A nationwide rise in homeowners’ “negative equity” is convincing more people to walk out on their mortgages, even if they have favorable credit ratings and can afford to pay their loan, according to recent studies.Two reports – one by researchers at Northwestern University and two other colleges, the other by the national credit bureau Experian and the consulting firm Oliver Wyman – are offering a clearer picture of “strategic defaultees” than has been previously available.According to Experian and Wyman, numbers of strategic defaults are far greater than you might expect. Nearly 600,000 borrowers nationwide fell into this category in 2008, more than double the number in the previous year. That number also represents 18 percent of all serious delinquencies from last year.So what kind of people turn in the keys and walk out on their homes, even when they can pay the mortgage? It’s not who you think – not entirely, anyway.The Experian report looked at 24 million U.S. credit records and found that borrowers with the highest credit ratings are 50 percent likelier to strategically default than lower-rated homeowners. The defaultees often have no adverse credit history, going from a record of perfect payments to no mortgage payments at all.It’s not longtime homeowners; the Northwestern report said borrowers who bought more than five years ago were less likely to default. Surprisingly, though, “young people” don’t account for that many walkouts, either. “The young are more dependent on the loans market and thus face higher reputation costs from defaulting,” the report says.Above all, though, the studies agree that negative equity – being severely “underwater” in a mortgage – is the biggest factor in strategic defaults. “The homeowners who walk away know full well they are damaging their credit records, but are making a calculated decision that sticking it out over the long-term would be worse,” writes Boston Globe real estate reporter Scott Van Voorhis.Not all underwater borrowers are equal, however. The Northwestern study says homeowners never walk out if their negative equity totals less than 10 percent of the home’s value. Once that shortfall reaches 50 percent, though, a significant number of borrowers will default strategically.The Experian report agrees. Strategic defaults are much higher in boom-and-bust markets with jumbo loans, like California – where walkouts have risen 6800 percent since 2005 – and Florida, where they’re up 4500 percent. (By contrast, walkouts nationwide rose 9 times since 2005.)There is one upside in the statistics: According to the Northwestern report, moral sensibilities keep the walkout numbers lower than they might be otherwise. Eighty percent of borrowers “think it is morally wrong to do a strategic default,” and even “amoral people can choose not to default when it is in their narrow economic interests to do so because of the social costs this decision entails.”But as unemployment and foreclosure inventories continue to rise, it remains to be seen just how much of a deterrent the “social costs” of strategic default will remain.
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Posted by Johnny Huang on September 30, 2009 at 10:00am
Before I opened my own office, I was with a big named real estate company. I felt that being part of that corporate structure was something I wanted to experience. I've always been part of the small business world and truly never thought going corporate. However, two years ago I took my chance at a corporate office and here's my experience:1. The corporate culture taught me lead generation, contract, escrow classes and such, but when you actually get down to the nitty gritty, contract and deals are within you. Anyone can do a cookie cutter deal, not everyone can look at a deal and make it better, especially if you are looking for the benefits of your clients. Therefore, the work that I did as far as production and lead generation was all MY effort.2. I never saw any of the "brokers" that owned/operated the office. Only the broker-in-charge that was there for review. They may have taught a few classes once in a while, but my interaction with them was pretty much nil. This may be personal to me, but I'd like to see newcomers and greet them because I thought it was respectful, especially if they are going to do the hard work for the company.3. It boiled down to the money I had to depart after close of escrow with splits plus additional fees like printing, tech fees, so on, I felt I was penny pinched. Was it worth plus E&O each year to pay for the support staff and brokers? I was also responsible for my own marketing and Board fee and any expensing involved with listings. I was doing everything on my own and absorbing all the overhead in my own office.Within 3 months of starting at a big office, I started doing BPOs. That lead to my blogging activity on http://activerain.com/blogsview/413473/bpo-learning-curve which lead to REO listings. To the surprise of my collegues in that big office, they were all astounded that a new guy had landed assignments. One thing lead to another, and business was booming until I decided to open my own office.One thought that came across my mind was that I started my BPO and REO work within that corporate culture and will receive REO listings and be recognized as an independent office? I'm convinced it's not the big name but the agent name him/herself that makes the REO's happen.
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Posted by Allen Cofield on September 30, 2009 at 9:30am
If you havent dealt with Short Sales then you wouldn't know what it means to have a Servicer tell you that the offer has to be approved by lender. Having an attorney will clear some confusion up about what is not suppose to be done and is being done by these lenders.In most states, there is a pooling and Servicing Agreement between the homeowner, the Lender, and the Servicer.It states the following "the Servicer shall have the full power and authority --- to do or cause to be done any and all things in connection with such servicing and administration which it may deem necessary or desirable."Having said this, this agreement is useless unless it is enforced. Who is enforcing it? Come on Realtors, we need to take some legal action so that Short Sales can be processed with a defined path, and not a bunch of BS we go through.
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Ok, I announced that I was needing everyone to come on and update thier profile information, specifically zip code and the network exploded. Thats great but, my problem is that most of the people who came on to update thier profiles I had never seen before. In other words, I had no clue who they were. Granted, I am not going to know each and every single member, considering we have 2800+ members however, I would think that at least I should be able to recognize you from your picture because I see you regularly on the blogs or forums.....right?
My point is, I have an incredible opportunity in the works, and I suspect the details will be hammered down no later than this time next week so, I am going to need agents but, why on God's beautiful green Earth would I select some Joe Schmoe who has never blogged or ever responded to a forum or ever chatted or ever downloaded video or ever updated events or did anything other than fill out the profile form.........I WOULDN'T!
So, what do you need to do to get my attention and keep it. Well, start blogging, start creating forum threads, host a group, download some funny real estate videos, add your local events to our events tabs, send in a Ask the AM or Ask the REO Atty question, etc..... GET INVOLVED ON THIS NETWORK!
I promise I will first go to those who are involved before I ever will someone who isn't.
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Posted by Steve Adkins on September 30, 2009 at 9:00am
Here's a blog I "borrowed" (with permision of course) from one of our company blogs. It hits home with some of the discussions around here lately that I have been reading and thought I would share!Mastering Your CraftBy Michael McFaddenOnce you find yourself doing what it is you enjoy, always practice, practice, practice on getting better. Remember the Allen Iverson controversy (2006) “practice, we talking’ about practice”. We’ve heard that statement many times before with how important practice is, but so many times we get very complacent with our performance.We do just enough to get by! Just enough so that everyone thinks we’re working hard. Do you know what separates the best from average? Practice! I’ve said it a thousand times before, what does Tiger Woods do when he’s not playing golf? Practicing. What do athletes do after a big game? They go back and watch tape and you guessed it…Practice.But so many times, we get complacent with where our performance level lies, because you figure that, if I work any harder, it won’t make a difference. Trust me, successful people don’t think like that. They’re always looking to improve their craft.I recall hearing Joel Olsteen say “if you read about your profession an hour a day, for 2 years, you become a professional in the profession.” And the word smartness is “an ability to absorb new facts” according to Bill Gates. Ask an insightful question, have a capacity to remember, to relate things that may not make sense at first, like algebra – (still haven’t got it yet?). That’s smartness.How do avalanches start? One small snow flake at a time and over a period of time, they begin to pile up on top of each other, creating an uncontrollable force that’s unstoppable.Whether it’s reading, attending training classes, listening to other speakers and even hanging around other people that share the same interests as you, that’s what improving your craft is all about.Remember this: Amateurs practice until they get it right, professionals practice until they can’t get it wrong.It doesn’t matter how good you are at what you do, or how smart you are, always strive to be better at it!If we want to call ourselves "Professionals" then we need to work on it everyday! Real Estate is NOT a part time job that you do on the weekends when you have nothing better to do! But yet we see more and more folks do just that. Lucky for the Real Professionals, this market has been weeding these "part-timers" out as we go.Thanks for reading!Steve Adkins - RealtorNFSTI Certified REO SpecialistThe Adkins GroupBetter Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokerswww.The-Adkins-Group.comRead more…
Posted by Dawn Barrier on September 30, 2009 at 8:23am
Read the whole article from RISMEDIA @ Op-Ed: 60 Million Mortgages May Have Fatal FlawsInteresting Report....RISMEDIA, September 29, 2009-The latest chapter in the mortgage meltdown is being written in court, as one by one, judges are putting a halt to foreclosures. The latest was a recent Kansas Supreme Court case. In Landmark National Bank v. Kesler, the court held that a nominee company called MERS had no standing to bring a foreclosure action.Nor was Kansas the first. In August 2008, Federal Judge for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Nevada ruled MERS had no standing. "Indeed, the evidence is to the contrary, the Note has been sold, and the named nominee no longer has any interest in the Note."Read more: http://rismedia.com/2009-09-28/op-ed-60-million-mortgages-may-have-fatal-flaws/#ixzz0SVrf1JSYIn each case, the reason stems from a fundamental misstep in the handling of Notes and Trust Deeds that runs contrary to established court policies which require that the real parties identify themselves to the court. Each of these cases involved MERS and, in each case, the courts' rationales were almost identical.First, a little background. Over the last 40 years, mortgage lending has evolved from a bank holding the mortgage to the mortgage being bundled and sold as part of an investment pool, usually in the form of a bond.As a registered security, the Note is a negotiable instrument, like money or a cashier's check, and under securities law that Note must be given to the investor. In this case, mortgage backed securities, (MBS) were bundled together in a pool and shipped to...well, we don't really know.One of the impediments to an MBS is the need to file assignments for the beneficiaries in each county each time the mortgage is resold. And apparently, no one holds them for very long because most have been passed around several times.In order to avoid the logistical nightmare of trying to maintain a public chain of title, the biggest lenders joined MERS, Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc.MERS was created with the sole intent of evading the recording fees due to the county in which the security is located.But, as there often is with a BIG IDEA, there were also unintended consequences. Only now are they coming to light. Until MERS was challenged in a foreclosure proceeding, no one had taken a look at the law.MERS lost track of the Notes. In some cases, according to my research, they deliberately destroyed them.Every thing was fine until the economy contracted. MERS began foreclosing on delinquent home loans and then one day; someone said "show me the Note."In reviewing the judge's rulings in the above matters, several key points have been determined:• MERS is not the beneficiary of the Notes and has no skin in the game. It did not lend any money, collect any payments or do anything more than track the sale of the securities.• Judicial procedure requires that parties identify themselves and prove their standing.• Splitting the Note and Trust Deed leaves no party with standing to foreclose. The true holder of the Note, the security, paid the lender so the lender is covered. The true holder of the Note was insured by AIG so they are covered. AIG and the banks were bailed out by taxpayers. So, unless the American tax payer can produce a "blue-ink" original Note, no one has standing to foreclose.• Allowing a foreclosure to proceed without the original Note places the homeowner in double jeopardy. If the original Note were to surface, the holder of the Note would be entitled to payment, but from whom? The borrower is still on the hook.MERS currently holds 50 to 60 million loans so this is no small matter. And, just because they have lost repeatedly doesn't mean they will give up. They will keep right on foreclosing in hopes that the homeowner won't fight back and, in most cases, they won't be stopped.[Editor's Note: RISMedia has been in touch with MERS for a response, which will be running in our Wednesday edition of the e-news.]Read more: http://rismedia.com/2009-09-28/op-ed-60-million-mortgages-may-have-fatal-flaws/#ixzz0SVswwhLqRead more…
Freddie Mac has launched an aggressive, proactive campaign to help troubled borrowers modify their home loans under the federal government’s mortgage relief program.The GSE said Tuesday that it has hired Titanium Solutions, Inc., a homeowner contacting and counseling firm based in Salt Lake City, Utah, to knock on the doors of delinquent borrowers and obtain missing documentation and complete applications needed to begin their three-month trial payment periods for Home Affordable Modifications under President Obama’s Making Home Affordable program.Titanium Solutions will target late-paying borrowers with Freddie Mac-owned mortgages who have not returned letters or phone calls sent by their servicers, or who need to provide additional information to take advantage of the federal program. Titanium will also help those borrowers who have started their trial periods complete the documentation process to enable them to be converted into final modifications, Freddie Mac explained in a corporate statement.“By meeting with our borrowers, one on one, in their homes, Titanium Solutions can help them overcome the roadblocks keeping them from starting their Home Affordable Modification trial periods,” said Ingrid Beckles, SVP of default asset management at Freddie Mac.To minimize potential fraud, Beckles said Titanium Solutions representatives will not accept mortgage payments or any other money from borrowers. Representatives will also carry a copy of their servicers’ solicitation letter the borrower initially received, which includes unique information about the mortgage loan.Titanium Solutions, Inc. is the newest piece of Freddie Mac’s multi-pronged effort to help borrowers take advantage of the administration’s Making Home Affordable program.The GSE has also placed program experts at servicers across the country, works one-on-one with borrowers at local events organized by the Treasury Department, and recently hired Home Retention Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Stewart Lender Services, Inc., to ease backlogs at several servicers by processing applications from delinquent borrowers with Freddie Mac mortgages.
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Posted by Beth Ross on September 29, 2009 at 1:46pm
Well, here I sit, trying to justify my time on the computer instead of reading more recruiting material for gaining new agents. Then it hit me, Jesse is absolutely correct! Blogging is going to be the best way for anyone to get their words of wisdom out into the clouds so they can filter down to the masses!Trying to think of things to blog about and I have decided that blogging is a great item to blog about! I will give you my rendition of what a good blog should be.1 - Timely in material matter2 - Grammar and spelling are important3 - It's ok to talk about things that you are good ata - BPO'sb - Networkingc - How to market hard to sell propertiesd - What to say (and more important) what Not to say to your asset managere - Education and designationsf - wow, this list can go on4 - Keep the blog short or at least somewhat informative to maintain your audiences level of interest instead of putting them to sleep.5 - It's ok to use humor in your blogging6 - It is ok to make mistakes7 - It is ok to accept and give CONSTRUCTIVE criticism8 - It is ok to agree to disagree - all of us are never going to see eye to eye and that is why this business is so wonderful9 - You don't have to spend the entire night blogging on one thing or even a bunch of things. It's ok to write, copy and paste into your other sites that you blog on.10 - During your open houses come up with good topics to write about and use your down time to come up with new ideas11 - Ask your colleagues, clients, and even your family what topics might interest them - you'd be surprised, but keep them clean please!!12 - Don't feel pressured to write a blog just to keep a blog on a page for the day, it's ok to take a day off!Well, this is my blog for the day and even if you got just one idea from it or used it as a tool of what NOT to blog about, that's ok too. Then I have been successful in my endeavors for the day.I hope you all have a Better Than Great Day!!
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I am handling two short sales right now. One as a buyer's agent and the other as a seller's agent. In both cases, I feel for the buyers.What do you tell the buyer who has been waiting six months for an answer from the bank? This is some of the things I have told them:1. This home is discounted 50%. A deal like that is worth waiting for.2. If this were new construction you would need to wait just as long for it to be built.What doesn't work is saying nothing.1. They want to know if are wasting their time.2. They want to know is there is a possibility that the bank won't approve the short sale at all.3. They want to know details; does the seller have a true hardship? Did the bank already approve a short sale and it fell out of escrow or the buyers walked?4. They want to be educated on the short sale process....and5. They want updates (every week).I hear so many buyers say they won't even look at a short sale because they have had bad experiences. If the buyers are educated about the whole process up front, before they make an offer and have as many facts as possible about this particular home, it will make things go much more smoothly.I just closed a short sale as a buyer's agent to a client who waited it out four months. I knew she would get the home because it had already been approved for my first client who walked. My new buyer was well qualified but with different terms, so the process had to started over for the new buyer. She waited and waited and she got the home.And good for her...by waiting, values went down, she got the home for 6K less and her interest rate dropped too!It's always the "last man standing" who gets the home.
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As we approach the end of the federal tax credit incentive for the housing market, discussions are starting to whether or not extend the tax credit. I recent read two contradicted articles. According to a survey from CAR (California Association of Realtors), 40% of first time would not have purchased a house if it were not for the tax credit. In addition to that 70% of all buyers, first or second home, say that is was "very important" or "most important" in their decision process.On the other hand, a survey from Zillow shows that the tax credit was not a fact for most first time buyer when making a decision to purchase a home. Only 18% would be swayed to purchase a house in 2010 if the tax credit is extended. The discrepancies in the surveys is like water and wine. Who is right?
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Posted by Sam Shueh on September 28, 2009 at 5:00pm
Does any one have a clue where the CALIFORNIA BANK OWNED properties went?I have only seen a decrease in inventory that the banks released.It has been 12 days with fewer and fewer homes on the market.This is from South Bay. I am sure East or Peninsula are experiencing similar trend.9/28 116 REO 293 SS total:(sfh 4 sale) is 1,0349/25 119 REO 309 SS 90 day moratorium defrost8/16 136 REO 358 SS6/16 345 REO 863 SS 90 day moratorium froze total:1,8336/8 369 REO 979 SS4/20 298 REO 798 SS3/31 ? ? total: 2,732The only thing I can think of is the bank owned properties were sold in BULK to big investors?Any one care to add his comments?NO SPECULATION PLEASE. Just give the facts.
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Posted by Linda Landry on September 28, 2009 at 4:01pm
No Brainer if you ask me. What is the point of writing a blog if no one comments? I guess there is something to be said for getting a bother off your chest....venting so to speak. However, I feel it rather nice to be more interactive. I like to make a post that others have an interest in reading. I more than like to hear what they thought about it. The interactive aspect is a learning tool and a networking tool for me. So please, if you read my blogs......leave me a comment about your thoughts. I wanna hear ya! Your comments will help get to know you better. It is called 'branding' ;~)Linda Landry, REALTOR ® Exit Realty 1st Choice Tucson, Arizona
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In some parts of the nation, it seems that you are back in 2005 when house were selling in minutes if not seconds. And no more how much the offer was over the price and it was financing, there was no problem with appraisals.Fast forward to 2009, here we are in similar market. Not only REO inventory is down but the inventory in general. Demand is high causing multiple offer situation in most properties. Nonetheless, we have strict appraisal rules and banks being conservatives in lending their money. Owner occupied buyers who are financing the purchase are competing with inverstors who are buying in cash.Owner occupied buyers are offering sometimes 50% to 100% over the listing price while investors although are offer sometimes more than the listing price are not going that high. Appraisals have been an issue as most of the owner occupied financing are not appraising at the contrac price causing delay in closing and losing an opportunity to sell cash buyers who were put an offer but lost the bid. As a listing agent, how are you making sure that the highest offer if financing will go through with no problem with appraisal?
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Posted by Joshua Jarvis on September 28, 2009 at 2:10pm
If you're looking anywhere outside the perimeter of Atlanta then it's likely that you have shown a foreclosure or short sale. To be more specific you have showed an REO or POTENTIAL short sale. REO's are quickly becoming the "GO TO" choice in this market. With agents being somewhat unreliable and bank's short sale systems being even more unreliable and unpredictable, suddenly the topsy turvy world of REO becomes somewhat of a welcome comfort.Multiple Offers? Great! At least I know the bank will sign ONE!Moved Closing Date? So what, it's only a title defect and not a foreclosure date!Seller Is Irritated vs Seller Is Destroying the homeSeller to Choose The Attorney vs Attorney doesn't know that this file has a negotiator!Key under the electrical box vs Property Preservation Changed the Locks and didn't tell the agent.Yep, REO's are as easy to pie when you think about the Short Sale world.
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I know it might have been posted before this blog, so Jesse if so i couldnt find it...lol, I see that some or lot of us have paid for those sites that end up taking our money.Could you please share with the network, the good and bad PAID SITES, AND RESULTS? , so we can stay away from the bad ones.Thank you.Cesar K.
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Posted by Nick Miller on September 28, 2009 at 4:22am
2009 Invoice Spreadsheet.xlsxHow many times in your life have you said "one of these days"? One of these days I am going to save some money. One of these days I am going to lose weight, travel Europe, start a blog. The reality is is that it will never happen.....UNLESS you actually do it.My "one of these days" was getting organized. I kept saying it as if by doing so, magically one morning I would wake up and be organized. That was not the case. I finally decided that it was time to quite wishing and start doing.I have always been the type that would write notes or numbers on any piece of paper available, i.e. envelopes, sticky pads, notebooks, and then, when I need the information, discover that I had no idea where I put it. That is not a good way to do business.As an REO agent, we spend a lot of our own money managing properties. With trash outs, re-keys, lawn maint., utility bills, I am currently up to $5000 out of pocket. We do get reimbursed, but that can take anywhere from 30 to 60 days before we get that money back. In the beginning, I really had no system in place to keep up with what I had billed out and coming in. Because of this, I know that over the course of a few years I have lost several thousand dollars that I was not reimbursed for. And why? Because of my lack of organization.So I finally developed an Excel Spreadsheet that helps me keep track of my expenses. I am 29 years old but sometimes I feel like I am 59 when it comes to computers. An Excel Spreadsheet may be a little elementary for some, but I was so proud of myself when I finally put this together. I have attached it to the top of this blog for anyone who would like to view/use it. Of course it is my actual working version and not a template so you would have to erase the information and enter your own.I am also interested to hear how others are organizing their business. If you have a spreadsheet that you think I could use I would love to see it, or if you know of a web-site that you would recommend. I have looked for web-sites but there seems to be so much out there that I get information overload and give up."Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:22
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Posted by Monica Dehnert on September 28, 2009 at 12:11am
Not every Asset Manager will look at the REO Agents resume, however; some will and if it gets your foot in the door, make your resume count. Keep your resume to one page, they don't have time to read 4 pages about what you did 30 years ago. Make sure your initial heading is in large letters...your name, company, certifications and/or designations, the general area you are serving and phone number. Next... make sure your objective is all about the client, asset manager or lender, in other words how you will make their life easier by using your services. Next is you and your team's expertise and specialties.... such as technology, marketing, BPO management, etc. The next section is your service area, don't put your zip codes, put the counties that you serve, add something about being able to service assets in your counties within hours of assignment. The next section is experience and affiliations...put your average sales annually, list to sell ratio and the specialized groups and organizations that you are a member of. The last part is your REO references or partial list of references with a comment about a detailed review of references available upon request. The last thing at the bottom of your page, you may want to put your cell number, email and website. I thank the AM who critiqued my resume and gave me some of these pointers.
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Isn't that a question almost all of us asks? How much am I really going to spend on this trip and what am I really going to get out of it?Well, there are a number of ways to look at to determine if it's "worth it" or not. I guess we need to start by figuring out what the cost actually is. We can use the round numbers from my trip as a basis. I got a decent plane fair, an average "king" room, add in the cost of the conference and the cost of food and drink. I can round it out to just under $3000.00. Now, what do you get for your hard-earned $3000.00? A lot of that depends on what you intend to get for it. You can go to the conference for the education, for the networking or to gain business.If you go for the education you can definitely get your money's worth. There were a multitude of courses and panels with the most up-to-date information available, ranging from information on short-sales and BPOs all the way through Bulk REO sales. The classes and panels are conducted by industry experts. Additionally there were speakers like Steve Forbes and James B. Lockhart III. You can get great industry information there, some of which you can find else where, but most of which you will NOT get anywhere else. So, if you go for the education, you can get your money's worth. It may be an expensive education, but you can load up with classes all-day, everyday of the conference.If you go for the networking, you'll probably find the best networking you'll find anywhere. Networking with agents from areas outside your market area is one of the best ways to gain insight into the industry. There were hundreds, if not thousands of agents from all over the country at the conference. In addition to that, there were countless opportunities to network with those agents at the conference and outside the conference.If you go to gain business, you can do it, you just have to go with the right attitude, the right plan and be a networker. You must realize that you are competing with those "hundreds, if not thousands of agents from all over the country". I can honestly say that I have either gained new business or strengthened the bond with an existing client at every conference I've been to except for one. I've been to seven conferences in the past 2 1/2 years.Now back to the cost...so, if you gain insight into the industry through a class, from another agent or if you happen to get the attention of someone in the asset management community or the valuation community, what would it take to make it worth your money? A couple REO assets? 50 or 60 BPOs? After you write-off the trip, what would it take to make it worthwhile? Just the education? I have a friend that currently works with about 38 different banks/asset management companies and STILL attends all the conferences. Why? It must be worth the time to him.I'm not here to tell you should or shouldn't attend the conferences, but hopefully I've given you enough information to make an educated decision on your own. Of course, this is all just my point of view... :)
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I find that the harder I work in this REO business, the more people want from me....is this a good thing, or a bad thing?I am newer to this business, in that I am only doing this for about a year. I fought long and hard to get my chance and the number of people now who are trying to say that I am 'lucky" because I get assets from banks is incredible! There was no amount of luck to it. My chance came from following one asset from short sale into foreclosure and establishing a relationship.To anyone trying to break into the REO business, there are many ways to do it. I have completed numerous BPO's, which have not directly given me a listing. They did, however, help me lock down my knowledge of numbers and valuing properties.The key is to be consistent and persistent in your efforts. If something is not working, try doing it in a different way...When you finally receive an asset, you had better be prepared to do a lot of work in a very short amount of time. Banks are grading you on your performance. Listing agreements often come with specific instructions, attention to detail is a must.Finally, do not be afraid to help a newbie....there is plenty of business for all. It would have been nice to realize that there was help out there. I just came upon this site, it is so helpful Thank you for keeping it real. Keep it positive and keep it ethical. You will have local agents coming to you with their clients and begging you to help them find something for them.
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Posted by Beth Ross on September 27, 2009 at 1:37pm
I would like to share a wonderful tool that I have discovered to you. I know that many of you may already have this tool however, it never hurts to share again and I didn't see it in the archives of this platform.This wonderful tool is called - Google ChromeWow - that is all I can say.Had I known this tool existed it would have made my life so much easier.It is an additional browser that you can use in addition to Explorer, foxfire, etc. But the capabilities far exceed anything they do. It is wonderful for those of us that have to constantly check sites for BPO orders, REO tasks, etc. You can set this program up so that when you open it, ALL of the sites YOU CHOSE open up at the same time, with one click!This is a free program, easy to use and decipher. It has even lead me to Google Docs and many other tools I didn't know existed.To download it - go to www.google.com/chrome and download the program - you will be AMAZED at what it does.Play with it, enjoy it and realize the time that this program is going to save you in opening sites alone!!!! Not to mention the faster speed in which they open.I know that I haven't even hit all of the highlights, but was excited to share this great find with you and help you make your life easier.Hope you are having a better than great day!
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