Casa Latino Partners with the Distressed Property Institute, Brings Short Sale Education to Growing Network of Agents

September 08, 2010

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, and AUSTIN, TEXAS – September 8, 2010 – Casa Latino Franchise Corporation, the world’s largest network of Hispanic real estate offices, announced its partnership with the Distressed Property Institute to offer its sales associates the industry’s leading short sale education course, the CDPE designation. With this partnership, the company officially endorsed the CDPE designation as the distressed property training of choice for its agents nationwide.

“The multicultural marketplace has increased its need for agents with specific understanding of distressed properties,” said Robb Heering, founder and CEO, Casa Latino Franchise Corporation. “We’ve heard from our agents and identified the need for specific training to enhance their abilities to provide solutions. CDPE is by far the most effective short sale and distressed property training on the market today, and we’re pleased to provide this opportunity to help Casa Latino franchises and agents become more effective.”

In a short sale transaction, homeowners avoid foreclosure by working with their lenders and selling their property for less than the mortgage amount owed. Short sales have increased in frequency over the past three years, preferred for their lesser impact on homeowner credit, security and employment concerns, and higher recovery rates by lenders.

Based in Austin, Texas, the Distressed Property Institute has trained more than 25,000 real estate professionals since its inception in 2008. A survey of its membership revealed that CDPE-designated agents reported an average 49 percent decrease in short sale processing time since achieving the designation. In addition, these agents typically list seven times, and close four times as many properties as the average National Association of REALTORS® agent.

“Casa Latino’s mission to provide unparalleled service to a market sector with specific needs is completely in line with the goals of the CDPE,” Alex Charfen, co-founder and CEO of the Institute, said. “With the CDPE designation training, Casa Latino agents will have a greater ability to help distressed sellers realize alternatives to foreclosure, and their buyers work through the purchase of a short sale.”

According to the 2010 Second Quarter National Delinquency Survey put out by the Mortgage Bankers Association, more than one in seven mortgages are not being paid. In addition, the report showed mortgage delinquencies increasing among prime mortgages, traditionally recognized as the safest loan product for having the lowest delinquency rates among mortgage products on the market.

About Casa Latino Franchise Corporation
Casa Latino (www.casalatino.com) was created in 2005 based upon the premise that minority home buyers and sellers have unique needs due to cultural differences and lifestyles. This is bolstered by the fact that those needs are not being effectively served by any other national brand. While the company serves everyone, regardless of heritage, the company’s model is designed to provide superior service to a multicultural market. The company offers franchisees unprecedented culturally specific and significant back office support, training, marketing tools, advertising, coaching, and much more to ensure their success. The franchise model encourages a variety of agent compensation programs which dramatically enhances a broker’s ability to recruit agents. The low franchise fee and an exceptionally low transaction based royalty structure make Casa Latino an extremely attractive opportunity. Casa Latino continues to execute an aggressive growth plan in the USA, Canada, Puerto Rico and several countries in South and Central America.

About the Distressed Property Institute, LLC
The Distressed Property Institute (www.cdpe.com) 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® 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. The CDPE designation has been endorsed by top U.S. brokerages and industry icons, including: Brian Buffini, founder of Buffini & Company; Howard Brinton, founder of STAR POWER® Systems; Joe Stumpf, founder and national spokesperson of By Referral Only®; Allen Chiang, Chairman of the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA); and Tino Diaz, Chairman of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP).

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

Contact: Casa Latino Franchise Corporation
Media Relations
866-611-2272
HQ@casalatino.com

Contact: The Distressed Property Institute, LLC
Media Relations
512.501.2588
pr@cdpenow.com
Mail