WePro BPO has been established as a Broker Price Opinion outsourcing company which caters all types of Residential and Commercial properties throughout United States.

Our company started as a small business partnership in 2008. 
With the perseverance, commitment and continuously delivering high quality reports of the people behind, the business started to grow and created a team of highly skilled real estate analyst who are best experienced in processing and formulating standard quality, error-free, quick turn around time and cost effective broker price opinions.

Please visit our website at https://weprobpo.com/

Amber MARTIN Alert

A thought-out scheme of lies, deceit & thievery – Amber Martin Exposed!

I would like share a scenario with everyone so that no one else suffers the same consequences. A few weeks ago I was approached by a virtual assistant, who goes by the name “Amber Martin”. Amber had disclosed that she found me on Active Rain. Amber (I say the name lightly) had disclosed she was located in Texas. Her email signature reflected the same. After reviewing her resume, I brought her on for a trial period until I received her background check and finished completing other formalities.

After a week into the trial period, Amber failed to send me certain information; claiming she had a family emergency in Washington State. When she returned, she still failed to provide the requested information. I was not able to obtain a background check as Amber apparently did not exist. Another one of my VA’s then contacted me to tell me that when on a call with Amber, she sounded like a man. At this point I decided to end her trial period.

When I contacted ‘Amber’ and brought the issues to ‘her’ attention, I found out that ‘she’ is actually a ‘he’ and ‘Amber’ is really ‘Andy’ who lives in the Philippines. Yes, we found that “Amber Martin, A.K.A. Andy” is actually Andy Cano! Trying my best to remain professional, I explained I did not appreciate being lied to and that I can no longer have her perform any further work.

A few days later I received an email from Amber demanding payment for the little work “HE” completed. Included in the email was also a threat that if payment wasn’t remitted in 24 hours, Amber would contact my clients and disclose “he” wasn’t paid as well as contact the companies my clients work with.

This person ANDY CANO cannot be trusted for he is a scammer and he has scammed me with Php 76,000 money… I have filed a complaint against this person with CIDG Philippines Cyber Crime Unit

-Roh Ramos-Tadina

Long story short, I found a connection between Amber Martin and a company called Cano BPO Services. Cano is registered in Australia under the name Amber Martin; however, the soliciting emails my agents have been receiving from Cano, reflect the company is based in the Philippines. I also tried to locate people whose name is Amber Martin and found an agent who used to live in Texas, but has since relocated. Amber had said that she was located in Highlands, Texas and also provided phone number that would matched that area code. Come to find out found out, the address was a recently ‘for sale by owner property’ and the phone number was an invalid Google number. I am not sure how she goes about selecting her address, but the bottom line is that it is not her residence.

If you have been contacted by an Amber Martin, Andy Cano, Cano BPO Services, Online BPO Services and/or Meschelle VA, I advise you to perform due diligence. Not only because she/he is actually overseas, but because she is committing fraud by providing a fake name, fake address, claiming to be a women when ‘he’ is clearly a man, soliciting my clients, etc.. I cannot be certain she is using the identity of an agent either, but that is how it appears.

I would also like to point out that since Amber had mentioned she found me on Active Rain,  I brought her on board under the impression that the site was safe.  This just goes to show that you can’t even trust the reputable sites of which you think are safe. 

All info provided by Amber Martin, A.K.A. Andy Cano, was stolen – the name, the address, the phone number, and falsifying this info not just to me but also on LinkedIN, Active Rain, Paypal, Facebook, Trulia, Elance, etc. And the lineage that this was a thought-out scheme of lies, deceit & thievery. -Pam Maglione - Owner, CEO of Pam's VAS

This scenario has taught me a great lesson. I will now be performing pre-contracting formalities prior to having anyone perform work –even if it is only a trial period. If you have been a target of “Amber Martin”, please reach out to me and share your story. If you have dealt with a similar scenario, I would love to hear your story as well. These are things we shouldn’t feel ashamed about sharing. The problem with situations like these is that the perpetrator does not suffer any consequences for their actions. The only consequence someone like Amber could suffer, is losing their source of income. With that said, I think the more awareness we bring to these matters, the less chance there is of it happening to someone else, and the more difficult it makes for a fraud to get away with it.

♦ Upon further investigation, we found multiple profiles on multiple platforms linking to Amber Martin, A.K.A. Andy Cano. While some link Amber to Cano BPO Services, others link her to Online BPO Services as well as Meschelle VA. The email she contacted Pam’s VAS through was “Amber Martin [mechellemartin27@gmail.com]” I would also like to point out that each profile reflects a different location. Here are some of the sources:

LinkedIn: A. Meschelle
Virtual assistant/Owner at Meschelle VA
Houston, Texas AreaInternet

Facebook: Meschelle VA

Active Rain: Amber Martin, I Help Real Estate Agents and Brokers on BPOs
Services for Real Estate Pros / Highlands, TX
Broker Price Assistance

LinkedIn: Andy Cano
Broker Price Opinion Analyst / RE Assistant
Region X – Northern Mindanao, PhilippinesReal Estate

Active Rain: Andy Cano, Real Estate Assistant
Services for Real Estate Pros / Auburn, WA
Online BPO Services

♦ Please share and reply using #hashtag #AmberMartinAlert ♦

If you fail to keep up your homeowners’ association fees or complete the annual assessments, the HOA could end up foreclosing. Its par for the course these days that when you purchase a home, condo or town house, that happens to be a communal development, then you will most likely have to pay fees to a housing association.

Now what would happen if you simply ignored these fees or failed to meet the annual assessments? The Housing Association would apply to get a lien on your home and this then leads into foreclosure (assuming you still fail to settle up with your housing association).

The Homeowners’ Associations are a body that sets up to look after the communal garden areas, essential repairs in stairwells, cleaning, lighting for communal hallways and exterior electricity bills. All this maintenance costs and it recovers its cost from the lease holder. Failure to pay up means a service is being provided to you and you are essentially not paying for it.

Other work that the housing association must carry out includes removing snow, landscape gardening, fitting new communal windows and repairing roof tiling.  Some of the more-modern condo complexes have swimming pools, gyms, clubhouses and tennis courts which can be used by the residents. All of these amenities need regular maintenance and cleaning, so the fees required by the association are likely to be higher in these luxury blocks.

The housing association also has to enforce the rules within the community; if one resident happens to be playing music loud late at night and making life a misery for all the other members of the community, the association must act and the administration work to remedy anti-social behaviour can mount up in both time and money.

HOA fees can often spring a surprise one-off fee for those complexes that need work carried out on a one-off basis. An example of this would be that a condo complex may need new exterior windows and fascia repairs following a wild storm or even hurricane; these “special assessment fees” are an unfortunate but necessary payment that will land in the lap of the resident – but not as a regular payment but as a one-off fee and comes in addition to regular payments being made.

Before taking out a homeowner association property you should read the terms and conditions on payment of fees should you default at any time, as some associations may charge interest on late payment as well as collection cost fees (if an agency was involved in the fee recovery).

Source: www.pamsvas.com

Real Estate REO and BPO Virtual Assistants

In business and commerce circles, the big news just days into October is the buy-out of Move Incorporated by the newspaper and media giant News Corporation. So who are Move Inc and why did News Corporation decide to splash out an eye-watering $950 million for the business? In the United States, Move Inc stands as the third biggest online real estate listing firm. It helps home buyers and sellers to purchase a new home by providing them with tools, guides, information and professionals from the real estate industry to make that purchase run as smooth as possible.

News Corporation is essentially a newspaper publisher which began its business from South Australia and later moved into New York to become the second-largest newspaper and media organization in the world. It now want to increase revenue and expand its business beyond just selling papers and promoting a media front and real estate is seen as a pretty good sector to get the turnover and extra revenue it now seeks.

As for Move Inc, the buy-out could see the online real estate listing agency become a real giant and a major player in the U.S. online home retail market. Robert Thomson is the Chief Executive Officer at News Corporation these days and he predicts Move Inc will soon become the United States’ biggest online real estate listing firm, thanks to News Corp’s influx of cash and support.

News Corp needs a change after the scandals of 2011 when the company was forced to close down its best-selling Sunday newspaper in the UK, News of the World. Allegations of phone hacking seriously depleted the organization’s reputation both in the United Kingdom and abroad.

Mr Thomson also believes that online home buying and internet real estate business is a growing market that has not yet taken off to the heights he believes it could reach. News Corp are convinced this sector is still in its infancy and is at the early stage of development. If it is right then the prospects for extra revenue could be huge in years to come.

There is no doubt that more and more people are now using the internet to buy their next home. Many Americans have actually purchased real estate by using self-help tools and become their very own real estate agent, just like many have booked their vacations online without using a travel agent.

Only time will tell if this was the best move for News corp and to see what direction Online Real Estate Listing Services will take.

pamsvas.com - Real Estate Virtual Assistant Services

A home warranty is an affordable way to cover the costs of unexpected mechanical failure of a major system or appliance in your new home. A home warranty is specifically designed to cover the kinds of repairs that home insurance does not: appliances, plumbing and electrical, air conditioning and furnaces, and pool equipment.

The average annual cost of a home warranty policy is between $250 and $400. Most home warranty companies offer comparable coverage within the same price range. The premium is payable at close of escrow and customarily protects you for one full year. Repairs are typically handled through the home warranty company with a minimal deductible. Often times the cost of the first year premium is offered as an incentive by sellers to solicit the sale of the property.

The age and condition of the home should be a consideration when choosing to purchase a home warranty. A fifteen year-old home with original equipment, versus a two year old home will likely have different financial risks. Your Realtor can help you decide if a home warranty policy is right for you based on your individual circumstances.

Why Should I Consider a Home Warranty?

Homeownership is expensive enough all on its own, without adding the cost of repairs and replacements. When moving into a home where appliances and systems have been previously used, there is always the chance that the general wear and tear, or the way in which they were previously used and maintained, could cause breakdown and/or complete failure. These repairs/replacements can be astronomically costly and often times occur unexpectedly. A home warranty will protect you financially from most of the frequently occurring breakdowns of home system components and appliances.

No matter what policy or Insurer you use be sure to read the details of coverage, ie: the fine print. Many of these companies require that you call them absolutely FIRST when a repair is needed. If you call your neighborhood plumber, hvac or electrician, then the insurance company may not cover the work. So be aware of this detail now, before any emergency repairs are needed.

Discuss your unique needs and concerns with your home warranty representative. If you do not have a trusted home warranty representative, your Realtor can refer you to one.

This information is meant as a guide. Although deemed reliable, information may not be accurate for your specific market or property type. Please consult a Realtor professional or home warranty representative for more information home warranty policies.

When it comes to labor costs, real estate virtual assistants prove to be very cost-effective. Most VAs are paid on a per project basis or as based on the actual job performed. A real estate agent can also choose which responsibilities he wishes to tackle on his own, and delegate to virtual assistant areas of concern beyond his clout. Virtual assistants can perform duties that maybe beyond your experience and comprehension, of which she has expertise and experience. 

One of the most challenging tasks in real estate is REO's. Bank-owned homes or “real estate owned” properties are often due to foreclosures while some have been foreclosed for quite some time. One needs to be a tough salesman to be able to market REO’s successfully. REO agents are definitely more complicated and harried than “normal” real estate agents. More often than not they would need the help of an experienced virtual assistant knowledgeable on how to work with REO properties. To give you a clear understanding on the significance of REO VA's, here are the top 3 services that REO VA’s normally offer to real estate firms or private realtors.

Online Listings Management

Indeed, managing REOs can be quite a challenge. You are not only dealing with foreclosed properties but might also be dealing with a property that requires maximum attention. With the number of REOs on your plate, you simply cannot do it alone and this is where a reliable virtual assistant comes in handy.

Before you submit a reo reimbursement to the reo bank or asset management company, there are five items you need to double check.

1. Vendor Correct Contact Information. The vendor contact information must be correct at all times. Make sure you have accurate information such as the full and correct vendor name, complete address, phone number, and business license number.

2. W-9 Forms - A completed and accurate W-9 form is very important. It doesn't matter if you are paying the vendor or if the bank/asset management company is paying the vendor. Inaccurate social security numbers or tax ID will often delay and/or result in payment rejection in invalid 1099s at the end of the year.

3. Certificate of Insurance - All vendors that perform repairs, install gas, electric, HVAC, pool,  and plumbing systems should have a Certificate of Liability. These are high dollar items and if the work is not performed correctly; resulting in damage to the property, should be held accountable. Additionally, many of the asset management and reo banks are now requiring the certificate.

4. Certifications - When work is perform on wells, septic/sewer, hvac, foundation, roof, etc., the  vendor is required to provide certification showing that the work has been completed and is working. If the vendor is unable to provide a certification, the vendor is not qualified.

5. Completed Invoice - All invoices should be complete and itemized. If not monitored correctly, vendors and agents will submit incomplete invoices to the asset management company and reo bank.  All invoices must have the following items to justify payments and/or to help ensure reimbursements.

• Complete vendor contact information
• Full Property Address
• Invoice number for easy tracking
• Loan number or property ID listed on each page
• Service dates, from and to
• Itemized list of services provided with the price listed for each line item
• Before and After photos for ALL repairs

6. Invoice Submissions - All invoices should be submitted within 48 hours of work completion and must include the asset management company/reo bank required documentation and follow the correct process. 

Following the correct procedures ensures that you will get paid and get paid on time. Trying to alter the required process will make it harder for you to get reimbursed in a timely manner.

I've been using QuickBooks since its inception back in the 80s. In fact, as I was reorganizing my library of software programs and toys, I sorta drifted back to the beginning of my program collection such as my old versions of SuperCalc 4 and 5, MS Office DOS Version (1988 and 89 Copy), QuickBooks 1988 - 2006, Quicken Invoice DOS and Windows (initial Copies), and more. Ok, back to the topic.

I prefer the method below because it allows me to accurately track each property expense, I can apply the property to the vendor job, and when the reimbursement arrives, I can easily retrieve a list of all reimbursements submitted when I begin to type in the property address. NO MORE SEARCHING THE INVOICE SECTION!!!!!

How to setup you REO properties as projects:

• Create each REO Bank as a Customer in QuickBooks.
• Right click on the Customer name (Bank) located in the left margin.
• Select "Add Job".
• Input the property information as follows: property address-asset number (999 Mockingbird Lane - ALS123456789.
• Complete as much of the page info as possible.
• Save the setup.

TIPS!

• Us the Custom Field in the "Additional Info" tab to add your commission information.
• As you create new jobs for each project, list it under the "Job Info" tab, this includes the utility deposit, connection fee, membership fee, account number information.
• Always include the street address and asset number. Most if not all banks require the address and asset number on each invoice.
• You can easily create multiple jobs under each Project (Property file) for easy tracing of work in progress, pending, completed, cancelled, etc.

Carolyn Nelson
Online Real Estate Assistant

REO banks require the agent to turn on the utilities, pay the bill, and submit for reimbursement. It is very important that you keep track of each bill and submit in a timely manner to ensure that you are reimbursed by the banks. During the rush of completing your daily tasks, don't ignore the utility bills by adding it to your already filled and probably overflowing inbox. Separate your utilities and other bills by using hanging trays. Hanging trays can be added to the side of the file cabinet, hanged from the wall, or stored using a vertical rank on your desk. The bottom line is not to mix your bills with other office paperwork. Click Here for a Sample Upon receipt of each bill, add it to the tray for processing and process each bill weekly! Attach a copy of the check to a clean copy of the utility bill. Remember, each utility bill must show the following:

1. Utility Company Name and remittance address
2. Utility Account Number
3. Property Address
4. Service to and service from dates.
5. Itemized utility breakdown.

1.       Not following instructions!

2.       Your follow-up timeframe does not exceed the expectations of the asset manager. Are your taking more than 24 hours to verify the occupancy of the dwelling?

3.       Initial BPO and updated BPOs. Is it taking you longer than 48 hours to complete the BPOs? REO Banks such as GMAC expect 48 hours or less. Yes, we all see the 7 day turnaround time in EQUATOR but it needs to be completed much sooner.  No asset manager wants to see your task in red or yellow. Otherwise, your grade will be affected.

4.       Cash for Keys – How many CFKs have you successfully negotiated and if your are not successful, have you improved your CFK negation skills? Work on it!

5.       Are you following the bidding process and guidelines established by the asset company or are you making your own and trying to set your own rules to the requirements? If your are setting your own rules, you will get a low grade.

6.       Reimbursements – Each company has guidelines that list how the reimbursement must be submitted and a list of all supporting documents that are required. Are you submitting the requirements?

7.       Are you submitting estimates, bids, proposals, and statements in place of invoices? Shame on you. There is a big difference between an Invoice and the other items listed above.

8.       Setting the Price Right! Surprisingly, most asset manager use your expertise to set the price unless, you have a growing history of over and under pricing.

9.       Days on the Market (DOM) – Do you have properties on the MLS for more than 60 days? This is a big NO! NO! Work on getting the property more exposure. Don’t rely only on the MLS and Craig’s List. Post the property on 50+ sites (most free), and create a viewing report monthly for the AM. Additionally, add more than one photo to the MLS and marketing efforts.

10.   Are you keeping your closings on track and updating the required individuals in the loop? This is a big “To Do”!

You should also be aiming to build a reputation with the asset companies. You can build confidence in your skills, experience and profession if you settle for the basics. There are more reasons but I opted to list the top 10.

11.   Poorly written documents.  Consider using fill-able forms.

12.   Marketing verbiage is not impressive. Agents tend to provide simple verbiage on the best of homes.

13.   Poor quality photos used in marketing and BPOs.

14.   Lack of organization and file tracking outside of the portal.

15.   Lack of professionalism in emails and phone calls.

16.   MLS sheet lacks enough information that will get the buyers/investors interested.

Consider improving your skills, process, and perhaps, revamping your team.  Don’t be the eager beaver by taking on more properties than you can manage.  Turn your grade around and go for the A+.