Real Estate Industry Blog

Short sales are a lot of work for the Realtor AND the homeowner and so worth the effort.  The giant ship called the “Lenders” are finally getting their respective acts together and are (for the most part) cooperating with the homeowners and their Realtors to process the “Short Sale”.  Short Sales are an agreement that [...]

With the economy slowing and holidays just around the corner, many consumers may be looking to credit cards to help them get through the heavy shopping season. While that may be a good short-term solution, you want to make sure you don’t overlook the long-term impact on your credit rating. After all, the actions you [...]

As I write this post, the Fed has announced they’re buying Mortgage Backed Securities and rates dove 75 basis points on the news – almost instantly.  Needless to say, there’s some gold in your database. If you had Top of Mind Networks’ Surefire System, you’d be receiving “Opportunity Alerts” notifying you which borrowers could benefit from [...]

Many of my clients want to know if it is even possible to sell their home on a short sale.  As a real estate agent short sale specialist serving the greater Cleveland Ohio Market I serve a very a large 7 County Area. With the way the market is in our area and around the country I see a lot of people who are behind [...]

In speaking to originators all over the country, I’m hearing that many of you are struggling to make ends meet.  Inevitably, when facing declining revenues we all tend to pull back the reins on spending – and for good reason.  To be honest, we at Top of Mind Networks have reduced our operating costs by nearly [...]

In August 2008, the Governor and Legislature of North Carolina signed as law a new bill dealing with the growing number of foreclosures. House Bill 2623 establishes the North Carolina Foreclosure Prevention Project, which requires lenders to give both homeowners and the state’s commissioner of banks at least 45 days notice before a foreclosure action [...]

So what happens when the first approves but the second is dragging their feet? Or the Second Approves and the first seems to have no idea what they are doing. As most professionals will tell you the just getting a short sale approved is tough enough when you add in a second lender it only [...]

I have been receiving a few questions on who to write an article on their new WN Real Estate Blog, so I will cover the steps below. Log into your WN Real Estate Blog. Once you are logged in, you will be directed to your “Dashboard” and it is from here that you can manage [...]

I had a great conversation today with a real estate agent in California.  He was asking me questions about using real estate social networking sites, custom website vs. template websites and why should he be blogging.  After we finished the conversation, he was excited about blogging on his Wanna Network Real Estate Blog! One of [...]

 The phone call comes in from a homeowner who was referred by another person you closed 2 months ago. The seller tells you we can’t afford our home any more, can you please help us.  You listen to their story of what has transpired in their life to get to this point, and you can’t help, but [...]

Finding a job during tough economic times doesn’t have to be tough…if you know which strategies work. Here are some tips for beating the odds:Take Networking to the Next Level: Networking is always a great job strategy, but in the current economic climate, you need to go a step beyond letting your contacts know you [...]

There are several important economic reports ahead this week…is more bad economic news on the way? Tuesday and Wednesday will be big days on the inflation front as Tuesday brings the wholesale measuring Producer Price Index while Wednesday’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) report will show us inflation at the consumer level – that is, how [...]

To all my fence sitters it is time for me to push you in the right direction of home ownership. Many of you I have worked with getting your credit cleaned up, I have had you save money, and now the wait is over IT IS TIME TO BUY IN LAKEWOOD,CA. Currently( 11-18-2008) there are 214 homes for [...]

I just got back from Mortgage Success Source’s Mastery Business Plan (MBP) event in Las Vegas.  If you’ve never been, I highly recommend you check it out.  The site is www.masterybusinessplan.com.  I always come home inspired and ready to implement new ideas. Perhaps my favorite thing about MBP was networking with many of the industry’s top [...]

Few things are as devastating as losing your home. Sadly, it’s not always inevitable. In many cases the foreclosure could’ve been avoided with some outside help. You are in a unique position to advise your clients in financial matters. If you know that a client is on the path toward foreclosure, take the time to [...]

Lakewood Market Trends Today, November 17, 2008 Median Sales Price in Lakewood 1 Br 2 Br 3 Br 4 Br All Br 1 yr 5 yr Max No. Bedrooms Jun – Sep ’08 y-o-y 3 months prior 1 year prior 5 years prior 1 bedroom – - – - – 2 bedrooms $353,500 -24.1% $365,000 [...]

If you are facing foreclosure and you are looking into the short sale process, you might expect it to be long and complicated. However,  with the right assistance it can go smoothly. The outcome of the short sale will rely on the lender(s) that you have your loan with and the negotiating skills of your Realtor. The first [...]

What are your options when you have been notified of a pending foreclosure?  First, let’s make sure we are on the same page with regard to terminology.  Foreclosure is actually the day that your property goes to auction.  Prior to that day, the property is in Pre-Foreclosure, and after that day the property has been [...]

Are you behind on your mortgage payments like many people are today? Can’t catch up with the bills no matter what you do? Is the bank sending you letters, or calling to say that your home loan is in pre-foreclosure? Please don’t panic, but please don’t put your head in the sand either, as it will not go [...]