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There is a new law that mandates Carbon Monoxide monitors be installed in all residential properties in California. Lenders are taking this seriously! I had a buyer purchasing ashort sale in Sunnyvale that was scheduled to close last Friday, after several extensions. (The first lender kept asking for closings that were not physically possible to adhere to due to a second loan.) We managed to get to loan docs being drawn within 3 weeks of the approval on the second, a miracle in itself. This was on Wed., 2 days before drop dead close date.  Loan docs were signed and sent by currier (for a cost of $180) back to the lender. Thurs morning, when they were supposed to fund, the lender said they wanted to see a picture of the required carbon monoxide detectors before they would fund. The picture was taken and sent back to the lender after a little hysteria on everyone's part and we closed on Fri.

Lesson learned. Plug in the little devise before the inspection before the appraisal, and save yourself a lot of last minute drama.

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

Marcy Moyer CDPE

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

650-619-9285

D.R.E. 01191194

I have been doing short sales for about 3 years, I have seen a lot but I am still learning. I known that banks sometimes might denied a short sale in the following cases:

• 80/20 they can agree on how much each one is getting, sometimes the 2nd mortgage wants more than what the first mortgage is willing to approve.
• Contract price is too low or property is so ugly and has to many issues that no one is interested to pay what the bank has approved.
• Too many liens on the property and bank wants seller to pay for all or some of them and seller doesn't have the money to do it.
• Strategic short sale, the homeowner is comfortable making payments but because they are upside down they want to sell, but there is no real hardship.

This is the new one. Homeowner bough property with FHA loan back in 2007, got married and move out of the house and rented the property from 2008 to 2009. Husband loss his job and they moved back to the house in 2010. She was denied a loan modification, Wells Fargo send her a letter advising her to short sale the house. Then when I sent the concent for the bank to release information to me, they told me that FHA rejected the short sale because she used the house as a rental for a period of time and that she can't even do a deed in leiu.

We learn something new everyday.

The question of whether to short sell a home in probate used to be rare, but now unfortunately it is not. There are estates where the owner dies, owes more than the house is worth, and a decision needs to be made by the Personal Representative (executor) as to what to do.

My opinion, try it. If it is in the best interest of the bank/investor to short sell rather than foreclose they will do it. If it is not, they won't and will take it to foreclosure.

So who benefits if the home is sold as a short sale?  Well the realtor for sure.  The commission is paid by the bank.

However, if the attorney's fees are put on the HUD1 statement (the statement saying who is paying for what and who is receiving what money) the bank may pay them.  Also, the payment to the personal representative can go on the HUD1. This would make it worthwhile for the Personal Representative to try and do the short sale.  This can be very handy if the representative is a Bank or Professional Fiduciary. 

The heirs do not get anything out of a short sale so it does not matter to them if the property is foreclosed or sold short, but it does matter to the neighborhood.  A vacant foreclosed home brings the other homes around it down, while a short sale is cared for by the realtor and even if vacant is not abandoned.

So should you bother?

I think so.

If you have any questions about probate or short sales, please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

650-619-9285

D.R.E.  01191194

The J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Home  Buyer/Seller Study is off the press, and some interesting marketing statistics were revealed. In addition to studying consumer sentiment towards real estate brands, J.D. Power dug deeper into the inner workings of real estate, finding some big changes that have taken place over the course of a year.

Among their findings, the study revealed something that would come as no surprise to readers - REALTORS are hustling more than ever before. In 20011, 60% of buyers and sellers surveyed reported that their agent reached out to the them for a referral, a 28% spike from a year earlier. It seems the "I'm never too busy for your referrals" stamp isn't sufficient anymore, as more agents are proactively seeking recommendations digitally and face to face.

These findings validate what we all know - that the real estate market is changing, and amplifies the need for agents to change with the market by proactively seeking new business.

In an earlier blog post on the importance of marketing your real estate business in a recession, I argued against conventional wisdom that it is even more vital to spend marketing dollars in a down market in order to differentiate your realty from others. In fact, the marketers who spent the most advertising dollars in the great depression not only survived the depression but rose above it to thrive, among them Procter & Gamble, Chevrolet and Camel Cigarettes.

Likewise, an agent can thrive in today's real estate environment by amping up their marketing efforts and focusing less on real estate, and more on prospecting. Real estate prospector king Hoss Pratt articulates the importance of prospecting in today's market in this YouTube video. "If you don't prospect 3 hours a day, you'll be extinct in this market", he says.

Many subscribers of our 30-60-90 day late data grasp this principle by reaching out to distressed homeowners that are behind on their payments and through a series of of pre orchestrated mailings, phone calls and personal visits drive home their message of hope and solutions. This level of tenacity and hunting mentality has led to big, predictable results that have put them ahead in this fiercely competitive climate.

To learn how many struggling homeowners are in your area that need to get from underneath their homes, you can request a free area analysis byentering your criteria on a quick form.

Seems like a bizarre question doesn't it? Well guess what, it is not.  If you are selling your home as short sale the bank may have the right to send a property preservation company to the house and "secure it" if they feel the house is vacant and abandoned. But it is still my house, right?

Yes, it is still your house, even if you have stopped making payments, but here is the catch. Many loans contain clauses that say if you abandon your home the bank has a right to secure the property to preserve their interest in the home while they are waiting to re-posses it.

So here is the typical situation.  Owner has a home that they need to short sell.  They have already left the home, often to take a job somewhere else, but maybe for some other reason.  The short sale is initiated and the bank finds out the property is vacant. They do not want any damage to the property so they send out a property preservation company to secure the house.  The company changes the locks and may even board up windows. There are even some instances where the property preservation company employees help themselves to some things that were "abandoned" in the home that do not belong to them. The realtor listing the property may not be given the key and other agents may not be able to get in until the mess is straightened out.

What is the solution?  There is no fool proof solution but there are some things you can try.  If you are selling an empty home for what ever reason the best thing to do is to hire a realtor who can stage it for you. (I do this for all my listings) Once the home is staged, or even if that is not possible, take pictures. Show the bank the house is being cared for by the realtor, that the windows are not broken, and that there are locks on the door.  Take pictures of all the fixtures to show what is in the house.  Send these pictures to the bank along with the initial short sale authorization and then again with the short sale package to show that the home is not abandoned and in case there is any question about things going missing.

This may not stop the the bank every time from "securing" an un-abandoned house, but it should help.

If you have nay questions about short sales in San Mateo or Santa Clara counties please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

650-619-9285

A few days ago short sale sellers in California got great news!  Governor Brown signed a bill which prohibits lenders and investors of junior loans to pursue a deficiency judgment on most approved short sales.  First lien holders are already prohibited from deficiency judgments, but second mortgages and HELOCS were not previously exempted. As of July 15th, they are included. So, if a bank approves your short sale, then they have to give up all rights to going after the borrower for any deficiencies. So if the second lender says they will take $6000 for an $85,000 HELEC, that is all they get. After close they can not come back to the borrower and say we still want more money.

This is great news for short sale sellers in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.  Certain exceptions apply if the bank can prove fraud, but for most sellers, this is the last piece they need to be able to transition out of their homes and have a chance to start over.

Since California has had such a large percentage of homeowners who owe more on their homes than they are worth, and of those people there are always going to be those who need to sell, this is a welcome relief for huge numbers of homeowners.

If you have any questions about buying or selling short sales 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.

I don't know if it is my luck, but lately I have several settlement delayed due to title issues. I know with REO properties usually we have these delays, because the ratification of foreclosures and deed recordations. But lately I have found some crazy things.

I have two properties that have been under contract since April and May, both have title issues.

Property one is bank owned. It has been undercontract since April, they are waiting for previous foreclosure recordation, that is the foreclosure in 2004 before the investor who just got foreclose purchase the property. Now we are waiting for the seller's and buyer's title copanies to get it right this time, but it has taken too long.

Second property, is a short sale, the title problem is that the transaction in 2000 the title company only have one of the previous owner's sign deed and title documents no the couple that used to own the property. Now the current owner is trying to short sale and the buyer's title company has not been able to find the previous seller to get a signed affidavit or get the previous documents signed correctly.

What is wrong with these title companies not doing a  good job at their title research. These are really dumb mistakes. I know in the previouse 4 years, several title companies have gone out of business in the area, some owners are either in jail or have taken their lives because of the imbecilments and other iregularities with their business practices. 

I hope in the near future the insurance commission takes more control and do better audits on the title companies to avoid these type of issues in the future, it is not fair for the seller, buyers lenders, agents and other title companies.

When a buyer makes an offer on a Mountain View, or any Silicon Valley Short Sale they ocassionally want to purchase some of the furniture in the house.  Sometimes there is a couch that fits perfectly in the family room, or a dining room table that is too big for the seller's new house and they want to sell it. It's ok to do that, right?

NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!

Should I say it again?  Ok, NO DO NOT DO IT!!!!!

Here is why.  The seller is not allowed to have any gain from the sale of the home.  The bank gets all the money from the buyer in exchange for allowing the loan to be written down so the seller can get out of his/her obligation. If the seller sells furniture to the buyer it can be considered by the bank to mean that the seller has received money from the buyer. So, if the buyer wants a big table they will have to go to Ikea and buy one.  If the seller does not want a couch, put it on Craigslist, but do not sell personal property to the buyer.

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

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcyoyer.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.

Someone ones told me that numbers don't lie, but they can be manipulated. Here is an example, I just read an article titled "Foreclosure Sales Decline Second Straight Month" that makes it sound like it was good news for our market and our economy. I really believe that the numbers are right, but they are not telling an accurate story.

The reason foreclosure sales are down is because the active inventory of REO properties is down due to the robo signing and other factors. I can see that in the past 12 months 90% of the REO transactions have title delays. I guess after the freeze of last year, now title companies have decided to do their job and there have been several delays, up to 7 months for titles to be clear and settlements taking place.

At least in my market in Maryland, the REO inventory has shrunk from last year, I know some brokers have downsized their staff and are now pursuing other venues of revenue like short sales and multi-level network marketing ventures.

But lets face reality the amount of foreclosure files has increase by 1% according to the same article. When I drive around I can see several empty and unkept homes that I know by experience they have been foreclose or they are in the process. I know several "home owners" who still live in their foreclose home after almost a year of the auction date, because the banks are waiting on the courts for the foreclosure ratification, etc.

Lets face it loan modifactions and the lack of control on short sales is not stopping the foreclosure train, it is barely slowing it down. It is a sad thing, but I think there is foreclosure inventory for a long time.

Credit reports frequently have mistakes. Very often consumers are not aware of these mistakes until they are trying to obtain credit for a large purchase like a home or car.  There is a process for rectifying credit mistakes, but it can take some time.

As more and more short sales are being processed it is only natural that some mistakes are showing up on credit reports, especially since there is no standard way for a credit report to reflect a short sale. The bank may report loan paid as agreed, or loan paid for less than the full amount. Which ever way it is reported it should not say foreclosure. Unfortunately occasionally this will happen, but the fix is easy.  When you sell a home as a short sale you will receive a HUD1 statement. this is a statement that spells out what money came in from the sale and how it was distributed. If a home is foreclosed there is no HUD1 given to the owner.  So, if you have a HUD1 your home was not foreclosed.  You should send the HUD1 to the credit reporting agency along with the statement that since you have a HUD1 you were not foreclosed on. They can then remove the foreclosure from your credit report. 

It is probably a good idea to check your credit report 6 and 12 months after a short sale just to make sure this has not happened.

If you have nay questions about short sales please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer CDPE

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.

Right now it is estimated that nationally 1 in 4 homeowners owes more on their mortgage than their home is worth. You may be be one of those homeowners.  While not everyone who owes more money than their home is worth is going to sell that home, if they do, it will have to go through the short sale process. If you decide that a short sale is the best option for your circumstances be sure and check with a lawyer and/or accountant to get the best legal and tax advice.  You may find yourself unable to make the payments on the mortgage at all. If you own a condo the situation can get a little more complicated.  

In California the HOA can initiate foreclosure proceedings against a homeowner who does not pay his/her HOA dues.  In addition to that, many banks who are very willing to allow a borrower to do a short sale will not pay any money for back due HOA dues.  

So, if you can not afford your home, if you can not afford your mortgage, if you want to try a short sale, try to find a way to pay the HOA dues. If you do not, you could get to the end of the short sale process and not be able to close because a few thousand dollars are owned to the HOA and since that is a lien against the property the sale will not close.

If you have any questions about short sales, 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.

It's time again. Curious about how many distressed properties there really are in Palo Alto?  Despite what you may be reading these are the homes for sale or sold on MLS as Short Sales or Bank Owned.

Sold: 

Short Sales: Single Family Homes  3

Short Sales: Townhome or condo:  2

Bank Owned: Single Family Homes  2

Bank Owned Townhomes or Condos  4

Active:

Short Sales:  Single Family Homes  1

Short Sales Townhomes or condos   1

Bank Owned Single Family Homes   0

Bank Owned Townhome or Condo    1

Pending Sales:

Short Sales: Single family homes  2

Short Sales: Townhomes or condos 1

Bank Owned  Single Family Home  0

Bank Owned Townhome or Condo   1

As you can see the number of distressed properties for sale is continues to be extremely low. This small number of short sales and reos are not enough to have a major impact on the market as they do in many other markets.

If you have any questions about short sales or bank owned properties 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.

How is a Palo Alto Short Sale Different From a Regular Sale

A short sale is not the same as a regular sale and the differences are very significant. It is not a simple process and if you are buying or selling a short sale you should be working with an agent who knows what her or she is doing.

In a short sale the seller owes more on the home than it is worth. The seller needs to ask the lien holders if they will accept less than the amount owed to them.  There can be one or more lenders, and there can also be liens from other places, tax liens, personal loan liens, etc.  Every lien holder has to agree to agree to take less, and the first lien holder gets to say how much they are willing to give to the other lien holders. If everyone can come to an agreement then the sale can proceed.

Certain rules apply:

1.     The house is sold “As Is”

2.     Disclosures are the same as in a regular sale.

3.     The water heater needs to be strapped and smoke detectors are required.

4.     The home goes on the market and one or more people can make offers on the property.  The seller accepts one offer, and that offer is sent to the first lien holder for approval.  All other offers and any subsequent offers can be back up offers, but they are not supposed to be sent to the bank unless the accepted offer drops out.

5.     The buyer must include a proof of funds for the down payment, a pre-approval letter, and if the first lien holder requests it, their social security number.  They must not have any relationship to the seller.

6.     The first lien holder will look at the seller’s financial information and the strength of the buyer’s offer and determine if they will accept, reject, or counter the offer.  They also determine how much money they are willing to give to any other lien holders to settle the debt. This can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.

7.     Once the first lien holder has made a decision they put it in writing and the seller and buyer have to accept the terms of what the first lien holder is offering.  If everyone agrees and there are no other liens then the sale can proceed.

8.     The buyer has their contingency period, gets a loan, and closes escrows.

9.     If there are other liens the same process occurs for those loans.

If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in a short sale 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.

Have you ever gotten a Save the Date invitation for an upcoming event? They are great because they help you plan for the future, and bring excitement for the future into the mix. I got a lovely e-mail today from my negotiator on a Santa Clara Short Sale Listing.  He said that he was just waiting for management to approve his approval and he should have something in writing to me in a few days.  This was very nice for a number of reasons:

1. Everyone involved is looking forward to getting approval and moving forward. The buyer and seller need to know things are moving forward.

2. After short sale approval there is a lot that needs to be done. The buyer's loan gets initiated, appraisal is ordered, and the property inspections are completed. The HOA docs also need to be ordered if the home is a condo and they have not already been ordered.

Knowing that approval should be coming in a few days (baring any management hiccups) means we all have a heads up to get ready to roll.

If you have any questions about short sales in Santa Clara or San Mateo Counties 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.

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!"

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. 

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.
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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!