-619-9285

D.R.E.  01191194

Just got my first listing with NRT REOexpert and have now been told there is an outstanding water bill I need to pay and get reimburstment later.   If you are currently working with them please respond and let me know if they pay on time and anything I should be aware of.  The other REO's I've received have always been paid by bank not the agent.  Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

What Do You Do To Keep Your Agents Motivated? 

During the early part of the roaring 2000s our office was a selling machine.  Of course, most offices were like that, but when the market began to slide into recession things slowed down.  Our broker, who was a great guy, was managing two offices.  He spent the majority of his time at the other office in a large metropolitan city (approximately 29 out of 30 days).  As the recession became more and more severe our office began to drop sales and agents.

The worse things got with the economy the worse sales got with the office.  Our broker was seldom around to encourage and inspire the office, and the agents found little enthusiasm and motivation to overcome the economic struggle the country was entering into.  Finally, a year ago that office closed.  It really was the right thing to do.  Most agents were doing little to nothing by that time.  In our former broker's defense a dozen or more offices have closed in the area.  So, it wasn't specific to our location.

There were a few of us who were highly self-motivated who simply moved on.  I actually joined that company because I was very self-motivated, and I didn't need the broker looking over my shoulder all the time.  I also didn't need weekly pep rallies to keep listing and selling homes.  I love the job.  When the office closed I started my own company and it's doing well, but my questions for you are,

"What do you, or what does your office do during hard times to keep your agents motivated and on track?  What keeps the agents excited when it becomes a real challenge to succeed in their profession?  How do you deal with the agents who need that extra boost to stay steady during slow time?"

Can new home buyers afford a 20% down payment? Could you? Can you envision what this will do to limit the buyer pool  if new regulations governing Qualified Residential Mortgages (QRM) take effect this year?

Neither can we. And neither can many elected officials in Congress who did not intend for these regulatory provisions to be so narrowly defined. We must continue our efforts to explain how detrimental the new QRM rules would be to the ongoing housing and lending crisis in America.

According to NAR Research, 60% of recent home buyers made less than a 20% down payment, and it would take 14 years for a typical person to save up a 20% down payment to buy a median-priced home.

Please contact Congress today and ask them to make it clear to the regulators that this proposed regulation was not their legislative intent and to instead implement a more reasonable Qualified Residential Mortgage (QRM) that will keep credit-worthy buyers in the market and able to acquire a loan.

30 days later and there is no Decision on either File,   I do have an update on one, the Freddie Mac Loan…. THEY LOST IT… YES THEY LOST IT!  Here is the letter I wrote to try and get some attention for my clients.

if you want to see the Video Again here is the Link

http://youtu.be/Mf1qacDNT88

Mr. (*&(&(*& )(*)(*)(*):
Senior Vice President, Loss Mitigation
Bank of America

Sometimes emotion can get over wrought and focus is lost, but sometimes that same emotion can bring a clarity that pushes someone into action that saves lives.  I know this for a fact having worked in Law Enforcement and experienced that action. 

Law enforcement personnel are always aware of  public ire and the personal exposure to criminal behavior brought on by malfeasance.  Needing to take action but refusing.   I have decided I will not be accused of malfeasance.  Strong advocacy for my clients and community is my duty and thus your about to feel some emotion, let’s see if I can share some passion.

I brought two transactions to your attention in a video at www.HAFA.us.  One was a Freddie Mac short sale and the other a twin tracked Fannie Mae Loan Mod failure and possible reconsideration or movement into HAFA which was not offered to the client, which is the GSE mandate.   I do not have answers on either of these transactions, it’s been over 30 days.  That does not count the time it sat with your associate Mr. B(*&(&( or Mr. S(*&)(&(&(*&r who suggested I send the file to the Mortgage Side to get the Branch involved. More on steering later.

I am losing it, not enough passion, lets kick this up a notch.  Your Bank is a total failure you are failing the American People the regulators and real estate professions and in the process your costing our country billions of dollars.  We should lock your doors and put you all on the unemployment line and let you feel what it is like to not be able to get out from under the thumb of the worst Bank in the United States.  To fully comprehend the importance of timely action, your team needs to feel the same pain my clients do.  Now I am starting to feel like I am catching a groove, are you feeling how I really feel about what your doing to my clients?

Right after our last correspondence I gave my (*&(& Street transaction to the most capable of professionals to handle in concert with your  Mr. David (*&(&(*&)( and Mrs. C(*&(&(& *****   so there would be full objectivity and I would not be accused of being incompetent. Late today, I found out that your HAFA subcontractor has lost the file or can not see it in Equator, they are looking for the purchase offer.  This is coming from the Escalation Officer at AMS.

This of course means after you issued instruction to escalate these files it has taken 30 days to even look at the file.  I say break out your CHECK BOOK, FREDDIE MAC IS OWNED SOME MONEY.. and by the way I did my job and I want my commission.  Does your company have no shame?  Do you have no liability for reckless abandonment of these files?  Pay me and fix my client’s credit, which you continue to damage!

My Broker of Record who is receiving a copy of this correspondence can personally vouch for the person who has been working the file. The  incompetence of your Bank is not invented and I don’t think questioning the ability of the people who took over the “hands on” of this file is a good strategy to consider.  Fixing the file is not only a better plan it is the only course of action you can take if your to meet your duty to the investors, the GSE and thus the tax payers.  By all mean I encourage you to call my Broker of Record.  I am sure he will tell you,  I am the first to arrive and the last to leave my the office.  I am tireless in trying to help my clients.

If you are testing the ability of advocates to bring timely action, I personally am up to the challenge.  I have not one single thing that I can not afford to lose.  In fact, inasmuch as your quickly destroying our market and the Real Estate Professionals desire to commit to selling your short sale stock, your own inaction will be what rushes you to failure.

I think it was Socrates that said;  “the only thing I can contemplate which could hurt you more than a lie, is the truth.”   Where the truth can not go maybe a Congressional inspired audit or hearings could help. How many loans are you doing this to?  Do you really think you should be handling Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loan servicing?  These are Public Loans should we be paying for your incompetence?

As you reflect on this tirade, you may want to get your hands on the list of files I gave Mrs C*()(*_* & &)__ ^%$ .  You have more problems headed your way, I want resolves, my clients are not expecting lip service from me.  They contracted with me for results, that is what I owe them.

In contempt for your inaction, the files land on your desk, good managers own the problem, what kind of manager are you?  Tell me do my clients deserve better than your company is providing?  I think they do.

George Kenner

This is the link to the Video’s of the Bank of America VP.

www.HAFA.us/navigate1.htm

George Kenner, Broker Associate Keller Williams Realty, Lic. 01229957

Contact George at 619-723-5714  or email  g.kenner@yahoo.com

When do you think I am going to recommend B of A for a Mortgage?

May 16, 2011

Guest post from Sean O’Toole, ForeclosureRadar.com

Over the past month we noticed that Bank of America has been resuming foreclosures on loans originated by Countrywide. As you may recall in October BofA voluntarily imposed a foreclosure moratorium following the robo-signing scandal. We actually expected an increase in activity as lenders began to catch up after these delays and were instead surprised to see foreclosure activity drop in April.

Even more surprising is just how old some of the foreclosures being resumed are.

In Contra Costa alone there are 123 homes now scheduled for trustee sale, with loans originated by Countrywide, where the foreclosure process began in 2008.  That is 3 years of missed payments, interest and fees. In just this one county that totals $71.5 Million in original loans with balances now nearly $19 Million higher.

Although all of these 123 properties have active sale dates many are still being postponed. In fact the largest loan, where the total debt now exceeds the original loan amount by more than 1 Million dollars, has been postponing since January, and was just postponed again until June.

We remain as convinced as ever that these delays are simply part of the current game of Foreclosure Roulette. Hopefully someday soon lenders stop playing games and begin really dealing with the looming shadow of delinquent and underwater borrowers. Whether through loan modifications, short sales, or even foreclosure it’s time to move forward.

Small Things to Help With Short Sales

A lot of agents avoid short sales because of the horror stories they hear from other agents, and I really can't blame them.  Lenders don't always make it easy to navigate the short sale process, but there are things an agent, negotiating team and the homeowner can do to keep the lenders honest and on track.

One of the great frustrations I had on my early short sales was the lender's constant insistence that they had no record of our communication.  On one particular short sale I received bank approval to proceed in a short sale, received an offer and submitted it to the bank.  When I followed up to check on the progress the representative informed me that they had no record of their approval for me to speak on behalf of the owner.   The owner and I sent the paperwork in again.  A few days later I called.  Same response.  No record of the paperwork or approval.  That went on for about 6-8 weeks.  I sent the paperwork in twelve times, and each time they said they had no record of the paperwork.  I had FedEx receipts, call logs, etc., but to no avail.

Finally, I realized that I needed a way to confirm that I had spoken to a bank representative in order to stop the constant insistence that they had no record of my calls or confirmations.  So, I started a different approach with the lender.  Once I established a contact with a lender rep on the phone I requested their first and last name, call center location, and their employee badge number or employee ID number.  If they refused to give the information I went up the chain until I found a manager or department head who would surrender the information.  I recorded the date and time down for each call, contact name and ID and the call center location.

That was the end of the constant run around about "no contact" records.  There was no way I could have an employee ID number without the employee surrendering it to me.  That confirmed that I had spoken with a lender representative.  I encourage all of my short sale homeowners to at least get that employee ID information to confirm the contact, and everyone has done that without a single complaint. 

Real Estate is Like a Box of Chocolates . . . 

You know how Forrest Gump always said, "Life is like a box of chocolates"?  Well, it dawned on me today that real estate clients are like a box of chocolates.  You know, you've got that sweet couple who you just love to see over and over.  You can't get enough of them, and when the deal is done you continue your relationship as friends.

Then you've got that one client who is like that one chocolate that no matter how many times you try it you just can't develop a taste for it.  Of course, there is always that box of chocolates that is a mystery.  Nothing is labeled, so every bite is a surprise.  You get that nutty chocolate that delights the palette, and then there is that gel thing that nobody can define.

You have your favorites, and you have the ones you like to leave in the box in the event somebody visits.  You know, those chocolates you wouldn't eat on a dare.  There are those that look yummy, but after the first bite you find that undefinable gel stuff.  Blah!  What is that?  There is always that one that brings back childhood memories of your favorite candy, and there is that one that bring memories of your crazy aunt.  

Obviously, I've spent way too much time with chocolates, but when you head off to the office today keep in mind that "Real estate is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you're going to get!" 

Has anyone heard of this company? Is this legit? Do they really have REO inventory?

I have called into 1-800-228-9737 which urges realtors give your money for sign up.

What I am confused is the asset mgmt company they claim to represent was sold to another company over

a year ago. It uses OMS(office mgmt system) which seems to be a different system. This company is not taking

any reo agent and the 800-426-1460 now is a toll charged number.....

Can anyone confirm there are two companies actually dispersing reo properties? ARRO Mgmt is legit

and actually has a contract with First American on REO listing and not just another platform.

Thanks

Sam 

shueh at yahoo.com

I frequently hear the question "Can I short sell my house if I have not stopped making payments."  The answer to this depends on your lender, the investor on the loan, and the phases of the moon.  However, at least right now, if you have a loan with Wells Fargo then at this moment in time they will look at approving a short sale if you have not stopped making your payments.  Wells Fargo has two different review processes, one for currently defaulted and one for eminent defaults.  So if you are currently making your payments, but you have circumstances which will make it impossible for you to make the payments in the future then you are likely to have an eminent default and can potentially qualify for a short sale.  Nothing is for ever, and with short sales there are no guarantees, but it is worth a try.

If you have any questions about short sales in San Mateo or Santa County please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

650-619-9285

D.R.E.  01191194

Federal Government Disclaimer (MARS): 1. You may stop doing business with us at any time. You may accept or reject the offer of mortgage assistance we obtain from your lender [or servicer]. If you reject the offer, you do not have to pay us. If you accept the offer, you will have to pay us commission as agreed to in listing contract for our services.
2. Marcy Moyer of Keller Williams Realty is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender; and 
3. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.

This I have to say is an odd business model that RES.NET has currently. I don't know who has advised RES.Net to not disclose or make easily available the banks that utilize their services.I would think the thought would be to have as many Realtors sign up for their services at RES.Net as possible to make sure that Realtors are already familiar with their services and using the system before a bank contacts the Realtor and when asking the Realtors they are contacting and asset manager would want to hear that they are using the service or at least familiar with Res.Net. functions.

I had posted on Wordpress that I had renewed my Res.Net AMP subscription which I also had a simliar post on ActiveRain and on here on REO PRO but Wordpress had fed to my Facebook and Twitter accounts which received some responses via email from other Realtors.

The main question is do you get business from RES.Net and what banks use RES.Net

I have read through post on ActiveRain and REO PRO members through the searching options on both sites and I found  that the following banks use RES.NET according to members.

Suntrust, GRC, Goodman Dean, IAS, Keystone,Beal,Capstone,PMH,FAS,Excelle,SAM and PNC.

If you know of any others that use Res.Net please leave a comment on this post so other members can know when looking at signing up for Res.Net who all the banks are they may have a chance to get a listing from.

Feel Alive MY Friends, Feel Alive! 

Have you ever driven through one of those automatic car washes?  You know, you drive up, pay for your wash, you're immediately signaled to drive in and at the appointed place you're signaled to stop.  Once you stop all kinds of things happen.  Water sprays, soap flies, funny looking noodle creatures rub all over your car and then the process repeats in reverse.  If all goes well, you drive out the other side with a clean car.

Well, that's the way it's supposed to happen.  One day my wife and I were working on one of our rentals and we decided to take a break.  During our break we went to the carwash.  We were third in line, so we settled in to a good conversation and waited our turn.

When the first car pulled out, the second car started up and began the process of pulling into position for the wash.  We pulled forward to second position and waited our turn.  Just about then we noticed that the car pulling forward missed the appointed spot and the lights went from red to green and a buzzer sounded.  She overshot her stopping place.  The car wash momentarily spit soap all over her car and then stopped.

She realized she had overshot the stopping place so she put the car in reverse and began to back up.  When she got to the appointed stopping place the buzzer sounded, the light went red and the car wash began spitting soap all over her car.  Did she stop?  Oh, nooooooo, she kept coming back until the buzzer sounded, the lights turned green, the sign flashed "Pull forward" and she stopped.  Now her car is covered with foaming white soap, and she realizes she has gone to far and begin to pull forward. 

This went on for about 5 mintues.  My poor wife and I are in our car laughing so hard we're crying.  By now, the lady has got her car completely covered with soap, but no water.  She hasn't landed in the right place long enough to start the car wash.  Buzzers are buzzing, lights are flashing and customers are crying,  It was quite a scene.  She finally pulled out and drove way.  She looked like a soapy kid fleeing a bubble bath. 

When she pulled away, I suddently felt a little pressure to hit the car wash just right so the car behind us wouldn't be blogging one day about the goofy guy who couldn't line up his car in the car wash.  Well, I'm glad to report that I landed in the zone and had a nice car wash. 

Life is a lot like that lady in the car wash.  Some days you drive in, stop in the right place, get your car washed and drive away like nothing happened.  It's a vanilla day, and vanilla is good.  Other days you're covered in soapy water driving down the street and you have no idea what just happened.  It's just a blur.  Ironically, it's those moments of craziness that wake you up, shake you real good and say, "Hey!"  You wake out of your routine, laugh at yourself and move on.  And, while you drive your soapy car down the street I hope you find the humor in the whole thing (even though you'd like to be invisible right then).   It's a Tutti Frutti kind of day.  They are so necessary in our lives.  They remind us to feel alive when we've fallen into a life of routine.  Feel alive my friends, feel alive!

Keeping Up With The Small Stuff (edit/delete)

When two people get married a lot of negotiating comes in to play from the moment they say, "I do."  And, it's not always the big stuff you might think that couples negotiate over.  Sometimes it's very small but important stuff.  Such as, which way does the toilet paper roll off the hanger?  Does the paper roll off the top, or does the paper roll off the bottom or does it matter?  What about toothpaste?  Is it OK to squeeze it from the middle, or is it absolutely essential to squeeze it from the bottom to top? 

What about unloading the dishwasher?  My wife has often offered to hold a family class on how to open the dishwasher door.  It appears that the males in the family (1 old one, 2 young ones, and 1 male dog) don't seem to have that process figured out yet.  But, it's not just loading it, what about unloading it?  Whose responsible for unloading it?  And then there's laundry.  Who is responsible for putting the laundry away?  Is it always mom, or should other more testosterone laiden types get involved too?

Little things.  It's the little things that make a marriage work along with the big things.  It's also the little things that make a business work.  I don't remember how many times I've called a business colleague only to leave a message that is never returned.  Sometimes, it's a little thing, but like a marriage, it is often the little things that cause so much stress.  It's irritating to call, email and text colleagues only to have them ignore or not respond.  So, what's the solution?  Well, you could leave the clothes piled up in the laundry room until you have nothing left in your closets or drawers, or you could actually call again, email or send a text.  How do we deal with little things?

I think the best response for us is to not let the little things get us down.  That can be a battle though. This morning I was talking to a good friend who is a physician.  She was telling me she would like to get out of the business.  Why?  She said the real joy she has in her work is in the patient's room.  That's where she wants to spend all of her time.  She is a wonderful physician, and it would be awful to lose her, but I do understand her dilemma. She went on to say that when she leaves the patient and closes the door behind her there is all of this stuff that hits her right in the face.  She doesn't like the little stuff.  She doesn't want to look at the books, or coordinate cleaning crews or repairmen and she frets over the people that work with her who are depending on her for their livlihood.  That may not sound like little stuff, but it's a bunch of little stuff combined to seem like big stuff.

Little stuff.  It follows us around everyday.  A tail light is out.  A kid forgets his lunch.  The car is low on gas.  The dog throws up just as you're about to walk out the door, and you're already late for a meeting.  Your computer locks up when you're dazzling a potential client with a presentation.  How do we deal with the little stuff?  Do we return phone calls?  Do we send notes, call past clients, keep our files in order and follow up with vendors and contractors? 

My life is full of little stuff.  I do pretty good with it for the most part, but sometimes it gets away from me, and that's when I find my self scrambling to catch up.  Like my physician friend, I don't like that side of business.  I like flowing along on a sea of glass with everything falling into place, all meetings kept, and kept on time and every detail complete.  When I snap out of my dream I'm reminded that this is real life, and stuff happens.

So, here's a short list of things I do (or like to do when I remember) to keep up with the little stuff:

• Make lists of tasks for the day ( I love to check things off)
• Make lists of things that are going to need to be done over the next week, month, year, etc.  Make sure dates and times are included.  I love Outlook for that feature.
• Keep a journal of every phone call, email and text.  Note what needs to be responded to right away, and note what can wait until later and make a notation to remind you to follow-up.
• Keep your files filed.
• Establish a file system that works foryou.  Mine may not work for you and visa versa.  Find a file system that makes you efficient.
• Move dead files to an out of the way place where you can get to them, but they're not in the way.
• Stay in touch with your clients; email, text, phone call, whatever.
• Educate yourself on your profession.  Are there better more efficient ways to do business (absolutely, always).
• Look for ways to cut down on tasks.  For instance, some software will do things for you on an automated schedule.  Use every tool you can find to help you cut down on little stuff.
• Keep an eye on that co-worker who annoys you with her stunning efficieny.  She may have a thing or two you can learn.  Ask her how she makes work looks so easy.  She would probably love to tell you.  People love to talk about themselves.
  
• Subscribe to forums like, well, Active Rain, where you can learn from some of the best brainiacs in the business. 
  
• Get enough food for energy, and get enough sleep to restore you body and mind for each day.
• Relax.  Kick off your shoes, watch a movie, take the dog for a walk, take a bike ride or a swim, call an old friend, read a book, look at photo albums, you get the idea - get away from work.
• And most of all, put that toilet paper roll on so the paper comes off the top!

Keeping Up With The Small Stuff (edit/delete)

When two people get married a lot of negotiating comes in to play from the moment they say, "I do."  And, it's not always the big stuff you might think that couples negotiate over.  Sometimes it's very small but important stuff.  Such as, which way does the toilet paper roll off the hanger?  Does the paper roll off the top, or does the paper roll off the bottom or does it matter?  What about toothpaste?  Is it OK to squeeze it from the middle, or is it absolutely essential to squeeze it from the bottom to top? 

What about unloading the dishwasher?  My wife has often offered to hold a family class on how to open the dishwasher door.  It appears that the males in the family (1 old one, 2 young ones, and 1 male dog) don't seem to have that process figured out yet.  But, it's not just loading it, what about unloading it?  Whose responsible for unloading it?  And then there's laundry.  Who is responsible for putting the laundry away?  Is it always mom, or should other more testosterone laiden types get involved too?

Little things.  It's the little things that make a marriage work along with the big things.  It's also the little things that make a business work.  I don't remember how many times I've called a business colleague only to leave a message that is never returned.  Sometimes, it's a little thing, but like a marriage, it is often the little things that cause so much stress.  It's irritating to call, email and text colleagues only to have them ignore or not respond.  So, what's the solution?  Well, you could leave the clothes piled up in the laundry room until you have nothing left in your closets or drawers, or you could actually call again, email or send a text.  How do we deal with little things?

I think the best response for us is to not let the little things get us down.  That can be a battle though. This morning I was talking to a good friend who is a physician.  She was telling me she would like to get out of the business.  Why?  She said the real joy she has in her work is in the patient's room.  That's where she wants to spend all of her time.  She is a wonderful physician, and it would be awful to lose her, but I do understand her dilemma. She went on to say that when she leaves the patient and closes the door behind her there is all of this stuff that hits her right in the face.  She doesn't like the little stuff.  She doesn't want to look at the books, or coordinate cleaning crews or repairmen and she frets over the people that work with her who are depending on her for their livlihood.  That may not sound like little stuff, but it's a bunch of little stuff combined to seem like big stuff.

Little stuff.  It follows us around everyday.  A tail light is out.  A kid forgets his lunch.  The car is low on gas.  The dog throws up just as you're about to walk out the door, and you're already late for a meeting.  Your computer locks up when you're dazzling a potential client with a presentation.  How do we deal with the little stuff?  Do we return phone calls?  Do we send notes, call past clients, keep our files in order and follow up with vendors and contractors? 

My life is full of little stuff.  I do pretty good with it for the most part, but sometimes it gets away from me, and that's when I find my self scrambling to catch up.  Like my physician friend, I don't like that side of business.  I like flowing along on a sea of glass with everything falling into place, all meetings kept, and kept on time and every detail complete.  When I snap out of my dream I'm reminded that this is real life, and stuff happens.

So, here's a short list of things I do (or like to do when I remember) to keep up with the little stuff:

• Make lists of tasks for the day ( I love to check things off)
• Make lists of things that are going to need to be done over the next week, month, year, etc.  Make sure dates and times are included.  I love Outlook for that feature.
• Keep a journal of every phone call, email and text.  Note what needs to be responded to right away, and note what can wait until later and make a notation to remind you to follow-up.
• Keep your files filed.
• Establish a file system that works foryou.  Mine may not work for you and visa versa.  Find a file system that makes you efficient.
• Move dead files to an out of the way place where you can get to them, but they're not in the way.
• Stay in touch with your clients; email, text, phone call, whatever.
• Educate yourself on your profession.  Are there better more efficient ways to do business (absolutely, always).
• Look for ways to cut down on tasks.  For instance, some software will do things for you on an automated schedule.  Use every tool you can find to help you cut down on little stuff.
• Keep an eye on that co-worker who annoys you with her stunning efficieny.  She may have a thing or two you can learn.  Ask her how she makes work looks so easy.  She would probably love to tell you.  People love to talk about themselves.
  
• Subscribe to forums like, well, Active Rain, where you can learn from some of the best brainiacs in the business. 
  
• Get enough food for energy, and get enough sleep to restore you body and mind for each day.
• Relax.  Kick off your shoes, watch a movie, take the dog for a walk, take a bike ride or a swim, call an old friend, read a book, look at photo albums, you get the idea - get away from work.
• And most of all, put that toilet paper roll on so the paper comes off the top!

The Short Sale Boomerang! 

I'm starting to see a boomerang affect from the high volume of short sales in our area.  I recently had a client who wanted to buy a property.  I met with him and his wife, and I had them get prequalified with their lender and they qualified for a nice property.  Off we went in our search, and after a couple weeks we found a great house.

The only issue with this house was that it was an REO and required a certain lender do the pre-qual before the seller would consider a contract.  So, I sent my buyers off to a friend who worked at that lender with the expectation that they would be back shortly with another prequalification letter.  It would be easy since they had already been prequalified, right?  That's what I thought, anyway.

After the interview, the lender called and asked how much my clients had shared with me about their financial history.  They had only discussed what their bank said in their original pre-qual letter.  The lender couldn't share their personal information because of confidentiality, but with their approval, she told me that they had a short sale last year.  In the days that followed, I confirmed that my buyers had done a short sale the year before.  When asked what led to the short sale they explained that they didn't like their neighborhood or the trend it was following, and they wanted to move out of it so their children wouldn't grow up there

Wow!  That was information that needed to be shared up front in the beginning of our interview process.  Later, I emailed them to get the name and number of the lender that had prequalified them prior to our visit with the second lender.  I'm still waiting on that info three weeks later.  That experience has made me a little more cautious about taking someone at his/her word.  I know it's necessary to trust, but I believe I will need to start a "trust, but verify" policy with new clients. 

"Short sales for convenience" are going to catch a lot of people off guard when they start their next property search.  There are ways to buy when you've had a short sale recently, but it will likely be with investor tactics and not through FHA.  People who are contemplating a short sale should be advised that short sales are not a "get out of jail free" card.  When a seller is trying to balance the options and a short sale is considered we need to be completely honest with them if it's not a true hardship situation.  Choices have consequences. A short sale may be the only route some sellers can take, but it should never be used to blow off a mortgage commitment that is not a hardship situation.  IMHO.

Deaths in families are always hard. They can bring out both the best and worst in a family. There is often a combination of sorrow and a bubbling to the surface of many past, and normal family rivalries and childhood issues. Every estate must have an executor and this executor can be anyone the owner of the estate appoints if the estate has been put in trust. If there is no trust but there is a will and the will names an executor that person must be affirmed by the probate court.  If there is no will the probate court will asign a personal representative.

As a realtor who has been fortunate enough to list many homes in trusts and probates I have found that the ones that go the smoothest are those where a trust department at a bank has been named the executor. My experience has been that when a trust department handles an estate:

1.  Everything is done in a fair and impartial manner. No one gets to help themself to some personal and sometimes valuable effects that were not specifically left to them. Everything is divided according to the terms of the trust or will.

2.  No one is left to do the many many hours of tedious work needed to dispose of the estate leaving them resentful and/or exhuasted. A professional does that.

3. There are laws which govern how an estate is settled. They must be followed or there can be financial consequences.  Trust departments are experienced in following these laws and doing things properly.

4. Sometimes estates are to be distributed over time instead of in a lump sum. When this happens trust departments are in a good position to hold the money and distribute it in accordance with the terms of the trust or will.

5.  Trust departments charge money. It will cost your heirs money to have a bank settle an estate, but it may be worth it to have things done properly and keep peace in the family.

If you have any questions about selling a home in a trust or probate please feel free to contact me:

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

650-619-9285

D.R.E.  01191194