Helping a home owner prevent foreclosure is a noble cause. Those realtors who wish to commit themselves to this cause are entering the path of Enlightened activities. However,  not everyone will be a success. It is more profitable to flip homes than work on a short sale for months only to see your efforts fail.

There are many challenges like negotiating liens, voluminous documentation, high wait time and an aggressive first mortgagee trying to foreclose the property. Such challenges do not exist on a normal real estate transaction. A reator entering this path will need to not only familiarize themselves with the technical aspects but also train their mind to develop certain special qualities.

This website does a good job of helping realtors with the technical aspects through a course and through the forum. When like minded people get together, they can encourage each other. However, I want to talk about training the mind to develop special qualities so we don't abandon our cause.

First,  we must try to remember that many people have helped us when we have been in distress and the high esteem in which we hold such individuals. Compare them with selfish individuals you have come across. You can then see clearly that you'd rather be the former than the latter. This is the first training.

Second, we develop the understanding that this could happen to anyone. Many people experience financial difficulties due to poor economy or not being able to work due to illness etc. Loss of job or reduction in income are the most common reasons due to which  people are unable to make  their mortgage repayments. This can happen to anyone. We must develop the understanding that this can easily happen to us.

Third, we develop a commitment to the cause. We must not look at a short sale transaction as just another transaction. We do not want to just go through the motions. Having realized that we want to help others and having understood that this could happen to us, we must seize the opportunity to rescue the home owners from their plight. This happens when we have committed ourselves to the cause. Every morning when you wake up tell yourself that today you will save homes from being foreclosed. You will save a family from the social and financial trauma brought about by a foreclosure.

Fourth, is awareness. Aware of the stress that such transactions can cause we can be better prepared. We have all experienced stress and if we did not like the experience chances are that somebody else will not like it either. By offering our presence to our clients we put them at ease by bringing them in contact  with our solidity.

Fifth, we must be vigilant. Many things can go wrong. By being vigilant we can prevent that from happening. Always keep an eye on the foreclosure clock. Check if you have standard documents like hardship letter, pay stubs etc. Some lenders frequently lose items or may deny having ever receiving them. Know where you are with each transaction at all times.

Sixth is developing the very valuable quality of patience. We have to tell ourselves that this will take time. You can negotiate a lien for 30% quicker than for 10% but that can kill the short sale. Be patient and help others do the same.

Seventh is perseverance. Perseverance is the ability to overcome difficulties that come our way. No agreement between the first and second lien holder. Unrealistic timelines set by the first mortgagee. Non responsiveness. These are commonly encountered challenges that we must overcome.

Eight is meditation. Take a glass of water. Add a few spoons of sand in it and stir it. That is the state of our mind. Now wait for the water to be still. The sand settles at the bottom and you can see clear water. This is a mind post meditation. By meditating we create conditions for wisdom to arise. We stop negative seeds like selfish desires, greed and frustration from germinating and we remind ourselves of these nine qualities and improve every day.

Finally, the ninth quality is wisdom. The understanding that we are all connected to each other and no one can do anything arbitrarily. While one idiot with poor knowledge can ruin it for others, this also means that we can make it a success. Make sure that you drive the transaction. Be clever. This realization will help you take almost every transaction to the desired conclusion.

Helping others is an activity of the Enlightened. Welcome to the path of Enlightened activities!

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Saurabh Singh is a student of the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh and is currently employed with Altisource. None of the views expressed in this post are endorsed by his employer.