CAR Virtual Advocate Update - Wood Burning Stoves & Fireplaces - 07/30/07 07:50 PM
CAR Virtual Advocate Update - Wood Burning Stoves & Fireplacesby John Occhi, Hemet REALTOR®    Mission Grove Realty   
First, I should draw your attention to the California Association of REALTORS® (CAR) Virtual Advocate program.  It is a voluntary sign up that alerts you to any news that the CAR feels is important to our industry.  In many cases it is regarding pending legislation and a cry for us inform other REALTORS® of what is taking place and a call to action.
Well, I just received such an alert less than an hour ago that I thought I would share.  This is not for … (4 comments)

Foreclosure Rates Continue To Climb in California - 07/30/07 07:18 PM
Foreclosure Rates Continue To Climb in Californiaby John Occhi, Hemet CA REALTOR   Hemet CA Real Estate  
There are no surprises in the Mid-Year Report that was released today by RealtyTrac, an online leader in foreclosure property information.  Foreclosures continue to increase across the country.  See, no surprise.What is new to the report format is that RealtyTrac has added a number it calls "Unique Properties".  They issue a quarterly report and starting with the mid-year 2007 they have included the "Unique Properties" field at a request made by the Federal Reserve Bank, which uses RealtyTracs data for market and risk analysis.
The number most … (2 comments)

What is a "Free Foreclosure List"? - 07/28/07 11:54 PM
What is a "Free Foreclosure List"?by John Occhi, Hemet REALTOR®   Mission Grove Realty  
I have to hand it to my fellow REALTORS®, they certainly know how to market, if nothing else.  Some would argue that is a REALTORS® most important job - marketing - or getting the word out.The change in the market of 2007 has brought all sorts of people into the foreclosure and preforeclosure niche of selling real estate.
One of the latest techniques that REALTORS® are using is offering a "Free List of Foreclosures".  OK, I suppose I could see the value in that, if it was legitimate.One of … (22 comments)

Wells Fargo is Singing the Subprime Blues - 07/28/07 09:45 PM
Wells Fargo is Singing the Subprime Bluesby John Occhi, Hemet REALTOR®   Mission Grove Realty  
                                                       
I just found a short article in a newsletter I subscribe to (Real Trends) that is reporting that Wells Fargo is singing the subprime blues.
According to the article Wells Fargo shut its non-prime wholesale lending business, earlier this week.  This division of Wells Fargo has been responsible for the processing and funding of the loans for third party mortgage brokers.
It may have only represented 1.6% of the residential mortgage volume over at Wells Fargo, but that amounts to 397.6 Billion  with a "B" dollars in 2006.  … (4 comments)

Countrywide is Singing the Default Blues - 07/28/07 09:32 PM
Countrywide is Singing the Default Bluesby John Occhi, Hemet REALTOR®   Mission Grove Realty  
I just found a short article in a newsletter I subscribe to (Real Trends) that is reporting that Countrywide is singing the default blues.
According to the article even their good credit loans are increasing the trend towards default as more and more are having trouble making the mortgage payments.  They acknowledge that the trend had been focused on the subprime market, but now acknowledge that the problem is creeping through their portfolio.
Prime mortgages with a 30 day late had increased to 3.1 per cent for the 2nd quarter, … (4 comments)

And where are Interest Rates Headed? - 07/28/07 06:56 PM
And where are Interest Rates Headed?  by John Occhi, Hemet REALTOR®   Mission Grove Realty  
I am wondering what the opinion of the mortgage community is on the topic of interest rates.  As for me, I think they will drop based on what has happened this week.
There have been some very interesting developments take place in the financial world this week.  Before I get into what I know and make a prediction or two, I must admit that I am as much a layperson when it comes to economics as the next person.  My driving force on understanding anything to do with … (2 comments)

Pet Peeve: Don't Show Showings - 07/28/07 04:44 PM
Pet Peeve:  Don't Show Showings  by John Occhi, Hemet REALTOR®   Mission Grove Realty  
There really ought to be a law...or at least some sort of guideline in the NAR Code of Ethics about a REALTOR® that makes an appointment to show a property and then doesn't show up - not even the courtesy of a phone call.
Look, I know life happens and we can't always meet everyone of our obligations - for whatever reason.  It seems as if excuses are easy to come up with - my favorite is that my dog is having kittens...
In any event, as a Professional REALTOR® … (52 comments)

ActiveRain – I Need Your Help. Is This a Short Sale? How Would You Counsel this Seller? - 07/28/07 03:48 PM
ActiveRain - I Need Your Help.  Is This a Short Sale?  How Would You Counsel this Seller?  by John Occhi, Hemet REALTOR®   Mission Grove Realty  
Last night I received an email (thank you ActiveRain) that I followed up with a 45 minute phone call this morning from a homeowner who knows he is on the steps of disaster as his 80/20 sub-prime adjustable loan (ARM)already reset once increasing the principal and interest from $2200 a month to over $2900 monthly payment...and is expected to reset once again in under two months.  He has a homeowner's association payment of $300 due every … (34 comments)

Stop Your Foreclosure: Bankruptcy - 07/28/07 12:32 PM
Stop Your Foreclosure:  Bankruptcy   by John Occhi, Hemet CA REALTOR®   Mission Grove Realty 
Prior to October 17, 2005 it was a fairly easy process to stop a foreclosure through fining a bankruptcy (BK).  Without getting to deep into the process, since I am a REALTOR® and not an attorney and am not practicing law or giving any legal advise here, I am just stating what I recall of the process.
We'll refer to the pre change in the law in October 2005 as "the old days". 
Back in the old days, many would file both a Chapter 7 and a Chapter 13 … (7 comments)

Stop Your Foreclosure: Break Through Loan - 07/28/07 02:08 AM
Stop Your Foreclosure:  Break Through Loan   by John Occhi, Hemet CA REALTOR®   Mission Grove Realty 
When a Hemet homeowner recently asked me about helping stop his foreclosure, he asked me what a "Break Through Loan" was and if it would be appropriate for him in his situation.
I was not at first familiar with the term, Break Through Loan.  With a little investigation I figured out it was what I thought - a fancy name for a hard money loan for someone in the preforeclosure process.Before looking to hard money lenders, the Hemet Homeowner was advised to talk with his lender to … (2 comments)

When Does a REALTOR® NOT Sell A HOME? - 07/28/07 12:09 AM
When Does a REALTOR® NOT Sell A HOME?   by John Occhi, Hemet CA REALTOR®   Mission Grove Realty 
As a REALTOR® working the Hemet San Jacinto market I find many homeowners are upside down in their homes, finding themselves in preforeclosure.  Many feel as if they have to sell their home because their payments are going through the roof and they just cannot afford their homes any longer.In some cases, the Hemet homeowners have just gotten themselves in a bit of a jam - maybe an illness, injury or loss of a job.  All of these circumstances can really bite and set … (1 comments)

California Foreclosures and Deficiencies Balances - 07/21/07 06:15 PM
California Foreclosures and Deficiencies Balances by John Occhi, Hemet CA REALTOR   Mission Grove REALTYI just received an email from a member of the public, Reid Pi*zz*   who found Brad Andersohn's  post The California Foreclosure Process & Timeline.
                                                                                                Reid is in a jam and on top of that his wife is stressed.  Anyone who has read much of my work knows how I feel about keeping the wife happy, I cover my personal story in great detail in the blog article I wrote called, Why Do I work the PreForeclosure Market and Want to Help?
Reid is upside down in his … (11 comments)

The Importance of Pictures In the MLS - 07/21/07 02:23 PM
The Importance of Pictures In the MLSby John Occhi REALTOR®Hemet CA Real EstateIn my previous post, I wrote about Pictures and the MLS rules which require that all listings have a photo.  I questioned why a REALTOR® would not include a picture and deducted because it is nothing more than be lazy.  If I'm wrong, I'm sure I'll get an earful on that post.In this post, I want to address the importance of pictures.    I just did a quick snapshot of the local Hemet market in my zip code, 92544.  I looked exclusively at the 3 bedroom 2 bath home with … (18 comments)

Is That Congress I See on the Big White Horse? - 07/16/07 12:29 PM
Is That Congress I See on the Big White Horse?  by John Occhi, Hemet CA REALTOR  Mission Grove Realty  
Anyone who does not have their head buried in the sand knows that the United States is on the verge of some sort of financial disaster as a result of repercussions of the blows the housing industry has recently taken.  There are of course many opinions as to what the actual crises are, who is to blame and how do we prevent the worst case scenario.  That is not the purpose of this article.
                                Ultimately, many families will lose their home either … (27 comments)

The #1 Thing to Never Do When Facing Foreclosure - Or, How Not To Lose Your Hemet Home - 07/15/07 12:46 PM
The #1 Thing to Never Do When Facing Foreclosure - Or, How Not To Lose Your Hemet Home    by John Occhi, Hemet, CA REALTOR  Mission Grove Realty  Obviously when a home is lost to foreclosure there have been a lot of mistakes made.  There are times when a Hemet CA homeowner is in pre-foreclosure and ready to lose their home because they have made some bad financial mistakes; the most common using their home as an ATM machine.  Then there are other times when bad things just happen to good people and the Hemet homeowner finds himself a victim of circumstances; … (15 comments)

Why Do I work the PreForeclosure Market and Want to Help? - 07/15/07 03:04 AM
Why Do I work the PreForeclosure Market and Want to Help?   by John Occhi, Hemet CA REALTOR   Mission Grove Realty   As a REALTOR® that specializes in the Hemet - San Jacinto Valley real estate market, I know for a fact that there are many homeowners who have fallen behind in their mortgage and today many are in preforeclosure.  Many can save their home from foreclosure if they only know where to turn and who to trust.
                                                                                                            
Pre-foreclosure is a problem that is very near and dear to my heart - as my wife, Sherri, and I have been  dangerously close to losing … (26 comments)

What Do You Need for Your Loan - 07/14/07 02:16 AM
What Do You Need for Your Loan   by John Occhi, Hemet CA REALTOR®   Hemet CA Real Estate
My job as a REALTOR® is to help you find and buy (or sell) a house.  It does not matter if you are looking to buy your first home, a second home, if you are a move-up home buyer or an Investor.Unless you are paying cash - you will be seeking financing.  As your REALTOR® I really don't want to hear your tales of financial woe any more than I want to hear how magnificent you are with money and how much you are worth.  … (12 comments)

You Wonder Why You Need Title Insurance? - 07/14/07 12:56 AM
You Wonder Why You Need Title Insurance?   by John Occhi, Hemet CA REALTOR®   Hemet CA Real Estate
It is always amazing that people want to cut their costs in the most ridiculous ways.  I'm not even going to go into how silly people are when they spend their money - but when they want to save, they will "cut off their nose in spite of their face", as my grandmother would tell me so many years ago.
Title insurance is just one of those things that you NEED to transfer property.  I suppose there are deals made everyday that don't have Title insurance.  … (0 comments)

ActiveRain Birthday Wishes - 07/13/07 11:32 PM
ActiveRain Birthday Wishes   by John Occhi, Hemet CA REALTOR®   Hemet CA Real Estate
On my journey to my place in ActiveRain - now a member of the elusive BRONZ club with 50,000 or more points, I have been asked to reflect back on my journey - and what better place than to start at the beginning..
I read in Inman news on July 12th that ActiveRain was celebrating its 1 year birthday.  The day before I read in the Official ActiveRain Blog : SEATTLE, July 11, 2007 - ActiveRain, the world's largest social networking site for real estate professionals, marked its one-year anniversary … (17 comments)

When Time is of he Essence . . . This Does Not Mean RUSH - 07/13/07 09:01 PM
When Time is of he Essence . . . This Does Not Mean RUSH   By John Occhi, Hemet CA RALTOR   Hemet CA Real Estate   In real estate time is always of the essence.  This is something every REALTOR® knows and lives by.  When offers are presented...the seller typically has 3 days to decide before the offer dies.  Once an offer is accepted and goes "under contract" both the seller and buyer have responsibilities that must be met within certain time periods.  As a professional REALTOR® it is our responsibility to keep the ball rolling - otherwise we are neglectful of our … (6 comments)

Home Prices Expected to Recover in 2008 As Inventories Decline - 07/12/07 02:03 AM
Home Prices Expected to Recover in 2008 As Inventories Declineby John Occhi, Hemet CA REALTOR   Hemet CA Real Estate   The National Association of REALTORS (NAR) announced today a correction to the figures they released just last month.
Now they want us to believe that we will see a 5.7% drop in the number of existing-home sales while the national medium price will fall 1.4% to $240,100.
I don't have the figures computed, but I can tell you we have already seen greater hits then this in the local Hemet CA real estate market.
The new homes are expected to take a big hit with … (6 comments)

9.1 California Families out of 1,000 Have Lost Their Home to Foreclosure - 07/11/07 02:05 PM
9.1 California Families out of 1,000 Have Lost Their Home to Foreclosure  by John Occhi, Hemet CA REALTOR   Hemet CA Real Estate   Anyone who has been keeping up with my blog and my local real estate activities in Hemet, CA know that I have been very much involved in the pre-foreclosure market.I have aligned myself with Freedom Foreclosure Prevention Service as a resource to help homeowners work through their financial hardships and, if at all possible, to save their home from foreclosure.  This process, in the industry is known as "Loss Mitigation".
                                       
Unfortunately, for most homeowners, the process is expensive - … (2 comments)

Lead Generation Evolves in Real Estate - 07/11/07 11:12 AM
Lead Generation Evolves in Real Estateby John Occhi, Hemet CA REALTOR   Hemet CA Real Estate   I just posted an opinioned review of an article on a topic that is very relevant and near to my heart and that is putting the lead aggregators out of business.  OK. The referenced article was not on a RANT like I have been known to be - but is was awesome,  - so if  you get a chance, check out Google as a Lead Strategy .
In the original article, they have some great information on a variety of locations to advertise on the Internet as … (6 comments)

Google as a Lead Strategy - 07/11/07 10:58 AM
Google as a Lead Strategy   by John Occhi, Hemet CA REALTOR   Hemet CA Real Estate   I just read a fascinating article on the Inman News, by the same title as this article.The discussion is very relevant to the argument of why I wrote "RANT: Why a REALTOR should NEVER "BUY" a Lead".  They just said it better than I did.I think they did a great job of showing the power of lead aggregators and why we as individual and independent REALTORS need to be aware of where our hard earned money is going if we think that buying leads is OK.  … (12 comments)

Maximize Your Credit Score to Maximize Your Investment - 07/08/07 08:37 PM
Maximize Your Credit Score to Maximize Your Investment   by John Occhi, Hemet REALTOR   Hemet CA Real Estate   We all know the importance of a high FICO score when it comes to your personal credit.  The difference in 100 points can make the difference in thousands of dollars being spent each year in real estate interest payments.
Yes, poor credit can effect so many different aspects of your life, but the purpose of this article we will narrow the discussion to the real estate investor - whether professional investor or rookie on his first deal.  Good Credit is more than important - … (2 comments)

So You Have a Short Sale Lined Up - Is the BPO Your Friend - Step #10 - 07/06/07 11:23 AM
So You Have a Short Sale Lined Up - Is the BPO Your Friend - Step #10by John Occhi, Hemet - San Jacinto Valley REALTORHemet - San Jacinto CA Real Estate
A "Broker Price Opinion" or BPO is a critical step in evaluating the market value of a property.  Mortgage lenders will order them to evaluate a number of different real estate transactions.  A BPO is used for everything from portfolio acquisition to checking on a properties condition when the first or second payment is late - and they don't have to be consecutive late payments.  Most importantly for the real estate … (3 comments)

So You Have a Short Sale Lined Up - Tick-Tock...Watch the Clock - Step #9 - 07/06/07 01:03 AM
So You Have a Short Sale Lined Up - Tick-Tock...Watch the Clock - Step #9by John Occhi, Hemet - San Jacinto Valley REALTORHemet - San Jacinto CA Real Estate
Real Estate Investing Can make you a lot of money in only 20 hours a week...sounds like a late night infomercial, doesn't it?  Or, it could be on of the thousands of claims made on the Internet if you just Google the term "Real Estate".
The truth be told, they are right and if you didn't believe it you wouldn't be pursuing information and an education in real estate investing - you'd be happy … (0 comments)

< < < ALERT > > > Has Google Gone to Far, this Time? - 07/05/07 01:46 PM
Has Google Gone to Far, this Time?   By John Occhi, Hemet CA REALTOR   Hemet CA Real Estate  
It has just been brought to my attention that the Google search bar is now a nationwide reverse telephone directory!That's right, go ahead any type in your phone number (555-555-1212) into Google and your name ad address appear with a link to map out your exact location.
I know that Google prides itself in the amount of information they gather and the profiles they build on each of us based on our web use - but come on Google, a little privacy please.
Now, I understand … (16 comments)

Is this Good News for Homeowners? - 07/04/07 06:11 PM
Is this Good News for Homeowners?   By John Occhi, Hemet CA REALTOR   Hemet CA Real Estate  
I just read in a newsletter that the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) and the American Association of Residential Mortgage Regulators (AARMR) are working together, towards a common goal.They issued a joint statement they referred to as a "Join Consumer Alert on Mortgage Payment Increases".  The alert is geared towards those homeowners who have a high-risk loan for ending up in foreclosure:  the interest only, neg-am and the ARM's.  Homeowners are urged to start planning and budgeting immediately for their pending resets of their … (2 comments)

Can You Believe it - Still More Mortgage Fraud? - 07/04/07 04:01 PM
Can You Believe it - Still More Mortgage Fraud?   by John Occhi, Hemet CA REALTOR   Hemet CA Real Estate   One of my favorite blogs that I keep up with is the Mortgage Fraud Blog - to me it is better than a good episode of Law and Order on the TV (still my favorite show).
Well this morning an article was posted about a Mortgage lender publishing a very convincing website with all of the right credentials - you know, Better Business Bureau, State Licensing and an impressive Lexington office address.Well it's all a scam and the Kentucky Office of Financial Institutions … (0 comments)

California Association of REALTORS Scores Sacramento Victory - 07/04/07 03:42 PM
California Association of REALTORS Scores Sacramento Victory   by John Occhi, Hemet CA REALTOR   Hemet CA Real Estate   I was just reading through my email and saw an announcement that the California Association of REALTORS (C.A.R.) that legislation that C.A.R. is sponsoring is moving forward.I thought that was a good thing and found the following synopsis of the new legislation:
"Several C.A.R.-sponsored bills continued to move forward in the state Legislature this month. Last week, AB 980 (Calderon), "Disclosure of Already Imposed Private Transfer Taxes," passed the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee. The bill will require a separate disclosure to potential home buyers … (2 comments)

Is the Department Of Justice SPAMMING You? - 07/04/07 12:30 PM
Is the Department Of Justice SPAMMING You?   by John Occhi, Hemet CA REALTOR   Hemet CA Real Estate   Fraud has many faces and can manifest itself in so may ways.I just read an article that warns of a new type of SPAM - supposedly from the United States Government with the latest agency being none other than the Department of Justice.(Pardon my French, but you have to have "Balls of Steel" to try and commit a crime, pretending to be one of the scariest organizations in the world - I know I would never go out of my way to make them … (8 comments)

California Association of Realtors Release Draft of New Short Sale Addendum - 07/03/07 11:20 PM
California Association of Realtors Release Draft of New Short Sale Addendumby John Occhi, Hemet - San Jacinto Valley REALTORHemet - San Jacinto CA Real Estate
I just opened an email that was sent out by the California Association of Realtors (CAR) announcing that there is anew form which will be released the week of August 13, 2007
The new form is an addendum advising sellers of their rights and the potential consequences of the a short sale.
You can find a PDF DRAFT VERSION of the new SPL, or Short Pay Listing Addendum here.  CAR is looking for REALTOR feedback - so you can … (0 comments)

So You Have a Short Sale Lined Up - When Does a Short Seller Receive Money from the Sale - Step #8 - 07/02/07 11:31 PM
So You Have a Short Sale Lined Up - When Does a Short Seller Receive Money from the Sale - Step #8by John Occhi, Hemet - San Jacinto Valley REALTORHemet - San Jacinto CA Real Estate
I was recently working with a short sale seller recently who was really hurting.  Yes he and his wife had made a mistake or two in managing their resources.  This does not make them bad or evil people, does it?  Certainly their woes are no less than my own.
I was able to find an investor who wrote a successful offer on their property - … (8 comments)

So You Have a Short Sale Lined Up - When is Enough Too Much? - Step #7 - 07/01/07 10:49 PM
So You Have a Short Sale Lined Up - When is Enough Too Much? -  Step #7by John Occhi, Hemet - San Jacinto Valley REALTORHemet - San Jacinto CA Real Estate
When you are investing in short sale real estate you have to determine where the line is at just how much money you can...and should make?"What" you ask?  You say, "As an Investor, I am entitled to every dollar I can ethically make on every short sale real estate transaction"!  You say, "After all, I am the one taking the risk".
Well, you may be right...but then again.Let me remind you of … (4 comments)

 
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John Occhi, ePRO, Temecula - Murrieta CA Real Estate, 951-443-6259

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