Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sailing with Scott
North American Title sponsored an evening of Sailing with Scott on the Sea Wolf. We had such a great time! Thank you North American Title!!! Here are some pictures of the event...
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
FHA Loan Changes
I mentioned earlier that many of the changes to FHA would be clearer in the near future and some of those changes are being presented now.
Here is what we have so far:
Here is what we have so far:
The base loan amount will be 96.5% of the sales price (as long as the house appraises for at least the sales price).
The closing costs/prepaids up to 6% of the sales price can be rolled into the price, appraisal permitting.
Any buyer paid closing costs will not be applied to reach the 3.5% down payment threshold….If buyer is paying closing costs they will be in addition to the 3.5% down payment.
I will continue to keep you updated!
tricia
The closing costs/prepaids up to 6% of the sales price can be rolled into the price, appraisal permitting.
Any buyer paid closing costs will not be applied to reach the 3.5% down payment threshold….If buyer is paying closing costs they will be in addition to the 3.5% down payment.
I will continue to keep you updated!
tricia
Monday, September 22, 2008
Help For Hurricane Victims
With the exception of the loss of the Galveston market center – which will re-open in a temporary space – most of the market centers that were in the path of Hurricane Ike are intact and slowly returning to business as power is restored. Some areas of Houston and Conroe will be without power for a longer period of time as major electrical transformers are being rebuilt.
By and large, our associates living in Galveston still have not been able to return to assess the damage to their homes. Many of our associates in Houston and along the Texas Gulf Coast have suffered devastating losses.
KW Cares is providing financial assistance to Keller Williams evacuees and other associates who are experiencing financial hardship due to the storm. The outpouring of support has been particularly strong among our Gulf States region.
How can you help?
1. Donate to KW Cares!
2. If you have temporary housing to offer, please contact us at www.kwcares.org
3. Adopt a hurricane victim. Please let us know if your market center can help a hurricane victim through fund-raisers, donated items or moral support.
4. Send a gift card from Wal-Mart, Target, Lowe’s or Home Depot to KW Cares, c/o Chris Streppa, 807 Las Cimas Pkwy, Suite 200, Austin, TX 78746. These would be extremely appreciated to help evacuees replace lost items.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Advanced Sales Tips for Real Estate Agents During a Slow Market
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It no longer takes just a license and knowledge of current laws and regulations to become a successful real estate agent. Considering the condition of the current market experiencing a downturn, we can’t be sure it’s even hit bottom yet.
The good new is, people are still buying houses and they always will. Hard work will be needed to get the job done. A Savvy Real Estate Agent can compete in the current housing climate by locating buyers and focusing on giving them what they want. Here are some advanced sales tips for generating a profitable year.
Conduct buyer seminars. Offer to give informational (and free!) classes at our office or at your local civic or religious center, updating people on the current market conditions. You can teach them how to buy a house even if they’ve been turned down before, and give advice or referrals on how to repair credit. This will not only position you as an expert in the field, is also gives you access to a fertile, pre-qualified group of potential buyers.
Solicit apartment complexes and tenant-occupied properties. While this may seem fairly obvious, it’s important that you have marketing materials targeted to this audience (e.g., showing them how and what they can own for the same payments as their rent) and a strategic approach to contacting these potential home owners.
Buddy up with title companies. Often they’ll have deals that fell apart, and many of those deals were attempted without a Real Estate Agent involved. Gaining access to that list will yield names of interested motivated buyers and sellers.
Solicit FSBOs. FSBOs are very often newbie’s in the real estate game and aren’t really sure what they need to provide potential buyers who come to look at their house. Offer FSBOs helpful documents, such as floor plans, sell sheets, etc., in return for prospects that didn’t like the FSBO’s house for whatever reason. And the FSBO may eventually call you to give you their listing, if they get frustrated by long sell times, as is prevalent in this market.
Talk to agents going out of business. According the National Association of Realtors (NAR), there are more than 2 million registered real estate agents. And the NAR also estimates that between 40-80% of new Real Estate Agents quit the business before their first anniversary, and 90% by year three. Despite their struggles, many of those have built a list of interested buyers that would be worth adding to your database.
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Establish your own website. Face it: it’s the 21st century. Most people do some of their research on major purchases online, and a Website that displays your personality, not to mention your listings, is a necessity. It’s easy and inexpensive to get started and is simply a must.
Market your previous clients. This is another seemingly obvious tip that all too many Real Estate Agents overlook. Your past clients are your most fertile ground for referrals (and repeat sales) but can only do that if they remember your name! Sending a regular newsletter updating part clients on your latest success will remind them what being a Real Estate Agent is all about and let them know you are still making your clients happy.
Partner with a reputable mortgage brokers. Mortgage brokers lately have had their requirements tightened by their lending partners, and probably have said “no” more times than in the past few months than in the two or three prior years. Partnering with a reputable mortgage broker can offer a win-win situation. In return for access to the list of turn-downs, you offer them help in a monitored credit repair situation, who then become buyers who may possibly qualify for a loan from that same mortgage broker.
By focusing on how to find buyers and in some instances, how to help buyers help themselves a Real Estate Agent can have a prosperous year even in a down market.
*Source: Mind, Body & Sales for the Real Estate Professional
It no longer takes just a license and knowledge of current laws and regulations to become a successful real estate agent. Considering the condition of the current market experiencing a downturn, we can’t be sure it’s even hit bottom yet.
The good new is, people are still buying houses and they always will. Hard work will be needed to get the job done. A Savvy Real Estate Agent can compete in the current housing climate by locating buyers and focusing on giving them what they want. Here are some advanced sales tips for generating a profitable year.
Conduct buyer seminars. Offer to give informational (and free!) classes at our office or at your local civic or religious center, updating people on the current market conditions. You can teach them how to buy a house even if they’ve been turned down before, and give advice or referrals on how to repair credit. This will not only position you as an expert in the field, is also gives you access to a fertile, pre-qualified group of potential buyers.
Solicit apartment complexes and tenant-occupied properties. While this may seem fairly obvious, it’s important that you have marketing materials targeted to this audience (e.g., showing them how and what they can own for the same payments as their rent) and a strategic approach to contacting these potential home owners.
Buddy up with title companies. Often they’ll have deals that fell apart, and many of those deals were attempted without a Real Estate Agent involved. Gaining access to that list will yield names of interested motivated buyers and sellers.
Solicit FSBOs. FSBOs are very often newbie’s in the real estate game and aren’t really sure what they need to provide potential buyers who come to look at their house. Offer FSBOs helpful documents, such as floor plans, sell sheets, etc., in return for prospects that didn’t like the FSBO’s house for whatever reason. And the FSBO may eventually call you to give you their listing, if they get frustrated by long sell times, as is prevalent in this market.
Talk to agents going out of business. According the National Association of Realtors (NAR), there are more than 2 million registered real estate agents. And the NAR also estimates that between 40-80% of new Real Estate Agents quit the business before their first anniversary, and 90% by year three. Despite their struggles, many of those have built a list of interested buyers that would be worth adding to your database.
.jpg)
Establish your own website. Face it: it’s the 21st century. Most people do some of their research on major purchases online, and a Website that displays your personality, not to mention your listings, is a necessity. It’s easy and inexpensive to get started and is simply a must.
Market your previous clients. This is another seemingly obvious tip that all too many Real Estate Agents overlook. Your past clients are your most fertile ground for referrals (and repeat sales) but can only do that if they remember your name! Sending a regular newsletter updating part clients on your latest success will remind them what being a Real Estate Agent is all about and let them know you are still making your clients happy.
Partner with a reputable mortgage brokers. Mortgage brokers lately have had their requirements tightened by their lending partners, and probably have said “no” more times than in the past few months than in the two or three prior years. Partnering with a reputable mortgage broker can offer a win-win situation. In return for access to the list of turn-downs, you offer them help in a monitored credit repair situation, who then become buyers who may possibly qualify for a loan from that same mortgage broker.
By focusing on how to find buyers and in some instances, how to help buyers help themselves a Real Estate Agent can have a prosperous year even in a down market.
*Source: Mind, Body & Sales for the Real Estate Professional
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