Want a free home? Does new carpet sound appealing? You can win both at the Orlando Foreclosures Expo

Now this is a good idea – Giving away a free house to entice people to the inaugural foreclosure expo in Orlando. It feels like a market stall in London. Just one word of caution – “Below-market rates.”  This is very, very hard to determine right now. There is no market in Orlando. There may not be a market in Orlando for some time. “Market rate” is whatever some one is prepared to pay. Buyer beware. Do your home work. But I suspect if you are prepared to wait, or need property to live in, there should be some bargains to be had. This is their press release. Happy hunting !

Orlando – When the first-ever Orlando Foreclosures Expo is held from Feb. 7-8 at the International Plaza Resort & Spa, it will bring a diverse group of individuals and companies that work with foreclosures and short sales under one roof. First-time investors and seasoned investors can meet real estate wholesalers, brokers and agents who have a multitude of bank-owned properties at below-market rates. Homeowners who are facing foreclosure can speak to investors interested in buying properties, and professionals who can provide them with options if they want to sell their house, or remain in it and avoid foreclosure.

The Expo will also allow one attendee to walk away with a free home. In addition, another eventgoer will win a full carpet replacement, including installation and labor, for their property.

“Our event will be a place where people can network, learn about aspects of the foreclosures and short sales industry they might not otherwise have known, and improve their business,” said Phil Peachey, who is founder and organizer of the Orlando Foreclosures Expo (www.foreclosuresexpo.com). “The home and carpet replacement giveaways are valuable prizes that will make the winners especially glad they attended.”

REO Resolution Trust, LLC will give away a home at the Orlando Foreclosures Expo. Every Expo attendee will be eligible to win just buy purchasing the $10 entrance ticket. Eventgoers can buy as many tickets as they prefer.

REO Resolution Trust, LLC, which owns and operates BankerREOs.com, buys bank-owned properties and sells them to investment groups and individual investors. They will choose the property within a week before the Expo.

“The winner of this giveaway will receive a home that can generate revenue as an investment property, or they can live in it if they choose,” said Will Bland, who is president of REO Resolution Trust. “This person will own the home free and clear.”

Bland said that his company’s ultimate goal is to give away one home per month to a family in need. The donation at the Expo is just the beginning, he added. Bland will also give a presentation at the Expo about his company’s “turnkey system” that allows investors to buy properties, find qualified occupants, prepare the occupants to own the respective home, find a company to buy the note and then sell it to the occupants (giving them the chance to own the home).

Conquest Home Services, a Longwood-based company that provides carpet services for new home builders and performs full-scale home renovations, will give away a full carpet replacement including labor (up to $3,000 and 200 yards of carpet).

“The prize is ideal for someone who has an unoccupied home and intends to use it as an investment property, or a person who buys a home to live in,” said Rod Fair, who is vice president of sales for Conquest Home Services. “If you have an occupied home, you can win the giveaway, but you must either move the furniture on your own, and pay the cost for moving the furniture before the carpet is installed.”

Before the real estate crisis, Conquest primarily provided flooring for new home builders, but once the market experienced a downturn, the company added renovation services to its menu. Conquest bought and renovated a 4,500-square-foot building in Longwood to house its showroom.

“We’re a perfect example of why the Expo is a valuable event. We still provide flooring for new home builders, but we have placed a greater emphasis on renovation work to keep our bottom line healthy,” Fair said. “The Expo is a forum where companies like ours will make contacts with property management companies and investors who buy bank-owned homes because most of these properties need some level of renovation work.”