AUSTIN, TEXAS - May 4, 2009 - Realtors need to become catalysts for change in the downtrodden real estate market by helping homeowners avoid foreclosure.

That’s the message from real estate veteran Alex Charfen, founder of The Distressed Property Institute in Austin, Texas. Charfen is speaking to thousands of Realtors® across the country to arm them with the knowledge and expertise required to navigate this unprecedented real estate market.

“The fact is that seven out of 10 homes go into foreclosure without any professional intervention,” Charfen said. “Realtors must go out with a heart to serve and help struggling homeowners... With the right knowledge and intentions, real estate agents can have a huge impact on the mortgage and real estate crises, beginning now.”

David S. Knox, head of David Knox Productions and producer of “Pricing Your Home to Sell,” said that Realtors have the opportunity to gain knowledge with training to become Certified Distressed Property Experts™ and to literally save people from financial and personal ruin.

"Many home sellers today are faced with two painful choices, selling their home at a reduced price or face foreclosure,” Knox said. “Realtors® are skilled at proper pricing and can help owners avoid the worst option; foreclosure. Selling at a loss may be painful, but it is a short term pain from which they can recover."

Debbie Yost, CDPE, CLHMS, CRS, GRI, a broker/owner of RE/MAX Casa Grande in Casa Grande, Ariz., said that, as a 30-year veteran of the real estate industry, there never has been a more important time for agents to step up to the plate and make such a difference in the market and the economy.

“I see the CDPE training and certification as the only program currently available to help us stop declining values in our communities,” Yost said. “As Realtors we want to provide solutions and options for our clients. This is the best way for us to have a positive impact in our communities.”

Joe Clement, CRB, CRS, ABR, QSC, CDPE, and broker with RE/MAX Properties, Inc. in Colorado Springs, Colo., believes in the CDPE designation so strongly that nearly half of his team of 250 agents have earned it.

“Here in Colorado Springs we have many military families where a security clearance is vital to their career,” he said. “If the military family does get a foreclosure on their record it can be devastating to their career. We are helping families avoid this and that is very gratifying to us.”

Martin Bouma, CDPE, a top Realtor in Ann Arbor, Mich., said that he and many other agents felt “painted into a corner” with the change in the market. After earning his Certified Distressed Property Expert designation, he is helping homeowners in distress and saving them from financial ruin.

“As the top Realtor in my marketplace, I was seeing my stream of business shrink as more and more sellers were upside down and I didn’t know how to help them,” he said. “Learning how to handle short sales with The Distressed Property Institute has been one of the most career changing classes that I have ever taken. It wasn’t just theory and ‘feel good’ discussions—I left with the skills necessary to tackle short sales.”

About the Distressed Property Institute, LLC
The Distressed Property Institute trains real estate professionals to engage with and assist homeowners facing hardships. The Institute has developed a curriculum to provide the tools and knowledge to handle distressed properties, including short sales, deeds-in-lieu, mortgage modifications, forbearance, refinances, reinstatements and, if that fails, how to help homeowners through the foreclosure process. After completing a comprehensive on-site or online course, graduates are awarded the Certified Distressed Property Expert® (CDPE) Designation.

About the CDPE Designation
The CDPE Designation provides real estate industry professionals with detailed information on how to engage with and assist homeowners in distress. With more than 7,500 professionals trained across the United States, the CDPE is one of the fastest growing designations in real estate industry history. The CDPE designation has been endorsed by RE/MAX International and other major U.S. brokerages and industry icons, including: Dave Liniger, chairman and co-founder of RE/MAX; Howard Brinton, founder of STAR POWER® Systems; Bob Corcoran, founder of Corcoran Coaching and Consulting; Brian Buffini, founder of Buffini and Company; and David Knox, founder of Knox Productions.

For more information about The Distressed Property Institute and the CDPE Designation, visit www.cdpe.com.