This is my post from our blog at ChicagoLand Foreclosure Tours:
When I came up with the concept for ChicagoLand Foreclosure Tours, the thought crossed my mind that some might view the project as well...ghoulish. Of course, we won't be busting in on financially distressed homeowners; we are going to be touring either vacant Bank REO properties or properties where the homeowner WANTS US there to prompt a short sale or pre-foreclosure transaction.
Nonetheless, when I was emailing a local news editor this morning, that ghoulish pang hit me again. That the perception of the tour by the general public might be that we were treading lightly about a subject, financially distressed homeowners, that has the nation in crisis and individual homeowners stressed.
That we fiddled while Rome is burning.
Certainly the "tour" is the most marketable (some might say salacious) portion of our business. It is a marketing angle to generate business. Guilty as charged. And we certainly are looking to make money for our clients and ourselves. Again guilty.
The flip-side is that we hope to help financially distressed homeowners. We want to make that short sale or pre-foreclosure deal so the homeowner can avoid a foreclosure on their credit. That they can escape the stress of the foreclosure process and get back to some modicum of normalcy.
Ideally, thru advertising and publicity of ChicagoLand Foreclosure Tours, we also hope to reach some homeowner who is behind on their payments or has just been filed on. We can offer them our knowledge and expertise of the process and, just maybe, help them save their home (wouldn't that would be a great way to make a customer for life). We have added a page to our website so that distressed homeowners can contact us for help.
And while I'm not that narcissistic to believe that a couple of Realtors® can cure the housing crisis, I'd like to think that we at least showed up with a fire-hose.
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