Confirm the license first
Look up the broker and the brokerage on the California Department of Real Estate public license lookup. The individual should hold an active broker or salesperson license, and the brokerage should hold its own corporate or broker license with the DBA you will see on the listing agreement.
For Empower Real Estate, the brokerage license is DRE #01507986 and Ed Sanchez holds broker license #01293683. The office operated as RE/MAX Empower before it became Empower Real Estate, so older records may show the earlier name.
Ask for REO history you can check
A career closing count is a starting point, not proof. Ask which listings closed as REO, with MLS numbers, and check a sample in the MLS yourself. A closed REO listing shows the listing agent, the listing office and the special listing condition.
Ask how the count was built: whether it covers listing and co listing roles, which brokerages it spans, and whether conventional sales are excluded.
Match the platform you assign through
Much servicer work runs through an asset management platform. Ask which platforms the broker is active on today and which are registered only. An active account means current assignments flow through it.
Read how the BPO is built
Ask for a recent BPO with the client details removed. Check the comparable bracket (how many active and sold comps, at least one above and one below the recommended value), the radius and date limits, and whether every comp comes from the MLS.
Ask what turnaround the broker publishes and whether it is a standard or a measured on time rate.
Occupied assets and counsel
Occupied property needs documented occupant contact, cash for keys coordination where the client authorizes it, and a clear line between brokerage work and legal work. Eviction and other legal steps belong to the client's authorized counsel, not the brokerage.
Local rent stabilization or just cause rules and the California Tenant Protection Act can apply to occupied units. Ask how the broker screens for them before recommending a strategy.
Preservation, access and reporting
Ask who rekeys and secures a vacant asset, how vendors are bid and how work is documented. Ask for a sample status report and the cadence you can set.
Agree in writing on what you receive: the BPO, inspection photos, monthly marketing reports, offer summaries and closing documents.
Local coverage in Burbank and Glendale
Ask whether the broker inspects and shows in person or relies on outside field agents, how far the office is from the asset, and which nearby cities the broker has closed REO in.
Empower Real Estate works from 701 S. Victory Blvd., Burbank, CA 91502, and serves Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange and Santa Barbara Counties.
Ask for local data, too: Empower publishes a quarterly REO market note from CRMLS for Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena and the San Fernando Valley.
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