Earlier this year (2010) I started to consider the idea that a fee-based membership for NFSTI would no longer be advantageous to the real estate community. The economy was going into the dumpster, it was more and more difficult to close deals, and the shadow inventory of foreclosures was steadily growing. Since NFSTI had accumulated a lot of REO and default servicing training material over the years I decided that the best thing to do would be to open up the membership and allow members to explore the inner workings of what used to be for members only. This brought about a LOT of dramatic changes.
The first thing that I noticed right away was the supported that NFSTI gained from it's loyal following. I was absolutely ecstatic to discover new friendships and loyalties that exhisted without having known it prior to letting down the vail of sales. It's fairly obvious to anyone that sales creates a barrier between individuals. Even the most naive individual knows that when a sale is taking place that a defense system must be engaged. Once that barrier was down I found some really awesome friendships blossoming within the REO industry specifically. Maybe it was the same phenomenon when 2 guys get into a fight and become best friends. I had been competing for so long with many top-notch trainers, networks, and websites that we built a common bond founded on competition.
I'm pretty happy to announce that there are some really awesome people out there trying to make a difference in the default servicing arena. Lord knows our economy is terrible and only going to get worse. It's refreshing to know that there are some dedicated pros out there determined to duke it out to the end. As for me, I've really enjoyed running NFSTI as a non-fee based membership, getting to know some amazing people from companies like Clear Capital, REO Network, RES.NET/AMP, Housing Wire, REO Insider, Lion's Gate, Go Home Buyer, Default School, eBroker House, BPO Automation Group, Realty Pilot, REOPro, and many more. These are good people with great ideas....stick with them.
Now on to a whole new adventure - WordPress development. It's a skill I taught myself over the last few years and it has not only been fun, but also assumed the role of income provider. WordPress kicks serious butt when it comes to web development, blogging, SEO, and integrating your social media for marketing purposes. I love the neverending plugins and the challenge faced with every new site.
So, that being said, I guess you'll start seeing a whole new style of writing coming from me. It'll be a mixture of default servicing information with nothing to gain and WordPress knowledge that I accrue along the way. Unfortunately, I probably will be throwing in aspects of sales which means you'll have your barrier up....at first.
Dan Waterman
Founder/Instructor, NFSTI
Founder/Designer, Dan Waterman Enterprises
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