If you've ever run a relay, you understand that the most important aspect of the race is the passing of the baton. You can have the fastest runners on each leg of the track, but if the hand-off is not perfectly coordinated, you can loose the race in those minute seconds.

That's why you practise the hand-off like your life depends on it. You work on timing, you work on pacing your steps, you mark the track so you can see the precise moment that the runner behind you hits that exact spot where you have to take off and trust that they will not fail you by breaking their stride.

What's extremely tricky is that both parties are running at full speed and must depend on coordination and an innate sense of rhythmic timing to make that pass seamless. The race depends on it.

When the baton is passed like it should be, it's a beautiful thing to watch. It feels like you're watching one runner morphing with fluid grace into another form, each one more beautiful and breathtaking. It's a work of art...a thing of grace.

I had the opportunity to witness the passing of a baton this past week. Our Anchor was a lady who has run the race of life with a steady and unrelenting pace. Raising and caring for a large family and then a husband who was increasingly isolated by the ravages of Alzheimer's. She had grown up in a generation where the head of the household handled all the major decisions and certainly the finances. When she found herself in a situation in which she had to take on all these tasks, she rose to the occasion and with the support of her loving family had to learn to navigate all kinds of new territory.

This was not an easy time to be selling any home in Grand Rapids. The streets were littered with the signs of those who had been trying for months. When they contacted us to interview us about our plan to market their home, they started with asking us to do an honest assessment of what they would need to do to update a home that had been lived in for decades. The list was extensive. They said Thank You and set out to do the suggested updates and repairs.

A process like this takes a lot of coordination. In addition to the staging and updating, additional paperwork was required, children and the home owner were updated on a regular basis, extensive marketing was done online, Open Houses were held. And when all was said and done...it was placed in God's hands.

So, as we sat at the Closing Table, watching the animated conversation of two engaged parties, one transitioning to another phase of life and the other just starting their life together as newlyweds and new homeowners, I was struck by the beauty of a seamless transaction...one which was marked with a peculiar grace and handed off with courage and goodwill.

She was relieved and grateful to have successfully completed a remarkable journey. They were deeply thankful to be settling into a home which had been lovingly cared for. They invited her to stop by to see them and her former home if she wanted. It was a beautiful thing to watch. We were thankful to have been given the privilege of assisting in a successful hand-off!

Copyright 2008 Audu Real Estate All Rights Reserved

I was in my office some time back when a call came in. The caller was frantic! As the words tumbled out, I slowly began to decipher what was being said. The voice on the other end was panicked as they described a most bizarre situation. These were my dear clients. We had successfully helped them to purchase this lovely home several months prior. They had happily settled down in their new home...and now this!

The drama had started with a knock on the front door. When they opened the door, a grandfatherly looking man dressed in a nice suit introduced himself. He indicated that he had just seen a notification that their house had just been foreclosed. He was wondering if they aware of this? He indicated he had dropped by to let them know about some options for folks in their situation. Talk about jaw dropping surprise!

The story from this gentleman was eerie. For one thing, he knew that they had recently closed on the home and that there had been some liens on the home. In this particular situation, there had been a divorce which had left some loose ends hanging which had to be cleared prior to closing. As the buyers agent, we had ordered and checked the title-work to make sure that everything was clear prior to closing. However, there were enough significant details conveyed to me in the conversation with my distraught clients, that I too began to wonder if I had missed something.

Fortunately, he had left his card. I immediately alerted the listing agent and then initiated an urgent call into the title company. The title company verified that there were no outstanding liens at the time of closing. My next contact was to the county clerks office and they also had no indication of any foreclosure filing. You know who my final call was to...Mr. Santa Claus himself. You can rest assured that I was NOT to wish him a Merry Christmas!

Scams within the context of real estate transactions are increasingly common. Last year, the Grand Rapids Association of Realtors added a link on its website to allow anyone to report suspicions of mortgage fraud. It was a very necessary response to try to combat the increase in loan fraud. But the assault against customers has not been limited to just loan fraud. In the Grand Rapids area, we have had a number of reported cases in which individuals have been promised assistance with saving their homes from an imminent foreclosure, only to find out that they had been scammed hundreds or thousand of dollars and eventually lost their homes.

Yesterday, I received a call from a gentleman in another state who had found my blog post/series on short sales and foreclosures on line. He indicated that he wanted to know if I had heard about a certain company. Apparently, they had missed a payment or two and his wife in her acute distress, had contacted a company which promised that they would save their home from foreclosure. As long as they paid them $1,200 of which $600 was due that night! Whoa!

This gentleman had a nagging sense that something was not quite right. That gut level intuition is one of the most powerful sources of protection when dealing with a scam artist in real estate or any other area. Many scam artists are able to prey on people when they are most vulnerable because there is a tendency to grasp for any shred of hope in a desperate situation. It is most critical during these times to put the brakes on ALL hasty decisions.

The reality is this...It is not a Quick, Easy or Simple Process to Loose Your Home. AND...there are a number of options and solutions which you can explore in a reasonable manner so you can make an informed decision about what makes the most sense and is best for you.

Here are a few suggestions that might find helpful:

1. Avoid making hasty decisions when in a crisis. Recognize that your judgement might be impaired.

2. If something feels not quite right...Wait, Ask more questions, Verify

3. Report suspicious activities or proposals to the appropriate authorities

4. If someone offers to save you from a foreclosure and asks you for money to do it...DON'T instead..

5. Contact a Licensed Professional with knowledge about the process of foreclosures and short sales and requests a FREE Consultation to help you determine the best route for you to pursue.

And now to finish the story about Mr. Santa Claus. When I confronted him about his duplicity, he instantly retreated. He indicated that he must have made a mistake and got the wrong address. He was so sorry to have caused any distress & asked me to apologize to my clients. He had been given this list and was just trying to do his job. I told him that the only thing he was sorry about was that he had been caught and that he would be reported to the authorities. The line went dead...The only information on the card was a company name and an out of state telephone number.

Copyright 2008 Audu Real Estate All Rights Reserved