FORT MYERS, FLA. (April 8, 2010) -- With a campaign in full swing to help his company's agents and brokers get up to speed on a new federal program that promises to overhaul America's beleaguered short sale process, Sellstate president Neil Cresswell will hit the road next week to speak to real estate professionals in California about the plan's potential benefits for buyers, sellers and service providers.
The U.S. Treasury Department's Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives program launched Monday, providing incentives for lenders and service providers to facilitate short sales and deeds-in-lieu as alternatives to foreclosure. Like many industry analysts, Cresswell said he is optimistic the HAFA plan will make the short sale process less cumbersome for sellers, buyers and servicers alike.
"This program is going to go a long way toward easing the short sale and foreclosure gridlock," said Cresswell, who outlined the HAFA changes for agents and brokers during a speaking event at the Cape Coral (Fla.) Association of Realtors last week. "HAFA provides so many ways for agents and brokers to help distressed homeowners, and also gives realtors a meaningful way to help their own business in the process. But education is really going to be critical when it comes to helping people taking advantage of this opportunity.
"We're not providing basic 'how-to-do-short-sale' training during these events; there are lots of those events out there already. This is more in depth. We want to make sure agents get the full picture of how the new program will impact the process. There's no doubt in my mind that HAFA can be a real boon for buyers and sellers, but only if the agents they're working with have a complete understanding of the program's potential."
Cresswell, a longtime broker and real estate strategist, said his presentation will focus on showing agents how to take full advantage of the program's guidelines while eliminating many of the administrative hassles typically associated with short sales. He will also offer tips on how to attain more listings, increase closing ratios, maximize earnings and provide better customer service.
Fort Myers realtor Cindy Roper attended Cresswell's speaking event in Cape Coral, and said she came away impressed with the information provided.
"After this seminar, the light went on for me," said Roper, an agent for the Sellstate Achievers office in Fort Myers. "I think this program is going to prove to be really beneficial for homeowners, but as an agent you need to know what you're doing. I came away (from the presentation) confident that I can help more homeowners, and help my own business at the same time -- without adding a huge amount of stress to my workload."
Sellstate will be the headline sponsor for four speaking events in California. Each event is free, but seating is limited. Real estate professionals can get more information and register for events at CaliforniaShowcases.com.
Here is the schedule for the California events (each session will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.):
- SAN DIEGO - Monday, April 12: 10 a.m.-noon, Town & Country Resort & Convention Center, 500 Hotel Circle North (co-sponsored by Sellstate Next Generation)
- TEMECULA - Monday, April 12: 2-4 p.m., Hampton Inn, 28190 Jefferson Ave. (co-sponsored by Sellstate Professional)
- RANCHO CUCAMONGA - Tuesday, April 13: 2-4 p.m., Victoria Gardens Cultural Center, 12505 Cultural Center Drive (co-sponsored by Sellstate Premier)
- ROCKLIN - Wednesday, April 14: 3-5 p.m., Placer County Association of Realtors, 4750 Grove St. (co-sponsored by Sellstate Realty First)
For more information, call (813) 418-6141 or visit CaliforniaShowcases.com.
Following the Rocklin event, Cresswell will head to Palm Desert, Calif., to take part in the REOMAC Spring Education Summit on April 15-17. The REOMAC Summit brings together representatives from companies throughout North America that provide professional resources for the default service industry. |
|
Work your plan!
What are you doing each day to build your business?
Schedule an appointment with yourself each week for 10 minutes. Keep the appointment! Review your business goals and plan, and make sure you're still on track. It will pay off -- just keep working your plan!
|
