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» VISIT US ONLINE @ DSNEWS.COM 59 completed the work in the field, the date and time of service, and geotags to match and verify locations. We've seen a lot of consolidation in our industry over the past few years, and that is a trend that is likely to continue. If you are going to survive in the field services industry, your business will have to make the transformation to mobile solutions. Much of the consolidation has to do with which companies are willing to keep up with the high costs of compliance. ese costs have pushed many companies either out of the field services industry or out of business. We don't know what is going to happen to the CFPB in 2017, but we do know that compliance will always be a huge part of our business. An "all in" dedication to quality assurance and controls will also continue to shape our business. We are constantly checking to make sure that we are doing the right thing. Have we followed the rules? Have we verified property condition, occupancy, status? Have we verified our verification? Getting the job done fast is important. Getting the job done right the first time is more important. ere are a lot of unknowns, but one thing is for sure. We are looking forward to a growth- filled 2017 in an ever changing and advancing industry. PROPERTY PRESERVATION ALAN JAFFA CEO, Safeguard Properties e future of property preservation in the mortgage servicing industry is bright as preservation companies, servicers, and investors collaborate to enhance preservation efforts to continue to reduce blight in communities across the country. e need for this partnership and aligning guidelines and best practices is stronger than ever to manage increasing oversight and legislation. e industry has come together to implement new standards of preservation and develop a system of checks and balances through technological innovation. One of the main goals of property preserva- tion is to ensure that neighborhoods are not overcome by blighted abandoned and vacant properties, in addition to protecting the proper- ties themselves. Because those properties that are abandoned early in default can deteriorate over the course of the long foreclosure process, investors and servicers have recognized the need for extended preservation efforts for pre-sale properties that mirror those in REO (real-estate owned). One example of this is the recent announce- ment from Fannie Mae at the 2016 National Property Preservation Conference on November 3 that it now requires clear-boarding securing products over plywood window coverings for its pre-sale properties. Prior to this announcement, Fannie Mae only required clear-boarding for those properties post-sale. It is nearly impos- sible to know the difference between a property pre- or post-sale based on appearance; therefore, it is imperative that all vacant and abandoned properties are maintained to the REO standard and not stand out as a target for vandalism and crime. Additionally, technology–specifically mobile offerings–has made property preservation work more efficient and reliable over the past few years. ere have been several major advances in the mobile platform to enhance location valida- tion, and to avoid costly mistakes, and guided or "smart" scripts for contractors to follow in the field to assure a comprehensive reporting of a property's condition is provided. e goal is to create a real-time two-way conversation between property preservation companies and their contractors utilizing the latest advances in geo-location technology, GPS, and smart script- ing. Smart scripting is no longer a back-office function for property preservation contractors in the field. ey now are able to capture the property condition in real-time on-site and com- municate it back to the preservation company within minutes. rough Safeguard's own beta testing, we have learned that video technology also is going to be the future for documenting property con- dition and "telling the story of a property," and we also appreciate that the video app and cor- responding business process to review the results must be carefully designed for simplicity and speed. e result for servicers is going to be a game-changer in terms of quality and the ability to effectively communicate property condition. PROPERTY PRESERVATION BRYAN LYSIKOWSKI CEO, ZVN Properties I think as Americans we can breathe again now that the presidential election is out of our way; however, this brings into our future some unchartered ways with both the House and Senate as well as the president led by the Republican party. is is something that has not happened in our country since the 1920s. I feel that this is something that will certainly affect the mortgage industry and will have a trickle-down effect on the field services side. I think you will see some regula- tions loosen up a little on the lending side and see interest rates rise for the first time since the housing crisis. What we will initially before things change for the better is what I would like EXPERT OPINION "The industry has come together to implement new standards of preservation and develop a system of checks and balances through technological innovation." –ALAN JAFFA EXPERT OPINION "As the economy continues to recover and regulations loosen up, so will the ability to obtain a home loan." –BRYAN LYSIKOWSKI

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