A real estate short sale takes place when the sales price is less than the amount of all the liens against the property. It is not just the original lender who may be foreclosing. It would include anyone who has place a lien on the property such as a home equity loan or line of credit loan.

Here is one scenario. Let’s say Bob want to sell his house. He owes more than it is worth and he has lost his job and cannot afford to make the payments any longer. His realtor advises him he has 3 options. He can let the property go into foreclosure but this will stay on his credit record for a long time which is not a desired result. He can give his lender a deed in lieu of foreclosure but this too could negatively impact him. Finally he can try and sell his property “short”. In a short sale the Borrower/Seller receives no money.

Pre-Foreclosure leads (better known as Notices of Default). Why pay for seller leads when you can get Free Courthouse Real Estate Leads? If you are only looking for lender defaults in the past month, go to the County Clerk’s Office website. Here you can register to have access to all public property records online. Once you register and sign in, go to “Foreclosures” or “Notices of Default” or “Lis Pendes” and put the dates you are searching in the search box. It will pop up anywhere from 10 to 1000 pre-foreclosures (NOD’s).

From here, you can see the official NOD from the attorney’s filing for the lender. It should list the name of the person that defaulted, the date the original loan was made, the address of the property, the original lender and the lender now, also, the servicing agent. It will list on the NOD the date of auction (which you need to be at least 6 weeks if you don’t have a lot of practice with short sales).

A lucrative career in real estate, Insurance, Financial planning and many other professions used to mean shaking a lot of hands and praying for favorable market conditions. While personal contacts and a booming market still have influence on the success in many businesses. Today’s business environment continues to undergo a powerful technological shift.

Everyday, smart businesspeople are doing innovative things on the Internet. They are using the Internet’s efficient online tools to brand their business, gather leads and create a long term client base. Podcasts are one of these new tools. A podcast is basically a short, online radio show that you produce yourself that listeners can download to their computer or MP3 player. Thousands of businesses now use podcasts to build their credibility and client base. Here are just some of the ways podcasts can help your real estate business:

1. Introduce yourself to new potential clients. Podcasts open an entirely new marketing channel for you – a direct channel straight to your target audience.

2. Build a regular audience and a sustained client base. Keep yourself top-of-mind with consistent communication with your listeners, and the next time they are thinking of buying a new home, insuring a new home, investing their savings, who will come to mind first?

It’s commonplace to try on suits, dresses, trousers or shoes before buying them. People instinctively know they need to try on clothes to be sure they fit, feel comfortable and are attractive on them. What about a home?  It’s probably the most expensive purchase you’ll ever make. Isn’t it even more important to “try on” a home before you purchase it?

What on earth do I mean?  Well, it’s usual to look for a home in places that are convenient to work and schools. Most folks take the daily commute into consideration when shopping for a home. Why not take the daily, weekly, and even monthly activities of family members consciously into account, too?

Case Study

I once helped a young, single woman named Wendy to find and buy her first home.  She worked for Geico, was rising very nicely in the company and wanted a home of her own and the tax break home ownership affords.  She asked my advice about choosing, and we had a conversation in which I mentioned many of the sorts of things I’ve said here. We made a list of what mattered to her. Then we went shopping. We looked at a lot of houses. After we came out of each one, we had a talk about how it measured up to Wendy’s list.