Category Archives: General Reading

Fred Bowerman Says He Was Treated Like An Employee & Not An Independent Contractor

. General Reading

 A judge and a jury found that Fred Bowerman was a field services employee and not an independent contractor. The court award to him was $269,281.

Foreclosurepedia reports that “During the course of their employment by FAS, the Bowermans became enlightened to the fact that they and tens of thousands of other Contractors were getting the shaft. The shaft, though, was not just from FAS. It was from each and every Member of the National Association of Mortgage Field Services and others.”

Are you an independent contractor or an employee?

Some Vendor Managers Are Taking 2-Lunch Breaks On Most Days

. General Reading

The economy is getting better and some vendor managers are not able to recruit the inspectors that they need. Other vendor managers are taking 2-hour lunch breaks as there are having no problems recruiting inspectors. They are going to the park on a 2-hour lunch beak or to Best Buy to look at the new electronic gadgets. They love their job!

Some hiring firms advertise with a SOFI banner and they subscribe to the SOFI Weekly Update Report listing new field inspectors added to the National Field Service Directory. Ask your boss for some help. Order a SOFI Banner Ad and a SOFI Weekly Update Report at www.sofistore.com.

More Car Chases Coming For Field Service Inspectors As Auto Defaults Surge

. General Reading

The Federal Reserve is saying that 2017 will be a great year for car chases … also known as vehicle delinquency interviews. This is great news for the field service inspectors that love the car chases. Most of the car chases go to inspectors with great SOFI designed resumes and those who advertise with SOFI. Richard Law can help you with that … call 321-543-2809 (east coast) for details.

I have performed many vehicle delinquency interviews. Some were also for boats, jet skis, motorcycles and RVs. You are not asking for any keys or making a repossession. In essence, you are asking the delinquent borrower to call the bank or finance company in your presence. When they call, you get the name of the person they talked to on the telephone.

Continue reading →

Today Is National Ice Cream Day

. General Reading

Today is National Ice Cream Day today. Dorann and I visited the Cold Stone Creamery on Sunday on the barrier island of Indialantic, just across the Indian River from Melbourne, Florida. It was a buy one, get one free ice cream with a coupon at Cold Stone Creamery.

Dorann and I will be in the Melbourne area through Wednesday if you want to meet for coffee and chat about the field services industry. Call Richard Law at 321-543-2809 (east coast).

Notary Signing Agents Are Stepping Into Commercial & Insurance Inspections

. General Reading

Field service inspections are becoming a great gap filler for notary signing agents as interest rate rise and some of their assignments are slowing. Most of the notary signing agents are getting a fast start using all of the information, marketing and training products at www.sofistore.com.

The competition is heating up. I am sending out a resume email blast on Tuesday of next week for a new notary signing agent who also has also a year of field inspection experience. I sense that she is a very dedicated and organized ex-Army officer. She served as a company commander and was awarded a Bronze Star for service in a combat zone. The Bronze Star Medal, unofficially the Bronze Star, is a United States decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. She has a graduate degree in international relations.

The competition is heating up and I find that many field service inspectors have no resume and they have no advertising and they have no marketing skills. They do nothing to compete and they don’t get the work. Then, they wonder why their telephone is not ringing. These field inspectors are going to be left out when it comes to getting work in field services industry.

 Change happens … they keep moving the cheese … cheese being jobs. Get ready for cheese to move. The quicker you let go of the old cheese … the sooner you can enjoy the new cheese. Savor the adventure and enjoy the taste of new cheese. Let SOFI help you get connected with the higher quality firms that pay the higher fees. Check out the National Field Service Directory at the SOFI STORE.

Call Richard Law at 321-543-2809 (east coast) if you have questions on getting started.

The June Jobs Report Was A Good Economic Report … Bad For The Mortgage Segment

. General Reading

Membership in SOFI is FREE. Today we are seeing fewer people interested in the field services industry as compared to past years. The Mortgage Segment is dead primarily because the fees are so low and the upfront costs to get started are so high. The only attraction today is working for the higher quality firms that pay the higher fees … I am talking about commercial and insurance inspections.

Many of the mortgage inspectors have left field services. Many were afraid to make the cross over from mortgage inspections to commercial and insurance inspections. They are afraid of change. I have never understood the reluctance to change when change was so much better.

We are finding that more of the national and regional field service firms are coming to SOFI for help in recruiting field service inspectors. Field service inspectors need to change quickly. Move with the change. Many notary signing agents are seeing a huge slowdown in refinances and they are filling the gap with field service inspections. They come to SOFI and we recommend commercial and insurance inspections. We suggest that everyone avoid the low fee mortgage inspections with the huge upfront costs to get started. The mortgage segment is also the home of fraud, greed and corruption.

Mortgage inspections are the dead spot and commercial inspections are the hot spot today.

Be ready to change quickly and enjoy it again and again. What would you do if you were not afraid?

 

Field Inspector Comments On Commercial vs. Mortgage Inspections

. General Reading

“Did 1 commercial inspection today.

Total drive time to and from site: About 75 minutes w/rush hour traffic (sadly).
Total time spent on the site: About an hour.
Total time spent putting the photos and report together to upload: About an hour.

Pay for this inspection: $225 for a little over 3 hours of easy, relax-paced work.
Equivalency for mortgage inspections: I had $5 per, so 45 would be needed which would take 6-8 hours of consistent driving & filling out along the way to get. $3 per? 75 which would take 10-12 hours plus to complete in my area.

Added caveat? Turns out part of the building is being renovated into a new craft brewery. I’m going back when they open.

Take it from someone who’s been there: don’t get into mortgage inspections now!”

I checked all of the numbers and they looked great.
GO COMMERCIAL

Job Growth Surged In June 2017 … Better Jobs Replacing The Low-Pay Jobs

. General Reading, Residential Insurance Inspections

The U.S. labor market rebounded in June, new government data showed Friday, as employers surpassed the expectations of most economists by adding 222,000 jobs. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.4 percent, from 4.3 percent in May, but it did so for a good reason — more people joined the labor force to look for work.

In the field services industry, the commercial and insurance segments are strong while the mortgage segment is very weak. Foreclosures and mortgage delinquencies are at an 8-year low. The average mortgage drive-by inspection pays about $3. Too many mortgage inspectors are chasing fewer mortgage inspections. The first 833 mortgage inspections performed will go toward paying off your upfront background check and insurance costs … about $1,265. You may have to wait 60 days to get that first pay check.

The Mortgage Order Mills (MOMs) are just like Adolf Hitler and the media.

“Make the lie big, make it simple, keeping saying it, and eventually they will believe it”.    … Adolf  Hitler

The MOMs will tell you that there is a lot of money to be made with $3 mortgage inspections. All you will do is wear out your car servicing large areas and visiting the high-crime neighborhoods. It takes a mortgage field service inspector about two weeks before they discover that they are not making any real money.

 

 

Bank Of America Whistleblower Gets $57 MILLION Dollars … Learn About The False Claims Act

. General Reading . Leave a comment

 There is BIG MONEY to be made in MORTGAGE FRAUD.

Dec 17 (Reuters) – A former executive of Countrywide Financial, who led a jury to find parent company Bank of America Corp liable for fraud over shoddy mortgages the company sold, will receive a $57 million award for another whistleblower case against his former employer, according to federal court documents.

Edward O’Donnell had filed a whistleblower lawsuit that accused Countrywide of defrauding government-backed mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by selling them loans that were not as good as the company represented them to be. The case became known as the “Hustle” case due to the Countrywide process through which the loans were sold, which was technically referred to as HSSL.

READ MORE  >>>>

 

Telephone Not Ringing … Maybe You Need A SOFI-Designed Resume

. General Reading

 

SOFI has designed thousands of field service inspector resumes. We know what works. We know how to create a resume that will get some attention. Your resume needs to tell a 15-second story of who you are … what you do … where you do it … with no background noise.

The process is to complete the online form at www.joinsofi.com. Then ORDER your resume design … the price is $50. We will create a draft in about two days for you to review. The final product will be in a PDF format. You will LOVE your new resume. Look professional. Make more money in 2017.

Rep Maxine Waters Says On July 3rd That Ben Carson ‘Knows Nothing About The Mission Of HUD’

. General Reading

WASHINGTON – JUNE 19: U.S. President George W. Bush (R) presents a Presidential Medal of Freedom to Benjamin S. Carson, Sr. M.D (L), for his work with neurological disorders during an East Room ceremony June 19, 2008 at the White House in Washington, DC. The medal is the nation’s highest civilian award. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

My first impression of Dr. Ben Carson in his new position as Secretary of HUD is that he will bring needed change to HUD. Sometimes you need an outsider to make real change.

Speaking at this year’s Essence Festival on July 3, 2017 in New Orleans, Maxine Waters said about Carson that “He needs to go back to the hospital, back to the operating room. If he thinks, when he comes before [the House Committee on Financial Services], where I am the ranking member… and thinks that I am going to give him a pass, I am going to take his ass apart.”

Let’s Talk About Car Chases … Vehicle Delinquency Interviews

. General Reading

I have performed many vehicle delinquency interviews. Some were also for boats, jet skis, motorcycles and RVs. You are not asking for any keys or making a repossession. In essence, you are asking the delinquent borrower to call the bank or finance company in your presence. When they call, you get the name of the person they talked to on the telephone.

Continue reading →

Thanks Don For The Feedback

. General Reading

Richard, thanks for all the great resources. I’m new to field inspections but an article you wrote for one of the notary sites got my attention, led me to SOFI and from there to steady work providing me with a nice ancillary income. I’m more into it for the fun and keeping my people skills sharp, but the money is a nice bonus. Thanks for all you do!

See If These $425 Fake Mud Pants Meet Your Customer’s Dress Code

. General Reading

Nordstrom ($JWN), which canceled Ivanka Trump’s fashion line after their liberal customers complained, has decided to mock blue collar Americans by selling a pair of $425 jeans with fake mud!

It’s for the trust fund baby. It’s for the kid who inherits the millions of dollars, the kid who doesn’t want to work hard and wants to go into Nordstrom, pay a lot of money and act like they work – Ainsley Eardhardt, Fox & Friends

Nordstrom ($JWN) has decided to mock blue collar Americans with “Fake Mud” jeans. Most of the people I know get real mud on their jeans.

E&S Is A New Online Advertiser With SOFI

. General Reading

Check out the SOFI National Field Service Directory. It is the Bible in the field services industry. If you are starting or growing a field inspection business, the Directory will list over 100 of the higher quality firms that pay the higher fees and service your state. Network with the thousands of field inspectors across the U.S. … they are listed on the CD that comes with the mailed paper Directory. If you are going to do something … be sure to do it right.

 

The Subprime Auto Loan Meltdown Is Near … Get Ready For Some Great Car Chases

. General Reading

According to Equifax, an astounding 23.5 percent of all new auto loans were made to subprime borrowers in 2015.  At this point, there is a total of somewhere around $200 billion in subprime auto loans floating around out there. Everything would be fine if the number of subprime borrowers not making their payments was extremely low.  And that was true for a while, but now delinquency rates and default rates are rising to levels that we haven’t seen since the last recession. According to Bloomberg, almost 5% of subprime car loans that were bundled into securities and sold to investors are delinquent, and the default rate is even higher than that.

This bad economic news is great news for car chases. Car Chases is the short term for vehicle delinquency interviews. These are NOT repossessions. You are NOT towing cars. They pay about $25 for nearby inspections. Be sure to include some Car Chases in your portfolio of inspections. Check out all of the great SOFI information, marketing and training products at www.sofistore.com. Get connected with the higher quality firms that pay the higher fees.

 

The Largest Expense For Field Services Is Gas

. General Reading

I paid $2.02 at the BJ’s in Melbourne, Florida for gas. As a military retiree, I pay only $35 for a BJ’s membership card. I have $250 in RaceTrac gas cards that I purchased at a 20% discount at Publix. Using these cards, I pay about $1.86/gallon for gas at RaceTrac. I drive a 3-year old Prius 2 that gets 52 MPG.

Keep your service area small. Create the volume you need in that small service area by working for more companies. Charge more for out-of-area services. Work only for the higher quality firms that pay the higher fees. Avoid low-fee mortgage inspections. Work smart. Create efficiencies and you will earn more money. Add another part-time job such as notary signings if you need to fill any gaps. Life can be great if you are organized and produce great work.

Need Business Insurance … Check Out OREP … They Know Field Service Insurance Needs

. General Reading

orep

read-more-orange

Deal only with a professional insurance agent. In 2016, many of the Mortgage Order Mills (MOMs) were pushing an insurance agent who had their licensed revoked by a state insurance commissioner because of fraud. The owner of the insurance agency is expected to be criminally charged. Shop around and be sure to check out OREP before you make a final decision on insurance.

Many Of The Mortgage Vendor Managers Are Legal Experts In All States

. General Reading

Be sure you know the trespass and peeping laws in your state. Ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking the law. I had a vendor manager at a Mortgage Order Mill (MOM) tell me that it was OKAY to peep into windows to obtain the occupancy status of a home. She said that it’s OKAY to peep into the windows of homes. I asked her if she had any legal training and what she did before she started work for the Mortgage Order Mill. She said that she was a hair dresser for seven years. I assume that she received some of her legal training while cutting the hair of a few attorneys.

Virginia Code 18.2-130 … Peeping or spying into dwelling or enclosure.

It shall be unlawful for any person to enter upon the property of another and secretly or furtively peep, spy or attempt to peep or spy into or through a window, door or other aperture of any building, structure, or otherenclosure of any nature occupied or intended for occupancy as a dwelling,whether or not such building, structure or enclosure is permanently situated or transportable and whether or not such occupancy is permanent or temporary,or to do the same, without just cause, upon property owned by him and leased or rented to another under circumstances that would violate the occupant’s reasonable expectation of privacy.

LIAR … LIAR … Pants On Fire

. General Reading

Some of the insurance field service firms think it is OKAY to lie to insurance field service inspectors. One national insurance field services firm said that it was okay to take photos while standing on private property of the inside of a fenced rear yard without owner/occupant consent because the authorization was written into the insurance policy. The insurance field service inspector felt very uneasy. He asked to see where such authorization was written in the insurance policy. CRICKETS! … No response.

He then called the insurance underwriter and discovered that no such authorization was written into their insurance policies. There was no such authorization to take photos of rear yards while standing on private property. Trespass is criminal in most state and county jurisdictions. You could be arrested and go to jail.

The insurance field inspector has referred this matter to the state insurance commissioner for a reading on the matter. More later on this!

When a field service firm lies to you, it means that they have no respect for you. Stop working for the liars.

SOFI does not provide any legal advice as we are not lawyers.

North Carolina Issues Notary Signing Licenses To 320 Illegal Immigrants

. General Reading

FOX News reports that a state representative is demanding the resignation of North Carolina’s secretary of state after reviewing documents that show 320 people with no legal residency status were given notary positions for nearly a decade.

Records show that more than 300 North Carolina notaries were illegal residents. There are probably more that 320. I’m sure that more will be found.

U.S Federal District Court Rules That Controlled Vendors Are “EMPLOYEES” & NOT Independent Contractors

. General Reading

Paul Williams at Foreclosurepedia has been rightly saying for many years that controlled vendors are “treated” like employees and they should be treated as employees and NOT as independent contractors. On March 17th, a U.S. Federal District Court entered a 50-page court ruling in the Bowman v Field Asset Services case wherein the court declared that:

“the overwhelming weight of the evidence supports a finding that FAS retained and, more often than not, actually exercised a right to control the manner and means of the vendors’ work. While some of the secondary factors for evaluating proper classification fall in FAS’s favor, they cannot overcome the powerful evidence of control that establishes that the vendors are employees as a matter of law.”

The bottom line is that Mortgage Order Mills (MOMs) … and others … are exercising too much control over their field service representatives. The U.S. federal courts have ruled in two federal cases that the MOMs could not overcome the powerful evidence of control that establishes that the vendors are employees as a matter of law. There are several other Rulings coming down the pike over the next month or so, the largest of which will be the Vinson v MCS on nearly identical issues.

You MUST READ the Foreclosurepedia blog post which provides a great highlighted analysis of the Bowman v Field Asset Services ruling. This federal court ruling affects EVERYONE in the field services industry. It establishes the rule of law that control of vendors will be determined by the federal district courts and that such controlled vendors are employees as a matter of law. The U.S. Federal Court rulings say that Paul Williams got it right when everyone told Paul that he was wrong.

Paul Williams is one of the smartest people I know. Paul is a great friend of LABOR. He has also provided consulting to some major U.S. corporations.   I talked to Paul last evening for about 45 minutes discussing the Bowman v Field Asset Services case. He also provided me with some great trusted business advice. I always find his advice to be valuable to my business and I made another donation to show my appreciation. You too can make a donation at Foreclosurepedia and get connected to the person who has his fingers on the pulse of what is happening in the field services industry. The world of field services is changing and the new keywords trending are “controlled vendors are employees”. Hiring companies and field workers need to link up with Paul Williams (coo@foreclosurepedia.org) for some straight talk and advice. Paul has a record of being right.

Philadelphia Field Inspectors Need To Ask For More Money For Inspections

. General Reading

Philadelphia field service inspectors have a higher cost of living than many of us. They pay an 8% sales tax and a beverage tax (1.5-cents per ounce) on any beverage that contains sugar. A 12-pack of Propel berry flavored water with 2 grams of sugar is $9.75.

I purchased three 24-pack cases of Propel at a BJ’s in Florida today. The price for a 24-pack case in Florida was $11.62 with tax. If Florida had the same beverage tax, I would have paid $17.70 … of which $6.08 would have been the beverage tax.

Bottom line: $9.75 for a 12-pack in Philly and $11.62 for a 24-pack in Florida. Philly field inspectors need to ask for more money just so that they can buy berry flavored water.

More Car Chases Coming In 2017 As More Subprime Auto Loans Default

. General Reading

Losses on subprime auto loans have spiked in the last few months. They jumped to 9.1% in January, up from 7.9% in January 2016. Recoveries on subprime auto loans also fell to just 34.8%, the worst performance in over seven years.

A local area car chase (vehicle delinquency interview) pays about $25. These are NOT repossessions. Two of the larger national car chase field service firms are long-time members of SOFI.

 

Federal Reserve Increased Interest Rates As Job Market Improves

. General Reading

Rising interest rates is a big blow to the low-fee mortgage segment of the industry … the home of $3 mortgage inspections. Janet Yellen says the economy is improving … more and better jobs are here NOW! More better jobs are coming. No one will want the low-pay jobs … especially $3 mortgage inspections with “maybe” a profit of $1.50.

The mortgage segment is the home of 99.5% of the greed, fraud and corruption in the industry. The mortgage segment is terrible NOW and it will only get worst. The mortgage segment is on life support and will soon flatline.

 

March Is A Busy Sales Month At SOFI

. General Reading

March has always been a very busy sales month at SOFI. We sell a lot of information, marketing and training products in the month of March. Field service firms and field service representatives seem to wake up in March and decide that it is time to invest in growing their business. We are seeing higher traffic at the SOFI Store today as the snow in the mid-west and north-east is keeping field service representatives home and they are thinking about growing their business more in 2017.

Take some time today and think about were you want to be in 2017. Let SOFI help you grow your business in 2017.

McDargh Consulting In Tampa Offers Some Great Commercial Property Inspections

. General Reading

bg-main

Dorann and I visited Tampa Busch Gardens for the day on Tuesday. We started off the day in Tampa having breakfast with Betsy McDargh at McDargh Real Estate Services, Inc. Her firm has a great reputation as being a higher quality firm that offers higher fees. She is always looking for the best of the best field service inspectors and she will pay you well for your experience and expertise. Be sure to complete an application form at the website.

WeGoLook … A New Star In The Sky … Featured On Worldwide Business With Kathy Ireland

. General Reading

WeGoLook is a company seeking to change the way businesses and individuals collect or verify information. With the click of a button, one of the company’s 30,000+ “Lookers” can be dispatched at a moment’s notice to collect real-time data, photos or video. From automotive and property inspections to insurance claims, notary services and auction item verification, WeGoLook puts an immense mobile workforce at a customer’s fingertips. Their platform delivers real-time, efficient solutions customized to fit business or personal needs. The company was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

What has been your experience with WeGoLook?

 

Seniors Make Great Field Service Inspectors. Here Are Some Test Questions To Help Hiring Firms To Find Seniors & Weed Out The Imposters

. General Reading

seniors

After the Lone Ranger saved the day and rode off into the sunset, the grateful citizens would ask, Who was that masked man? Invariably, someone would answer, I don’t know, but he left this behind. What did he leave behind?______________

When the Beatles first came to the U.S. In early 1964, we all watched them on The ____ ___________ Show.

The story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed to _____ _ _____.’

What takes a licking and keeps on ticking? _______.

We can remember the first satellite placed into orbit. The Russians did it. It was called __________.

 In the jungle, the mighty jungle, ____ ____ ____ ____.

13_easy_steps_cover_____011914

www.13easysteps.com

How Would Hitler React To $3 Mortgage Inspections?

. General Reading

I posted this video at www.mortgagehorror.com. The field services industry is a great industry that offers real opportunities. The mortgage segment has always been the home of low-fee inspections and 99.5% of the fraud, greed and corruption in the industry. The video brings out all of the bad parts of the mortgage segment. It’s best to avoid low-fee mortgage inspections … to avoid stress in your life.

The Economy Is Heating Up … January Spending Spree Has US Retail Sales Rising Most In Nearly Five Years

. General Reading

kungphoo-hot-circles-free-advertising

The economy is heating up. The stock market is skyrocketing and forecasting good times ahead.

I talked to my good friend Carl in Ohio. He has been performing inspections for the last twenty years. He loves car chases … vehicle delinquency interviews. Did you know that a car chase that pays $25 today, paid $25 about 20 years ago. The heating up of the economy will bring higher inspections fees as the supply of field inspectors settle out at a lower level.

Don’t Waste Your Time Filling Out Field Service Job Applications

. General Reading

freight-claim-management-time-wasters

The higher quality firms in the field services industry that pay the higher fees will answer their phone and connect you with a real live person to discuss job opportunities. Always find out if there is a good probability of a job being available BEFORE you fill out a long employment application.

If the staff of a firm does not want to talk to you, you do not want to work for them. There always has to be a meeting of the minds in any successful relationship. Call FIRST to check on job availability before you waste a lot of time with an application. You may not like what they have to offer. If a hiring firm can’t get to what they pay for an inspection in the first two minutes, they probably pay below market rates. Silence on pay usually means that they are cheap.

Ask if there are any upfront costs to get started with the firm? These are often not explained in a job application. With mortgage inspections, there are almost ALWAYS high upfront costs and low fees. Ask about pay schedules.