If you live in or around the Phoenix, Arizona, area and are interested in learning more about safely investing in foreclosures or about how to defend against foreclosure, consider stopping by the Phoenix Convention Center this Saturday where Lois Maljak and I will be presenting the following workshops:

TOPIC: Foreclosure Self-Defense: The Short Sale and Other Proven Strategies for Surviving a Homeownership Crisis
When: Saturday, February 23, 2008
What Time: 11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
Where: Phoenix Convention Center

When most people fall behind on their mortgage payments or receive a notice of default or foreclosure, they panic and waste precious time trying to hide the problem. They mistakenly believe they have only two options – pay up or face eviction. Lois Maljak and I, co-authors of Foreclosure Self-Defense For Dummies, know better. In this informative workshop, we reveal over a dozen strategies for keeping your home or selling it and cashing out the equity, including:

• Negotiate a short sale by convincing the lender to accept less than the balance due on your mortgage.
• Ask a third-party to negotiate the short sale on your behalf – if the bank refuses to work with you.
• File for bankruptcy…or at least let the bank know you are considering that option so you gain leverage in the negotiating process.
• Negotiate a mortgage modification, essentially rewriting the mortgage with a more affordable interest rate and terms.
• Sell your home, so you don’t lose your home and your equity.

In this workshop, you discover the truth about foreclosures that the banks don’t want you to know–they need to resolve the problem as much as you do, and sometimes more than you do. Everything is negotiable, including how much you owe them!

TOPIC: Safely Investing in Foreclosures
When: Saturday, February 23, 2008
What Time: 2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
Where: Phoenix Convention Center

Safe foreclosure investing is like safe flying–the only completely safe way to invest in real estate is to not do it. However, you can employ several strategies to make investing in foreclosures safe. In this intense 45-minute workshop, I reveal field-tested strategies for maximizing your profit potential and minimizing your risks, including the following:

• Adjusting your profit estimates for different markets
• Bidding on first mortgages or at least buying the first if you buy the second
• Underestimating profits while overestimating expenses
• Thoroughly researching a property to avoid surprises
• Starting with a single property and working your way up
• Setting a bid limit before you even think of bidding

In this workshop, I guide you safely around the most common and costly pitfalls, so you avoid the mistakes that often eliminate the less careful investors.

For more information, visit the 2008 Arizona Real Estate and Mortgage Expo website.