Fingerprinting: Safety or Invasion?

There have been a number of Real Estate Commissions across the US that have added, or are adding fingerprinting as a requirement to getting/renewing your license. Once it's done, you don't have to do it again, they just want everyone on record for the public's safety.

But many real estate agents think it's not only just an added cost to getting/keeping a license, but also an invasion of privacy. It's just another way to keep "big brother" in the middle of our lives.

I've asked a few friends what they think, and it most of them seem to think what I do. It is another annoying cost (about $50 in Texas I think), but if you don't have anything to hide, why not? It can be used as a marketing tool for RE agents - adding trust back into those relationships.

I am all about keeping real estate licensing costs down, but I am also in favor of keeping the public safe. From a marketing standpoint at AgentCampus, how many of you would like to see us offer a voucher for a free fingerprinting after passing the classes you take with us?

I'm not saying this is possible, I'm just thinking out loud. I am just a simple marketer thinking about how I can make my student's lives easier. :)

Time to release the burden from Homeowners

Property and mortgage are two faces of coin, and it’s likely that we find the former more exciting. The latter though is a necessary evil. Almost everyone relies on loan payments when it comes to buying houses, and I guess this is the most feasible payment plan, but then why do some of us end up facing foreclosure?

Foreclosure is a process that allows a lender to recover the amount owed on a defaulted loan by selling or taking ownership (repossession) of the property securing the loan. The foreclosure process begins when a borrower/owner defaults on loan payments (usually mortgage payments) and the lender files a public default notice. The lender then forecloses the property and sells it to the public at a foreclosure auction.

Unanticipated situations like loss of a job, medical expenses and other life-altering occurrences can happen to anyone, causing us to fall behind in our loan payments. If we neglect paying our credit cards, it hurts our credit rating, but if we stop paying our home loan, the situation is even worse; the loss of a home. There is nothing to be embarrassed about when facing foreclosure. There are many ways to overcome it like reinstatement, forbearance, mortgage modification, repairing credit, and repayment plan, or selling the house can work too.

With reference to an article, ‘Realtors team up to save homeowners from foreclosure’, published at txcn.com, it seems as the real estate agents are also willing to facilitate homeowners. The realtors’ team, including couple Stacey and Michael Spickes, is helping homeowners to avoid foreclosure.

The team is not only educating people over this issue, giving guidelines, sharing its professional and personal experiences but also generating opportunities and opening new learning ventures for agents to enter into this business. I believe that this effort can bring a sense of security to homeowners by putting them in a better position to deal with foreclosures.