Getting Spam Calls? Fight Back.. | Spectrum Real Estate Group LLC

Getting Spam Calls? Fight Back..

The number of Robocalls has increased sharply. In 2017 the FTC received 4.5 Million complaints about Robocalls, however there are far more Robocalls than complaints and it’s only getting worse. There are estimates of 1,400 robocalls made every second.

As Robocalls become more prevalent, serious measures need to be taken to stop them ruining our valuable time and sanity.

I have found 2 ways to fight back: (let me know if you have more)

Use Technology: Just like Robocalls use technology to make the calls you can use technology to “Block” them. The services of apps like Hiya, Call Blocker, Call control, Should I Answer, etc. can be applied to your cell phones to stop Robocalls. You can ask your home phone service provider for this type of service to be applied to your home phone.

Never let them know you are human: When a robocall asks you to press a number to be removed from a call list, that too is part of the scam. By interacting with the robocall you are in fact allowing their system to flag your phone number as an active line. Now you will be a target for even more Robocalls and spam calls. Its better to let it go to voicemail or just hang up.

Not just annoying, Robocalls prey on the elderly and the unprepared to scam them to think the call is from a trusted source like a bank or hospital and ask all the seemingly right questions to appear genuine (they get it from publicly available information). If you provide them any personal information it can have devastating financial consequences.

It’s better to just hang up and call them with the trusted phone number you have on your file. Any legitimate business will not mind if you call them back.

Be Aware and Safe…and Sane..

As always your comments and views are appreciated.

What is a BPO?

Broker Price Opinion

A Broker Price Opinion (BPO) is sought by an asset manager or a representative of a bank or financial service organization when they want to place a monetary value on their real estate portfolio. It is similar to a comparative market analysis a real estate agent does for home owners when they are selling their house.

When doing a BPO a real estate agent compares the livable square footage of the structure, the condition, and the amenities to other similar properties within close proximity to the subject property. It also includes estimates for interior or exterior repairs, if needed, and the timeframe required to sell a like-kind property. It includes multiple pictures of the subject and the street on which it is located, as well as the pictures of all the comparative properties.

A servicer can use this data to get the market value of the property which they can use to refinance(although not legal), sell, list the property as an REO, process a foreclosure, or trade the property with other banks or entities.

This process is similar to what an appraiser does when you are buying a house and when your bank orders an appraisal. It is much quicker and less expensive for the bank to use a BPO vs an appraisal.

Real estate agents see a flood of BPO orders when the market goes south and foreclosures are on the rise. They work with multiple servicers who need BPOs completed within 24-48 hours and the ones who do a good job and give timely reports are preferred by the asset managers who in turn reward them by giving them all their REO listings.

September 17, 2021/0 Comments/by Rashida Furniturewalla