Last month Bill Byrd from the Byrd Realty Group hosted the Charfen Institute's "Certified Distressed Property Expert" training and agent designation course in Virginia Beach.

In an effort to increase agent awareness and promote skill building within the industry Bill Byrd invited 65 top agents from Hampton Roads to participate in this "market of the moment" training. As a CDPE, Mr. Byrd feels that the CDPE is the only designation that provides real estate professionals with specific understanding of the complex issues confronting distressed homeowners.

Through comprehensive training and experience, CDPE-designated agents are able to provide solutions for homeowners facing financial hardship in today’s market. Additionally, this course gave attending Real Estate agents the opportunity to pick up valuable Continuing Education credits while earning their CDPE designations as well. “The real estate market has changed so dramatically in the last few years and we, as agents servicing our community, need to beup on the latest trends and information available. With so much information on the web these days, it is hard for consumers and agents to know where to turn for the right information. I have found that the Charfen Institute has put together the most comprehensive and thorough programs available for training agents on the intricacies of handling distressed property situations.” Byrd said. “The goal of this event was to help local agents and myself, attain a greater understanding of these difficult transactions. In turn, we will be able to help more families in our community avoid foreclosure on their homes.”

The December event was a raving success and all attendee's have since agreed to participate in monthly mastermind sessions geared towards a greater understanding of the changing trends of the distressed property market in Hampton Roads.   

Bill Byrd and his team of Virginia Beach Short Sale Experts have developed the website (http://www.stop-virginiaforeclosures.com/) to provide free information to homeowners to help them avoid the negative financial impact of foreclosure.

The community resources available at http://www.stop-virginiaforeclosures.com/ define foreclosure alternatives including short sales, loan modifications, and forbearance.

“Through no fault of their own, because this process can be so unbelievably complicated, very few members of our community know their options when they start to fall behind on their mortgage payments,” Byrd said. “If they act quickly and get informed, they can make informed decisions to find financial stability. They have options and CDPE’s know what those options are and can help families navigate around all the myths and scams. I've seen websites that are dedicated to showing people how to walk away from their properties and I can’t begin to tell you how financially devastating that would be.”

Foreclosure alternatives such as short sales—which now make up over one-third of real estate closings across the nation—are an increasingly popular way for both homeowners and lenders to minimize their losses in this tough economy. “More lenders are realizing that they can save money in a short sale versus a foreclosure, and are more likely than they were three years ago to approve a short sale offer.” Byrd said. “This is good news for homeowners because they now have more options than ever.

CDPEs can help the families of Hampton Roads find a dignified way to avoid foreclosure. We need to act now.” In conclusion, Aaron Rice was an excellent speaker and trainer! Full of energy and passion Aaron delivered the course material with enthusiasm as he shared his expert knowledge on the subject of Distressed Property. Not just a trainer...Aaron's real world experience from being a top distressed property expert in the Baltimore Maryland area was refreshing, bringing straight forward and practical methods for helping homeowners with solutions and options to difficult issues.  

For more information about this the Charfen Institute go to: www.cdpe.com