In This Issue

  • A Letter from the CSSE founder
  • HOA Liens and Foreclosures Are Becoming a Much Bigger Issue
  • We Have Expanded the CSSE Course to Cover More Strategies on HOA Liens
  • CSSE Profile Searches Continue to Grow
  • Law Firms Are Starting to Find CSSE Members
  • Directory Leads Are Leads – Always Do Your Due Diligence
  • Have You Opened the CSSE Marketing Materials Yet?
  • Give Your Social Media Marketing Six Months
  • Use Boosts to Get Beyond Your Existing Followers
  • A Financial Trend Few Agents Are Watching
  • Your August CSSE Action List
  • One Final Thought – Summer Newsletter Special

Michael Krein

Knowledge gives you leverage.

The Distressed Market Continues to Change – Make Sure You Are Changing With It

Short Sales Continue Increasing

Welcome to the August CSSE Newsletter.

One thing we continue to emphasize at Certified Short Sale Experts® is that this distressed market is not going to look exactly like the last one.

The mortgage may be the most obvious problem a homeowner is facing, but it is increasingly not the only problem.

HOA dues, special assessments, insurance increases, taxes, consumer debt and other expenses are creating additional financial pressures. As short sale professionals, we need to understand all these issues because any one of them can affect whether a transaction can actually close.

This month, I want to focus an issue that is becoming increasingly important: HOA Liens & HOA Foreclosures.

As HOAs face mounting financial pressures, Taxes, Insurance, Repairs and compliance code issues many associations are now also struggling. Combined with a huge increase in delinquent homeowners – many are in “crisis mode”. More on this further down in the newsletter.

I also have some very encouraging news about the growth of the CSSE directory, an important reminder about protecting yourself when receiving leads through the directory, and a couple of things I want every CSSE member doing with the marketing tools we have already provided.

HOA Liens and Foreclosures Are Becoming a Much Bigger Issue

This is something every CSSE agent needs to start paying attention to.

HOAs across the country are becoming much more aggressive about collections, liens and, in some cases, even filing their own foreclosures.

And there is a reason.

HOAs themselves are under tremendous financial pressure. Insurance, maintenance, repairs, labor, reserve requirements and other operating costs have increased dramatically.

Those costs eventually have to be passed on to homeowners through higher dues and special assessments.

At the same time, homeowners are already dealing with higher property taxes, insurance premiums, credit card debt, auto payments and the general increase in the cost of living.

Something eventually gives.

The numbers are getting our attention.

HOAs filed 284,933 liens against homeowners in 2025, an 8.6% increase from the previous year. (and this figure is still increasing)

HOAs are now getting much more aggressive and even filing their own foreclosures.

During the first quarter of 2026 alone, 6,376 properties had HOA-related foreclosure filings. That was nearly 40% higher than two years earlier.

Insurance is a major part of the problem. Between 2024 and early 2025, 91% of community associations surveyed reported increases in their master insurance policies, and 17% experienced increases of more than 100%.

Think about what that means for a homeowner who is already struggling.

Their mortgage payment may not have changed, but suddenly their HOA dues go up significantly or they receive a special assessment for thousands of dollars.

They fall behind.

Then come:

  • Late fees.
  • Collection costs.
  • Attorney fees.
  • Liens

And depending upon the state and circumstances, potentially foreclosure.

For those of us working short sales, this can become a major problem very quickly.

Their mortgage payment may not have changed, but suddenly their HOA dues go up significantly or they receive a special assessment for thousands of dollars.

We Have Expanded the CSSE Course to Cover More Strategies on HOA Liens

Because of what we are seeing, we have expanded the Certified Short Sale Experts® Agent Course to include even more training on HOA liens and more tools to deal with them during a short sale.

This is becoming too important to treat as a minor issue.

The updated training walks through the process step by step, including:

  • Identifying HOA and condominium association claims early in the transaction.
  • Determining whether a lien has already been recorded.
  • Obtaining updated HOA payoff and estoppel information.
  • Identifying collection costs, attorney fees and other charges.
  • Understanding that HOA lien rights and priority vary significantly from state to state.
  • Researching the applicable state statutes.
  • Communicating the issue properly to the servicer, investor and asset manager.
  • Challenging charges when appropriate and documenting why.
  • Addressing HOA balances before they become a last-minute closing problem.

If you have not taken the CSSE course yet, this updated material will be included in your CSSE course training.

If you already hold your CSSE designation, you do not need to retake the entire course. We are making the updated  HOA module available to you through the CSSE Quick Links-My Courses –CSSE Add On HOA Liens at no cost so you can review the new information.

Please take the time to go through it now. The add on module for HOA Liens will only be available for a limited time for CSSE certified agents.

The short sale agent who discovers the HOA problem three days before closing has a crisis.

The short sale agent who discovers it when the listing is taken has something they can manage.

That difference matters.

CSSE Profile Searches Continue to Grow

Now for some very good news.

We continue to see increasing traffic to the Certified Short Sale Experts® website and agent directory.

We are now averaging more than 500 profile searches per month from people searching for Certified Short Sale Experts.

For a program and directory that are still relatively new, we are extremely pleased with this traction, and look forward to even greater traffic and leads for the CSSE agents.

More importantly, we expect those numbers to increase considerably as we expand marketing the CSSE brand to consumers, lenders, servicers, attorneys and others who encounter homeowners experiencing financial distress.

Our goal has never simply been to give you another designation to put after your name.

We want people who need short-sale expertise to actually find you.

We are very excited to see that beginning to happen.

If you’ve completed the CSSE Course, have you updated your portal profiles to include your CSSE designation?

Law Firms Are Starting to Find CSSE Members

One of the most encouraging developments happened just recently.

We have started getting contacted by law firms asking whether they could use the CSSE directory to locate agents for their clients.

They have clients experiencing financial problems who will likely need to sell their homes, and in many cases those transactions will require a short sale.

They were looking for agents who actually understood the process.

That is exactly why the CSSE directory exists.

Attorneys, lenders, servicers, housing professionals and consumers should not have to randomly search the Internet hoping the agent they find understands short sales.

They should have a place where they can specifically search for someone who has been trained to handle them.

Seeing law firms independently discover and begin using the directory is a significant win for all of us.

And we intend to build on it.

Directory Leads Are Leads – Always Do Your Due Diligence

There is another side to increased visibility that we need to discuss.

As the CSSE website traffic grows, not every person who contacts you is necessarily someone you should do business with.

We recently became aware of an organization searching CSSE profiles and contacting members regarding potential distressed-property situations. After looking further into the organization and its positions, there were enough concerns that we would strongly recommend members conduct very careful due diligence before becoming involved.

We are not going to identify the organization here or attempt to give legal opinions about its beliefs. That isn’t our role.

The larger lesson is much more important.

Being contacted through the CSSE directory does not mean CSSE has screened, approved or endorsed the person or organization contacting you.

Treat a directory inquiry exactly the way you would treat a lead coming through your own website, Google profile, social media account or advertising.

Before accepting an engagement:

  • Find out exactly who you are dealing with.
  • Research the individual and organization.
  • Understand what they are asking you to do.
  • Be extremely cautious about unusual legal theories or requests.
  • Never participate in something you do not understand.
  • Never allow someone else’s interpretation of the law to substitute for advice from a qualified attorney.
  • Protect your license, your reputation and your business.

More exposure means more opportunity.

It also means you all have to use good judgment.

Have You Opened the CSSE Marketing Materials Yet?

If you are CSSE certified, I want everyone to pay particular attention to this section.

We have put a considerable amount of work into giving CSSE members marketing materials and ideas they can actually use.

Too many members still haven’t opened the marketing materials. (yes, we can see all traffic to all pages on our site)

Having the CSSE designation does not automatically create business.

You have to tell people you have it.

You have to explain why it matters.

The marketing module was created to help you do exactly that.

If you haven’t gone through it yet, make that it is one of your action items this month.

Do not try everything at once.

Pick a few things you can consistently implement and start doing them.

Your objective is simple:

When someone in your market thinks of short sale, or one of their friends in trouble – you want them thinking of you.

Give Your Social Media Marketing Six Months

This is another area where I see agents give up much too quickly.

They post something three times.

Nothing happens.

They decide social media doesn’t work.

That’s not how this works.

If you want to position yourself as the short sale expert in your market, give your social media marketing at least six months of consistent effort.

Post regularly about:

  • Short sales.
  • Foreclosure alternatives.
  • Homeowner financial distress.
  • HOA liens and assessments.
  • Mortgage delinquencies.
  • What homeowners should do when they fall behind.
  • Common short sale misconceptions.
  • Changes occurring in the distressed-property market.

Do not make every post an advertisement.

Educate people.

The business comes from becoming the person they associate with the subject.

Use Boosts to Get Beyond Your Existing Followers

Organic posting is important, but remember that Facebook and other social platforms will show your posts to only a portion of your followers.

For the strongest educational posts, consider putting a small advertising budget behind them.

You do not need to spend hundreds of dollars on every post.

Take the content that receives the best response organically and put some money behind it.

For consumer-facing short sale content, think about reaching people within the geographic market you actually serve rather than trying to advertise everywhere.

Depending upon the advertising platform and the targeting options currently available to you, build audiences around factors appropriate for your business and permitted under the platform’s current housing-advertising rules.

The important thing is to stay local, consistent and measurable.

The objective is repetition.

Someone sees you talking about short sales this month.

They see you again next month.

They see one of your videos.

They read one of your articles.

Three months from now, a friend tells them they are behind on their mortgage.

Who are they going to remember?

That’s the business we’re trying to build.

Just a small budget of $10 per day boosting a Facebook (META) ad/post each week can readily increase your followers and brand and even generate some immediate results. 

We are planning a separate bonus lesson / webinar for you on using “Hyper-Local” boosted posts, as some of our CSSE agents have already seen some amazing results from them. 

Your August CSSE Action List

Before the end of August, I would like every CSSE member to do these things:

  1. Review the new HOA lien and foreclosure training.
  2. Check your CSSE directory profile and make sure it is complete and current.
  3. Open the CSSE Marketing Materials if you haven’t already done so.
  4. Commit to consistently marketing your short sale expertise for the next six months.
  5. Identify your best educational social media content and consider putting a reasonable advertising budget behind it.
  6. Continue doing your own due diligence on every new lead or organization that contacts you.

The distressed market is continuing to develop.

Foreclosure activity itself is already moving higher. ATTOM reported 227,548 U.S. properties with foreclosure filings during the first six months of 2026, up 21% from the same period last year.

But the opportunity ahead of us isn’t simply about more foreclosures.

It is about understanding the problems homeowners are encountering before foreclosure becomes the only option.

In addition – There are currently over 2 million+ homeowners already behind on their mortgages right now and that is only getting worse. 

That is exactly where knowledgeable short sale professionals belong.

Keep learning. Keep educating your market. Keep building your visibility.

We will continue giving you the training, information and tools to help you do it.


 Certified Short Sale Experts®

Summer Newsletter Special:

...

If you haven’t yet taken the CSSE course and earned your CSSE Designation and Directory listing?

Here is your chance to Save $100 off of the CSSE Course and get a FREE One  Year Directory (a $348 value)

Discount code :   t4ddujm2

We will be doing another Market Update Webinar in conjunction with EQUATOR, later this month. If you haven’t attended one of these sessions – it’s important for you to understand the coming market and what is truly happening. Your own real estate career  depends on your understanding of this coming market.  

WHERE THE MONEY IS IN TODAY’S REAL ESTATE MARKET

August 27, 2026
12:00 p.m. Central

We will show you where this opportunity is developing, how to find these homeowners and how agents can turn distressed properties into listings, closings and income.

REGISTER HERE

Stop looking where every other agent is looking.