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Good afternoon,

Please be advised that Old Republic Servicing Solutions is winding down our valuations line of business and, effective immediately, we are no longer taking new valuation product orders. Old Republic will continue conducting our other business including title insurance, closing and settlement services. Please discontinue updating your profile information, license, E&O insurance and/or additional documents.

Thank you for your years of providing services to Old Republic Servicing Solutions.

TOP BPO COMPANIES FOR 2021

Each year, I like to take a few minutes to share some free info and insights into my “Top 15 BPO Companies for 2021.”

After being in this hidden, niche market within real estate called, Broker Price Opinions and also with having been in the BPO industry myself for 15+ years, I’ve seen so much change, clean up and improvements.

Overall, it’s been exciting to see how much this niche industry within real estate has come and I know that it will continue to evolve. I’m just blessed to be able to still be a part of it!

So, without further ado, here is my list of the only 15 BPO Companies that a BPO/REO Pro should worry about working with to do strictly fee-based BPO orders. Please note, these companies are listed and ranked by my favorite companies from top to bottom.

1. Clear Capital
2. ServiceLink – EXOS
3. Pro Teck Valuation Intelligence
4. Residential Real Estate Review (RRR)
5. Solidifi (fka: Mark to Market)
6. BPO Fulfillment
7. Single Source Property Solutions (SSPS)
8. SWBC Lending Solutions (SWBC)
9. Consolidated Analytics (Acuity)
10. Asset Valuation and Marketing (AVM)
11. Altisource Vendorly
12. Assurant (Xome)
13. Computershare (Acuity)
14. Old Republic (Acuity)
15. Xome Valuations

We also offer an up-to-date, totally free BPO, REO and Asset Mgmt Companies Directory that will help you sign up for the above companies if you are not already, simply go to: http://www.bpo-companies.com/

Fellow REOPros.  If you complete BPOs, I offer a way to calculate what your minimum fee should be instead of just taking low ball offers for your hardwork.  Here is the spreadsheet I use below.  This is for residential properties only.  I have attached the spreadsheet to this post.  Download it if you like.  And if the spreadsheet comes out less than $50.  I use $50 as my rate for exterior drive by.  For interiors my minimum is $75.  Thanks.

1)  Open a spreadsheet.

2)  In cell A1, type in Minimum hourly rate, in cell C1, place your minimum hourly rate, say $25 or $30 or whatever rate use so choose.

3)  Now take the address of the offered BPO location and go to Google Maps and look up the distance and time from your base location(Office, Home).  Write them down.

4)  In cell A2, type in Travel time, enter the travel time from Google Maps cell B2.

5)  In cell A3, type in Round trip, enter the number 2 in cell B3.

6)  In cell A4, type in Total travel time, enter the following formula in B4.  Formula  =B2*B3

7)  In cell A5, type in Desk time, in B5 enter (with 2 decimal places, x.xx), Say for this example this is 1.25.

8)  In cell A6, type in Total BPO time, in C6, put the following formula, Formula =B4+B5

9)  In cell A7, Dollars for travel time and desk time, In cell C7 put the following formula,     

Formula =C1+C6

10) In cell A8, type Mileage from Google Maps, enter travel distance from Google Maps in cell B8.

11)  In cell A9, type in Round trip, enter the number 2 in B9

12)  In cell A10, type in Total mileage roundtrip, enter the following formula in B10, Formula =B8*B9.

13)  In cell A11, type in IRS current mileage rate, in B11 enter the current rate, 2017 rate is 0.535

14) In cell A12, type in Total mileage dollars, in cell B11 enter the following formula, Formula =B10*B11

15) In cell A13, type in BPO compensation, in cell C13 enter the following formula, Formula =C7+C12

BPO%20Compensation%20Calculator.xlsx

The Leader in BPO Automation Software Since 2009

HUGE News About Our New BPO AutoFill Software!!!!!!!

We are a technology company that strives to be on the cutting-edge of all that we do and with the products that we offer. Since we invented BPO AutoFill software in 2009, we have learned a whole heck of a lot about our business, our subscribers needs, changes in the industy and have taken it all to heart.

We are SUPER proud to announce that we are starting to work on a new version of our BPO AutoFill software product. Although, we officially start work on October, 2nd 2017, this project is something that I have been working towards for years.

We anticipate releasing it very soon as we are currently in beta testing of the new, improved BPO AutoFill software and can't wait to see this dream come true!

More news to follow and we can't tell you all of the exact details just yet but know that this is going to be HUGE!!!!!!

Sincerely,

Nicole Ocean

BPO Automation Group

Phone: (360) 223-2482 E-mail: sales@bpo-automation.com 495 Grand Boulevard Suite #206 Miramar Beach, FL 32550 www.bpo-automation.com

 All Rights Reserved, BPO Automation Group LLC, © 2009-2018

Secrets to Real Estate Success for Newbies

Getting started in real estate can be tough is almost like trying to learn a brand, new game. It comes with its very own set of special rules, laws, systems, standards and guidelines that you must learn. While you are trying to become more competitive in an already over-saturated field where everyone knows someone who is a real estate agent or broker, you must be able to figure out a way to hustle and be different than your competition.

As you try to balance your new career and all the responsibilities that come with us, the real test of success is seeing if you can really juggle everything in the air at once, keep it moving smoothly so you don’t drop any balls and come out making enough money to maintain the lifestyle that you desire.

All of this is possible and I know because I’ve “been there, done that” myself. I’ve been a new real estate agent and quickly learned how to carve out a niche for myself so that I could not only stay in real estate and keep practicing it but also to see to it that I was thriving in my career. The same is possible for you, even though nothing is promised to you, you have the same opportunities to succeed as everyone else, IF you are willing to work for it, learn how to play the game and keep up with your duties on a daily basis.

For me, I found out about a way to make supplemental my income by doing CMA types of reports for banks called, broker price opinions. It saved me in more ways than one, in fact it helped pull me out of poverty as a single Mom to a young, bright-eyed and very loveable boy. And I’ve never looked back!

I’m very vocal about the BPO industry and I’m in love with it. I live to help real estate professionals around this great nation of ours that want to also carve out a niche for themselves in their real estate business by doing BPO’s. I also live for coaching and teaching, it’s what makes me happiest at my core on a professional level.

If you are curious to learn more about anything related to BPO’s, I’d love to be your guide, your coach and hopefully someone that you look up to.

Learn more about my newly updated “Broker Price Opinion Basics 101” video course here:

http://bpo-university.com/courses.html

If you already know the basics about BPO’s then I’d like to invite you to learn more about how to double and triple your BPO income by using BPO AutoFill software here:

http://bpo-automation.com

Your BPO Coach,

Nicole Ocean

BPO Automation Group

Phone: (360) 223-2482 E-mail: sales@bpo-automation.com 495 Grand Boulevard Suite #206 Miramar Beach, FL 32550 www.bpo-automation.com

Bonjour,

  We all feel the pain as do appraisers, so if you did BPOs for Wells between 2005-2010 those BPO companies were cleaning up while we were getting peanuts. Take a minute to view these guys adding humor to current issues. http://thenationalrealestatepost.com/another-50mm-from-wells-for-overcharged-bpos/

While I am on a rant, AMC- appraiser clearing houses where appraisers have to pay the middle man for their appraisals, in my neck of the woods a SFR appraisals are $450-500, those AMCs take around $125, in the video link above these guys talk about.

  In a nut shell New York Governor Cuomo in my eyes is behind the AMC mess http://mandelman.ml-implode.com/2009/08/cuomo%E2%80%99s-crossing-an-outsider%E2%80%99s-appraisal-of-the-new-hvcc-rules/

Also remember Dodd- Frank not the bill , a.k.a. Chris and Bernie were on the Senate finance committee 2000-2007, these are the guys that started this mess along with Graham -leach bill of 99'.  We do need more reform removing the finders/referral co, all these banks have to do is set-up web-portal date entry site, agents get on the approved list, code the fields like we do now on quality and condition may be other fields, less people involve, more efficient. 

Very likely these finders might be editing our BPO's after we submit too? Is that right, how do we know?

Where is the fine money?  Govt has received in excess of billions from these financial institutions.

 Summary can we collect on that 50 million if we did BPOs for Wells? Class action suit?

Thoughts!!

Happy Selling,

Paul 

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Agent Testimonials

”I have been using BPOA for a few years now and couldn't be happier with the programs available from this great company. I use the AutoFill software for my business. I am able to be much more efficient and provide a much better price opinion to the companies I do work for.

Customer service is great at BPOA. The Tech staff stays on top of any changes that might occur with the various companies they support. Nicole and the gang are constantly improving and modifying the products they offer. From the owners on down, this is a great company to do business with.....“ - Mr. Robert Ceballos, Home Team Realty, Houston, TX

”I have been working with Nicole Ocean at BPO Automation Group for several years now and have enjoyed great success in using the automation software in my BPO business. Nicole stays on top of changes in the industry and has done an excellent job of adapting the BPO AutoFill software as needed to stay current and relevant.

In addition, the company Tech Support system is easy-to-use and staff responds in a timely manner to provide resolution to software issues and answer questions. The software is easy-to-use and the Group website (Member's site) is stable and secure and has rarely been offline in the past several years.....“ - Mr. Dana Yarbrough, Value Realty, Cordova, TN

Have Questions, Reach Us At: 360-223-2482 ext. 1

BPO AUTOMATION GROUP- CLEARLY THE LEADER IN THE BPO SOFTWARE INDUSTRY!

Finish Your BPO Orders Faster With The Industry Leader Since 2009.

BPO Automation Group

Phone: (360) 223-2482 E-mail: sales@bpo-automation.com 495 Grand Boulevard Suite #206 Miramar Beach, FL 32550 www.bpo-automation.com

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BPO Automation Group

Phone: (360) 223-2482 E-mail: sales@bpo-automation.com 495 Grand Boulevard Suite #206 Miramar Beach, FL 32550 www.bpo-automation.com

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Bite Back With Our Improved BPO AutoFill Software!

We want to give you an opportunity to enjoy to our Improved Enhanced Plus form-completion software that fills in 90% of your BPO and REO forms automatically, letting you complete data-entry in as little as 5-minutes.

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Warmly,

Nicole Ocean

Founder/COO

BPO Automation Group LLC

BPO Automation Group

Phone: (360) 223-2482 E-mail: sales@bpo-automation.com 495 Grand Boulevard Suite #206 Miramar Beach, FL 32550 www.bpo-automation.com

 All Rights Reserved, BPO Automation Group LLC, © 2009-2016

Hi everyone,

BPO Labeler is a windows tool I developed to easily and quickly rename photos just by dragging each photo to the corresponding field names - the photo would be renamed and copied to the destination folder that was originally specified. 

You can also access the Price Opinion calculator by clicking on the "Tools" in the toolbar of the application. The price opinion calculator was originally designed for BPO Fulfillment platform but it should work for others as well and I plan on enhancing it upon request since i'm limited which platforms I can use/see.

I would like to know what other tools are currently being used in the BPO business thats makes life easier. If you would like to test BPO Labeler out, you may download it it from the post or contact me. It's free.

BPO Labeler original download link post

I have been a huge fan of the site for a while and I have read many of the blogs. However, I don't recall any blogs related to the day to day management of BPO's. I would like to compile a list of BPO hacks (simular to life hacks for BPO agents).  Please share YOUR strategies or techniques adopted in order to manage your time and daily activities in a more efficient way, as a BPO agent.  

For example:  

1. What are the best camera brands and models to use? and Why

2. How to handle unexpected occupants?

3. The Best way to handle subject information while licensed in a "non-disclosure" state.

4. The easiest way to keep track of order payments.

5. Best and Worst times to take drive-by or interior photos.

6. Best and most economical data entry technique/software.

7. Best and worst BPO business practices.

8. Best way to build a BPO staff.

9. Best ways to handle BPO quality issues

10. Share your hacks/ideas/questions...........

The Leader in BPO Automation Software Since 2009

 Are You Working For The Companies That Matter?

Since 2009, my team and I have been very fortunate to have worked with thousands of BPO & REO professionals all over this great nation. During these last 7 years that my software company has existed, I try to do a special blog posting once a year, where I give my top 10 favorite BPO mills or companies that I recommend that people sign up with to do BPO work.

Below you will find a list of my absolute favorite companies. Know that I am using my own industry experience as well as that of many of our software subscribers.

Here is my Top 10:

1. Altisource

2. Proteck

3. RRR

4. Clear Capital

5. eMortgage Logic

6. BPO Fulfillment

7. Servicelink

8. Specialized Asset Management

9. Solutionstar

10. SWBC (fka: Equi-Trax)

Bonus: Honorable mention goes to: Single Source Property Solutions

Top BPO Portals: Res.net and Equator

There you go! Please note, I choose the above companies because they all have a combination of being:

• A stable company
• Around and in business for years
• Able to maintain a positive reputation in the industry overall
• Having a high volume of BPO work across the nation
• Smart enough to have adopted the NABPOP's BPOSG
• Seen in the industry as a good company to work for.

To wrap this up, I can guarantee that if you are signed up, with more than one of the above companies (and don't have all your "BPO eggs" in just one basket, you are more likely to be successful in this niche business)

Not Signed Up With All of the Above Companies Yet?

We've made it easy to sign up with the companies listed above in our FREE BPO Companies Directory. Click here to go there now!

I hope you enjoyed reading this posting and if you have any questions, I'd be more than happy to help. Simply post a comment below!

Warmly,

Nicole Ocean,
Founder & Owner
BPO Automation Group LLC

 All Rights Reserved, BPO Automation Group LLC, © 2009-2016

Once one business cuts its cost to win the contract for nationwide coverage of BPOs and then reduce the price paid to Real Estate agents, we (as Independent Contractors) suffer from the reduced fee structure.  Surely other firms will quickly pick up on the idea and say hey why pay more when we can get them for less. Then the pricing wars begin and from there its a "Downward Spiral" very similar to a toilet flushing.

As this race to the bottom accelerates, You'll have fewer and fewer alternatives unless of course at some point you want to work for nothing.

At least ponder this idea before you accept the next Low Fee BPO,  Please don't take part in the "Race to the Bottom"

Part  1 of a series 

Let’s be honest, how many of us can say that when handed a Real Estate manual, we jump for joy at the thought of having to actually read it –much less understand and retain what we’ve read? “Fifty pages on how to properly complete a real estate BPO . . I’ll just wing it.” Chances are we either end up skimming over the literature while thinking of all the other things we could be doing or we “shelf it” it and scram to find it when a situation arises. If you want to increase the size your wallet, then you need to increase your attention span –and that’s just the ugly truth! So, without further a due, let’s move on to the promised resolve. I am confident I can hold your attention; after all, it is Pam’s Way!

“How can I get more BPOs?” Oh Boy, have I not been asked this question countless times! While I do have 25 years of Real Estate experience under my belt, my answer has remained the same from the get-go. Adhere to the companies guidelines -literally to the “Tee”. Yes, it’s really that simple. The guidelines are there for a reason; they spell out what each company wants and expects from you. “But Pam, why are they only assigning me rural BPOs? ‘The properties are so far apart that the fee barely covers my expenses.’ ” Well you see, the competition between agents for BPOs is pretty cutthroat. Those who adhere to the company’s standards and guidelines are, in essence, giving the companies what they want; in turn, those agents get what they want. As for the slackers . . well, they get what the “model agents” don’t want.

Mastering the Art of Taking Clear & Usable BPO Photos

It always amazes me when I stumble upon botched BPO photos. You would think that with today’s technology as well as with the growing popularity of social media, one would be capable of delivering “clear and usable” photos. Still, a fair amount of agents submit less than satisfactory photos. So, what deems a photo satisfactory? Well, let’s take a look.

So, you’re browsing through the MLS search results…trying to find those perfect comps, when you stumble across a listing whose photo features the picture taker’s driver’s side wing mirror. Would you pause and question the use of the photo or would you continue on without even noticing? If you were a reviewer of a BPO whose subject photo featured the picture taker’s rear view mirror, hood, dirty windshield etc . . Would you think, “Wow, this person has really gone above and beyond our expectations! They are definitely someone I should delegate more orders to!”? Feel free to use the following photos as a reference.

Recap:
BPO Photos should NOT feature the following:
• Your limbs and/or extremities
• Any part of your vehicle
• Mirror Reflections
• Front yard BBQs
• A moonlit subject property
• Subject property in motion
• The mail service/carriers
• Pets/Animals
• Family pictures
• Billy’s “not-so-secret” magazine collection
• Timmy’s nasty addiction
(You get the idea)

Remember, this is your profession; not Instagram, where you gain likes for uploading photos worthy of “#photobomb”.  Get yourself together. If you want to receive more BPOs, then give the companies a reason to assign you more.

I know . . time is money. You may think 1 botched batch of photos out of 5 isn’t all that bad. After all, you managed to make it to all five properties in one day; you’ve even made it home in enough time to complete data entry and submit the orders before dinner! Either you’ll luck out and they’ll let the photos slide or they’ll make you collect new photos. Regardless of the outcome, submitting botched BPO photos will definitely cost you money in the long run -so take your time!

The agents who invest their time into providing quality service are the agents who receive the highest amount of BPOs; leaving those who compromise on quality in turn for getting the job done quickly, their leftovers. Apart from receiving a higher volume of BPOs, the model agents are also more likely to win the listings. I mean, come on, if you can’t take a picture properly (even after having been provided instructions), then one can only imagine what your completed transaction documents would look like.

So, I conclude the first part of my planned series with the following words of wisdom…

“Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes permanent. Perfect practice makes perfect. So, every time you repeat an action, right or wrong, you will find it easier to repeat that same action, right or wrong. Develop a passion for obtaining your goals. If you do, you will never cease to grow.”

When one is truly passionate about something, it increases ones chance of success. Passion is what pushes one to give more than 100% of oneself, instead of simply putting forth the bare minimum.

Check out our full Blog HERE

Don’t forget to add us to your Social Media pages for more good reads!

Continuing Education Classes start as low as $29.95 for 3 hours of continuing education credit. Some classes we offer are BPO Simplified, and REO Simplified. If you need CE credit for your license, why not get it through us? To learn more, visit REOPro's Continuing Education tab and follow the directions.

Visit REOPro Default Professionals at: http://reopro.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Posted by: James A.Browning, Course developer and creator for BPO and REO Simplified.

Submitting your Broker Price Opinion two hours before the 24, 48, or 72 deadline is very important!! The reason: if the BPO Company/Outsourcer has Quality Control Department has issues with your BPO for accuracy, distances from the subject or whatever the reason may be. If you submit your BPO early, this will give you time to fix any issues and then send it back before the BPO Company flags you for being late!!

REOCertified @ www.BrowningRealEstateSchool.com