Mama Liz's Blog: May 2009

Would you like to show your sellers their own property listing site? This is a great way to be a step above your competition. Take the extra hour to really showcase a listing.

I made one property listing site with Real Bird this about 2 weeks ago and within 2 hours that property listing site was on page one on Google for search terms and for the address, (obviously). It took me about an hour to load up all the photos and do all the descriptions.

We are going to hire a VA to make the property listing sites for all 50 or so of our listings! Can you just imagine the google juice that will create?

Click here to view the entire property site that I made. There is a screen shot of it here but the screen shot is not interactive as the live link is.

There is a slide show that auto starts when someone goes to the site. Then there is a map at the bottom of the page. There are tabs for the photos, description, video, neighborhood information, market statistics and more. What I love about it is the ease of use for both the agents or VAs who import the information and the users, the sellers and buyers. You can see all the arrows I put on the screen shot.

Now why would you want single property sites for your listings?

• This is a great marketing tool to show the seller on your listing presentation.

• You can have this up and ready to show the seller before your listing appointment to dazzle them with your online marketing expertise.

• This is a great way to get links back to your websites and blogs.

• The best feature is how easy it is to make these viral. Invite your sellers to email the site to all their family, friends and coworkers. Sellers love to show off their homes when they are listed! They in turn will forward it to their friends. Heck, you could get a buyer that way!
  

• This is a great way for buyers who are narrowing their searches by long tail search requests to find your listings.

It is a win/win productive activity, great use of your time for the ROI, and it is FREE.

Click here to go to my post with a form to sign up for a webinar  that I will be hosting along with the owners of Real Bird, Gabe Gross and Zoltan Szendro. The webinar is on June 6th at 11:00a.m.

To check out Real Bird before the Webinar just click here.

 

Look At What You Can Do With Free Real Bird Property Sites! by Katerina Gasset is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

By TwitterButton

 

You can hit it home consistently with social networking and blogging but in order to do this you gotta trackback to the beginning.  Yup most bloggers need to square right up at home plate again look the pitcher dead in the eye, and suhhhhwing dead center to hit that ball over the fence.

Many bloggers and social networkers aim to run the bases, maybe getting a client here, a client there, connecting with a new associate for referrals and it all seems good.  These folks are running with the wind of change and business is rolling.

But they can't win a series this way and they won't retire at the top of their game. 

Why?

'Cause many are stealing bases and in the end this won't hit the business home, consistently, with social networking and blogging.  The only way to be consistent is the age old rule of marketing, you gotta make a plan and put it into practice daily, weekly, monthly, yearly.

How do you know if you are stealing bases?  Here's a few clues,

1. You blog about various topics sporadically; Real Estate is a second class topic on your blog.
2. You haven't defined a target market that you want to blog to except to say that you want to blog for "consumers" and "other agents".
3. Your localism posts consist of market reports and listings and lack any local happenings or news.
4. You look at new product rollouts on ActiveRain and often find you misunderstand their value.
5. You twitter but your unsure why you tweet.  Often you find yourself trying to get the attention of "Real Estate Social Media Rockstars".
6. Your facebook account is filled with a bunch of associates from your office and you have become a fan of every competing office within a 50 mile radius of your market area.
7. You have decided that your LinkedIn Page is a good place to reinforce to other real estate professionals and social media marketers who know you that you are a REALTOR, to connect with fellow real estate agents in your office, and to join real estate groups for real estate professionals.
   
8. Your blog has more posts about social media tools and silly real estate agents that misuse social media marketing than posts about real estate.
9. None of your social networking efforts points to your internet storefront consistently.
10. You haven't blocked out any daily/weekly time to focus on social networking efforts.
11. You aren't actively answering questions from consumers online.
12. Your blog's URL isn't on your business cards.
13. You don't include your blog's URL in your email signature line.
14. Your blog's content isn't re-purposed into ebooks, newsletters, website visitor inquiry responses, newsletters to your farm, videos, or podcasts.
    
15. Your local Chamber of Commerce and other traditional networking venues don't know that you have a blog or network socially online.
    
16. Your current and past clients wouldn't know the URL of your blog EVEN if they were given multiple choices.
    
17. You are an early adapter of EVERY social network and tool but the traffic to your internet storefront and the amount of new offline connections you make do not increase.

 

If the above pertains to you no need to panic.  Every marketing effort can be improved upon and every business needs to reassess their efforts and goals regularly....I believe frequently=quarterly.

 

Back up, take some time to find the right bat, just enough weight but light enough to hold tight with both hands, and BEFORE you swing again take a look at your business plan, your target market, your financial goals for the year, your business objectives and THEN.....

Step back from the plate, go sit down at the whiteboard, create a social media marketing strategy that integrates your blogging effforts BECAUSE...

Stealing bases won't hit it home with social networking and blogging.  So make it right, get your plan tight and THEN....

 

 

Step back up to home plate and get ready to swing and hit the business home, consistently, with social networking and blogging.

 

 

 

IT'S BACK....believe it or not ML-09-15 with attachments are back. Called Using First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credits so here are the guidelines:

The first thing to keep in mind is you must follow IRS guidance to see if you are even eligible for this tax credit. that website is http://www.irs.gov/newroom/article/0,,id=204671,00.html?portal7. Leave it to the IRS to have such a difficult link. Second piece, Pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 3727 and 26 U.S.C. 6402, a refund of the first-time homebuyer credit will be made by the IRS only to the taxpayer, not to a third party. Short version, any refund issued cannot be assigned by a taxpayer to a third party.

So, what are some of the rules this time around? Here are the bullet points right from the Mortgagee Letter HUD issued:

• The tax credit advance, when combined with the FHA-insured first mortgage MAY NOT RESULT in CASH BACK to the BORROWER
• The second lien may not exceed the total amount needed for the down payment, closing cost, and prepaid expenses...meaning if the total is $5000 and they qualify for $8000 the second lien can only be for the $5000..if confused reread the first bullet point.
• Secondary financing may be "soft" (silent) or require a monthly repayment.
• If payments are required, they must be included within the QUALIFYING RATIOS and, when combined with the first mortgage, CANNOT EXCEED THE BORROWER'S REASONABLE ABILITY TO PAY.
• Payments must be deferred at least 36 months to NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE QUALIFY RATIOS.
• If the tax credit advance loan has a short term for repayment, it must also provide that if the borrower fails to repay by the DESIGNED DEADLINE, PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST PAYMENTS BEGIN AUTOMATICALLY OR THE LOAN CONVERTS TO A "SOFT" SECOND (there is that word again "soft")
• The secondary financing may not require a baloon payment before ten years.

WHAT??? Wait, there's more bullet points titled Purchase of Tax Credit: FHA-approved mortgagees and FHA-approved nonprofit organizations as well as Federal, State, and Local governmental agencies and instrumentalities thereof may purchase the tax credit anticipated by the homebuyer.

• The proceeds of the sale of the tax credit MAY NOT EXCEED THE ANTICIPATED TAX CREDIT DUE THE HOMEBUYER based on the COMPUTATIONS OF FORM IRS 5405;
• The borrower must submit a signed certification that the tax credit is not subject to offset due to other indebtedness. Translation, the borrower cannot pay off other debt in the loan and can not have IRS obligations due.
• A Copy of the borrower's tax refund and/or the Form 5405 must be collected and retained
• Fees...remember this one...now there is a limit...cannot exceed 2.5% of the anticipated credit.
• The homeowner's downpayment required for eligibility for FHA insurance may not consist of any funds (including funds derived from a sale of the homebuyer tax credit) provided by the mortgagee, the seller, or any other person or entity that financially benefits from the transaction (or by any third party or entity that is reimbursed, directly or indirectly, by the financially benefiting person or entity). Accordingly the proceeds of the sale of the tax credit to FHA-approved mortgagees, the seller, or any person or entity that financially benefits from the transaction (or by any third party or entity that is reimbursed, directly or indirectly, by the financially benefiting person or entity), may not be used to meet the 3.5% minimum downpayment, but may be used as additional downpayment, buying down the interest rate, or other closing costs. What this tells me if the lender or anyone with a financial interest in this transaction does a purchase of the tax credit then the borrower still has to come up with the 3.5% downpayment requirement from their own allowable sources.

Show Me The Money!!! Once again HUD has managed to say you could do something while at the same time making it so difficult that it is going to be a miracle to figure out how to do this. This much I know REALTORS....don't get out there too far with this....right now there is not one investor who has said they will buy these loans and while I commend HUD for putting limits on FEES and CHARGES it is once again short on detail....like how does anyone actually get paid back?

HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!

Kevin M. Breeland

General Manager

Residential Mortgage of South Carolina, LLC

427 Johnnie Dodds Rd.

Mount Pleasant, SC 29464

breelandk@residentialmtg.com

www.residentialscdailyrates.com

Competitive by nature...the Best by choice!

 

In 2004:

Your ad would read ...

 I have a house for sale.  $300,000 NOW!
Call Immediately.  Phone #
(In 2004 that house would have been gone within a couple of days.  Most likely buyers would even pay $10,000 - $25,000 MORE just to get it.)

 

In 2005:

Your ad would read ...

 House for sale.  Cash only.
Flip the contract.  No need to close.
Call Immediately.  Phone #
(And the house would find several buyers, each one increasing the value by a minimum of $25,000.)

 

 

In 2006:

Your ad would read ...

3 bedroom home, new, 1800 sq.ft.,
2 car garage.  At $289,995 it’s a deal!
Must close first.  Investors 20% down.
Call for Details.  Phone #
(Remember, we are talking about the SAME imaginary house.  The difference is how the ads change when demand goes down.)

 

In 2007:

Your ad would read ...

Beautiful home for sale in superior neighborhood.
3 bedrooms 2 ½ baths, 2 car garage, 1800 sq.ft.
Vacant, ready to move in.  $249,995 - negotiable.
Builder offers huge incentives and bonuses worth
$50,000.  Call - Phone #
(As you can see, 2007 has come full circle since 2004.  The same house that sold at $300,000 and $400,000 for flippers came down to $249,995.  You cannot ignore the changes - the timing and the real estate conditions.)

 

 

In 2008:

Your ad would read ...

 
No Bank Qualifying!
No Credit Needed!
No Job or Income Verification!
Low Down Payment!
3 bedrooms, 2 ½ baths, 2 car garage.
New, vacant, ready to move in.
OWNER WILL CARRY!
Price: $279,995, monthly payment
$1600 at 6% interest amortized over
30 years.  Call TODAY - Phone #
(Creative financing is coming back into vogue!  With increased qualifying and down payment requirements by lenders, fewer buyes can qualify for new loans.)

 

In 2009:

Your ad would read ...

 

Short Sale - Seller Desperate!
Beautiful home for sale in superior neighborhood.
3 bedrooms, 2 ½ baths, 2 car garage.  Formal living
room, dining room, and family room.  Seller paid
$300,000 in 2004 - bank willing to accept a short
sale of $235,000.  Home in pristine condition -
ready for you to move in tomorrow.
Call - Phone #

As times change, Realtors must react to those changes.  These are just examples show you that in the past few years how the ads for one house could affect your business.  And you can expect more changes in 2009 and 2010 on the same imaginary house.

The Realtors' business is always "moving."  What was true a year ago is no longer true this year.   You cannot "fall asleep" behind the wheel.  If you do, your competition will pass you by.

Pay attention to the changes around you!  And then take advantage of those changes.   Of course, I cannot talk about all the changes across the country.  PAY ATTENTION to what's happening in YOUR area!

 

George Paukert, "Mr. Real Estate"
Road to Wealth Inc.
Phone: 561-883-2222
E-Mail: george@roadtowealth.com

A few days ago I posted about contacting the White House ...as I read through the comments...I noticed Missy's comment....you asked for it you got it....

 

With over 147,413 members on the Activerain network ...if I learned one thing by being in this network...we is always better than me....so I challenge as many people as possible to take a minute and write the White House....

June 5th, 2009 or reblog a post...but better yet...write your own thoughts..directly to the White House!

Please post on that particular day.....or write the White House...lets flood the White House's contact us page and the search engines. 

I was really thinking do these people in Washington really understand what people are going through..hell what we as real estate agents are going through...trying to help people who want help but with little cooperation. 

Bailout the People and not Establishments!

We tend to write many great articles here...reporting the facts in many cases...we tend to express our opinion but really what good is it doing?  We can all do more......

CONTACT US

President Obama is committed to creating the most open and accessible administration in American history.

While some may think this is not your fight in truth it is everyone...its impacting...you...me and many others.  With empty houses...property values....and more broken dreams, uncooperative lenders, ridiculous time lines and the excessive cost to taxpayers today, tomorrow and the future. 

Sometimes all it takes...is that one extra voice...

Contact the White House June 5th, 2009

Are you with me????

Will I ever sell a listing again without the words short sale?

I'll be in the office putting together yet another short sale listing

It's clear, people need help today!

About The Author: Midori Miller is a Real Estate Trainer and writes and trains Real Estate Training and assists sellers in short sale situations. Midori is a Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker , License # BK645709 and a member of the Daytona Area Association of REALTORS. Contact midorimiller@yahoo.com or (386)453-3236.

I received yet another call on a seller who needs to do a short sale..as I heard the story I couldn't help but want to help...because its the same story over and over again.

Their life happened

You see they bought this house 5 years ago....both husband and wife are sick..so sick..they can't work...they are lucky to have food...fortunately they managed to stash a few bucks....well the bucks are running out and so is their time in their home.  Do people realize the expense of chemotherapy even with medical insurance?

They attempted a loan modification and again same story...the lender will not cooperate..one of the big boys that received their Bail Out!

I was really thinking do these people in Washington really understand what people are going through..hell what we as real estate agents are going through...trying to help people who want help but with little cooperation. 

We tend to write many great articles here...reporting the facts in many cases...we tend to express our opinion but really what good is it doing?  We can all do more......

There are 147,199 members on the network....and with the amazing google juice...the prominence this network has...maybe we should be blasting the white house with story after story...by posting...reblogging and sharing it with the white house.

You really want to make a difference...well Obama wants to hear from you...at least that is what the White House claims....

CONTACT US

President Obama is committed to creating the most open and accessible administration in American history.

While some may think this is not your fight in truth it is everyone...its impacting...you...me and many others.  With empty houses...property values....and more broken dreams, uncooperative lenders, ridiculous time lines and the excessive cost to taxpayers today, tomorrow and the future. 

Sometimes all it takes...is that one extra voice...contact the white house today!

About The Author:  Midori Miller is a Real Estate Trainer and writes and trains Real Estate Training and assists sellers in short sale situations. Midori is a Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker, License # BK645709 and a member of the Daytona Area Association of REALTORS.  Contact midorimiller@yahoo.com or (386)453-3236.

Recently, I was talking with a few of my buyers, and they all had the same idea. These buyers aren't necessarily hot, but are looking for that right home, with the right price. The idea was: I like this home and that home, but I want to wait an see if they have a price reduction, or they want to wait for the best value. 

Why You Shouldn't Wait For The Price Reduction

The real estate market today, well at least real estate in Logan, UT, has been picking up dramatically. I don't know if we are necessarily in the so called buyers market anymore.

What I mean is this: If a home is priced right, or is a great value, we are seeing multiple offer situations.

Buyers are in bidding wars to get those great homes. The homes that aren't getting the multiple offers are either over priced, or in poor condition. 

Why You don't Want To Be In A Bidding War

 

If you're a buyer in this market, a bidding war is not what you want to be in. It can turn that great value, into an emotional spending spree.

What I mean is this: You want this home, you fell in love with it, and now you have to compete with another buyer who has the same feeling. It may turn out, the home with the great value, just turned into the home that was overpriced. 

If you're a buyer in this market, and you're waiting for the great value, you're not alone. Chances are, let me take that back, almost always, there is at least one more buyer in the same shoes. So, what's happening is, the great homes are seeing bidding wars, which means the seller is in the drivers seat, and that great offer may not be so great anymore. 

Now, if you want to be all alone on your offer, and don't want to play that bidding war game. Maybe you should take a hard look at the homes that are, in your mind, over priced. If you think about it, you're not the only buyer that thinks the home is over priced. And if the home has been on the market for a fair amount of time, it just may be that great deal you have been looking for.

Let me explain:

 

Why Should I Look At Over Priced Homes?

Home A = Overpriced, great condition.

Home B = Great Price, great condition.

Home A - Multiple showings, and has been on the market for 3 months. 

Home B - Multiple showings, and has been on the market for 1 week.

Home A - Does not have any offers, and are starting to feel down on their situation.

Home B - Has offers coming in, and a lot of activity, chances are, this home won't last.

Home A  is going to be more negotiable on an offer. You may have heard of the low ball offer,  these are the homes that are getting those low offers, and most of them are going to the closing table for well under listing price.

On the other hand, Home B can reject that low offer, and chances are if you are the one who made it, your out of the loop. 

Why An Overpriced Home Might Be The Best Value

 

• The overpriced home in my example above just may very well be the best value.
  
• Here's why: No bidding war, more negotiable, more willing to help with closing costs, and that price reduction may have been sitting in the back of the sellers mind, you just needed to induce that reduction with an offer. 
  

 

Don't wait for a price reduction, submit an offer, and negotiate the price reduction. Buying a home for a great value isn't about waiting, it's about negotiating the best price for the best value. Any experienced real estate agent knows this, but it's just as important for you to know as a potential home buyer. 

 

Lisa Udy

Immaculate Homes

Logan UT Homes

Logan Utah Real Estate

Lisa@LisaUdy.com

 

 

 

Is it me?

I am constantly trying to improve the way AgentOwned Realty stays connected.  Following trends and trying to determine their usefulness on a company wide scale seems overwhelming, or is it just me?

Then, I had an epiphany of sorts, and can't believe that it took me so long.

For the last 6 months, I have absorbed myself in the online world trying to catch up and get ahead of the curve. And although I am usually a fast study, much of the "Cloud" alluded me.

If it were not for Google, I would have continued to avoid technology thinking it was just too much for me, I didn't have time. But here I am, a short time later, on the verge of full fledged Geek-dom.   Google gives you baby steps into its universe and before you know it, you are orbiting the center at an increasing speed.

Yes, I am saying that Google may be the center of the universe and I am only half joking.  Or maybe it is the black hole in the middle?

But I digress, back to my revelation:

Google, by providing a platform for novices to control their computer experience, also sends millions in way over their heads.

Its not a knock, in fact the opposite.

I think it is brilliant.  Give someone just enough to keep them coming back for more. Thinking, "I have to be able to figure this out.  It is not beyond me, it is right there."

But it remains just slightly out of reach.

Like an addict, you try to recapture the "ah ha" euphoria of setting up your first gmail account.

By going against "old school" business rules and opening their knowledge base to the world, the masses are drawn in by possibilities, and just keep clicking. Keep searching for the correct combination to the power that is just on the horizon.

More clicks means more exposure for the advertisers, which means more revenue forGoogle.

But the ads aren't annoying, Google has placed them there just for you. By remembering your history, and mystically intuiting your future, Google seems to know what you want more than you.  Are we reaching a new level of consciousness?  A group awareness? 

Many would fear that possibility, so reminiscent of Orwell's world, but it is possible that this is the next step in our evolution. Collective information shared freely, easily, and to all, regardless of experience, is transforming our world, and all of us. 

But, again, after hours, days, frustration- the victory and the agony of defeat, I realize that the transformation has just begun and there is so much to learn.

I head back to Google and search again.

Revolving faster towards the great unknown. 

To continuing tracking my orbit,subscribe to my blog and watch as my adventures unfold.

This is a video that I made for our company wide meeting April 23rd, 2009

I had fun making it and I hope to keep improving my movie making and comedic skills

go to my Youtube video

Active Rain Members- Flag That Post!

There are so many posts written about how to get featured on Active Rain. It is a consistant treasure hunt for some members to figure out what makes for a feature worthy post and then how to get it featured.

Of course; I, along with Broker Bryant and the AR gods know the secret to getting featured on Active Rain. You can read all about the secret by clicking here to discover the amazing secrets to a featured post.

But seriously, the road to the coveted gold star is paying it forward. Givers gain readers who then flag for features.

Instead of thinking about how you should have a featured post go around the Active Rain community and find the posts that other members have written that you feel should be featured. Leave a nice comment for the blogger. Then all you do; is click on the flag below their post. You are given several options there.

After you click on the flag option below a member's post, it looks like this:

 

Check the 'Feature' box. You can even explain why you think this certain post deserves to be featured.

A word of warning! AR  tracks the use of the flag so be careful how you use this feature option. If you check it off for yourself all the time they will know that!

Here is a list of Active Rain Tutorials to help you set up your Active Rain Profile page for maximum benefit:

 

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helpfaq: Active Rain Profiles- How To Get Mileage From Your Active Rain Profiles   Active Rain Profiles- How To Get Mileage From Your Active Rain Profiles I wrote an Active Rain Tutorial on how you should be using your first and last name fields for SEO strength. You can read the SEO in your name post by clicking here. I suggest that you take care …

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Active Rain Members- Flag This Post! by Katerina Gasset is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

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