… at Trulia headquarters was a great experience — chatted with several great industry contacts in the networking sessions and sat in some information-packed presentations.

Here are two quick pictures I snapped with my iPhone today:

Next up is the Inman Bloggers Connect workshop and then the “Real Estate Connect San Francisco 2009″ tradeshow from Aug. 5 through Aug. 7.

Feel free to stop by our booth (#128) to talk shop or just to say “hi.” We look forward to seeing more great people this week!

The Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C., will hit the auction block this morning after its owners, Monument Realty, defaulted on its loan, listing an outstanding $40 million balance, according to an Associated Press report.

Located at 2650 Virginia Avenue NW, the 250-room building, which also features 146 suites, is located in the same complex where perhaps the most famous political scandal in American history took place.

In 1972, five men were arrested for burglarizing the Democratic National Committee headquarters within the Watergate Office complex. It was eventually revealed that President Richard Nixon had knowledge of the illegal activities and attempted to cover them up

Nixon resigned two years later in 1974 to avoid impeachment.

Alex Cooper Auctioneers is scheduled to auction The Watergate Hotel, beginning at 10:15 a.m. today (Tuesday, July 21, 2009). The report indicates that a minimum $1 million deposit will be required at the time of sale.

We’ll pass along additional news of the auction as soon as possible.

It’s a real estate adage that is truer now than it ever was:

Location, Location, Location.

When you’re looking to get into the home of your dreams, location is going to be one of your key buying points. For example, is it in an appealing neighborhood? Is it conveniently located close to work and other oft-traveled destinations? Is it zoned for the top schools in the area?

Those same concerns also hold true for investors who are eager to purchase, renovate and flip homes for profit. Location is a major selling point — if you don’t have great location, you can be sure it will be a major strike against you in the minds of prospective buyers.

The July 2009 edition of Foreclosure.com’s free educational newsletter, “Investment Exchange,” is now available, which details how you can find a great home in an ideal location at a price you can afford.

The excitement of an opportunity-laden market like we are enjoying right now can sometimes cause you and other buyers to think that it’s impossible to lose; however, the reality is just the opposite — Yes, the market is ripe for the picking, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few bad apples in the bunch.

We’re here to help you make the right choice. The smart choice. To check out Location, Location, Location today be sure to click here.

Remember that “Investment Exchange” is a FREE resource that Foreclosure.com provides its site visitors. Sign up to receive the educational real estate newsletter each month at no cost right here.

Renters are among the many silent victims in the foreclosure frenzy that is currently gripping numerous areas throughout the nation.

That’s because even if renters satisfy their monthly payment obligations outlined by the property owners, it does not fully protect them from being forced from their homes if the landlords fail to pay the mortgages.

In fact, the National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that 40 percent of the households that lose their homes to foreclosure are renters evicted after the bank takes the home from their landlord, according to the Washington Post.

It’s an alarming and unfortunate trend, which will hopefully be minimized thanks to the foreclosure prevention bill that President Barack Obama today signed into law and will extend until the end of 2012.

Here are the top-level points:

• Tenants who pay their rent on time can remain in their home until the end of their lease unless the bank sells the property to someone who intends to make it his or her own residence.
• Renters must be allowed to stay in their homes for 90 days after the foreclosure even without a lease.
• Jurisdictions that already have more stringent renter-protection laws in place won’t see the rules loosened by the new federal law.

For more on the protections for renters contained in the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act and the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act click here. To check out eviction laws in your state visit The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty right here.

Someone might want to tell the members of the Foreclosure.com Community Expert Program (CEP) that the national housing market is struggling. That’s because they won’t be able to tell based on their booming businesses.

Indeed, Community Expert Program agents throughout the United States are enjoying record sales, closing major real estate deals left and right. In addition, the buyers who connect with them through Foreclosure.com are moving into their dream homes at prices they can afford.

It doesn’t get much better than that.

The Community Expert Program helps real estate professionals close more buyer transactions through greater exposure and increased market awareness. We market individual agent services to literally millions of potential buyers as their local real estate expert on our Web site for less than the cost of one open house ad.

Our online destination is ground zero for buyers in this market — it is where millions of buyers begin their home searches for the best deals in their areas. The name, Foreclosure.com, says it all.

We can tell you about how successful Community Expert Program agents are until we’re blue in the face, but it might be better if we let you hear it straight from them. Check out our latest testimonials after the jump, as well as instructions on how to get in on all the red hot action.

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