Orlando Foreclosure Specialist -- October 2008

The Orlando Foreclosure Expo sponsored by the Orlando Sentinel

http://foreclosuresexpo.com/08email/summer08.html

For Immediate Release

Debut of Orlando Foreclosures Expo
moved from November 15-16 to February 7-8

Orlando – The foreclosure crisis continues to afflict everyone from homeowners and mortgage brokers to real estate agents and communities, especially in Central Florida. In fact, many real estate professionals are so negatively impacted by the sluggish economy that they have either moved to another profession or they cannot pay their membership dues to the Orlando Regional Realtor Association along with MLS fees. Because of the sluggish economy and the current issues affecting real estate agents, organizers of the first-ever Orlando Foreclosures Expo (www.foreclosuresexpo.com) have changed the date of the event from November 15-16 of this year to February 7-8, 2009.

“Orlando area real estate agents are experiencing financial woes, especially at this time of the year when they are trying to increase their business and facing ORRA and MLS fees. One well known local brokerage has lost a third of its agents because they could not afford to renew their ORRA fees,” says Phil Peachey, who is the founder of the Orlando Foreclosures Expo. “Since we have received so much positive feedback from real estate professionals who want to participate in the Expo but cannot at the moment, we felt it would be best to postpone the event until February 7 and 8.”
   
A licensed real estate agent who helps British and international residents buy and sell vacation homes in Central Florida, Peachey started buying and selling foreclosed properties in 2006. He quickly found it challenging to locate available foreclosed homes that are not included in the MLS. This sparked the idea for an event that brings buyers and sellers in the foreclosure industry under one roof.

When the Orlando Foreclosures Expo take place on February 7-8 at the International Plaza Resort & Spa, it will bring everyone from real estate agents and brokers, real estate attorneys and REO department representatives from banks to lenders, investors, wholesalers, builders and others in the foreclosure industry to the International Plaza Resort & Spa. The Expo will also allow homeowners in danger of foreclosure to list their properties and the minimum price they need.

There will be workshops conducted by experts on how to avoid foreclosure and what to do if you are facing foreclosure. The networking among professionals in the industry can lead to immediate transactions and future business, Peachey says.
 
“The Orlando Foreclosures Expo was born out of the need for people in the real estate industry to promote their services to the public,” Peachey explains. “This will be the first event of its kind where real estate industry professionals and the public can learn about the foreclosure industry, network and links buyers and sellers of foreclosed properties.

“Most people, even real estate professionals, do not have access to foreclosure listings or to the people who regularly buy and sell them. Wholesalers typically offer their foreclosure properties to a very select few. Also, most REO (Real Estate Owned) departments of banks will not deal with the general public,” Peachey adds. “The foreclosure industry has been more like a private club where the public cannot obtain a membership. The Orlando Foreclosures Expo will break down those barriers.” 

Peachey says that the Expo has room for as many as 50 vendors. At the moment, 25 vendors have booked booths. The Expo is being sponsored by the Orlando Sentinel, Luxautica and ICEBAR Orlando. Peachey says that rescheduling the event will allow more sponsors to get involved and offer more time to promote the Expo.

For homeowners in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure, the Expo will give them access to a pool of several qualified buyers.

After the inaugural Orlando Foreclosures Expo is held, Peachey plans to organize similar events across Florida in areas like Tampa/St. Petersburg, Miami, Jacksonville and Tallahassee.

“There is undoubtedly a great need for an event like this,” Peachey says. “It will benefit every professional associated with the foreclosure industry, and it will also help those people who are trying to avoid foreclosure.”

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Media Contact:

Jeff Louderback
407-474-6149
jlouderback@cfl.rr.com

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Dates for second Orlando Foreclosures Expo are set

The inaugural expo, held Feb. 7-8, generated so much business for exhibitors that founder Phil Peachey is already working on an expanded event slated for June 6-7 

Orlando – Angela and Frank Schifano were excited about their presence at the inaugural Orlando Foreclosures Expo because it gave them the chance to showcase the new business, the Orlando Foreclosure Trolley, a rolling classroom that takes real estate investors on a tour of bank-owned properties in central Florida. The Schifanos sold several tickets to upcoming trolley tours, but the husband-and-wife real estate agent team also wrote five contracts for foreclosure listings they featured at the event.

“We were confident that the Expo would be an ideal forum for creating awareness about the trolley, but we didn’t expect to sell so many homes,” Angela Schifano said. “We are a prime example of why an event like this is needed. There is no other way for so many buyers and sellers of bank-owned properties to gather at the same place at the same time.”

Many other exhibitors at the Expo echoed Schifano’s sentiments. Phil Peachey, who is founder and organizer of the event, received such a tremendous response that he has already set the dates for the second Orlando Foreclosures Expo. It will be held on June 6-7 at a venue yet to be determined. The inaugural Expo was held at the International Plaza Resort & Spa, but Peachey says the second event will be much larger and will require more space.

Homeowners facing foreclosure, renters looking to buy a home and first-time investors and seasoned investors searching for deals were among those who converged on the Orlando Foreclosures Expo (www.foreclosuresexpo.com) on February 7-8. The Expo included people facing foreclosure talking to experts about their options, and buyers and sellers of bank-owned properties.

“Now that the first Expo is completed, exhibitors who were there are already booking booths for the next event,” Peachey said. “In addition, people who thought about exhibiting but didn’t because they were unsure of how successful the first Expo would be saw the response and are now interested.

“A lot of people didn’t grasp what we were trying to achieve until they actually experienced the Expo,” Peachey added. “Now that exhibitors understand how many people they can reach under one roof, they are excited about the next event.”

There is no end in sight to the foreclosures crisis, and the volume of bank-owned properties continues to escalate. Economic experts agree that the real estate market will not rebound until the inventory of available properties decreases. Peachey created the Orlando Foreclosures Expo to help people facing foreclosure learn about their options and to link buyers and sellers of foreclosed properties. Most people, even real estate professionals, do not have access to foreclosure listings or to the people who regularly buy and sell them, Peachey says. The Expo was a success – and there is so much interest for more events – because it breaks down barriers, Peachey believes. Exhibitors agree, and many of them found the Expo as a perfect venue for networking and business.

 “The response we received from visitors to our booth far exceeded our expectations,” said Chris Christensen, who operates a Real Living Real Estate Solutions office under The Christensen Team name in Orlando. “We left the event with the names and phone numbers of over 70 people that are interested in buying foreclosed properties, and we are both booked for the next two weeks with appointments to show properties.”

Laura McLoughlin of Moneycorp Inc. is another sponsor and exhibitor who has reserved space for the second Expo in June.

“The event not only attracted a big number of attendees, but it also provided a great opportunity to network and make good connections in the industry,” McLoughlin said. “Anyone who wants to get into the foreclosures market or has a service to help clients looking for foreclosures will benefit from participating in the June event.”

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Media Contact:

Jeff Louderback
407-474-6149
jlouderback@cfl.rr.com