How’s that good for you?

Foreclosure.com Director of Business Development, Stephen Chip, explains:

“With distressed properties, photos are often unavailable, but our customers can use the bird’s-eye view to assess the property and the neighborhood.”

That’s right, you can now take advantage of the upgraded Foreclosure.com mapping environment with key new features, including the bird’s-eye view. We know that buyers interested in properties like to see them — to look at their context (the surrounding neighborhood, the roads, etc.).

So with Virtual Earth you can locate listings on the map choosing between a road-map, a satellite-image, or combination view. What’s more, you can zoom out to view a wide area, zoom in on a single property, or use the bird’s-eye view based on low-altitude aerial images taken from all four compass directions.

To check out a complete case study of how Foreclosure.com successfully integrated the latest map technology into its system visit Microsoft.com. And to see the maps in action, of course, head over to Foreclosure.com right now.

It’s an annual event, which we often coordinate to have a little office fun, boost morale and freak out our white collar corporate neighbors.

So this year we thought we would share with our readers two of our winning entries, one of which is actually industry appropriate and won “Most Creative.”

Check ‘em out after the jump.

“Deed in Lou”

“Creepy Clown”

Not too shabby, eh?

We’re just three weeks in and the Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program has experienced overwhelming interest within the education sector.

Colleges and universities across the nation — Columbia University, Tulane University and Michigan State University to name just a few — have been actively promoting the scholarship with hopes that one of their own will not only win the top prize ($5,000), but ultimately help “solve the foreclosure crisis.”

Thousands of applications have been pouring in with well-written essays that provide unique/creative solutions to a complex problem. We called for innovative ideas and the students have answered en masse!

With three months remaining in the Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program (Deadline = Dec. 31, 2009) there is still ample time for students to get involved in the foreclosure discussion and submit their applications.

We look forward to hearing your ideas!

For more information about this student opportunity please visit our scholarship page (www.foreclosure.com/scholarship) right here.

If you’re in “D-Town” for The Five Star Default Servicing Conference and Expo at Fort Worth Convention Center be sure to swing through (Booth 117, Hall B) and say hello — if you can squeeze in!

The show runs from Sept. 20 to 23, 2009. We’re available to talk shop during that time.

Remember, if you’re not at Five Star in Dallas or somehow missed us, we’re always free (and eager) to chat about business during normal office hours (Monday-Friday,
8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. ET).

Give us a shout!

BOCA RATON, Fla. (Sept. 21, 2009) — Foreclosure.com Founder, President and CEO, Brad Geisen, announced today that he has built the first-ever short sales offer management system that handles marketing, processing, negotiating and closing services all in one central location.

QuickSale ^SM (www.QuickSale.com) is an easy-to-use platform that simplifies an often long and complicated process, bringing together all parties — distressed homeowners, lenders, investors, buyers and agents — who all share one common interest: Moving real estate inventory as fast as possible under the best terms.

“Short sales are the ultimate solution when it comes to solving the national foreclosure crisis now and in the future,” said Geisen.

In short sales situations, banks or mortgage lenders agree to discount home loan balances prior to selling because of economic (local home values have plummeted) or financial (unemployment) hardship on the part of homeowners.

Geisen states that QuickSale.com helps cash-strapped homeowners avoid foreclosure and minimize the negative impact on their personal credit, allowing them to pursue alternative housing options worry-free when the time is right.

On the lender side, banks ensure instant liquidity for the defaulted loans on their books, maximizing the amount (often 80 to 90 percent of market value) that they can get out of distressed properties in a much shorter timeframe (30 to 90 days).

QuickSale.com closes the loop by bringing in agents and buyers located throughout the United States and beyond who purchase the distressed properties at negotiated prices before the banks repossess them. Agents who coordinate short sales from start to finish through the QuickSale ^SM system earn commissions.

“Banks lend money, they’re not in the business of marketing and selling real estate — certainly not on today’s current scale,” said Geisen. “And their loss mitigation departments are just too overwhelmed at this point. QuickSale.com is a structured tool that provides much-needed support and relief. It short circuits the entire foreclosure process to ensure the best possible outcome for all parties involved . . . quickly.”

Distressed homeowners, lenders, investors, buyers and agents who are interested in learning more about participating in the QuickSale ^SM program are encouraged to visit www.QuickSale.com or call (866) 202-8200 to learn more and/or request a demonstration.

A couple of years ago, me and our senior writer, Tom Myers, talked about all the business cards we had collected over the years — tradeshows, business meetings, power lunches … you name it.

We accumulated piles and piles of business cards. And we didn’t know what to do with them after we recorded all the information we needed for future reference.

So rather than toss the cards in the garbage, we decided to make these fun little business  boxes out of them.

Download PDF instructions here: How to make a business card box

Each box recycles 12 business cards. If the outer cards are all the same, you can proudly display your company and/or brand.

The next time you have a meeting, toss a custom business card box at your guest. It makes a bigger impact for sure. It’s also a great conversation piece.

Just be careful not to hit the person in the eye. That wouldn’t make a great first impression.

Boca Raton, Fla. — Sept. 1, 2009 — Foreclosure.com today announced that it will reward five current and/or college-bound students with scholarships who can best provide a solution(s) to one of the most troubling issues facing our nation today:

“How to solve the foreclosure crisis?”

Foreclosure.com will accept written essays/plans (1,000-word minimum, 2,500-word maximum) through its Web site and via mail from Sept. 1, 2009, to Dec. 31, 2009. Five winners will be selected at the conclusion of the contest. The top prize is a $5,000 scholarship and four $1,000 grants will be awarded to the runners up.

All students must read and agree to the scholarship rules, which are located on the Foreclosure.com contest page at www.foreclosure.com/scholarship.

“We’re in the midst of one of the most challenging and volatile real estate periods to ever hit the United States,” said Foreclosure.com Director of Education, Linda Yates. “It’s an alarming issue — families throughout the nation are losing their homes. And policy makers at the highest levels of the United States government have yet to find an effective solution that can solve the problem. It’s time to give a voice to the most talented and innovative students in the nation. We want to hear what they have to say.”

In addition to the cash prizes (5) in the form of scholarships, the best five plans will be sent to Congress and to President Barack Obama himself. Winning submissions will also be published on Foreclosure.com.

For complete details and submission requirements/instructions for the Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program visit www.foreclosure.com/scholarship.

It’s a good question. One that is seemingly still baffling policy makers even at the highest levels of the United States government.

But it’s not for lack of effort.

Proposals have been floated, ideas have been shared and new laws have been passed to try and stem the foreclosure tide. We’ve seen everything from bank bailouts to loan modifications to grassroots prevention programs, but still the defaults continue. And it’s possible that it could get worse before it gets better.

So what else can/should be done to solve the foreclosure crisis?

We’re asking college students (and incoming freshmen) to answer that critical question in our recently-introduced Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program. It’s an essay contest (minimum 1,000 words, maximum 2,500) that rewards innovative and practical individuals with the most creative ideas in the form of scholarship money. The submission deadline is Dec. 31, 2009.

In addition to the cash prizes (5) in the form of scholarships, the best five plans will be sent to Congress and to President Barack Obama himself. Winning submissions will also be published on Foreclosure.com.

For complete details and submission requirements/instructions for the Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program click here. We look forward to reading what you have to say!

Foreclosure.com Founder, President and CEO, Brad Geisen, earlier this week made the media rounds, meeting with reporters and other influential opinion shapers in New York City about the current nationwide foreclosure situation and what needs to be done to ensure it gets better sooner rather than later.

Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Reuters, CNN and TheStreet.com were all on Tuesday’s jam-packed docket. And more opportunities for Brad to share his expert commentary with media members are in the works — he’s in high demand now more than ever.

Here’s a quick review of the stories that hit this week:

“Homes still affordable — really affordable” article from CNNMoney.com.

“The big banks are finally pricing their properties to what people will pay for them. Foreclosure inventory is now selling at about the same rate it’s coming in.”

“U.S. mortgage applications rise as rates plunge: MBA” article from Reuters.

“Probably the biggest driving factor for home purchasing right now is price. During the housing boom, a lot of first-time home buyers were squeezed out of the market, but now property values have come down enough where they can afford it…. People now realize they can buy the home of their dreams at an affordable price”

“Banks’ foreclosure pain worsens with U.S. job losses” article from TheStreet.com. For bonus video with Brad click here.

“[Loan modifications are] a short-term solution to a long-term problem. We’re going to see a big wave of those properties come onto the market … probably at the end of the year into next year…. Short sales are the answer…. Renting does make sense, [too], for banks financially strong enough to hold the inventory, the market will be back in two to three years and they will be able to recoup the losses.”

Again, expect more headlines in the very near future.

To check out our collection of virtual news clips be sure to visit our “In the News” section. Media inquiries and other requests to speak with Brad or anyone else at Foreclosure.com  should be directed through our “Contact Us” page.

Stay up to speed with the latest “goings on” at Foreclosure.com and the distressed real estate marketplace by following us on Twitter.com — a free service that let’s you “share and discover what’s happening right now, anywhere in the world.”

To follow Foreclosure.com on Twitter.com click here.

We’ve got several cool things in store for our current and future followers, including special promotions, breaking/cool foreclosure-related news, awesome real estate training opportunities, links to the best foreclosure deals on our Web site, contests and so much more.

Our frequent Twitter.com updates will be a group effort, featuring our Director of Business Development, Stephen Chip; Customer Support Manger, Andrew Miller;  Senior Writer/Blogger, Tom Myers (that’s me); General Manager of Agent Services, Anthony Segrich; Director of Partner Relations, Zack Preble; and Director of Education, Linda Yates, all chipping in.

It’s going to be fun a fun ride well worth following … we promise.