April 2009

Investment Exchange

An educational real estate newsletter

Investment Exchange Two-Year Review

We're rapidly approaching the two-year anniversary of what is now your premiere resource for distressed real estate information and education: Foreclosure.com's "Investment Exchange" newsletter.

We've come a long way since our debut edition, but even in the beginning we knew we were continuing to sow the seeds of success. Some of our readers have popped in at different intervals, which is the reason we want to reset and touch on things that you may have missed along our journey.

Foreclosure.com has maintained the Internet's most complete and reliable database of distressed properties for nearly a decade. This newsletter is a natural progression of the innovative tools and resources that all emanate from the vision of entrepreneur, distressed real estate mogul and Foreclosure.com Founder, Brad Geisen.

Our loyal subscribers and FREE trial testers can search for preforeclosures, foreclosures, HUDs, bankruptcies and more from one corner of the country to the other. Time and again, we have been praised for having the most accurate, comprehensive information available anywhere for distressed property investors.

Very early on we recognized that, while our database was a virtual goldmine for investors, it wouldn't be much help if our subscribers didn't have the knowledge or resources to know what to do once they acquired this invaluable property information.

That's the reason Foreclosure.com developed its very own learning center, which quickly emerged as an industry-leading destination. We started small with e-documents for new investors and then blew it out to offer tremendous learning opportunities through our highly-acclaimed Webinar series, which educates experienced and first-time investors alike on all kinds of important real estate-related subjects.

At the end of 2008, we also rolled out the Certified Foreclosure Agent program from Agent University — the top training program of its kind that ensures we have local experts on the ground who can help you score the very best deals in your neighborhood.

Foreclosure.com has also forged numerous strategic partnerships with likeminded companies to make the process of buying and selling distressed properties easier and more profitable ... just for you.

In short, being a part of the Foreclosure.com experience has never been more valuable or promising. Read on for even more information about how Foreclosure.com can kick start your property investment career!

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Site feature spotlight

Learn and earn, 24/7 365

If you're just getting started in real estate investment then you likely have a ton of questions — that's perfectly normal. In fact, even experienced investors know there's always more to learn. It seems that the more you know, the more information you want.

Foreclosure.com isn't content with just providing you distressed property listings and sending you on your way. We want to answer your questions ... every last one of them.

That's the primary reason we started hosting Webinars, which are information-packed online training seminars that cover a variety of topics relating to distressed property investment. Using the Internet, you can interact live with real estate experts who will teach you insider investment secrets and answer your most pressing questions.

And it happens all in real time!

We're very excited about our upcoming live Webinar, "Audit-Proof Tax Secrets of the Millionaires," with tax expert Patrick James. Just in time for tax season, Patrick will teach you how to protect your hard-earned investment income from ending up in government hands.

Patrick's Webinar will take place on Wednesday, April 8 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. His Webinar is available at absolutely no cost to Foreclosure.com members! To register now CLICK HERE.

That's just the tip of a very large iceberg.

If you've missed out on any of our live Webinars remember that we make them all available On Demand, which is a feature that allows you to watch prerecorded sessions and learn at your leisure. Indeed, you can download On Demand Webinars at any time and listen to them whenever you've got a spare moment to dedicate to honing your investment skills.

Here's a tip: If you're just getting started check out "Get Rich Buying Real Estate Foreclosures" with real estate tycoon Howard Small. You may also be interested in "Make 2009 $hine With Real Estate Foreclosures," a free Webinar hosted by top educator Linda Yates.

These Webinars and many more are available On Demand right now. So take advantage of the best advice of the industry's experts because education truly is the master key to your investment success!

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Web site search tips

UNCOVER HOT HUD HOME Deals ON Foreclosure.com

What's so great about United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) homes?

First, they're usually way less than market value and more often than not dirt cheap. When the Department forecloses on a HUD-insured mortgage, it has a liability on its hands that it is anxious to get rid of fast.

That's because the idea is to recover as much money as possible as quickly as possible.

It's the "as quickly as possible" that's the clincher — the longer properties are on a lenders' books, the more it costs them. That means you can expect slashed prices in exchange for a semi-quick decision.

These properties are almost always bargains — sometimes up to 50 percent off — so potentially you stand to make a boatload of cash. And if you can find a property in a decent location with the need of only cosmetic upgrades, you can easily expect returns with at least four zeros.

As a Foreclosure.com subscriber, you can search our database of hundreds of thousands of HUD listings. Our listings are complete, accurate and updated constantly so you can be sure you're getting the most reliable information available.

To find your perfect HUD property, just click your desired state from the Foreclosure.com homepage and choose a county. You can also click on "Search HUD homes" from the homepage and enter a zip code to narrow it down to your dream neighborhood.

Once you're done this step, click on the "Foreclosures" tab on the search results page. Under "Advanced Options," check the box marked "HUD." That will filter your search results so that you only see HUD-owned properties in the area of your choice.

Of course, you must do your due diligence on HUD properties just like any other investment. However, don't be surprised if the selling price is far below what you'd expect to pay for a home of that quality.

Great value and huge earnings are the hallmark of HUD homes!

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Hot off the press

LOWEST MORTGAGE RATES IN HISTORY

Thirty-year mortgages are down to 4.85 percent interest.

It's a 0.13 drop within a week — a full point drop from last year and a record low since 1971, the year that Freddie Mac first started keeping the records.

It's yet another effort by the U.S. government to jumpstart the downward-spiraling housing market. It comes after a recent announcement to inject $1.2 trillion into the economy.

The government is hopeful that a major cash injection combined with lower-than-ever interest rates will put home ownership into the "affordable" category for buyers who've held off in such a shaky market.

Property values in the United States remain depressed, which means that anyone who can get their hands on the money to buy property now stand to make a lot of money in the hopefully-near future.

How much longer will the prices stay this low?

It depends on the success of these latest initiatives. There is a general feeling that even lower housing prices is a near impossibility at this point and that, eventually, homes will be so ridiculously cheap that there will be a massive influx of buyers.

The influx hasn't happened yet. In the meantime, investors who have the means to obtain financing still stand to make a lot of money. There are so many deals in virtually every corner of the country that it's literally never been easier to get involved in the distressed property investment game.

The one measurable result of this most recent mortgage rate decrease is that people have, in fact, been flooding lenders with mortgage applications. Most applications aren't new, however; they are from existing borrowers looking to refinance.

It means that the number of new foreclosures should start to decline in the coming months. With low lending rates and amended laws to protect borrowers, it should be easier for folks in financial trouble to keep their houses.

Learn more about how to get financing fast and take advantage of the deals on every corner. Visit Foreclosure.com today!

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Our success stories

COMMUNITY EXPERTS ARE STANDING BY

When you're searching for properties, it can be very helpful to have an outsider's opinion. This is especially true if the outsider in question happens to know every last detail about the neighborhoods and properties in which you're interested.

When it was first launched, Foreclosure.com's Community Expert Program aimed to connect "in the know" local real estate agents with buyers who were looking for help with the often tricky homebuying process.

What resulted was a program that has been able to do just that, exploding into a massive success.

Our Community Expert Program has grown more than 200 percent over the last year. There are literally thousands of contact details — one for most every listing in our database — to put you in touch with someone who can give you the advice and support you need before buying.

Today, Foreclosure.com buyers trust our recommended experts to assist them in their buying decisions. These experts are useful whether you live in the neighborhood or you're on the other side of the country. Put simply, our Community Experts are your eyes and ears when it comes to distressed property research ... and they always have your best interests in mind.

So if you've got questions about a particular property, don't hesitate to call your Community Expert, who can conveniently be found on the Foreclosure.com property details pages in the area in which you are searching our database. In addition, you can also search for a real estate professional located in your target market through our Broker Network directory right here.

Whether you're a buyer or a broker, you can benefit by using a Community Expert as yet another valuable Foreclosure.com tool in your investment tool belt.

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Real estate tips

TURN OUR LISTINGS INTO COLD HARD CASH

What good is a property listing if its information is inaccurate?

Inaccurate information is terribly misleading, wasting both your time and your money. Too often, so-called foreclosure Web sites fail to provide contact details or correct addresses. Many even list houses that are no longer on the market or fail to update their listings when critical details change just to appear "larger."

Not so with Foreclosure.com.

We have a research team exclusively dedicated to reviewing our almost two million listings, ensuring that everything is exactly as it should be. Our listings are updated at least twice daily, so you can be confident that you'll know the details as soon as we do.

As usual, we go above and beyond by providing you with more than just the bare-bone details. We also include maps, photos, community and school data and more. In addition, there are links to help you find local financing and, if you want, a local real estate expert to help you navigate the purchase and sale of any distressed properties you've got your eye on.

To make things even more useful, our listings are broken down into three stages: preforeclosure, foreclosure/sheriff sales, and post-foreclosure/REO. This makes it easier for you to track properties and evaluate their risks and prospective rewards before you commit to anything.

In short, don't be fooled by Web sites that want money in exchange for shoddy, incomplete or misleading property listings. Expect only the best listings and the most support from Foreclosure.com ... the Internet's number one source for the best distressed property information.

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Linda's Learning Lane

Much more than meets the eye

It is pretty amazing what a hand-made paper list of distressed properties that covered a couple hundred miles has turned into to in just a decade:

America's largest and most comprehensive resource for foreclosure-related information!

This issue of "Investment Exchange" has focused on several of the great features Foreclosure.com has to offer. There's only so much space we have in the newsletter and so many things to talk about, which makes it difficult for us to pack it all in.

If you are like me, the more you utilize the Web site the more you realize how just how much of an edge Foreclosure.com provides when it comes to finding the best deals in real estate. One of my favorite tools is the school information on each property listing — I love the fact that I can "peek" into a neighborhood and have a better understanding of its "on the ground" dynamics.

As mentioned previously in this edition, our data team is second to none in the industry. Their commitment to providing you — and the rest of our loyal subscribers — accurate data is a top priority. It's hard to put into words all the hard work that goes into crunching data so that we can have clear and thorough information on properties throughout the country.

That's just the extra mile that we go ... and it doesn't end there. Not even close.

We are also committed to your training whether you are a first time homebuyer, real estate agent and/or an investor. So by highlighting these different areas of the Web site, as well as providing you with FREE site training, you can get going today in fulfilling your investing goals.

This has been quite a journey for me personally, learning and utilizing the tools Foreclosure.com has to offer. We would love to hear from you either through our forum, blog or contact us mediums. We know that by bringing you the information you need your success will guarantee our success ... and the journey is never ending.

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