UnderwaterRealEstate.com
⚠️ CA Real Estate Agents - Watch Our Free TRaining On the Mortgage Debt ForGiveness Act BeloW
The Expiration of the Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Act Changed Everything.
Understand exactly how the Debt Forgiveness Act change affects your clients
Know when a recourse loan creates tax liability and when it doesn't
Learn what the CAR Short Sale Addendum is actually telling you
Know when to bring an attorney in and how to position your teams espertise
Build a referral-generating underwater real estate specialty
Learn Our Consultative Listing Strategy
Use our short sale consult intake form which not only protected us but interestingly made listing that clients short sale almost inevitable
Virtually Every Short Sale Training You've Ever Seen Is Now Outdated
The Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Act expired. That changes the calculus on short sales and foreclosures for nearly every low-equity client you'll ever work with and the tax consequences of getting it wrong can follow your clients for years.
The Power of California's CCP 580E is widely over estimated when it comes to taxes, even by Realtors who've done dozens of short sales. The California Association of Realtors Lawyers (apparently) understand this. That's why their own Short Sale Listing Addendum tells every seller to get a clear deficiency statement in their approval letter even while citing 580E in the same section of the Addendum.
If CAR's lawyers thought California's CCP 580E (the short sale law) was bulletproof with respect to the IRS that line probably wouldn't be there.
For clients with recourse loans, the picture is even more complex. The IRS is actively training agents on forgiveness income after foreclosures and short sales. They lost in 2023 on non-judicial foreclosure , but short sales may still be contested territory.
Your clients need a Realtor who knows the difference between the insolvency exception, a disputed debt argument, and why approval letter language can change everything.
That Realtor should be you.
This Certification Is Built For Realtors Who:
Wish to work with people who really need your advice and services.
List or desire to list short sales in California
Want a listing specialty that sets them apart from every other agent
Want to know when to bring an attorney in before it becomes a problem
Want to build a referral pipeline around a niche most agents avoid
Understand that the market is shifting and underwater situations will increase
Here's Everything Inside the Program
You watched the training. You know what's at stake. Here's what you get when you join.
PART 1: CORE CERTIFICATION
The Certification : Become a certified UnderwaterRealEstate.com Expert. A credential that signals to clients and referral partners that you understand this subject at a level almost no other Realtor does.
Founding Cohort Access : You're in the first group. Short sale negotiation training, package templates, and consultative listing frameworks which I used to garner 60 closed shorts sales withing 3 years of becoming an agent and an agent in my office used to list and sell of 100 short sales.
Private Community : Ongoing access to our member community. Stay current as the law, IRS positions, and bank behaviors evolve.
Live Q&A : Regular sessions where you bring your current files and get real guidance on what you're seeing in the field.
PART 2: THE ONGoing BUSINESS PLAYBOOK
Content Marketing Mastery for Underwater Real Estate : The exact playbook used to list and close several hundred short sales through content marketing. What content worked, how to reach underwater homeowners before they call anyone else, and how to become the go-to agent in your market for low-equity situations. Nobody else is teaching this because nobody else built it. (Master this and you can then repeat it in other niches)
If after your strategy call with John you decide this program isn't right for you, just let John know and we will return your money.
Who's Teaching This
John McConnin is a licensed California attorney and real estate broker. He was selected by the California Association of Realtors to Train Realtors on how to list and negotiate short sales. He negotiated hundreds of short sales during the last market cycle. He knows what banks try to slip into approval letters, which lenders send clean language and which ones don't, and exactly when a client's file needs an attorney before the damage is done.
He built UnderwaterRealEstate.com because there is no current, accurate, California specific training for Realtors on this subject. Everything out there, including what he published years ago is outdated. This program exists because Realtors deserve to actually understand what they're dealing with, and their clients deserve a Realtor who does.
You're Not Buying a Finished Taped Course. You're Joining the Ground Floor with live access.
The short sale negotiation training, package templates, and consultative listing frameworks can be tailored to your Q&As. Your questions, your files, and your real-world experience shape what gets created inside the program.
When the program is fully built out, we anticipate this will cost 300 to 700 dollars and then a yearly renewal fee.
Lifetime Founding members pay once and receive free yearly renewals for their certification and community.
Choose Your Founding Member Access
Annual Member
$97 / year
Training Begins Monday
Locks in your annually renewal price. Cancel anytime before the renewal date.
Core certification
Community access
Q&A sessions
Updates as law evolves
Content Marketing Playbook
Bonus 30 Day Trial to our GoHighlevel Short Sale Oriented "Snapshot" and platform. After the trial period, Gohighlevel will be $197 a month. Access will be granted at start of Week 3 inside our membership area.
and more..
No refunds - but no pressure to renew.
BEST VALUE
Lifetime Founding Member
$297 one-time
Training on Begins 4/27/ 26
Pay once. Free annual renewals for the certification for life and free access to the community for a long as we have a community.
Everything in Annual
Personal 30-55 min strategy call with John
Lifetime Certification (Free Yearly Renewal)
and more...
If at the end of your strategy call with John, if you want a refund , just say so.
Secure checkout. Instant access. Founding member pricing will not last.
LIMITED AVAILABILITY Upgrade For Members - Coming Soon
Want John Directly Involved in Your Files?
A limited number of members will be able to add our Advisory Program, a done with you arrangement, where John coaches you and can consult with you and your clients on zoom calls. John also reviews every approval letter that comes across your desk with you and your client, and advises on the best strategies to complete your short sales. At your option we can even Co-Brokeyour properties with you on your first few short sales.
Also, our firm can handle the short sale negotiations with your lender for a standard fee, provided the file meets the criteria for a likely approval
Note: Our Advisory and Lender Negotiation program is only available for California.
Common Questions
I've done short sales before. Do I really need this?
If you did short sales before the Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Act changed, the rules are different now. Approval letter language that was acceptable before can now create serious problems for your clients. This training is built around the current legal landscape.
Am I giving legal advice by being certified?
No - and that's a core part of what we teach. The certification is about knowing when to bring an attorney in, not about giving legal advice yourself. You become better at recognizing the issues, not pretending you can resolve them alone.
The program is still being built - what am I paying for now?
The core certification training (the video you just watched) is complete. You also get immediate community access, Q&A, and your personal strategy call with John. The negotiation training, package templates, and consultative listing content is being built with this founding cohort - and you get it all as it's released, free, forever.
What's the refund policy?
Annual members: no refunds, but no obligation to renew. Lifetime members: book your strategy call with John (available from day 3). If after that call you want a refund, just tell him - he'll handle it. VIP Advisory is non-refundable.
Can I use the certification in my marketing?
Yes. Certified UnderwaterRealEstate.com Experts can use the designation in their marketing to signal their specialty to clients and referral partners.
What happens when the price goes up?
Founding members are locked in forever at their entry price. The program will be $497+ when fully built out. You pay once, you get everything.
The Realtors Who Specialize Now Will Own This Market Later
Every market cycle creates specialists. The agents who understood short sales in 2008 built businesses that lasted a decade. The Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Act change is the starting gun for the next cycle - and right now almost nobody in your market knows what you'll know after this training.
Founding member pricing ends when it ends. No countdown timer - just the reality that this price won't stay here.
$97/year or $297 lifetime. Instant access. Price increases as the program grows.
