Stop Michigan Foreclosure

Since this is the first blog I’m writing, I thought I’d just take a second to introduce myself and talk a little bit about my first impressions of my new team. I’ve been negotiating short sales since 2006, so I guess you might say I feel like I’ve seen/heard it all. I just recently joined the Great Lakes team, and I’m really excited about the vision the team possesses and the potential I see in the company.

I can definitely see a genuine concern and regard for the clients with whom we are currently working and the associates with whom we come into contact. I’ve seen people from many walks of life in many different situations throughout the last few years, and I can assure you that, as a client facing a Michigan foreclosure, you will be informed, your information kept confidential, and above all, that you will be respected. We’ll always be doing our best to get you back to better times as fast as possible.  Click on my name below and check out my short video introduction.

Melissa

We have a new team member that we are excited to introduce to you! Melissa “Bank Bully” Arp. You’ve probably noticed that we added her to our team photo a couple weeks ago.

Why do most short sales fail? One of the main reasons is lack of persistent, consistent follow up with your lender. This is where Melissa excels. Melissa joins our team with over two years experience negotiating short sales and is a great complement to Joel (our “Closer” and “Fix It” guy).

With this one-two punch, lenders won’t have a chance, and your chance of a successful short sale will go up dramatically.

Meet Melissa and learn more about what she brings to our team by watching this video.

Stay tuned to her “insider’s insight” she’ll be sharing in future BLOG entries.

Joel

One question that we get asked a lot is “how did you know I was behind on payments and facing a foreclosure on my house?”

They are referring, of course, to the mail they received from Emily (“Mom”) Danger offering to help them with their pending Michigan foreclosure (at no charge of course). I know they are probably wondering “who else knows about the foreclosure?!”

What most people don’t know is that Michigan foreclosure laws require lenders to publish foreclosure notices in a newspaper that is circulated within the same county where the house is located. The foreclosure notice must be listed in the newspaper for at least four consecutive weeks.

This is where we get the names and “legal descriptions” of properties going into foreclosure. Every week, after we get the names of people facing foreclosure out of the newspaper, we go to the Register of Deeds and conduct a property search so we can convert those legal descriptions into property addresses so Emily can send the letters.

It’s the best way to reach those of you who need help, but don’t know where to turn. It may seem intrusive and bold on our part, but it’s really the fastest, most efficient way to make contact. Where else are you going to get the information you need to look at all of your options? Especially if you owe more than what you house is worth and can’t afford to make the payments any longer?

I hope that every letter Emily sends out generates a call, because I know we can help so many people out there. Everyone that calls is glad they received this letter so they can be shown options when facing the Michigan foreclosure.

Ann

I’ve always believed in going the extra mile for the homeowners that we work with facing foreclosure in Michigan.  But last week, I even think I went above the call of duty.

In our efforts to help someone we needed to take interior pictures of a vacant house. The only problem was the house was so infested with fleas that no one, including the Realtor®, wanted to enter the property. Against my better fashion sense, I donned a “bunny suit” (a full length, disposable coverall, complete with hood and booties) and headed inside with my camera.

We’re always here to help, and as we’ve show, we’ll go way beyond what anyone else will do to help you stop your Michigan foreclosure.

Emily

Editor’s Note (that would be Joel): Not only did she go above and beyond, this was for a case that we decide we could not take on (long story – but not because of the fleas). Plus she let me publish this picture! Click on the image for full size (and 100% entertainment!)

It seems lately that I can’t drive down a road without seeing a foreclosure notice taped to the front door of a house – anywhere in Michigan.  I always wonder about the family that lives there.  Do they feel as badly as I did would if it happened to me?  Do they feel that this is the end of the road for them, that they failed in life?  I wish I could go to them and tell them that there is hope; there will be a good life for them after this is over.  The key, though, is to avoid having a foreclosure ruin your credit and to prevent the lender from coming after you for all the money they’ll lose with the foreclosure (this averages about $40,000!).

It’s not the end of the road for you.  Make a U-turn and call us ASAP.  Why ruin your financial future and limit yourself when there is help available, at no cost to you?

I urge you to at least listen and read our testimonials (here and here) from real people that we have helped. They were once in the same spot you are in, but are now rebuilding their lives, with help from us.  See what we can do for you!

Emily

Our team is soooo committed to staying “up” on foreclosures and working with lenders & their processes involved that we regularly attend national seminars to stay current. Since I’m newer to the team, I got to attend my first big seminar this past weekend in Cleveland.

All I’ve got to say is WOW! I learned so much more, but most importantly I learned the importance of staying current since things change so quickly! Having access to a room full of other Foreclosures Specialists and their combined experience is a powerful way for me to help more homeowners.

I also watched as Joel (Fix It & “guy in charge of the checkbook”) wrote a check for $4,000 to continue our membership in the most elite circle of Foreclosure Specialists in the country. This is an invitation-only group of only 10 businesses. The best of the very best. We will meet with them 3 more times this year. This is just a huge time and money commitment which will allow us to stay Michigan’s #1 Foreclosure Solution Team.

Emily

One of the questions we get very frequently is “Why do you guys complete about 70%-80% of your short sales successfully while the national average for Realtors® is only 10%?”

This is a great question, and there are several reasons.

1) All we do are short sales. It’s a specialty which requires a specific set of skills. Try this analogy: When you go to see your family doctor, he’s a “generalist”. He can handle many things that could be wrong with you (broken bones, high blood pressure, the flu, etc.) But if you need brain surgery, you expect him to send you to a specialist.

Most Realtors® are also generalists. They are great at what they do if you fit into a “normal” real estate transaction. Of course short sales are far from “normal”. Obviously, you need a specialist!

Many Realtors® come to my State of Michigan approved course specifically for Realtors® so they can learn from me. The families we work with have decided to have the experienced instructor on their team and not the student.

2) We can’t do what we do without Realtors® though. We team up with the best of the best. They know how to get houses sold in this market, in any condition. Plus we’ve trained them to work within our proven system. Learn more about our team of Realtors® here.

3) We take complete control of the entire transaction! This my make you uncomfortable, which is normal. After you meet our team, I doubt you’ll still feel this way and you’ll likely be very glad we’ve taken control so we can get you out of this nasty position you are in. One of the main reasons shot sales fail is because the unknowledgeable Realtor® or the seller says the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong person. We take complete control in an attempt to prevent that from happening.

4) We have inside contacts at most major lenders who put our transactions on the fast track for approval.

5) We’ve invested over $47,000 on training, education, legal & accounting advice over the last 3 years. Let that investment pay off for you by getting us on your team.

Joel