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A Focus on REO Performance

On Monday, September 23, the nation’s qualified residential agents and brokers assembled at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas, Texas, for the FORCE Rally [1] on the opening day of the 16th annual Five Star Conference [2]. The FORCE Rally is one of the most anticipated and exclusive events in REO.

The session was hosted by the Five Star Federation of REO Certified Experts [3] (Five Star FORCE), a member organization comprised of pre-screened, certified, and experienced REO agents. 

The FORCE Rally began with the FORCE Power Hour, an hour-long networking session. This was followed by the FORCE Rally that consisted of several short presentations and panels featuring subject-matter experts from across the industry.

“Let’s stay relevant, stay informed," said Terry Rasner-Yacenda, Broker/Owner, Reno/Tahoe Realty Group, LLC and Five Star FORCE Chairperson. "Take the time to talk and network with each other.”

Running from 3–4 p.m. CDT, the Power Hour saw REO agents personally collaborating with potential clients from the asset management, investment, servicing, and government communities in order to grow their business. Participants included industry leaders and REO experts speaking at the FORCE Rally.

The FORCE Rally began with FORCE Executive Director Annie Collier opening up the session with welcome remarks, followed by a State of the FORCE presentation from event moderator Terry Rasner-Yacenda.

Next up was the “State of the Market: Where Housing Is Headed,” a presentation by Ed Delgado, President and CEO, Five Star Global on what the coming year had in store for the housing industry while delving deep into the state of the market to prepare attendees for the challenges and opportunities that would impact the industry. 

“A confluence of factors came together in 2008," Delgado said. "You simply don’t have these conditions today.”

Moderated by Rob Pajon, SVP, RES.NET, the next session titled “Coveted Contracts: Gaining an Edge in Asset Disposition” featured insights from James Banford, CEO, READ Real Estate Asset Disposition, Andrew Oliverson, SVP, REO Sales, Green River Capital, and Rida Sharaf, SVP of Operations, USRES on their greatest challenges and what they value in agent/broker partnerships.

“Don’t say you’re a number one agent, instead describe your niche area and specialty," Pajone said.

In “Accelerate Your Business: Updates From the FORCE Advisory Council,” the FORCE advisory council discussed how to expand the scope and profitability of an REO business. The panel moderated by Terry Rasner-Yacenda, Broker/Owner, Tahoe Realty Group, featured Nancy Braun, Broker/Owner, Showcase Realty LLC; Jim Hastings, Broker/Owner, Hastings Brokerage; Justine Jimenez Garcia, Broker/Owner, Countywide Properties; Donato Orsini, Broker/Owner, Stone Tower Realty; Steven Pagano, Broker, First Hawaiian Realty; and Regina Shaw, Broker Associate, Intero Real Estate Services. It covered critical topics such as driving revenue through diversification, securing more listings and referrals, and taking advantage of new REO technologies.

In the final session, Jason Thiele, Director of Real Estate Sales, Fannie Mae gave the audience an update on the latest GSE news for REO professionals who work with the Enterprises.

The 2019 FORCE Rally was sponsored by Home Depot Renovation Services [4] and Island Advantage Realty, LLC [5].