It’s that time of year — prices are being slashed on just about everything with “Black Friday” week already upon us.

So we decided to toss our hat into savings pile. But it’s not just because everyone else is doing it.

On the contrary, we just returned from the 2009 Realtors® Conference & Expo in San Diego, Calif., which was held from Nov. 13 to Nov. 16. And one thing we all learned is that short sale transactions will comprise a significant amount of business for Realtors® for the next three to five years.

Whether you are a new agent or an experienced broker, now is the time to gain market share and pull away from your competition.

The Certified Short Sale Agent (CSSA) designation is an industry-recognized symbol of excellence and experience. It teaches Realtors® how to make short sales an effective and profitable part of their businesses.

Here are just some of the many benefits:

• Close more deals faster for bigger commissions
• Learn expert techniques to negotiate quick deals
• Get noticed by lenders as a preferred listing agent
• Reach the largest qualified buyer/seller pool
• Emerge as the most knowledgeable “go to” expert in your area

CSSA is a MUST have for any serious listing agent. And for this week only we have extended our NAR show special, which means that you can get CSSA certified NOW for our lowest price ever.

To take advantage of this limited-time discount training opportunity click here. If you have questions or need additional information feel free to call us anytime at (866) 382-4445.

For more on the Certified Foreclosure Agent Program at Foreclosure.com Agent University click here.

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.

We’re on the road again!

The Foreclosure.com team will offer agents and brokers two incredible money-saving certification opportunities at The Five Star Default Servicing Conference and Expo this weekend (Sept. 20-23, 2009) .

Certified Foreclosure Agent and Certified Short Sale Agent training will be offered at significantly reduced prices for attendees at the Forth Worth Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. In addition, we’ll be demonstrating our revolutionary automated short sale solution, QuickSale.com, which helps you easily close these “complicated” deals in record time.

Certification benefits include:

• Close more deals
  • Plug your pipeline with leads
  • Earn big commissions
• Negotiate deals faster
  • Learn expert techniques
  • Learn mitigation secrets
• Get noticed by buyers
  • Reach the largest qualified buyer pool
  • Enjoy top placement in our directory
• Get noticed by lenders
  • Become a preferred listing agent
  • Emerge as a “go to” expert

The trained agents who complete our programs emerge as listing powerhouses. It’s knowledge, techniques and strategies that put you on the cutting edge in this tough economy.

Find out how to take advantage of our various training opportunities that we have available in Dallas and beyond after the jump. Get knowledge, techniques and strategies that put you on the cutting edge in this tough economy!

The best way to get started (if you plan to be at Five Star in Dallas) is to sign up at Booth 117 for a free workshop presentation. Space is limited!

We’re in meeting room “Stockyards 2″ at the Omni Downtown Fort Worth, which is next to the convention center.

Here is the schedule:

Monday, Sept. 21, 2009

• Session 1: 1:30 p.m.
• Session 2: 3:00 p.m.
• Session 3: 4:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009

• Session 4: 9:00 a.m.
• Session 5: 10:30 a.m.
• Session 6: 1:30 p.m.
• Session 7: 3:00 p.m.
• Session 8: 4:30 p.m.

The best way to get started (if you’re not at Five Star in Dallas) is to visit our Web site at http://agentuniversity.foreclosure.com or call us at (866) 382-4445.

LEARN TO MAKE THIS MARKET WORK FOR YOU!

Make big money with real estate — even in a slow housing market and talk of a recession — with expert guidance from industry guru, Damian Lanfranchi.

Damian is the mastermind behind a proprietary automated deal-generating technology, which is being used by real estate investors to get the hottest deals with no work in all 50 states, as well as Canada, New Zealand and parts of France!

Now Damian is ready to show you exactly how this is being done and the simple switch you can flip to automate your entire real estate investing business once and for all.

Score new deals every single day — it’s EASY! Just register for “Done For You Deals Live Tour” to learn how right now.

This FREE educational session is available to watch LIVE online during a 90-minute presentation scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m. ET. CLICK HERE.

This course will cover:

• Getting instant credibility as an investor (even if you’ve never done a deal)
• The BIG miss 96 percent of investors make when it comes to how to use the Internet to get deals (you can literally destroy your chances of success before you even start!)
• Capturing the most motivated buyer and seller leads before your competition
• How to follow up with leads until they become deals (without doing any of the work)
• The secret to pre-selling homeowners so you can turn fast “Done-For-You” deals
• How to instantly increase your closing rate every time you sit down to the table (even if you hate sales)
• Why investors lose tens of thousands of dollars miscalculating deal profits (and how you can never make this costly mistake again)

This is a potentially life-changing learning experience that will introduce you to a proven system you can use to make it big … and stay big.

Register today and get a FREE gift (Value = $429) just for showing up! We look forward to having you on the Webinar!

To attend “Done For You Deals Live Tour” on Thursday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m. ET at no cost CLICK HERE.

Right now there are so many great discounted properties available throughout the nation that you can essentially “steal” them for dirt cheap prices.

On top of these amazing deals, as well as the limited-time tax credit for first-time homebuyers that expires on Dec. 1, 2009, banks are still offering fantastic mortgage rates to encourage spending.

In fact, rates recently dropped to less than 5 percent!

Mortgage applications have skyrocketed thanks to this “perfect storm” that has created ideal homebuyer conditions.

How can you not be tempted to capitalize on these opportunities of a lifetime?

All these facts add up to one major point: for the right property, the numbers make good, solid “cents” right now. There has literally never been a better time to get into distressed property investment.

The September 2009 edition of Foreclosure.com’s free educational newsletter, “Investment Exchange,” is now available, which is all about helping you figure out how to get your hands on the money you need to get started in distressed property investing.

We touch on everything, from funding options to tips for raising your credit score. We also cover how you can accomplish it all without experiencing any of the headaches that can often deter first timers.

So get ready to learn everything you need to know about financing your dream home at the best possible terms! Check out “Fund the Deal” today and get going before it’s too late — remember the clock is ticking to lock-in the best terms and incentives!

To read this month’s free educational newsletter from Foreclosure.com CLICK HERE.

Several of Century 21’s top real estate agents from throughout the nation recently descended on the Westin Diplomat in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to participate in a training retreat.

Century 21 — the world’s largest residential real estate sales organization — recently selected Foreclosure.com Agent University to put a select group of industry professionals through its Certified Foreclosure Agent training program.

This is a career-building certification course designed specifically for individuals who are interested in foreclosures and expanding their business to include sales of Real Estate Owed (REO) properties, short sales and other distressed real estate.

All of the Century 21 agents who participated in the comprehensive learning experience were required to complete and pass an exam for each of the three topics presented receive their Certified Foreclosure Agent “Specialist” designation. For more background on the “Specialist” designation click here.

We had such a great group — many of agents flew in a day early and left a day late because of opportunity to travel to South Florida and, in the process, take home skills that will grow their businesses.

To learn more about the Certified Foreclosure Agent program click here. Broker owners and managers should contact us direct (866.382.4445) for more details on bulk pricing savings.

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!

Start your own foreclosure “clean-out” business and earn up to $500,000 a year — more than $50,000 per month — with help and direction from nationally recognized author and real estate investor, Elaine Zimmermann.

All you need is desire to make $2,000 a day (up to $50,000) with your own foreclosure clean-out business and a truck to haul all your profits. No experience necessary. No special schooling. Learn everything you need to reach to decision-makers who can give you the bids to begin working in this lucrative field right now.

Register for “Make $50,000+ a Month with Foreclosure Clean-out” before it’s too late. Click here. The educational session is available to watch LIVE online during a 90-minute money-making presentation scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 27, at 7 p.m. ET.

Here are some of the tools you will discover:

• Establish your own money-making foreclosure clean-out business with no experience
• Begin your business with no up-front costs
• Take advantage of the record number of foreclosures before its too late!
• Ensure a recession-proof career — the worse the economy is, the more money you make!
• Get everything you need to get started — no extra fees or hidden costs

The demand for foreclosure clean-out is soaring as the amount of annual foreclosures climbs to 10 times the number of a few years ago. Enter this high-paying field today!

Register for “Make $50,000+ a Month with Foreclosure Clean-out” 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.

Unlock the secrets to one of the best real estate investment strategies of 2009 and beyond: Wholesaling houses.

Sharon Restrepo — who has more than a decade and a half of experience in the industry — is going to teach you how to make serious money fast with real estate, buying and selling properties without ever even owning them, during this FREE 90-minute online training presentation, which is scheduled for Thursday, May 28 8 at 4 p.m. ET.

That’s right, you can make instant cash wholesaling houses in your area with no money down with the detailed instructions and proven plan of attack that Sharon will outline in “Wholesaling Houses for Monster Profits.”

To register now at no cost CLICK HERE.

Wholesaling real estate is quickly emerging as one of the hottest investing options in today’s market because it is risk-free and it has the potential to be an enormous cash cow. Find out how you can become the “middleman” in hundreds of these lucrative real estate deals, lining up buyers and sellers to create your own “Monster Wholesaling Machine.”

Here are just some of the topics that Sharon will cover:

• Learn how to earn cold hard cash RIGHT NOW … no excuses!
• Crossover to investing using the most popular investing technique
• Crack into the business with no real estate license and little capital
• Create win-win solutions for you and a seller
• Grow the capital you need to build your own portfolio

Definitely catch this potentially life-changing educational presentation — it’s instant cash at your fingertips … and it won’t cost you a single penny!

Register for “Wholesaling Houses for Monster Profits” 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.