Below is a guest column from Jay Robins, who is often referred to as “America’s #1 credit expert.” His opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Foreclosure.com or its staff. He will lead an enlightening webinar later this evening called “How To Save $100,000 On Your Mortgage.” Read below to find out what it’s all about and to register for the educational session.

Over the past 10 years, I’ve worked with thousands of people to get them the credit they need to buy the homes they really want. Today, I start with this warning:

If you’re hoping to qualify for a trustworthy lender’s best-value mortgage in 2011 or 2012, you will need to work at improving your credit score, even if you always pay your bills on time. And if you’ve had a short sale, foreclosure or bankruptcy, you will need to work even harder.

But you can quickly build it up again if you know how to play the game like a professional.

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It’s no secret: Foreclosed homes for sale often offer buyers and investors tremendous value. On the flip side, distressed real estate can be a tricky, and costly, investment if you fail to dot all your “i’s” and cross all your “t’s.”

Get an in-depth look into what it takes to find, finance and buy the home of your dreams for half-price with help and direction from Foreclosure.com Director of Education, Linda Yates.

Linda is going to show you how to land a “money-maker” and avoid a “money pit” in this complimentary Webinar presentation. She’s going to outline the first six steps of the 12-step process behind finding a money foreclosure, while steering clear of any potential “red flags” or “pitfalls” that can turn your dream into a nightmare

Register for “How to find dream foreclosures in your area (Part 1 of 2)” before it’s too late. Click here. This FREE educational session is available to watch LIVE online during an information-packed presentation scheduled for Thursday, June 10, at 4 p.m. ET.

Here are the first six steps that she will cover in-depth:

• Getting your credit in order
• Deciding whether to rent or own
• Shopping for mortgages
• Searching neighborhoods
• Finding the right agent
• House hunting

The market is ripe for the picking right now — foreclosure inventory is piling up just about everywhere. With the right approach and knowledge, it will be simple for you to differentiate the good deals from the bad.

Register for “How to find dream foreclosures in your area (Part 1 of 2)” right now — it’s FREE! Spots are limited and filling up FAST! CLICK HERE.

Webinars are LIVE educational sessions that let participants see, hear and interact with real estate experts right from their personal computer screens. In fact, Webinars are driven in part by visitor feedback and questions that are posed during the sessions. For more information and course offerings click here.

Learn how to properly prepare and close successful short sale offers in record time with help and direction from investing pro, Sharon Restrepo.

Sharon will demonstrate how you can put the “short” back in short sale, leveraging the recently-introduced Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA) program, which provides incentives for lenders to close these types of deals fast.

Register for “Short Sale Intensive Training” before it’s too late. Click here. The educational session is available to watch LIVE online during an information-packed presentation scheduled for Thursday, May 13, at 7 p.m. ET.

Here are just some of the many invaluable nuggets you will take away:

• How to make more money on short sale transactions
• How to put together the best short sale package
• When to avoid a short sale
• How to short sale as an investor or agent
• What banks are looking for when short selling

Expect more short sales (and great deals) to flood the market now and well into the future. So you need to know exactly what you’re getting into with short sales today and how to purchase them for pennies on the dollar as soon as tomorrow!

Register for “Short Sale Intensive Training” before it’s too late. Spots are limited and filling up FAST! CLICK HERE.

Webinars are LIVE educational sessions that let participants see, hear and interact with real estate experts right from their personal computer screens. In fact, Webinars are driven in part by visitor feedback and questions that are posed during the sessions. For more information and course offerings click here.

Boca Raton, Fla. — March 5, 2010 — Foreclosure.com Director of Education, Linda Yates, will deliver a live, seven-hour Certified Foreclosure Agent (CFA) training course for the benefit of more than 100 agents at ERA® International Business Conference (IBC) 2010, which is scheduled for the Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn., on Monday, March 15, 2010.

“Distressed real estate in general and foreclosures in particular will continue to account for a significant amount of transactions now and in the future,” said Yates. “CFA training puts agents on the forefront of this industry-leading trend. We are honored to bring our certification training to IBC.”

The deal-driven educational seminar will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET. Seats are already sold out.

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The U.S. Treasury Department released guidelines and forms for its new Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA) program on Nov. 30, 2009.

It was designed with good intentions — to simplify and streamline use of short sales and deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure. However, HAFA is a complex 43-page program that may be difficult for most real estate agents to fully understand.

To be perfectly honest, most agents may not even have the time or desire to familiarize themselves with the entire program.

But you simply don’t have a choice — HAFA guidelines go into effect April 2010! And they will likely have a large impact on your business, protocols and, most important, commissions.

Here’s the good news: You do not have to be left in the dark on this industry changing program.

That because Foreclosure.com Agent University is conducting two limited attendance FREE Webinars (Register here or here) to teach real estate agents all about the key HAFA changes.

This 1.5 to 2-hour Webinar will take an in-depth look at the guidelines and forms focusing on the key issues to real estate agents:

• Commission impact
• Forms and paperwork
• Participation guidelines
• Timelines
• Servicer participation
• Incentives for homeowners
• Second- and third-party liens
• And much more!

DO NOT MISS THIS IMPORTANT FREE WEBINAR!

Click on one of the events below to register:

• Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010, at  3 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/690622256
• Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2010, at 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/929001865

HAFA is part of the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), providing incentives in connection with a short sale or a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure (DIL) used to avoid foreclosure on a loan eligible for modification under the HAMP program.

Understanding HAFA inside-out is critical for serious real estate professionals. And this is your opportunity to learn everything you need to know at absolutely no cost to you.