July 2008

Investment Exchange

An educational real estate newsletter

Sheriff Sales and Auctions

(Part II of II)

Read Part I  |  Part II

Last month in Part I of our feature on Sheriff Sales and foreclosure auctions, we introduced you to the Sheriff Sales basics.

Now in Part II of this two-part series, we're going to show you how to distinguish the gems from the duds, what to expect as the newbie at a Sheriff Sale, and how to find amazing deals at Sheriff Sales.

In addition, we've also got several special features this month to help sellers market their homes for sale and other services. These are cutting-edge tools that are guaranteed to help increase exposure for properties in target markets, as well as drive traffic to desired Web sites.

It's our way of connecting buyers looking for great deals with agents and brokers out there on the front lines, maximizing the most value from Foreclosure.com regardless of whether you are buying or selling real estate.

As always, our newsletter is jam-packed with ideas to inspire you in your career in distressed property investment, re-invigorate your efforts and make you as much money as possible.

It's all right here in this months' edition of the Investment Exchange. Enjoy!

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Site feature spotlight

BE SEEN BY MILLIONS

Smart real estate agents and brokers understand that marketing is the key to success and a priority number one. Put simply, if potential buyers can't find you, you aren't going to make any money. That's the reason we've put together R.A.M.P., which stands for "REO Agent Marketing Program."

In short, it's designed to put your name and services right in front of serious, qualified buyers 24/7.

More than 5 million buyers search our site every month for the best Sheriff Sale, preforeclosure and REO listings, as well as tax liens and much more. At just $20 per zip code, you can introduce yourself to this motivated buyer pool looking for deals in your area.

How do your other methods of advertising compare?

Not only do you get more leads, but buyers also benefit from the one-on-one assistance that you eventually provide them. In other words, everybody wins:

• Your business grows as your reputation is enhanced.
• Buyers enjoy massive amounts of quality listings and personal assistance right when they need it.
• Foreclosure.com continues to prove that it is truly #1 in the distressed property business.

Another amazing feature of R.A.M.P. is that you have the opportunity to become THE contact agent for all of Foreclosure.com's listings in a given zip code. That means that within a matter of days — and for very little money — you could have more leads than you'd know what to do with!

We're proud to offer R.A.M.P. to you for the unbeatable price of only $20 per zip code simply because we want to help buyers, brokers and agents alike make money at the real estate game. Get started right now — you're only a few clicks away from being a part of one of the most successful marketing campaigns on the Web today.

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Web site search tips

SHERIFF SALES MADE SIMPLE

You probably know by now that a Sheriff Sale isn't much different than any other auction, technically. Practically speaking, however, you may find it a much more intense, nerve-racking, high-stakes experience ... especially if you're new to the game.

So, what's a Sheriff Sale going to be like? Well, it's going to depend on where you are in the country and how much experience you have, but you can usually count on a few elements common to most Sheriff Sales:

1. Expect the regulars to notice the new guy (that's you!). The investors who faithfully attend every Sheriff Sale in their area are in it to make serious money and many of them don't take kindly to strangers. It's not uncommon for more experienced investors to band together to run the auction price up artificially high on a shoddy property just so that you'll overbid, lose your shirt and never come back again. Protect yourself from the pressure to overbid by educating yourself. Learn everything you can about a property before you bid so that you yourself know exactly what it's worth and exactly how high you're willing to go.
2. Bring your wallet with you. In almost every case you'll be required to register as a legitimate bidder before the auction starts to avoid cases where people are bidding on something they can't afford. This also means that when you do win a property, you'll be required to pay at least 5 percent of your winning bid immediately — as in right after the gavel drops. And what about the other 95 percent? Sometimes you've only got a day or so to come up with that chunk of change. The rush is all because of the banks — they're anxious to get a property in default off of their books, so they make you take care of it as quickly as possible. Of course, you do have options other than producing thousands of dollars right on the spot. Visit us at Foreclosure.com to learn what's best for you.
3. Foreclosure.com is committed to letting you know about only the highest quality Sheriff Sale listings AND to arming you with the confidence and knowledge you need to navigate the auctions successfully.

When it comes to Sheriff Sales, knowledge and confidence are critically important tools. Yes, Sheriff Sales can be risky, but they can also be extremely rewarding, both personally and financially. The right property can make you tens of thousands of dollars richer (or more!) in a relatively short period of time. Talk to the experts at Foreclosure.com to get heading down the most rewarding paths Sheriff Sales have to offer.

To learn even more about the Sheriff Sale process, check out this entertaining and informative blog from one of Foreclosure.com's investigative staff members.

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Hot off the press

Add foreclosures to your blog FREE and get paid!

Foreclosure.com is very excited to announce our brand new, 100 percent FREE product designed to exponentially increase the quality of your real estate website.

It's called the WordPress Foreclosure Listings Plugin. Designed with cutting-edge technology, this program allows the users of your Web site to search real-time through Foreclosure.com's thousands of real estate listings.

Here are just a handful of the many benefits:

• Collect leads, leads and more buyer leads
• Add more than 1.8 million listings to your site
• Make money 24/7 as a revenue-sharing partner
• No commitment and no cost!

Just imagine — you're one free download away from dramatically enhancing the quality of your real estate website for your users. Readers will have the opportunity to search through Foreclosure.com's nationwide listings and even obtain valuable data about properties (street, city, state, price, and more).

There are even more amazing benefits.

First, you'll enjoy access to all leads that the plugin generates. You'll have a list of those contacts and be able to use it in the future for any other marketing strategies you roll out. Second, the plugin enhances your SEO visibility, which will drive even more traffic to your site by making it easier to find.

Perhaps even better is the money making potential.

By using our new plugin, we will actually pay you for qualified traffic you generate for the Foreclosure.com Web site. In other words, any visitor to your Web site who makes a qualifying visit to Foreclosure.com after seeing your site will earn cash for you.

There are no catches and no strings attached.

All you have to do is install the WordPress Foreclosure Listings Plugin and begin enjoying more Web site traffic, more leads, better content and extra income. It's easy to use and absolutely free ... so don't wait! Download it today!

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Our success stories

IT'S OUR BIRTHDAY ... Sorta!

It's July, and that means Foreclosure.com is celebrating the one-year anniversary of our groundbreaking Education Department.

Our educational programs are the result of our continual efforts to exceed the expectations of our readers and customers. You wanted easy-to-understand information that would put you on the cutting edge of the real estate market, and we delivered.

Here are just a few of the year's highlights:

• Our comprehensive library of Webinars on virtually every real estate topic imaginable. You can enjoy either our live Webinars, which allow you to speak one-on-one with real estate experts, or our archived Webinars available On Demand, so you never have to miss out on the information you need. A recognized expert in his or her field hosts each Webinar, ensuring you receive the best information available.
• Our top-selling six-CD course with a bonus DVD, "Get Rich Buying Real Estate Foreclosures." The first of its kind, this course leads you by the hand through the foreclosure process so that you've got the tools you need to make money in distressed property investment. It also comes with a ton of FREE bonuses to help you hit the ground running.

These are just a few of our achievements this year, and we want you to know that much more is on the way. Foreclosure.com's Education Department has fast become the industry's one-stop shop for the best tools to teach you how to make the most of your real estate career.

Linda Yates, our Director of Education, couldn't have said it better:

It's hard to believe a year has passed since we launched this new division at Foreclosure.com. It has been a full year with many accomplishments and the opportunity to learn a lot about our subscribers and their needs. We have enjoyed reaching out to our users and giving them timely information with the Investment Exchange. We have also learned much from the best real estate minds in country on how to invest in distressed real estate. We appreciate those that have returned multiple times to participate with the various webinars and those of you that have "tuned in" in the middle of the night with our On-Demand library.

We are excited about what lays on the horizon and welcome your feedback in how we can continue to be a marketplace for all of your investing needs. Thank you for your inspiration and your continued loyalty.

Check back with us regularly for new Webinars, programs and other educational products.

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Real estate tips

HOUSES FLIP FASTER

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has recently announced a new initiative to help lenders sell foreclosed homes more quickly.

For the last several years, and up until a couple of weeks ago, lenders were required to hang on to their foreclosure purchases for at least 90 days before selling. Now, in an effort to stimulate property values in neighborhoods across America, the FHA is waiving the 90-day waiting period for the next 12 months.

How is it going to work?

Well, the theory is that the quicker these houses sell, the quicker these communities will once again be filled with residents. It makes sense: an all-but-deserted neighborhood is bound to have unkempt lawns, trash in the yards, abandoned cars, graffiti and other types of vandalism and increased crime rates. That neighborhood, in turn, negatively affects the property values in surrounding areas.

It's a snowball effect.

By contrast, increasing populations in communities means less crime, cleaner streets and tidier yards. The nicer the area, the more attractive it will be to live there and in neighboring communities alike. The more people enjoy living there, the higher the property values will be. It could be just the thing to reverse the plummeting property values that have been encountered in many areas of the US.

While this news doesn't necessarily affect investors directly, it's worth noting that any successful attempt to boost property values is going to mean increased revenue for home flippers. As communities once again become full of residents who take care of their houses and yards, you can bet that the foreclosure properties you've bought are going to show an upswing in value.

Better property values mean more demand and faster flips, which translates into more dollars in your wallet!

More good news: there are still plenty of deals to be had out there. Snap yours up in time to take advantage of upcoming property value increases. Check out Foreclosure.com for the best deals available today!

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