Boomer’s Blog

A huge, largely underestimated and under-reported glut of foreclosed, real estate owned (REO) inventory is clogging up the U.S. housing market, and the majority of doesn’t seem to appear on the MLS. The size of this “ghost inventory” is unknown, but its effects cold be chilling for cash-strapped lenders. What does this mean to real estate investors? Tons of cash if you know how to buy right and stay on top of the real estate marketing curve.

Inventories, Foreclosure Filings Skyrocket
In November, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported an 11.2-month inventory of existing homes on the market, up from a 10.3-month in October. But now it seems those sky-high numbers statistics could continue rising dramatically, which is likely to lower home sales prices, and slow overall U.S. economic recovery.

Foreclosure filings were reported on 2.3 million U.S. properties in 2008, and an 81 percent hike from 2007, and a whopping 225 percent surge from 2006, according to RealtyTrac’s U.S. Foreclosure Market Report released in mid-January.

These inventory and foreclosure statistics are interesting enough to raise a few eyebrows among hungry real estate investors. But when RealtyTrac compared NAR’s MLS data with its foreclosure data they raised more than a few eyebrows: they raised the question of whether a vast “ghost inventory” is lingering in REO lender clutches, and if so, is it poised to deliver another hard blow to the U.S. housing market?

Piecing together the “Ghost Inventory” Puzzle
RealtyTrac recently examined the MLS listings in four states, including California, Maryland, Florida and Wisconsin, and found that they contained only a third of the foreclosures it has in its database. Research and analysis by Mr. Mortgage points to an even more widespread problem. There are several possible reasons for this apparent disparity and none of them are good for lenders.

At a minimum, preliminary data suggest that only one-third of foreclosures are reaching the MLS database, and it’s entirely likely that this is a conservative estimate.

The value of REO property on the books of FDIC-insured banks at the end of the Q3  rose 21 percent from the previous quarter, to $23 billion. That total represents a 134 percent increase over last year, according to the latest quarterly report released by the FDIC.

Since there is no reliable way to track these data and existing systems are likely overwhelmed by the high volumes of foreclosures working their way through the system, all we have at this point are estimates as to the number of houses that are haunting  REO’s “ghost” or “shadow”  inventory, as it also is coming to be known.

According to CNNMoney, current U.S. housing market declines are likely to sharpen dramatically as a result of this situation because so many foreclosed homes are lingering in bank possession without representation in the MLS.  Regardless of how the government and lenders approach the problem, averting a tidal wave of foreclosures appears to be impossible.

What’s the Holdup?
What could explain this Grand Canyon-sized gap between the numbers of foreclosures that are recorded vs. the number that has appeared on the MLS? Here are a few explanations that immediately come to mind:

• Inventories of foreclosed and REO properties has grown so fast and in such high volumes that the banks can’t keep up with processing demands, which could delay the MLS listing process.
• Federal and state government attempts to slow the foreclosure tide and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s holiday moratoria on foreclosures are contributing to MLS listing delays for many of these properties.
• Because it’s taking longer to process the foreclosures, the REO properties are getting vandalized or suffering natural damage as a result of what’s becoming long-term neglect. Getting these properties on the MLS is further delayed while banks grapple with making necessary repairs.
• It’s also possible that lenders are lagging in submitting these distressed property listings to the MLS in hopes of deferring their losses as long as possible in hopes of protecting their institutions from insolubility.
• Many of these REO properties might already be listed as short sales.

What does the Ghost Inventory Mean to Your Business?
REO housing inventories are expected to shatter more records in 2009 as more of them hit the market and banks continue their struggle to stay afloat. These market conditions are ideal for real estate investors who deploy sound purchasing strategies and stay on top of the game with effective real estate marketing.

For a quick  video detailing how and why this “ghost inventory” is likely to unleash a mighty wave of foreclosure inventory on the U.S. Housing market, check out this Mr. Mortgage interview on CNBC’s Faber Report.

SalesTeamLive Tows Your REI Bottom Line
As housing markets evolve, so must your marketing strategies. If you want your business to thrive, especially in a challenging economic landscape, you’ve got to set your priorities. If marketing doesn’t top your list, you’re cramping your growth and potential for profits in this business.
If you’re looking for cost-effective strategies that are designed to conquer today’s markets and build a stronger future for this business, SalesTeamLive’s Done-for-You marketing campaigns deliver results you can bank on.

To learn how you can leverage quick-fire market developments such as the REO “Ghost Inventory” to generate tons of cash for your real estate investing business, check out SalesTeamLive or call us directly at 1-877-STL1 (that’s 877-438-7851).

Historians may beg to differ on this point, but I’ve found solid evidence that outsourcing can be traced directly back to the Guinness Book of World Records’ vote for the World’s Greatest Salesman: Joe Girard. (I relate these facts with utmost respect for Mr. Ferriss.)

Joe sold 13,001 cars between 1963 and 1978 at a Detroit Chevy dealership. At that time Chevy ruled the automotive industry, and if you’ve ever seen a 1963 Chevy Corvette Stingray, you might think they did a pretty good job of selling themselves. To help put the time frame and scope of Joe’s astounding sales record in perspective, I’ve found an awesome 1963 TV ad for Chevy’s amazing winking automobile:

Embrace Change and Follow Through

Joe’s venture into auto sales, ironically enough, began after a failed real estate venture left him broke and with a family to feed. Joe had no experience in auto sales, but convinced the dealership’s owner to give him a shot — and a tiny space to work while he learned the ropes. He got fired from this gig for being too “aggressive” and didn’t give up. He moved on to the next position he would hold for the rest of his automotive sales career.

Joe still holds the all-time record for car and truck sales in one year: 1,420 vehicles! In one day alone, he once sold 18 vehicles.  According to the Automotive Hall of Fame, at a time when only 5 percent of dealerships in the U.S. sold 1,000 cars per year. Girard was averaging that amount each year by himself!

How Did He Do It?!
As his success grew, Joe began outsourcing his busywork by hiring staff (on his own dime) to handle the busywork, like filling out forms and getting clients qualified for their purchases. He was willing to spend a relative pittance of his own money so he would be free to focus on closing the deals.  Joe’s keen attention to the details that make a difference doesn’t stop there.

Joe also sent practically every person he ever met 13 cards per year: He sent one monthly and another at Christmas because he knew that the competition would most likely to be stewing over their eggnog than following up on leads. (Does this remind you of that stack of yellow real estate postcards you’ve been meaning to get in the mail?)

Real Estate Investors: It’s 11 O’clock, Do You Know Where Your Leads Are?
To learn how to apply these principals to your real estate investing business and make the most of your business by improving your real estate marketing, check out my new article: “10 Reasons Why Your Real Estate Marketing Should Go Postal.”

Since a lot of real estate investors I talk to have a shared gap in salesmanship skills, I wanted to include a little something extra here to get my members on the right track to improving their real estate marketing and sales skills on-the-fly.

Now in his 80s, Joe still lives in Michigan and though he has long since retired from auto sales, his rules of success continue to inspire us all.  I’m re-printing them from Joe’s Web site below in hopes that my fellow real estate investors will get as much out of them as I have:
Joe Girard’s 13 Rules of Success

1. HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE: Hang around with positive people, stay away from crybabies and complainers, because they will pull you down to their level.  If something isn’t going right in your life, keep it to yourself, no one wants to hear your problems, make people believe you are having a wonderful time.
2. ORGANIZE YOUR LIFE: Keep an appointment book so that you don’t have to use the words that sicken me: “I FORGOT.”  At the end of each day, meditate upon what you did or did not do, so you can become stronger for tomorrow.  Plan your work for the next day.  If you know where you are going you will get there.  If you don’t, you are LOST!
3. WORK WHEN YOU WORK: Don’t take long lunch hours, and only eat with people who can help your cause, not with other salespeople.  Do not sneak out of work early, if you do you are a LOSER.
4. OBSERVE GIRARD’S NO-NOs: No smoking or chewing tobacco, no gum, no colognes, no profanity, no dirty jokes, no alcohol breath, and men should not wear earrings at work.  Turn off cell phones - they’re irritating.  The biggest killer of them all is NOT BEING ON TIME.
5. DRESS THE PART: what kind of people are you dealing with.  If you are selling to blue collar workers, don’t wear $500 suits and expensive shoes, jewelry or watches (it’s a big distraction).  Wear it on your own time, not when you’re working - clothes can turn people off.
6. ALWAYS LISTEN:  People can tell if you’re not listening.  The longer you listen, the more obligated people will feel towards you.  The more you listen, the more likely a customer is going to do business with you.  Listening shows that you care.  “The mouth should only be used for eating - keep your mouth shut!”  Silence is Golden.
7. SMILE FREELY:  A smile increases your face value.  If people would smile more, your customers would feel better and want to do business with you, plus it’s great for your health!
8. RETURN ALL PHONE CALLS & EMAILS: Not returning calls or emails are a way to lose customers and friends.  Return your calls and emails as soon as possible.  If you don’t, that’s a good way to burn a bridge!
9. TELL THE TRUTH: If you get caught in a lie even once, you will always be a liar.  Even if you tell the truth for the rest of your life, you won’t be trusted or believed, consider yourself DEAD.
10. DON’T OVERCHARGE: If you do, and the customer compares your deal with somebody else, you have lost him.  Take a little and leave a little; Joe only worked on a small profit, but he was heavy on volume, averaging six retail automobile sales a day.  Word of mouth got around that YOU CAN’T BEAT JOE GIRARD’S PRICE.
11. STAND IN FRONT OF YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICES (not behind them):  The most important thing to do for your customer is SERVICE them, and they will do business with you over and over again. This is what made JOE #1 IN THE WORLD.
12. LOCK UP EVERY SALE: After you have closed the sale, ask your customers why they bought from you - if they tell you why, they are reinforcing their trust in you.  Therefore no more buyers’ remorse, MEANING NO MORE CANCELLATIONS.
13. REWARD YOURSELF: Treat yourself well for all the smart work you have done; YOU DESERVE IT!

Make the Most of Your Resources

Are you interested in making the most out of your real estate investing business without breaking the bank? When you join GaryBoomershine.com you get all the tips and tricks you need to maximize your real estate ROI.  Join us and you’ll be amazed to learn about how the little details that can make all the difference in your real estate business can be simple and cost-effective to implement.

Becoming a member is easy. Please sign in using the yellow fields at the right side of this page or on the main page at GaryBoomershine.com.

A lot of real estate investors with  short sales and pre-foreclosure backgrounds are used to dealing with incredibly motivated sellers, but today’s best deals are those with equity. Do you have the “right stuff” to angle these deals like a real estate professional?

Five High-Equity Markets Show You the Money
There are five major real estate market segments that offer investors the greatest opportunities to access equity. Homeowners in each of these segments have mindsets that real estate investors must understand  in order to successfully negotiate a deal.

Additional information about how to tap these markets is covered in greater detail in my article: “Pounce on High-equity Real Estate Markets for Maximum ROI.”  (Follow this link to ArticleBase for instant access to this story.)

1. Equity: Bigger is Better: Find homeowners with 40 percent to 100 percent equity. U.S. Census Bureau data reveal that property owners in this arena currently control one-third of all single-family homes. Often, they’re near or at retirement age, are empty nesters and are looking to downsize.
2. Adjustable Rate Mortgages with Equity: Homeowners with adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) and equity  usually had an ARM for three years or more before they opt to sell. If they owe less than 70 percent on the loan relative to the house’s value, these homeowners may be looking to execute their own exit strategies while they still have equity - - and before their ARMs re-set.
3. Wholesale Real Estate: Properties in this segment are typically old enough to drink legally and tend to have cosmetic and deferred maintenance challenges. In this category, homes with loans at approximately  70 of a property’s value are great targets for real estate investors seeming to max their real estate ROI
4. Multiple Family Units with Equity: Here, concentrate  on sellers with at least two rental units and a maximum loan-to-value of 70 percent or less to buy, hold or flip income properties. These sellers likely are motivated to sell by ongoing tenant and maintenance hassles. They also may be amenable to financing your purchase if they can defer capital gains taxes and rake in some cash flow through you instead of dealing with rent collection.
5. Out-of-Towners: Absentee homeowners are easily identifiable because their mailing address on public record is different from their property address. Property owners in this segment often are disgruntled landlords with single-family homes or multi-unit properties.

Negotiating with High-Equity Sellers

Making deals happen with these property owners often requires more enhanced real estate marketing. Keep in mind that since they have equity, they’re not as likely to have the motivation of a distressed property owner. Though you may have to mail multiple real estate postcards to property owners in this group, you should be aware of local market changes in their areas.

Many of my clients at SalesTeamLive are reporting an across-the-board boost in high-equity homeowner willingness to deal. We can attribute this shift to the ailing economy, stock market and retirement fund losses, and cost-of-living and healthcare price hikes. Many are deciding that downsizing now is the safest way to preserve their standards of living — and their real estate nest eggs.

Someone who says no in June may have a totally different attitude come March,  when their homes still haven’t sold and they see comp prices dropping around them. This is especially true in a post-hot market where owners are facing the grim realities the market just won’t support the price they had set in their heads six months ago.

The trick is to be persistent and keep in touch. And however you communicate with high-equity homeowners, be sure to make a good impression. These days more than ever, your real estate investment business depends on it!

One Best Practice Your Mother Probably Told You About
Sending out personalized thank you cards to folks after your presentation isn’t just the polite thing to do. It’s a best practice to reinforce your professionalism, presence and status as a problem solver for your prospects.

Be resilient and implement best practices to be successful in tapping these real estate markets. Suddenly, you may find your focus shifting from what the best color is for a real estate marketing postcard to how to handle the incredibly high volume of calls you’re receiving.

It takes only a few seconds to change the way that you view your real estate business — and the world. For more best practices and strategies that rock your real estate world, sign into GaryBoomershine.com using the yellow fields on the right side of this page or on the GaryBoomershine.com main page.

In your mind’s eye, pile up all the money you made last year on your dining room table. Take a long, hard look at it and think of all the hard work you put into building that pile. Just enjoy the vision of your accomplishments, and try not to not think about the chunk that’s going out for taxes.

Now ask yourself, and answer honestly: Are you following up on your warm leads?

Whatever amount of money you made last year, if you’re not following up on your warm leads, you might as well take half of it out to the BBQ and set it on fire. Sound crazy? Consider the facts.

Only 2 percent of deals take place after your first conversation with a prospect. The remaining 98 percent of real estate sales transactions take place after a dozen or so contacts with once warm and even some cool conversations with prospects.

More than ever before, this detail is critical to meeting the challenges of today’s rapidly changing real estate markets. Why? There are nearly as many reasons as there are absurd corporate bonuses being doled out on Wall Street. But for many real estate investors, the reasons are glaring in the recent headlines.

Real estate research and analysis firm HousingPredictor.com predicts that U.S.  housing prices will slip as much as 12.5 percent this year, compared to last year’s estimated 11 percent nosedive.

Even homeowners with equity are starting to feel the pain amid unemployment surges and credit market constrictions. For many, cost of living hikes are their only regular source of cardiac exercise.

And as we know, folks looking to downsize and rebuild their nest eggs after Wall Street’s collapse last year are finding that their homes are staying on the market like so many jars of tainted peanut butter.

Given these crushing variables, once-optimistic sellers who scoffed at your presentation even as recently as few months ago may be ready to roll out the red carpet if you can get them out of the red.

If you’re not following up on warm leads, you’re missing out on 80 percent of your deal potential. Think about it, if you’re just focusing on the 20 percent that your business’ front end brings to your plate, you’re throwing away $4 for every $1 you make.

The writing’s on the wall and by now, the song should be playing in your head: The real estate times they are a changin’.

Not too long ago, it seems that a real estate investor worth his or her weight in bandit signs couldn’t jiggle a lock box without finding a killer deal. The deals are still out there, but nailing them down may require a change in perspective, some new best practices and an action plan that meets current market demands.

Your solution could  be as simple as  a little yellow real estate marketing postcard — and you don’t even have to lick a stamp!

Ponder that. And if you’re interested in all the details that  easily can add $100,000 to your table in 2009, join us here at GaryBoomershine.

Just sign in using the yellow fields on the right side of this page or on the main page at GaryBoomershine.com and you’ll get access to the information you need to refine your approach and maximize your resources on the road to extreme real estate investing profits. Act soon and you’ll get your copy of my monthly report exclusively for real estate investors.

Yale graduate, NFL Veteran, A&E TV network host of “Flip this House” and superstar real estate entrepreneur Than Merrill is adding “REI Spy” to his impressive resume in his “Mission Impossible” video series. All the intrigue is leading up to an exciting launch we’ll talk more about next week.

The Spy Who Loved REI
All you have to do to make your real estate business Mission Possible in 2009 is grab some popcorn and sign in with Than. Beyond the spoofs and goofs for the camera in the intro videos for this series is some awesome, pitch-free content.

In the first video, Than and his real estate investment business partner Paul (who you also may recognize from their hit TV show) delve into the nuts and bolts of investing in probate properties for wholesale. Their innovative approach to tapping probate markets blew me away.

This training is incredibly comprehensive and robust. Because Than’s training is geared for wholesalers, he’s sharing a fresh perspective that puts an entirely new spin on probate real estate investing as we know it.

Got Leads?
In the second video, Than guides us through a simple 15-minute process using Google’s local business listings to pull the trigger on rapid, high-volume REI lead generation online.

This training is useful because it simplifies a process for scoring leads online that for too many of us, remains a highly technical mystery that can be downright intimidating.

If you think there are a lot of gurus in REI . . . just type:

search+engine+optimization

In any search engine on the planet, and you’ll instantly find more experts than cockroaches in a section 8 rehab. You’ll also quickly discover that the price of their advice is nearly as attractive and reach for the aspirin.

The information you’ll likely find while trying to get a handle on an affordable, scalable and effective Internet marketing solution can be confusing, conflicting, and incredibly expensive.

Web 2.0 marketing is here to stay, folks. And you don’t have to sell a kidney to make it affordable for your business.

In this video, Than clearly demonstrates that if you use some common sense, it won’t cost you any vital organs — or your life’s savings to start scoring leads and raise your real estate investing business profile online.

Got Tips? You Could Win Free Bootcamp Excursion with Than!
Share your single best real estate marketing strategy to find buyers on Than’s blog when you sign in to watch his videos and Win! Than will choose the most creative entry and announce his pick. Than says the winner will receive two tickets to his next four-day real estate marketing and wholesaling Bootcamp.

The most surprising entry I’ve seen so far calls for investors to scan the news for homes that police have been determined to be meth labs. Apparently, those owners are incredibly flexible and eager to make a deal. Though very creative, this business model may have some flaws ….

Do yourself a favor this weekend. Visit Than Here, get some useful free training and let your creative juices flow!

As the economy, troubled job markets and the credit crunch push a growing number of homeowners towards foreclosure, pressure has mounted for policymakers to implement home loan modification programs and policies to curb the foreclosure epidemic’s spread. So far, top-level efforts to help homeowners avoid foreclosure appear to be failing, but bad news for homeowners and banks may trigger a short sale renaissance for real estate investors in the New Year.

Is “Hope for Homeowners” Hopeless?
In July, Congress passed a $300 billion Hope for Homeowners program which was supposed to help an estimated 300,000 homeowners avoid foreclosure when it took effect in October. Fortune reports that only 321 applications to the “Hope for Homeowners” program have been completed. And the Department of Housing and Urban Development says that the costly program has so far produced zero loan workouts. Some say that the heavy stakes for banks has crippled the plan.

Loan Modifications Lead Homeowners to Speedy Re-Defaults
Although a lot of folks are saying that reworking mortgage terms is the silver bullet in stemming the foreclosure tide, but prevailing evidence to the contrary shoots that idea down with a vengeance.  If loan modifications are anything in today’s rough and tumble real estate markets, they’re a boon to pre-foreclosure and short sale investing.

U.S. Currency Comptroller John Dugan announced in December some interesting data from the latest quarterly Mortgage Metrics report from the U.S. Office of Thrift Supervision which tracks mortgages and modifications for Nearly 35 million loans worth more than $6 trillion, or about 60 percent of all first-lien mortgages including prime, Alt-A, and subprime mortgages, and using standardized definitions for loan modifications.

Here are some remarkable data from the U.S. Office of Thrift Supervision’s 2008 Mortgage Metrics reports:

• More than half of the mortgages that were modified in Q1 2008 again became delinquent within six months.
• Three months after individual loan modifications, nearly 40 percent of the borrowers’ mortgages were more than 30 days past due.
• Within six months of modification, the re-default rate hit 53 percent.
  Eight months following mortgage modification, the number of re-defaults rose to nearly 60 percent.

Policymakers Continue to Target Foreclosure Epidemic in 2009
State and federal lawmakers — and other officials convening in the New Year are gearing up to take action to slow the foreclosure process. These efforts, combined with a heightened sense of cooperation from banks who’ve been hard-hit in the economic crisis will shine a new light on pre-foreclosure and short sale deals as we move into the new year.

Massive Profit Potential for Short Sale Investors
Amid so much shifting activity in other real estate market segments in 2008, popular investor focus strayed briefly from pre-foreclosure and short sale deals. But with the current national trend towards slowing and perhaps suspending foreclosures, all levels of pre-foreclosure and short sale deals are likely to generate millions of dollars for savvy real estate entrepreneurs in 2009.

Don’t Be a Sucker: Get the Facts Before you Invest
To get the lowdown on safe strategies for investing in short sale and pre-foreclosure real estate, join GaryBoomershine.com using the yellow fields on the right side of this page or on the main page of GaryBoomershine.com.

Beat Your Competition & Make Tons of Cash in 2009!

Join Dan Doran and me Tonight at 9:00 p.m. EST or Thurs. at 1:00 p.m. EST & Discover What’s Working in the New Year!

Help Us Cast Off the Old & Ring in the New Year with Cutting-Edge REI Strategies, Tools and Tips!

Do you have trouble sticking to your New Year’s resolutions? It’s not your fault! Even in the Information Age, it’s easy to get lost in the challenge of generating the volume of real estate marketing leads that it takes to tackle inclement markets and build a business that can withstand any storm.

Recalibrate your Business for Today’s Markets
So many tend to over think, overanalyze, and procrastinate when it comes to getting the marketing out. Especially these days, when being your own boss is more costly than ever, marketing often the first item to suffer when the going gets tough. But letting your real estate marketing slide can touch off a downward spiral that could kill your profit potential in the New Year.

Are your real estate marketing efforts in tune with your business goals for 2009? Take this quiz and discover where you may be falling short. Answer these five questions with a quick “yes” or “no” to determine if you’re achieving maximum returns on your real estate marketing (ROI).

1.    What’s your real estate marketing’s return on investment (ROI)?

2.    Can you measure the success of your real estate marketing in dollars and cents?

3.    Do you know what REI strategies will work best in 2009?

4.    Is it a strain to make your marketing budget’s ends meet?

5.    Are you afraid that profits may be out of reach for your business in the New Year?

Where Do You Stand?
Each “Yes” answer is a red flag that it’s time to concentrate your efforts on proven strategies designed to conquer today’s markets. This is the only way to generate a tremendous volume of leads that’ll withstand the tests of father time and mother market conditions.

At some point in our careers, most of us learn the hard way that the work, cash and headaches it takes to independently handle our real estate marketing can be crushing to the entrepreneurial spirit as well as to the bank account. It doesn’t have to be that way!

Nix Frustration and Waste in your Business
Someone needs to cut through all the static and talk about the straight facts & emerging strategies that’ll shelter your business in 2009 — and beyond. So, in response to GaryBoomershine.com member requests for info on how to build stronger and leaner creative RE businesses in the New Year, I’ve arranged an online event that’ll change the way you think about how your business does business.

If you’re like most real estate investors, you’re probably finding that what was working last year — or even six months ago is stalling out in today’s markets. This is change we can believe in for certain, but what’s really working for real estate investors heading into the New Year? Tune in Wednesday and find out!

Finally! A New Year’s Resolution that’s Easy to Keep
If your New Year’s resolution is to reach for greater success and growth in your business in 2009, join me and industry luminary Dan Doran Tonight, Dec. 17, at 9:00 p.m. EST. If you can’t attend tonight’s Webinar, I’m posting a replay on Thursday at 1:00 p.m. EST. Space is limited, so if would like to join us, claim your spot ASAP.

Since government-sponsored financial services giants Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac announced a foreclosure moratorium through the holidays in November, government efforts to stem the foreclosure tide have heated up in hard-hit states such as California, Connecticut and Florida.

It is likely that state and federal lawmakers — and other officials convening in the New Year also are gearing up to take action to slow the foreclosure process. New and emerging policies in this trend are likely to give beleaguered homeowners some space to breathe — and RE investors a vast open field of profit opportunity.

Join the Revolution: Short Sale Manifesto 2.0
Ohio-based Strategic Real Estate Coaches Josh Cantwell and Greg Clement see green pastures ahead for pre-foreclosure and short sale investors who are keen on building stronger real estate businesses and cashing  in on recent market changes. Moving into the holiday season, they’re offering investors a steady stream of absolutely free, timely information, tools and resources you need to adapt to changing market conditions in this motivated seller market.

Timing Isn’t Everything
More than 10 million homes currently are over-leveraged with mortgage debt and have no equity, Josh says: If we can take advantage of these opportunities as real estate agents or investors, we can capitalize on these market conditions — big time.

Update Your Strategies, Tap Warming Markets
There are some common-sense tactics you can use which are incredibly cost-effective to deploy in your business, such as ramping up your personal and real estate marketing efforts that can have a dramatic impact on your bottom line. Some require more effort than others, but the focus should stay fixed on preparing your business to thrive in pre-foreclosure or whatever markets you choose.

It’s clearly no secret that property values have dropped significantly in the past two years. Today’s market conditions for short sale and pre-foreclosures are evolving, Josh says. And changing times call for different strategies.

Refine and Define your Strategies
Earlier this year, Josh updated several elements of his original “Short Sale Manifesto” to reflect what real estate investors need to succeed in today’s challenging and increasingly more competitive pre-foreclosure and short sale markets.

Josh updated this book because he is serious about helping his students to deploy only the most cutting-edge strategies and techniques in tapping these markets and the “Short Sale Manifesto 2.0” leaves no stone unturned in its  pages,

Josh breaks all the mission critical aspects of short saling down into small, manageable tasks that emphasizs networking and skill-building.  Central to his Manifesto are key techniques that, when implemented properly, will strengthen your professional support system and build your business.

Like Candy for Short Sale Investors
While Josh gives great guidance on the steps you need to take to make the short sale deals happen — and keep a constant flow of new deals in your pipeline, he also tells you all about the pitfalls you need to avoid.

If you only have 10 minutes to spend reading this ebook, check out the details Josh provides regarding the Top 9 Mistakes even the best real estate investors make and how you can avoid them. These investment blunders include:

1. Paying too much for a property,
2. Underestimating the cost of repairs,
3. Neglecting to stage property,
4. Failure to build a workable buyers list,
5. Failure to secure private money,
6. Failure to plan multiple exit strategies,
7. Failure to focus on revenue producing activities,
8. Lack of a coherent system to organize your business, and my favorite,
9. Failure to implement an effective and consistent marketing strategy.

Some of these errors may be all too familiar, while some may be new to you, but in all cases, Josh offers clear strategies to protect your business and build wealth by keeping your wits — and your money — about you while you’re investing in short sale real estate.

Free Videos and Info Clarify your Short Sale Mission
Visit Josh at his Strategic Real Estate Coach Web site and prepare yourself to be amazed by the high-quality information he is willing to show you this month absolutely free of charge, all in celebration of the season. While you’re there, be sure to catch the free videos. They make great companion pieces to the “Short Sale Manifesto 2.0.”

Stay tuned to this blog for the latest on SREC’s Special Giveaway Bonanza slated to kick off Tuesday, Dec. 9.

When it comes to fine tuning your real estate (RE) business, Larry rocks even harder than he does on guitar! And for a limited time, Larry’s Smash Hit “Dream Big and Wake Up Wealthy Boot Camp” is available in a collector’s edition box set in exchange for your non-refundable $1 donation to the American Red Cross made through Larry’s on-line order site.

Support a Great Cause While You Transform your RE Business
Larry’s “Real Estate Investing Boot Camp in a Box” video collection includes more than a dozen inspirational millionaire speakers captured live at two of his Boot Camp events, awesome footage of a rehab bus tour, a 400-page manual, audio phone calls with FSBOs, realtors, tenant buyers, and more!

Plug it in & Turn it Up to 11!
Because 10 reasons are never enough, here are 11 compelling reasons why you should invest $1 in Larry’s “Real Estate Investing Boot Camp in a Box.”  Of course, there’s much more to it than what I’m listing here, but these are some of my favorite “How-to” topics Larry covers in this awesome package:

1. Identify Undervalued Property in any Market,
2. Power Negotiating,
3. Create Quick Cash with Creative Financing,
4. Key Questions To Ask on Every Call,
5. Work with Realtors, Lenders, Asset Managers and other RE Professionals
6. How & When to Use Hard Money,
7. Close Your Deals Fast,
8. Get started in Commercial Real Estate,
9. Invest in RE Using Self Directed IRAs,
10. Manage Properties, Contractors and Inspectors Effectively and
11. Get Your Offers Accepted on Your Own Terms.

Larry’s goal in delivering these materials (besides raising $10,000 for the American Red Cross) is to train RE entrepreneurs to invest the right way and build long-term business relationships through his mortgage business. In short, Larry wants to give you the key to unlock your future in real estate.

“We’ve put together a team and a program that clearly and patiently explains everything you need to succeed and grow in this business,” Larry says. “You’ll get all of the tools you need to build a strong and healthy real estate business.”

In “Real Estate Investing Boot Camp in a Box” you’ll see that Larry’s teachers aren’t just speakers who run businesses in their minds and speak for a living. They’re all million-dollar marketers, successful business owners and highly sought-after experts who struggle to stay on top of what they need to know to run and grow real businesses in the real world — just like we do. Learning from their triumphs and failures could save us all a bundle!

The trend heading into the holidays seems to be one of growing unemployment and a rising tide of homeowners drowning in mortgage debt.

An Ironic Twist on a Familiar Story
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ October report finds that unemployment last month soared to a 14-year high of 6.5 percent, as 240,000 jobs were slashed. Yet the Orange County Register’s Mortgage Insider, Matthew Padilla has made an interesting observation. He sifted through the data to report that in September,  352,200 workers were making a living in the mortgage business — that’s up from 349,300 in August.

Negative Equity Plagues Homeowners
But the recent real estate statistics that really capture the real estate investor’s eye come from  First American CoreLogic: 2.1 million mortgages are within 5 percentage points of being in a negative-equity position and 7.5 million mortgaged properties are carrying more mortgage debt than they’re worth. That means that nearly 20 percent of properties with mortgages have plunged into the powerful waves the economic undertow.

Rising Percentage of Underwater Mortgages in the States
See how the mortgages currently in negative equity break down among the states listed below (Note: percentages have been rounded off and the states are listed in descending order starting with the highest reported rate of negative equity.):

1. Nevada: 48%
2. Michigan: 39%
3. Arizona: 29%
4. Florida: 29%
5. California:  27%
6. Georgia: 23%
7. Ohio: 22%
8. Colorado: 18%
9. Arkansas: 16%
10. New Hampshire: 17%
11. Texas: 17%
12. Virginia: 16%
13. Tennessee: 15%
14. Kansas: 15%
15. Iowa: 15%
16. Alaska: 14%
17. Wisconsin: 14%
18. Nebraska: 13%
19. Kentucky: 13%
20. Missouri: 13%
21. Minnesota: 12%
22. Maryland: 12%
23. Rhode Island: 12%
24. Louisiana: 11%
25. Idaho: 11%
26. Utah: 11%
27. Oklahoma: 10%
28. South Carolina: 10%
29. Indiana: 10%
30. North Carolina: 10%
31. Illinois: 10%
32. Delaware: 10%
33. Washington D.C.: 10%
34. Massachusetts: 10%
35. New Jersey: 9%
36. New Mexico: 8%
37. Washington: 8 %
38. Oregon: 8%
39. Alabama: 7%
40. Connecticut: 7%
41. Montana: 7%
42. Pennsylvania: 6%
43. Hawaii:  6%
44. New York:  4%

Source: First American CoreLogic

Notes: Data were unavailable for Maine, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming. These data are based on 42 million properties that had a first or second mortgage, accounting for at least  80 percent of U.S. mortgages.

Claim Your VIP Pass to Moneymaking Real Estate News, Marketing, Strategies & Tips
At GaryBoomershine.com, our focus is on delivering the the most timely real estate news, resources, tools and systems that build stronger real estate investment decisions and boost your bottom line.

Sign up either here or on the main page at GaryBoomershine.com and you’ll get the best this industry has to offer in real estate news, real estate marketing, real estate training systems, and all the creative real estate ideas that drive success in this business. Members also get exclusive access to compelling multimedia content and jaw-dropping discounts!

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to Make Tons of Cash in Real Estate! Join us today and get ahead of the pack!