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Honest, Current, Visionary

September 19, 2012 By 1,166 Comments
Jennifer and Kevin Richards

Jennifer and Kevin Richards

Location, location, location is the cardinal rule of real estate, but in today’s tricky market, location, timing and talent are what define this successful real estate team. Kevin and Jennifer Richards are the visionaries behind Homefront Realty.

They met in 1991 in St. Louis, MO. and married in 2004. Both sharing a common interest in real estate, they decided to purchase a few apartment buildings as investment properties. Using their knowledge from maintaining these buildings, they then decided to purchase and renovate a house in need of some TLC…and the rest, as they say, is history.

The satisfaction of transforming a run-down property into a home that a new family would love and grow in was extremely motivating.
They decided to quit their jobs in 1995 and went full time into real estate as investors.

Kevin and Jennifer would purchase the worst house on a street. They invested time and money and applied some good old fashioned elbow grease. Hearing gratitude and appreciation from so many neighbors while they were renovating these homes, made it even more rewarding. They knew they were making a difference in the community. They have bought and sold countless houses over the years.

When Kevin’s Dad learned he had lung cancer, this prompted them to sell everything and settle in Dunedin Florida in 2001.

During the major decline in the housing market, they saw a lot of their colleagues getting out of the profession. Knowing only the strongest and experienced realtors remained, they saw this as an opportunity to recruit them to their team by starting their own real estate brokerage firm. Homefront Realty is now a thriving local business currently offering professional agents multiple revenue options.

Homefront Realty offers realtors something that is unheard of with other brokerages… In addition to extensive training and warm leads for all “traditional” real estate, they have an in house bank negotiation company dedicated to handling all the time consuming bank contacts for their short sale listings.

There’s no charge to the agent or their clients for this service. Agents receive their FULL commission. This means the brokerage will handle all the “dirty work” and agents don’t have to be afraid of accepting short sale listings any longer. Kevin and Jennifer don’t want their agents bogged down on the phones with banks when they could be out building their own personal businesses.

Kevin and Jennifer “get transactions closed and help clients in a most beneficial way.” Clients appreciate the fact that they never give up and successfully tackle even the most challenging situations. Another philosophy followed by Kevin and Jennifer is that they always place the homeowners’ and agents’ best interest ahead of their own. They truly care about the individuals they serve and leaving a positive impact on the community. Homefront Realty strives to keep on the cutting edge of technology and a number one priority is to keep up with the constant changes that occur in the real estate industry. They fight for their clients and realtors when they get in to a challenging situation.

One story from Kevin and Jennifer that seemed to sum things up was a situation regarding an abandoned house in terrible condition in their neighborhood. Kevin contacted the owner and she said she fell behind on payments not knowing what to do. The bank would not work with her. Their in-house company ended up negotiating a complete satisfaction with her lender allowing them to sell it at today’s market value. Within 1 month they were able to sell the house to a person that fixed it up to be one of the nicest houses on the street.

The result; The homeowner avoided having a foreclosure on her credit and the potential for the bank to pursue her for any amount in the future. The person that purchased the house got a great deal on a fixer upper.

All realtors received their full commission.The community now has a beautiful home in their subdivision with a tax paying citizen maintaining it. This helps increase property values for the neighborhood.

When Kevin and Jennifer have some down time, they spend their time with friends in their Dunedin community. They found a lot of great friends in their neighborhood, sharing common interests. “Our friends have pretty much been our family over the years.”

Jennifer enjoys everything about cooking, and Kevin…well…likes everything about eating her cooking.
Kevin’s also likes playing music and collecting / restoring pinball games.

Kevin and Jennifer owe their success to the people they’ve surrounded themselves with: their outstanding staff. We also owe a good amount of gratitude to our happy home sellers, buyers & attorneys for their continued referrals.

You can hear some of their testimonials on their YouTube channel.. www.YouTube.com/HomefrontRealty

For additional information, go to www.HomfrontRealty.net or call 727-641-4444. The office is located at 29901 US Highway 19 North in Clearwater.

Filed Under: 2012, Entrepreneur, September 2012 – Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Blockbuster Home Selling 2012

September 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Broker Owner Jennifer and Owner Kevin Richards

Broker Owner Jennifer and Owner Kevin Richards

Hunger Games or Hope Springs

Selling a Home in Today’s Market can seem to have as many emotions and plots as the latest blockbuster movies! As a seller, you may be feeling like your home is “Expendable” or like you’re living “The Hunger Games”. And, it is natural to desire the leading role in “The Avengers”. But, “Hope Springs” is the best mindset for home sellers in the Tampa Bay real estate market as long as it’s accompanied by a laser focus on the critical factors that will bring positive results. There is hope and here’s why!

The real estate market experienced a huge negative shift in 2008 that Floridians have been feeling for the past 4 years. Because of this, selling a home requires different marketing tactics and outstanding agent skills in order to get the best outcome for sellers. That’s why we, at Homefront Realty, designed our brokerage with the client and agent in mind. In every sphere, there are fewer transactions, less equity in homes, and more difficult “ropes” for buyers to climb to get loans (not to mention buyers looking for the best bargains around!). Considering all of these factors, we knew that in order to serve our community and offer the best full service brokerage, we had to do some real “cutting-edge” things to create a win/win for all of us in the housing market. By creating excellent marketing, lead generation and systems for Buyers, Sellers and Realtors; we have been able to serve everyone no matter what their “unique” situation may be. Hope springs eternal!

If you are a home seller or a realtor and would like more information on how our programs and systems are getting phenomenal results, please call for your FREE, confidential consultation. We look forward to serving you!

visit our website at www.HomefrontRealty.net to search homes for sale and to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Jennifer and Kevin_Richards - Homefront Realty - LogoHomefront Realty – Palm Harbor/Clearwater – 727-641-4444

 

 

 

Filed Under: 2012, Business, September 2012 – Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Is It Better To Just Walk Away?

July 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Broker Owner Jennifer and Owner Kevin Richards

Broker Owner Jennifer and Owner Kevin Richards

Sometimes facing the situation head-on produces the best outcome – Short Sale vs. Foreclosure FAQ

Issue: My Credit Score

Foreclosure: Score may be lowered anywhere from 250 to over 300 points, and will typically affect score for over 3 years. Foreclosure will remain as public record on a person’s credit history for 7 years or more.

Short Sale: Score may be lowered as little as 50 points and the effect on credit may be as brief as 12-18 months. Only late payments will show on the credit report as there is no specific reporting item for “short sale”. In most cases a loan is typically reported as “paid in full, settled, or paid as negotiated”.

Issue: Deficiency Judgment

Foreclosure: In 100% of foreclosures, the bank has the right to pursue a deficiency judgment. In most cases a foreclosure later sold as an REO will result in a lower sales price and a higher possible deficiency judgment.

Short Sale: In a successful short sale, it is possible to convince the lender to give up the right to pursue a deficiency judgment against the homeowner.

Issue: Can I get a Mortgage in the Future?

Foreclosure: A homeowner who loses a home to foreclosure is ineligible for a Fannie Mae backed mortgage for up to 7 years. In applying for a conventional mortgage, you will be asked if you have had a property foreclosed or done a deed-in-lieu in the last 7 years, which will affect future mortgage rates.

Short Sale: A homeowner who successfully closes a short sale will be eligible for a Fannie Mae backed mortgage within 2 years. A homeowner may apply for an FHA loan immediately if payments are current at the time of the short sale. If homeowner is late on payments, they may be eligible for an FHA loan after 3 years.

Issue: Current and Future Employment

Foreclosure: Employers have the right and are actively checking the credit regularly of employees who are in sensitive positions. A foreclosure in many cases is grounds for immediate reassignment or termination. A foreclosure is one of the most detrimental credit items an applicant can have and in most cases will challenge employment.

Short Sale: A short sale is not reported on a credit report and is therefore not a challenge to employment.
(*Source: 2011 Distressed Property Institute, LLC and is provided for informational purposes only.)
With accurate information and guidance homeowners don’t have to walk away and have long term ramifications. Working with the bank by doing a short sale creates a win-win for all parties involved.

It’s getting better. . . however, our current economy still has many homeowners who are in distress and facing hardships. We have seen the bitter reality that hardship does not discriminate against people for any reason. Homeowners of all income levels are facing challenges of owning a home which has lost significant value due to our recent economic upheaval.

Homefront Realty offers FREE, no obligation homeowner consultations. If you are unsure about your home’s value or your mortgage position, contact us – we CAN help!! HomefrontRealty.net

Jennifer and Kevin_Richards - Homefront Realty - LogoHomefront Realty – Palm Harbor/Clearwater – 727-641-4444

 

 

 

Filed Under: 2012, Business, July/August 2012 - Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Homefront Realty

May 20, 2012 By 1,180 Comments
Broker Owner Jennifer and Owner Kevin Richards

Broker Owner Jennifer and Owner Kevin Richards

When we realized the scope of the housing crisis, we knew that it would take more than a traditional real estate company to deal with the complexities of the new standard of transactions.

We would like to introduce ourselves as the new Real Estate contributors to Panache Vue Magazine.

We are anxious to share our stories of what we see happening on the “front-lines” every day. The market is rapidly changing with new Government programs and restrictions popping up all the time. It’s our duty to stay on top of this and help explain all options available to our clients.

With years of real estate investing between us we began the process of educating ourselves with some of the most prestigious real estate and pre-foreclosure groups in the industry. Adding leading edge technology and a network of professionals in the legal, finance and tax industry helped to lead us to the opening of this cutting edge brokerage. Our proprietary process of handling short sales has resulted in 99% of our homeowners walking away with full satisfactions, owing nothing to the bank and is hands down, the best method for our clients and our community. This is why a large percentage of our customers are referrals from attorneys and other real estate professionals.

There are a lot of great agents out there helping clients through the “maze” of the short sale process. Unfortunately we also see industry professionals, (experts) that put their pocketbooks ahead of their client’s needs.

HomeFront Realty works to preserve the dream of home ownership for those who are looking to buy a house or experiencing the financial and emotional duress associated with an unwanted or financially unstable property. In our own way we are fighting for the American Dream by helping people find hope in a difficult time and by providing them passage to a better future.

The number of people losing their homes, something that is catastrophic financially and emotionally for individuals and their communities is alarming. Oftentimes, individuals facing the process of foreclosure or bankruptcy are confused, scared, and not well informed as to their options. Many people are unsure where to turn once the bank begins the foreclosure process. Often, they will seek the help of a bankruptcy attorney, or throw in the towel altogether. The problem is that when people make poor decisions based on misinformation, it results in ramifications that can last for years.

Mention the term short sale and most sellers’ eyes glaze over. The fact is that many sellers have no idea that a short sale is an option for distressed properties. Throughout Florida, these types of short sales are becoming common, especially for owners who bought at the height of the recent residential boom using adjustable rate mortgages. At the same time, many buyers are interested in buying homes from sellers in financial distress. However, most sellers and buyers are unfamiliar with the complex legal, financial and negotiation issues involved in short sales, which occur when an owner’s mortgage is greater than the current value of the home.

We know our business; we know what we do well, and we believe that we are the best possible solution for people caught up in circumstances beyond their control.

We created our company to address this gap of knowledge in the larger public by providing the information and resources to mitigate the damage a foreclosure will have on one’s credit and to assist those facing the loss of their home get a new start – at no cost to the homeowner. We work with a team consisting of Attorney’s, CPA’s, Professional Negotiators, Title Companies and Buyers and their agents.

A “Short Sale” may be your best option. HomeFront Realty can work with your bank to get your property sold, forgive any deficiency balance and have them pay your closing costs—depending on your situation.

Call HomeFront Realty for a confidential, no obligation consultation to see if a Short Sale could work for you.

Whether you are looking to buy a property, sell a property, or save a property, we can help.

Jennifer and Kevin_Richards - Homefront Realty - LogoHomefront Realty – Palm Harbor/Clearwater – 727-641-4444

 

 

 

Filed Under: 2012, Business, May/June 2012 - Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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