Posts Tagged ‘mortgage’

Evoice Tips And A EVoice Review of Ringcentral

Monday, November 28th, 2011

Are you stuck in the rut of having an office phone, cell phone, a fax line and a cell phone? Well, the days of having a home phone are going by the wayside and becoming an extinct dinosaur. And, not far behind that is the traditional office fax line and office phone.

When I started in real estate investing I worked for a guy that refused to give up his fax machine. I would walk in his office and see fax paper all over the place. He would constantly be looking for a document someone had sent him. I never got that guy moved in the “the real world” and he is probably still using a 1985 fax machine to this day.

Let’s fact it; we are all on our cell phones these days and rarely are they more than 3-5 feet away from us. So, why not just combine all of your voice and fax communication in to one device? It is here and has been for years unless you’ve been hiding under a rock.

We’ve been using Ringcentral for well over two years now. Initially, the dashboard was a bit confusing and frustrating. However, once we over came the initial learning curve we were well on our way. Their customer service is excellent. When I have called them I have received an email or return phone call within the hour.

There are a lot of cloud based business phone systems out there but we have only used Ringcentral and have never had a problem with their service.

If you don’t know what e-Voice / Cloud phone systems are then you definitely need to check RC out. There are many features with RC but the one that I like the best is that they send an email every time someone calls and also when someone leaves a message. So, you get two notifications via email when some calls. Good to have when often times some buyers are hesitant to leave a message. We’ve picked up a couple extra sales by calling back the numbers that didn’t leave a message. Good to have.

Also, you can set up what we call “Round Robin”. From within the RC dashboard you can have the service rotate the calls to different agents so that no one person gets all the great leads. And, that also eliminates the need to have a receptionist answer your phone. You basically just put it on round robin and, let’s say if you have 6 agents, if one is busy and doesn’t answer it just rolls over to the next person. And, you can set it for how many times it rings to each person before rolling over to the next.

For the tech-savvy agent you can also embed a button in your email that will allow a potential buyer to click on that button and it will dial you up direct from their computer or cell. Pretty cool feature. We don’t use that feature any longer as we were getting overwhelmed with calls. Now we just include our number on all of our mailers and advertisements. But, you can configure that within your outgoing email provider.

They also offer fax lines as well and their plans vary according to your office size/number of numbers/agents/etc. Every feature that you can imagine is offer for the mobile device as well.

Since we have streamlines our operation with E-voice/Cloud based phone communication we have noticed an upswing in productivity.

Want to read more e-voice-review ringcentrals, then visit Len site on how to choose the best e-voice system system for your needs.

Why HUD Sales Are The New Gold Standard In Real Estate Sales

Monday, November 28th, 2011

According to statistics, 25% of all HUD offers submitted get canceled due to real estate agents crudely filling out the contract or missing a deadline for an extension. Why is this? How are you going to answer to your prospect that they did not get their ideal residence because you, as their licensed real estate agent, didn’t know the procedures?

Throughout the US, HUD contract processes aren’t covered by any real estate academy currently offered. Here is some of what you need to know. Most licensed real estate agents do not understand that the bidding and contract process is completely different from your standard real estate deal. Frequently we have had agents email their state documents when submitting a proposal when, in fact, all the bidding is done on the internet. These deals aren’t difficult. They just require a little extra attention to detail and you must be well versed in how to not only fill them out but also be aware when certain deadlines are and what forms are dictated by HUD to be provided.

Why HUD property sales are the new gold standard for opportunities. Statistic: About 9.1 percent of FHA borrowers had overlooked at least three payments as of December 2009, up from 6.5% in 2008, the agency’s figures signify. The Federal Housing Admin does not make loans but insures lenders against losses. And claims have already accelerated. The agency had to pay out on 47% more loans in October and November 2009 than in the corresponding period a year earlier, according to an Federal Housing Administration write-up. The year 2010 will be elevated according to some analysts.

Why are HUD transactions the new Gold Standard for realtors? Two reasons:

* The banks engaged incompetent, untrained Robo-Sign’ers to advance foreclosures through the system. Trends show law suits are developing for these with lawyers jumping on the bandwagon to represent the former homeowner that was foreclosed upon and those attorneys are asking “Who really owned the note?” Former owners are suing the establishments, the title company, the lender, escrow and even the new current owner and their agent. Why does this matter? Because we are in uncharted waters and for years to come no bank selling an reo will be able to ensure that their property has a clear and marketable title. Be hesitant of touching an reo as you may find yourself in legal procedures for years to come.

* HUD assures a clean and marketable title. How? Because all Federal Housing Administration insured lenders have been paid, Federal Housing Administration repossessed the property and assigned hud to re-list the property. And, simply, because they are the federal government and, you have to ask to sue the federal government. The title company contracted by hud is insuring the interest of the federal government. Need we say more?

As it stands, more of the properties on the market are HUD homes. It’s never been as necessary as now for agents to effectively execute and understand all HUD procedures.

More about how to be a real estate agent, visit our site for a HUD 9548today.

Tools Every Real Estate Agent Should Be Using Daily

Friday, November 25th, 2011

Tools Every Real Estate Agent Should Be Using Daily

Marketing online is difficult for anyone involved with the real estate industry. Whether you are an escrow officer, title officer, transaction coordinator, agent, broker, painter, demolition, lender, etc., it just isn’t easy any longer to get traction in the real estate industry. Learning how to improve your page rankings is one thing but learning how to create content is another. So, what tools do you use to create the content, track the content and what portals do you use to syndicate the content? Over the next few weeks we want to share with you some of the tools we have found helpful and that we recommend so be sure to check back often for updates. 

 V:1

1. Screen Capturing Videos: There are a lot of possibilities available online. There are some that are paid services and some that are free. Jing is a free tool that was created by TechSmith. Just Google it to find it. Jing will allow you to do screen capturing from your desktop. Basically, you have an onboard video camera capturing your every move on your screen. Jing is really easy to use but, Jing has limits. The downside is that the free version only allows you to record a total of 5 minutes. So, for short presentations or for short tutorials for sending to associates or outsourcers then this works really well. After you set up a Jing account then Jing will host your videos and allow you to upload that content with a URL specific to your account. If you want to record more than 5 minutes then you need to upgrade to Jing Pro. Initially, when I started out, I used the free version. But, trying to fit all of your content in to one 5 minute video is tough. Plus, if you do that then you have a series of 5 minute videos to upload to YouTube (YT) or Vimeo which is more labor intensive. Last time I checked it was $15 a year. Not a bad choice if you want to create screen capturing videos. Another cool feature is that if you have a YouTube channel it will sync up and upload to your YT channel. Pretty convenient. Keep in mind though, you can create videos up to 2 gigs in size for upload to YT but if you are new to uploading and getting traffic to your channel then YT will limit your upload time to 15 minutes no matter what size the video file is. You’ll have to have videos that are driving enough traffic before YT will allow you to upload longer/larger videos. 



2. Camtasia for screen capturing: Camtasia is also from TechSmith. Brilliant tool but requires a bit more technical knowledge to navigate. Many more features than Jing and I use it almost daily. Whether I am creating a tutorial video or if I am giving an assignment to my virtual assistant (VA), this is, by far, the best choice. Has all the features of Jing and more. Like going from a Jing Hyundai to a Porsche with Camtasia. I recommend.

Third, Bitly: The days of wondering if someone has clicked on your links are over. Bitly is a URL Shortener. There are many shorteners out there so shop around and find one you like. You only need to create an account, log in, enter the URL to that gives you a code shortened. You can then customize the shortened link so that it will be a bit more memorable for you and your viewers. Most people do not realize the benefits of URL shortening. In real estate, we want to follow our efforts. With bitly you can do just that. One really needs to track and follow their data if you really want to know if your efforts are producing the desired results.

Soon we will share more tools the real estate industry can use. What tools are you using?

Quickly write articles with Jiffy Articles. You can watch our Jiffy Articles review on YouTube.

How To Blog Real Estate and Make Money

Thursday, November 24th, 2011

How To Monetize Your Real Estate Blog For Newbies

Blogging? What the heck is that? It is basically writing about what you love. This is why I mentioned earlier that you would need to find a niche that you are passionate about as you are going to need to create content i.e. written content, pictures and/or video content.

Got to Gmail and set up an account. Remember, even here you’ll want to try to use your keyword as part of your email address. So try for something like “TeachYourLab@gmail.com” or “YourLabCanSit@gmail.com”. You get the idea.

Once you do that then you’ll need to go to http://www.Blogger.com and set up a “Blogger” account. This will be your “website”, if you will. You can now reference this link below and watch the video, as it will be easier for you to understand if we just walk you through it.

So by now you have a basic understanding of how to set up your “blog”, the basics of navigating the blog and also how to install Adsense on your site. I want to add that, in addition to adding Adsense to your site, you can also find other products to promote on your site. What you want to do is find products that you like or that would be related to your niche visit the site and see if they offer affiliate programs for their product.

What is an affiliate program and how do you get started?

Most merchants have affiliate programs. Essentially, they will allow you to put a link or banner on your site. If someone clicks that link and makes a purchase you get paid a commission. To do this you need to set up an affiliate account with the merchant. (Any reasonable merchant will offer phone support to explain how it is done if you don’t already know. But it is pretty easy and you shouldn’t need too much help to get started.)

Once your account is set up with the product you want to affiliate market then you will be re-directed you to a page that will have banner links and ads specific to their product. The links & banners from within your account will, by default, be embedded with your affiliate code associated with your affiliate account. (So no need to be intimidated by HTML coding.) Scroll and choose the banner add you like then simply copy and paste the code they provide in to your “Blogger” page.

Here is how you do that. Remember in the video when I showed you how to add Adsense? There is another category called “Add a Gadget”? You click add a “Gadget”. A new window will open within Blogger. Then scroll down and choose the Gadget that says “HTML/Java Script”. Blogger will then open another window. All you need to do now is copy and paste the “code” from the affiliate program banners and paste it in to the window where it says “content”. Then hit save and it will install the banner link for you. Hit save and then view the page. You should now see your affiliate banner appear on your blog page. No need to understand or write code. The affiliate code will be the way the merchant tracks who comes to their site. If someone purchases that product through your link then you get paid. Normally, if that person visits a merchant through your link then the merchant will ‘cookie’ or archive that link. So, if the person doesn’t buy the first time and then re-visits at a later date and makes a purchase within say, 60 days, you will be credited for the sale. But those timelines may vary. Ask your affiliate to provide you with their internal policy on “cookies”.

Affiliate sales shouldn’t be confused with Adsense. Adsense pays per click (PPC). PPC revenue isn’t much but does add up over time. Affiliate programs can be much more profitable if you have a lot of traffic coming to your site. So I highly recommend researching and finding products you believe in and promote those on your site. Pick and choose carefully. Don’t just load your site up with tons of ads. The real key is that you must get some “eyeballs” on your page and to do that you must provide interesting, valuable content.

I’m Len. You can learn how to find profitable keywords for any business by attending our webinars. Learn get to page 1 on google and attend a webinar.

Getting Started Action Plan For Real Estate Agents And The True Real Estate Market Condition

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011

With an assault of foreclosures rising on the market in the next couple years it has never been more urgent to understand the HUD 9548 contract. Many licensed agents turn away HUD sales. Several analysts are predicting default rates in the coming years will be higher than we have ever seen ever since lending initiated. Why will this flourish HUD inventory? Because scores of loans made from 2005-2009 were fha backed, new home buyer loans. Hordes of those loans will be foreclosed upon and, because the value of those homes will now be down and in the FHA lending range thresholds, new home buyers will be convinced to once again endeavor to achieve the American Dream. Why does that matter? Read on.

Think about his. When the foreclosure crash initiated in 2005 buyers were running afraid and the “then” current home owners were panicking. What most didn’t consider was that there were anxious, potential home buyers waiting in the wings that had been saving for years to buy a home. And, nationwide, they signed up quickly to get a home…tens of thousands.

Fast forward two years to 07. Market in a downtrend. Home prices descending. Anxious, new buyers securing loans and homes. Then, the Feds enact a first time home buyer tax credit and some states followed suit by offering state tax credits as well that continued on through 2010. Another buying explosion.

Why does this matter at this time? Because many banks love fha insured lending as their loan, to a certain percentage, is guaranteed against default and, predatory lending was still happening in 07. The government hadn’t regulated these clowns. So, since the tax credits were offered, many persuadable, first time buyers were signing up to get a loan and new home for whatever price and, no matter what the cost. Most of those loans were 3/1 and 5/1 ARM’s. So, 2007 until 2010 =’s 3 years and then default. Boom! Another crisis is looming.

While those buyers were motivated, they bought because of the tax credits offered and minimal down payment. All buyers didn’t consider that home prices were descending and the country was about to come into a deep, multi year recession. They were just in love with the American Dream. Well, many of those buyers lost their jobs in the past couple of years and have now exhausted their saving and are now lagging behind on their loans.

Let’s be honest, in our opinion, FHA borrowers/first time home buyers, for the most part, are cash strapped. With a double dip recession on the horizon all of these fha borrowers have received an NOD and are on the verge of officially defaulting. Tons of excited, new home owners from 2007 are now in a state of nervousness trying to preserve their home. The proper procedures weren’t in place. Another crisis is upon us. We tried to solve a problem with a problem.

So, why is it more important now than ever before to have knowledge of hud home sales and how to efficiently close these transactions? It is because FHA/HUD homes are now going to be the norm in the market place. Previously, home prices were inflated tremendously and many were out of the fha lending thresholds. Not true any more. When getting started as a new real estate agent you need to understand every dynamic associated with the Housing and Urban Development procedures and also the Federal Housing Administration lending. If you learn these simple procedures now and master them you’ll never will have a problem with getting an offer accepted or closed.

Looking to find more information when QR code for realtors, then visit www.gettingstartedasarealestateagent.com to find the best tutorial on the HUD 9548 contract for your real estate needs.

Review On Safety At Home

Monday, November 21st, 2011

Safety at home should be observed at all times. A household which is safe makes the occupant live with no fears and are able to enjoy every moment they spend there. Safety measures should be observed in all areas in our household.

Falling accident are common in homes this can happen to both elder people and children. Falling can cause broken ribs which can lead to disability. Falling can be caused by wet floors, stairs with no handrails or even poor lighting. This can be prevented by making sure that all places are well lit and that pass ways are free from any clutter.

Secondly there are fire related accidents; this can be caused by gas leakage, electrical faults, and spills from hot liquids. Every household should have a gas smell detector to alert in case of a leakage. All electrical devices should be in proper working order and if faulty they should be repaired with immediate effect.

Homes should have a smoke detector installed to alert the owners in case of fire. Our properties are at a risk of being stolen by thieves and strangers, to keep them away the compound should have a good fence around with a good gate, shrubs around the compound should be cleared because they act as a hiding place for the thieves.

The doors and windows should be fitted with burglar proof material. The locks used should also be tamper-proof. Children should be educated on not giving information to strangers especially on the work schedule and routines of the family.

Pesticides and chemical are things we cannot avoid in the house, however they can cause an accident and deaths if swallowed or sprayed on different parts of our bodies. To avoid this kind of accidents they should be well named and kept in closed closets away from reach of children. It is advisable to make sure that all bottles have safety caps on them.

The bathroom is a small room used for cleaning up but can be a cause of most accidents in the household. In the bathroom one is likely to fall and get hurt due to the slippery floors, this can be caused by wet soaps on the floor or lack of proper hygiene. Dirt should be scrubbed off to avoid forming a layer. Electrical machines like shaving machines can cause electrical shock, it is therefore good to put them away from water after use and unplug them from sockets. If the general safety at home should be observed to make homes a haven free from accidents.

Check out our website for complete details about the advantages of hiring electricians, now. You can also find information about reliable electrical contractors, today.

Interesting Gifts To Give At The Close Of Escrow

Monday, November 21st, 2011

I am not a fan of flying. I was, until recently, scared of heights. I don’t know anything about the dynamics of flying other than it seems a bit unconventional for a human but not birds. I do, in fact, love those that have mastered the skill of navigating the wind.

My father died 6 weeks after I was born and I never knew him. But, when I was growing up my mom, who was my idol, always told me, “Take care of the people around you. Be attentive to what their needs are. That is what you father did with me and, since he isn’t here, I think he would want me to share that with you”. When I was growing up I didn’t realize how that would come in to play in my real estate career.

I had a former client that had been referred to me by a mutual friend that was also my former client. This new potential client had a family and two young children (boy and a girl) and he was a bit down on his luck. I went to his house and met with him to discuss listing his house. He proceeded to tell me how his family had hit hard times and he vowed to his wife and two kids, especially the oldest one (a young girl), that they would be okay. It was a typical meeting that didn’t strike me as being too far off the beaten path of any other listing meeting.

Afterwards, he invited me to stay for a cook out. I obliged and hung out with them for a few hours. I watched as the house filled up with families and children from all over the neighborhood. Me, being a single guy and not being accustomed to being around kids, I was nearly at my whits end but, I stuck around to be respectful. And, boy was I glad that I did.

His oldest (about 9 at the time, a girl) came up to me during the the party and said, ‘ Dad said you are going to save us.’ I didn’t know what to say so I said what any single guy with no kids that was terrified would say, ‘Hey, what’s your name.’ She said, ‘My name is Taylor, and I wanna fly. Watch this’. She spread her arms out and pretended like she was flying in to the pool and dove in. We all laughed hysterically. She was a character.

Later, out of curiosity I asked her why she wanted to fly so much. She told me that her grandfather had been a pilot and that he had flown planes from the ‘cotchpits’ before. I told her that we would see what we could do about ‘getting her up in the air some day’.

While this family didn’t want to leave their home and move away it turned out to be the circumstance that benefited them the most. The home sold, they moved in to another home and got on with their lives. After the close of escrow I scheduled a little surprise for them.

They all arrived, unsuspecting. We got in my car and drove about 5 miles to Temecula, CA. As we rolled up to the launch site the kids went crazy. We, along with the guide, launched in to the atmosphere and had so much fun. The smile on that little girls face was priceless. When we landed and were about to leave the little girl came up to me and said, ‘Thank you. You are my hero.” My mom would have been proud.

This gift cost me less than $500 for all 5 of us. When you close your next deal. Think of something unusual. Think of something that will make a lasting impression. Go beyond the call of duty.

They say it takes all kinds to make the world, but I can’t help thinking what a much better world it would be if there were more people like my mom, my client and his family.

Read more about eco-friendly stationary. Visit my site and also learn how to outsource real estate.

2 Top Tips for New Home Insurance

Friday, November 18th, 2011

Congratulations on picking your new home! Before you close, you are going to want to take a look at the best home insurance options that may protect your new investment. Regularly the closing company will have somebody write you up a policy that you won't even know what is in it. Take the lead and check for insurance on your own for comparison.

1. Customise Your House Insurance

All homeowner's insurance programs will have the same six coverages: Dwelling, other structures, personal property, loss of use, personal liability, and medical payments.

For the main part, you can adjust many of these coverages to provide more protection or wider protection, so even the cover names are the same, you continue to wish to go over the options for each coverage.

Additionally, there are several coverages that you can add to provide more protection and broaden the coverage.

Some of the extra coverage, endorsements, or riders include water/sewer backup protection, quake coverage, itemized personal property, identity theft, ordinance or law, debris removal, landscape coverage, fire dept surcharges, collapse, sinkhole, mine subsidence, and many others.

Work with an agent or company content to discuss all of the options and work with you on the prices as you customize your policy.

2. Should you elect Basic, Broad, or Special Form house owners?

This would not be anything you would ever know about because these are industry terms, but you need to understand the difference. If you are comparing many various quotes and one seems to stand out to be cheap in comparison, before you jump at it, find out which form it is. If they are providing you a basic form, you're being cheated out of 100% replacement cost and probably getting an Honest to goodness Cash Value (ACV) policy which only gives you cash value for your house minus depreciation/wear and tear.

Broad Form (on occasion called Named Hazards) coverage is the most common form of insurance, and it's pretty typical.

Special Form (sometimes called All-Risk) coverage extends coverage for your house for more reasons of loss. Additionally it provides you more detailed coverage on your private property. It also provides small benefits that vary from corporation to corporation.

Special Form costs more, but you still wish to customize your policy and then ask the difference in cost between broad form and special form. If you have great credit and no previous loss, it may only mean the difference of a couple of dollars a month.

Net result is do not permit others to make your householder's choices for you. You have invested too much to leave your protection to chance.

In todays market we know that getting the best quotes for Colorado car insurance, health insurance and vehicle insurance can mean the difference of getting a good deal on a new a policy. Which explains why you can now get fast and free Colorado insurance quotes online to ensure you get the best deal.

Becoming A Real Estate Agent

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

As you enter your real estate career, you may be amazed what it takes to get going in the right direction as you are getting started. Just knowing enough to pass the state licensing examination isn’t enough. Many rich licensed brokers and agents attribute their prosperity to determination, superior training and mentoring. This will come in the form of resourceful books on the web, participating in training seminars and, above all, practicing at a friendly office willing to disseminate leads and share their knowledge with you.

Most licensed brokers or agents earn only a few thousand dollars their first year. Whereas it is possible to earn more, it is unlikely unless you have good mentoring and on-the-job training materials. Seeing as how it takes months to shape a clientele to generate listings there is one specific type of listing you can canvass as your own: HUD Owned Homes. Anybody can show, sell or advertise a hud-owned home.

HUD owned homes can initiate a nice earned income for new and experienced brokers. While with the old national HUD contract they offered a 5% commission that has now been decreased to 3% which is still pretty decent.

Many good hud deals languish out on the market because new and experienced licensed agents don’t understand the HUD sales process and simply just ignore a hud home when it is on the market. Just getting started as a real estate agent is hard to understand so don’t take for granted and exclude hud sales from your portfolio. As others are disregarding them, you can specialize in them.

An additional thing you can do is look in to a hud agent training open discussion or seminar. Most are offered every month throughout the US. Check with your local realtor’s association for class times. If you can’t attend then visit our site below and you can download a free e-book for bidding strategies and learn more info at our real estate academy.

More about how to be a real estate agent, visit our site for a real estate tutorialtoday.

Why New Real Estate Agents Should Use Real Estate Marketing Letters

Sunday, November 13th, 2011

Why New Real Estate Agents Should Use Real Estate Marketing Letters

Answer me this; When you started in real estate did you have a mentor to show you the ropes? Did the office you started at offer any type of training? Well, if you are anything like I was my broker didn’t offer any type of training. He basically threw the agents in his office to the wolves. Years later I realize he couldn’t have been dumber. It’s a wonder there were never any lawsuits that arose from some of the transactions that went through that office. I am sure, with all the new agents that were there when I was there that there were a few that dropped the ball on some disclosures or blurred the line with ethics. But, that is another topic.

The fact is, I passed my test with one of the highest grades in the class. However, passing the RE exam didn’t prepare me to understand the everyday common language of a real estate agent. In fact, it was a test and no real life examples. I actually realize now that the test was a little outdated for the time.

One thing is for sure; real estate is a competitive market and few will help you getting started. No one in the office I started at would share a lead and, rarely, would anyone offer any insight to me unless I cut them in on the deal. Which is fine but, there has to be some sort of jump start to give a new agent insight, right? Yes, I know the Keller Williams of the world and Coldwell Bankers offer trainings but what if you were like me in a small office or somewhere in a small town in Utah? What then? Well, you would probably do as I did and buy some books. I bought some Donald Trump, Dean Graziosi and Gary Keller books when I started and they were useful. however what these books didn’t tell me is the basic, every day terminology that is necessary to communicate with other agents, buyers and lenders.

However, one resource that helped me when I started was that I bought some packaged marketing letter tutorials that gave me the types of letters that I would need to send to buyers, lenders and other agents. Really, what I wanted to see was how people corresponded with one another and be able to see, in front of me, how the language/dialog was happening. I bought several packages and all of them were under $75 dollars. The way I look at online tutorials and packages like this is that if I can glean yet one idea from whatever it is that I bought then it was worth the money.

Now I know every state is different and the rules and regulations differ from state to state but one thing remains consistent from state to state; the language that realtors speak to one another is the same and being able to see examples for all types of situations really is beneficial.

There are packages online that offer a full library of pre-drafted letters that will suit any situation that you are in. Check out our site. We offer a lot of free advice and also in-depth reviews on many of the most popular marketing tools for real estate and mortgage marketing letters.

Read more about real estate marketing letters, or the best mortgage marketing letters you can use.