REOMAC® TECHNOLOGY AND WELLNESS EXPO WRAP-UP

BREAKOUT SESSION 2:
Property Preservation / Code Violations
Steve
Meyer
Benton Neese
MODERATOR
The Breakout session for Property
Preservation/Code Violations was a
rousing success. The panel included
Moderator, Benton Neese of RMIC,
Panelists Steve Meyer of Safeguard
Properties, Virginia Mays of Weathervane
Contracting, James Browning of REO
Institute, and Mark Paniccia of SunTrust
Mortgage.
Benton started the session with some
humor and house-keeping rules, and then
asked, “REO Software, How can it help
property preservation?”
Virginia then answered, “After reviewing
other preservation software out there,
there is a lack of software that is available
for property preservation companies or
property maintenance software. Years ago,
we managed everything on a spreadsheet.
We are currently developing a national
software program that will go live in
about 18 months which will speed up
the preservation process and make the
database national.”
Benton then asked, “What does Safeguard
bring to the table regarding Property
Preservation?”
Virginia
Mays
James
Browning
Mark
Paniccia
Steve Meyers, who is an absolute expert in
the field of property preservation answered,
“Safeguard has extensive knowledge of the
particular laws and regulations in each
state we service. For example, in Florida, it
is a foreclosure registration, not a vacancy
registration. First and foremost, we avoid
violations; we have an aggressive approach
to maintain properties. Code enforcement
requires complaint driven organizations.”
Steve explained the “Good Neighbor
Program” by stating that Safeguard gives
out pamphlets to neighbors to inform
them on Safeguard’s property preservation
practices and to provide them with contact
information should issues arise. When
violations come in, there is a process, and
acknowledgement, and they quickly get out
the information, to take the proper action.
“We provide webinars to Code Enforcement
Officers for accredited education for one
hour towards their continuing education
requirements,” Meyers said. “These
webinars are informative and provide them
with the tools to work with Safeguard.”
Finally, Safeguard has launched a
technology program called, “Compliance
Connection," this is a web-based product to
By James A.
Browning, MRE
provide immediate access to all interested
parties, and provides solutions as well.
Benton then asked the panelists, “How
quickly are you in contact with code
enforcement people and/or outsourcers
to work with them?”
Mark said that brokers handle code
violations and vacant registration fees and
they do it very well.
“We currently have a proposal with a
national supplier for code violations,
vacant property registration, and HOA
identification (where to call to find out
what is owed),” Paniccia said. “SunTrust is
considering bundling the services available
for the real estate community and giving
brokers the option of using the national
supplier should they so choose. If the REO
listing broker buys the product or services
from the national supplier, that company
will backstop them if there are any flaws
in what they deliver.”
SunTrust is using the RES.NET platform
for property preservation tasks; this is
a great platform to resolve issues and
problems.
continued on page 19
18 NOvEMbER / DEcEMbER 2011 REOMAC ® update tm