By Bill Bronchick

There are over 80 million lawsuits filed every year in the United States. Landlords and real estate investors are especially susceptible to liability. Are you a target? Are your assets easy to locate? Is your real estate titled in your name?

You wouldn’t walk around with a financial statement taped to your forehead would you? So why would you have your most valuable assets exposed to public scrutiny? Anyone can go down to the county courthouse or recorder’s office and look up the owner of any property. Real estate records are now computerized, so all of your real estate holdings can be located at the touch of a button!

Any mortgages on your property will be recorded as well. Most recorded mortgages will state the amount of the original principal balance and the date the mortgage payments began. All one has to do is figure out the balance of your mortgage and subtract that amount from the market value of your house. Bingo! Now they know how much equity you have and hence whether suing you is worthwhile.
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by Vena Jones-Cox

Q: We’ve come across some problems we thought your readers might also be encountering, hence this note to you for your consideration in possibly addressing the below subjects in your newsletter. The past 2 weeks have been really frustrating as I have been stood up by prospects at scheduled showings 8 times. We try to prequalify interested prospects over the phone, explaining our screening process, up front money needed, the lease/option as a way to become a homeowner, etc. We always ask if they have driven by the property and also tell all prospects when scheduling a showing to please call if they need to cancel. Of 11 scheduled showings, I actually had one show up, two had the decency to call me and cancel, and 8 just failed to show.
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