FAS

Foreclosures and abandoned properties are a reality in today’s market. As reported in a recent LA Times article, “Foreclosures and resulting blight infest once-safe neighborhoods”, the resulting vacancies present many challenges including increased crime, widespread blight, and financial and emotional burdens.  The good news is we can overcome these obstacles, prevent vacancies from paralyzing our neighborhoods and begin to stabilize our communities with the right products and services.

FAS was founded 17 years ago with the sole purpose of preserving properties.  We have been at the forefront of innovation since the day we opened our doors and continue to develop revolutionary services and products to help our customers more easily managed their vacant assets.

With our award-winning photo management technology, FASTrack™ Mobile, we can provide customers with a certified record of the exact time, date and location of work conducted in the field.  This dramatically impacts the day-to-day maintenance of properties and also the reliability of inspections.  Accurate inspections and regular maintenance will reduce the risk of future crime.

FAS has a comprehensive HOA and code compliance solution as well that includes a database of over 10,000 code enforcement personnel contacts that represent nearly 5,000 municipalities across all 50 states.  In 2011 alone, FAS boasted a 91% success rate on mitigating code compliance fines and HOA fees on behalf of our customers.  These relationships build knowledge that in turn reduces the spread of blight.

FAS also changed the property preservation game with Collateral Command, the first single-source solution to consolidate REO services in one package.  Instead of needing an array of vendors, all separately performing servicing activities in an uncoordinated manner, FAS provides a single, integrated solution with centralized coordination and management.  This ensures the right services are performed on the right property securing the value of a property sooner rather than later.

We apply this same framework to the pre-foreclosure market with FAS Avert™, a suite of services to help banks avoid foreclosure.  Avert provides the knowledge and tools to improve loss mitigation success rates, reduce expenses and build greater collateral intelligence, in advance of property custody, ultimately avoiding new vacancies from occurring.

And, at the end of the day, FAS delivers these services with meticulous quality, flat fee pricing and a 3-day turn around, nationwide.

By partnering with FAS, together, we can make a difference!

There is so much focus on the negative impact the housing market is having on our communities across the nation. A day doesn’t go by without being reminded by the media about families losing their homes to foreclosure, neighborhoods falling into disrepair, and home values declining.

As a company in the preservation business we are often forced to meet these challenges first-hand. We see the homes in disarray and sadly, at times, the people who must leave them behind.

It’s times like these when I ask myself, what else can be done? What else can I do? What else can FAS do? How can we make a positive impact and give back to our nation and our communities?

On a national level, I think the Bridges to Business Success Program is a great example of just want can be done. It should be a model for all struggling municipalities of how public-private partnerships can have a dramatic impact on our communities. The City of Los Angeles embraced the opportunity that was presented to it when the City was granted the NSP funds. It created a massive effort that has already resulted in thousands of new jobs and hundreds of new homes.

On a more local level, I think FAS’s participation in Habitat for Humanity is an excellent example of the impact a group of individuals can make in their own community. By dedicating their skills, time and energy to build a home for a family that otherwise would not be able to own a house, the FAS team along with the other Habitat for Humanity volunteers are giving back and putting a family into a home, creating new opportunities and bringing optimism to the community.

While there are challenges ahead for our nation and the housing industry, I’m hopeful we can overcome them by working together. FAS has been in the preservation business for over 15 years and has amassed an amazing depth and breadth of skills. While FAS will continue to use these skills to create new services for our customers and help them meet their business goals, I challenge us to also leverage these skills and become stewards in our communities to help bring about positive change.

These two efforts have transformed the lives of many families. They are the positive stories we don’t hear about every day. I hope by sharing them, you’ll be able to see the silver lining in what sometimes seems to be a never-ending dark cloud and perhaps think about the skills or opportunities you have that could provide hope and change for others.