One of the many things that I love about my job as Foreclosure.com Director of Education is to deliver great news!

And that is exactly what I had the opportunity to do last week when we announced the winners of the 2011 Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program. The five winners — one grand prize and four runners up — were selected out of almost 10,000 applicants located throughout the United States. Our $5,000 grand prize winner was a freshman from Parsons — The New School in New York, N.Y., Cindy Clinton.

You can watch the video of our recent conversation above.

Cindy is a delightful, smart and witty woman who I enjoyed interviewing. She mentioned that she had seen our scholarship on FastWeb.com and had made a note to herself to apply before the deadline. I am always impressed when I see an organized young students who have plans and then work those plans.

If you are an undergraduate student and are looking for scholarships then you should not miss out on our 2012 topic. We are now in the process of accepting applications and the deadline is December 1, 2012. I would love to interview you this time next year!

Let’s see what you’ve got.

To read Cindy’s winning essay visit the Foreclosure.com Article Center right here. For more on the Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program, as well as to view the 2012 topic and eligibility/submission requirements, click here.

More than 10,000 current college students nationwide answered the call during the 2011 Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program, submitting essays of 800 to 1,000 words or more that answered the following question:

“You have acquired $150,000 in cash to be used specifically for a distressed real estate purchase such as foreclosures. Outline a detailed strategy that ensures the maximum return on investment, whether it is in terms of financial profit or personal satisfaction … or both.”

Cindy Clinton, a freshman at Parsons – The New School located in New York, N.Y., however, was voted to the head of the class by our panel of third-party judges, winning the $5,000 top prize.

“I am so grateful and excited to have been chosen,” said Cindy. “It is very challenging funding a higher education. Therefore, I thank Foreclosure.com for assisting students in achieving their goals by providing this scholarship. This award is a great financial help, putting me one step closer to fulfilling my dream of becoming a fashion designer. So, thank you, thank you, thank you!”

The program, which ran from Jan. 31 to Dec. 1, 2011, also awarded four $1,000 scholarships to the contest semifinalists (in alphabetical order):

• Glenn Bonadio from El Paso, Texas, attending El Paso Community College
• Zachery Eberl from Seattle, Wash., attending University of Washington
• Mishay Kalan from Washington D.C., attending Georgetown University
• David Katz from Los Angeles, Calif., attending University of Southern California

In addition to the five cash prizes in the form of scholarships, these winning entries will be featured on Foreclosure.com. To read Cindy’s winning essay visit the Foreclosure.com Article Center (www.foreclosure.com/articlecenter/foreclosure-com-scholarship-program-2011-winning-essay/). Essays from the other four semifinalists will soon be added to the website.

“The submissions continue to get better every year and our judges have met the task of picking exceptional essays,” said Foreclosure.com Director of Education, Linda Yates. “It was exciting to see how creative the essays were in response to this year’s topic and to get a glimpse into the applicants’ individual strategies and thought processes.”

In addition to all the students who responded, Foreclosure.com would like to acknowledge the esteemed panel of judges who selected the five finalists:

• Susan Wachter, University of Pennsylvania
• Michael Kraten, PH.D., CPA, Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University
• Maureen Kraten MBA, CMC, Sacred Heart University

“Thank you to all of our judges for their time and hard work,” said Yates. “We appreciated their dedicated service to this program.”

Yates indicated that the company has already announced the 2012 Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program, which will once again run for the entire year until Dec. 1, 2012. To read the new topic, as well as learn more about the eligibility/submission requirements, visit the Foreclosure.com scholarship page (www.foreclosure.com/scholarship).

Foreclosure.com introduced its scholarship program in 2009. Since that time, the company has awarded 15 deserving college students throughout the United States with a total of $27,000 in scholarship money.

The subject of the 2012 Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program is as follows:

“What creative solutions, programs and/or initiatives to stimulate the United States housing market, as well as to turn the foreclosures tide, must a presidential candidate outline/promise to earn your vote? Feel free to include your very own original stimulus plan and/or ideas in your response, which can also be used to enhance existing platforms from candidates and/or other influential thought leaders.”

Foreclosure.com, which received a record-setting amount of entries (nearly 10,000) from students throughout the nation during its scholarship program in 2011 alone, will accept written essays/plans (800-word minimum, 2,000-word maximum) through its website (www.foreclosure.com/scholarship/) from Jan. 1, 2012, to Dec. 1, 2012.

Five winners will be selected by a third-party panel of judges at the conclusion of the contest and will share $9,000 in allotted scholarship funds. The top prize is a $5,000 scholarship and four $1,000 grants will be awarded to the runners up.

“This scholarship program has impacted the lives of the recipients, enhancing their career goals and educational pursuits,” said Linda Yates, Foreclosure.com Director of Education. “With scholarships lessening and disappearing this scholarship has been growing — our applications have increased year-over-year and the competition has grown more fierce. We look forward to continuing that trend in 2012.”

In addition to the five cash prizes in the form of scholarships, totaling $9,000, these solutions will be featured on Foreclosure.com for the entire year. All students must read and agree to the scholarship rules, which are located on the Foreclosure.com contest page (www.foreclosure.com/scholarship), before submitting their entries for review.

“It’s an election year, so we wanted the topic to reflect the thoughts and concerns of our nation,” said Yates. “The housing industry is still trying to recover and the creativity of college students across the nation may be the catalysts to provide solutions that will help the entire economy.”

Foreclosure.com introduced its scholarship program in 2009. Since that time, the company has (or will) award(ed) 15 deserving college students throughout the United States with a total of $27,000 in scholarship money.

For complete details and submission requirements/instructions for the 2012 Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program visit www.foreclosure.com/scholarship.

Popular program returns after wildly successful campaigns in 2009 and 2010 awarded $18,000 in educational grants to financially-assist 10 students

Foreclosure.com today announced that it will once again reward five college students with scholarships who can best provide a solution(s) to its latest essay topic for 2011.

The subject of the Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program 2011 is as follows:

“You’ve acquired $150,000 in cash to be used specifically for a distressed real estate purchase. Outline a detailed strategy that ensures the maximum return on investment, whether it’s in terms of financial profit or personal satisfaction … or both.”

Foreclosure.com, which received thousands of entries from students during its scholarship programs in 2009 and 2010, will accept written essays/plans (800-word minimum, 2,000-word maximum) through its website (http://www.foreclosure.com/scholarship) from Jan. 1, 2011, to Dec. 1, 2011, which is nine months longer than the previous two programs.

Five winners will be selected at the conclusion of the contest and will share $9,000 in allotted scholarship funds. The top prize is a $5,000 scholarship and four $1,000 grants will be awarded to the runners up.

“Determining our plan of action in multiple scenarios is the way to be prepared,” said Linda Yates, Foreclosure.com Director of Education. “This year’s topic is a thought-provoking question. It will encourage students to creatively think about how they would approach a real estate investment before being placed ‘in the moment’ with all the real-word emotional tugs that influence such a major decision.”

In addition to the five cash prizes in the form of scholarships, totaling $9,000, these solutions will be featured on Foreclosure.com.

All students must read and agree to the scholarship rules, which are located on the Foreclosure.com contest page at http://www.foreclosure.com/scholarship, before submitting their entries for review.

“It has been rewarding to watch the program grow firsthand and to pose challenging questions for our students to answer as they begin to understand the mechanics of real-world economics,” said Luanne Bryant, Foreclosure.com Partner Relations Manager, who oversees the company’s scholarship program. “This is our third year offering the scholarship program. And we’ve continued to maintain a positive outlook on the current housing market conditions, with this year’s topic specifically focusing on investment and opportunity.”

Foreclosure.com has issued $18,000 in scholarship money to 10 college students nationwide since the program was introduced in 2009.

For complete details and submission requirements/instructions for the Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program 2011 visit http://www.foreclosure.com/scholarship.

The great thing about distressed real estate, however, is there are different ways to invest. And there are several creative options that you can consider — such as bird-dogging — without touching your daily bank account.

Today, for example, I was asked to present about investing in foreclosures for a self-directed IRA company. A self-directed IRA is a great tool because you can determine how to utilize the fund and guide its path … just like you can with a smart real estate investment.

Real estate, therefore, is a great complement to self-directed IRAs.

As I mentioned earlier, going to work as a “bird dog” is a great way to start becoming an investor. All it takes is a keen eye and forward-thinking organizational skills to turnover the property (or properties) in the shortest amount of time for the most profitable amount (s).

A savvy investor — the person who would lend you the money to bird dog for him or her — is always open to a great deal. There is so much information out there that sometimes him or her misses the golden opportunity because he or she can’t see the forest through the trees.

That’s where you come in.

So don’t let your emotions about money stop you from moving forward. When there’s a will, there is a way

Boca Raton, Fla. — Feb. 15, 2011 — Foreclosure.com today announced the winners of its 2010 scholarship program, which rewards five current college students with a total of $9,000 to put toward their higher educations.

More than 1,000 current college students nationwide answered the call during the 2010 Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program, submitting essays of 1,000 words or more that answered the following question:

“How can education at the high school level help avert and/or minimize a future foreclosure crisis?”

Kaitlyn Shumelda, a junior at University at Albany, State University of New York (Albany — SUNY) located in Albany, N.Y., however, was voted to the head of the class by our panel of judges, winning the $5,000 top prize.

“Receiving this scholarship is incredible,” said Kaitlyn. “Not only does it lift a big financial weight off my shoulders, but this amazing experience has taught me something very important.”

Kaitlyn went on to describe how she almost didn’t submit her winning entry, even after she had “put so much into it.”

“I just didn’t think I’d win,” she said. “But I figured I’d at least give it the good ‘ole college try, and I’m now so glad I did! I want to thank everyone at Foreclosure.com for this opportunity – it’s inspired me to do so more because now I know I’m capable of doing so much more. Thank you so much!”

The program, which ran from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, 2010, also awarded four $1,000 scholarships to the contest semifinalists:

• Cortni Merritt, University of Central Florida
• Kara Karpman, Duke University
• James Balagia, Austin Community College
• Kim Huffstetler, University of Phoenix

In addition to the five cash prizes in the form of scholarships, totaling $9,000, these solutions are featured on Foreclosure.com.

To read Kaitlyn’s winning essay, as well as the others from our four semifinalists, please visit the Foreclosure.com scholarship page (www.foreclosure.com/scholarship).

“It is so important that high school students understand what real life is like outside the classroom – these are the future homeowners of America,” said Foreclosure.com Director of Education, Linda Yates. “Financial mistakes of the past can be avoided in the future through timely education and life lessons.”

In addition to all the students who responded, Foreclosure.com would like to acknowledge the esteemed panel of judges who selected the five finalists:

• Susan Wachter, University of Pennsylvania
• Michael Kraten, PH.D., CPA, Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University
• Maureen Kraten MBA, CMC, Sacred Heart University

“It’s been a delight to once again work first-hand with the scholarship program and see it evolve and grow into such a success,” said Luanne Bryant, who coordinated the scholarship effort for the second straight year. “We are proud to offer one of the least restrictive scholarships available, making it a realistic option for literally any college student to apply.”

Bryant indicated that the company has already set up the 2011 Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program, which will run for the entire year until Dec. 31, 2011 – nine months longer that the previous two programs.

Foreclosure.com has issued $18,000 in scholarship money to 10 college students nationwide since the program was introduced in 2009.

To read Kaitlyn’s winning essay, as well as the others from our four semifinalists, please visit the Foreclosure.com scholarship page (www.foreclosure.com/scholarship).

September 8, 2010 — Foreclosure.com today announced that the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC), which administers and enforces real estate license law in the “Sunshine State,” has approved its Certified Short Sale Agent (CSSA) training program, once again validating the exceptional educational opportunities offered through “The Agent University.”

This latest announcement comes on the heels of the Certified Foreclosure Agent program receiving the same stamp of approval from FREC in Nov. 2009.

“We’re thrilled to receive this latest approval,” said Foreclosure.com Director of Education, Linda Yates. “Understanding short sales, especially in today’s volatile market, is critical for agents everywhere. CSSA training is an invaluable career-building opportunity, providing professionals with the tools and resources to capitalize on this ever-evolving trend.”

The CSSA curriculum comprises four modules that take agents from a basic understanding of short sales all the way to developing a business plan to attack the market from a proactive position.

The four modules, which are dynamically updated to reflect the latest trends in the short sale arena, include:

1. Essentials of short sales
2. Understanding Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA)
3. Short sale automation
4. How to take new skills to market

“Short sales are a fantastic way for distressed homeowners, lenders, buyers and agents to make the best out of bad situations,” said Yates. “CSSA training teaches agents how to bring all these parties together to coordinate the fastest closings possible and keep the market moving.”

It’s important to note that all licensed real estate agents nationwide are eligible to receive CSSA training — it is not limited to Florida professionals only. However, Florida agents now receive continuing education credits with successful completion of the CSSA and Certified Foreclosure Agent courses during live training sessions.

Agents – in Florida and beyond — who are interested in becoming certified can do so online through “The Agent University” at any time. In addition, the Foreclosure.com education team is always prepared to deliver onsite short sale and foreclosure agent training to large groups and brokerages at discounted rates throughout the United States.

For more information regarding the Foreclosure.com Certified Short Sale Agent (CSSA) program offered through “The Agent University” please visit agentuniversity.foreclosure.com/cssa/index.html or call (866) 382-2439.

“Program returns for 2010 after wildly successful 2009 campaign financially assisted several bright scholars from throughout the nation!”

Boca Raton, Fla. — Sept. 2, 2010 — Foreclosure.com today announced that it will reward five more college students with scholarships who can best provide a solution(s) to one of the most troubling issues facing our nation today:

“How could education at the high school level help avert and/or minimize a future foreclosure crisis?”

Foreclosure.com, which received thousands of entries from students during its inaugural scholarship program last year, will accept written essays/plans (800-word minimum, 2,000-word maximum) through its website from Sept. 1, 2010, to Dec. 1, 2010.

Five winners will be selected at the conclusion of the contest and will share $9,000 in allotted scholarship funds. 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.

“Education equals freedom,” said Foreclosure.com Director of Education, Linda Yates. “Often we don’t know what we don’t know – where do the roots of the foreclosure problem really lie? How far back can we trace it? These are important questions. So we are eager to get answers, which is the reason we are excited to review this year’s submissions on how the future generation of homebuyers will be able to make smart financial decisions.”

In addition to the cash prizes (5) in the form of scholarships, 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.

Boca Raton, Fla. — August 24, 2010 — More than 30 forward-thinking real estate agents from Keller Williams — Weston recently earned Certified Short Sale Agent (CSSA) designations from Foreclosure.com’s “The Agent University” during a full-day informational seminar in Pembroke Pines.

It was among several live real estate agent training sessions that Foreclosure.com is authorized to deliver throughout the “Sunshine State.”

“I gained more practical knowledge on how to identify which listings would sell quickly and actually close than I have in any other classes I have attended,” said Rich Riveros, a Keller Williams agent who is among the top 1 percent of agents nationwide.

The team at Keller Williams — Weston realized that several servicers are gearing up to list a significant volume of properties in their local marketplace. It needed to ensure that its agents were prepared to ride this looming wave of HAFA short sale listing opportunities straight to the closing tables.

In addition, getting the inside-track on earning the listings from the servicers and providing these homeowners access to its highly-trained team of agents was equally as important for Keller Williams — Weston.

“Certified short sale agents learn everything about the process, from a basic understanding all the way to developing a business plan to attack the market from a proactive position,” said Foreclosure.com Director of Education, Linda Yates. “What’s more, our CSSA program positions agents to obtain bank-approved short sale listings through our proprietary broker network, which is unlike the majority of other short sale training programs.”

In fact, agents who earn their CSSA designations automatically become members of Broker Management Services’ industry-leading nationwide broker network (www.brokermanagementservices.com). Each of these referral sources will be using the CSSA-trained agents featured in Broker Management Services’ network to handle their HAFA inventory.

“In times like these, it is always the early bird who gets the worm,” said Bruce Benenfeld, a Keller Williams broker who also serves as president of Title Express, which saw the opportunity to earn the title business on these transactions by continuing to build their relationship through offering value-added services to their own real estate network. “We want to make sure that our agents are in a position to win the day,” he concluded.

For more information regarding the Foreclosure.com Certified Short Sale Agent program offered through “The Agent University” please visit agentuniversity.foreclosure.com/cssa/index.html or call (866) 382-2439.