Madison - Blog - Short Sale Superstars

Homes for Heroes

Posted by Michael Collins, CDPE, SFR on February 18, 2016 at 3:54am

Homes for Heroes in Wisconsin!

Homes for Heroes is a national program dedicated to providing extraordinary savings to heroes who provide extraordinary services to our community each and every day, when they buy or sell a home.

Who Qualifies?
-Active Military
-Veterans
-Teachers
-Healthcare Workers
-Firefighters
-Law Enforcement
-Clergy

What are the savings?
Savings will depend on the sales price of the home. As an example, a $300,000 house would receive over $3,000 in credits and discounts from all the participating affiliates and vendors involved.

What does it cost me?
Nothing because it's FREE. There is no cost to you. All costs are covered by your local participating vendors.

Can I buy any home and in any area?
Yes. This is not a government program with limitations or restrictions. This is the private sector giving back simply as our way to say Thank You for all that you do every day.

Are there any other benefits or savings after my transaction is done?
Yes. Through the "Friends of Heroes" Network participating vendors will offer discounts on various other services such as moving, storage, pest, lawn care, plumbing, electrical, cleaning and remodeling to name a few.

Are there a lot of extra applications, forms or some future obligation?
None. The Homes for Heroes Promise is:
-No hidden fees
-No red tape
-No catch

How do I find out more?

HeroesInWisconsin.com

Another SOLD short sale listing via Rock Realty

Posted by Michael Collins, CDPE, SFR on November 21, 2013 at 4:12am

Williams-Bay-Short-Sale-Homes

Just Sold! 56 Valley Street, Williams Bay, WI

We are happy to announce a recent short sale home closing in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. Due to our extensive online advertising campaigns, we were able to bring in a buyer for this listing. This was a fantastic cozy but open concept home, sold at a great price! I'm sure the buyers will enjoy it for many years to come. Congratulations to everyone involved!

If you are thinking of selling or buying a home in Wisconsin, we would be happy to assist you.

Give Rock Realty a call at 877-774-7625. We are a full service real estate brokerage.

Madison, WI Homes for Sale

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Thank You for Being Open and Honest

Posted by Michael Collins, CDPE, SFR on July 10, 2013 at 3:43am

Rock Realty Client Testimonials

"Mike & Matt,

Thank you so much for helping us find our dream home! We love it! Thank you for the many hours spent in research, travel, phone calls, and emails. Thank you for being open & honest with us every step of the way! We felt we could trust you 100%. We really enjoyed working with you and highly recommend you to others.

Thanks!"

Kevin & Abby G. (Madison, WI)
Rock Realty Home Buyer Client

Thanks for the compliments, and Congratulations on your new home Kevin & Abby!

Looking to purchase a home in Wisconsin?? Contact Rock Realty! We would love to help!!

Top Short Sale Home Realtor® in South Central Wisconsin MLS

Posted by Michael Collins, CDPE, SFR on February 14, 2013 at 8:20am

Rock Realty is proud to announce: Michael Collins has received his Certified Distressed Property Expert designation (CDPE).

Michael-Collins-Short-Sale-Realtor

This is Michael's second such designation in the distressed property and pre-foreclosure field. He also holds the Short Sales & Foreclosure Resource (SFR) certification. If you are looking for a short sale specialist in the greater Madison & Janesville Wisconsin areas, Michael Collins is the Realtor® for you!

In fact, in 2012 Michael was involved in more short sale single family home & condo closings than any other real estate agent in the South Central Wisconsin MLS! He has represented both buyers and seller clients in Dane, Rock & Green Counties. In 2012 alone, he closed 8 Short Sale homes where he was the listing agent. Click the link below to see those sold listings!

Michael's 2012 Short Sale Closings

Short Sale Real Estate Agents in Madison, WI

Posted by Michael Collins, CDPE, SFR on January 25, 2013 at 5:54am

Short Sale Real Estate Agents in Madison, WI

Michael-Collins-Short-Sale-Realtor-e1357917218894.jpg?width=200

Are you looking for a Madison Wisconsin Short Sale Realtor® or real estate agent? Rock Realty is a real estate brokerage that specializes in Short Sales and Bank Owned Foreclosures in the Madison WI area. We have helped home owners in both Rock County and Dane County, from Beloit to Lodi.

My name is Michael Collins, broker for Rock Realty. I have completed the Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource training and have been given the SFR designation through the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). Feel free to contact me directly at 608-921-8536 for help with any of your short sale home questions. I have helped many Madison home owners with their distressed property needs and consider myself a Wisconsin Short Sale Specialist.

REALTORS® who have earned the SFR certification know how to help sellers maneuver the complexities of short sales as well as help buyers pursue short sale and foreclosure opportunities. The certification program includes training on how to qualify sellers for short sales, negotiate with lenders, protect buyers, and limit risk.

What is a Short Sale?

A short sale occurs when a lender agrees to take less than the amount owed to payoff a loan as an alternative to foreclosure. Lenders know that it will cost them a significant amount of money to take a property back. The Real Estate Agents at Rock Realty can often convince them that they will be better off financially if they sell the property now rather than taking the home through foreclosure and trying to sell it later. So, a short sale can actually be good for the bank. It can also be good for the home owner, as it is typically better to perform a short sale on their Madison property instead of letting it proceed to foreclosure.

If you are considering the possibility of a short sale for your Madison Wisconsin home and have further questions, feel free to visit the information page below.

Wisconsin Short Sale Information

Additional Short Sale Information

Rock Realty SOLD Short Sale Listings

514 S Jackson St, Janesville WI | 900 King Street, Stoughton WI

105 W Main St, Brooklyn WI | 408 S Academy Street, Janesville WI

449 Farnham St #2, Marshall WI | 1117 Ontario Dr, Janesville WI

4602 N Katherine Dr, Janesville WI

Zip Codes:
53701 53702 53703 53704 53705 53706 53707 53708 53711
53713 53714 53715 53716 53717 53718 53719 53725 53726
53744 53774 53777 53778 53779 53782 53783 53784 53785
53786 53788 53789 53790 53791 53792 53793 53794

Home Prices in Madison Show Improvement

Posted by Michael Collins, CDPE, SFR on January 14, 2013 at 7:40am

: photo credit: QuidnuncQuixot via photopin cc

Home Prices in Madison Show Improvement

Lots of good news about the Wisconsin real estate market has come out over the past two months. Home prices are beginning to improve, homes are selling a bit quicker and foreclosures are down. All of this points to improvement in the real estate market. Listed below are some facts about prices in Madison based on various parameters.

Overall, home prices have been growing steadly since April of 2012. The following chart, provided by Trulia, shows the average sales price across all types of homes

Although home prices have not returned to the average of $196,000 like it was last year, it is getting close. When comparing home prices at different tiers, Madison is staying ahead of the rest of the state in all three tiers. The following charts are from Zillow. This first chart points out two facts. First, the average price for a home in Wisconsin in the upper tier is around $232,000. However, for Madison the price is approximately $295,000. This points to the continued growth in the Madison area. Secondly, while the average price in this tier only increased 0.2% for the state of Wisconsin, in Madison the price improved by 1.6%

Home Prices in Madison picture 2

For the middle tier pricing, the average price in Wisconsin is $142,000 compared to $187,000 in Madison. This tier has also seen an increase from the last quarter, although not as strong as the higher tier.

Although the bottom tier in Madison has not shown as strong a price increase as the rest of the state, it is still moving up, which is a good indication.

Home Prices in Madison picture 4

When looking at homes based on size, there is even better news all around. Homes at every size in Madison have shown increase in value over the past few months, as evidenced by this chart from Trulia.

No. Bedrooms	May - Jul '12	3 months prior	1 year prior	5 years prior
1 bedroom	$156,200	$145,000	$166,000	$167,000
2 bedrooms	$165,000	$141,500	$155,000	$172,250
3 bedrooms	$185,000	$180,000	$194,250	$210,000
4 bedrooms	$239,500	$232,250	$245,000	$267,500
All properties	$191,250	$182,500	$196,000	$204,900

Based on these figures, the average price across all home sizes has increased an average of 4.5% in the past three months.

Wisconsin August 2012 Housing Statistics

Posted by Michael Collins, CDPE, SFR on September 27, 2012 at 4:28am

The Wisconsin housing statistics are now in for August of 2012. Here is an excerpt from what the Wisconsin Realtors Association (WRA) had to say:

The home sale recovery began last summer, and sales have grown 20.7 percent year-to-date. “It’s great to see these sales so strong during the peak sales period in the state.” said Renny Diedrich, chairman of the WRA board of directors. He noted that in a typical year, about a third of Wisconsin closings take place between June and August.

The median price rose at an annual pace of 2.9 percent in August 2012, and this continues the pattern of modest price appreciation statewide for each of the last six months. “It’s clear that in spite of slight upticks in the state unemployment rate over the last two months, the housing market continues to grow, and it’s growing at a brisk pace” said WRA President and CEO, Michael Theo.

Below are the number of Home Sales and Median House Prices for the state of Wisconsin, Rock County, and Dane County. These stats include Janesville and Madison. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions pertaining to these figures. As you probably have heard, home sales have been increasing substantially all year. Both Dane and Rock counties are showing marked improvements in the number of homes sold. Prices have bounced in Rock County, while in Dane County WI they appear to now be stabilizing.

If you would like some insight into how much your home is currently worth, I would be happy to provide you with a free comparative market analysis. This is a report that gives a close estimate to what your home might sell for in your current local Wisconsin real estate market. Has your home value fallen below what you currently owe? A short sale may be right for your situation. Visit the following page on Wisconsin Short Sales.

Housing Statistics for the State of Wisconsin:

August 2012
Home Sales: 6,496
Median Home Price: $143,000

August 2011
Home Sales: 5,335
Median Home Price: $140,000

Housing Statistics for Dane County, WI:

August 2012
Home Sales: 669
Median Home Price: $212,500

August 2011
Home Sales: 523
Median Home Price: $214,000

Housing Statistics for Rock County, WI:

August 2012
Home Sales: 186
Median Home Price: $109,750

August 2011
Home Sales: 159
Median Home Price: $97,000

View my report from last month. Wisconsin July Housing Statistics

B of A short sale success

Posted by Guy Lofts CRS on September 23, 2011 at 5:14pm

Real Estate Guy Team are happy to announce yet another successful short sale closing. We were able to help Jeff and Heidi R and their 3 children out from under a noose of 2 mortgages. Better still they walked away with $2400 cash thanks to the Obama administration’s HAFA program to help home ownership.

Difficulty began the same way it does for millions of American homeowners, with severe cut back of income from both jobs combined with inability to refinance. Then there was a 2 year attempt to modify, with BofA dragging out the application, before denying. Unsure what a short sale is?

Even when RealEstateGuy team became involved, the application process for the HAFA program was marred with ineptitude, closed files, lost files, wrong instructions, etc.

Here is what worked, and this is what has to work each time there is a successful short sale:

A great buyer, willing to pay the full price, they moved past the inspection thanks to the sellers paying for a pre-inspection.

2) The buyer’s agent was great in advising the buyer what to expect and keeping the buyer’s interest. (Judy)

3) Determined sellers, willing to do whatever needed, when needed. This included a pre inspection and chasing down bank of America when necessary. (Jeff and Heidi R)

4) An agent with knowledge of short sales. Able to price the home low enough to accept buyers, high enough for the bank to accept.

5) An amazing assistant, with the tenacity to fight with BofA. The patience to be on hold for hours at a time, and the skill to know when the person on the other end of the phone is misinforming, or worse lying.

6) A closing/title company who knows short sales, and is willing to bend over backwards , to accommodate the demands of the lenders payoff requirements. (Homestead Title)

There is an unusual twist in the story. So we are given the ok to close, and Homestead did their due diligence to make sure all BofA requirements are fulfilled. Done Deal you might think. No later that evening we receive an email from BofA saying HUD denied. Once again the team swings into action with an intense period on the phone to make sure all sides of BofA are happy.

The end result, the sellers walk away with 3 times more $$$ than expected and BofA with less. (Amazing business decision!!)

This one is our first successful close with Bank of America. Even thought we have closed approximately 30 short-sale, Bank of America has been our bogeyman, actually their is the reason they have a bad name and why so many agents avoid

listing or showing BofA short sales.

If you are in a situation you need to get out from under your debt and prefer an option that is not foreclosure, http://www.ShortSalesMadison.com.

While you are at it, here is our latest search for homes for sale. Search homes for sale Madison Wi

RealEstateGuy has been a full time, full service Realtor since 1993. He is dedicated to helping people achieve their Real Estate Goals and dreams. In order to provide more specialized service, Guy selected a team of specialists. Guy believes in constantly learning more, so regularly attends national seminars and trainings. Guy has been a top producer, leader in his office, a president of the Wisconsin chapter of CRS, and has spoken at State Realtor Conventions.

Get a chuckle. Watch Real Estate Guy video. 30 seconds Search all area homes for sale Madison Wi RealEstateGuy. Madison Wisconsin

Homes for Heroes in Wisconsin!

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Rock Realty is proud to announce: Michael Collins has received his Certified Distressed Property Expert designation (CDPE).

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