Leveraging the Google Environment - A Barcode Publicity Webinar

An hour well spent! Highly recommend grabbing a sandwich and watching this video on leveraging all of the Google offerings in your business - geared towards Realtors, but beneficial for anyone. Guaranteed you'll learn a lot of good things you'll want to start using. Well done.

My 10 Favorite Smartphone Apps I use in my Real Estate Business (PS: Not just for Realtors)

In my experience, these ten apps I downloaded to my smartphone are some of the most useful (and fun) apps for my business - most of them for free and most available for the IPhone and Android. Do you use any of them? Others you would recommend?

1. Waze

This social driven navigation app is all you need when taking clients on showings or going anywhere for that matter. I believe this app is better than most car or portable navigation systems because it is interactive with other users... and there are many of them. It will notify you of hazards, traffic jams, police, road closures and much more. But what makes it especially useful is that it will automatically reroute you if there is a problem ahead. It's easy to use and follow with the screen and voice prompts - but best to have a smartphone holder on your dashboard to easily see the screen.

2. Dropbox

Have you ever been somewhere without access to your computer and needed to send a document or file to a client? With Dropbox you can keep your active and important files with you where ever you go. Your computer and smartphone automatically sync files whenever one is updated or added. So when someone needs a document, picture or file, you can access it from your phone and email them the link. Trust me, this will come in very handy.

3. Slydial

You're busy and need to update a client or associate but don't want to take the time to have a conversation with them. No problem, use Slydial to leave them a voicemail on their cell phone without having to call them. Leave the message with what they need to know and you're done. Especially beneficial when you need to update one of the chattier types.

4. Realtor.com

This should be obvious, but what really comes in handy is when you're with a client and pass a home for sale and they want to know all about it. You just open up this app and search for homes for sale near your current location and there is the listing with everything you need to know for the client. It has many other beneficial features for us too!

5. Evernote

It can do some of what Dropbox does and more. You may want to use Dropbox for a simple file sharing app, but Evernote incorporates more functionality and interactive features that allow you to manage your business and time across all of your devices. Evernote is a note taking app by design. It's absolutely amazing at a lot of things. It's great for keeping track of relatively small pieces of information such as receipts and client conversations. It's also quite useful for writing down or scanning meeting notes, client updates, information from websites and important documentation that may accompany your business, home or finances - just to mention a few. To simply sum up the differences: "Dropbox is a file back-up and syncing service and Evernote is a note storing and syncing application. The two may sound similar, but they are not." You should have both!

6. Icon.Me

Never be without a business card with Icon.me! It's a digital business card that contains more and better content than any paper business card could ever convey. When you meet someone, you just open the app and enter their phone number or email and they now have all of your business information digitally... and in a format they can easily save to their contacts.

7. Instagram

Now that they added the 15 second video feature, it makes it so easy to take a short video of a property or one or two of it's special features and easily upload it to Facebook and Twitter. Be creative and this can be a great tool for marketing a property.

8. Camera+

A great addition to your smartphone's camera... you can take pictures and edit them right in the same application. The preset editing features do a great job of enhancing your photos. While I use a separate camera for most of my property shots, there are situations where my smartphone camera is better - either because of lighting or the angle I need to use for the picture... and when appropriate, my IPhone Panorama shots work great. I have no less than 15 photo related apps and I use them all for various purposes. But to get back on track here... Camera+ is a must.

9. Photo Editing Apps

As you can tell from my comments above, I go a little bit crazy with the camera related apps because everyone of them is excellent to use for different purposes. Two great apps that allow you to professionally edit your photos with either presets or manually are: (1) Photogene2 and (2) Snapseed.

10. Yelp

This one may sound a little off track, but using Yelp to write reviews about almost anything increases your exposure to many people... so look at this as a marketing tool. You can write reviews about vendors such as home inspectors, electricians, plumbers and contractors you have used in your business. Also, you can write reviews about restaurants that you frequent. Yelp has a very wide user group and you can creatively and effectively use it to increase your exposure and grow your business. When you write a great review about a restaurant in your area, how about printing it out, framing it and taking it to the restaurant for them to display! And, oh by the way, maybe you can leave cards there and let them know you're in the business of helping people buy and sell homes... They interact with a lot of people everyday - Do you think they might remember you when they learn of someone looking to buy or sell?

One last honorable mention is SlowShutter. This camera app is designed for taking pictures in low light and it does an excellent job. What I especially like is how easy it is to create amazing effects to enhance your pictures. For example, with the slow shutter speed in low lighting you can create a mist around your picture of that pond or swimming pool... or ghost like image across the lighted patio at night. Practical and fun application to use in your business.

I hope you find at least a few of these beneficial in your business. If you have others, please mention them in the comments! Your feedback is always welcome.

Sheriff Sale - How to Delay It

A Pennsylvania Sheriff’s Sale can be delayed, also known as stayed, either at the request of the lender or upon a stay granted by a judge.  The Sheriff’s Sale can be delayed up to one hour before the bidding at a foreclosure sale.

Common Technique

The common technique to delay a Sheriff’s Sale is to convince the foreclosing mortgage lender to request it.  In many cases, though not all, a lender will delay a Sheriff’s Sale to allow a short sale to reach settlement.

Sometimes a lender will only initiate their request to stay the Sheriff’s Sale a mere two to three days before the sale date.  The bank does this just in case the short sale transaction is not working out to their satisfaction, so they can quickly go ahead with the foreclosure sale if necessary.  The risk to sellers and agents is that if the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing, the Sheriff’s auctioneer might not receive the message to delay the sale.  Unfortunately, we have seen this happen on several occasions.

Once the Sheriff’s Sale occurs, it is final.  There is no right of redemption in Pennsylvania like there is in some other states.

Another Method

Another method of delaying a Sheriff’s Sale is for the borrower to declare bankruptcy.  A bankruptcy will postpone the foreclosure sale until the trustee or presiding judge releases the real estate from the bankruptcy proceeding.  We have seen borrowers declare bankruptcy a mere hour before a Sheriff’s Sale.  In those cases, they have been able to delay the foreclosure action for months while the bankruptcy runs its course.

One Other Method

One other technique to delay a Sheriff’s Sale is for the borrower or their representative to convince a judge to grant a stay.  Sometimes a judge will delay a Sheriff’s Sale to allow for a possible conciliation.  We have seen various judges grant stays from 30 days to six months.  The borrower may file a petition seeking relief from the judgment or a delay of the Sheriff’s Sale.  Rule 2965 of the Pennsylvania Code states that the petition must be filed within 30 days after the date the Default Judgment is served to the borrower or they may lose their rights to file.  We have seen some cases where a petition filed more than 30 days later was considered valid enough to convince a judge to postpone the Sheriff’s Sale.

In rare cases, the Sheriff’s department will postpone a foreclosure sale due to a high volume of cases.

Foreclosure can be avoided. Short Selling your home has far less consequences than a foreclosure sale. We do Short Sales... We provide you with an attorney at no cost to you. Our processors and negotiators deal with your lenders in reaching a satisfactory deal to close the sale. Don't wait!! If you or someone you know is having problems paying their mortgage, call me today to find out how our team of professionals can help you sell your home and move on with your life.

From the Blog "Stop My Foreclosure Instantly"  Reprinted with permission. 

Can I Go To Jail for Not Paying My Mortgage?

Not likely... but....

A borrower will not go to jail if they default on their mortgage loan, but they could face criminal charges in a couple of extreme situations described below.

In some states, foreclosure involves judicial proceedings.  In other words, the lender must hire an attorney who initiates a foreclosure lawsuit against the borrower.  The lawsuit does not involve any criminal charges against the borrower.  It is merely a civil proceeding that involves the lender’s attempt to collect a debt or be given ownership of the property in exchange for the unpaid debt obligation.

 If a borrower fails to maintain their property prior to being foreclosed, the local municipality could issue a citation and/or a fine.  Common citations include failure to keep grass cut, leaving pets behind, having an unfenced or tepid swimming pool, or leaving a house unsecured.  Some municipalities will even condemn a property.  If the borrower fails to address the issues and pay the fines, some municipalities have the ability to take the borrower to court.  In rare cases, failure to show up for court could result in an arrest warrant being issued.

If a borrower deliberately trashes a house, it is possible for the lender to sue them after the sale for destruction of property and perhaps even press criminal charges.  While rare, it is done in cases where the borrower creates major damage to the house.  We have seen cases of angry borrowers clogging toilets and sinks with concrete mix or stopping the drains with other things like tennis balls.  They then turn the water on and leave it on.  In other cases, borrowers have ripped out all the fixtures and appliances.

In some blighted cities, lenders have taken the unusual step of not foreclosing since they determine that the property’s value is so low that it is better to not take it back.  This is known as a bank walkaway, where the bank charges off the loan and stops the foreclosure action.  Therefore, the borrower remains as the owner.  The city can then issue citations against the owner for failure to maintain their property.  In some cases we have seen, the owner walked away from the property only to find out years later that they still owned the property.  The city may even have the right to demolish the property and bill the owner for the cost.  In rare cases, failure to respond to the city’s citations or court hearings could result in an arrest warrant being issued.

The key is for homeowners facing a hardship and unable to pay their mortgages to Short Sale their home and avoid foreclosure all together. If you or someone you know is in this situation, contact me to learn how our team of professionals can help! We provide you with an attorney at no cost to you and a processor/negotiator to communicate and work with the lender.

From the Blog: StopMyForeclosureInstantly. Reprinted with permission.

Hardship - What Qualifies to be Eligible for a Short Sale?

I want to do a short sale and the bank says I need to display a hardship.  What counts as a hardship?

A hardship is a situation that renders a borrower unable to continue making monthly mortgage payments and/or unable to sell their property and cover the entire mortgage balance.

What are Legitimate Hardships?

Legitimate hardships include:

- The death of a breadwinner.

- Serious illness of a breadwinner.

- Serious illness of a family member, whereby the income earner(s) in a family take time off work to        care for the person.

- Serious damage to or a material defect with the property that will not be covered by insurance.

- Loss of a job.

- Reduced hours at work, which lowers a person’s take-home pay.

- Loss of a job by one of the two people in a dual-income household.

- A forced job relocation, typically more than 100 miles away.

- A divorce, typically one that involves a sharp decline in income and/or significant reduction in liquid assets.

What Situations Do Not Qualify as Hardships?

Situations that are not hardships include:

- Desire not to pay, even though the borrower has substantial income or assets.

- Decline in property values (in some areas of the country, like California, Arizona, Florida, and Nevada, the decline is so sharp that it may qualify as a hardship).

- A break-up between a boyfriend and girlfriend who were both on the mortgage.

- A person who has substantial liquid assets and who therefore could easily pay the difference that is owed.

- Depression experienced by the borrower.

- A person who is angry at the bank and wants to stop paying to make a point.

If there is no hardship, then it is extremely unlikely that a short sale will be approved.

If you believe you are a candidate for a Short Sale, contact me to discuss how we can help you get through this difficult time and avoid foreclosure.

Reprinted from the website “Significa Short Sale Solutions” with permission.

Short Sale - What's My Tax Liability?

I am selling my house via a short sale.  Will I have to pay tax on the forgiven debt?

 Under the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007, enacted December 20, 2007, taxpayers may exclude debt forgiven on their principal residence.  This provision applies to debt forgiven in calendar years 2007 through 2012. Up to $2 million of forgiven debt is eligible for this exclusion ($1 million if married filing separately).  Details are on Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 982 and its instructions, available on www.irs.gov.  Debt reduced through mortgage restructuring, as well as mortgage debt forgiven in connection with a foreclosure, may qualify for this relief.  In most cases, eligible homeowners only need to fill out a few lines on IRS Form 982 (specifically, lines 1e, 2 and 10b).

What are some of the rules?

The debt must have been used to buy, build, or substantially improve the taxpayer’s principal residence and must have been secured by that residence.  Debt used to refinance qualifying debt is also eligible for the exclusion, but only up to the amount of the old mortgage principal, just before the refinancing.  Debt forgiven on second homes, rental property, business property, credit cards or car loans does not qualify for this tax-relief provision.  In some cases, however, other kinds of tax relief, based on insolvency, for example, may be available.

Will the government extend forgiveness?

It is possible that the federal government may extend the principal residence short sale tax forgiveness beyond December 31, 2012.  It is also possible that the government may not extend this provision.  The government needs tax revenues and 2012 is an election year, which may affect political decisions.  Given what we know now, people who are considering a short sale of their principal residence are better off if they sell their house in 2012.

Can the mortgage lender come after me?

Please be advised that your mortgage lender might not agree to forgive the mortgage deficiency. If they do not forgive the deficiency, they may legally pursue you personally to collect this debt.

Is a Short Sale right for you? Contact me to learn how our team of professionals can help you get through this difficult time and avoid foreclosure! 

From the Blog: Stop Foreclosure Right Now. Re-Printed with permission.

Who Knew? Banks CAN change the locks on your home BEFORE they foreclose!

Who changed my locks?

When a borrower becomes seriously delinquent on their mortgage, the bank will eventually send someone to the house to verify occupancy and perhaps assess the current market value.  If the bank’s representative, who may be a real estate agent, contractor, or other third party, deems that the property is abandoned, then the bank may change the locks and secure the premises even if the bank does not yet own it.  The bank might even winterize the property to defend against the possibility of water damage from frozen pipes in the winter.

Can I get the keys?

The fine print in most mortgage loan documents allows banks to secure a mortgaged property if their field representative sees that the property is vacant.  Even if the doors are locked, the bank may change the locks on an abandoned property.  Typically the bank will not tell the owner or listing agent that they’ve changed the locks.  However, the owner and listing agent have the right to request the new keys from the bank.  We have seen banks mail the keys or provide a lockbox combination upon request, although sometimes it will take several phone calls to obtain the keys.

What happens to my stuff?

If a mortgage lender changes the locks on a vacant house prior to foreclosing on the property, they will not remove any personal items.  In other words, the bank will not clean out the house before they foreclose.

What if I am still in the property?

If the bank’s representative sees that the house is occupied, then they will not change the locks until after a foreclosure sale.  A lot of homeowners facing foreclosure have an unfounded fear that the bank will lock them out of their home prior to a foreclosure auction.  If the home is occupied, then the mortgage lender will not change the locks, nor will they seize any personal property.

Should I let the bank know that I am still in the property?

If a person who is behind on their mortgage payments still lives in the property, it is wise for them to inform their bank that the house is occupied.  If the bank is notified that someone is living in the premises, then they may not send a field representative to the house.

You can avoid foreclosure via a Short Sale. The impact of a Short Sale is far less damaging to your credit and job opportunities. If you're experiencing a hardship and unable to make your mortgage payments, contact me to learn how we can help!

From the blog: Stop Foreclosure Right Now.  Reprinted with permission.