As a realtor, my sales have drastically declined due to this real estate crisis. There was a time that I could easily sale a property within a week, but now everything has changed. As a result, I started looking into learning how to get started as a BPO agent.

A BPO agent serves as an independent contractor who is hired by a bank or financial institution. This is one of the main differences between a BPO agent and a common real estate agent.

When working as a BPO agent, a BPO inspection is performed on the piece of property that you are assigned. This BPO inspection is similar to a comparative market analysis that most real estate agents are familiar with. The main goal of the inspection is to estimate the market value of a piece of property.

BPO agents are in greater demand to perform comparative analysis because of the increased cost it requires for a bank to hire an appraiser. A bank can usually negotiate the price for the BPO analysis so that it is beneficial to them and to you.

Because of the rise in foreclosures, banks are hiring BPO's to perform BPO inspections in order to assist banks in selling these properties. This, in turn, opens up a whole new market that can be tapped into.

One of the most important resources that will be needed in order to begin is a list of banks that are currently hiring BPO agents. Look for a complete list that provides all contact details and any other special requirements needed in order to setup a BPO assignment with that institution.

Until the economy comes back strong, then becoming a BPO agent can truly help you with gaining extra income while using your current skills. This has been my source of income for some time now as I wait to get back into selling real estate.