Boomer’s Blog

Hoping to stabilize free-falling home prices in foreclosure-plagued neighborhoods and stimulate sluggish housing markets, the White House has announced that for one year only, the Federal Housing Administration will suspend its anti-flipping policy which requires a 90-day waiting period for foreclosure sales. At the same time, it’s extending government-backed mortgage insurance to a larger group of foreclosure buyers.

Rehab this Foreclosure Flip
Though a positive step towards resuscitating stagnant real estate markets, these homes still have to be sold to owner-occupants, and many flippers may find that this policy change is of little help to their businesses. To meet FHA guidelines requiring that homes be “safe, secure and sound,” many of these real estate owned (REO) homes likely will require more extensive rehabbing than they would probably receive if the FHA were not involved.

Homeowners who can’t afford their mortgage payments probably don’t keep up with maintenance. And there is an increasing prevalence of disgruntled and distressed homeowners vandalizing their homes when they’re forced out by foreclosure. Though real estate investors with a knack for rehabbing may see some benefits through this change, it seems unlikely that it’ll have the far-reaching impact on high-foreclosure real estate markets that the Fed is hoping for.

REI to the Rescue
What irks me is that this waiting period foolishness was implemented five years ago specifically to curtail opportunities for working real estate investors to make money in real estate by flipping houses for a living. Now that the economy is a wreck and the current selling season is not stopping the bleeding, who does the government call upon to get the markets moving again? Real estate investors, do you hear your phones ringing? Here is how the FHA rationalizes its flip flop on this issue:

” . . . FHA currently prohibits insuring a mortgage on a home owned by the seller for less than 90 days. This prohibition is intended to prevent property ‘flipping,’ a predatory practice that strips a home of its equity before being quickly resold at an inflated price to an unsuspecting buyer. FHA’s new policy will permit the immediate sale of foreclosed properties to legitimate borrowers wishing to use FHA-insured financing.”

Will the Real Equity Strippers Please Stand Up?
What exactly did the lenders accomplish with their business practices? The Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA’s) Q1 report highlights the sixth straight record-shattering quarter of home loans entering foreclosure. The MBA’s seasonally adjusted total delinquency rate is the highest recorded by the association since 1979: Nearly 3 million home loans, or 6.4 percent, are missing at least one payment, while approximately 737,000 are three months or more past due on their payments. These numbers all but promise that foreclosure rates will continue to rise.

According to the MBA, 1.1 million homes, or 2.5 percent of all loans serviced by the association’s members currently are in foreclosure. That’s up from the 2 percent of loans, or about 938,000 homes, that were in foreclosure at the end of 2007. The report also shows that 448,000 homes, or about 1 percent of loans members serviced, entered foreclosure during Q1. In Q4 2007, 382,000 homes reportedly entered foreclosure.

Foreclosure Epidemic Spreads Beyond Subprime Loans
These aren’t just the subprime adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) we’ve heard so much about. Foreclosure among all loan types is on the rise. Here is a quick breakdown, according to Jay Brinkmann, MBA’s Vice President for Research and Economics:

• While subprime ARMs represent 6 percent of the loans outstanding, they represented 39 percent of the foreclosures started during Q1.
• Prime ARMs represent 15 percent of the loans outstanding, but 23 percent of the foreclosures started.
• Among the 516,000 foreclosures started during the Q1, subprime ARM loans made up 195,000 and prime ARM loans made for 117,000.
• The hike in prime ARM foreclosures exceeded subprime ARM foreclosures with increases of 29,000 and 20,000 respectively over the previous quarter.

Who Takes the Prize?
Though our industry will see some benefits from the FHA’s temporary suspension of the 90-day waiting period for foreclosure sales, is it really going to put a dent in markets where REO inventories are growing while prices hit the pavement? We may never know for sure because REO sales are rarely tracked.

In a recent press release, Brian Montgomery, assistant secretary for the FHA commissioner says, “A glut of foreclosed and abandoned homes harms neighborhoods, frustrates homebuyers and delays a community’s recovery. The action we take today will allow homebuyers to purchase these homes in much greater numbers and ease the excess supply of unsold homes in neighborhoods across the country.”

Too Little, too Late?
So while Federal officials have finally noticed that the effects of the foreclosure epidemic aren’t limited to Wall Street — and the buyers — who really should have known better, some loaded questions remain on the table:

• How far is this temporary FHA policy shift really going to go to get troubled real estate markets moving?
• Will the capital FHA offers buyers raise the bottom for declining markets?
• Will this policy have any impact in getting REO lenders to speed up their response times?
• If the fed needs real estate investors to come in and clean up after the lenders and help them move their REO, equity-free, dead weight, are we still engaging in a “predatory practice” ?

How will this temporary change in FHA policy make a difference in the way you invest in real estate? Please drop me a line and let me know what you think. Also, if you’re interested in learning more about the REI news and developments that affect your business, don’t forget to sign up for my “What’s Working & What’s New” monthly report on GaryBoomershine.com.

Remember the TV show “Get Smart!“about the bumbling spy who always got his man (and sometimes his woman) from the 1960s? There’s a remake slated for summer release as I type this. I read a great article in Wired magazine recently about what the CIA learned from the TV show. I was stunned to learn that the U.S. government drew inspiration from the show to create their own “cones of silence.”

After reading this article, I realized that I drew inspiration, at a very young age, from Smart’s reliance on Agent 13 (the spy who always seemed to be staked out in a U.S. Mail box) for stellar job performance. This may be what got me started in the business of targeted real estate marketing via direct U.S. mail with SalesTeamLive.

Soon, I started thinking about what real estate investors could learn from Maxwell Smart and what some of my friends might say if I asked them.

I imagine that:

• Sales Masters Richard Roop and Dan Doran might tout the spy’s expert negotiations skills and convince the evil enemy Kaos to lighten up, change sides and make a fortune doing it.
• Virtual Wholesaling Pro Cris Chico might say that he, like Maxwell Smart found his niche and is sticking to it.
• Total Market Master Ken Wade likely would likely give Smart kudos for always doing his research and never underestimating the cyclical nature of his enemies.
• I suspect that EasyHUD’s Chris Daigle could singlehandedly conquer the entire Kaos network using his Twitter-enabled shoe phone.
• Teamwork Lead System’s Andy Proper learned to take out a Craigslist ad for assasin bird dogs to handle his super spy assignments, then head for his pristine Hawaiian beach hide-out until the mission is complete.

Action-Packed Feature Stories This Week
What do you think? Or more importantly, what have you learned from Agent 86 that’s helped you to build your real estate business? For more details about what some of my friends have learned from Maxwell Smart, visit my Resources page. Look action-packed new features on Dan Doran, Richard Roop and more in store for you coming soon!

Please Join Us Now for“What’s Working and What’s New”
If you haven’t yet signed up for my “What’s Working and What’s New” free monthly REI report, please sign up ASAP to receive the latest issue this week. It’s easy and we promise to keep your data confidential, Just use the yellow field on the sight side of this page or on my GaryBoomershine.com home page. I think you’ll love the story on how the major lenders are streamlining the short sale process for stealth real estate investors. And as always, I promise to never share your info with anyone. Ever!

A unit of Countrywide Financial Corp. has filed a foreclosure action against Ed McMahon, an ailing 85 year-old TV personality who has been trying to sell his expansive Beverly Hills home for the past two years.

In his heyday, McMahon, was the consummate late night TV sidekick who spent much of his career by original Tonight Show host Johnny Carson’s side. McMahon also hosted the Star Search variety show which foreshadowed American Idol’s incendiary popularity. Still, many remember him for putting Publishers Clearing House (PCH) on the map with his charismatic TV commercials where the Prize Patrol ambushes unsuspecting families with drive-by sweepstakes fortunes.

The Wall Street Journal reports that ReconTrust, an arm of Countrywide Financial, filed a default notice on a $4.8 million Countrywide loan backed by Mr. McMahon’s home in late February. Official documents show that, at the time of the foreclosure filing, McMahon had racked up $644,000 in overdue payments on that loan.

Public records also show that in February, McMahon had a separate home-equity debt with Countrywide of up to $300,000 tied to the same property. It has not yet been revealed whether Countrywide still owns McMahon’s home loan, or is pursuing the debt for real estate investors who may have acquired it.

McMahon first listed his expansive Beverly Hills estate in 2006 for $7.7 million. After a few price drops in the interim, the property currently is listed with Christie’s Great Estates for $5.75 million.

Since breaking his neck in a bad fall on his possibly cursed property last year, McMahon has suffered through a lengthy recovery and has been unable to work. A spokesman for the healing celebrity says McMahon has been in fruitful negotiations with the lender and is optimistic that he’ll be able to work out a deal to avoid foreclosure.

Amid the U.S. foreclosure epidemic, Habitat for Humanity has been capitalizing on the low prices of real estate owned properties (REO), and foreclosed properties to advance its mission to provide affordable housing in communities throughout the nation. Sound ironic? Maybe so, but it’s also a practical strategy for foreclosure-blighted areas to get their homes occupied as soon as possible.

By rehabbing these low-income properties, the non-profit is helping build stronger communities and property values in many of the real estate markets that need it most. They’re also helping to stave off some of the dangers that come with properties that seem to be abandoned in the long term.

When Builders and REO Lenders Walk Away
The Associated Press reports that an increasing number of Habitat for Humanity chapters have buying REO and foreclosed properties at bargain basement prices, organizing legions of volunteers for massive rehabbing projects and then selling the homes at affordable prices to families in need.

When rehabbing isn’t a practical option (and many of us know that sometimes it isn’t) the houses are torn down to make way for new dwellings. In some real estate markets, Habitat for Humanity is even buying large subdivision tracts left over from the real estate bubble burst. Many developers are simply walking away from developments they can’t afford to complete, Habitat officials say.

Although the circumstances that have enabled Habitat for Humanity to acquire massive amounts of U.S. real estate are lamentable, placing low-income families into affordable housing is a better use of existing resources than allowing properties to remain vacant or go to real estate investors. Habitat officials warn that vacant homes can drive up crime and reduce nearby property values.

REO, Foreclosed Homes and Neighborhood Blight
Not only are vacant properties an invitation for crime, In many U.S. housing markets, the untended, vacant properties have led to health hazards and neighborhood blight. Unkempt swimming pools have provided prime breeding grounds for the West Nile Virus. Properties left dirty or unsecure also are vulnerable to vermin that spread disease such as: rats, mice, roaches and others.

The extent to which Habitat for Humanity affiliates participate in local foreclosure and REO investing depends to some extent on how much money they have to spend. Here are some project highlights:

Habitat for Humanity Projects in Four Metro Markets:

1. In Fort Worth, Texas, the local Habitat chapter is negotiating to buy part of a 160-lot subdivision
   that a developer seems to have abandoned. If their negotiations go according to plan, they’ll develop 50 of the remaining 100 vacant lots in the area. Fort Worth Habitat officials say that prices for comparable lots has dropped 30 percent to 40 percent since the height of the real estate boom.
2. In Dallas,Texas, another Habitat affiliate has picked up about 150 lots for half of the original price. Developers in the city’s south end are abandoning inexpensive lots and costly construction projects in favor of greener looking pastures in the city’s north end leaving many real estate investment opportunities wide open, officials say.
3. The Habitat affiliate in Phoenix, Ariz., is wrapping up negotiations to complete a 20-home development abandoned by a company that went bankrupt and couldn’t complete its development. In addition, Habitat officials say they’re working deals on 14 metro-area unfinished lots for less than half of their original list price.
4. In Milwaukee, Wisc., the city is taking action against the ill effects of foreclosure in its metro communities. The city is buying multiple condo units in one large complex with a high concentration of foreclosures, and then selling them to Habitat for about $5,000 each. When Habitat for Humanity volunteer rehabs on the units are complete, they’ll be sold to clients for about $25,000.

As a real estate investor, what do you think of the city intervening with foreclosed and REO properties and working with a third party such as the non-profit Habitat for Humanity? Do you see advantages or disadvantages from yor position as a real estate investor?

Nationwide, single-family home prices in March dropped 14.1 percent from last year. It was the sharpest decline recorded since Standard and Poors began tracking the data in their Case-Shiller index some 20 years ago. What does this tell seasoned real estate entrepreneurs about future investment strategies? Now’s the time to start crunching some numbers.

Creative real estate veteran Ken Wade believes that there is nothing truly unusual about today’s housing market: There’s no crash, and the media focus on handful of markets is having a devastating impact on market psychology and prices. In reality, what we’re experiencing as real estate entrepreneurs, is the natural cycle that moves the market.

Since most U.S. housing markets were not subject to the price surges that are commonly associated with the real estate “boom,” Ken says, they’re holding steady during the “bust.”

Ken is the Harvard-educated numbers cruncher behind the Housing Alerts Total Market Master system for research-based real estate investing. He has spent much of his career tracking local real estate market trends and reaping the profits from his investments. Ken estimates that he’s done $100,000,000 in real estate deals over the past 30 years.

With Ken’s Total Market Master program and tools, real estate entrepreneurs can base their business decisions on the same types of proprietary data that the banks and major players use. Only with this system, the data are specifically tailored to fit the needs of an array of real estate entrepreneurs, regardless of investment strategy, experience or style.

To learn more about how Ken translates the “buy low, sell high” adage into hard science and cold cash, check out my review of the Housing Alerts Total Market Master system in the Resources section of GaryBoomershine.com.

Black gold is making real estate investment king in states that produce energy by fueling prices in dozens of local U.S. housing markets.

Today, the price of crude oil topped $135 per barrel, up from $65 this time last year, and experts are predicting that the price is likely to reach $200 before too long. While difficult for most of the world to swallow, these prices are producing a boom in some U.S. housing markets, while others languish in an ongoing struggle for economic survival.

Because soaring oil prices result in higher consumer costs for gas, energy bills and food, local economies in many housing markets still reeling from the foreclosure epidemic are suffering from lower tax revenues and other harsh realities. Once-thriving infrastructures appear to be fizzling out in many of the markets that saw the greatest gains during the housing boom.

Give and Take
At the same time, high fuel costs are driving hot housing markets in many energy-producing states. In these real estate markets, high gas prices are stimulating job growth, boosting personal income, contributing to a healthy tax base and rising demands for housing.

The Wall Street Journal reports that five states producing oil, gas and other fossil fuel commodities are beating April’s national unemployment rate of 5 percent and personal income growth of 5.9 percent by significant margins. Here are the numbers from some of the hottest energy producing states for the sake of comparison to the overall national average:

Montana

• Unemployment rate: 3.8 percent;
• Personal income growth: 6.6 percent.

North Dakota

• Unemployment rate: 3.1 percent;
• Personal income growth: 6.4 percent.

Oklahoma

• Unemployment rate: 3.2 percent;
• Personal income growth: 7.0 percent.

Texas

• Unemployment rate: 4.1 percent;
• Personal income growth: 7.4 percent.

Wyoming

• Unemployment rate: 2.6 percent;
• Personal income growth: 6.8 percent.

Since many of these states never experienced the real estate price surges that came with the housing boom, they’re not being ravaged hit by the bust. This may factor significantly into long-term real estate investment stability as the overall U.S. economy struggles to overcome recession, lost revenues and other related economic pangs.

Shelter from Recession’s Storm
Because energy producing states currently are boasting more robust tax revenues, public infrastructures are thriving: schools, hospitals parks and law enforcement are well-funded, roads are better maintained and additional funding is available for the improvements that contribute greatly to property value increases.

These factors all work together to improve the quality-of-life assets that attract qualified buyers for home relocation and up-sizing. When such conditions are in place, they also stimulate the service industry and retail sectors, prompting them to expand their presence, poised to join the party.

Nature Takes her Course
In energy booming states, especially those that smartly diversified their economies during former energy market declines to minimize their economic dependance on oil prices, these indicators offer real estate entrepreneurs broader investment options than many other markets. Currently, they’re generating demand for many different types of housing: rental properties, low-income housing, single family homes and retirement communities, to name a few. When favorable market conditions spark demand, the nature of capitalism takes its course.

Boom and Bust Economy
In the past, real estate markets in energy-producing states were vulnerable to the boom and bust economic cycle. When energy prices would surge, local economies would quickly grow, only to be subjected to painful busts when energy prices inevitably declined. Today however, analysts are saying that we may never again see dramatic declines in oil prices. So as long as the supplies hold out, and local economies strike a healthy balance, these markets look like promising investment opportunities. Savvy real estate entrepreneurs may want to take a look at what some of the up-and-coming markets in energy producing states have to offer their portfolios.

As the number of foreclosed homes continues to skyrocket in many real estate markets, an increasing number of pets are being abandoned by families who are forced to vacate their homes and rental properties. Since the mortgage meltdown began, animal shelters in areas with high instances of distressed properties have been reporting over-crowding, and neighbors complaining about an influx of stray animals roaming streets and alleyways.

Although abandoning animals is illegal, people leaving distressed properties, such as those in foreclosure, often move to locations that don’t allow pets or they find their finances are too strained to continue caring for their pets. Whatever the reason for abandonment, pets often are the helpless victims of their owners’ bad decisions, and the law offers them few meaningful protections.

Where Helping Hands Are Tied
Currently, bank employees, property inspectors and others who enter abandoned homes usually are advised to leave property, including pets, untouched until the foreclosure is complete either for legal reasons, or because because the real estate owned (REO) lenders don’t want responsibility for the animals.

In most states, pets are defined as personal property under the law. Often with foreclosure, property remaining after the home is vacated by distressed homeowners is subject to seizure by the lender. In some states, the law fails to provide for personal property forfeiture until a designated time has elapsed in accordance with the terms of the foreclosure. So, under prevailing laws in many states, REO lenders and others are prevented from removing the pets, even if they would like to help. This is where animals can really fall through the cracks.

Abandoned Homes and Neglected Responsibilities
When people such as property inspectors, REO lender representatives, real estate agents and brokers are allowed to enter an abandoned house, they often encounter the rubble of deliberate destruction. Widespread instances of abandonment-related animal abuse and animal neglect have garnered a great deal of media attention.

The problem is so bad, that even Business Week reports that increasing number of these folks are discovering dogs tied up backyards, cats and turtles in garages, and rabbits and lizards left in children’s bedrooms. Many cruel and unscrupulous homeowners have left forsaken dogs and cats behind inside their homes, who have created unmeasured property damages in the process of their truly horrific demise.

California Lawmakers Tackle the Problem
A new law under consideration in California seeks to make it easier for these pets to get the help they need. It also may effect real estate investors who buy properties where pets have been left behind. The bill, A.B. 2949, as it is currently written, would require anyone who encounters an abandoned animal in a property that has been vacated through lease termination or property foreclosure, to immediately contact animal control officials.

The bill recently made its way through the California House unopposed, and it currently is mid-way through the Senate’s deliberation process. Although the bill has a few more legislative hurdles to clear before it becomes law, it raises some issues that many of us in the REI community might like to address in our business practices.

REO Expert Makes a Difference
Last month, Default Servicing News wrote a great story about Integrated Mortgage Solutions President Cheryl Lang, who has been so touched by the effects of pet neglect and abandonment she’s seen working in the mortgage industry, that she’s launched a non-profit Internet forum she hopes will affect change in how the system handles abandoned pets.

No Paws Left Behind is Lang’s Web site that allows pet owners facing foreclosure in different jurisdictions to log on, type in a zip code, and find the nearest animal shelters in the area. It also provides resources for real estate professionals who encounter abandoned pets in the course of their daily business.

Lang’s efforts began with a dog that was abandoned in a Florida pre-foreclosure her group was servicing. Since there was no animal control in the rural area where she was working, Lang contacted the police. They called the Miami Humane Society, who couldn’t reach the area for five days. Lang and her staff spent the week feeding the dog and making sure he had fresh water. In the meantime, she reports that authorities visited the property several times only to post code violations because the dog had been abandoned.

Look for the Signs
Lang advises real estate professionals to be vigilant for signs of abandoned pets when dealing with distressed properties that have been vacated. Listen for animal sounds coming from the house. Even though you may not be permitted to enter, you can contact the appropriate authorities, including the Humane Society, Animal Control or the police.

Traditionally, unless the animal shows immediate signs of distress, local authorities will post notes on the door to notify the pet owner that he or she is legally bound to care for the pet. Eventually, local authorities will move the pet to a new home or shelter. Because this process too often doesn’t work, Lang’s No Paws Left Behind Web site contains a petition geared to change the legal process from the Federal level to protect the pets.

Do the Right Thing
More distressed homeowners and occupants in transition likely would surrender their pets to animal welfare agencies that rescue pets, if they only knew where to turn. By identifying potential problems before pets are abandoned on your properties, you’re not only protecting your assets, in many instances, you may be saving a life.

Although real estate investors are generally not required by law to take any action to help abandoned pets, many of us want to help when we can because we believe it is the right thing to do. Here are some steps you can take as a real estate investor that may help you to avoid the problems and heartache you’re likely to encounter if you discover abandoned pets on your property:

Seven Ways REI Professionals Can Help Save Pet from Abandonment

1. If you you’re working with distressed homeowners or dealing moving tenants out of a property, ask if they have made plans for their pets.
2. Identify animal welfare organizations and animal control contacts in your area, and keep the contact information on hand.
3. If you know that the occupants are looking for rental properties, suggest they check with the Humane Society or local shelter for pet-friendly rental listings, or advise them to check out Web sites like PeopleWithPets.com, or HomeWithPets.com.
4. Distribute animal adoption literature, or Web resources like No Paws Left Behind whenever suspect it might be useful.
5. After the owners or tenants have moved, ask neighbors if the former occupants had pets. Check to make sure no pets were left behind.
6. Ask people you may have visiting the property to keep an eye out for abandoned pets.
7. Call your local Animal Control, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the Humane Society or other shelter for help with rescuing abandoned pets.

Have you encountered abandoned pets in any of your properties? How did you handle it? Please drop us a line and tell us about your experiences. Feel free to share any ideas you think could help other real estate investors who run into the same problem.

An escalating trend of state legislatures regulating real estate investors who work as foreclosure consultants to help homeowners stave off foreclosure is taking many in our industry by storm.

Distressed Properties and Investors
In attempts to protect desperate homeowners, lawmakers have mandated consumer protections and fines for investors who violate the law. In many instances, these ongoing attempts to restrict real estate investors’ business practices are redefining the distressed property playing field .

With a growing number of real estate entrepreneurs using the Internet and other electronic resources to invest in markets outside of their home states, those who are using short sale, pre-foreclosure, and similar types of transaction strategies to invest in distressed properties should be vigilant in monitoring changes in state laws.

States Collecting Fines and Penalties
Last year, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) reported that a dozen states had taken steps to actively regulate foreclosure transactions. These states include California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island.

This year, more states have either considered or passed new laws geared to protect the interests of distressed homeowners and  penalize real estate investors who fail to comply with the law. These laws impose greater regulation on investors than some of the earlier legislation enacted in other states.

Lawmakers in Oregon and Washington have expanded their regulatory scopes by passing comprehensive laws that regulate lending practices and place restrictions on  property transaction as well as the contract between  investors (or real estate agents) and the sellers.

More Regulation Ahead
According to the National Association of Responsible Home Rebuilders and Investors (NARHRI), a Washington D.C.-based lobbying group for residential real estate investors, recent scrutiny of the industry by lawmakers and other policymakers is setting the stage for broader regulation in the future.

Because many states have assembled task forces to scrutinize business practices surrounding foreclosure and predatory lending, NARHRI predicts that ongoing legislative efforts will continue to target real estate investors by increasing restrictions on foreclosure consultants and their multifaceted business practices – especially with regards to equity-based and lease-back to owner transactions.

Look for ongoing coverage of this important trend here. Has increased regulation affected your business? Are you interested in seeing more posts like this one? Please drop us a line and tell us what you think.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) latest quarterly report indicates prices are rising in one-third of the nation’s metropolitan housing markets, and appear to be strongest in areas unscathed by the subprime loan debacle. As mixed results are reported for many markets, the numbers alone may fail to show the big picture, especially as it is captured by real estate investors nationwide.

Generally, sales for Q1 were the slowest in high-cost areas. At the same time, foreclosures from subprime mortgages rose dramatically, NAR says. The strongest price gains are emerging in neighborhoods with little subprime exposure, and the most dramatic drops are in those where higher instances of subprime lending has led to record foreclosure rates and bargain sales prices.

Overall, NAR says that total state existing-single family home and condo sales in Q1, at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.95 million units, are 22.2 percent below the 6.36 million-unit pace marked in Q1 2007. Single family homes and condos in some markets however, managed to beat the odds and show impressive gains for Q1.

Single Family Home Gains
In Q1, the largest single-family median home price hikes over the same period in 2007 were:

• Binghamton, N.Y. is up 11.8 percent to $109,70;
• Peoria, Ill. is up 10.4 percent to $119,000; and
• Spartanburg, S.C. is up 10.1 percent to $130,300.

Condo Markets on the Rise
The strongest median condo price gains in Q1 over the same period in 2007 were:

• Bismarck, N.D., is up 36.4 percent to $124,900
• New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner area of La., is up 15.3 percent to $170,500; and
• Wichita, Kan. is up 11.7 percent to $106,600.

Several times each year, Drill Sergeants Richard Roop and Dan Doran enlist hundreds of entrepreneurs to become lean, mean real estate investing machines by hosting Marketing Mastery for Real Estate Entrepreneurs Boot Camps.

These accelerated training opportunities are legendary in the real estate investor community for whipping businesses into shape in just four short days. The next Marketing Mastery for Real Estate Entrepreneurs Boot Camp is slated for May 20-23, in Long Beach, Calif. So far, almost 200 have signed up and, though the early enrollment deadline has passed, overall enlistment appears to be growing.

Get in Shape Fast
Roop and Doran’s boot camps are effective because they take a multi-faceted, immersion approach to quickly providing you with the armor you need to creatively meet your most pressing real estate marketing, sales and negotiations challenges. Your carefully designed, interactive training experience begins immediately upon enlistment, starting with an array of free training materials geared to prepare you for active participation in your Boot Camp experience.

Build Lean Marketing Muscle
At Boot Camp, be prepared to learn how SalesTeamLive’s robust and automated direct mail marketing services seamlessly integrate with and deploy from Roop and Doran’s flagship platform for generating real estate wealth. This is but one of the proven strategies you’ll learn from the live Boot Camp experience that simply cannot be captured in training and preparation materials alone.

Overall, the knowledge to be gained at Roop and Doran’s Marketing Mastery Boot Camp is priceless to investors seeking real-world strategies for building their real estate investment businesses. These events transcend the potential of the ordinary real estate investment seminar by offering more than training and networking opportunities: they build a holistic support system for those who take the training and implement what they’ve learned. The entire experience is artfully orchestrated to minimize the learning curve and maximize your potential to make real money in real estate.

Here are the Top 9 reasons why you should enlist for the Marketing Mastery for Real Estate Entrepreneurs Boot Camp:

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