Rookie Realtor Went From 0 to 15 Listings Faster Than You Can Blink

Rookie Realtor Went From 0 to 15 Listings Faster Than You Can Blink, Now Carries 12-15 Listings All the Time.

 

No Cal- Ty discovered the secret to opening a flood gate of short sale listings by accident. He was a lender going broke who got into loan modifications to try and make some extra money. The problem was that he didn't get paid unless their loan got modified, which wasn't often. 

 

You know what did happen often?  His clients asked if he could refer them to someone who could help them sell their home. 

 

It's when Ty decided to stop referring all that business out and taking it himself that he went from barely able to survive to suddenly experiencing what it felt like to "thrive" for a change.

 

Now, you can do the exact same thing as Ty and I'll show you how. 

 

The truth is that 10 of 10 short sale prospects start out as loan modification prospects. You can hammer the NOD list and pre-NOD lists just to discover they're already listed or else not interested in talking to you like all your competition or you can start fishing upstream where business is plentiful and competition doesn't even exist.

 

Come onto a FREE 90 minute webinar by visiting www.TheCleverAgent.com and I'll show you how! Don't wait to see the most powerful short sale lead generation/conversion system on the planet.

 

System preview at Simple Listing Solutions

Financial Institutions Expectations in a Short Sale Transaction

another great post from my friend Cari Drolet at The Lotus Group Realty I know you'll enjoy...

Financial Institutions Expectations in a 

Short Sale Transaction

REALTORS, there have been a lot of frequently asked questions in regards to some of the requested documentation that the financial institutions are asking for when submitting a short sale package. We are all experiencing changes in the industry constantly, from the rules and guidelines to the paperwork. Experience has taught me that if these expectations are not met up front it will only hold up the process in the end when we are trying to push these through.

Let’s start with one of the biggest challenges we are facing today in short sales.

Submitting the right offer.

What we are seeing with some of the major financial institutions this year is that they are paying close attention to low ball offers. A rule of thumb to keep in mind is they generally want to see 90-95% of the balance owed. Is that realistic?  NO.  So how do we remedy that and show the financial institutions we are bringing them the highest and best? We simply create a listing history. Hopefully REALTORS, you are not taking on listings with sale dates less than 3 weeks away, 12 months of delinquencies and excessive HOA balances. These types of deals will be nearly impossible to push through. But if you have a qualified seller who fits the parameters for a successful short sale transaction then you have time to create a realistic picture for the bank.

   1.  Price the property close to what is owed on the loan for 30 days.

   2.  Set 3 price reductions on the 1^st and 15^th of the month moving forward. By the time you get to the 3^rd price reduction you will have created a listing history for the financial institution to show them that you actively and aggressively marketed this property for a substantial amount of time and you will have all your data to support the value of the offer you submit.

I can share with you from experience that moving forward the financial institutions wants the homeowner to call and inform them that the home will be listed as a short sale. Bank of America will now send an appraiser out to the property before the home is listed and tell the listing agent what to list the property at based on their value. You will be asked to give them a weekly update and price reductions will occur every 21 days. If you have not experienced this yet, you will.  We at Lotus Realty Group have been educating you for over 2 years to follow this system. Now the financial institutions are starting to implement this. I had a Bank of America representative call me on one of my listings in Carlsbad that I actually listed quite high to start my listing history.  I was told to raise the price by nearly $25,000 and schedule a price reduction in 21 days even after I told him that it was listed at my price for 3 weeks and I had not received one phone call from a buyer.

The financial institutions are really going to start cracking down on this so it is my suggestion that we all work smart:

a)   Prequalify the seller and do not take on a listing that does not make sense.

b)   Have an addendum that has the listing price and the dates and prices of your reductions signed by your seller so you do not have to keep going back to your seller to modify the terms of your listing.

c)   Mark all price reductions on your calendar as reminders to stay on task.

d)   In the mean time, make sure you are gathering all documents and have a solid short sale package ready to go so that by the time you get the right offer you can submit it right away.   I would tell your sellers to automatically send updated financial s every month.

e)   Use counters and addendum’s to set expectation with buyers. They need to understand short sales are sold as is. There are fees a bank may or may not cover. I would also make sure buyers are DU approved, not just pre qualified through a letter through their lender.

f)    Submit the short sale package with your listing history, 3 active, 3pending and 3sold MLS listings and a comparative market analysis with a nice cover letter to explain your circumstances.

g)   Set expectations with all parities in regards to time lines to keep everyone on board.

h)   Follow up tenaciously.

Here are some other requirements that will save you time if you request them up front:

1.    Financial institutions are requiring 4506 T’ s to be completed.  I have made this part of my short sale package.

2.    There have been a lot of inquiries on whether or not the Equator system requires buyer information. Social security numbers, date of birth, phone numbers and addresses. YES. There may have been occasions where you can get by with generic information but a majority of the time it is required so I would get into the habit of requesting it up front.

3.    We have seen a lot of offers come in without proof of funds and pre-quall letters. Equator will not accept an offer without it so make sure you request it up front. We receive a lot of incomplete packages and it really does slow the process.

REALTORS, we at Lotus Realty Group have worked hard to tighten up our systems and keep all of you up to date with all the changes in this ever changing industry. It's my hope to help you move through this frustrating and tedious process in an effective and efficient manner to help get you what you want in the time you want.

(Quote) We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.
- Nelson Mandela

REALTORS, what is in your business plan this year? What are you doing to create a system that will allow you to build your short sale business? How often are you out there prospecting and how do you know if you are taking the listings that are going to be successful and not a waste of your time?

Call us today and let us show you a system that works to help you expand your business and effectively and efficiently close short sale transactions.

LOTUS REALTY GROUP

PROFESSIONAL SHORT SALE NEGOTIATORS 

At Lotus Realty GROUP, helping people ethically succeed is at the forefront of who we are...

Call today to find out how Lotus Realty Group can assist you in closing your short sale transactions or go to WWW.LotusRealtyGroup.com

---

Cari Drolet - Founder
Lotus Realty Group

Certified Distressed Property Expert

400 S. Sierra Ave. Ste. 102
Solana Beach, CA 92075
(858) 764-7300 P.
(858) 755-7544 F.
(760) 707-3072 C. Cari@LotusRealtyGroup.com www.LotusRealtyGroup.com

CITI Bank Short Sales

I love Cari over at the Lotus Group. If you're looking for a real professional to help close your short sales you may wish to consider checking her out. Her team has created water tight systems and structure for successfully negotiating and closing your short sale deals. Go get em'!

CITI Bank Short Sale

 A short sale is a frustrating experience. It can leave the homeowner and even the REALTOR disillusioned and negative about financial institutions in general however, CITI Bank is one of my top 3 Lenders I like to work with, or should I say debt collector as banks no longer want to be addressed as the lender. 

Once a home owner defaults on their mortgage they are no longer a servicer of a loan; they became the servicer of a debt. I received an email from a client who was very disturbed by the amount of phone calls they were getting due to their missed mortgage payments. 

Please do not be mistaken. A short sale will help avoid foreclosure and help reduce the hit to your credit significantly but this does not stop the servicer of the debt from making all attempts to collect.

Additional Documents to include in the short sale package:

As most of the financial institutions, CITI Bank has tightened up their time lines. They want to get short sales off their books as fast as possible. Nevertheless; the deal still needs to make sense and the home owners have to qualify. CITI Bank has their own financial packet that needs to be completed. Some additional documents CITI may ask to include in your short sale package are the Deed of Trust and the original mortgage note. Mortgage coupons for existing payments may need to be provided as well.

Additional Requirements:

CITI Bank requires borrowers to be in default by at least one month and have no means to pay off the mortgage and other existing debts. This is where prequalifying the home owner is important. If you have a home owner who is continuing to make his or her payments, has a nice savings account and a surplus every month after all expenses are paid; they may not be successful with CITI or any other financial institution for that matter unless the home owner is prepared to make a contribution in the form of cash or a new note.

Time Frames:

I love working with CITI Bank because I know what they are looking for. Knowing that, I am not going to submit a package unless I have the following:

a)    A qualified seller

b)    A qualified buyer (with an offer in line with the value and or listing history so that CITI knows we aggressively marketed the property)

c)     A complete short sale package with all of CITI’S applicable documents.

It has been my experience that if I follow these guidelines I will have a BPO ordered in 5-10 business days after submission, a negotiator in 2 weeks and an approval in less than a month. Add to this a 30 day escrow and we are looking at a closing in less than 2 months as opposed to the 3-4 months as most other financial institutions.

Extra tip:

CITI seconds tend to sell off the debt to a collection agency. We want to avoid this at all times. Once the debt gets sold to a collection agency we lose the power of leverage when it comes to the payoff. Most seconds will settle for 10% of the balance. Collection companies will want 30-40% and they will be firm on their request therefore hurting your chances of being successful. My suggestion is if at all possible, have your client make a payment every now and then while the short sale is in process to keep it in the system. This will reduce the risk of this occurrence.

The goal is to work smart. Effective and efficient. Knowing ahead of time what the financial institution requires will allow you to do the following:

a)    Take the right deal

b)    Gather the applicable documents that are required of that particular financial institution (as each has their own)

c)     Educate your client on what to expect.

d)   Give you more than enough time to build a solid proposal to get you the results you desire in a timely manner.

Furthermore, building a solid reputation as well which leads to REFERRALS!!

  

REALTORS, what is in your business plan this year? What are you doing to create a system that will allow you to build your short sale business? How often are you out there prospecting and how do you know if you are taking the listings that are going to be successful and not a waste of your time?

Call us today and let us show you a system that works to help you expand your business and effectively and efficiently close short sale transactions.

LOTUS REALTY GROUP

PROFESSIONAL SHORT SALE NEGOTIATORS 

At Lotus Realty GROUP, helping people ethically succeed is at the forefront of who we are...

Call today to find out how Lotus Realty Group can assist you in closing your short sale transactions or go to WWW.LotusRealtyGroup.com

---

Cari Drolet - Founder
Lotus Realty Group

Certified Distressed Property Expert

400 S. Sierra Ave. Ste. 102
Solana Beach, CA 92075
(858) 764-7300 P.
(858) 755-7544 F.
(760) 707-3072 C. Cari@LotusRealtyGroup.com www.LotusRealtyGroup.com

Follow my blog: http://wwwlotusrealtygroupcom.blogspot.com/
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New Short Sale Rules to Consider in 2011

By Cari Droulet

Lotus Realty Group-

With one out of five borrowers underwater on their home and an estimated 1.5 million foreclosures scheduled for 2011, the opportunity for short sales will be better than ever. Banks usually see a 20-30% better execution price on a short sale versus an REO sale. With the foreclosure volume and current and pending REO inventories, servicers will be pressed to do more short sales in 2011.

I have done a lot of research into how Banks will be handling short sales this year. It is no secret that when short sales first hit the market there was not a lot of knowledge from REALTORS, homeowners or Banks on how to effectively handle a short sale. Learning has been through trial and error. Each bank has different guidelines and these are changing constantly. In this environment it is critical to know what type of deal to take, and how to properly put a short sale package together.

The good news is lenders are making an effort to minimize the time it takes to close the transaction but in return they will be tightening up their guidelines and will expect all of us to abide those rules if we want to be successful. 

Here are some rules to consider this year:

Some of the major Banks including Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Chase and Wachovia will be implementing the following:

·        There will be no postponements of Trustee Sales and NO extensions of closings on Short Sale approvals past the approval date. They all want to clean out their inventory as quickly as possible.

·        Banks have put systems in place to speed up the short sale approvals.  Wachovia has cut their paperwork to 13 pages and will send a representative with the agent to meet the seller and will provide an approval within 14 days. They are also paying a 6% commission.  (I have a transaction with Wachovia right now and it has been moving faster than most.)

·        Do not call them the “lender” – they were the lender when they made the loan but once the homeowner went into default, they became “Debt Settlement Companies” on the loan. This adds a new perspective to the homeowner that feels that they can stay in the property forever without paying.

·        They are not paying attorney fees to attorneys that the borrower has hired to fight the foreclosure. If it shows up on the HUD it will be removed.

·        They are not paying third party negotiator fees.

·        These companies are willing to work with REALTORS who truly have their client and the bank’s best interest in mind.

·        They are paying extra attention to offers that are two low.

With these guidelines in place it is important to make sure that we have the following before submitting a short sale:

A)  A qualified seller

B)   A listing history

C)  A qualified and committed buyer

D)  A complete short sale package with all applicable documents

E)   A solid proposal (HUD)

I believe that short sales are going to be massive this year and with the Banks finally tightening up and creating better systems and incentives, short sales are going to close much faster.

REALTORS, what is in your business plan this year? What are you doing to create a system that will allow you to build your short sale business? How often are you out there prospecting and how do you know if you are taking the listings that are going to be successful and not a waste of your time?

Call us today and let us show you a system that works to help you expand your business and effectively and efficiently close short sale transactions.

 PROFESSIONAL SHORT SALE NEGOTIATORS 

Call today to find out how Lotus Realty Group can assist you in closing your short sale transactions or go to WWW.LotusRealtyGroup.com

---

Cari Drolet - Founder
Lotus Realty Group

Certified Distressed Property Expert

400 S. Sierra Ave. Ste. 102
Solana Beach, CA 92075
(858) 764-7300 P.
(858) 755-7544 F.
(760) 707-3072 C.
Cari@LotusRealtyGroup.com
www.LotusRealtyGroup.com

Full Discharge of Indebtedness On First Trust Deeds

Here's another great stolen post from my friend Cari Drolet at the Lotus Realty Group. Call her if you'd like help getting your short sales closed in 2011.

Full Discharge of Indebtedness On First Trust Deeds

I am sure most of you are aware of the law that was passed effective January 1, 2011 which states the following:

(a)   No judgment shall be rendered for any deficiency under a note secured by a first deed of trust or first mortgage for a dwelling of not more than four units, in any case where the trustor or mortgagor sells the dwelling for less than the remaining amount of indebtedness due at the time of the sale with the written consent of the holder of the first deed of trust or first mortgage. Written consent of the holder of the first deed of trust or first mortgage to that sale shall obligate that holder to accept the sale proceeds as full payment and to fully discharge the remaining amount of the indebtedness on the first deed of trust or mortgage.

(b)   If the trustor or mortgagor commits either fraud with respect to the sale of, or with respect to the real property that secures the first deed of trust or first mortgage, this section shall not limit the ability of the holder of the first trust deed or first mortgage to seek damages and use existing rights and remedies against the trustor or mortgagor or any third party for fraud or waste.

(c)    This shall not apply if the trustor or mortgagor is a corporation or political subdivision of the state.

Does this apply to Second Trust Deeds?

The answer is Simply NO.

Does this include investment properties?

It appears to include investment property when dealing with quote, a dwelling of not more than 4 units. There is no reference in this statute to owner occupied property.

What incentive does a homeowner have to do a short sale?

I have been asked this question a lot and the answer is still the same. A foreclosure will impact a homeowner’s credit far more and for far longer than a short sale. Furthermore, a home owner who is foreclosed on will not be eligible for a Fanny Mae or Freddie Mac backed loan for 5 years. This increases to 7 years if it is an investment property and it stays on their credit report for the same amount of time. With the right credit recovery program you can help turn your client back into a home buyer again in 18-24 months. Granted, you will get the angry homeowner who does not care anymore but I believe with the right delivery, you can help your client see the value in a short sale. Foreclosure is much more damaging to our economy which is already in dire need of repair. I also believe a short sale shows good faith and integrity to the lenders instead of the homeowner just walking away. However, the homeowner should always seek the advice of an attorney and CPA before making the ultimate decision to Short Sale or Foreclose.

How can we ensure that our client is released from full liability?

We will always encounter situations where laws and guidelines are not being followed properly. With the volume the lenders have on their plates in regards to short sales and foreclosures, there is no guarantee that there will not be a mistake made along the way due to the negligence of one or more of the parties and the homeowner could suffer the consequences. Here are some helpful tips moving forward:

1.      Read the TERM SHEET (Approval) thoroughly.

2.      The verbiage you are looking for is still the same “Released from liability of the NOTE” and any deficiency following the short sale.

3.      If the term sheet only states the borrower is released from liability of the lien, then understand that this is not the same as a release from liability under the note and from a deficiency after the short sale. 

4. Please recommend to the homeowner to have the term sheet reviewed by an attorney and CPA before the homeowner accepts or rejects the term sheet.

This is just an extra precaution that will give you and your client a peace of mind

Please note that Lotus Realty Group does not give legal advice. Please seek advice from an attorney and CPA before providing this information to your clients.

Again, I would like to extend my gratitude to all of our REALTOR clients who have allowed Lotus Realty Group to expedite and close your short sale transactions and assist you in growing your business. It is my belief that this will be a massive year for short sales and I look forward to working with all of you in 2011.

 To your success!!!!

 (Quote) A promise is a cloud; fulfillment is rain.  ~Arabian Proverb

PROFESSIONAL SHORT SALE NEGOTIATORS 

 At Lotus Realty GROUP, helping people ethically succeed is at the forefront of who we are...

Call today to find out how Lotus Realty Group can assist you in closing your short sale transactions or go to WWW.LotusRealtyGroup.com

---

Cari Drolet - Founder
Lotus Realty Group

Certified Distressed Property Expert

400 S. Sierra Ave. Ste. 102
Solana Beach, CA 92075
(858) 764-7300 P.
(858) 755-7544 F.
(760) 707-3072 C. Cari@LotusRealtyGroup.com www.LotusRealtyGroup.com

Follow my blog: http://wwwlotusrealtygroupcom.blogspot.com/