If you are engaged in the real estate industry, chances are, at one time or another, you will find yourself in need of professional help to repair, improve, or maintain real estate.The purpose of this post is to introduce and explain these professionals to you and give you an idea of what services they might provide. Please understand that each municipality has different laws regulating the construction, repair, and renovation of a home. Please check with your local building department for your specific laws and ordinances.

General Contractor

If your contracting team were playing football, the General Contractor (GC) would be the quarterback. Any project that needs permits associated with structural changes, the GC will be the person you would call. Also, on larger projects, the GC may act as a “one stop shop” and bid out an entire just and then bring in sub-contractors like electricians, plumbers, etc. to work under him/her.

Some Jobs where a GC is Needed:

• Additions or Garage Conversions
• Replace Doors or Windows
• Replace Kitchen Cabinets and/or Countertop
• Frame in New Walls

Electrician

When it comes to dealing with anything that can kill you instantly , like electricity, we always recommend calling in a professional to do the job. Most will call a handyman for minor electrical issues such as replacing an outlet or switch and changing a light fixture , or just do the job themselves. But when it come to running new wiring, changing service to the property, or messing around with the electrical panel, your first call should be to a licensed electrician.

Some Jobs where an Electrician is Needed:

• Upgrade Service
• Change out from fuse to breaker
• Update from aluminum wire to copper
• Install new lines, outlets, or switches

Plumber

Anyone who has lived in an older house has had to call a plumber at one time or another. When most people think of plumbers, they think of Rotor-Rooter or someone coming to fix a drain that has backed up. Plumbers do that very well, but their jobs do not end there. Anything in your property that has water running though it was most likely installed by your plumber. Just remember if you do not know who to call to install or fix something, when it has water, the plumber should be your first call.

Some Jobs where a Plumber is Needed:

• Backup of drain or leaking pipes
• Installation of toilet, showers, and vanities
• Replace hot water heater
• Run sewer connections or fix septic tank problems

Roofer

Here is another professional that usually requires no introduction. From the trusses that form your roof, to the final product you choose to cover the decking, roofers are responsible for every step of the construction that make our home remain watertight. Since every part of the country has different issues related to weather, Northeastern snowfall, Southeastern hurricanes, Midwest winds and tornados, and West Coast earthquakes, roofers must be specialized in their particular area.

Some Jobs where a Roofer is Needed:

• Leak detection and fix
• Replace existing roof
• Install news roof and trussing
• Repair soffit and fascia

HVAC Contractor

HVAC stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. In a single family home, the HVAC system is made up of primarily 3 main parts. First is the air handler that is usually located inside the home in a closet, or sometimes in the ceiling. The second part is the compressor that is usually located on the exterior of the home. The third part of the system is the ductwork that stretches throughout he home in the ceiling or floorboards that distributes the heat or cool air.

Some Jobs where a HVAC Contractor is Needed:

• Replacement of the HVAC System
• Repair tear or break in ductwork
• Cleaning of handler coils and ducts
• Refill Freon in compressor

Pool Contractor

If you fortunate to have or want a swimming pool or spa at your home, your pool contractor would be the first call is there are any problems. Pool contractor are not to be confused with pool maintenance professionals. Although some large pool contractors also have maintenance teams for their customers, in order to install or repair pools and spas, you must be licensed. You will also find that many pool contractors are also plumbing contractors.

Some Jobs where a Pool Contractor is Needed:

• Install a new pool or spa
• Repair a leak
• Replace pool pump
• Refinish pool surface

Painting Contractor

Although you most likely do not need a state contractor’s license to be a painter, I put this specialty in a category of its own. The reason is that while some homeowners choose, or even like, to paint their own homes, having contact with a professional painter is invaluable. Not only do professional painters do a better job than many “do it yourselfers”, they do it quicker and oftentimes cheaper.

Some Jobs where a Painting Contractor is Needed:

• Interior and Exterior painting
• Cabinet refinishing
• Resurface blacktop driveway
• Stain or refinish woodworking

Termite and Pest Control

Let me start this introduction by saying I hate bugs. If you are like me, you will have your favorite termite and pest control experts on your speed dial. While there are bugs in any environment and some can be quite nasty, it is generally agreed that termites are some of the worst insects to worry about when talking about your home. Whether you are hiring these professional for a one time treatment or ongoing service, their expense is worth the fee.

Some Jobs where Termite and Pest Control is Needed:

• Termite detection and treatment or tenting
• Rodent removal
• Preventative spraying and maintenance

Handyman

Everyone should have the name and number of a good handyman in their area. Most small maintenance tasks around the home can be handled by the handyman. It is important to remember however, that most handymen operate independently, are not licensed, and may not be an expert in the field you are hiring them for. They cannot pull permits and often work alone. For these reasons, make sure to use your handyman for those small housekeeping jobs.

Some Jobs where a Handyman is Needed:

• Small drywall repairs
• Replace door or window hardware
• Hang shelves or pictures
• Replace a cracked or broken tile

The list for a handyman could be quite comprehensive.

Although this list does not represent every type of professional you might come across, it does highlight the most used in our business.

Outsourcing seems to be a buzzword in today’s business world. Well in real estate, whether as an investor or as an agent, the utilization of a competent virtual assistant can save you money and free up your time.

Whether in an office or virtually, our research has shown us that the use of an unlicensed assistant can truly provide more freedom to a real estate agent. Depending upon your individual state laws. The UA or VA can handle a myriad of responsibilities and activities that free up the agent to do what they do best.

In fact the utilization of a competently trained UA/VA can allow an agent or brokerage to segue into the realm of a virtual brokerage with quite ease.

An unlicensed real estate assistant, working under the direction and supervision of a licensed real estate agent or broker, can perform the following tasks in most states. Please understand that the tasks shown below come from speaking with actual lawmakers in several states and your individual state may vary. It is very important that you find out locally what a UA/Va can and can not do in your specific area.

Here is what we have found that an UA / VA can undertake and be generally permitted to perform:

1. Answer the phone and forward calls.
2. Manage licenses, subscriptions and membership accounts
3. Provide bookkeeping services
4. Fill out and submit listings and changes to any multiple listing service.
5. Follow up on loan commitments after a contract has been negotiated
6. Secure status reports on the progress of the loan.
7. Assemble documents for closing
8. Schedule home inspections and follow-up on reports
9. Distribute promotional materials via mail, fax or email
10. Create Seller and Buyer Guides and marketing materials
11. Prepare listing and sales kits
12. Prepare Automated Valuation Model Evaluations and perform CMAs
13. Create Visual Tours
14. Compile data for weekly reports
15. Conduct surveys online and offline
16. Obtain foreclosure and other public information from courthouses, utility districts, etc.
17. Have keys made for the agent’s listings
18. Act as a copywriter for any and all advertisements (offline or online)
19. Place classified advertising.
20. Prepare and distribute promotional flyers and cards
21. Receive, record and deposit earnest money, security deposits and advance rents.
22. Prepare and type out contract forms and approved leases
23. Prepare and type out listing contracts for the supervising agent
24. Prepare and type out purchase and sale agreements for the agent
25. Monitor licenses and personnel files of others in the office
26. Calculate commission checks
27. Arrange for placement or place directly signs on property
28. Maintain data and information on agent websites
29. Order items of repair as directed by the licensee.
30. Pick-up and delivery of documents and pick up keys
31. Place routine telephone calls regarding the collection of late rent payments
32. Schedule appointments for agent to show property
33. Be present at showings and open houses to provide security, hand out materials (brochures) and respond to questions that may be answered with objective responses gleaned from pre-printed objective information
34. Gather information for property inspections and appraisals
35. Hand out objective, written information on a listing or rental
36. Provide transportation for a client to a showing
37. Write blog articles on agent’s blog
38. Take pictures of listed property
39. Work to facilitate the closing by and between the title company / attorney and buyer & seller
40. Work with the media and public relations people on behalf of the agent

I am sure if you use a bit of creativity your office can come up with a lot more duties that an UA / VA can take on and complete on your behalf.

Think about how much time and money the savvy real estate investor or real estate agent can free up by utilizing a competent UA / VA.

One of the issues that we will need to address is that if an agent can utilize a UA/ VA to complete all of the tasks shown and many more not shown, just what will the real estate agent who wants to be successful in today’s real estate market do with all of this newly found spare time.

It will be also interesting to see how easy it would be to set up a virtual real estate brokerage.

Location, Location, Location are no longer the three words that are most important in real estate. That distinction is now been awarded to conversion, conversion, conversion!

While the catch phrases are resounding…you know them, Web 2.0, Real Estate 2.0, blogosphere, RE.net…there is a reason we all are engaging in this new technological era. That reason is simply to make money. Let’s not be ashamed of that fact but let’s not lose sight of it either.

While all of the aforementioned components of the new world are important, they amount to nothing if we are not making money. Maybe some aspire to change professions and become journalists, maybe some have decided to abandon their real estate endeavors to save the whales or stop global warming, the rest of us are blogging to make money.

Whether that revenue is derived from advertising sales, real estate sales, seminar enrollments, ebooks, or widgets, we are here to increase the bottom line. Simultaneously we all know we need eyeballs in order for any of that to happen. We all have our own techniques to drive traffic but once the controversial article is written, or last month’s market report divulged…what’s left is conversion. If you are not converting then you are not making any money. If you are not trying to convert..well then you are in real trouble.

Have you ever thrown a party and have no one show up? I think you would agree that it would be kind of embarrassing. What would be even much worse would be for you to throw a party, have 1,000 guests show up and to have them eat your food, dance on your carpet, run amok around your yard, then leave without so much as a thank you, never to be heard from again.

Is your blog throwing that kind of party? Are people showing up, reading your content, sniffing around and leaving without so much as even a comment or a opt-in? If so, you my friend have a conversion problem. either that or your SEO is fantastic and your site stinks…but that’s a whole other problem and article we’ll need you to read.

What is Visitor Conversion?

Conversion is the sales process of getting your blog’s visitors to heed your call to action and actually doing something you are leading them to do. Some common conversions may involve:

• a visitor reading a particular article or page on your site, web page
• downloading an ebook or file
• signing up for your RSS feed, newsletter or email list
• asking for more information on something product you are featuring
• buying something…that’s the end game isn’t it?

You can easily figure out your blogs conversion rate. You can take your conversion rate in different intervals depending upon your various calls to action. for sales you may want a monthly conversion, for downloads you may want a weekly conversion, and for email sign ups you may want a daily conversion. The choice is yours. I like to take a daily conversion on free downloads and a weekly conversion on sales.

The mathematical formula for calculating conversion rate is:

Conversion Rate (%) = Number of Sales*
Number of Visitors

(you can substitute “sales” with downloads, opt-ins, whatever you are measuring)

For example, if you get 1,000 unique visitors to your blog in a day, and 25 of them opt-in to your newsletter you have achieved a conversion rate of 2.5% for subscribers on that given day. As I previously stated, you can take a conversion sample based on your duration variable as you desire.

The most important thing to remember is that you indeed can measure your conversions and THAT should be your desired goal. Traffic is essential for the success of your blog and converting that traffic is essential to your bottomline.

So, how does all of this affect my real estate business. Unless you are running a social blog or commentary, an article on your kittens fur is not really going to make you any money…that is not if it isn’t tied into an overall plan to laser target the demographic you are trying to reach.

Real estate is about selling houses and as a real estate agent, you don’t get paid until the deals actually close. So it is absolutely imperative that you are able to quantify and track your conversion rate. We have read on many websites that an acceptable conversion rate for real estate agent websites is 2-5%. When this rate is discussed, they are talking about mere leads!

If you are only generating 2-5% conversion on leads, you have a lot of work to do to convert those leads into sales. Capture and conversion are two very distinct and separate items. While is may be good to “capture” 2-5% of the visitors on your site as leads, what are you doing to increase your conversion rate which will increase your revenue?

An upcoming article we are researching is going to talk about the methods of increasing your conversion rate. In the interim, it might be beneficial for today’s Web 2.0 real estate agent to take a look at their present conversion rate.

Short Sale Tip #12 Overcoming Objections with the Homeowner Part 1

We are getting many questions from our attendees as to how to overcome objections with the homeowner, but we are surprisingly getting MORE questions as to how to overcome objections from the inexperienced or uneducated agent representing the homeowner…isn’t that a twist?

Too many Homeowners are not only misguided and made hysterical from the media influences that they are pummeled with, then the situation is compounded by the Homeowner having an agent who is totally misinformed and winging it.

Here are some of the objections we are hearing and some ways you can overcome those objections…with either the Seller or the agent:

1. Deed-in-lieu-of Foreclosure: The ole..I am just going to give the property to the bank routine

Objection Defense: Well Mr. Uninformed (insert Seller name or Agent Name)…that may work for you but there will be some work for you to get them to accept the deed and from my experience lenders rarely accept them…do you understand that banks are not in the real estate business and that their business is lending money.

Let’s see if you would even qualify for a deed in lieu of foreclosure avoidance option as banks are somewhat hesitant to take a deed back…let’s look at the criteria most banks look at:

a.your home must be on the market at current market value

b. the home must be uninhabited to complete the process (meaning you have to be out)

c. deed-in-lieu of foreclosure, if not negotiated, drafted and recorded correctly is just this side of bankruptcy, and it very well could drop your credit score by a hundred points or more, depending where it is in the process when the bank forecloses. It also can and most likely still show up on your credit as a foreclosure.

d. most banks will not accept the deed in lieu of if you have subordinate liens (2nd mortgage) that they otherwise would have foreclosed off. So if you have a second mortgage you could very well not qualify.

This pretty much is the poison pill to the DILF

e. and this may be the most important criteria…the bank will usually want you to be current on your payments so a deed in lieu of is great for those in the early stage of foreclosure but not when you are 3+ months behind

2. Short Sale Will Leave Me with a Big Tax Bill so I will need to sell it for full value or just let it go to foreclosure.

Objection Defense: What??? Let it go to foreclosure??? do you realize your credit will be ruined and the bank may come after you in the future for a deficiency judgment (FYI…we go over this in class), why would you do that if we can save your credit and show you how to avoid being hit by the possible tax consequences. (This is especially important with the new law removing the liability of the 1099 on primary residential property.

Mr. Seller..If I can show you how to avoid the dreaded tax liability you fear, would you be willing to let us go through with a short sale proposal to your lender?

Objection eliminated! Now you just have to explain in detail to Mr. Seller how he can avoid his tax liability. Well..you are not an accountant so you can’t!

However, you have taken our class so you have been given all of the documents and tools necessary to determine the likelihood of Mr. Seller being hit with a large tax liability.

Here’s a free hint…If Mr. Seller qualifies for a short sale, then it is highly likely that he will be able to avoid the tax liability associated with a short sale.

Once you know what kind of Seller qualifies for a short sale, you will know what kind of Seller can avoid the 1099 issue.

We don’t engage in “water cooler discussions”. We will show you, despite what you may have been told in the office, just how a homeowner can avoid the 1099 induced tax liability.

Short Sale Tip # 9: The Role Of Mold In Obtaining A Big Short Sale Discount

Ever see a really good horror movie? Want to see one? Check out the bill or quote you will receive for black mold remediation.

Black mold is the great equalizer in negotiating a short sale with a lender. The potential for liability is EXTREMELY high if black mold is found to be present in a property.

When we work a short sale, one of the first things we look for is evidence of black mold. When we do, we call in remediation specialists who perform a complete workup for us so we can submit it to the bank as a part of our short sale package.

This report alone can be 10-20 pages. MOLD IS SERIOUS AND CAN IN SOME INSTANCES CAUSE DEATH!

There are some who will tell you that mold is no big deal and mold testing is not necessary. It is interesting to note that those who make such irresponsible statements also disclaim everything they say and require you to sign forms saying they “disclaim” any mold…or even others who warn you to wear a respirator and rubber gloves when cleaning mold. Why? If mold is “no big deal”, why bother signing a disclosure or protecting your lungs and skin from it? The answer is; because mold can be a very big deal and the only way to really know for sure is by proper testing for mold.

The Institute of Medicine’s Damp Indoor Spaces and Health Review concluded (betcha did not even know that such a review panel even existed) that black mold left untreated can cause major problems.

Left to have its way inside a building, damp or moist items such as wood, paper, drywall, and some types of insulation, provide food sources for molds. FOOD???

Yes…it’s alive! It’s alive….!!

If you believe that banks do not want to own properties taken back by foreclosure, then you also have to realize that those properties with active black mold spores rise to the top of those properties the bank does not want. That potential liability is WAY more than a bank wants to take on.

Once you get a mold remediation quote back you will see why this is such a big deal. A small mold issue can cost upwards of $8,000.00 – $10,000.00 to remediate. Imagine if there are mold spores found on a few walls or in the air ducts of a home…the cost to remediate could be prohibitive.

According to the Toxic Black Mold Information Center, “once mold infests the home, it s very expensive to clean up. To make matters worse, many home insurance companies are denying mold claims”. The actual average cost you will pay to a mold remediation specialist, “for one wall that is contaminated, is about $3,000.00″ states Kevin Bristol President of Advance Mold Remediation.

This cost will include a mold inspection by a professional, mold sampling sent into an independent lab to determine what type of mold you have, and removal and cleanup. This cost also includes, “all of the helmets or protective wear that the technicians wear, the machines that they use which are called negative air machines that filter out the dirty air, and all of the chemicals, as well as the encapsulation coating” says Bristol.

As for Property Damage, the very nature of mold is to decompose matter. Over a period of time, mold can destroy anything and everything it comes in contact with.

The loss of value in your home if it has toxic black mold is determined by the extent of the mold. There have been homes where the mold was so wide spread the entire home had to be destroyed and rebuilt. In most cases however, the mold can be removed by just removing one wall or floor and replaced with new.

In some states, you even need to disclose on the sale of the home that it had toxic black mold at one time. It’s that serious.

Black mold is a serious issue in a home and it could mean a HUGE discount from the bank if it is found in a property that you are working on for a short sale.

Short Sale Tip # 8: The Role of Loss Severity In Short Sales

Do you speak “banker-ese”? If not, you are leaving HUGE amounts of money on the closing table! When performing a short sale you have to be sure that you are negotiating from a position of strength. Do you know what Loss Severity is?

Continuing our Short Sale Tip, have you ever heard of the term Loss Severity? If not, roll up your sleeves, get a cup of coffee and snuggle up to some banker talk. Loss Severity is the technical term for the bank’s internal auditing and

calculations to determine how bad they are going to get hit on a foreclosure.

Loss Severity is the rate of loss on a liquidated mortgage and is defined as follows:

the outstanding principal on the mortgage loan – the realized loss over
the outstanding principal on the mortgage loanFor example, let’s say Mr. Smith owes the bank $300,000.00 and if the bank forecloses on Mr. Smith and eventually gets a judgment for fees, unpaid interest, and legal costs now the bank is owed $315,000.00.

 The bank then sells the REO property for $265,000.00. On that sale of $265,000.00 the bank had commissions and holding costs, maintenance costs, closing costs, and taxes and they actually only netted about $240,000.00.

Then the bank would have realized a loss of $75,000.00. ($315,000.00-$240,000.00). Based upon this scenario, the Loss Severity Rate would be about 25%.

Lately, this would be a GOOD deal for most banks. Data obtained from from LoanPerformance Inc. indicates that the national average of the severity of losses for mortgage holders on foreclosed properties is peaking around 30-40%.

How bad is it, New Hampshire which is never mentioned in foreclosure discussions is one of the best in keeping foreclosures to a minimum and their Loss Severity rate is approximately 29%!

Are you ready for the big ending…the average national Loss Severity rate is 41%. Please understand..this actually means that for every $100,000.00 that banks are lending out, if the property goes into foreclosure they can only expect to recover on average about 60-70%…that’s amazing!

So do you think the bank wants your client’s home..NO WAY!

The bank does NOT want the house. It wants to be paid off so it can make more money and have more money to lend out and profit from). So now you know the truth. Every agent involved in a short sale needs to understand what is going on in today’s financial market. You are the professional…it’s time to get paid like one…but you need to be educated like one.

In our seminar workshop we’ll show you how to “get ugly” and negotiate like a pro with a banker that’s trying hard not to tip his cards to you. We say this is a bad poker game and we’re prepared to show you how to go “All-In” and win the big pots..the BIG discounts!

I challenge you..no I ABSOLUTELY compel you, to find one single seminar that gives you this kind of information. We do..you know why..we actually DO short sales and we can show you how to successfully do them as well.

I often read about how social media is so great and how if you’re not engaged then you’ll fall behind in business. For a long time I have been resistant to such talk because it simply made no sense.

We have 13,000 or so Twitter followers but for the life of me I would not be able to tell you if a single one of them have bought one of our products as a result os reading our tweets. Conversely, there haven’t been a whole lot of conversations that I’ve been involved with either.

The whole social media thing has been well, to say the least, a bit of a yawn fest…that is until a couple of days ago. You see lately there has been just one topic of conversation that anyone really gave a hoot about down here in South Florida.

And unless you’ve been in a cave somewhere you know that conversation was about the “Decision”. As a big Miami Heat fan I was all smiles and hi-fives about LeBron James signing with the Miami Heat.

So I was talking to anyone and everyone about it. I even wrote a post about LeBron James signing with the Miami Heat on one of our other sites.

It was then that it struck me. It’s like I was becoming an older and more straight…a lot more straight…like way more straight, Perez Hilton. I became a celebrity gossip hound for a day.

Our site got thousands of visits as a result of the article and my tweet thingy went ballistic! It was then the light bulb went off. On the strength of one tweet and one article I sold a boatload of merchandise and made a good 3 figure sum on my adsense earnings.

Wow…almost a grand on one measly article. Well now I know why. I was talking and conversing to a HUGE audience that had an opinion one way or another about LeBron James. Not just any opinion, but a PASSIONATE opinion.

Since then I’ve experimented with a couple more articles and tweets about stuff that people were passionate about and you know what? In addition to making even more money we garnered a ton of traffic.

So what’s the takeaway…well if you are spending your time talking with the same old people in the same old corner of the room and wondering why social media doesn’t work well maybe you need to change your attention and talk about things people are passionate about.

Here’s a question. Would you want to talk to you? Seriously. When’s the last time you had a conversation about something passionate to both you and the person you were talking to? While I am surely no threat to the guys at TMZ, I now have learned how to easily dominate my local market and some very prime national markets by simply knowing what conversations to engage in.

Trust me, talking about real estate is one of the most boring conversations to have. And maybe only a handful of people at any one time even give a crap about it.

So what are you going to do to get the conversation going to your benefit? Leave a comment as I’d love to know.

And to the Cleveland Cavaliers…sorry ya bunch of losers…it’s game on with the Heat and LeBron, Dwayne and Chris now!

From time to time I wander over to Active Rain to see what the mindset is of Realtors. Much to my chagrin and better judgment, I find that although there are some who have their head screwed on right…there are a bunch of BS artists who know nothing of what they speak and make the site a bit sophomoric.

Wayne Golliday of some kind of a company called SEO Redefined wrote a post talking about the benefits of social media. So it caught my eye as I am readying an article on the uselessness of social media for those in real estate who actually want to make money in real estate. (By the way..you’re really going to love that new article).

So as I always do, I check the source of an article and when I did, I found Wayne Golliday and Seo Redefined to be a sham, a fraud..an emperor with no clothes. But before I said anything I asked him a simple question.

Here is what I asked him. As a promoter of the benefits of social media, why is it that you don’t seem to be involved in social media as “You only have 85 followers on Twitter, 65 friends on Facebook, and you don’t show up anywhere in the Serps for your main keywords…am I missing something?”

Wayne Golliday responded by saying..”And to my new friends Barry and Barry of Real Estate Radio USA, yes your comments have been deleted for a second time and will continue to be deleted. The ActiveRain guidelines allow me to do that to any comments that offer nothing to the discussions.

Don’t add anything to the discussion? Really? C’mon Really?…My comment was DIRECTLY relative to what he wrote and asked a question regarding that which he promotes!

Now let me ask you my readers and viewers…is that a mean question? Is that spam? Is that as he called it…”threatening”?

If you think so, please let me know and I’ll apologize right now! You see Wayne Golliday found that comment offensive and summarily deleted it. Not once, but twice. He wanted no such information disseminated to the AR brethren.

Mr. Golliday, let me say right now to you. I am not, nor have I threatened you. What I asked was a valid question regarding your post. When I said you were making a mistake by deleting my comment I was referring to me having to take the discussion off of ActiveRain, which I now have…solely because you would not allow conversation but rather sought to censor it.

I mentioned screenshots because I have had many AR members do the same. It’s actually quite typical…unfortunate but typical.

Now you say, Barry..wtf..why is this even an issue? Well, I believe it is very important to know, especially for real estate investors, that you actually know that a person spewing advice actually know what they are talking about. I could care less about Wayne Golliday and SEO Redefined and I could care even less about what the people on AR think about me.

That ship has long since sailed. I’m not interested in an audience of sycophants. I’m interested, and always have been interested in lively spirited discourse. It’s when someone is challenged that they often turn tail and run which exposes their weakness. The yellow stain on Wayne Golliday isn’t unique to him. He doesn’t own cowardice, but you should know when someone is speaking out of their ass.

I don’t expect our readers and viewers to be blind mice and I encourage opposing views. heck..I have a post where I’m called a turd and you know what..Russell Shaw wrote a real witty post and I respect him for it and the Bloodhound Blog for allowing us to engage.

One of my problems with AR is that they support a culture of sculpting and orchestrating bullshit. People post for points and comment to pat on the back. That hardly fosters spirited discussion. I’m looked upon as a villain there because I dare ask the pointed questions and demand answers.

Well if that’s wrong then I might as well quit now. You see none of us will learn and none of us better ourselves without being able to share our experiences and substantitated opinions. It’s not like I called Wayne Golliday an idiot or like I said Wayne Golliday is an @#%. No..I merely asked how someone who is selling SEO / social media services doesn’t have any competence in the area.

I don’t have any animosity towards him..I just feel that the message here is very clear. Someone who is telling you something should be able to show some form of social proof. Maybe Wayne Golliday is a master of social media. I don’t know as I could not find any answer and when I asked I was told to go away.

Hopefully if you are seeking SEO or social media services from Wayne Golliday or SEO Redefined you will be able to obtain the answers I sought. Money is tight for a lot of people right now and you should know if the vendor you seek to do business with actually is in the business.

I mean seriously..you wouldn’t go to a barber who had really crappy hair. You wouldn’t go to a restaurant if you knew the cook never cooked and accordingly would you buy SEO or Social media services from someone who did not have a social media presence? Well Wayne Golliday hopes that you do and unfortunately the peeps at AR, rather than question him themselves, pat him on the back and provide an incentive for his fraud.

As I said, I’m doing a tutorial post about how social media is useless for those who actually want to make money in real estate. I assume you are here and involved in real estate investing because you actually want to generate a profit.

If that’s the case, we’ll continue to show you how and continue to show you what is basically a time suck. And oh…you can clearly see that we actually walk the walk. Which is more than I can say for Wayne Golliday.

But being a very fair person…if Wayne Golliday would be interested in an open debate explaining his business and why he feels so strongly about social media without actually engaging in it, I would welcome an open and honest interview and I will be the first person to say that I am wrong should he have the goods to back up his expert claim.

Perhaps Wayne Golliday has 20 blogs or 15 Twitter accounts or maybe 5 Facebook entities and I didn’t find the ones that exhibit social media prowess. If that’s the case I will be the first person to stand up and herald his expertise and my apologies for being suspect will know no end.

I am sincere in this regard. So Wayne Golliday, what say you?

Let’s say you were the owner of an electronics store and some guy came into the store and told you he had this little product that people will want to buy because they wanted to be able to take their music with them when they leave the house.

He tells you this little gadget is all the rage. He tells you that a lot..a whole lot , of your customers will want to buy this thing called an Ipod. That simply by carrying this item and its many accessories, you would increase your revenue and store traffic.

Would you carry it in your store? I can’t see why you wouldn’t. Your research tells you that people want this product. You find that there is a growing demand for the product. You can see that this is the future of electronics. Portable music devices.

You, as a business person can see that this really could help you sell other products like Ipod boomboxes, Ipod cords, Ipod holders and even non-Ipod items because obviously once they are in your store you have the opportunity to feature your other products..you expand and open a service center for repairs and installations. You see the dollar signs in your eyes and you realize I gotta have some of this!

Then your wife nudges you and you realize that you were dreaming. You’re just a Realtor and you were only dreaming. Time to wake up and go knock on some doors chasing down some lame listings because you don’t sell Ipods!

Shame on you! You call yourself a professional? You have customers just BEGGING to pay you for your product and you have decided instead of stocking Ipods, you’d rather stick to your guns and sell Close ‘N Play phonographs. You really call yourself a professional? A professional what?

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/AAKZ-O70wNg" height="250" width="325" /]

How do you do business on a day to day basis in a market that demands attention and delivery of a product, that you CHOOSE ignorantly not to carry and call yourself a business person? That my friend, is the paradox of the real estate industry.

In an economy wherein 45-60% of all the real estate sales in the Country are foreclosures and short sales, yet you choose not to be in that market, then you sir or ma’am deserve to be broke.

Tell me an industry…any industry…any successful business…wherein the operators conciously decide not to carry goods and services that drive as much as 60% of the sales of the revenue in that industry.

Yet in real estate it’s commonplace to hear the ramblings and proclamations of the herd that:

1. I don’t like short sales
2. Banks are a pain to work with
3. Short sales take too long
4. You work and work on a short sale and it just isn’t worth it (that’s my favorite!)

I could literally write 50 or so whiny complaints I have read about short sales and REO’s. It’s pathetic! I often get comments about being too hard on real estate agents. Well too friggin bad!

I make my living in the real estate business and I for one am sick and tired of the broad based cover-up that is going on in this industry. I am over the BS “we’re all in this together crap” where no one likes to single anyone out for their lack of competence.

The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in the real estate industry is a major reason the housing industry is in the shape that it’s in. We all know it, but no one wants to do anything about it.

Think I’m lying, go ahead..pick up the phone and call 20 real estate agents. Let me know if you get more than 3 of them to actually answer the phone. Drive up to a few listings and call the agent and ask them some pertinent questions beyond price.

Hey Mr Agent, can you tell me the last time the house has had the roof replaced? Hey Mr. Agent, it looks like this house has been updated, did they update the electrical service..if so what did they upgrade it to?

I can walk into best Buy and get more information on Guitar Hero from an $8 an hour clerk than I can get from an agent selling a $300,000.00 house.

Yet nobody has a problem with that. Want a real challenge. Here’s one to ask a “professional”. Hey Mr. Agent, I’m sure you have been reading the news, can you tell me if this home has Chinese Drywall in it?

Then just stop talking and listen closely to the weasely answer that you get. Like I said…pathetic! Yet where’s the public outcry? Where are the top people in the business at in demanding change? I can’t find any.

Check this out. Yesterday a couple was out looking at a home to buy. They called the agent listed on the sign (their first mistake) and could not get anybody on the phone. No surprise there at all. So they called an agent who I work with who drove out to the home, showed them the house, and last night they signed a contract.

The agent who didn’t answer the phone cost himself $6,000.00 because he didn’t answer the phone. But here’s the rub. He completely ignored the customer, did a huge injustice to his Seller client, and will still make $6.000.00 because he had a sign in the ground.

To make matters worse, he has an addendum that says submit the offer, but don’t ever call me. In fact he says in the addendum we may never even respond to your offer. Yet this is not unique, we run into this all the time. Yet no one says anything about it. Why?

Can you imagine calling Macy’s and having no one answer the phone? Can you imagine going to Macy’s and picking up some items walking to the cashier and her never even acknlowledging you as a customer? Think she’d have a job for long?

Yet real estate agents think nothing of being losers at customer service. It has to stop and it has to stop soon.

How about beginning by learning how to be proficient in what 60% of the market tells you what they want? How about actually being the professional you purport to be by having a clue about how to handle REO’s and short sales?

How about knowing something beyond price and rug colors in regards to a home you are showing? how about simply picking up your phone? Hey listen I know times are ahrd for some realtors out there. But do you think they are going to get any better by your service and knowledge getting worse?

Yes, we offer a short sale training course but so do a lot of people. Take one, take something and learn how to be successful in an industry that has forever changed. Stop waiting for the good old days to return. They’re a memory…just like the Close ‘N Play I used to have as a kid.

But as the Good Book says, there comes a time when you have to put away childish things…unless you’re a Realtor I guess.

Atlanta Real Estate Firm Ranks #1 in 2009 for Listings and Buyers Newswire Today (press release), on Sat, 06 Mar 2010 02:27:28 -0800 This was 29 percent higher than Harry Norman, Realtors and 36 percent higher than Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate Brokerage. With regard to buyers, … 

Seacoast Realtors predict housing rebound in 2010 Seacoastonline.com, on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:10:53 -0800While short sales may be attractive to buyers, Rice said foreclosures are bad for the value of neighborhoods and towns and help keep prices low, … 

Slowdown signs – US home sales in January slump to 7 month low SteelGuru, on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:33:46 -0800The National Association of Realtors said that sales of existing homes dropped 7.2% to an annual rate of 5.05 million units last month, the lowest since … 

In New Jersey, the Telephone Challenge New York Times, on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:05:02 -0800When client anxiety is peaking, e-mail seems to pale as a tranquilizer, said Kim Panes, a Weichert Realtors agent based in Short Hills. “They call me! …

Introducing the Short Sales By The Numbers Online Video Course. This video tutorial is a comprehensive, 25 video course that takes you step by step and shows you how to properly and successfully complete a short sale.

Over 1,000 real estate agents and investors across the USA have found this to be one of the best courses on short sales they have ever seen. It is based upon our hugely successful live seminars and affords the viewer the opportunity to learn how to execute short sales in the privacy of their own home or office and on their timeframe.

A Short Sale Video Course comprised of 25 videos taking you step-by-step as to how to successfully and correctly execute a short sale.

Following the “Short Sales By The Numbers” system will allow you to effortlessly profit from what some consider too much work for them to bother with.

Watch our introductory video on the left to see how simple it can be for your real estate business to be transformed into a cash cow almost overnight.

Learn how you can have as much business as you can handle and how YOU can decide just what deals you want and what deals you don’t.

Learn how YOU will decide how many hours you work each week while drastically IMPROVING your business and SUBSTANTIALLY raising your income.

Forget what you’ve been told by you’re friends, your broker’s and what you have read on some online network of agents who spend more time writing posts than actually selling real estate.

There are plenty of deal-seeking buyers out there and there is obviously a tremendous amount of inventory. So what’s the problem?

For more information, please go to the Short Sale Video Course website.

The housing market may not be the “Goose that laid the Golden Egg” that it used to be, and sales may be harder to come by these days, but that is no reason to put yourself in danger for a real estate commission. Though there is no clear connection between economic slowdowns and the national crime rate, we have seen attacks on real estate agents increase in alarming numbers over the last 12 months.

In December a real estate agent in New Mexico was showing some properties to a prospective buyers. The agent thought that the buyer was a wealthy woman looking for a property for her daughter, but the lady was a thief and pulled a gun on the agent. After being made to drive to her bank and make a substantial withdrawal, the robber took the money and fled.

Less than 30 days ago a real estate agent in Corona, California received a call to show a house at approximately 10:00am. While greeting her prospective client outside the home, he brandished a firearm an lead the agent inside. Once inside the property he raped and stabbed the woman several times. In her defense, she fought back and her screams alerted neighbors that called the police.

In February, a 24 year old real estate agent went to show a home in a up-scale area of Victoria, Canada. She was contacted by a woman that morning that wanted to see homes in the $1 million dollar range. She was told by the woman caller that she wanted to purchase something “that day”. Before the appointment, a man called back saying that he would be meeting the agent alone. Before going to the appointment, the agent told friends that she was felt “uncomfortable” about the showing. Later that night Lindsay Buziak was found stabbed to death in an upstairs bedroom of the vacant home she was showing.

Because of their work, real estate agents are prime potential victims to many criminals. They often work alone. They place themselves in remote surroundings. They are eager to please a potential “customer” so they let their guard down. They often give personal information to strangers as a part of their marketing campaign, and they will often meet at odd hours including evenings when it is dark.

Here are some great tips to remember about your personal safety complied from a number of sources: (Thanks to the NAR)

1. Never have a first meeting with a customer at a property. Always meet customers in the office, where you can introduce them to the broker, manager or other colleagues. If you must, meet them at a public place to introduce yourself and conduct a buyer interview.

2. Leave an itinerary with the office. Let someone know what houses you will be viewing-and be sure the customer knows there is a schedule you’ll be following.

3. Carry a cell phone. Stay in contact with someone while you’re out in the field.

4. Don’t wear flashy jewelry or carry several credit cards. Carry only a small amount of cash or one credit card, and have a key ring with just your car key and lockbox key on it.

5. Use your own car. Be in control of the presentation and be the guide. If a customer wants to drive, have him or her follow you. And don’t park where you can be blocked in.

6. Always enter through the front door. If you have to use a side door, have the customers wait at the front door and let them in that way.

7. Inside the house, stay between the customer and an exit. Don’t ever walk into a room first. It’s safer and a better experience for the customer.

8. Have a secret code. Create a code word or phrase to let your colleagues know that you’re in need of help. Then, if you feel threatened, you could call your office and say, “Could you please call Mr. CODEWORD to cancel my appointment?” This let’s the office know that you need help without giving any indication to the listener.

9. Carry pepper spray if it’s legal in your area. This may be used for defense from animals, snakes or any predators and give you time to get to safety.

There are a multitude of resources available at local real estate associations as well as across the internet. By far the MOST IMPORTANT thing to remember about your safety is to be prepared and trust your instincts. That hair standing up on the back of your neck or that feeling that “something isn’t quite right” may literally save your life one day.

This is a question we always get from our clients. Many agents do not have set office hours and may not always be in front of a computer. Many agents may be on the road at appointments. It becomes a question that many of us wrestle with.

No one wants to become a slave to their computer. One of the reasons we got into this business was to enjoy our free time. However in this era of Web 2.0 , with all of the blogging and RSS feeds and burgeoning technology, email reliance is rapidly approaching the level of the cell phone.

The answer to the question: As often as you need to. In a recent survey, 65% of those polled said they only check their email once per day. I would tend to think that real estate agents as a group being somewhat behind the technological curve check their email a lot less than that.

In an industry that has been proven to have nearly 80% or more of its potential customers originating from the Internet, you are going to need to be accessible.

If you have a true real estate oriented blog, with full SEO and laser guided targeting, it stands to reason that a more frequent check of your email is going to be necessary. However if most of your busines is based upon referrals or SOI then maybe you have the luxury of checking it much less frequently.

Oh..one last thing…please lose the autoresponder. Or if you are going to use it, use it productively. Maybe send the recipient to an article on your blog. Obvoiusly if one does not get an email back from you they know you are unavailable. Telling the Sender you’ll get back to them is kind of mundane.

How about something like this:

Sorry I missed your email but I will definitely respond as soon as possible. In the interim, please check out this article on my blog. I think you will find it really informative.

Also, in this viral world, instead of a deleted autoresponder, you never know how many times that email may be forwarded and it drives traffic back to your blog. Just a thought.

Anyway, back to the question… how often do you check your email?

Short Sale Tip # 3: The Hardship Letter

Bad things sometimes happen to good people. It is highly doubtful that the homeowner intended to default on his / her mortgage and end up in foreclosure.

Most likely their enjoyment of the American Dream of homeownership was interrupted by some tragic event.

Maybe the loss of a job, a bitter divorce, or the unfortunate untimely illness or death of a family member caused the homeowner borrower to default on his mortgage.

Whatever the catalyst, the lender wants to hear from the borrower just what happened to cause them to be in the financial situation they are in.

If the bank is going to consider taking a short sale, they need to be convinced that something drastic has happened to the borrower that will make it impossible for the borrower to recover and that it is in the bank’s best interest to accept a short sale on the defaulted mortgage.

The hardship letter should be written in the borrower’s own handwriting and it should convey a very specific theme. It should tell the bank beyond a shadow of a doubt that the borrower has exhausted all means of being able to save the home from foreclosure and that a short sale is the only viable way that the home can be sold to avoid a foreclosure sale.

The main points that the hardship letter should cover are as follows:

1. The borrower had a traumatic event that renders them not able to pay their mortgage.

2. The traumatic event has been so devastating that the borrower will not be able to resume paying the mortgage in the foreseeable future.

We find that a very well written letter that explains these details enhances the borrower’s short sale approval rate tremendously. Simply saying that the house isn’t worth what they paid, or that they don’t want to use their hard earned money to pay their bills isn’t likely to cut it.

Think about it. If someone lent you a couple of hundred thousand dollars and was asking you to take a big discount you would want to be given a very compelling reason why wouldn’t you? Of course you would!

So make sure you or your client writes a very informative and detailed hardship letter. It will make a big difference. In the entire short sale package it may be one of the only documents that actually gets read. So make it work for you.

In our documents and forms library you will find a complimentary sample hardship letter that you can use in your short sale.

If you are a homeowner in foreclosure or a real estate agent trying to attempt a short sale, we offer the # 1 course on the market. It’s simple and real easy. It’s a set of 25 videos that will walk you through a short sale on a step by step basis. Visit us on the Short Sale Video Course.

Short Sale Tip #2: The Letter of Authorization..commonly referred to as the LOA,

Before you can even begin the short sale process, you will need to be given written authority to do so by the homeowner / borrower. Without having this document you can not even begin your short sale process. Simply put…no LOA..no short sale. It is that important.

Lenders typically do not want to disclose any of the homeowner / borrower information without written authorization to do so.

You will receive better cooperation if you have the homeowner / borrower provide you with written permission to speak to their mortgage lender about their loan.

The LOA should include the following:

a. All Borrower’s should be named
b. All Borrower’s Social Security numbers should be listed
c. Property Address
d. Lender / Creditor Names
e. Loan Numbers
f. Your Name
g. The Date
h. Your Name & Contact Information

Additionally you should name anyone in your office who should or may need to speak to the bank about this file.

Click Here For A Free Downloadable Copy In Our Free Forms & Documents Section

At our seminar workshop we show you how to write a properly formatted LOA and some additional clauses that need to be in the LOA to protect yourself and some clauses that can provide you with an opportunity to explore an additional profit center down the road.

If you are ready to take the next step in your real estate career and want to learn how to profit from foreclosures, make sure you enroll in one of our Short Sale Video Course.You will learn how the foreclosure process works and how you can profit from this growing market. Instead of thinking that the market has turned against you, get educated and learn how to take advantage of this unbelievable opportunity for the educated real estate industry professional.

Although all lenders have varying requirements and may demand that a borrower submit a wide array of documentation, there are 10 Essential Elements of A Short Sale Package.

Here is a tip on the first element, The Cover Letter and Short Sale Request. The Cover Letter and Short Sale Request should be a one page, clearly defined document.

1. It should briefly state what your buyer is willing to pay for the property

2. It should state the reason or “hardship” that is the cause of the request

3. It should explain the other documents accompanying the proposal

4. It should state and define the offer as an “As-Is” All Cash Offer with no contingencies and that all inspections have been made to the buyer’s satisfaction

5. It should request the BPO so that the bank can expedite their opinion of value (if the bank already has a BPO it should request a second one including the interior of the property)

6. It should states clearly how much the bank can expect to “net” from your offer

7. It should state clearly as to when the closing will be.

8.  It should also contain your contact information, the loan number, the borrower’s name and the Case Number.

If you are ready to take the next step in your real estate career and want to learn how to profit from foreclosures, make sure you enroll in our Short Sale Video Course. Instead of thinking that the market has turned against you, get educated and learn how to take advantage of this unbelievable opportunity for the educated real estate industry professional.

You will learn how the foreclosure process works and how you can profit from this growing market.

 

 I just wanted to remind you that we have a great Free Tools section on our website and we are going to be expanding it greatly.

If you want to obtain the most useful information at no cost, we are providing it to you on our website.

Here is some of what you can find available to you on our website at no charge.

Mock Short Sale Package (a full 100 page template of the most comprehensive short sale package used on the market today)

Loss Mitigation Contact Directory (hundreds of names contributed by our students and associates of contacts we have run into over the years)

Coming this week:

Resource Link Group – literally dozens of links to help you in your real estate business

Dozens of How To Articles

SEO & Blogging Instruction and Tutorials

Hard Money Lenders – A state by state national directory of hard money lenders

Hundreds of additional documents and forms

and…..A complete Short Sale E-Book will be available for download. This is the same workbook we use in teaching our short sale seminars.

We want you to be successful in your business and we want the to sincerely assist those agents who want to succeed. Check back often for updates.