Tag: Orlando Short sales

Top Orlando Realtors Use Realeflow

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Realeflow Gave me a Blueprint for Success

I typically don’t educate my competitors on the secrets of my success but I find myself in the Holiday spirit of giving and sharing. Also, this post serves as a long-overdue testimonial of sorts for a company that’s made a huge impact on my life and business.

By becoming a member of Realeflow, you’re becoming a member of a community of real estate professionals from all over the U.S. that are having success in their business. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten referrals or advice by networking with other members.

There’s absolutely no way that I can tell you everything that Realeflow has to offer without writing a 20,000-word post so I’m just going to give you a quick overview of some of the Realeflow tools and training that have served me well in the past few years.

You’ll quickly see that there is no other program out there that is as complete as Realeflow. From marketing to keep your files organized, to training you to be successful in any real estate market…It’s all there for you on one site!

Lead Generation

This is a big one because without leads coming into your business on a regular basis…you have no business. The system allows you to input the counties from your farm area and you will instantly start receiving lists that you can use to create mailing lists and even send postcards all right from your dashboard. You will have access to lists for buyers, sellers, bankruptcies, etc. Before I joined Realeflow I was paying a lot of money for just these lists alone. With Realeflow these lists are included with your membership.

They also have an entire library of customizable website and landing page templates that you can choose from. All you have to do is provide them with the domain names that you want them to link to. Squeeze pages have provided me with a steady flow of valuable buyer leads and still do to this day… They should call it Lead flow instead of Realeflow!

Client File Management

This is my wife’s favorite feature of Realeflow being that she’s the one that has the daunting task of dealing with demanding buyers and sellers. Our real estate brokerage specializes in Orlando short sales and if you have any experience in servicing short sale clients, you know that they want updates, updates, and more updates! Even when there’s nothing to update them about! With Realeflow this part of the business is no longer a hassle. You can update everyone single one of your sellers with just a few clicks of your mouse. And long gone are the days of having to carry heavy paper files around with you when you go out of town [I used to hate that!] Now she just logs into Realeflow and every piece of information she needs is right there at her fingertips.

 She also loves the fact that everything is time-stamped so that NOT ONLY can prove to the short sale lender that YOU DID submit everything they asked for but you also have the date and time that you submitted it. Need to submit it again? [Cause that NEVER happens…] No problem, just a click away.

Training Modules

The training modules that are included in Realeflow were the big game-changer for me. Way, way, way too much info to even start talking about but if you’re willing to go through and implement the things that are taught by Greg Clement and his team in these 8 life-changing training modules,  I promise you that it will take your business to the next level. Don’t get me wrong…you have to put in the work, but it’s worth it…at least it was for me!

 Blogging

After going through module 1 included in Realeflow, I started blogging with a “Too dumb to doubt” attitude not knowing if it would even work.  Since then my real estate blog has been the single most effective marketing tool that I have. I don’t mind sharing this information because I was posting blogs several times a week for over 2 years before it ever started to make a difference in my business. Believe it or not, statistics prove that less than 3% of Orlando real estate agents blog on a regular basis. It’s important to remember that blogging is a long-term strategy. Most realtors will start posting then quickly get frustrated and stop posting altogether.  Slow and steady wins the race. 

 The key to doing anything consistently is that you have to enjoy doing it. Have you ever known someone that starts going to the gym or dieting every day for a month or two, then they lose a bunch of weight just two end up right back where they started? They don’t stick with it because they hate working out and they hate dieting. I kept on writing blog posts because it’s something that I became very passionate about. I love the idea that I’m putting valuable information out into cyberspace where anyone in the world that is looking for it can find it just by typing a few keywords into Google. How awesome is that?!

Video Marketing

There’s a whole module that covers video marketing in Realeflow. I literally went through this module 5 times before getting enough courage to get in front of that camera. Much like blogging, I found that it was something that actually I enjoyed doing. I now use video marketing regularly and successfully in my business. Subscribe to my Youtube channel 

Greg often says… “I’ll see you on the other side” at the end of his videos and for the longest time I never understood what that meant…..Come to think of it, I STILL DON’T!  But it sounds really cool.     Do you think you know what he means? Leave a comment below.

Speed of Implementation

Greg Clement, the founder of Realeflow talks about “speed of implementation” in one of the training modules. I believe he is referring to how fast you implement something after you’ve learned it. He also says that the speed at which you implement something will be a huge factor in how successful you will be at something. I firmly believe this and I have believed it even before I heard him say it. So whatever it is that you learn through courses that you sign up for, boot camps, etc. Implement it as fast as you can because that’s the only way you’ll know if it works or not.

I can’t tell you how many real estate marketing courses that I’ve bought or signed up for in the past that have turned out to be complete BS, but I just kept on going until I found what worked for me. When it comes to marketing your business, there is no failure, only feedback. Through Realeflow I finally found what I was looking for. 

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

Cash Incentives for Short Sales Continue

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

 Cash Incentives for Short Sales

It appears that new short sale guidelines that have been put into place continue to make it easier for distressed homeowners to get relocation assistance after completing the short sale on their distressed property. Mortgage companies Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have launched a new short sale program allowing the homeowner to complete a short sale and receive cash incentives without missing any mortgage payments….It’s about time!

I don’t know why this hasn’t always been the case. I believe that as long as the homeowner can prove a valid hardship, then why force them to miss payments if they’re willing to work with the bank sooner than later. For one thing, the lender loses less money. Why would you want the homeowner to miss at least one or two payments before allowing them to start the process if they’re willing to start the process while continuing to make the payments? I think that if this were the case then there would be a lot less distressed homeowners doing a strategic default.

[HAFA] The Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program provides distressed homeowners with cash relocation incentive of $3,000.00. The problem is that the guidelines have several restrictions that many times kept distressed sellers from getting the assistance they so desperately needed.

B of A, The nation’s largest loan servicer offers the HAFA program in addition to several other in-house programs. Its most popular program is the “Cooperative Short Sale Program” which has an “Enhanced Relocation Assistance” that ranges anywhere from $2,500 to $30,000. Just this past year we were able to qualify 3 of our Orlando short sale clients for the $30,000.00 cashback at closing. Bank of America has recently launched the enhanced program on a national level. This program applies to pre-approved short sales, these are short sales that are started without there being an offer to purchase. The amount of the incentive is based on the value of the home.

 

WILL YOUR LENDER COOPERATE?

There are some who will tell you that banks would rather take a house to foreclosure or modify the loan than approve a short sale. This just isn’t true, it costs a lender a lot of time and money to take a house through the foreclosure process and at the end of the day, it’s just a numbers game.

The truth is that short sales net lenders twelve to twenty-five percent more than they would make from foreclosure because of the time and money that it takes to not only regain control over the property, but to make any repairs, market and finally resell the house. And as far as loan modifications are concerned, over half of them default within the first year then ultimately turn into short sale or foreclosure.

Lenders have finally figured this all out and that’s why they are constantly streamlining there process and continue to create enticing offers to help out distressed homeowners. By completing a short sale, a distressed homeowner can avoid going through a foreclosure and limit the damage done to their credit.

 

 

 

Realtor in Orlando, FL

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

The Best Short Sale Realtors in Orlando

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

 Orlando is one of the prime destinations for home seekers in Florida and attracts home buyers from all over the country. It has a very hot real estate market right now. If you are looking to buy or sell a home in Orlando, you will be helped a great deal by the services of a top brokerage like Orlando Realty Consultants. They have been in the business for a very long time now and have gained a lot of experience. Being a full-service brokerage, they provide a range of services to their customers.

 Orlando Short Sales

A Short sale is a situation when a home needs to be sold for less than the full payoff of the mortgage note. This can happen due to a number of reasons, which mostly include some kind of financial hardship. In the case of a short sale, it is best to enlist the help of a short sale realtor. This is a real estate agent that specializes in doing nothing but short sales which means that they are very experienced in the short sale arena.  They have the resources needed to get the short sale done and usually have a buyer lined up to buy the house as soon as the short sale is approved.

 The end result of the short sale is that the buyer gets the house at a discounted price while the seller is able to sell his house and avoid having a foreclosure on his or her record.

 Short sale negotiation

 The negotiation of a short sale of a home can be a long and arduous process. It involves a lot of legal as well as paperwork. It can get very complicated for someone to do it themselves and is best to take the advice of an expert. Even if a seller wants to do their own short sale, they would still need to have a licensed real estate agent list the property for them as part of the bank’s criteria. Short sale negotiators provide all the necessary advice and bring know-how as well as experience to these situations.

 Depending on the actual situation at hand and the condition of the house, the short sale can typically be completed in a few months.  Experienced short-sale realtors do their best to finish it as soon as possible. They try their best to uphold the interest of the seller. However, in certain cases, delays might occur because of several reasons such as a clouded title or renovations needed to make the house habitable.

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

Is Orlando Real Estate Still a Good Investment?

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Of late, there have been several bits of speculation and buzz that indicate that the Orlando real estate market is booming, with reports indicating decreased foreclosures, rising real estate prices, and a rising number of real estate sales. What we must ask ourselves is how stable is this current trend, and are we in promising times or living in a bubble that could end up in an economic collapse in times to come.

What’s changed over the last few decades?

In today’s economic and financial scenario, bank finance isn’t as readily available for Orlando real estate as it was decades before. As individual investors, individuals are hard-pressed to secure bank financing for real estate investments. What then happens, is that the small investors in a hurry to make a sizeable profit invest their own funds, often investing entire life savings to purchase real estate in order to reap the benefits in due time.

However, this doesn’t turn out well in most cases, as these investors find themselves struggling with statutory regulations such as tax assessments and payments, insurance premiums, and other fees involved in purchasing real estate. As a result, they get trapped in a state of limbo, finding themselves without their life savings, and with a compulsion to sell at a loss to recover this money.

Additionally, investor groups are backing end-users into a corner by securing real estate using cash, as the end-users cannot afford to pay all associated fees and taxes since they cannot secure bank financing. Hence, investors will end up driving out these end-users or renting out properties. In the case of rent, there is no appreciation in the value of the property, as property values will improve only if there are people willing to purchase them and start living in them. With the constantly rising prices, these practices place a lot of financial strain on the already struggling end-users.

Why reports don’t tell you things the way you need to see them

Despite the recent reports about reduced foreclosures and rising prices, why is it still a bad idea to invest in Orlando real estate?  This is because the reports don’t account for foreclosures that are dismissed due to lack of prosecution, which will not be accounted for until they are filed for again. Another possibility is that banks and similar financial institutions have a role in delaying foreclosures, simply to avoid the added burden of tax assessments and insurance.

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields

FHA’s Back To Work Program Giving 2nd Chances

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

 

 

FHA’s Back To Work Program

As an Orlando realtor, part of my job is to help potential home buyers get approved for a mortgage. Unfortunately, aren’t always able to qualify for the best mortgage programs like an FHA [Federal Housing Administration] loan because of negative credit events like having a foreclosure or short sale on their record.

Recently there’s been some great news for ex-homeowners that find themselves in this situation. FHA, formed in 1934 and part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is waiving its 3-year foreclosure awaiting period. All homeowners with FHA case numbers assigned after Aug. 25th of 2013 that have gone through a bankruptcy, short sale, foreclosure, loan mod, or a deed-in-lieu can now apply and potentially get approved for an FHA mortgage.

The FHA has the role of being the insurer of mortgages made by lenders that are FHA approved. Since the FHA’s inception, it has insured loans in the entire U.S. in addition to U.S. territories as well as the District of Columbia and holds the record as the world’s largest insurer of loans at thirty-four million loans.

Basic FHA Mortgage Guidelines:

1- Loans must be made by an FHA approved lender

2-Borrowers must be U.S. citizens

3-Borrowers must have a  minimum credit score of  at least 500

4- A down payment of at least 3.5% of the contract price is required on a purchase

5- Income is verified via W-2 or federal tax returns

Within the last several years the FHA has been steadily tightening their requirements since the housing downturn. However, since August 15 of 2013, the FHA has made the decision to ease up on their requirements when it comes to borrowers that have ” experienced periods of financial difficulty due to extenuating circumstances”. Now known as the “Back to Work Program”, the FHA has gotten rid of it’s former waiting periods that were typically followed after a negative credit event.   Here are some examples of negative credit events that can affect someone trying to get approved for an FHA mortgage loan.

* Foreclosure

* Short Sale

* Deed-in Lieu

* Bankruptcy Chapter 13

* Bankruptcy Chapter 7

* Loan modification

* Forbearance agreements

It seems that there are actually some compassionate people running this company. The FHA has come to the realization that sometimes bad credit situations are beyond the homeowner’s control and that someone’s credit doesn’t always reflect a person’s willingness or ability to pay there mortgage. One can only hope that other lending organizations will follow the FHA’s lead.

 

 

Orlando short sale expert

Let's Keep In Touch!

New ORC Form Lead

"*" indicates required fields