If you remember it was just a few days ago that I posted about Bank of America and how a Daytona Beach real estate seller is still getting billed...still receiving phone calls...and cannot file their taxes due to mishandling of their short sale in the closing department....

A little update...and dealing with Bank of America: A consumer perspective

All of us including the seller, myself and the title company have tried to provide information to Bank of America in order to close out a short sale that closed and recorded in November...

Good deal at least it was recorded with the new owner!

A couple of things that you should know because its not an uncommon problem...his situation is not unique...as a matter of fact it's an issue with Bank of America since now they have created a department to expedite 1099's.

Let me repeat that-New Department to Expedite 1099's

While some folks in the comment thread thought it was no big deal..it sure is.....think about it how would you feel if it happened to your mother or father...or best friend!

This whole mess reminds of me of what we as agents have to do to get the ball rolling and the effort and diligence needed for a successful short sale. 

Never Talk To the same people...rehash the story over and over again.

Poor seller had to explain his story to various customer service clerks...No idea what he was talking about...did not understand the process...the smart thing to do is give a direct number to someone who could help.

He spoke to numerous people...does it sound familiar?

Yes this happened to the seller and not once did he lose his cool...because he is gonna place nice...until he has no other choice but to play rough!

Be Forewarned Bank of America

We did a three way call but they would not speak to me or allow him to give me authorization to speak to the bank.  Their new and improved Equator system...wiped out all the information...that's when the seller...decided to handle the problem on his own.....

He didn't want me to have to relive it...a very thoughtful man!

One of the people he spoke to wanted proof that the funds were wired....and needed the confirmation...and wanted him to prove...this short sale closed successfully...but the typical thing happened....

Sometimes Bank Employees do not know their own procedures

This hotshot did not know their own short sale procedures...no wiring according to the instructions...they would only accept checks...

The burden of proof is on the seller

The Title company had cancelled checks...and a satisfaction of mortgage!  You think he would be done Right?

Not!

Today Mr. Seller will be calling the Vice President of Bank of America, fortunately for him...someone finally offered him that number.  As we talked last night...it was not the way he wanted to spend is very valuable time. 

Now the filing of taxes may be delayed

Getting the run around....no answers....excuses....stress..I think you get the picture! If you sold your property in a short sale and are receiving letters..statements...and phone calls...

Do yourself a favor...and follow up!

Truthfully there needs to be something done...just think we make a mistake...it can cost us dearly....a title company screws up can cost them their business....a loan officer does something wrong...its the slammer! 

Somehow things need to change in the banking industry...

Hire Competent People...know what the next person is doing...and the next time a negotiator leaves the company...take a look at the existing files...but do more than look.....

Close out Bank of America Short Sales properly!

The next person might not be so understanding and patient!  Then again it aint over yet!

If you found this useful please subscribe! Midori Miller authors DaytonaRealEstateTrainer.com | The Business Center | Celebrity Truths and her Active-rain blog DaytonaRealEstateTraining.com. Feel free to contact her via email or phone.

An odd thing happened this morning as I was sipping my coffee and preparing to work...all of a sudden I had and usual number of requests for the pre-listing template, the sample and format Jeannette and I used for the makeover2takeover.

I couldn't figure out why until just a few minutes ago...when I recieved the Activerain newsletter..it doesn't surprise me as I get at least 5 requests everyday...so today...I am going to post the links of where you can get both the sample and the actual presentation which kept us in the top 3 of the Activerain Makeover2Takeover contest.

I cannot keep up with the requests via email and if you never recieved your copy..you can now....because of Activerain...this year...I am working harder than ever with one on one training...ghostwriting...social media...and writing real estate web content for a web company. I am lucky..then again...I worked hard to get to this point...I created my luck!  Look for group sessions coming soon! 

Original Prelisting Presentation....this is a sample from original post...these young ladies are REALTORS but Joy Mitchell recently left CENTURY 21 Sundance Realty and is now with REALTY PRO's.

FREE Powerpoint presentation templates

If you click the link below and have a slideshare account...you can download the actual winning presentation on your computer.  Because of the template we used...all content is here but some of the flashy stuff..may not show.

If you found this useful please subscribe! Midori Miller authors DaytonaRealEstateTrainer.com | The Business Center | Celebrity Truths and her Active-rain blog DaytonaRealEstateTraining.com. Feel free to contact her via email or phone.

Last night I recieved an alarming call from one of my past customers...that's right...alarming...you see we closed on their short sale in October...the closing took place without any hitches...the title company did what they were supposed to and at the end...the buyers moved into the house..commissions checks cut......but there is one problem....

The seller continues to get statements...bills....and phone calls!  WHY?  Because this closed and funded transaction is still in Bank of America's closing department?

Come on Bank Of America Get Your %#%^ Together!

So far the explanation is that the Negotiator who had this file...no longer works for them...someone dropped the ball but they have never seen anything like this before...and they are not sure what to do......and the seller will just have to be patient. 

This hold up...creates stress...the seller can't file their taxes and what they thought was behind them is still in front of them because someone dropped the ball!

The biggest mistake here is that Bank of America is making them jump through hoops, you know the typical where you talk to not one but two customer service clerks...and then shuffled around to various deparments causing frustration...aggravation..and no true answers...

I got the willies...its as if the seller must relive the short sale transaction all over again.

I'm lucky the seller and I have become very good friends and they have a financial background, however someone who might not be so well versed in real estate and mortgages..might very well panic and create havoc. We have taken steps to get his file out of the closing department and hopefully according to Bank of America, their transaction will be closed soon otherwise the seller will have to file an extension on their taxes.

Short sale sellers....BEWARE....

This could happen to you....if you continue to recieve bills, letters and phone calls after your, what you thought was a successful closing....do yourself a favor...follow up...ask questions and make sure your short sale transaction is really closed!

If you found this useful please subscribe! Midori Miller authors DaytonaRealEstateTrainer.com | The Business Center | Celebrity Truths and her Active-rain blog DaytonaRealEstateTraining.com. Feel free to contact her via email or phone.

When working with agents sometimes I need to set the record straight...there is some myth that you can sit behind your keyword all day...everyday....and create an abundance of business.....enough business to support yourself throughout the year...while it can happen if you are a Zillow.com or a Trulia.com but as an individual trying to earn a good living...I'm here to tell you that real estate is a people to people business.  Sometimes all you need to do to take your business to the next level is get in front of more people.

• You have to step away from your computer once in a while and get in front of more people!
• You have to talk to people even if you are shy
  
• You have to remind people you are in the real estate business
  
• Sometimes you wear your business on your shirt with a name tag

Now I am not saying blogging or Internet marketing is not effective..it is..I know..I benefit everyday from my online presence but sometimes it is necessary to do certain things to remind people you are in the real estate business and not necessarily an Internet marketer but a real estate agent who applies Internet marketing into their business.

• Sometimes you must socialize other then text message and chat
• Even the most tech savvy consumers want human interaction when it is necessary
  
• Remember Not all people are tech savvy or want to conduct their real estate transaction electronically.
• Social media is meant to enhance people's lives and not make it more difficult.

Many people ask me which social media outlets are the best.  Truly I can't answer that and no one else can for that matter meaning I am not you. Most people have a preference, unique goals and everyones business is very different.

Consider:

• Your target audience
• Your time allocated to social media
• The number of members and visitors of a platform
• Usability, comfort and expectations

If you use your social media in the right way...more than likely....it will lead to what we all want at the end...more listings and sales but also getting in front of more people!  Remember real estate is a people to people business...one last thing...whether we like it or not....

We Are In Sales!

Make it a Fabulous Day!

If you found this useful please subscribe! Midori Miller authors DaytonaRealEstateTrainer.com | The Business Center | Celebrity Truths and her Active-rain blog DaytonaRealEstateTraining.com. Feel free to contact her via email or phone.

It won't be long before I start my phone calls this morning....you see after being featured in the Activerain newsletter...2 times recently...I have to return calls for potential business.

Because two of my posts were featured in the newsletters and subscribers from around the globe read my posts and recieved it in their e-mail...

This morning I have much to look forward to...I have inquiries to follow up on...

With real estate training and writing web content....

I'm excited...

I love the Activerain Newsletter...because...

• My posts blew up and I had no idea until I reviewed the newsletter!
• From 9 comments to 41 comments overnight...comments may not matter to some...but for me it does...comments initiates communication...either in the blogpost or in my email! 
• Comments = Work = Income =Happy Midori
• From those two posts...I have made three contacts....which turned into one hot prospect...1 new connection and one new friend.  The odds are better when more people read your posts.  
• Finally my readership is about back to normal and according to google...more people are reading and the loss of readership is now back in the plus.
• The posts in the newsletter are usually different from what is featured on the main dashboard creating variety to gain addtional readers as well as new business.
• Activerain featured post or newsletter...I'll take either anytime...any day!

If you ignore the Activeain newsletter...you might want to rethink that decision...mainly because most often these posts are useful to everyone in the real estate industry...real estate training...tips and advice..or experiences...to enhance your career!

Do you read the Activerain newsletter?  If not you should!

If your business is not where you want it to be...give me 6 weeks...and in return you will have more listings and sales!  Contact Midori Miller, Daytona Real Estate Trainer today!  Affordable training, mentoring and Internet marketing for today's real estate industry professional.

I am all about equal opportunity but what do you think about a company outside the United States that you can outsource your BPO's to?  Let me make it clear I have no problem with outsourcing but it sure concerns me that the downplay or the value of a BPO is cheapen because some bank, broker or agent decides to outsource their data entry or completing the BPO in its entirety.  

When I read this email I was surprised it's as if anyone can do them...and to think I get upset when someone 120 miles away from my area asked me to do a BPO.

Outsourcing BPO's? WHAT?

Portions of an email that was sent to me...

Our company is situated in Pakistan since 2005. We do outsource BPOs business. We deal with all kind of bpos shortsales, Reo and others.  Our company has lot of experienced members who evaluate the property in exact fashion .We have great command to pull out comps by using the MLS & data entry on lot of websites like mainstreetval, clear capital, mark to market, LSI , old republic etc. with perfact comments.

Right now we are working/doing bpos for two other companies and for some brokers as well. We want to expand our outsource BPOs business. If you wish to examine us then send us email we will reply you shortly.

We are expert to do BPOs as we are in this field since 2005. For quality assurance you can send us one or two orders for checking our work. All orders will be returned within 24 hours .

If you are interested to start outsource BPO's business with my company then please let us know we shall be glad to know your decision.
--
Thank you,
Have a great day!

There is enough trouble determining value even if you are an expert or you live in the area.  I find it interesting that a company outside the U.S. believes by utilizing the MLS and data from a few websites that makes their company worthy of handling BPO's?

What's worse is that if the information in the email is correct...two companies and some brokers are utilizing them already and the data that is used is MLS data from a few websites. Do you think these BPO's are accurate? 

Outsourcing is a great way to save a few bucks...but I wonder are people really saving money and time by using a source outside the immediate area.  Heck BPO automation system software works hand and hand with your MLS...why would anyone use this company to outsource their BPO's?  What do you think about this?

Just another real estate agent task that is devalued once again...

Yesterday I spoke with an agent out of our area...not new but shy...nothing wrong with being shy but by not speaking up you might be losing thousands of dollars in real estate commissions after all buyers and sellers are looking for leadership, finding solutions and may look to you for advice.

Think about their hard earned dollars and what they are buying....

Tough Real Estate Conversations with Buyers

I am known to be blunt, direct and sometimes extremely passionate...but even some of these hard real estate conversations might cause discomfort for the boldest of bold. 

Remember every customer is different with some not able to accept some of the things you are saying...timing is important as well as tone.  Uncomfortable or not some things are better said when the window of opportunity opens...and if it seems to not be there...then you create the opportunity!

Do you discuss...

• Your buyer and getting to know them.
• Let them get to know you and how you work
• Fair Housing when a buyer says something that could violate the law if the topic of conversation continues?
• Are you currently working with a real estate agent or REALTOR or calling multiple agents?
• A series of prequalifying questions to make sure they are a buyer today or in the near future?
• Distinguish needs vs. wants
• If they have a pre-approval letter from their mortgage broker and discuss the benefits?
• If they have seen any properties yet?
• What method of contact is their preference...phone call, email or text?
• Communication between buyer and seller and real estate agents?
• Emotional reactions in someone Else's home.
• Remind them those that speak first loses on many occasions.
• Buyer Broker Agreement as long as you can explain the value
  
• The importance of seeing the home..visualizing themselves in the home with their furniture, their decorative preferences rather than the sellers.
  
• The sales contract and addendum's and the buying process?
• If they are ready to put a deposit on a property if it feels like home?
• Calling you regardless of what type of property they are looking for...fsbo...new homes...homes not listed or for sale.
• The length of time a short sale will close or a foreclosure or bank owned properties.
• How important it is to consider value rather than what the seller bought it for when putting an offer together.
• Your availability on the phone...response time in communications and your days off?
  

These are just a few topics that should be discussed through out the process...

Communication breakdown will often kill deals...create bad feels and have an impact on not only today's business but future business as well.

Its not just discussing..its taking notes and listening! 

To the agent who called me yesterday...

thank you, and for you....links to useful, relevant posts with incredible opinions from around the network.  Now let's get to work and make some money! 

If your business is not where you want it to be...give me 6 weeks...and in return you will have more listings and sales!  Contact Midori Miller, Daytona Real Estate Trainer today!  Affordable training, mentoring and Internet marketing for today's real estate agent. 

Malicious Malware Attack is no lauging matter....I sit and watch what I have worked so hard for slowly going down in rankings...now when you search in Google...there is a red message on two of my sites...this site may be harmful to your computer.  huh?  How?  Why?

Ego and Pride Set In

It made me sad... It makes me not want to write....2 out of 3 sites have been affected by malware...I watch as I slowly lose rankings....subscribers...and contacts.

May sound strange but I feel violated...I feel powerless...I'm not that technical to fix the problem myself.  I'm careful...have decent passwords...know enough code to get by..and I live with a computer scientist.   We aren't dummies but whoever is hacking is a bit smarter than me.

But now I developed Blog Post Phobia

• I refuse to log in and possibly spread any viruses..I sure don't want to infect my 3rd site...or affect anyone else for that matter.  
• I've lost subscribers...I've lost contacts...that means some jerk who had nothing better to do...did a malicious attack on my pocketbook. Even if it was automatic...doesn't matter...some jerk developed that as well!
  
• This afternoon on my twitter account...my site was sited for malware...talk about embarrassing...embarrassed or not my blood boiling!  I removed my site...
  

I'm not sad...I'm pissed!  

For the time being please do not visit DaytonaRealEstateTrainer dot com it's cleaned out but connected to MidoriMiller dot com....they did a number on this site..but we are better...the computer scientist is checking the files and cleaning it himself...sometimes automated services do not work...and my web hosting company closed my ticket as resolved. Resolved? # FAIL

I'm glad I developed some good web habits.....most important a web rotation...I know for sure I can count on Activerain...very little spam...no virus or malware and Google loves me here! 

Will let you know when these sites are safe and computer scientist approved!

I sometimes assist real estate agents in adding their listings on their websites or sometimes we sit and create amazing flyer's for marketing property listings.  It's very important to evaluate a room prior to snapping that shot!

Be Careful with your MLS photos-you might be creating barriers for home sellers!

Sometimes I get assistance from the computer scientist and what we came across had us both laughing but really when you think about it...its really no laughing matter...because you could very well prevent that home from selling based on photos in the MLS. 

Barack Obama by Petr Kratochvil (thank you)

While I would never snap a shot and embarrass the agent...we chatted and they know it will be a training lesson. 

But looking at the photo's of this gorgeous home...I had to bust a gut when I saw Obama's face on the T.V. screen.

While I have no problem whatsoever with Barack Obama...some might base a decision on this visual alone.

Moral of the story:  Pay attention to all details when taking MLS photo's..that would include what is sitting on the table...in the sink..or in the bathroom...do yourself a favor and don't forget to turn the T.V off!

Can't say it was a big problem...with photoshop...we just turned the Tube off! 

If you found this useful please subscribe! Midori Miller authors DaytonaRealEstateTrainer.com | The Business Center | Celebrity Truths and her Active-rain blog DaytonaRealEstateTraining.com. Feel free to contact her via email or phone.  

Everyday I get something in my email or in my comment thread that ends up turning into a blog post. This is for those who are not convinced that Activerain is one of the best real estate marketing tools around...For you non-believers..... you may want to take note....

The big question:  How much traffic comes from other ActiveRain members vs. Consumers?  "Truthfully I can't answer that but I can show you a visual that might let you know that people around the globe read our blogs..and hey if Activerain went international I must have missed the memo!"

Here is a screenshot of my most recent map...from my favorite clustrmaps...if you want to know where your traffic is coming from...you might want to get your own....

It's simple...sign up for a map embed in your sidebar and watch as your visitors hit your site!  If you click the pic....you will see that traffic comes from all over. 

Now tell me....did I miss the memo?  Thank You to All of My Readers!

Are you a Google analytics user?  If not you should be.  How can you gage the success of your website and blogs if you do not understand their effectiveness or better yet what is your intent and what do you want as your end result?  Readers...subscribers...$$$$$....Do people get lost in your words?

What I mean by this is the time spent on your site and where the heck are they going after they are filled with your words...do people take action?  Meaning...maybe view MLS listings | request a cma or contact you via email or phone? Do they buy a house or request additional services?  What is the final outcome, did you achieve your goal?  If not...

Add interesting and relevant content!  Make a few changes!

I am amazed at how long people will sit on a site especially if it is packed with useful information...and updated frequently..

I've been experimenting..and its interesting in what I have found.

The time people spend on my ActiveRain blog is much higher than any of my other sites.  It's my oldest, most active blog and the numbers recently went down..people have spent as long as 12 minutes on my blog and now average 7 minutes....here is what I found.

• I do not post as frequently and am not consistent keeping my content fresh and up to date.
• Posting members only can reduce the time spent by readers especially if you have more consumer readers than active rain readers.
• Getting lazy and not adding a call to action or at least a post signature can affect your bottom line.
• Not adding links to past posts can really get them off your site.
• Less interaction equals less opportunity...it's almost as if I shut the door!
• The length of your post matters...shorter is not always best..if you can't make your point in just a few words.
• My Google page rank dropped by 1 :( now it is a page rank 3
• Fewer contacts = less opportunity =lost income

There is always a duel between my Active rain blog and my real estate website...and when it comes to search engines...my site usually wins at the end...because of Google analytics...I know..that often times...the traffic to my website is directly from ActiveRain.  Not a bad lead in....

There are those that will aways criticize this site...there will be those that never will understand the true value of the network...and there are those well who are gutless and never tried it because of personal feelings or what they have heard...if only they knew....

I wonder should we tell them?

If you found this useful please subscribe! Midori Miller authors DaytonaRealEstateTrainer.com | The Business Center | Celebrity Truths and her Active-rain blog DaytonaRealEstateTraining.com. Feel free to contact her via email or phone.