Certified Short Sale Experts – Monthly Newsletter June 2026
EQUATOR UPDATE: MAKE SURE YOUR CSSE DESIGNATION IS SHOWING
One of the biggest advantages of being a Certified Short Sale Expert is visibility with the companies that actually handle short sales.
As many of you know, the majority of lender-managed short sales are processed through the Equator platform. In fact, three of the five largest mortgage servicers in the country currently utilize Equator for their short sale operations. Equator has been a tremendous supporter of the CSSE program because their clients need qualified agents who understand how to properly manage distressed properties.
To help identify trained agents, Equator has created a CSSE designation within agent profiles.
However, Equator recently notified us of a common issue.
Many CSSE graduates have checked the CSSE designation box in their Equator profile, but have not uploaded their CSSE completion certificate. As a result, Equator cannot verify the designation, and the profile will not properly display the CSSE credential to clients and users searching the platform.
What You Need To Do
- Log into your Equator account.
- Open your profile settings.
- Verify that the CSSE designation box is checked.
- Look for a red exclamation point next to the designation.
- If you see the red exclamation point, upload your CSSE completion certificate immediately.
Until the certificate is uploaded, your designation will not display within the platform to clients.
This takes only a few minutes and ensures that servicers, clients, and other users can identify you as a Certified Short Sale Expert.
Don’t miss opportunities simply because your profile isn’t fully completed.
THE REFERRALS ARE ALREADY STARTING
One of the most exciting developments we’re hearing from CSSE members across the country is that the marketing is working.
Several CSSE members have reported receiving calls directly from homeowners who found them through social media, local marketing efforts, and online searches.
But what surprised many of them was where some of the referrals were actually coming from.
Other real estate agents.
We’re hearing the same story repeatedly:
- An agent gets a potential short sale listing.
- The homeowner needs help.
- The agent doesn’t understand short sales.
- The agent doesn’t want to learn short sales.
- The agent believes short sales are difficult.
So they refer the listing to a CSSE agent.
In several cases, the agents didn’t even ask for a referral fee. They simply wanted the problem handled by someone who knew what they were doing.
Think about that for a moment.
While most agents are fighting over traditional listings, many are actively avoiding short sale opportunities because they don’t understand the process.
That’s creating an incredible opening for CSSE members.
Use that and market not only to homeowners but within the agent community as well – there are several Facebook groups focused on real estate and referrals – it would be a great idea to place a post in those once a week or so about your short sale expertise and willingness to help.
COMING SOON: THE CSSE BROKER / SHORT SALE DEPARTMENT COURSE
One of the most common questions we receive from brokers and team leaders is:
“How do I build an entire short sale department?”
The good news is that we’ve completed the new CSSE Broker Short Sale Department Course, and our programming team is currently finalizing the website integration. We expect it to be available within the next couple of weeks.
It includes forms, agreements, structures, marketing, lead management and everything you need to get a full short sale department up and running quickly.
This course was designed specifically for brokers, team leaders, and office owners who want to create a scalable and highly profitable short sale division within their company.
The business model is simple.
The broker controls the marketing and lead generation, recruits and trains listing agents, and then supports those agents with dedicated processing staff. Because short sale processing is highly specialized, a single experienced processor can often support multiple listing agents simultaneously, creating significant leverage and profitability.
This is the exact model I used for years on both REO and short sales and one that helped build an extremely successful business. When implemented correctly, it allows brokers to leverage their expertise, systems, and staff to handle a much larger volume of business without personally managing every file.
The interest in this course has been tremendous.
In fact, one of our recent CSSE graduates, who owns a brokerage, is already building out his short sale department. To ensure his agents completed the training, he requested a custom tracking code for his office. We were happy to provide it and can monitor course registrations and completions so brokers can verify which agents have completed the training.
If you’re considering building a short sale department, training your agents, or incorporating CSSE into your office training program, let us know. We can create a custom office code that allows you to track participation and completion throughout your organization.
As the distressed property market continues to grow, brokers who build the systems, staff, and expertise now will be in a position to capture a significant share of this business in the years ahead.
Watch for the official launch announcement coming soon.
POSITION YOURSELF NOW
Here is a great read about the “2023 FHA originated (vintage) loans” – you should check this out and market to this group accordingly.
“Study flags $880M in subordinate liens on 2023 vintage FHA mortgages”
https://www.housingwire.com/articles/hidden-liens-2023-fha-loans/
The market continues to show signs of increasing distress.
Delinquencies remain elevated.
FHA borrowers especially continue to face significant challenges.
Loss mitigation options are becoming more limited for many repeat defaulters.
Especially with the new limits on loan mods and other workout options – no more multiples and now only one every 24 months and there is also a cap of deferrals (payment forbearance) -sometimes as silent seconds of 30% of the loan balance so now many no longer have that option as they have exceed the caps.
As more homeowners seek alternatives to foreclosure, trained short sale professionals will be in high demand.
The agents who position themselves now will have a tremendous advantage over the next several years.
Keep marketing.
Keep educating consumers.
Keep networking with other agents.
And most importantly, make sure your Equator profile is fully completed and displaying your CSSE designation.
The opportunities are already starting to arrive.
The question is whether you’re visible when they do.
Thank you for being part of the Certified Short Sale Experts community.
Together, we’re helping homeowners, protecting neighborhoods, and building successful businesses in one of the most underserved sectors of today’s real estate market.
Quick Action Items This Month
- Verify your Equator CSSE designation is active.
- Upload your CSSE completion certificate if needed.
- Post one short sale educational post on social media each week.
- Contact five local agents and remind them you accept short sale referrals.
- Post in real estate referral Facebook groups about your expertise and willingness to accept referrals
- Update your CSSE Directory profile and contact information.
- Like and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn – we are constantly posting and you are free to repost and repurpose our content and graphics for yourself.
