This is part II of the ever popular Original Tips & Tricks Tread .

As before:

This thread can be easily located or referred to via a simple search using the keywords.. Tips ~or~ Tricks

You must use acending numbers for each tip/trick and place the # sign in front of it. Example.. #1, #2, #3, #4... It will be interesting to see how high the number will go! Part I reached over 100!!!


A few requirements:

- this is only for posting tips and tricks, not questions!!

- don't recycle/post old tips and tricks from Vol I! Let's keep this fresh!!!

- oh yeah, don't post questions!!!


Enjoy!


If you have a useful tip to share, post it here. PLEASE.. keep his thread free of questions, only post tips & thank yous to contributors!

#1

I just got this new gadget for my business, but I was thinking to use it in my BPO side of it as well. Check the video and if you like it, give it a try.

http://www.previsite.com/instructional.htm

#2 For lot size, to convert from sqftg to acres or acres to sqftg, use

http://www.metric-conversions.org/area/acres-conversion.htm

If you are given the lot dimensions, use

http://www.ez-calculators.com/land_acre_conversion_calculator.htm

it would be impossible for me to be able to keep the bpo form uniform with sqftgs or acres if it wasn't for these sites!

It put this in a different thread, but thought it needs to be here.
Helpfull Hint to those who don't already do it. I put a new folder in my inbox for each property and move each email to it. Saves a lot of filing and printing.

#4

To help with a repair estimate:

http://fixfliprent.com/repairs/index.php

the site doesn't work for me on firefox and not on ie either - is there something i'm not doing right?

I had gotten a new computer this year and unbeknownst to me, it only had a Microsoft Word trial and my trial had expired the end of August. One of my monthly reports was due today and I had to use Word to complete it. I didn't want to spend $150 for a program I rarely use, so I found a Word Clone for $11.49. Its wonderful, I am in love with it. It does the same thing as MSWord only the cost is very small. I don't know if I can post the link here. Someone please let me know if I can, and I will post it. You can download the software and use it immediatey.

Openoffice.org are good MS alternatives as well.

Here's a great FREE program to automatically resize your images prior to upload:

http://bluefive.pair.com/pixresizer.htm

Just point to the source directory, then select an output directory. It takes seconds to resize all of the pics and will save you a lot of time when uploading your photos.

Yes thats it, Thanks! Didn't know if I could post the link or not.

One of the things I find takes FOREVER in those BPO forms where you have to upload one picture at a time (even more so if you have a very high quality digital camera) is uploading the pics on my BPO. I found a program that will downsize them however you need (by percent, exact size, etc.)

Also works GREAT for your REO forms if it's an AM that just uses the word doc with Photo Addendum and you need your photos in an exact size, as you can set the exact size you want the photo.

This program lets you resize entire folders of photos and place them into whatever folder you want. And it's FREE. Hope this helps someone else. :)

http://www.fotosizer.com/

For those of you using 23"+ montiros, checkout Acer Gridvista. It makes running splitscreen a breeze! You can split your monitor up into four separate screens. This saves a ton of time when doing BPOs.

http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS-Enhancements/Acer-Gridvista.shtml

free program for turning anything into a pdf, .doc, .xls, .jpg, anything, It installs itself as a printer on your pc, and anything you can print can be turned to .pdf. great for those bpos that you fill out in word, send them in .pdf so they can't be changed. And Everyone can open pdfs.

www.cutepdf.com

For those of you who what to try dual monitors without buying one try Maxivista.com. Instead of purchasing an additional monitor, you can connect a laptop to use as an additional display with your desktop monitor. Works great and saves me a lot of time. A free trial is available a Maxivista.com

This is what I use to send just about everything! The gal that does my BPO data entry loves it too, things open & are nice & clean and easy to read.

I also have my "Seller's Net" spreadsheet in Excel & when I print it as a .pdf file it gets rid of all the excel lines & is beautiful!!

Solicitations from R.com or web optimizers??? Get taken off the call list by trying this little gem

"I am leaving the business and placing my license in escrow as of the 1st of the month....i am out of business...sniffle" If they persist i explain that " you don't understand....I am unemployed...how am i going to pay my mortgage, how am i going to pay for groceries....how am i going to pay for this 18 month old lexus/mercedes/porsche i leased (they will probably be repo'ing in in a few weeks anyway)....How am i going to pay my childs special education teaching assistant?

Just continue until it registers," my cards are cut off because they are delinquent.....my 90 foot yacht payment is late and being hidden in a little cove just outside us waters..."

Works like a charm!! And it can be fun, especially to kill time between the massive amount of work you are doing... Mr Agent, are you taking pictures? Yes the of the private school my 5 year old was going to attend....

You can also use www.doc2pdf.net to transfer from a word document to a pdf file.

#5 If you don't want to spend big $ on software and you have a student in your family, most companies give huge discounts to students. I bought Adobe Professional while my daughter was in college and only paid $172 with her student ID.

For those suckers out there paying for expensive data plans on their pda's to receive notification emails.

I put key words rules in my outlook that will trigger it to send my cell a text message anytime I receive an email with those key words (say stuff like "BPO", "Valuation"). The really weird thing is the rules are actually faster than my exchange server and I generally get the text message and then am sitting in front of the computer when the actually email solicitation comes through so I'm ready to hit "accept". This is great for when your walking around the office gabbing or at your house watching Tv or something and don't want to miss a BPO.

Don't forget to turn your cell phone's txt alert volume on high so you know when it goes off to high tail it to your email box!

Got another one.

Don't waste your time dumbing down your digital photos with software. It takes too long and it usually messes with the clarity of the photos. Instead get out the manual for your camera and you should be able to change the settings down to 640x480 or something comparable. If you don't have that setting on your camera, toss it in the trash and go get yourself a Canon Powershot. You can pick up a 8mb with 3x optical zoom for like 150 bucks and you'll never have to dumb down your photos again! Your uploading time will be a gazillion times faster than when you were trying to upload those 8 megabyte photos.

I use the following service to get rid of vehicles at abandoned properties.

www.junkmycar.com

they usually get it done in a day.

Ah, but can your text message allow you to accept broadcast bpo orders?

I struggled with the same thing you are suggesting, and found I lost more orders than I saved not using a data plan. The $30/mo I spend on a data plan I more than make up for with one bpo. Plus having blackberry/pda is pretty much essential for anyone serious about doing real estate these days. I'm all about saving money, but when it comes down to it, not having this a smartphone w/ email access would cause me to loose more money than I'd ever save.

if you need information on a condo or HOA go to www.condocerts.com

I just found it and it works great.

#6 (even though there were more in between, that's the last number)
use google toolbar to check spelling when filling a form online.

#7 use google maps to plan a route and measure distance -> after getting the "from" and the "to" you have a link "add destination" this allows you to add over 20 addresses in the route

Review your completed orders if they are available online. Reading the QC comments can help you determine how the company rated your work. Also it shows you the format that the company uses, and you can determine if your agent info is transmitted with the order.

Okay, I haven't signed up but am going to right now - www.dashfly.com

It plans your routes using google maps, optimizes the route, creates an IRS compliant record and report of your mileage. It also has a feature to show recent gas prices along your route.

I got an email with a discount code. I don't think I should post it here, but I bet if you call them you can get 50% off...

I don't use my GPS, but have been using google maps on my laptop, so this just takes it a step further (because I really stink at tracking my mileage, and it is one of the top things that gets us audited!)...

**Oh, and you can make notes for each destination, so you have a record of why you went to a location (appt, bpo, closing, whatever) for you favorite friendly auditor

This sounds like a great idea. Getting BPO's is very competitive here on the West Coast. I can't locate the feature in Outlook that will allow me to send my cell a text message, as you suggest. What version of Outlook are you using, please? Are there instructions for this process?

Thanks for the really useful idea!!!

Spam Removed

Almost every cell phone can get text message from Outlook.

For example: 313555121@tmomail.net or 3135551212@vtext.com or 3135551212@mymetropcs.com or 3135551212@messaging.sprintpcs.com

The Foreclosure Guy

REOCal, I'm just forwarding the solicitation email to my cell phones email address. Which will depend on your carrier. (the Shannon Team has a few examples above) Granted you don't get the whole email cause most txt messages are limited to only so many characters but you'll be able to see the subject and generally what company it's from.

hope this helps

I have a stock alibi for the times when I am confronted taking pics. Still in the awkward position of zooming in on the address and facing a potential angry out of work person about to lose his home I say, "I with the boat trader magazine. I am looking for the 24 foot stingrayn for sale by owner. Or Auto trader looking for the 92 Deville." Whatever fits--it gives an excuse for the camera and buys enough time to click and get out.

Also automatic windows are recommended. Leaning over across my wide F150 to manully crank my window down to get a good shot, well...not so much.

#8 I buy Master combo locks for pool gates in bulk with a common combo. No key to lose and all contractors know the code.

#9 I cut down on calls from brokers asking "is there a supra keysafe" by adding a stock photo of a front door in the MLS with a supra on it. I even superimposed the words "Supra on front door" over the photo.

#10 I started getting SOOOO many voicemails that said "what's the combo for 123 main st, etc", I added a line in our MLS comments that says email/text me for combo. I give my blackberry email address so agents know i can respond fast.

Also, my voicemail now says something like, "...sorry i missed your call, feel free to email/text your message or i'll call you back..."

I have put together a list of helpful recommended sites.
Real Estate Websites



Repair Website http://fixfliprent.com/repairs/index.php

Calculate land Size http://www.ez-calculators.com/land_acre_conversion_calculator.htm


This site is a big help to me, I can upload all the photos at one time!

Resizing Pictures http://bluefive.pair.com/pixresizer.htm


Resizing Pictures http://www.fotosizer.com


Split Screen http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS-Enhancements/Acer-Gridvista.shtml


I use this product everyday. It cuts down on printing and scanning. Best part it is free!

Convert to PDF http://www.cutepdf.com


Get Rid of a Car http://www.junkmycar.com/


Condo or HOA Information https://www.condocerts.com/home.html

Track Driving Route http://my.dashfly.com/


BPO Foreclosure http://www.allaboutbpos.com/


Store Passwords http://www.roboform.com/


Converts Documents www.OpenOffice.org


Remote Log in to Computer www.Logmein.com


Background Information http://www.peopledata.com/


Background Information http://www.veromi.net/processor.asp


Property Comps http://www.zillow.com/


Days Converter http://www.hermetic.ch/solo/edc.htm



Maggie McFarland
http://www.thehomesourceonline.com

Time saver tip. I have learned to pick locks so I can access the property on my first visit. After I confirm that the property is vacant I can access the interior, make my inspection and take pics. I stress making sure the property is vacant before entering. You don't want to bust in on a family having their Thanksgiving turkey. I hang a combo lock box and call the locksmith to re-key. I let him know the kwick-set code, he re-keys and leaves two keys in the lock box. This saves me a lot of time waiting for the lock-smith to show up or trying to coordinate our schedules or making a second trip to the property after determing vacancy. You can go to lockpicks.com, order a pick set and a book telling you how to do it.

For those who arent treo friendly, try keeping your logins and passwords in an address book alphabetically.

Make it a habit to always make a note of it and be sure to get a book that you can add pages to later, you'll need to.

SET OF DEFINITIONS OF PROPERTY CONDITION RATINGS (POOR, FAIR, AVERAGE, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

POOR: Property has obvious signs of neglect including boarded/broken windows, peeling/missing siding, roof at the end of its useful life, considerable interior damage and/or extensive water damage/mold. These properties are generally vacant and typically uninhabitable.


FAIR: Subject will appear occupied, but ignored. Beginning stages of neglect, such as older windows and roof yet still functional. Exterior may need to be painted, but it is primarily intact.


AVERAGE: No apparent recent updates and no signs of significant neglect either. The exterior features of the property appear generally maintained.


GOOD: There are recent improvements observed, such as newer siding, windows or roof. Subject is typically well-maintained and is usually a younger home. Thus the features are newer, yet no obvious signs of deferred maintenance.


EXCELLENT: All major features appear to be recently replaced or the subject property is less than 5 years old and very well-maintained. Visually it should show as having been remodeled in a professional workmanship-like manner.

There is definitely no better software out there to help simplify and automate the short sale / loan modification process than Manage My Short Sale - http : //www. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX .com. ............edited

Edit - removed spam link - wrong area to promote - Sender was informed when a prior post here was removed and then posted exact same post again. I will delete this completely in the near future.

At this time poster has had 2 posts - both the same exact promotional post

Along these same lines I just made folders for each REO properties on my desktop. Inside I have listing packet, pdf of tax recs, pdf of bpo listings and solds, all addenda, list price reduxes, you get the idea. Just building on a theme. If desktop gets too cluttered, put all folders in one master folder called REO listings.

I just came up with a new one for occupancy checks when you just can't tell for sure if anyone lives there. Leave a 'tell marker' on the door, like your card or a note taped to the window next to the door. When you return days later you will learn that it has been removed or that it remains. Either is a great clue to share with your AM. It makes O-check trips more meainingful.

Hi Susy,

The best kept secret is openoffice.org ( its the same as micorsosft and constantly updates) by sun sytems had been around for years and completely free. Lots of realtors are using this on new computers. Mozilla Thunderbird is the email and fantastic. I installed this software on my new computer and love it.

Hope this helps.
Grace

Most digital cameras allow you to reduce the resolution to the point that you do not have to resize the photos even for ResNet.
The photos are of good enough quality for MLS and it save the time of resizing. You only need 8 meg resolution for high quality magazine work of if you want to blow it up to poster size or larger. 0.2 meg resolution is fine for BPO's and MLS and most cameras can be set to it. It also allows more photos on a smaller memory chip.

I have made a folder in my pics for BPO and then list each by address when downloading to keep them off the desktop and separated from listings, periodically dumping old ones to free up space. I also lowered the resolution and photo size on my digi cam as LSI changed their photo size requirements. The best thing I ever did was buy a big snazzy widescreen monitor and wireless mouse and keyboard. Made an old inefficient comp good as new and turned me into a superhuman BPO machine!

I'm not sure what you are referring to by "all this crap," but if you are referring to a way to organize your files on your computer, I find it essential. I have one folder for each company, subfolders for each address, all docs and photos for that order in that file. Not only can I find everything together while I am doing the order, but I can refer back to it again in the future if, say, I get another order on the same address.

From reading the Tips & Tricks suggestions, I have incorporated GPS Visualizer, an image resizer, and a calendar calculator for days on market. I also have set up excel files for bpo tracking. It's all good, in my opinion.

I also taught myself how to pick locks, and rekey locks. But probably the most useful and easiest item I have is a set of bump keys. They are fairly easy to use, the best ones i found were at www.probumpkeys.com We do PP and they always come in handy and I can skip the locksmith altogether. :D
Plus I don't have to drill many locks.

I've tried variations from 1 to 6 monitors on my desk.

My favorite is 3 monitors. I'm not a graphics enthusiast but I need 3 screens so I bought 2 cheap PCI Express Graphics cards and threw them in my box.

My workflow is way up!

Also use this filing system:

BPO, Company, City, Street, St Number - Date

I find I can remember the city and street but can't remember the street number. This works well for finding things.

My favorite calendar sites:
http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/ - for a quick calendar
http://www.timeanddate.com/date/dateadd.html - for adding or subtracting dates
http://visual.merriam-webster.com/house.php - visual dictionary

https://www.yousendit.com/?home=true - for sending huge files

http://www.geocode.com/ - to locate addresses that aren't mapped

http://www2.dre.ca.gov/PublicASP/pplinfo.asp - keep link handy for looking up agents

bizmore.com - Resource for Answers and Advice

Just really want to thank everyone for tips. In all honesty, no one has to share any info with anyone and I feel alot of gratitude towards all of you that share.. Unfortunaley you all have more experience than I, so I cannot contribute just yet!!

WOW! Great info!

Okay, I was looking for tips on REO's and Foreclosures, but I'm finding ads for desktop monitors and pdf programming? Could we consider that spam?

Definitely the most important "trick" for me which allowed me to start getting tons of BPOs was to assign an alert sound on my Blackberry for emails, and vibrate for when that is necessary. If you don't get to those blast solicitations within a minute at most, they are gone. Most of the BPO companies do not allow you to change your password and some of the passwords they assign as so stupid! So you have to keep your passwords with you at all times as well. There is a thing called Password Keeper on the Blackberry which works just fine.

yea other people are posting links.

wow guys you are great I've pick up so much so fast thank you.

sorry Pine

When I find the time I'll need to delete the most recent posts - this thread is for tips and tricks - not to praise them or tell us how good they are - if you do a search for almost any of them you'll find a thread that you can do that in.

Please - post only valid tips and tricks that haven't been covered, I appreciate your efforts and respect for my time

A nifty way to get BPO's without having to set your Blackberry to alert you is to use the Auto Accepter software that BPO Automation provides. Basically what it does is takes your login info and logs in over and over again, checking for new orders, which it then accepts for you.

This is a reiteration of a topic covered earlier, but I recently have gone to copy and paste data entry. It saves time and lowers supply costs. It does take getting used to if you are used to having paper to work with, but once I got used to it, I can't see why I did it the other way.

here in south florida, many realtors do not enter their listings with the right mls area # or even worse spell the subdivision name wrong. I now do a general search under the city, always finding many more comps. Don't assume that there are few to no comps where you are searching.

In Atlanta with FMLS; I use a map search, which I can set the radius to; it will pick up the misspelt and misscategorized; usually I get 1 or 2 I would not have had otherwise.

If you do work for FARVV then try this to save some time on every order you do....Skip city and state. Go straight from address to Zip and you auto calc will kick in. Oh good.

For those setting up utilities, I have an master account with my electric company, it is linked to my home account in that way I don't have to leave a deposit on each property (which is 2 months of the average monthly bill).... ask you electric company if you will qualify for that option. This had worked for water in a few cities where I already had a past account and they waived my deposit. I hope this info helps someone.
And for the photo resizing, some cameras needs to be set at VGA format which set the photo for email and no need of resizing

OpenOffice works great! Compatible with all of my asset manager' software. never had a complaint.

Taking pictures when it is really storming can help lessen the amount of people around that might be wondering why your taking pictures as quickly as possible and getting the heck out of there!

Also I try to take the smaller SUV to take pics, because it is smaller and quieter than my diesel truck. Makes things less obvious. Plus I seem to have a knack of getting bpos in dead end lanes with not a lot of space to turn around.

Does anyone use Home Warranties on their bank owned properties?

Another REO realtor's office puts home warranties on all their listings. Since she does REO properties those homes get them too. Saves your bank on large repair costs and saves you waiting for your reimbursement costs if you get reimbursed at all!

I am thinking of buying pre-existing conditon home warranties for my REO properties also help expedite the repair times (instead of waiting on the property preservation company) and also to help with costs.

The cost of the policy per house + service change could be under the cost of many of these repairs. Plus it is good for one year for the buyer.

Many of my banks either will not make repairs, or it takes them several months to complete repairs after property is in contract.

Hmmmmm.....This does not sound too ethical to me....don't know how long an agent can keep doing this before the home warranty company catches on.

Besides that, home warranties do not cover "all repairs". Be sure to read the home warranty policy to determine their coverage.

Not aimed at anyone in particular, but;

We should always read the entire thread - especially in Tips & Tricks. Beside what other members will think of you, it saves me the time I spend cleaning things up. Don't forget to read the rules as well. If you have a Tip or Trick you know that works, feel free to post it.

This is what Gulf Winds posted here in the beginning:

This is part II of the ever popular Original Tips & Tricks Tread .

As before:

This thread can be easily located or referred to via a simple search using the keywords.. Tips ~or~ Tricks

You must use ascending numbers for each tip/trick and place the # sign in front of it. Example.. #1, #2, #3, #4... It will be interesting to see how high the number will go! Part I reached over 100!!!


A few requirements:

- this is only for posting tips and tricks, not questions!!

- don't recycle/post old tips and tricks from Vol I! Let's keep this fresh!!!

- oh yeah, don't post questions!!!


Enjoy!


If you have a useful tip to share, post it here. PLEASE.. keep his thread free of questions, only post tips & thank yous to contributors!




Edited by Gulf Winds (08/27/08 10:27 AM)
_________________________
"There are people who make things happen, there are people who watch things happen, and there are people who wonder what happened. To be successful, you need to be a person who makes things happen.." - James Lovell- Astronaut