Aliso Viejo, CA – September 23, 2008 Sometimes we get so involved in our own segment of this industry that we get a bit myopic.  For that reason at RealtyU® we try and stay in touch with the folks on the front lines.  In doing so our marketing department is constantly running surveys and interviewing those that have completed our courses.

 

Often times we get some excellent “boots on the ground” feedback from the pros that are out there everyday, competing in this tough market we are facing.  This week I wanted to pass along part of an interview with Dana Lamp of Dennison, Ohio who passed along some great suggestions after completing the Certified Short-Sale Professional (CSP) course.  

 

What did you like most about the course?

 

The fact that this is a huge part of the market today was the real push on my part to receive this designation, and the fact that I am the first one in our area to actually get the designation; and not just say they specialize in it.  Of course being on-line and able to work on it at my own pace was a big plus, because as we all know we have to work harder with the market being what it is.

 

What was your biggest takeaway from the course?

 

I got so much out of it; I cannot say just one thing.  I liked having a pre-organized list of what the banks want, and all the samples of the material. I really enjoyed listening to Jacob's lectures as he is very good at what he does and you can tell he practices what he preaches.

 

What actions did you take from applying what you learned in the course?

 
The first thing I did was to start having my assistant go to the courthouse weekly to get a list of Mortgage defaults.  Then my marketing manager would mail letters to all of these people to introduce myself and offer my assistance. 

 

After that, I did a mailing to my inner circle to let them know I received my certification and I released the "Press Release" to the paper and it was in the Real Estate pull-out.

Our office has a Cable TV show and my broker and I did a 10 minute Q&A on short sales.  As a follow up we scheduled a seminar for the public called - "How to negotiate with your mortgage company."  We are advertising it on TV, the newspaper and on all of my mailings. I am also mailing a reminder post card to all my inner circle and the names we obtained from the Courthouse on defaults.

 

What results did you create from applying what you learned?

 

So far, just since May, when I got my certificate, I have gotten 3 new listings directly from these mailings and I am talking to 4 other people from one of these related mailings and advertising.

 

If you would recommend the course to others, please express why with a few words:

 

The list of items to include in the packet, the marketing tools & the motivation I got from Jacobs lecture are priceless.

 

Every year we evaluate our career development courses and incorporate many of the suggestions we get from the professionals like Dana that have taken the time to give us their valuable feedback.  We have taken some of the feedback we received for the Certified Short-Sale Professional course and incorporated it into an agent success guide entitled “5 Blunders You Must Avoid When Dealing With Short Sales.” 

 

This free short sale paper is well worth reading and you can download it by visiting http://www.cspdesignation.com/freeguide.html.  It contains some great food for thought for anyone – whether you specialize in the short sale market or not.