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.

Three years ago, just as the housing market was beginning its rapid descent, we purchased a perfect three-bedroom home in South Florida for $325,000.

It was in a great neighborhood. Excellent school district. We were set.

At the time it was priced right to sell ($379,000) — other nearby homes were hovering around the low $400’s. So we were thrilled when our “miracle offer” was accepted with no counters or questions asked. We celebrated the “steal of the century.”

Unfortunately, our joy didn’t last long.

Each year we helplessly watched as our home value continued to sink like a rock. We’re still not even sure if it has hit bottom — we’re too scared to look.  Last time we checked our home was roughly worth about $250,000, which is about a $75,000 hit.

Many homeowners today are in similar if not worse positions. We understand that. Still, that’s a lot of money.

And even though the value of our house has dropped significantly, our monthly mortgage payments remain the same. So, too, does our interest rate. We’ve tried to refinance, secure a lower interest rate at the very least, but no dice … we are too far upside-down to be considered.

We’ve got great credit. Pay our bills on time. And do all the things we are supposed to do. Yet, when we try and somehow improve our situation to compensate for the lost value in our investment, we hit dead ends.

It’s frustrating, making people think how it’s possible banks, lenders and the federal government are seemingly bending over backwards for those actually deep in (or possibly feigning) distress. Meanwhile, the “good guys” have few if any options available to reward their  hard work.

Bloomberg.com explores this issue today, revealing how underwater homeowners have resorted to “strategic default” in response to the current housing crisis. This is when homeowners stop paying their mortgages while remaining current on other debts. It’s a practice that rose 128 percent (588,000 cases) compared to last year and represents a small percentage (4%) of all underwater homeowners.

Of course, there are other options, including selling the home for a huge loss (and paying the difference), staying put until the local market corrects or short-selling the house.

The latter option appears to be the best. Short sales are a great solution when it comes to short circuiting the foreclosure process. It’s typically a win-win all the way around under the circumstances.

We have decided to ride out the storm. It’s certainly not a “strategic” choice, but one that we think is good for us. We are in positions where we can afford our monthly expenses … for now.

But that could all change literally tomorrow. That’s just the nature of today’s complicated real estate beast.

This is a guest column. Therefore, the views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of Foreclosure.com and/or its partners.

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.

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!

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.

To check out the industry’s most effective solution when it comes to coordinating short sale transactions in record time head over to QuickSale.com.

This is a “SMART” car for more than one reason.

It was spotted in a Home Depot parking lot over the weekend near our corporate headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida. As you can see, the energy-conscious vehicle stands apart from the endless sea of cars in the crowded parking lot.

And not just because of it’s unique compact design.

Leveraging a small space, this real estate agent tandem took an opportunity to promote their services within the community by wrapping the car with a clever marketing message. Without the message it’s just another SMART car driving around town.

In this tough economic climate, successful agents are going above and beyond the ordinary methods of building their businesses. What worked five years ago doesn’t necessarily cut it anymore. And since more than 70 percent of homebuyers start their real estate searches online, expensive traditional print ads just don’t have the same impact … or return on investment.

Indeed, homebuyers today are savvy — they understand what’s going on around them and are looking to save big money on home purchases. This reality is underscored with preforeclosures and foreclosures selling at a rate of 2-1 over non-distressed real estate.

So bargain shoppers are out on the Internet in full force. It’s no coincidence, therefore, that most of them end up on Foreclosure.com — the name says it all.

Many of the folks who search Foreclosure.com do not currently have agent representation. It’s the reason we launched our Community Expert Program, which provides exactly what it says — a community agent expert to help homebuyers achieve their goals of homeownership.

Many of our agents have had overwhelming success with this program. It accomplishes two things:

1. Assists homebuyers with finding incredible deals
2. Directs homebuyers to the “cream-of-the crop” agents in their communities

Homebuyers can find community experts on each property details page just under the listing address. An agents name, photo and complete contact info are displayed. So just do a quick home search on Foreclosure.com and you will be on your way toward connecting with the community expert in your area.

If you are an agent who would like to be considered as a community expert click here.

Sun Sentinel has a compiled a simple and neat list, which you should always keep in mind:

Be patient. It takes time for the seller’s lender to review the buyer’s offer. While many lenders are moving faster, eight to 12 weeks is not unrealistic.

Be prequalified for a mortgage or pay cash. Many buyers have their financing fall through in the final hour, wasting everybody’s time.

Be prepared. Ensure that a qualified real estate agent or attorney is negotiating your offer on behalf of the seller. Many agents say they have the experience to negotiate the short sale, but they actually have a poor track record. Ask the agents how many short sales they’ve handled and how many they’ve closed.

Be responsive. Respond to e-mails and phone calls from your real estate agent.

This is a good start that should provide you with a general idea about what to expect when it comes to the short sale process. But it certainly won’t be enough to help you negotiate and close a deal of your own if you are relatively new to the concept.

Foreclosure.com can help.

We have several online educational opportunities available On Demand, including Short Sale Negotiation, Short Sale Package and Profit Big: The Lease Option Secret, which you can order, watch and learn from instantly from the comfort of your own home or office.

In addition, we have a nationwide network of highly trained real estate professionals who have completed rigorous training on the short sale process and have earned Certified Foreclosure Agent certification from Foreclosure.com Agent University.

So be sure to get the latest on this red hot real estate technique courtesy of Foreclosure.com … we’ve got you covered!

Foreclosure situations are surging nationwide, creating real estate investment opportunities that are simply out of this world.

Short sales, in particular, are gaining serious steam.

Essentially, a short sale is when a homeowner facing foreclosure sells his or her home — with the consent of the respective money lender — for less than what is owed to the bank.

It’s a great option for distressed homeowners who want to avoid foreclosure and the crushing personal credit consequences that come along with it. On the other hand, working out a short sale deal can save buyers/investors (yes, we’re talking to YOU) a ton of money on their home purchases/investments.

In our most recent edition of “Investment Exchange” — our free educational real estate newsletter — we dive into short sales head first, covering everything from where to find them to how to negotiate the perfect deal that’s right for you.

To check the December 2008 short sale installment and all of the others 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.

In an effort to stem the foreclosure tide, Foreclosure.com and LoanResolve.com have joined forces to help connect distressed homeowners with potential buyers, working direct with their lenders to negotiate reduced purchase prices that will appeal to homebuyers and investors.

It’s a process that is often referred to as a “short sale;” however, LoanResolve and Foreclosure.com will simplify and shorten what is often a complicated and lengthy process.

Here are some thoughts from Foreclosure.com Founder, President and CEO, Brad Geisen, on the exciting new partnership:

“Between both companies we have relationships with most if not all of the major lenders today. We can work with them and the homeowners to reach favorable solutions that help reduce foreclosure situations, provide relief for distressed homeowners and create deals for future homeowners.”

According to Geisen, it’s an all around win-win situation for everyone involved because literally no one usually wins in a property foreclosure.

LoanResolve, which has designed a state–of-the-art foreclosure resolution and loan modification engine, helps distressed homeowners avoid foreclosures by working within their lenders’ loan resolution, loan modification and short sale processing services to quickly implement solutions that ensure compliance with lender requirements.

In fact, LoanResolve offers borrowers an online tool that helps them proactively research ways to resolve a delinquent or potentially delinquent loan with their lenders. As a last resort the company provides an online tool to quickly process property sale transactions.

Based on information borrowers provide concerning their loans and their lenders available resolution options, LoanResolve assists the borrower and lender in coordinating rapid approvals toward resolutions.

Once this rapid process is complete, Foreclosure.com will then list those properties on its Web site and drive traffic to them –- more than five million interested buyers each month. In addition, Foreclosure.com will provide visitors with the opportunity to make offers and contact the listing brokers for more information on the featured listings.

Here’s LoanResolve President, Jim McArthur:

“The flexibility and compliance expertise that LoanResolve offers with its document solutions is the right fit for Foreclosure.com’s short sale property liquidation needs. We work closely with both the lender and borrower in developing and executing solutions lenders can quickly implement.”

For more information and to learn more about how to either search these short sale listings or to have your home listed among them just click here.