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How To Improve your Video and Images for Higher Ranking in the Search Engines.

Acquiring SEO and traffic to your Blog or Website using great content, titles, descriptions, and keywords etc. has always been a subtle yet powerful strategy in the Blogging community.  Many new businesses and individuals don't start off blogging or creating websites with the understanding of how SEO (Search Engine Optimization) works, or why it might be important to their success. In time... they learn. We all do.

In my travels around the country teaching SEO, Blogging, and Social Networking, the one thing that is least talked about or questioned is the power of video and images. You hear "Content is King" but you won't hear or learn that video and images are the most viewed and sought after items on the Internet.  Could this be one of the reasons Google has links to them at the top of every search results page?

How do you get YOUR Video and Images to show at the Top of the Search Engine Results?

Matt Cutts from Google explains a few ways you can accomplish this.  He shares some great ideas and tips on using and adding meta-data and user generated content.  The idea of using captioning in Video is brilliant!  You provide the transcripts and youtube will auto-align the text.

Creating captioning is easier than you may think, Matt and others do this on every video and I can show you how.

Matt also shares some great ideas on how to use flickr, he gives some great examples and says “it’s almost like crowd sourcing!”  Flickr has great SEO but you need to understand how to use tags, descriptions and some of the tips in this video will assist you in knowing how and why.

If you create and use your own pictures, images, or video, and you want to get views, traffic, and ultimately generate leads and business, it's important to know a few key things including the SEO tips Matt shares in this video. It's also important to know that SEO isn't the only key ingredient that gets your material found on the web. Apply the concept that "Content Is King" to images and video, along with these tips and you've won 90% of the battle.

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Short Sale Legal Issues Affecting Real Estate Agents - Part #1

This series of posts is meant to assist real estate agents in recognizing: 

1. Legal & Tax Issues their clients are exposed to through a short sale.
2. The legal liabilities agents may expose themselves to when representing short sale sellers.

How did I come up with this series idea? 

I do a lot of networking which leads me to meet quite a few attorneys.  Many of them seem to be getting into loan modifications and short sales and approach me for referrals.  Besides direct referrals to homeowners, they all want introductions to real estate agents.  When I ask why, almost all tell me how agents doing short sales are practicing law without a license.  Since I'm very inquisitive, I've been asking these attorneys to give me specific examples.  A surprising percentage of attorneys can't come up with specifics.  Those that do, only have a small frame of reference.  So, I started compiling a list and doing my own research - both by tracking down local legal experts and online.  

This led me to create a whitepaper on Short Sale Legal Issues Affecting Real Estate Agents to distribute to my real estate partners.  I got such great feedback that I decided to post it.  Rather than just post it once as a blog and hope everyone on ActiveRain sees it, I came up with the idea of making it a series to increase the odds of more members getting exposed to it. 

So, please read on and if you like it share it with others that you know.  Also, definitely share your thoughts and experiences with constructive comments for the benefit of all! 

 

Many real estate agents recognize the market is changing and short sales are becoming too numerous to ignore.  Agents are jumping into the short sale market in a big way and several have really focused their business models on short sales. 

Short sales will continue to increase due to the Obama administration's stated goal, through its HAFA Program, of increasing short sales to decrease foreclosures.  So, agents will be dealing with them whether they want to or not. 

To set the stage, so to speak, for the legal & tax challenges agents face on short sales, let's cover some general challenges. 

General Short Sale Challenges

Working with short sales presents many challenges to real estate agents that they don't deal with on normal listings. 

• Sellers may be more interested in staying in the property as long as possible without making payments.  This will affect their motivation in getting you what you need to get the property sold.  To make sure sellers are serious about selling, many agents are charging sellers a nonrefundable, upfront fee.  Make sure to get your broker's approval though, if you choose to do this.
   
• Getting all the proper paperwork together can be time consuming.  There is so much to putting together a short sale package and it all takes time.  Time is money and if an agent's not careful, they can spend too much time on a single short sale listing to the detriment of the rest of their business.
   
• Lenders on the property seem to misplace paperwork at an alarming rate.  Often this is probably used as an excuse due to personnel being overwhelmed with volume.  An agent isn't going to win against the lenders with this.  A better strategy might be to scan the entire package and use a fax server type of program that allows the sending of a PDF via computer.
   
• Agents are often pushed to list a property at a price to cover what's owed versus a realistic market price.  The standard position of many lenders is that a property should be initially listed at a price equal to the mortgage balance.  This can put an agent in a legal quandary as they have a fiduciary responsibility to their client seller not the lender.  If a high starting list price leads to the property going to foreclosure sale before a buyer can be found, an agent could potentially be held liable if they didn't take proper measures to protect themselves.  An agent should check with an attorney about a waiver to use to address this situation.
   
• Getting price reductions approved can be tedious.  Again if the seller is not serious or getting bad advice from their lender, the listing can turn into a waste of time.  Agents may be able to have a seller sign a pre-agreed upon price reduction timeline to avoid this.  An agent should check with their broker or an attorney to be sure this is legal in their state.
   
• Once an agent secures an offer from a buyer, it can take months for the lender(s) to approve it.  See number 3 above about "lost" faxes.  It also seems to take lenders quite some time to get Broker Price Opinions scheduled and to run their Net Present Value analysis.
  
• Second mortgages usually complicate matters greatly.  The two (or more) lenders compete for the dollars available through a short sale.  Even though the junior lienholders are aware they'll probably recover nothing if the property goes to foreclosure, they're also aware that the first lender will receive less in a foreclosure.  They use this to leverage what they can recover on a short sale.  The HAFA Program addresses this issue and it's hoped it will reduce the frequency of this delay.
  
• Agents have to work with title companies to prepare mock HUD-1 settlement statements to accompany every offer submitted to the lender(s).  This task is best left to a title company as they have the software to execute this and account for transfer taxes, pro-rated taxes and the like.

Need I go on? 

Can you see how a short sale can take up a significant amount of an agent's time? 

Please comment on other issues that you've encountered that are NOT legal or tax issues. 

By the way, here's a teaser or cliff hanger, for the next post of the series: 

                      •-  What are the tax ramifications of 1099's for forgiven debt?
 

SHORTCUT NOTE: if you're the impatient type and don't want to wait to read the series as it's published, I'll send you the complete whitepaper for the series when you do all of the following: 

1. Post a constructive comment on one of the posts in the series
2. Reblog one of the posts in the series
3. Make me an associate of yours on ActiveRain: www.ActiveRain.com/dsygit
4. Join my Facebook Fanpage @ www.facebook.com/TheLendingEdge and send me a message requesting the whitepaper. 

If you're a Michigan agent, I'd also very much appreciate you joining a new AR group specifically for Michigan real estate professionals willing to share marketing and social media ideas with each other. 

http://activerain.com/groups/michiganmarketingideas

Thanks for reading and I hope you'll spread the word.

 _______________________________________________________________

If you enjoyed my blog post,
I invite you to connect with me on the social networks below & subscribe to my blog! 

     

"Referrals are Sending Someone You Care about, to Someone You Trust!"
So, forward this blog post to someone that'll appreciate it!

_______________________________________________________________

Drew Sygit: CMPS, CMC, CRMS, CMLO, CALO, MBA, NAMB/MAMP Instructor & Speaker
The most Certified Mortgage Expert in the Midwest

Contact him for The Lending Edge
P: 248-356-3739 • F: 866-215-3755 • dsygit@TheLendingEdge.com • www.TheLendingEdge.com

Buying a condominium unit can be more involved than buying a single family home. This is because you have to worry about both the unit itself and the condominium project as a whole.

10 Questions You Must Ask Before Purchasing A Condominium Unit

To borrow from a famous phrase, not all condominiums are created equally. Some condominiums are very well run; some are quite poorly run and underfunded. Buyers interested in purchasing a condominium unit must do their homework:  not only about the condition of the individual unit they are interested in purchasing, but on the financial health and governance of the condominium as a whole. Remember, you are buying into the entire project as much as you are the unit, and your decision will impact your daily living and your ability to re-sell.

Here are the 10 questions buyers should ask when deciding to purchase a condominium unit:

1. What is the monthly condominium fee and what does it pay for? The monthly condominium fee can range quite dramatically from condominium to condominium. The fee is a by-product of the number of units, the annual expenses to maintain the common area, whether the condo is professionally managed or self-managed, the age and condition of the project, and other variables such as litigation. For budgeting and financing you need to know the monthly fee and exactly what you are getting for it.
2. What are the condominium rules & regulations? Condominium rules can prohibit pets, your ability to rent out the unit, and perform renovations. Make sure you carefully review the rules and regulations before buying.  Needless to say, the buyer's attorney should review and approval all condominium documents, including the master deed, declaration of trust/by-laws, covenants, unit deed and floor plans to ensure compliance with state condominium laws as well as Fannie Mae and FHA guidelines, as necessary.
   
3. How much money is in the capital reserve account and how much is funded annually? The capital reserve fund is like an insurance policy for the inevitable capital repairs every building requires. As a general rule, the fund should contain at least 10% of the annual revenue budget, and in the case of older projects, even more. If the capital reserve account is poorly funded, there is a higher risk of a special assessment.  Get a copy of the last 2 years budget, the current reserve account funding level and any capital reserve study.
   
4. Are there any contemplated or pending special assessments? Special assessments are one time fees for capital improvements payable by every unit owner. Some special assessments can run in the thousands, others like the Boston Harbor Towers $75 Million renovation project, in the millions. You need to be aware if you are buying a special assessment along with your unit.  It's a good idea to ask for the last 2 years of condominium meeting minutes to check what's been going on with the condomininium.
   
5. Is there a professional management company or is the association self-managed? A professional management company, while an added cost, can add great value to a condominium with well run governance and management of common areas.
6. Is the condominium involved in any pending legal actions? Legal disputes between owners, with developers or with the association can signal trouble and a poorly run organization. Legal action equals attorneys’ fees which are payable out of the condominium budget and could result in a special assessment.  In most states, you can run a search of the condominium association in the court database to check if they've been involved in recent lawsuits.
   
7. How many units are owner occupied? A large percentage of renters can create unwanted noise and neighbor issues. It can also raise re-sale and financing  issues with the new Fannie Mae and FHA condominium regulations which limit owner-occupancy rates.
   
8. What is the condominium fee delinquency rate? Again, a signal of financial trouble, and Fannie Mae and FHA want to see the rate at 15% or less.
9. Do unit owners have exclusive easements or right to use certain common areas such as porches, decks, storage spaces and parking spaces? Condominiums differ as to how they structure the “ownership” of certain amenities such as roof decks, porches, storage spaces and parking spaces. Sometimes, they are truly “deeded” with the unit, so the unit owner has sole responsibility for maintenance and repairs. Sometimes, they are common areas in which the unit owner has the exclusive right to use, but the maintenance and repair is left with the association.  Review the Master Deed and Unit Deed on this one.
   
10. What Does The Master Insurance Policy Cover? The condominium should have up to $1M or more in coverage under their master condominium policy. For buyer's own protection, they should always buy an individual HO-6 policy covering the interior and contents of the unit, because the master policy and condo by-laws may not cover all damage to their personal possessions and interior damage in case of a roof leak, water pipe burst or other problem arising from a common area element. Ask for a copy of the master insurance policy and don't forget to check the fine print of the by-laws.  Sometimes, there's language that would hurt a unit owner in case of a common area casualty.  Condominiums over 20 units should also have fidelity insurance to protect against embezzlement.
    

Often a standard condominium questionarre will answer all or most of these questions. If not, be prepared to generate this list and incorporate it into your Offer to Purchase or Purchase and Sale Agreement, as the case may be in your home state.  Do not have your buyer put earnest money down until satisfactory answers are received.  Good luck and happy condo hunting to you and your buyers!

 

 

• You get a higher yield than if you put the $230,000 in a low yielding account
• You have opened the door to a larger pool of qualified buyers to purchase your home, therefore
• You may be able to sell your home for a higher price because you have reduced the toughest barrier to purchase a home today, financing

Staging your home, marketing it with massive exposure, and making it accessible are all important factors in getting your home sold. Equally as important, and I think even more important in these days of difficult to obtain mortgage financing, is to have a financing strategy in place to make it easier to buy for a larger number of people. The seller carryback is one tool, the seller buydown is another.

 

 

Light, Bright, Top Floor, Jewel of a Condo in

Burlingame CA!

 

 

             

 

425 N. El Camino Real #409, San Mateo

Top Floor Light and Comfort

• Soaring living room ceilings and sky lights, a wood-burning fireplace and an office nook for work-at-home.

• Generously proportioned dining area includes a built-in service counter and open wall pass-through to kitchen.

• Kitchen features rich walnut-finish cabinetry, granite counters, ceramic tile and all new stainless appliances.

• Eat-in kitchen breakfast nook with a light-filled skylight above.

• Master suite features two large closets, a private balcony, a vanity counter housing two sinks, and extra storage.

• Over-sized master shower includes an overhead shower head and an optional hand-held shower wand.

• Additional bath and bedroom with designer colors, and new carpeting.

 

Additional Features Include:

• 2 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms

• Roomy 1,317 Sq. Ft. (County Records)

• Private balcony with extra storage

• In-unit laundry

• Amenities of pool, recreation room, billiards room

• Conveniently located near bus lines, easy travel access

• Walking distance to downtown Burlingame

 

 

 

Offered at $489,000