Idaho real estate agent Yuri Blanco earns CDPE designation to help homeowners avoid Idaho foreclosure via a short sale

Nampa, ID - Yuri Blanco of RE/MAX Advantage real estate brokerage in Nampa, Idaho has earned the prestigious Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) designation, having completed extensive training to help homeowners avoid Idaho foreclosures and short sales. This is invaluable expertise to offer at a time when numerous Idaho distressed properties are entering the foreclosure process.

A short sale allows a cash-strapped seller to satisfy the loan at the price that the home sells for, even though it is lower than what is owed on the property. For owners who owe more than their home is worth, this can potentially save them from foreclosure and even bankruptcy. More and more lenders are willing to accept a short sale offer because they are much less costly than foreclosures.

There are thousands of Idaho homes in danger of foreclosure in all price ranges. Blanco says that even Eagle luxury homes are not immune. In fact, the foreclosure rates are even higher in many high-priced neighborhoods.

“The CDPE training has been invaluable as I work with sellers and lenders on complicated Idaho short sales,” said Blanco, a Nampa REALTOR®. She works with homeowners throughout the Treasure Valley, including Boise, Eagle, Meridian, and Caldwell, areas hit hard by foreclosures.

"It is so rewarding to be able to help sellers avoid the emotional pain and frustration of going through a foreclosure when they don't have to."

Alex Charfen, founder of the Distressed Property Institute in Boca Raton, Fla., said that Idaho real estate agents such as Blanco with the CDPE designation have valuable training in short sales that can offer the homeowner much better alternatives to going through foreclosures in Idaho, which can virtually destroy a homeowner's credit rating. These experts also better understand market conditions and can help sellers through the emotional experience, he said.

Blanco says that the CDPE is the premier designation for REALTORS® helping homeowners in distress. "A lot of agents shy away from short sales because they don't want to get involved. I actually enjoy helping families understand short sales and make it through the short sale process."

She says it is a passion for her because she knows it's doing something tangible to help them get out of a difficult financial position.

"Frankly, a lot of people are in this situation right now. I take pride in helping them get through the short sale process with their dignity intact and a better credit rating than if they let their home go back to the bank."

According to Blanco, the worst mistake people can make is not taking action soon enough.

Her message to homeowners who are behind on a payment or two? "Call me as early as possible when you start to get behind. I can explain the short sale process and guide you through the steps you need to take before things go too far."

Yuri Blanco can be reached at (208) 899-3352 or by email at:
http://www.idahohomeshop.com/idx/contact.php.

For more information, or to search for Boise foreclosures and Boise short sales, see:
http://www.idahohomeshop.com/id/short-sales/boise-short-sales.html
http://www.idahohomeshop.com/id/foreclosures/boise-foreclosures.html

Seattle real estate agent launches map-based website to help home buyers find Washington homes

Seattle, Washington - As a Seattle Washington real estate agent, Shelly Hu has a lot of advanced tools at her fingertips for finding Seattle property such as foreclosures, condos, luxury properties, and waterfront properties. Now she's making those tools available to her website visitors for free with the launch of her new real estate search website that gives users a wide variety of choices in how they search for Seattle homes.

According to Hu, the new website uses powerful real estate search engine technology along with advanced localization of search results for buyers in the Seattle market.

"It has never been easier to find Seattle real estate than it is now. I wanted to make as much information available to homebuyers as possible," she says. "From the feedback we've received so far I can tell that people are really finding it useful. "

She says that the map search is the most prominent feature, but there are many other methods available on the site to search for Washington real estate.

"Some people prefer the visual interactivity of the map search, because you can see clearly where properties are in relation to other landmarks in Seattle. Others people prefer the advanced real estate search tool, which makes available many of the search criteria that would normally only be accessible to real estate agents."

As a result, she says, the site actually provides thousands of different ways for Seattle homebuyers to find the perfect property to meet their family's needs. Hu suggests that visitors spend some time on the site to get familiar with it.

"The more you use the tools, the more you are likely to discover new techniques to find the kinds of properties you are looking for. One of the best ways to search is just to enter a keyword such as 'Seattle foreclosures' into the text box at the top right."

But the most convenient feature, perhaps, is the property alert service that's built into the site. After a user creates an account, searches and listings can be saved to come back to later. They can also sign up for Realty Watcher automatic email alerts to let them know when new properties come on the market that match their search preferences.

"If you are in the market for Seattle real estate, we definitely recommend trying out the site," Hu says. "We believe this is the best way to search for–and find–Seattle homes for sale."