One of the most common questions i have been receiving lately is about short sales. " Can i get a short sale approved if i am not behind in their mortgage?I can tell you that i have had short sales approved where the seller was not behind, the seller will need to show a hardship such as illness, death in the family, divorce or a job transfer/relocation. The key is that your hardship letter needs to be very specific and include evidence of your hardship. You can not say to want a short sale because you owe more than your house is worth. You need to show that if they do not approve your short sale you would be foreced to abandon the house or wiill not be abble to continue to maiking payments. you need to also include proof of what your house is worth in teh form of an appraisal or bpo sho... 02/17/2011

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY "ACTIVE RAIN"Wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day to all of my old friends, new friends and future friends here on ACTIVE RAIN.Updated Feb. 14 2011 02/14/2011

. The REAL "BANK OWNED" HOMES of the USA- A story in pictures part 9Todays "Foreclosure" of the day  A large part of our business these days is REO " Bank Owned" homes. I receive so many comments how i can work with these "crooks" etc.... But there is another side to this story... by no means is any of this alright.... As you all know, as part of my ongoing blog, everyone reads and sees the mainstream media everyday reporting on foreclosed homes, but only a very few get to see inside them on a daily basis. I have decided to share with you the cream of the crop. I have been asked several questions regarding my posts, to answer one of them... i have purposely left out towns, cities and pictures of the front of homes on purpose to protect the "innocent".PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SEE  OUR PREVIOU... 02/13/2011

  The REAL "BANK OWNED" HOMES of the USA- A story in pictures part 8Todays "Foreclosure" of the day  A large part of our business these days is REO " Bank Owned" homes. I receive so many comments how i can work with these "crooks" etc.... But there is another side to this story... by no means is any of this alright.... As you all know, as part of my ongoing blog, everyone reads and sees the mainstream media everyday reporting on foreclosed homes, but only a very few get to see inside them on a daily basis. I have decided to share with you the cream of the crop. I have been asked several questions regarding my posts, to answer one of them... i have purposely left out towns, cities and pictures of the front of homes on purpose to protect the "innocent".PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SEE  OUR PREVIOU... 02/11/2011

Today's FORECLOSURE of the Day          A story in pictures part 7    Hello everyone, i can not believe how many emails i got in the last week looking to see more pictures. Thank you all for your emails and support. Due to snowstorm after snowstorm my interior inspections slowed a little but on the non snow days it has exploded. Today i came accross one that i had to take a time out and share with you. As you all know, as part of my ongoing blog, everyone reads and sees the mainstream media everyday reporting on foreclosed homes, but only a very few get to see inside them on a daily basis. I have decided to share with you the cream of the crop. I have been asked several questions regarding my posts, to answer one of them... i have purposely left out towns, cities and pictures of the fro... 02/09/2011

Once again this morning, sure enough at 830am sharp the phone rings with soemone trying to solicit my foreclsoure business. They want to clean them, maintain them, plow snow, change locks and make repairs. As far as contractors...there is nothing worst than an unprepared person calling me or coming into my office looking for work. I wanted to write this to give not only people in NH but throughout the USA tips of what banks and what agents look for when looking for people to complete work.________________________ The first step is to make sure your business is registered and you have obtained liability insurance. (most brokers will not hire individuals, only real businesses) You should then look up to see who the leading agents are that handle bank owned homes in your area. Then go see ... 02/09/2011

  As i drove around the NH countryside yesterday with 2 different sets of buyers, i ran into a problem in 4 oout of 6 houses we were supposed to show. Simply put... we could not get in... Now it has been a few days since our last snowstorm so there is no reason these houses should not have a walkway shoveled to the doorSome of these have not been shoveled for numerous amount of storms...The bottom line Mr or Mrs Listing agent is if the buyer can not get into the house to view it, they can not make and offer for your seller to accept to bring about a sale.Look what i found.... WHAT DO YOU THINK?Updated Feb. 7, 2011 02/07/2011

Just kidding... i know there is a game today, but it is just not feeling that "Super" in Patriots nation. I am sure alot of you in other great football towns are feeling the same way. There is no one that i love playing and no one that i hate that is playing so i can cheer against... look at me im online of Active Rain instead of in my "football pose" head in hands staring at the TV with every once of attention. Even the commercials seem to be less fun....  I think we need somw Nascar... Come on Daytona 500... What do you think? 02/06/2011

As the the most famous ground hog in the USA touted "spring is right around the corner",  Here in New Hampshirethe groundhog peaked out of his hole today, He wiped his eyes and began to sing 'It's starting to look alot like Christmas" as 2 feet of snow continued to fall from the sky burying us all. He delcared 6 more months of winter or maybe this snow will melt by July 4. The Boston Radio Station 104.1 proudly played Christmas music all dayIf i didn't know better i think it is April fools dayThen it could be St Patty's day as i dropped my phone in the snow this evening and after giving up on it forever spotted a glow from the snowbank where it was plowed into... It is working fine... so the luck of the Irish shined down on my phone. Happy Groundhog day everyone... Updated Feb. 2, 2011 02/02/2011

My mind is sometimes curiously puzzled about the economy and where the real estate industry is going. Not that long ago the average price for a house in Hollis, NH was between $350,000 and $400,000 and the average price in Nashua was around $300,000.  Now the average price in Nashua is around $200,000 and Hollis is under $300,000.  Seems like the prices keep dropping, however, we hear economists say the market is turning. What baffles me even further is the fact that because of all the foreclosures people don't have any place to live.  Thus, the rental market is up, up, UP. So if you are one of those real estate agents that doesn't want to handle a short sale, never works with rentals, then you might want to re-engineer your head. If you are also scratching your head, observing how ther... 02/02/2011

Do you think banks should leave the mini blinds up inside foreclosed homes?No i do not mean the ones hanging by a string, leaning all to one side, have teeth marks and covered in soot. I mean if they are a good quality blind or shade left behind. Would you want it left up or taken down in your REO listing?Why would i be asking such a thing, becuase with alot of banks that use national preservation companies, it is a blanket order to remove all window treatments. leaving the blinds up and closed limits people who are up to no good from seeing this is an easy target as a vacant home.I always inspect the blinds and request they be left up when possible. what would you or do you do for your REO listings?Updated Feb 1, 2011 02/01/2011

Do you want to feel like   Quick Links   Salem, NH Real Estate     Pelham, NH Real Estate     Windham, NH Real Estate     Atkinson, NH Real Estate     Hampstead, NH Real Estate     Plaistow, NH Real Estate       See Property Details   Call: for more information on this or any other property.   Visit Property Website                     Do you want to feel like you live in Manhattan? Maybe a flat in the Village? Look no further! This elegant one-bedroom will make you feel like you have been transported to the Big Apple. Take a look at the high end stainless-steel appliances, granite countertops, and hardwood floors, and you will realize that home is just around the corner.         335 Cypress Street, Manchester, NH 1 Bedrooms Bathrooms : 1 Full List Price : $ 76900 Living Area Approx : ... 01/31/2011

  Now that i got your attention, why you must be thinking would you get rewarded for a great job by banging your head against the wall??? I could have substituted for bang your head with pull your hair out but i need to keep my hair, old age and stress is taking care of the hair on its own.SO.... I got a great email last Friday from an Asset manager, They thanked me for getting so many offers on a new listing so quickly, 7 offers the first day of listing, the bank accepted a cash offer, set to close within 28 days and no contingincies, you can not get any cleaner. They rewarded me with a nother listing on Friday and she thanked me for my hard work.So move forward to today, now near 28 days into the sale, we should have a HUD, it is cash so no amounts will change but no HUD, The seller (... 01/31/2011

I never thought i would ever reach 100,000 points when i joined Active Rain less than 6 months ago. I was not quite sure how blogging worked or what type of results i would get, What i learned far exceeded any of my wildest imaginations. I have met some wonderful people from both near and far. I met agents in my own state that i had never worked with before that i have become friends with. I have met agents from the next state over and from 2000 miles away. I have been able to expand my knowledge of Real Estate and how things work in different areas. I appreciate all the knowledge you all have shared and all of your wonderful comments. I look forward to keep expanding my knowledge, to meeting new people from accross the country and reading your expereinces and blogs that assist me and e... 01/30/2011

There is nothing like waking up, turning on your cell phone and finding 6 messages from overnight from another Realtor. Where the calls came in between 11pm and midnight i do not know why they thought i would answer the 6th time and not on calls 1 thru 5. My first thought was too much tequilla or maybe not enough.You would think there was some type of emergency right? well no, their buyer wanted an update on the bank signing the deed to close. So being a Saturday the bank is closed, being 11pm at night the bank is also closed, seeing i updated them Friday that we still did not have the signed deed and the asset manager said it would arrive by Next Friday Feb. 4, 2011... I do not know why they thought anything would change on a weekend and after hours.So do you want to know my response??... 01/30/2011

I SEE DUMB PEOPLE- I guess that is not very PC (politically correct) however this was pretty dumb.... but to accomodate the PC  I will call them "Common Sense Challenged people" .In most cases the things i see involving the least amount of common sense deal with banks. They do have some very good workers i must say, i am blessed to work with some great asset managers who have great teams of processors and closers. I do get to see some banks though that just push the limit and this is one case that i just needed to share.I have a property under contract, we are waiting for teh signed deed from the bank, It gets send over night mail, we have the signed HUD, the time is set for the buyer tio close and bring his certified funds, but it never arrives....You see the deed got over night mailed... 01/27/2011

Do you complete BPO's? Do you know the hazzards of attempting such a feat?Recently i wrote a blog with the top 10 Safety tips for BPO agents but was buried with far more emails of why they would need to use caution than i received comments on my blog. It spurred me to write this blog to expand my previous thoughts.BPO's known as a Broker Price Opinion to non-agents is like an appraisal. The banks use them before a property is auctioned at foreclosure and again after the home is taken back. Nowadays they are the largest tool in determining whether a short sale will or will not be approved.  Whenever emotions get intertwined with anything, you are sure to have a boiling point where emotions will cause rational people to do unrational things. I complete alot of BPO's and get to see the bes... 01/26/2011

  Today's FORECLOSURE of the Day - a story in pictures part 6  As part of my ongoing blog, everyone reads and sees the mainstream media everyday reporting on foreclosed homes, but only a very few get to see inside them on a daily basis. I have decided to share with you the cream of the crop. This home has outdone my previous 6 homes i have featured here, if you have a weak stomach, picture 3 is not for you.I have been asked several questions regarding my posts, to answer one of them... i have purposely left out towns, cities and pictures of the front of homes on purpose to protect the "innocent".PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SEE  OUR PREVIOUS BLOGS ON THIS TOPIC PART 1 (please click here) http://actvra.in/4j8PART 2 (please click here) http://actvra.in/4km PART 3 (please click here) http://actvra.... 01/25/2011

Today's FORECLOSURE of the Day - a story in pictures part 5  As part of my ongoing blog, everyone reads and sees the mainstream media everyday reporting on foreclosed homes, but only a very few get to see inside them on a daily basis. I have decided to share with you the cream of the crop. It is a shame...PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SEE  OUR PREVIOUS BLOGS ON THIS TOPICPART 1 (please click here) http://actvra.in/4j8PART 2 (please click here) http://actvra.in/4km PART 3 (please click here) http://actvra.in/4lm PART 4 (please click here) http://actvra.in/4mZ If you are interested in purchasing a bank owned home, please see my blog with tips and advice on buying a bank owned home.  http://www.trulia.com/blog/scott_godzyk/2011/01/top_5_tips_for_buying_a_bank_owned_homeUpdated Jan. 24, 2011 01/24/2011

  As of 10am the temperature was up to -1 degrees. Not a great way to start a week however it is Monday and business needs to keep moving forward. I had a unique call a half hour ago as a buyer asked if we would be postponing our closing due to the cold today? Puzzled as could be as there is no snow, roads are clear and cold weather afterall, is part of winter in New England. Although the news presents it as a major news story, throw on the winter coat, sacrafice fashion for warmth and head into the great outdoors, well at least the short walk down the sidewalk to the car that has been warming up for 20 minutes. On this Monday people are moving as slow as my Active Rain page again... Is your AR as slow as mine?So back to my closing, we worked so hard to get this to close and the buyer w... 01/24/2011