July 7^th is your chance to get answers to your real estate questions as Roy Oppenheim hosts his free monthly Foreclosure Workshop LIVE ONLINE and in Weston, FL.

Join Oppenheim, recently profiled in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, tomorrow night as he explains why homeowners on the verge of Shay’s Rebellion 2.0 hold the power and means to fashion their own financial bailout.

What: Strategic Defaults + Foreclosure Explained: Free Workshop

When: Wednesday, July 7, 2010 – 6:00 to 7:00 PM

Who: Homeowners facing foreclosure or underwater mortgages, real estate professionals, buyers and sellers

Where: Oppenheim Law Online Stream

Or come in person: 2500 Weston Road, Suite 404, Weston, FL 33331

Cost: Free with advanced registration

RSVP: To register email roy@oplaw.net or call 954.384.6114

Unable to make it to Weston or want to watch from home? Simply visit www.oppenheimlaw.payperlive.com at 6 PM tomorrow night to participate in the commercial-free high quality broadcast. Ask questions and get answers just like you were in the live audience.

Check out the video below for a preview of the Foreclosure Workshop and Oppenheim Law looks forward to seeing you tomorrow night!

Aside from acting as counsel on short sales, foreclosure defense and strategic defaults, Weston real estate attorney Roy Oppenheim is bestowing a sense relief to South Florida’s underwater homeowners.

As Oppenheim Law mentioned in our Shay’s Rebellion 2.0 Workshop Recap, Sun-Sentinel real estate writer Paul Owers was on hand, working on a feature article of Oppenheim and the firm’s foreclosure defense strategies.

The article highlights Oppenheim Law’s monthly foreclosure defense workshops, explains the firm’s entry into foreclosure defense practice and describes the positive effects Oppenheim Law’s services are providing for homeowners struggling to make their monthly mortgage payments.

Check out the entire Sun-Sentinel article in Oppenheim Law’s Newsroom and be sure to leave your comments below!

As frustrated homeowners tuned in online through the OPLaw Foreclosure Defense UStream Channel, Oppenheim Law marked its 18^th Legal Real Estate Workshop amidst a live audience and Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reporters.

For one week only, you can view the workshop on the South Florida Law Blog. This is your chance to hear Oppenheim explain strategic default, short sales, foreclosure defense and the real estate revolution he has dubbed “Shay’s Rebellion 2.0.”

We’ll be answering some of our Foreclosure Workshops’ frequently asked questions next week so be on the look out for that post. Feel free to add your own questions as comments on the blog!

Broadcasting Live with Ustream.TV

Be sure to tune in next month on July 7 for the next Strategic Foreclosure Workshop hosted by Roy Oppenheim and for all the Foursquare users out there, start Checking In with Oppenheim Law and watch for Tips if you’re in the area!

This is good news for underwater homeowners, who now have the opportunity to use strategic defaults and short sales to begin crafting their own real estate bailouts, according to real estate attorney and legal blogger Roy Oppenheim.

Join Oppenheim Law LIVE Online Tonight at 6 p.m. as Oppenheim explains the latest in strategic foreclosure trends and shares insight on how homeowners can use the foreclosure process to their advantage.

What: Strategic Foreclosure: Free Legal Workshop

When: Wednesday, June 2 – 6:00 to 7:00 PM

Who: Homeowners facing foreclosure, buyers and sellers

Where:

In Person: 2500 Weston Road, Suite 404, Weston, FL 33331

Online: LIVE through OPLaw’s UStream Channel

Cost: Free with advanced registration

RSVP: To register email roy@oplaw.net or call 954.384.6114

For more information visit the Oppenheim Law News Room to access all of the event’s details.

Miss out on the live show? Oppenheim Law is streaming the Short Sale and Strategic Default Workshop on the South Florida Law Blog and UStream TV Channel through Sunday night.

We’re giving homeowners a second chance to hear Roy Oppenheim explain the latest trends in Florida foreclosure defense. Check out the video below for answers to many of the common questions homeowners have when facing a foreclosure, short sale, or strategic default.

Questions or feedback? Oppenheim Law would love to hear your suggestions for next month’s free Real Estate Workshop on June 2 in the comments section below, and be sure to follow Roy Oppenheim on Twitter @oplaw for all the latest real estate news.

Roy Oppenheim tells homeowners how to challenge banks at their own game and how to craft your personal bailout.

What: Short Sales + Strategic Defaults: Free Real Estate Workshop

When: Wednesday, May 5, 2010 – 6:00 to 7:00 PM

Who: Homeowners facing foreclosure, buyers, and sellers

Streaming: The Oppenheim Law UStream Channel

Where: 2500 Weston Road, Suite 404, Weston, FL 33331

Cost: Free with advanced registration

RSVP: E-mail roy@oplaw.net or call 954.384.6114

Unable to make it to Weston? Oppenheim Law broadcasts its free monthly Short Sales and Strategic Defaults Workshop online through the Oppenheim Law UStream Channel. Participants can ask questions and comment on the presentation through Oppenheim Law’s Twitter account @OPLaw.

Oppenheim Law looks forward to seeing you on May 5 whether in person or online!

Live from Ustream, it’s Roy Oppenheim with an instant replay available for the next 48 hours!

On a night when Oppenheim Law broadcast its monthly Foreclosure Defense Workshop to over 100 viewers on UStream, the primary message from real estate attorney and legal blogger Roy Oppenheim was one of opportunity and hope.

As we continue to roll through 2010, dubbed “The Year of the Short Sale” by Oppenheim, it is important to remember homeowners always have rights, no matter your financial situation, and options always exist for defending yourself and your home.

April’s workshop was full of advice on executing short sales, avoiding deficiency judgments, defending foreclosure and protecting your assets and rights. We’ve put together a summary of Oppenheim’s main messages, and look forward to seeing you at the next workshop scheduled for May 5 whether in person or online!

• Sluggish Mortgage Servicers – The government’s Making Home Affordable program is not going to solve this real estate and financial crisis. Banks are too slow and too reluctant to provide homeowners adequate relief.

• Short Sale Savings – Short Sales have emerged as an effective way to avoid foreclosure and save homeowners’ credit, and the government’s new short sale incentives will increase this effectiveness.
  • Oppenheim Law has already executed four short sales for clients THIS WEEK, by the time of the workshop Wednesday night, while successfully defending costly deficiency judgments.

• Cash vs. Pennies – Banks are encouraged to approve short sales and receive immediate cash relief as opposed to modifying loans and earning pennies on the dollar of their initial investments.
  • Case in Point – Oppenheim highlighted a letter from Selene Finance offering to pay homeowners $20,000 for moving expenses if they can execute a short sale.

• Know the facts. Deficiency judgments can stay on your record for up to 20 years: Banks may garnish wages and even collect against heirs.

• Oppenheim Law has negotiated reductions in deficiency judgments by as much as 80-85%.

We look forward to hearing your comments on April’s workshop and hope to see you all on May 5 for our next event. Until then, you can check out a replay of the workshop on Oppenheim Law’s UStream Channel. The video will be available through Friday, April 9 at 5 PM EST.

Join Oppenheim Law for the next Free Legal Real Estate Workshop on April 7, as real estate attorney and legal blogger Roy Oppenheim explains the potential government incentives for homeowners to rid their delinquent mortgages through a short sale.

Unable to make it to Weston? Oppenheim Law will broadcast its monthly workshop online through the Oppenheim Law UStream Channel. Participants are invited to ask questions and comment on the presentation through Oppenheim Law’s Twitter account @OPLaw.

What: Short Sales, Deficiency Judgments + More: Free Real Estate Workshop

When: Wednesday, April 7, 2010 – 6:00 to 7:00 PM

Who: Homeowners facing foreclosure, buyers and sellers

Online: The Oppenheim Law UStream Channel

Live: 2500 Weston Road, Suite 404, Weston, FL 33331

Cost: Free with advanced registration

RSVP: To register email roy@oplaw.net or call 954.384.6114

Oppenheim Law looks forward to seeing you on April 7 whether in person or online!

WOW: What a week for folks who are looking for ways to bailout their family from the underwater mortgage mess.  The tide may be turning.

This third week of March 2010 will long be remembered for when tides started to truly turn for those families with underwater mortgages. First, of course the historic health bill was passed by Congress and signed by the President.

Then, Bank of America announced that they would actually reduce principal up to 30% on some 40,000 underwater mortgages. While the news was encouraging for those who would qualify, it represented less than 1% of all mortgages underwater and seems to be merely a indication for other news to follow. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/business/25housing.html

Obama Admits Problem, Plan Not Working

But then the Obama Administration today finally announced and acknowledged that their original loan modification program designed to help millions only helped maybe 200,000 people.

Government Plan B

Most importantly, however, the government is unveiling a program that will…we hope… truly encourage banks to begin modifications and refinances with significant principal reduction. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/26/business/26housing.html?hp Up until now principal reduction claims on mortgage modifications were made by late night cable TV ads, by national modification scamsters and for the most part became at best urban legend.

As we have discussed on the South Florida Law Blog for more than a year, a government program modeled after the programs during the Depression Era is the most likely way to stem the foreclosure crisis. Here in South Florida, only 15% of all foreclosure properties have hit the streets. Either the banks are holding off on putting the inventory back on the streets (creating a shadow inventory) or the foreclosures have yet to be finalized by the courts. Either way, the continuous flow of distressed properties will not let the market return to anything orderly even if you have on-line foreclosure sales and triple the number of buyers which has happened in some counties, like Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Although the details of the “New” government program will only be released later today, between the Obama Administration’s new short sale initiative going into effect in early April and now a “real” modification program with reduced principal backed by the government guaranties there is no reason why anyone would quit and just walk away.

With the tide turning and waters receding: for those folks who may feel like they are drowning, there is hope and it is on the way. As always,  Oppenheim Law is here to help.

Just DO NOT give up. DO NOT despair. DO NOT walk away.

Obviously, we will be discussing all of the latest bailout developments at our free seminar on April 7.  We hope you can join us either in person or through our online broadcast via the Oppenheim Law UStream Channel..

What: Short Sales, Deficiency Judgments + More: Free Real Estate Workshop

When: Wednesday, April 7, 2010 – 6:00 to 7:00 PM

Who: Homeowners facing foreclosure, buyers and sellers

Online: The Oppenheim Law UStream Channel

Live:      2500 Weston Road, Suite 404, Weston, FL 33331

Cost: Free with advanced registration

RSVP: To register email roy@oplaw.net or call 954.384.6114

Almost half of South Florida homeowners are facing negative equity in their homes, and more than 400,000 Florida foreclosure cases are expected by the end of 2010, according to real estate attorney Roy Oppenheim.

More than 40 South Florida homeowners turned out to hear the latest legal techniques and strategies Oppenheim Law is using to defend foreclosures, execute short sales, prevent deficiency judgments and keep people in their homes.

We’ve put together a summary of the main points from March’s Workshop, and look forward to seeing you at the next free event on April 1^st at 6 p.m.

• Social stigma is so yesterday. The fact that so many people are being affected by this real estate crisis completely erased the social stigma associated with foreclosure.

• Banks are overwhelmed. The depth and breadth of this crisis makes it difficult for banks to successfully foreclose homeowners who are represented by counsel.

• Do what’s right for you and get help. If it no longer makes economic sense to continue paying your mortgage, your best option is to speak to a qualified attorney.

• Don’t leave. Whatever you chose to do, stay in your home as long as possible.

• Banks warming up. Short sales are emerging as one of the best options for homeowners facing foreclosure, and believe it or not, banks are beginning to favor them as well. Some short sales are being approved in less time than in the past. One need only be 30 days behind on your mortgage to begin the short sale process.

• The bank is happy with instant cash gratification, while you avoid the hassle and stress of foreclosure proceedings.

• Price is right. When executing a short sale, an experienced real estate agent must price your home correctly, and you must protect yourself from a costly deficiency judgment through legal representation.

• Know the facts. Deficiency judgments can stay on your record for up to 20 years: Banks may garnish wages and even collect against heirs.

• Oppenheim Law has negotiated reductions in deficiency judgments by as much as 80-85%.

It is important to remember that buying yourself time in this real estate market can prove to be incredibly valuable. The tide is beginning to turn as new laws are discussed and the economy makes gains.

Again, 97% of folks facing foreclosure are not represented by counsel. Those who are have a much better chance of avoiding a deficiency judgment and saving their home.

We look forward to hearing your comments on March’s workshop and hope to see you all on April 1 for our next event.