The best short cut to completing a short sale is actually having the lender sell the note to the property buyer.

Yes, often the lender will consider selling the note at a discount when it won't do a short sale. The difference to the lender is the cost and time saved in selling the note versus the drawn-out time required to complete a short sale.

The options to the lender are to:

Need More Real Estate Leads? Don't have a lot of money to spend on getting them? Then join the club. But believe it or not there are ways to generate low cost leads and have fun giving back to your local community at the same time.

Still, I'm one of the first ones to admit that lead generation is a challenging, ongoing, never ending process. As long as you're in real estate sales you'll need leads…and plenty of them.
So, where do you find them? The short answer is everywhere.

For example, if you have kids their schools are excellent places to network for leads. Relationships established that can easily span thirteen or more years (kindergarten through 12th grade). And given that people move sometimes on average once every 7 years or so the majority of them will potentially be repeat customers.

To get most out of your networking efforts you should to always wear something that identifies you as a real estate agent; a logo on a baseball cap, tee shirt, polo shirt, windbreaker, sports coat, that Century 21 Gold Blazer, etc.

Plus, always be prepared to give away business cards, but only when people ask for them. You don't want to be perceived as an obnoxious, pushy salesperson that people want to avoid. That would be a terrible position for both you and your kids to be in. And what 's the point of being pushy anyway, as you'll have up to 13 years to cultivate relationships with them.

The point is this…always be in a marketing and advertising mode; as real estate lead generation can be 24 hours a day, 7 days a week endeavor.

Another strategy is to register your children in sports activities; basketball, football, track, cheer leading, swimming, etc. The benefits are your kids will be healthier because of the physical activity and it will create more relationship building experiences.

Whether it 's a football game, soccer tournament or track meet you're likely to find hundreds of people gathered on any given weekend to support and cheer on their kids.

Here’s another tip. In addition to advertising through body wear, polo shirts, baseball caps, tee shirts and the like you can also distribute flyers by placing them on windshields of vehicles parked at the event.

Finally, sponsor scholarships for kids who can't afford to attend extra-curricular activities; like field trips, registration fees to play sports, etc. Unfortunately, many kids can't afford participation even low cost events, including ones costing as little as $5.00 - $10.00.

And you can do this without hurting your pocket. Here’s how.

Have a standing agreement with your child’s teacher to sponsor 1-2 kids throughout the year for different events. And without ever boasting about what you're doing (please don't) you'll generate a lot of good will while being recognized by the teacher, school administration and parent as a caring, sharing person.

You'll feel good about providing positive, lifelong memories for kids while making positive, business building relationships.

Well, there you have it - 3 low cost, effective ways to generate more real estate leads. Work them consistently, year end and year out and you'll develop a strong network of parents, teachers and school administrators that will do repeat business with you for years to come.

The definition of a luxury home has less to do with price per square foot or actual cost, but rather, the quality of workmanship that goes into a home. The special custom features that accent the home are important because they reflect the home buyer’s character or taste in an individual way. A luxury home should include some design flourishes that add to quality of life, highlight interiors or exteriors in an artistic way, and are made from materials that last for a long time.

Square Footage is Not the Definition of a Luxury Home

Many builders and home buyers confuse large square footage homes with a luxury home. A 2,000 square foot home could be defined as a luxury home or a 6,000 square foot home, that is just a big box, built with cheaper materials. It may not be classified as a luxury home.

Custom Features in Luxury Homes

In some of the luxury homes, the stair rails are custom made. You may find a stone harp on a cathedral ceiling, or a slab of redwood for a fireplace mantle. The redwood would be imported from a reliable source, and the finest cut of redwood available. Some other details would be faucets, light fixtures, custom stonework, custom embellishments on the front or back of the house, hardwood floors, and custom windows or windowpanes. These are among the features that make a house a unique luxury home, though this is not a definitive list.

Today, there are some common amenities the contemporary home buyer may want to add to a luxury home. These include billiard rooms, wet bars, wine cellars, home theaters, outdoor fireplaces, home offices, home gyms. In warmer climates, swimming pools, outdoor kitchens, and outdoor living rooms are commonly requested additions to luxury homes.

A luxury home is well-planned and executed. This means that the home utilizes space to the optimum potential for the homeowner. Many of the mansions which have been built in the last decade are constructed with number of extra bedrooms. This is not the best use of space when only two adults are living in 4,000-6,000 square feet of space. Even with just one or two children, this sort of space can be adjusted to fit a billiard room, wet bar, home theater, or home gym instead. Any of these features would add to the quality of life of the inhabitants of the home and make better use of space then extra bedrooms.

This is merely a short list of some of the amenities and special custom features that can be added to a luxury home. The list could be as unique as the owners’ imagination. For those looking for a custom builder, remember to look for a builder with a number of years of experience and good references. Attention to detail, as well as an ability to hire the right subcontractors to install the custom features correctly, is a must. Finally, if you are looking to build a custom home, know your budget. This way you will be able to decide upon the specific building materials used, and the design in advance.

Here are many reasons that a Realtor may wish to include electronic newsletters in their marketing mix:

Creating an Electronic Newsletter

There are two ways to go about creating a newsletter:

Biggerpockets.com is a big real estate blog. They are one of the opinion makers in the real estate market. The latest article on their blog “Apartment Investing - A Look at Five Year Investment Returns” has generated a lot of interest lately. We will take a look at this article and add our opinion to give you a general overview of the information and how you can use this information to earn good money without breaking a sweat.

The main feature of this post is the practicality that we really need. A step by step plan as to how you can buy an apartment building and earn from it; expenses and earnings calculated to show you an easy example. The post says “Also, I will be using as an example an eight unit apartment building with a purchase price of $300,000.00. I want to use a smaller property with smaller numbers because I believe that just about anyone, who properly prepares him or her self with the proper education and preparation beforehand can realistically purchase, manage and profit from an apartment building this size. There are many methods for securing the money for a down payment that I discuss in my course but I don’t have the time right now to list and explain them all.” The main thing you can pick from this paragraph is that you can also do this even if you are stuck in a low-paying job or have big financial responsibilities. All you need is proper education, preparation beforehand and consider doing it in a step by step manner.

The most important part of this article is where the writer breaks down the expenses and everything to show you how you can earn from your investment. The article says, “The purchase price for our eight unit apartment building is $300,000.00. We are using a bank loan for 75% of the purchase price and we are making a down payment in the amount of $75,000.00. The Net Operating Income of the building is $27,750.00. Our annual mortgage payment on the property is $19,952.76 based on our 25 year bank loan with a fixed interest rate of 7.5%. After paying our mortgage payment the building’s cash flow is $7,798.00. This cash flow gives us a cash-on-cash return of 10.4%. (the cash flow of $7,798.00 divided by the down payment of $75,000.00.)” You can learn a lot from this example. It is in fact benefits cost management information that you should really understand to comprehend the whole idea of earning from your real estate investment.

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n a nutshell, it is one of the most informative articles, I have come across recently. I am sure you can benefit a lot from it since it is a practical thing with stats and figures. You can now safely consider buying an apartment on mortgage and actually earning from it without even bothering about installments and returns.

Some spaces never feel right no matter how often they're painted, rearranged or remodeled.

What are those elusive qualities that make us comfortable make some homes more welcoming than others?

"It's not about decorations, but about bones," explained architect/author Sarah Susanka. You need a good basic skeleton into which you can pour your personal things. "The skeleton can either enhance or deaden what you bring into it. Most people don't even know what to look for, but they know it when it's there."

The Washington home, which appears to be on a Puget Sound island, is used to show how window configurations can transform a space. "What I write about grows right out of this Pacific Northwest mentality," Susanka said. "It may come out of the necessity of using light in an innovative way."

What is the Pacific Northwest mentality? We've long embraced small homes. We appreciate scale and simple beauty. "There's much more awareness of the importance of design in this part of the country. I think other parts of the world could learn from AIA Seattle (the Seattle chapter of the American Institute of Architects)."

The Washington home features a window seat — a retreat that seems to be a favorite of Susanka. Are they for everyone? No. "They can actually be a dividing point between husbands and wives," Susanka said. Women want them, men don't. "A window seat is a psychological breathing space, a place to read, a retreat."

As you make your house your own, architect/author Sarah Susanka says it's important to consider that "it's the underlying order that makes a home intelligible." Here are some of her tips:

Each state in the U.S. handles its real estate foreclosures differently, it's important to understand those differences and know your specific state's procedures.  The terms used and timeframes vary greatly from state to state, but the following information provides a general overview of the different processes and considerations.  If you haven't done so yet, you can review our guide to each state's procedures at foreclosure procedures.

Judicial foreclosures are processed through the courts, beginning with the lender filing a complaint and recording a notice of Lis Pendens.  The complaint will state what the debt is, and why the default should allow the lender to foreclose and take the property given as security.  The homeowner will be served notice of the complaint, either by mailing, direct service, or publication of the notice, and will have the opportunity to be heard before the court.  If the court finds the debt valid, and in default, it will issue  a judgment for the total amount owed, including the costs of the foreclosure process.  After the judgment has been entered, a writ will be issued by the court authorizing a sheriff's sale.  The sheriff's sale is an auction, open to anyone, and is held in a public place, which can range from in front of the courthouse steps, to in front of the property being auctioned.   Sheriff's sales will require either cash to be paid at the time of sale, or a substantial deposit, with the balance paid from later that same day up to 30 days after the sale.  Check your local procedures carefully.  At the end of the auction, the highest bidder will be the owner of the property, subject to the court's confirmation of the sale.  After the court has confirmed the sale, a sheriff's deed will be prepared and delivered to the highest bidder, when that deed is recorded, the highest bidder is the owner of the property.

Non-judicial foreclosures are processed without court intervention, with the requirements for the foreclosure established by state statutes.  When a loan default occurs, the homeowner will be mailed a default letter, and in many states, a Notice of Default will be recorded at approximately the same time.   If the homeowner does not cure the default, a Notice of Sale will be mailed to the homeowner, posted in public places, recorded at the county recorder's office, and published in area legal publications.  After the legally required time period has expired, a public auction will be held, with the highest bidder becoming the owner of the property, subject to their receipt and recordation of the deed.  Auctions of non-judicial foreclosures will generally require cash, or cash equivalent either at the sale, or very shortly thereafter.

It is important to note that each non-judicial foreclosure state has different procedures.   Some do not require a Notice of Default, but start with a Notice of Sale.   Others require only the publication of the Notice of Sale to announce the sale, with no direct owner notification required.  You need to know the specific procedure for your state.

Ah that listing presentation. Some of your might wonder what goes wrong during a listing presentation. The question is do you really sound like to your clients? Do you get the signature quickly and efficiently at your desired price? Are they loopholes in your presentation?

These are valid thoughts regarding your presentation. You need to make your presentation perfect to get desired results. Take an example of a sports or Athletic teams. They watch films of themselves and their opponents to evaluate their performance. They watch videotapes of their game assess their mistakes or shortcomings. You should also videotape your presentations to evaluate your shortcomings. If you want to be truly professional, you should record the audio/video version of your presentation. Consider the following steps to record your presentations:

By listening to the audio, you will increase your confidence because you will know what your strengths are. You will build stronger rapport with your clients because you will know the areas in which you need improvement.

The recording will also reveal where you are wasting time in your presentation. The listing presentation can almost always be more effective if done in less time. No matter how good you are at the listing presentation, you will find that you talk too much and don’t ask enough questions.

So the key is to ask questions:

·         What are two or three things I did well?

·         Did I listen to my client’s concerns?

·         How much time did I talk?

·         How much time did my client talk?

·         Did I stay on track during the presentation?

·         What is one area I could improve on?

·         What did my client get most excited about?

·         What steps do I need to take to stay on track better?

It certainly takes courage to record presentations and review them. It is not necessary that your perception of the truth is the actual truth. It is certainly a courageous act to face the truth and improve!