Atlanta, GA — Atlanta real estate agent Mark Spain and his team, who annually rank as one of the top 20 RE/MAX teams in the world for closings, wanted to do something more to help metro Atlanta homeowners, especially those in danger of losing their homes. In the last year, the Mark Spain Team has taken numerous steps to inform themselves so they could, in turn, educate and help homeowners.
According to a recent National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) survey, nearly one-third of all existing homes sold recently were either short sales or foreclosures. While that number is a national average and short sales numbers are slightly lower in Georgia, Mark Spain said it accounted for a small percentage of his business in 2009. His real estate team had a total of 453 transaction sides last year for $105.5 million in gross sales.
In early 2009, Mark Spain earned his Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) designation. The CDPE verifies for homeowners that a REALTOR® has taken the initiative to become an educated and prepared advocate on behalf of a homeowner in distress. Earned by completing a comprehensive curriculum via the Distressed Property Institute, real estate agents with the CDPE designation are equipped with the expertise to help distressed property owners avoid foreclosure.
This Spring, Mark traveled to Las Vegas to take part in the first-ever Five Star Institute Short Sale Summit. He just received word that he passed his final examination to get Five Star Short Sale Certified.
He also recently earned the nationally recognized Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource (SFR) certification. NAR offers the SFR certification to agents who want to help both buyers and sellers navigate these complicated transactions. The certification program includes training on how to qualify sellers for short sales, negotiate with lenders, protect buyers and limit risk. It also provides resources to help Realtors stay current on national and state-specific information as the market for these distressed properties evolves and changes.
“Having this trio of short sale and foreclosure certifications means I am extremely committed to helping people facing foreclosure by finding the right solution for their individual needs and seeing the issue resolved,” explained Spain.
Wanting to continue to do more to help the public learn their rights and options, the Mark Spain Team started an additional website devoted just to this topic,
http://www.GreaterAtlantaForeclosureHelp.com. The site offers tips on avoiding the foreclosure process, provides details on how a short sale differs from a foreclosure and offers free reports to help inform Georgia homeowners who might be facing this difficult situation.
An Atlanta native, Mark is a University of Georgia graduate. He is affiliated with the RE/MAX Greater Atlanta office at 5591 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road in Atlanta. The Mark Spain Team specializes in assisting home buyers and sellers in the metro Atlanta region at all price levels.
To learn more or to get your questions answered about the short sales process, call 770-886-9000, toll free at 800-241-3970 or visit
http://www.GreaterAtlantaForeclosureHelp.com for details on how to have your home considered for a short sale. The team continues to host and regularly update their main site,
http://www.markspain.com, as well where visitors can conduct an online home search of available metro Atlanta properties, request a free online home evaluation, or sign up for a free monthly e-newsletter about the real estate market.
