Posts Tagged ‘foreclosure’

Hottest Foreclosure Cleanup Business Tips

Friday, January 2nd, 2009

hottest-foreclosure-cleanup-business-tipsForeclosure cleanup is one of the unsurpassed businesses to start according to the “USA Today” article; ‘Trash-out’ firms clean up in foreclosure biz. It states: “Entrepreneur Magazine included a foreclosure cleanup business – Cyprexx Services of Brandon, Fla. – in its 2008 “Hot 100 Fastest Growing Businesses” list.”
If you desire to start a foreclosure cleanup business, following are five things you need to know going in.
1. Get Licensed, Bonded and Insured: Banks and real estate companies will require you to be licensed and insured if you own a foreclosure cleanup business. If you’re not, you won’t get work from them. And, as they hold the bulk of homes that need your services, you will want to make sure that you are.
Insist on
How much insurance should you get? Most require a $1 million liability policy, along with workmen’s compensation. Your insurance agent will be able to advise you on exactly what you need.

2. Consult with Various Contractors: In the foreclosure cleanup business, you will need the services of various contractors, electricians, painters, plumbers, etc. Before you begin, line up a few in each niche. Even if you’re skilled in these areas, it’s easy to get so busy that you will need to outsource work.

Contractor Tip: Subcontract to contractors who are licensed as well. For example, if you have to hire an electrician, the bank may ask for the electrician’s certification to ensure that wiring was done correctly.

3. Expect the Unexpected: In the foreclosure cleanup business, you never know what you’re going to get when you go into a house. There could be feces on the walls (more common than you may think), animals left behind (eg, an angry Doberman who rushes you as you enter the premises), or angry tenants who haven’t left yet.

So, prepare to expect the unexpected with your foreclosure clean out business. For example, never enter a property for the first time alone, knock on doors and rattle fences to see if an animal or person is present, etc.

4. Quick Turnaround: In the foreclosure cleanup business, banks and agents expect quick turnaround. Usually, they want you to start as soon as possible after your bid is accepted. Hence, as you’re preparing your estimate, keep this in mind.

Think about the diverse contractors you may have to hire and what their schedules are like. For example, if you can handle the painting, but you need someone to hang the sheetrock but your contractor can’t do it for three days, you will have to build this into your timeline.

Logistics can be a nightmarish in this business when dealing with subcontractors. That’s why you want to try to work with the same ones all the time. The more work your foreclosure cleanup business throws their way, the more likely they are to give your jobs priority over others.

5. Hire a dependable Receptionist: Many think of a receptionist as a lowly paid employee and don’t give much thought to who they put in this position. However, particularly in the foreclosure cleanup business, the person who answers the phone can mean landing a $10,000 job, or not.

Why is this? When banks and real estate agencies are calling companies for foreclosure clean up jobs, they are usually going through the phone book or surfing the internet looking for companies. If someone doesn’t pick up the phone, they’re off to the next listing – usually they don’t leave a message.

So, hire someone who is personable, reliable and professional. And, pay them well. For they are the front line of your foreclosure cleanup business.

To learn everything you need on how to start a foreclosure clean out business, log on to Start-a-Foreclosure-Cleanup-Business dot com.

May be reprinted with the following, in full: To learn everything you need on how to start a foreclosure cleanup business, log on to Start-a-Foreclosure-Cleanup-Business.com for 200 pages of first-hand information from the owner of a leading foreclosure cleanup company in Atlanta, GA. View the news video featuring the company here as well.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Yuwanda_Black

Tags: cleanup, fastest growing businesses, foreclosure

Discover Ultimate Hottest Tips for Buying Foreclosure Homes

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008

discover-ultimate-hottest-tips-for-buying-foreclosure-homesAt present, the U.S financial system is at recession and a huge number of folks have lost their jobs. Several home owners who have taken home mortgage loans are no longer able to make their repayment and it has mainly contributed in the rise of the number of Foreclosure homes. The banks and the financial institutes in order to make up their loss ceased the homes of those home owners who default on their home loans. Today, there is abundance of bank foreclosures and government foreclosure homes that are vacant to buy. Foreclosure homes for sale have absolutely provided a great opportunity to those buyers to get their dream home that they would have otherwise find it hard to afford. As foreclosed homes for sale are available at a bargain basement priced rate of 40%-50% less than the market price of the home, it allows the buyers to save substantial amount money. Moreover, buyers and investors can sell the foreclosed home after buying it for profit. They can also keep renters for rental charges. It is also safe to buy foreclosed home as the bank owns the clear title of the property and the buyer have to deal only with the bank.

If you are looking for a foreclosed home, you get the one of your choice by following some easy step by step procedures. There are many banks that frequently advertise their available foreclosures for sale on various newspapers as well as magazines. You can study some of them and look whether you could get a good deal from them. Other than newspapers and magazines, one of the best sources to get information of home foreclosure is on the Internet. Today, almost every bank offers banks foreclosure listings on the Internet and you can make some research on it. There are numerous websites of various companies offering different kind of foreclosure house listings from different cities. By logging in to one of these websites you could study their foreclosure listing to search for your desired home. It is also advisable for you to hire a professional real estate agent as he will be able to assist you through all the buying process. Moreover, he will perform all your essential paperwork of purchasing your foreclosed home and allow you to save your precious time. Other than bank foreclosures there are also a wide range of government foreclosures where you can get a foreclosed home of your choice. If you want a government foreclosure then a real estate agent can offer you all its information.

Before you buy a foreclosed property, you should always check the current condition of the home. By knowing its condition you will be able to estimate a sum that you will need for renovation and repairs. The home foreclosure listing will provide you all the details regarding your foreclosed home. You could know the location of the house and that price that it cost. You should make a through inspection of the house in order to avoid future inconveniences. The bank will propose a higher price for the house. However, it is your legal right to make negotiation and you can reduce the total price by making a reasonable bargain.

Search foreclosures by state or get more information on foreclosure homes at ForeclosureRepos.com

Kevin Simpson, GM Sales & Marketing

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Simpson

Tags: Discover, foreclosure, Ultimate

Foreclosure or Short Sale

Sunday, November 30th, 2008

foreclosure-or-short-saleIf you are one of the millions of folks in the country that can no longer hang on to your home for the reason that either your job situation has changed, inflation or some other destitution has hit you need to make some decisions. In very few cases you can get your mortgage adjusted by working with you mortgage company and trying to get it restructured. This unfortunately is not very successful yet although it should become an easier and feasible option.

Before you get so far along and end up foreclosed on which has long term ramifications on your credit as well as keep you from qualifying to buy another home for many years to come. Recognize your situation early on and talk to your lender about a possible short sale. If you are unsure about how this works or what it is, contact an experienced Realtor in your area to assist you with applying for a short sale.

So what is a short sale and why is it a good option for you? A short sale is much better situation all around than a foreclosure. A short sale is basically trying to get your home sold for less than is owed but enough that your mortgage company will be willing to settle on. For example, say you owe $300,000 and your home is now only worth or appraised at around $250,000 and you cannot keep up with the payments or have already fallen behind. Your lender is probably willing to take less than they are owed.

Basically, they know that the foreclosure process and the time that it takes as well as the condition of the home will likely be far less appealing which will ultimately give them even less than a short sale might bring them. The process can be lengthy but usually will push the foreclosure process out. In order for the foreclosure to be pushed out to a later date you must have an offer on the home so you need to make your decision at least a few months prior to the foreclosure date.

Applying for a short sale will take several things, you will need to give them a hardship letter explaining the reason you are requesting a short sale as well as debt to income statement and bank statements as well as W2 forms. They need all of these documents so they can see that you do not have the money to make the payments or enough income compared to debt to continue the payments.

Get your home on the market! If your home is on the market and a short sale is pending it must be marketed as a short sale pending lender approval. Keeps your home looking as nice as you would if you were trying to sell if for a profit. This is very important because the clock will continue to click on towards a foreclosure until an actual offer comes in and is submitted to the bank for approval. Once you actually get an offer then the wait will begin for all parties. Depending on whether you have one mortgage or two with a second on it will make the time frame longer or shorter. Either way it will take several weeks before you will get an answer from the lender; if it has a second then the wait could be longer as the first must negotiate with the second on how much they are willing to take. Keep in mind, the second would not get anything if the home went to foreclosure as they are in second position.

Be sure you contact your lender and a Realtor that is familiar with short sales before a foreclosure in inevitable.

Nancy Niblett is a highly successful Real Estate Agent specializing in the Chandler area. She credits her success to hard work, integrity and honesty. Clients continue to refer her over and over again. Nancy is one of the most successful award-winning agents and currently with West USA Revelation. She was awarded the Silver Top Producing individual agent in 2004, Double Gold individual in 2005 and the annual Spirit and Integrity award in 2005 and 2006. Her most cherished moment was bestowed on her in 2006, the Regional “Culture” award, which is the highest attainable honor given.

In 2006 and 2007 she received the Silver Top Producing Individual Award and the Association of Realtors Presidential Multi-Million Dollar Producer Club Award for the past 7 years straight.

For several years she has been part of the Agent Leadership Council. She has served as the Chairperson for the KW Cares Charity Organization and has raised thousands of dollars for Hurricane Katrina victims as well as for Make-a-Wish Foundation and other charities.

Tags: foreclosure

Should I Let My House Go Into Foreclosure?

Saturday, November 22nd, 2008

Last week I had lunch with a good friend of mine who is a successful real estate investor and in the last several years he’s bought, sold, flipped, rehabbed and rented numerous homes. However the times have tainted and he now finds himself owning several houses that he does not want.

With home values dropping-correcting he owes more than the houses are worth plus he has negative cash flow. Let’s just say with all the houses he owes 500K more than the houses are worth. Financially he’s doing very well and has plenty of cash. His credit score is in the 700’s.

There is no rescue for him nor should there be. Nobody forced him to do anything. Nobody expected values to drop so fast or hard. It is what it is.
He asked me what he should do and my answer may surprise you. I told him to make a business decision and asked him the following question… Would it be worth 500K to trash your credit?

The answer should be obvious.
The challenge for several is pride and ego. The truth is when the loans were taken out the contract was if the loan was not paid the lender could foreclose and the borrower will lose the home. As much as I am against losing a home to foreclosure tough decisions must be based on an intelligent decision and not emotion.

The markets have changed. If you are carrying negative equity you should consider making the best business decision available and this may include letting a house go to foreclosure. You could literally owe 200K today and buy back the same house or one like it for 100K as a foreclosure or REO on the same street.

Donald Trump has had companies file for bankruptcy several times and even the Governor of Texas filed for bankruptcy while they were governor.

These are changing times and even though my friend is well off financially he has to decide if it is worth 500K or more to lose several houses to foreclosure and rebuild his credit. The alternative is to keep losing more and more money every month.

What would you do?

Please post a response in the blog below.

About the author:

Gerald Romine is a nationally recognized real estate expert that has been featured across North America sharing the stage with political leaders, film stars, and business leaders. Since 1989, Gerald has been involved with real estate as a real estate agent, broker, rehabber, investor, and builder and has been involved with everything from houses to apartments. For more information about Gerald’s products or services visit http://www.kickassrealestate.com.

Tags: foreclosure