My boss, Carlos Aguilar, real estate agent extraordinaire (he pays me to say things like that), receives countless emails and calls from renters whose landlord’s are being foreclosed upon, and they are left in the dark, trying to figure out what they need to do. One such email he recently received was from a woman who found out her landlord was being foreclosed on when the Home Owners Association for the complex called her and told her. And since the landlord was no longer paying her HOA fees, the HOA requested that the she pay THEM her rent.

I can imagine that it’s quite unnerving when out of the blue, you get a call from someone you don’t know telling you all this. It’s the kind of call where you hang up and say, “What the F*CK?” Then you try and contact someone…anyone who might have some information on what’s going on, and no one can tell you a thing. So, if you are a renter and your landlord is being foreclosed on, let me help ease your mind. This article is about what will happen and what you need to do.

Finding Out

A few days after the Trustee Sale (foreclosure) occurs, someone will be knocking at your door inquiring about whom you are and the names of any other occupants. This person represents the bank that now owns the property you are occupying. If you are not home, they will post a notice on the door asking you to contact them. This notice may sound harsh, and may even sound like an eviction notice, but it is not. It is simply an initial attempt to impress upon you the seriousness of the situation and to make you aware that the property is now owned by a bank and their purpose is to gather information.  The new owners need to know who you are and what your intentions are. For the most part, they will want the property to be vacant as quickly as possible. The one exception to that is Fannie Mae, who, if they are the new owners, may give the option to some tenants to continue to rent the property. But almost all other lenders are not willing to rent the property and will assign it to an eviction attorney to begin the eviction process.

Eviction Notice

The eviction attorney (or someone representing them) will present you with a notice alerting you that you have 90 days to vacate the property. Depending on how fast the eviction attorney begins the case, this notice may not come for weeks (sometimes even up to a month) after the house has already been foreclosed on. NOTE: Despite what your former owner’s HOA tells you, you DO NOT owe them any money.

Cash for Keys

The Bank, AKA the new owner, will usually offer you cash to entice you to move out and waive the 90 day eviction period. The sooner you move out, the more money the bank is willing to offer you to help with your relocation costs. Typically, if you agree to move out in the first 30 days, the bank may be willing to pay you a fee of $3000-$4000. If you move out within 60 days, this amount is reduced substantially, and if you move out towards the end of the 90 days, you most likely will not be offered any money. The reason the banks are willing to offer you a relocation fee is to offset the cost of having to pay legal fees to have you evicted. And the sooner you are out of the property, the sooner they can put it on the market for sale. And they are EAGER to sell those properties.

Whatever you do, don’t play dumb and pretend like nothing is happening (see The Life and Time of an REO Field Agent: Part III). Talk to the bank, let them know what you intend to do. Will you take the full 90 days to find a new place and move? Or will you take the cash for keys and move out sooner? Depending on how much the banks offer you in the form of cash for keys, it might make sense to get out fast if you are able. If the amount is minimal, it makes sense to use those 90 days of living rent free to search for a new place.

Any way you slice it, it’s not your fault that your landlord got foreclosed on. Don’t take the eviction as a personal attack. It is without a doubt a large inconvenience, but the sooner you address the situation, the sooner you’ll be living in a new place. And who knows, maybe you will even make out with a little extra cash in the process.

By Andrew Brentan

So you’ve finally found that diamond in the rough! After seeing 50+ foreclosed upon, bank owned homes, you found the home that you want and you are getting a great deal. You couldn’t be happier, and the bank will finally have that damn thing off its books. It’s a win-win. But something you may not know about that home you are about to buy, is all of the work that went in to getting it ready for your real estate agent to bring you on by to check it out. And despite what others might tell you, the unsung hero who is largely responsible for all of that work is the elusive and rare breed of employee: The Field Agent.

We all know that the banks in this country are inundated with properties that they were forced to take over and now have to try and sell. And like I said, there is a lot of work that goes in to the selling of bank owned homes. So much work that asset management companies get involved as well as local real estate companies. I work for one of those local real estate companies and I have remained curious by this system of what seemed to me to be an excessive allocation of work. So, in order to better understand what exactly goes in to getting a bank owned home ready for you to buy, I spent three days over the past two weeks, shadowing Team Aguilar’s field agent, Cory McGilvery as he made his rounds from property to property to learn a thing or two about a thing or two.

I felt like a real journalist, pen and paper in hand, as I met Cory for lunch before we embarked on his Wednesday route to visit 16 properties in the southeast part of San Diego. “Before we leave”, I said, “can you please tell me what the hell a field agent actually does?” I’ve known Cory for a few years, and had never fully figured out what it was he was doing every day. “You’ll see today.” He said with a sly grin, “and it will blow your mind.” I imagined visiting some property that was home to packs of wild abandoned dogs, or crack-heads who were too drugged up to realize they were being evicted, or a crazy old woman who answered the door with a shotgun pointed at my head. Of course, he was being completely sarcastic, but I couldn’t help letting my imagination run for a brief moment.

The work required from the time a bank forecloses on a property to the time it is sold to a new buyer is almost entirely grunt work.  And at the heart of the grunt work, is the field agent. The first day driving with Cory and visiting bank owned properties, I came to the conclusion that the job of the field agent was not dissimilar to shoveling shit. It gets you outside, it’s repetative, and sometimes when you’re not expecting it, you get blown away by something that smells…well… like shit. We went into one property towards the end of my first day with Cory to do an initial inspection, and I was appalled by what we saw. There were piles of partially eaten food all over the place. KFC buckets, microwavable burritos, melted popsicles, opened cans of corn, dirty dishes stacked high in the sink, refried beans sprayed against the wall, flies were swarming, and all of this combined to create a super-hero odor that could leap tall buildings and bring a mere mortal such as myself to my knees.

Despite the obvious downsides, Cory likes this job for the most part; it gets him out of the office, driving around, and offers ample opportunities for taking pictures (Cory’s true love is photography, and he’s damn good too). Our first 4 stops consisted of Cory literally just walking in the home, making sure no one was squatting there and then leaving. “Until we sell them, they need to be checked once a week.” And has he ever run across someone actually squatting on a property? “A couple of times. Usually they’re not there when I come by but we can tell someone has been in there and we just change the locks on them. But a couple of times, I’ve walked in on some people who are quick to yell at me for trespassing (even though I have a key), claiming that they’ve been renting there for months when just a week ago, there was nothing in the house.”

As we made our rounds around El Cajon, La Mesa, and Alpine, I finally got a grasp on how the whole process works. Here’s a rundown:

- Bank forecloses on a property
- Bank hires an asset management company to deal with it.
- Asset Management Company hires a local real estate company to sell the place.
- Local real estate company has a field agent who:

1. Visits the property once a week
2. Takes pictures of the home, and anything left behind. If there is over $300 of personal property left behind, the real estate company has to hold onto it, and publicly post the property in hopes the owners will come to claim them
3. If the owner is still living in the home, provide notice that they have 3 days to leave
4. If there is a renter, provide notice that they have 90 days to leave
5. Hires a company to clean the house
6. Provides and replenishes marketing materials and signs
7. Fields phone calls and inquiries from real estate agents regarding the property
8. Reports back to asset management company about each property each week

- The home gets sold, the local real estate company gets the commission, the asset management company gets a flat fee from the bank, and the bank gets the remaining funds from the sale.

Deal with all of that for 65 properties per week located all over San Diego and a few outside of San Diego, and you’ve got yourself a guy shoveling a ton of shit.

Stay tuned for the conclusion of The Life and Times of an REO Field Agent two part series when we meet with the Sherriff’s Department to give an eviction notice to a guy who took his free ride just a bit too far and pays the price.

A Call to Agents

My superiors, the President and CEO of Axia Real Estate Group in San Diego, have asked me to write a blog announcing that we have now expanded our business into Riverside County and that we are looking for agents to work in both Riverside and San Diego.  I said to them, “Superiors, with all do respect, this is not something to discuss on a blog. This is something to announce on the home page of the website or take out an ad in the Reader or SignOn SanDiego.”  As you can tell by the fact that I am indeed writing a blog on our business expansion, I did not win this argument. And so, without further ado, let me introduce to you, Team Aguilar of Axia Real Estate Group:

Under the direction and leadership of Carlos Aguilar (President), and Howard Blum (CEO), Axia Real Estate Group, Inc. has been helping buyers and sellers in the San Diego region for over a decade. Carlos loves using the line that he has “been in real estate longer then he would care to remember” which was voted by me, to be his most over-used line of 2008. But he has been at it for a long time — originally licensed in California in 1972. The bottom line is, the man knows everything there is to know about real estate in California and he’s a pleasure to work for and with. And even if he wasn’t the one paying my salary, I’d say the same thing.

So, now that Team Aguilar has expanded into Riverside, we are looking for experienced real estate agents to join our group and work both Riverside AND San Diego regions. Agents should be experienced, knowledgeable, and willing to follow up on leads. If you are interested, or have any questions, call Toll Free Number at (888) 317-1496 or email info@teamaguilar.com.

“Problems are only opportunities with thorns on them”, said author Hugh Miller. And the economic crisis that has inflated over the past several weeks has, for many, revealed opportunities amidst a global financial downturn. In Southern California, much of these opportunities are coming in the form of Bank-Owned Properties.

Bank owned properties offer a low-cost solution to investors and first-time home buyers. According to data released from real estate research firm, MDA DataQuick, the median home sale price in Southern California was $308,500 in September, down 7% from August, and 33% from a year ago. And prices are sure to continue to drop, creating great deals for those who are looking in the right places. Christopher Thornberg, principal of Beacon Economics, a Los Angeles consulting firm is predicting that home prices will bottom late next year, with the Southern California median sale price falling to $250,000.

When home owners default on their mortgage payments, banks will take ownership of the property and as a result of this widespread housing downturn, bank’s are taking ownership of more properties than they can handle. Banks are seeking to sell these houses as quickly as possible to recoup the money from the mortgage, and this in turn, creates an opportunity for great deals on home purchases.

“There are bank-owned homes of all shapes and sizes out there, and there are indeed great deals to be had,” says Carlos Aguilar of Axia Real Estate Group in San Diego who specializes in bank owned properties, “but there is also a lot of competition for these homes, and it is important to work with someone who has experience in dealing with Bank Owned properties.” Carlos has more than thirty years of experience in Real Estate and Loan Brokerage, and though he’s never seen a decline in home prices quite like this in his lifetime, he’s been through enough real estate cycles to know the value of buying at a time like this. “Two years ago, many people couldn’t have afforded a home that they can now buy in this market. And with lower sale prices, buyers can have more money to put down up front or buy new furniture.” First time buyers may also qualify for a first time buyer tax credit for up to $7500.

To Learn more about bank-owned properties, first-time buyer tax credit, or to set up an appointment, contact Carlos Aguilar and his team of professionals at 619-209-5538 or email him at Carlos [at] TeamAguilar.com.

In this current economic slump, I have been hearing people speak optimistically of all the opportunities that present themselves in such times. “What opportunities?” I find myself asking and getting annoyed at their statements, which seems to make everything seem ok, when in fact there are many who are having a very difficult time. It’s like getting defecated on by a bird and having someone reassure you that it’s good luck.

Well, for some there are opportunities in the form of affordability. Company shares, business-operation expenses, and buying real estate are all areas that people and businesses are able to capitalize on. But for most people and businesses, this is a time not so much of opportunities, but for adjustments.

In the Southern California real estate world, a booming, ever-expanding, bottomless pit of wealth just a few years ago, companies and individuals have had to face the harsh reality of the aftermath of the biggest real-estate bubble bursting in the history of our economy. For many, their way of doing business was shattered as there were no longer willing buyers knocking on their doors, and sellers were being forced to sell their home for less than it was worth. But there are those that have experienced this type of market before, and it are these individuals and companies that have adjusted their way of doing business in order to weather this economic downturn.

Carlos Aguilar, president of Axia Real Estate Group, Inc. in San Diego, is one such individual who has successfully adjusted to this new marketplace by selling REO’s. Real Estate Owned (REO) are properties owned by a lender, usually a bank, who retained the property after an unsuccessful foreclosure auction. And with all the foreclosure taking place in Southern California, REOs have proven the most consistent way to get a paycheck as a real estate agent. Banks are in possession of huge amounts of properties that need to be sold, and they will outsource the duty of selling these homes to real estate agents such as Carlos. “When I saw that the market was changing and it would be providing REO business, we changed hats and got into it last year,” Carlos stated. And it has proved successful as currently Axia’s REO division, www.TeamAguilar.com is bringing in 80% of his business.

But simply “changing hats” isn’t an easy option for many.  The banks are unloading a lot of responsibility to those selling their REOs and they need to be certain their assets are in the hands of people with experience.  Carlos obtained his experience selling REO’s in the early 90’s amidst the Savings and Loan Crisis and economic recession “Most companies involved [in selling REOs] that are having success know people in the industry. The REO industry seems to be fairly tight and the relationships I had in the past working for other operations are the big reason why I am getting business today.” And it’s not just experience that is required to sell REOs. It’s an entirely different beast than the average real estate transaction.

In addition to the usual marketing and negotiating required in a real estate deal, selling REOs involve other, less glamorous tasks. Frequently homes are left in horrible conditions and intense cleaning is required commonly costing upwards of $2000 to $3000. Ordering and maintaining utilities, managing evictions and re-keying properties, filling out the tedious and redundant Broker Price Opinions (more information on BPO’s search “Newsstand” at www.car.org), and keeping the banks or asset managers informed and happy. “Every bank requires different things, and every bank requires a sea of paperwork” Carlos adds regarding the downsides of REO work. “It’s by no means the most glamorous side of real estate, but in times such as these, we would be hurting for business without it.”

And so, depending on how one looks at things, transitioning from being a regular real estate agent to selling REOs might be a type of opportunity that Carlos and others in his field are taking advantage of, but this is an opportunity that is brought on by necessity and not a hope to strike it rich. As most of us are forced to position ourselves to weather the storm ahead, it is important to simply make the adjustments in our life and business necessary to get through these times. And who knows, maybe an opportunity is waiting to present itself to you.

Andrew Brentan is a contributor to Team Aguilar’s blog.

We are contacted on a regular basis with questions about how real estate agents can begin to obtain REO business. We have worked for years selling Bank Owned (REO) Real Estate and thought that we might as well put a list of all the REO departments we have. REO business is what many agents are relying on in this slower downturn in the real estate market. Please feel free to view the list of REO departments and post any questions you have in our real estate REO section of the Team Aguilar forum.

click here to view the list.

Different Ways to Buy Foreclosures – you can buy foreclosures a number of different ways. Below are the 3 most common with some perspective on my experience with 30+ years in the real estate business.

Buying directly from the homeowner – You can purchase foreclosures directly from the homeowner prior to it going to sale and back to the bank to be sold as a “Bank Owned” property. I am not a fan of this option for one simple reason. Homeowners are being taken advantage of and deeding their homes over to crooks who promise to bring their mortgage payments current and never do anything. This is the option that all of the late night infomercials are always talking about. It’s unfortunate that when someone is in a difficult situation that these crooks come out of the woods to steal equity away and convince homeowners to deed the property to them. If they really did what they say they will do then great, but it’s too often I hear horror stories about homeowners that were taken advantage of. What typically happens is a number of different things, including renting out the home to collect rent payments for 6-12 months while never make any single mortgage payment. The end result in many of these scams is that homeowners are sold on the idea that they will avoid a foreclosure showing up on their credit. If you have equity in your home then you should try to sell it with a local real estate agent. Your lender will give you some time to sell the property if you show them you are making an effort to sell it.

Buying at a real estate auction – not a big fan! These homes that are being sold at auction are homes that didn’t sell via OPTION 3 of this article. They were listed with local real estate agents as “Bank Owned” homes and as a result of them not selling in a timely manner the bank turns them over to an auction company for sale. Would you go purchase a foreclosure amongst hundreds, if not thousands of other buyers when you could have purchased it a month earlier with no other competition?  Auctions are not my favorite, you are in a room with people that do not take the time to research the property and they are sold on this slogan. “Buy this previous valued home of $450,000 with a starting bid of $275,000!!!” I have news for you, take the time and go to one of these auctions and you will see that by the time it actually sells you really aren’t getting a good deal compared to the foreclosures available for sale in the local MLS.

Buying from a local Realtor – my favorite option maybe because I am a Realtor! :) No, it’s because it makes the most sense. You find a local real estate agent who specializes in selling bank owned real estate. I would recommend that you do a Google search for “bank owned real estate for sale CITY NAME” and you should come up with some options. Buying from a local real estate company will allow you time to do your inspections on the home you are buying; you will get a clear title with title insurance. If you purchase your home listed with a real estate company that is “Bank Owned” you do not have to worry about the title history because you will be provided with a title insurance policy when you close escrow. You will have typically a 30 day escrow which will allow you to purchase with financing.

Other things to understand about buying foreclosures – One big misconception is that you deal directly with the bank. Let me tell you that it doesn’t happen. Banks don’t sell real estate. They find local real estate agents who know the local market and pay them a commission to get the property sold. Don’t waste your time trying to work out a great deal directly with the bank or insist that your low offer at 50% of the listing price should be considered. Banks want to sell these foreclosures but they are not stupid.

Things to do after you purchase a foreclosure property – Get the locks changed as quickly as possible, many banks use the same key cut for all of their listings because they have so many vendors to deal with they have the locksmith re-key all of their foreclosures with the same cut key. You should really invest $100 to have your new home re-keyed.

If you would like any San Diego Foreclosure Information please feel free to contact us.

BANK OWNED – BEAUTIFUL HOME! THIS IS ONE YOU NEED TO GET OUT AND SEE. IT’S PRICED TO SELL AND THE PREVIOUS HIGH SALES PRICE OF $375,000! WOW!!! WE HAVE IT PRICED BY THE BANK AT $257,500!!! GREAT FIRST TIME BUYER OPPORTUNITY. WONT LAST LONG. ONE BIG MISCONCECPTION IS THAT REAL ESTATE IS NOT SELLING AND YOU CAN BE PATENIT UNTIL IT COMES DOWN MORE IN PRICE AND THAT IS JUST NOT HAPPENING. BANKS ARE PRICEING THESE HOMES RIGHT AND THEY ARE SELLING. NOTHING TO DO BUT MOVE IN! HOME IN GATED COMPLEX LOCATED IN A VERY QUIET NEIGHBORHOOD NICE CLEAN PARK ACROSS THE STREET – CLOSE TO ALL, NICE CLEAN QUIET BKYRD WITH FENCE GREAT 3 BED, 2BA, 2CAR GARAGE LAYOUT PRICED TO SELL AND GREAT 1ST TIME BUYER OPPORTUNITY! WONT LAST LONG! Take some time and make sure you look at this home before you decide to purchase anything. If this home is not something you are interested in please feel free to view all of the other bank owned homes for sale in San Diego. Please click on this link to be taken to the Bank Owned homes for sale section. 

Please review the graph below provided by city data. It will give you detailed information about the values of real estate over the last few years. One thing to remember is that this home previously sold for $375,000 and is now for sale for $257,500. If you have questions about buying bank owned real estate please feel free to call us today. Thank You

MLS # 086021370

Carlos Aguilar    800-332-1687

Graph provided by City Data

Bienes Raices en San Diego are real estate services we provide!

Bank Owned – For all of the developers, rehab contractors looking for a great rehab opportunity this may be one to consider. Property needs a lot of work and will probably end up being a major remodel but the lot is what this property has going for it. It sits on a nice hill at the top of Gibson Street in Encanto that has great views from every area of the lot. When you stand in the front of the house you have great views across the Vally. The back yard has great views to the west over looking the home below. The lot size is just under 5,000 square feet current home features a large backyard. This property is definitely worth looking at with your contractor. We recently had the windows boarded up to keep unwanted people out. Please call us if you would like more information about this listing. We would be happy to show it to you.

Please call if you have any questions. Also feel free to view all of our other bank owned real estate for sale in San Diego by following this link.

 MLS # 076093523

Carlos Aguilar 800-332-1687

Bienes Raices en San Diego!!! Carlos is originally born in Mexico so he is able to work with all of the fluent Spanish speakers if you prefer to deal with a bilingual real estate agent in San Diego!

Call him today if you have any questions!

Bank Owned – Priced to sell – single level floor condo with updated with wood laminate flooring. It’s located in a quiet location of the complex on the corner with very little traffic. The complex features a great pool and spa that gives you a resort style feel. Complex also has a very nice community laundry facility that is very close to this unit. There are BBQ’s around the pool. The pool spa area has great landscaping that is maintained very well. Everything about this particular unit and complex is very nice. The parking is also in a grated area for added security. The unit is very close to the pool and looks out to trees and beautiful landscaping. Your HOA fees include, exterior building maintenance, common areas such as the pool and spa and many other nice features which include a small club house room with pool table and room for small meetings. Great student rental or purchase if you have students attending school in the area. The complex is very close to the freeway and within minutes of San Diego State University, UCSD, Mesa College, USD and Palomar. If you are looking for a 1st time buyer opportunity this may also be a great option because of the price!

MLS #  086019796

Property Information – 6386 Rancho Mission #311, San Diego, CA 92108

Property being offered for $179,900

Call Carlos for Information on this property 800-332-1687

We sell bank owned real estate in San Diego. If this property does not interest you please feel free to view all of the other bank owned property for sale in San Diego. We also have a great foreclosures section full of useful information you can view about buying San Diego Foreclosures.