One option that an Arizona homeowner may have if they are delinquent in payments and facing potential foreclosure is to short sell their home. A short sale means working with their real estate professional and their lender to try and get the payoff balance reduced so that the seller does not have to bring money to the closing table. These are complex transactions and homeowners should consult a real estate professional and seek appropriate legal and tax advice in such transactions. There are many options available. Homeowners in this situation are strongly encouraged to explore all potential options including all of the following:

1. Talk to your lender. There are many lenders who have created forbearance (forgiving part of the back payments and interest) or loan modification programs (to alter the interest rate or payments). Find out what your lender is willing to do before you decide to sell your home.

2. Rent the home. It may be possible for you to rent the home without resorting to the sale of it.

3. Contact the Pima County Community & Economic Development Department’s Foreclosure Prevention Coalition. They hold foreclosure prevention workshops, have a number of resources and may be able to help you keep your home. They even have a very detailed workbook called the “Arizona Foreclosure Information Workbook”

4. Consider bringing money to the closing table as the seller to pay your loan off in full.

5. Talk to a bankruptcy lawyer about the potential of filing for bankruptcy protection.

6. Surrender a Deed in Lieu to your lender in exchange for them releasing you from the liability.

7. Contact HomeOwner Assistance Organizations that offer help to distressed homeonwers. Here are a few of them:

• Hope Now
• Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America
• Work It Out

8. Call the Arizona Foreclosure Help Line at 1-877-448-1211 for over the phone counseling.

These many only be a partial list of your options. Nothing in this post is meant to be construed as legal or tax advice and as with all complex homeownership issues you should always contact appropriate legal and tax professionals before taking action.

“Glimmer” has found its place as one of the most influential books I have ever read. I now believe that the subtitle “How design can transform your life, and maybe even the world” isn’t overreaching at all. Warren Berger will make you think about everything you do in a whole new light. Contained in the book is a whole new way of looking at the way we do things, from getting through the day, to selling products and services, to interacting with our clients. I wrote so many notes and margins on the sides and blank spaces in this book that it will take me a lifetime to implement and that’s sort of Berger’s point.

Business today needs massive shifts in the way we do things. This book will help you:

• Understand the importance of design and its underlying principles
• Design everything you do through the eyes of consumers and end users
• Refuel creativity and innovation
• Overcome barriers and create breakthroughs in your thinking
• Redesign you, your business and your life

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Stuffed full of amazing insights, ideas and concepts. We need this to get to the next level.

You can find outt even more about Warren Berger and his thinking by visiting his site.

There is also a Glimmer Site which applies all of this thinking to selling, advertising, the marketing of various products and services.

Glimmer will help you understand that we do not live in an age of information overload, we live in an age of data overload. Raw data is what we are swamped with. For that data to rise to the level of information – for it to be informative – it must be organized, simplified, clarified and well, in a word, designed.

1. Use a Title That Attracts Attention and Creates Interest

People read posts based on their title and whether or not it means anything to them. We know that “How To” is the most common search that people make on the internet. he more interesting and helpful that your title appears to those who see it, the more readership that your blog is likely to receive.

2. Create Items of Value

Think about what the people you want to interact with really need. Your post should scream, “Hey, here’s some great stuff I thought of and I want to share it with you!” “Wait until you see this information I have found!” “I couldn’t wait to share this information, resource or idea with you.” So if you are sharing useful information, get that into the title.

3. Make Them Practical & Useful

Practicality and usefulness. If you create things that people can actually use then the power of your blog will increase exponentially. What is more important is that if the readers find it useful then you systematically increase the likelihood that they will pass the information along to others to whom it would be helpful. Getting the information viral is what takes blogs into the stratosphere.

4. Give Them Longevity

Ask yourself will I will be able to use this information again in the future. Anything that you do repetitively ought to be a possible concept or topic for a blog. It can preserve the continuity of what you say and pay back huge time efficiency if down the road when the topic comes up or you need to pass the information along you can simply send them or link them to your blog post on that topic. You will be amazed at how much more efficient blogs can make you with your time.

5. Link and Refer People to Them Often

You have to promote your blog. That is another reason why your posts should be helpful, useful information that you are proud to share. Provide people with the links to them at every opportunity. You can send the links to in emails, post them to twitter, facebook, linked in and your other social media sites.

6. Include  Links, Links and More Links

• “Nine Signs of Effective Blog Posts” by Darren Rouse on ProBlogger
• “Writing Effective Blog Posts” by Chris Brogan
• “Five Simple Ways to Open Your Blog Post With A Bang” by Brian Clark on CopyBlogger
• “Five Quick Steps to Effective Blog Writing” by Top Hosting Center
• “Writing Effective – Attention Getting Titles & Headlines on Your Blog” by Lorelle at WordPress

7. Get Consistent & Persistent About Key Words

Most blogging sites give you an opportunity to set key words for your blog posts. Use them. Keywords are your new marketing angels. Be consistent about certain words to create your image. Internet search engines pick up key words and they also pick up the accumulated use of key words with certain companies or people. The more you use the same key words over and over again the more  you or your company will become associated with those particular words or phrases.

8. Get It Simple. Write in Outlines.

People don’t generally read long text passages on the internet. They scan. Organize your blog into a few easy points. A numbered set of rules or tips. Use white space in between and use bullet points when you can. Write in short, simple sentences and paragraphs. The more you make the information easy to scan and digest the more well received your blog posts are likely to be.

9. Ask Questions / Create a Dialogue

We don’t know what it is about questions on the internet, but people feel compelled to answer them. So ask questions, pose inquiries. You can do it the title. You can do it in the post itself. It all acts to create the act of engagement which is the real beauty of blog posts anyhow. You know you are on the right track when you can get commentary going.

10. Invite Guests to Blog With You

Invite others to comment. Invite the experts and people you respect to guest author a blog for your site. Collaboration breeds interaction. So what is your favorite or best blog tip you would like to share? We will be using this post as a training tool. Would you please help us educate our students and clients by making a comment about the best blogging tip you know?

Real Estate CE 3 Hrs. Agency Law

In today’s real estate world, social media has become King. You need to be where your clients are and that is interacting in the world of social media. This course will help you understand how much social media can advance your real estate business. Learn what other top producing real estate professionals already know. Your future is directly tied to your understanding of what social media is, how it works and how you can use it. Don’t get left behind. The time is NOW!

Sponsored by: Landmark Title Assurance Agency

Held at:  Sertinos, 8898 E. Tanque Verde, Tucson, Arizona

9:00 AM to 12:00 PM – Friday, December 4,  2009

On Friday, November 26, 2009 the Tucson Association of Realtors announced a new MLS Rule. The Rule reads as follows:

Effective immediately, it is against MLS Rules and Regulations to upload ANY document to MLS that references a proposed change to the stated co-op or commission. It is also a violation to make any remarks in MLS that reference a proposed change to the stated co-op or commission. If you have listings that contain any such documents or remarks, they must be removed within 2 business days, or they will be removed by MLS and subject to a minimum $100 fine per occurrence. If your listings contained any such documents or remarks, it is recommended that you state ‘call before showing’ in the remarks to alert cooperating members that co-op or commission negotiations may occur.

All corrections must be made to our MLS listings immediately and failure to do so will result in MLS removal of the material and a $100 fine. Obviously, the Rule was created to bring a halt to the last minute renegotiation of commissions being forced into transactions by lenders when dealing with a short sale or REO property. We should all be mindful of the new rule and use it to protect our commissions in these types of sales. We would recommend that:

1. At the time of listing, forward your listing contract containing the commission to the lender in both short sale and REO transactions.

2. Reference the new MLS Rule and inform the lender that the property is being marketed subject to these conditions and that no negotiation of the commission may occur after the property has been listed. Start forcing the lenders to make their objections upfront. Your letter or email may even indicate that if the lender does not object to the listing agreement within “x” number of days, that they are consenting to the terms and conditions of the listing agreement.

3. You may also want to reference or include the FNMA policy regarding the non-negotiation of such commissions. Here is the reference for that policy:

No Negotiation of Preforeclosure Sales Commission, Servicing Guide, Part VII, Section 504.02:

Effective March 1, 2009, closing of preforeclosure sales may not be conditioned upon a
reduction of the total commission to be paid to real estate agents to a level below what was
negotiated by the listing agent with the borrower, unless the fee exceeds 6 percent of the sales
price of the property in aggregate.  Servicers are reminded that they must continue to obtain
any approvals that may be required by interested third parties in connection with preforeclosure
sales.”

The National Association of Realtors 2009 Conference and Expo in San Diego had a palpable feel in the air. It was bustling, hurried atmosphere. Perhaps part of that was caused by the fact that the Conference this year was twice the size of last year’s in Orlando. Nearly 20,000 gathered together to share insights, information and vision about our industry. But there was something more. A sense that beyond some panic, beyond some shock waves was the industry’s collective effort to move beyond the past, to quit feeling like victims and instead get on with the tasks at hand.

Everyone recognizes that the industry has shifted and morphed into a brave new world, one that is rich in technology and Web 2.0. The only thing missing from the forward movement of our industry has been us. So there was a renewed call to action and new determination to overcome. You could clearly see the application of the presentations done by the likes of:

Sugar Ray Leonard (Click on Sugar Ray’s Picture to Read More About His Presentation)

,

Liz Murray (Click on Liz Murray’s Picture to Find Out More About Her Presentation)

And Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice

The sentiments and changes surrounding our industry were summed up by 2009 President Charles McMillan. You can read more about what he had to say by clicking here.

The presentations matched that tenor and we had the opportunity to hear from Jeff Turner and Darryl Davis:

As you may have heard Congress has voted to extend the First Time HomeBuyers Tax Credit until April 30, 2010. Due to increased affordability in the market and the extension of the tax credit NOW is the best time for homebuyers to purchase a home. We created this independent video that you can distribute to your clients to help make everyone’s holiday season brighter. There are many ways for you to use this video.l

You can copy this link and paste it in an email or feel free to use the link and reference it on your blog posts or on your website.

We have also hung the video on YouTube as an Early Thanksgiving Present. By copying the URL there you can insert it into your favorite social media venues like Twitter and Facebook. We wish you much continued success and happy holidays.

Dan Adler, Associate Broker, ALHS, ABR, ASR

Course Creators is pleased to announce that we have joined forces with Dan Adler. Dan will be working with us to present cutting edge courses for continuing education as well as sales, service and small business development.

Currently Dan is the Team Leader for The Dan Adler Team. He is one of Arizona’s top and most respected real estate brokers, working in Arizona’s largest brokerage firm, Realty Executives. Because Dan is a successful businessman as well as an educator, business coach and motivational speaker, Course Creators feels that he is the perfect fit for us as well as our clients.

You can send Dan a personal message of congratulations by leaving a message here.

I ran across this gem in an Indianapolis bookstore and finished it on the plane ride home (understand my ride home compliments of American Airlines included a detour through Little Rock Arkansas and an unplanned stranding in Dallas overnight) . Maestro is one of the best books on leadership I have ever read and chances are that for most of you it comes out of a profession in which many of you have not spent a lot of time.

The author of Maestro, Roger Nierenberg, is a world class conductor. He has had an extremely distinguished career leading prominent orchestras across America. He has participated in the Carnegie Hall Series of Great Orchestras and has recorded with the London Philharmonic. In his recent book Roger takes you inside the art and science of great conducting all the while making clear the analogies between what he has done and leadership in the business world.

As an example he takes a young conductor who accurately leads the orchestra through a technical piece of music by indicating note for note what the musicians should be playing. The impact comes when Niergenberg has the young student turn away from the orchestra and Nierenberg instructs the orchestra to play the piece without his assistance. They do and it is better. Then Nierenberg explains, the musicians, like top executives in a company, do not need you to show them what to do note for note and your micromanagement gets in the way of their creativity and performance. They do need you to set the rhythm, the pace and the emotion of the music. I think you get the point and I also think you will find Nierenberg’s treatment of the concepts fascinating.

Nierenberg has created a very unique leadership training program where he seats executives among the orchesttra and then interwoven with performance pieces takes them through leadership principles. The concept is know as The Music Paradigm and is one of the creative and ingenious teaching concepts I have seen in a long time.

If you have been involved with the Music Paradigm or have read the book I am interested in your comments and insights.

In our social media and technology classes we often mention a product called “The Flip” Video camera. It is an amazing piece of technology which will help you take your practice to the next level by making the use of videos easy. It is a very simple and affordable video camera. If you can shoot and point you can use this. The videos are digital in nature, meaning there are no cartridges or film. The camera holds one hour of digital video and is entirely self-contained. No wires, no cords. It has a built in USB port to allow you to upload videos directly to your computer so that they can easily be posted on internet sites, your facebook account and even YouTube. The camera also has built in video management and editing software. Here is a collective response to many of the questions we have received.

1. You can learn more about The Flip by visiting their website.

2. There are different models. The Ultra was the original version it is a bit thicker, needs batteries to operate and has a toggle switch control on the back of the camera that controls functions.

3. The Mino is the version that Theresa and I use. It is thinner, charges when plugged into your computer (hence no batteries) and has push type button controls on the back which in our opinion make it easier to operate.

4. Theresa and I opted for cameras that hold 60 minutes of video. We do a lot of videoing. It is rare that we have any space issues, because when the camera is full of numerous little clips totaling 60 minutes it is easy to just download it to your computer and start clean. However, you can get models that hold 120 minutes if you desire. For most instances we think that is overkill.

5. There are now HD (High Definition Models). Ours is not. We have looked at the video quality differences between the regular model and high definition and believe that in most applications the difference is negligible. Also, you should understand that just because you shot the video on the camera in high definition, unless the site you are posting the video on has high definition capability, you will not get the improved benefit of high definition.

We couldn’t give a higher recommendation to any technology product. This belongs in your arsenal. Take your business to the next level.

We will even help you use it. We have created a 6 hour hands on workshop called VideoBiz where we teach students how to shoot, edit and post videos to the internet. There are two excellent ways for us to show you how to use the camera, edit the videos, post them on the internet and bring the power of video into your marketing arsenal.

1. Click here to visit the Course Creator Calendar and find out when the next opportunity is for us to fill your mind in VideoBiz. The video below will help you understand just what is possible:

2. If for some reason you cannot come to class, then you will benefit from the VideoBiz Video Training CD which will take you step by step through opening a YouTube account (For Free), editing the videos and posting them online.

If you have been using the Flip camera or videos in your business we would love to hear about your experiences. If you have any questions about the camera or the editing or posting of videos please ask, we are here to make certain that you Get It! Use It! And Become More Successful Because of It!