I wrote an article on my experiences with foreclosure sales and the likelihood of the lender making repairs to the property for the buyer.
To see the full story visit my Agent Genius Magazine page!
real estate
My newest “gig”!
I am now a featured writer for Agent Genius Magazine: the first multi-author real estate Magazine designed by and for real estate agents nation wide.
I have written two articles for them and will be published weekly on the topics covering distressed real estate sales like: divorce, short sales and foreclosure.
Be sure to visit my page there to augment the information you see here.
Angels and Demons
Last year I decided to work as a home retention consultant. This was one of the most difficult things I had ever taken on because I was going to have to show up unannounced and knock on the doors of people who were in pre-foreclosure and in danger of losing their home.
Not the most comfortable feeling, but since I had just been through the process I knew that I could help people if I got over my fear of knocking on doors.
Day one arrives and I pull up to the first house. I steel myself with reassurances that I have a service and a will to help. The nerves don’t subside, but I find the strength to knock on the door.
The woman that comes to the door is a beautiful, petite latina and is obviously not expecting me. She meets me on the porch and as I explain to her why I am there and what I hope to help with-she starts crying. The story that I hear includes a cheating husband she is kicking out, an attempt to finish her college degree, a tenant that doesn’t pay rent and all of this is her secret.
We make an appointment to fill out the loss mitigation paperwork and she reaches out to hug me. I have to paraphrase, but she said something like: “I will always remember this day and the way you looked when you showed up to help. You are my angel.”
Inflated and excited by the success of my first stop, I head to my next home.
This time I am met by a short middle aged man with lots of tattoos and a military buzz cut. I begin by explaining that I have an already designated loan modification that will reduce his principle, reduce his rate, restart the loan with no foreclosure and knock $600 a month off the payments. He responds with a tirade and the words “shotgun, burn the *&#()0($#’ing house down and they will have to get me first”.
He tells me to leave and I say that I am sorry I couldn’t help. I head back to the car to program the GPS and I see him heading towards my car. NOW I am nervous as can be. I roll down the window a half inch and let him talk.
He apologizes: I am collateral damage after he has spent countless hours on the phone trying to resolve his issues. He says, “I am sure I am the last person you would want to help after my outburst, but if you would accept my apology and come in, I sure would appreciate that.”
An hour, a pile of paperwork and a phone call later and his loan modification was in process and his house saved.
Every door is answered by a new story, but they are all so real and they all need help. These are two of the families that will be able to stay in their home because of the home retention program… it is a wonderful feeling to be part of that mission.
Why I Want To Help.
We are all familiar with the concept of paying it forward. This blog is a small thing that I can do to try to alleviate some of the stress that occurs during difficult housing transitions.
A bit more than two years ago my husband asked for a divorce. The financial fallout that occurred on the heels of this decision was epic to me. Even being in the business doesn’t help when you are staring foreclosure in the eye.
I had two mortgages (my home and my investment property) that were both in and out of pre-foreclosure for the better part of a year while I attempted to sell on the front end of a recession.
The phone’s ring was acid burning my ears, the mailbox might as well have been filled with vipers. The “help” lines at the mortgage companies were staffed by soulless bots and if I stopped to consider my situation the panic would swell to breathtaking levels.
Slowly, painfully, I made one decision at a time (drop the asking price again, accept the low ball offer, etc.) that started to lead me towards resolution.
I often had to call upon a lesson I learned while skiing in the Alps. I was a third year, very intermediate skiier. I spent the morning riding lifts, cable cars, rope tows and puma chairs up and up and up. After lunch you start back down.
I looked out and DOWN and totally freaked out. My mind churned with frothy panic caps: “I can’t ski this! I will NEVER EVER get off this mountain!” A friend turned to me and gestured that she was about to start down and saw the blind fear on my face.
“Don’t think of the whole thing,” she said. “Pick a point just a little ways from here. Call it our destination.”
So, I picked a grove of trees not far and ventured off to my first stopping point. After arriving there she turned to me, “So that wasn’t scarey, was it?” I shook my head. “OK, so today we are going to ski what is in front of us. Nothing more, just from here to the next stopping point.”
During my transitions from large home to condo and from married mom to single, I would return to that lesson often. The words became my soothing mantra: ski what is in front of you Lesley. Nothing more. Ski what is in front of you and you will get off the Alps.
I share this so that you know that there are people out here that know what it feels like to be afraid of an envelope. Keep breathing, call upon your support systems, return to things that bring you peace in damaged times and remember:
Ski What is In Front of You.
If you need me, I am here for you.
Waiting Until Spring to Sell? That may be the WORST thing you could do!
Are you waiting until Spring to sell your house in Westfield, MA or elsewhere?
Let me tell you why this is a BAD IDEA:
#1 The rates haven’t been this good for years and it isn’t expected to last for long. The buyers are looking to get into a home before the rates go up. Visit here for more mortgage information from a Western Ma based lender.
#2 The real estate market “IS” busier in the Spring, but that isn’t a good thing for sellers. There are a lot more homes for sale, which means more competition for you. This time of year you have a better chance of being the best home available. If you are unsure of the value of your home visit here.
#3 Buyers who are buying in the winter are serious buyers who have a real interest or need to move right away. These buyers are ready to make an offer on the right house today.
#4 Home prices are not expected to go up in the next few months. In fact, the trend for many areas shows that a gradual decline will continue. Waiting may cost you $$ off your bottom line.
#5 Even if home prices elevate in the Spring, if you are making another purchase after this sale, THAT property will have raised in value, thereby removing any profit you gained. To calculate your next purchase ask me for a free analysis.
#6 Your REALTOR needs the business. OK, ok…you say, so what if they do? Well…they have a lot more free time to spend on your marketing right now. Take advantage of their availability and reap the rewards!
If you have a house to sell in the Greater Westfield, MA area be sure to call:
Lesley Lambert, The Real Estate Natural at Park Square Realty
