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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

There is another conflict brewing between investors and first time home-buyers, and this time the home buyers may win. In the more affordable areas of the Silicon Valley distressed properties, ie short sales and reos have been popular with investors and first time buyers. Many would be owner occupiers lose out on great opportunities to investors who have all cash.  Since condos are the least expensive properties, have the fewest maintenance issue,  and tend to bring in more rent per dollar spent they are popular with investors. Coupled with the more restrictive lending practices on condos, many bay area developments are now in a position where the number of owner occupied units has fallen to a critical level. Owners of these properties are having trouble refinancing and buyers trying to get loans are being rejected by the lenders.  As a result, many complexes are starting to pass new HOA regulations limiting the number of rentals allowed in the condo development.

These restrictions can be a double edged sword.  If they occur in a building where the delinquency rate on the HOA dues is too high then a buyer will not be able to get a loan anyway and it will effectively cut off all sales.  In the future when the market has settled down the rental restriction could put a damper on future sales.  However, if they are not instituted it may become impossible for anyone but investors to purchase in some condo complexes, which in itself will lower values not to mention make things harder for the first time home buyer. It will also make it impossible for current homeowners to ever refinance in some of these buildings.

I do not have the answer here as to what is right or wrong here. I can only give some advise on what to do if you want to purchase or sell a condo and want to get the information about potential rental restrictions.

1. Ask your agent to find out if the HOA docs are available yet.  If it is an reo they most likely will not be and a

short sale very likely not

2. If the docs are not available before you make an offer ask your agent to ask the listing agent for the number of the HOA management company

3. Call the management company and ask about any current or contemplated rental restrictions

It is not that hard to find out and can save a lot of time and possibly money.

If you have any 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

D.R.E.  01191194

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+.

I was in church this past week and the pastor spent the whole message going over the value and reasoning behind the Sabbath. For those of you that aren't church goers, the Sabbath is the 7th Day of the week. Traditionally most Christians celebrate it on Sunday, but some denominations like Seventh Day Adventists and Jews celebrate it on Saturday. Muslims celebrate a special day of prayer and rest on Friday.  No matter how you flip it though, most religions agree that there should be a day out of the week that you DO NOT WORK!!!

I'm as guilty as many of you reading this blog in that I might have a "day off", but that just means I don't go into the office. I STILL spend 2-5 hours in my home office or on my cell phone answering emails, returning calls, etc. SO.....for the last two weeks my family and I have challenged ourselves to do away with the TV, internet, phone, fax, email, Facebook, and whatever other electronic addictions we possess for an entire 24 hours.  IT WAS DIFFICULT....but a few things happened:

1. I found myself with more time to spend with my kids. I read  a book I'd been waiting to start for months.
2. I took a nap and felt more rested going into Monday than I have in months
3. My business didn't burn down. The urgent emails I felt like I needed to address, waited until Monday morning for a response. 

I'm curious for those of you who have been in the business for a while, do you have a day of complete rest?

If not, do you think you could be a better agent, father, or husband by taking one day truly off ?

http://agentacceleration.com/god-gave-us-the-sabbath-to-rest/

Special Call4All this Friday with FDIC and FHFA OMWI Directors

Join NAWRB for a sit down with directors from the Offices of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI) at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) on August 26th at 7am Pacific/10am Eastern. RSVP now- This will be an event that you don't want to miss! Limited seats!

RSVP and get dial-in info by e-mailing info@NAWRB.com.

Read the press release here.

Meet the speakers here.

Learn about OMWI.

If you are an owner of a home with a second loan that is a Home Equity Line and you are having trouble paying your mortgage you should do something about it right away. I know you have probably heard that banks are taking up to 2 years to foreclose so you have plenty of time, but there is a dirty little secret in the mortgage world.  HELOCs are not entirely like traditional mortgages, they are more like credit cards. If you do not pay your first mortgage your lender needs to find a way to collect the money or take your home back. However, with a HELOC the lender can turn the account over to a collection agency, get some money for it right away, and you are left to deal with the debt collector.  

This can become a potential problem if you decide that your best option is a short sale. If you decide to sell your home as a short sale it is often easier to negotiate the payoff to the second if it is still owned by the bank, rather than the collection agency. The bank sold to a collection agency for pennies on the dollar, and would be more likely to let you go for the amount that the first lender offers.  By the time it goes to collection that entity had invested money and will expect to make a profit by getting a settlement larger than what they paid. If you cut out the middleman (in this case the collection agency) it should be cheaper.

So, if you can not pay your mortgage, don't just stand there, DO SOMETHING.  Whether is is going for a loan modification, refinance, or short sale, get started earlier rather than later. It will be less stressful in the long run, and generally much less complicated.

If you have any questions about short sales in the Silicon Valley please feel free to contact me.

Marcy Moyer

Keller Williams Realty

www.marcymoyer.com

marcy@marcymoyer.com

650-619-9285

D.R.E.  01191194

I am currently reading a book called How the Brain Works by David Rock. In it, he sites a study that showed that Multitasking has the same cognizant effect as smoking a joint. I guess that explains why I always have a sudden urge to watch The Wizard of Oz synced to The Dark Side of the Moon on my lunch break.

Check out this link for more on multitasking: http://www.cognizancemagazine.com/?p=283

Targeting Renters With High Credit Scores

The group this week hit a milestone I wanted to welcome all the new members and thank the first members for their posting of comments and keeping the group active and growing.

This group is to discuss Bank of America properties with Bank Of America and to share solutions to getting more business with Bank of America or getting in the door with Bank of America and to stay up to date on their requirements.

Website: http://reopro.ning.com/group/bankofamerica
Members: 103

Well for those of you who don't know, REO stands for Real Estate Owned, or bank owned properties. As an REO Listing agent I have seen my inventory shrink during 2011, I used to receive several houses to list every month from different clients and now they are down to a handful and I have more houses waiting for foreclosures to be ratified in the courts and evictions than the ones I have actively listed.

It is easy to understand that it might work better this way, because it keeps the demand and supply balanced. My listings are moving quicker and selling to relative higher prices than they were last year. I believe that banks are controlling the inventory so the prices don't drop so much, etc. 

Also everybody knows the popular term from last year robosigning, some states have created more obstacles for banks to foreclose on properties and even evict tenants, etc. I know in Maryland the banks have to contact the homeowner and offer the opportunity to apply for modifications, etc. I know some banks hired third party companies to make sure that usually real estate agents visit the homes and deliver documents, call the bank and put the homeowner on the phone, etc.

Today I read a good article that explains in more details why banks are doing this inventory control, not just to avoid property values to drop so much, put to make their books stronger and to manipulate data to their advantage.

Here is a link to the article  

It is hard to understand how a borrower can stay at a house for several years without paying mortgage, and getting away with that. Also banks are trying to sell their portfolio to investors rather than retail. And another idea that keeps resurfacing is the rental options.

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 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

I have a field team of 3 that are awesome. One of the field people, Ida, is a lady in her late sixties that doesn't have to work, but just loves the hustle of driving around and being out in the field.  For 60+, she's in great shape and is the kind of woman you wouldn't want to cross (I almost lost an arm-wrestling match to her a few years back!...Like I said ALMOST...LOL).

Anyways, a while back she went to check one my vacant REO properties in a sketchy part of town.  She made her way through the house checking the living room and bedrooms to make sure all was okay when she heard the shower running at the rear bathroom. She opened the door and found a squatter in the shower, butt-naked, ding a ling out and all!!  Now if this was me, I would have backed out fast, went out to my car, and called the police.  Ida took a different approach and scolded the man for trespassing. He pulled on his boxers quickly and as he was angrily stomping towards her yelling at her "Get out!", she whipped out her camera and started taking pictures of the squatter!!! (I posted photos to my website: http://wp.me/p1yiuo-2o) He ended up grabbing his stuff and running off, but I couldn't believe this story!

Of course my staff's safety is my top concern and we discussed better ways for her to handle this the next time....but HOLY CRAP!! I don't know if Ida was crazy, stupid, or just a bad-ass 60+ female version of Braveheart.

If this was you, what would you have done? Anyone have any scary run-ins with squatters on your listings/showings?

PLEASE READ THIS ARTICLE... makes one think of what is really happening with this bill when you take into consideration all the movement of large bank related corporations to buy up the "SHADOW INVENTORY" that the banks have been sitting on all this time. Default Redsources' REO Management branch has signed a deal with Georgia based United Bank, HomeLand Security Capital Corp, moved into a space by aquiring Default servicing LLC, Another lender, Stewart Lender services aquired PMH Financial which manages about $2.5 billion in properties, and First American Financial Corp. is finalizing deveolpment of a REO asset managment firm. These are large billion dollar companies making these moves within the last month or two.

Seems like a smart thing to do ....to control the housing so they can rent it all out. Is this what the banks have been looking to do by garnering control of the real estate industry? Eviction is easier than foreclosure and less costly. This would be a lifetime mortgage payment with control over the total asset all the time. No longer will home ownership be a possibility unless you can afford the 20-30% down which they are also pushing for.

Maybe I am just being paranoid...you make up your own mind...everyone scoffed when I said oil would go up to $70 a barrell back in 1999.

nuff said

Robert Moreno

===============================ARTICLE========================

Homeownership Rates Are Lower Than You Think

 August 2, 2011

Guest Contributor, Sean O’Toole. CEO ForeclosureRadar.com
 
This morning a headline in my inbox caught my eye: Homeownership Rate Drops to 13 Year Low. Seems the Census Bureau has tallied the homeownership rate to be 65.9 percent, down from nearly 70 percent at the peak of the bubble. Despite the drop, I believe this stat significantly over-estimates the real rate of homeownership today. With another 9.6 percent of homeowners with a mortgage currently not making their payments, I’d argue that its time to realize the real rate of homeownership is getting close to being in the high 50′s – which is closer to a 50 year low. Sure the policies of extend and pretend will keep the Census Bureau from reporting this reality for months or even years to come, but we all need to be thinking about the implications now.
 
For example, should the government and banks really be in the rental business? House representative Gary Miller (R-CA), introduced a bill with bipartisan support to authorize FDIC insured banks as well as Fannie and Freddie into entering 5 year lease agreements on REO properties rather than sell them. He says “Something must be done to reduce the inventory of available homes and stop the further decline in home prices,” so he obviously hasn’t spoken with Realtors or investors in the area he represents or he’d realize that inventories throughout California are low and that homebuyers and investors are having a hard time finding decent properties to buy. Plus unlike banks, investors fix properties up by hiring local contractors, use local property managers, and spend their income locally, all of which create much needed jobs. His bill, if it passes, is likely to hurt the CA economy more than it will help… at least in the near term.
 
Rather than massive government intervention, like Miller’s bill, I believe the better answer is to deal with the decline in homeownership by re-igniting real estate investing. In an environment of zero interest rate policy ,with baby boomers nearing retirement, this change in homeownership rate may provide just the opportunity boomers need to get decent returns on their retirement savings. The only problem with this vision is that it’s bad for banks and Wall St who can’t afford to have investors move assets out from under their management. As such, expect more policies that help banks and GSE’s keep homes off the market, further frustrating both homebuyers and investors.

Save the Date: NAWRB's Leading Ladies Anniversary Celebration

Join NAWRB immediately after the Five Star Conference's kick-off for "Leading Ladies: An Anniversary Celebration," at the Hilton Anatole.

Save the date for a night of networking, special guest speakers and jewels. More details to be announced soon!
 
Member and Women with Access reminder: Five Star is supporting women business owners with an exclusive $100 discount until August 15. Be sure to register today and be a Leading Lady at the year's largest default services conference.
 

For more information on Leadings Ladies, or to join NAWRB, please email info@nawrb.com