As you probably know, the government’s new Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program (HAFA) is going to become effective on April 5, 2010.

One of the outcomes of this new Program should be the simplification of the Short Sale process.

Make sure you know how to take advantage of the new procedures.  Take advantage of NAR’s information and online resources that explain the new forms and guidelines!

Well, it’s happening again.  Another blizzard in the Northeast.  In January of 1996, Baltimore had about 2 feet of snow dumped on it.  And, from what I understand, this year is going to be even worse.

How does Baltimore handle snow?  Well, not much better than Atlanta!  I was living in downtown Baltimore at the time.  After the worst was over, I took a walk with a camera.

Shown below, you’ll see a side street in Baltimore after the snow fall.  Yes, those lumps you see on the far side of the street are automobiles. 

Anyone who actually succeeded in uncovering their car ended up with a nice parking spot to use upon their return.  I don’t know if it’s a tradition, but during that snow storm, nice parking spots were immediately filled with lawn chairs or any other outdoor furniture that would make it tough for someone else to park there.

So, hang in there, Baltimore.  And, keep your snow lawn chairs close at hand!

Short Sales.  In many parts of the country, you’d better be getting good at short sales, or you won’t have any business!  In some places, short sales aren’t that popular, and I know agents in those areas who just won’t get involved in a short sale.

If you’re in an area where short sales are becoming a normal part of the real estate process, it is critical that you have the training and experience to handle a short sale without self-destructing.  And, even if you’re not looking to become a short sale expert, knowing about the process can’t hurt.

Not Sure If You Know What You Need to Know About Short Sales? 

There’s an article on BrokerAgentSocial (I was much more comfortable when they called it BrokerAgentNews) you should read.  It is the best article I’ve read that really hits home in terms of the issues involved in a short sale. 

It’s not a training course, but I think you’ll know if you need a training course after reading the article!

Have you ever wanted to see what the email a visitor to your website receives after they sign up on your MLS Search - or on one of your forms?  Or, have you tried to test the login process on your site, but because you’ve already signed in before, the login is not shown when you land on a page?

All this can be rather frustrating.  Just how many email addresses do you want to create?  And, do you really want to handle the junk mail and spam that will end up being sent to all of them?

Here’s a handy way to get around all those issues:  Malinator.com.

I suggest you read the FAQs on the Mailinator site before you use it.  But, here’s a quick summary:

• You don’t have to set up a mailbox at Mailinator.  Any address that looks like [Name]@Mailinator.com will be accepted.
• The emails sent to mailinator are only available for a few hours, then they are automatically deleted.
• There is no password to view the email sent to Mailinator.  Anyone who has the email address can check the email at the Malinator site by entering the email address in the “CHECK YOUR INBOX”  field on the site.
• Attachments are stripped out of any incoming email.

So, why is this handy?  Well, first of all, you can send to an email address on the fly - no email account set up is required.  And, you don’ t have to worry about what happens to the messages because they are deleted for you.

So, let’s say you wanted to test the login on your MLS Search.  Just register on the search using an email address that would be diffcult for someone else to come across randomly.  You can use anything.  For example:  test12mail4me@mailinator.com

Once you’ve registered, go to the Mailinator site and put test12mail4me@mailinator.com in the Check Your Inbox field, then click Go.

You’ll see if the registration worked, what the email looks like, and so forth.  You can’t really use this process to see what the files will look like for an autoresponder, since attachments are stripped off, but you can tell if your autoresponder is actually generating emails.

Mailinator is useful in very specific situations.  If you’re testing the receipt of top secret government codes or off-shore checking account numbers, I would think of a different approach.  But, for a lot of just regular testing, it can be a real timesaver!

I know it’s been a while since there’s been a Whimsical Wednesday post around here.  Guess I’ve been too busy to be whimsical!   But now, I’m just getting over a sinus infection, which brought this whimsical post topic to mind. 

You’re probably wondering what’s so whimsical about a sinus infection.  There is only one fun thing about having one, and that is: I get to scare doctors I’ve never been to before.  And, I find that amusing.  I think it’s because in my experience, doctors are always so in control.  So, seeing them taken aback is pretty funny in a sick sort of a way.

I had no sinus trouble until I contracted the mother of all sinus infections when I was 30.  I was out of work for over 2 weeks.  My boss didn’t want to put me on short-term disability, so he suggested that I come to work on the 10th day I was sick.  I showed up in the morning, attended a meeting, then he sent me home.  He said he was afraid I’d keel over and cause even more trouble.

Ever since then, a sinus infection is my illness of choice.  Well, not choice, I guess.  But, I don’t catch colds and rarely have the flu.  I usually either feel fine or I’ve got one of these darn infections.

But, I should probably get to the funny part.  As I’ve lived with this ridiculous ailment, I’ve discovered that the only way to get rid of them is to break down and get some antibiotics.  So, I don’t wait any more until I’m half-dead.  I drag myself to the doctor as quickly as possible.  I can get a full-blown infection in just a couple days.  At that point, I look fairly normal, so any professional I see for the first time is usually convinced that I’m just a hypochondriac.

And, that opinion lasts until they look in my ears with one of those lighted scope thingies.  I’m not really sure what they see in there, but it seems to scare them.  The best reaction I ever got was from a doc who was sitting on one of those rolling stools some doctors favor.  He took one peek in an ear and was so startled, he rolled halfway across the room, saying “WHOA!”

This time, I just stopped by a local clinic.  This doctor had better control.  She looked into my ear and said, “OH!  Well, this is going to require a bit more than I had anticipated!”  Then, she cocked her head to one side and mumbled almost to herself, “There’s not really much room in there for much more of anything…  in fact, I’m not quite sure how there’s room in there for your eardrum”.

So, that’s my story.  I don’t try to forewarn these folks.  I just wait quietly, patiently enduring their slightly patronizing approach, and enjoy a silent chuckle at their expense.

Guess that’s kindof weird - but when you’re sick, you have to take your fun where you can get it!