Hello to all of my friends and family,
 
I have to ask a favor of all of you.

Tonight,the company I have been representing for the last few months is going to have its head lining product featured on the Celebrity Apprentice, this will revolutionize the way we communicate with everyone. My favor is that all of my friends and family watch the show or DVR it. The more people we have watching this show the more publicity we will have in the days that follow, the better for the company, and the better for me and everyone involved in the company.

This will be one of the biggest days in my business and I need help from everyone I know to get the word out there. So, please get your friends and family to tune in, it is supposed to be one of the best episodes of the year (per Donald Trump).

Finally if you or any of your friends have questions about the product or the company, please feel free to contact me and I can assist them or you.

Celebrity Apprentice on NBC
Sunday 3/22 @ 9 pm Eastern / 8 pm in AZ

Click the link below to view an exciting video commercial by Donald Trump:
http://pickeringgroup..acnrep.com/v.asp?I=1111446C5109  If you would like to know more about how

you can help me in this endeavor, or would like to join my organization,  you can review all of our products and services by simply going to my website...  http://pickeringgroup.acnrep.com and click on "products".  If you want to know more about the business, click on "opportunity" and make your selection from there.  During this difficult time of job loss, foreclosures, and little left in our 401K's for the future, we all need to support one another's efforts.   

I look forward to hearing from you.

                                                                                  "Just leave me a Loan"®

 Thank You,

Jeff A Pickering
The Pickering Group
Phone (623)551-9360
Email: jeff@pickeringgroup.com
Website: www.pickeringgroup.com

The New Temporary FHA Loan Limits in Maricopa County are:

One family $346,250

Two family $443,250

Three Family $535,800

Four Family $665,850

  For info on increases in other Arizona counties Click on the link below.

 https://entp.hud.gov/idapp/html/hicostlook.cfm 

We will be providing additional information as soon as the details become available to us.  The next announcements are scheduled for March 4^th.

Rates and Programs Subject to Change, Call For Current Rates *

                                                                                  "Just leave me a Loan"®

 Thank You,

Jeff A Pickering
The Pickering Group
Phone (623)551-9360
Email: jeff@pickeringgroup.com
Website: www.pickeringgroup.com

I am pleased to announce that we have been granted "Proficient Lender Status" with our Mortgage Insurance Company.  This is a great recognition to have as lender to be acknowledged by our MI business partner.  The ability to insure mortgage loans in declining markets is another tool to help you meet your  buyers needs.

 We are now eligible to deliver loans with mortgage insurance ("MI") applications in declining markets for loans with a FICO score of 660 and a loan-to-value ratio between 90.01% - 95% (Excluding the state of Florida).  DU AUS Approved Eligible

Purchase and rate and term refinances transactions single family 95% to 417,000.00 - 660 FICO MAX DTI 41/55

Condominiums 90%   FICO 660 MAX DTI 41% - Project must be 100% completed NO Phasing

Second Homes to 90% FICO 700 MAX DTI 41%

Additional restrictions:

No investment properties

No cash out refinances

No properties in the state of Florida

All transactions must meet the Anti Flipping rule

Buyers purchasing a new o/o home and retaining current property as a rental/ second home must qualify with both payments and have 6 months reserves on all properties

California: The maximum insured percentage of all certified loans in any given month may not exceed 34% in the state of California.  All MI certificate will be issued from corporate to manage availability of MI in that state.

"Just leave me a Loan"
 

Thank You,
Jeff A Pickering
The Pickering Group
Phone (623)551-9360
Email: jeff@pickeringgroup.com
Website: www.pickeringgroup.com 

HBM What's in it for the HR Director/Employer

1. Relocation just became easier: You have the advantage with the Home Buyers Scouting Report®.

a. An employee interviewing with your firm can utilize the HBSR® to learn about the local housing market, search for properties matching their search criteria and receive high quality, timely response to all of their real estate and financing needs.

2. High quality internal marketing opportunity.

a. Your logo and contact information placed on every screen the buyer (employee) views.

3. Employee benefits = commitment and retention:

a. Work with your HBM® Preferred Lender to hold informational buyer seminars for employees. Cover topics such as: 1st time home buying, investment buying, refinancing options, benefits of having a mortgage pre‐approval, understanding credit scores and more.

b. "Employees who are homeowners have more loyalty and dependability within their place of employment."

4. There are numerous real estate sites available, but the Home Buyers Scouting Report® is the only Single Destination Website:

a. Put the homebuyer in control of their home search process with a private, password secured website.

b. Provides buyers with 24/7 online access to all the available listings from area real estate companies.

c. Offers maps, directions, satellite imagery and comprehensive neighborhood information.

d. Personal notebook to save and track favorite properties.

e. Quick Alert^TM emails will notify the buyer of new properties listed matching their search criteria or changes to properties they are tracking.

f. Direct online access to the HBM® Preferred Lender for each buyer's financing needs.

g. The Home Buyers Scouting Report® is provided directly to the homebuyer by HBM II, a licensed real estate brokerage services company, absolutely FREE.

Thank You,
Jeff A Pickering & Sherry Pickering                                                                                                                             
The Pickering Group
Phone (623)551-9360
Email: jeff@pickeringgroup.com
Website: www.pickeringgroup.com

Don't Talk, Listen!

I have found that the best conversationalists are the best listeners. The same holds true with salespeople! Review the following tips to see where you might have room for improvement.

Maintain eye contact.
This does more than show the person you're interested; it helps you to concentrate on what they say.

Ask relevant questions.
Do you assume you understand, or do you make sure by asking questions that confirm statements?

Avoid distractions.
Rearrange your seating if the sun is in your eyes. If it's too noisy in a room, do what you can to cut down on distractions. This includes turning off your cell phone. Don't divide your attention.

Take notes.
You can't remember everything! Carry a pad and pen with you wherever you go. However, don't spend the entire conversation looking down at your notes. Learn to write and look them in the eye at the same time.

Don't try to multitask.
While you might think it's a time-saver to finish up one task while someone is talking, they will feel completely neglected. Maybe you won't miss a single word, but their confidence in you will be shot.

Really listen to what they are saying.
Use this as an opportunity to get to know your clients on a more personal level. Resist the temptation to talk about yourself, and turn the focus on them instead. Pick up on little clues they reveal about themselves,such as a family situation, favorite sports teams, financial investment strategy, etc.

Ask someone close to you to rate your listening skills. Listen carefully to the feedback you receive - you might be surprised by what you hear!

Call me when you have a client who needs special assistance in obtaining their mortgage loan.

Most of us think of an IRA as a place to invest in mutual funds, stocks and bonds.  However, you may have heard that investment real estate may also be purchased in an IRA.  The rumors are true- you can, but with a few complications and drawbacks that are likely the primary reasons this strategy has not gained widespread use.  Nonetheless, IRA real estate investing may prove beneficial to your particular situation, so it's definitely worth a conversation with your financial planner and CPA.

One obstacle is that IRA real estate investing must occur through a self-directed IRA and is generally not available with the vast majority of major wirehouses and other recognizable name brands in the investing world.  However, if you logon to Google and enter "Real Estate IRA" or "Self-Directed IRA" you'll see there is no shortage of suitors who will be glad to help you transfer your existing IRA funds to a self-directed IRA.

The second complication is the need for nontraditional sources of mortgage financing.  Larger banks and mortgage companies typically will not lend on real estate held in an IRA because title to the property is held by the IRA trustee rather than the IRA owner.  You'll need to look for a niche lender that offers this type of financing, which will most often be a smaller local bank or credit union.

Finally, you'll also need to partake in an analysis of whether the pros and cons of IRA real estate investing make sense for your personal situation.  This should definitely entail discussions with your financial planner and CPA, but for starters here are some of the considerations you should look at:

Pros:

• Better Diversification- if most of your investments are tied up in the stock market then this is a terrific solution for diverting some of your money into real estate to give you a more balanced portfolio.
• Active Investment- for those of you who are more inclined to managing your own investments, buying real estate is the best solution available for an IRA.
• Deferred taxes.  Speak with your CPA about how this will affect you, but in general you will be able to defer taxes on all income and capital gains.
• Use of leverage- There aren't many IRA investments you can leverage to potentially increase returns, but this is one of them.

Cons:

• Less favorable mortgage terms- Expect a minimum required down payment of 30% to 40% and an interest rate that exceeds the standard rates for investment properties by 0.25% to 0.5%.
• Tax disadvantages- believe it or not, the tax deferral strategy could backfire.  With a traditional IRA account, you'll have to pay the taxes someday.  If income taxes in the future are higher than they are today then you'd be better off paying the taxes today.  Also, the sale of property may generate unfavorable consequences- NON-IRA long-term capital gains are currently taxed federally at just 15%, but all IRA gains will eventually be taxed as ordinary income.
• Profits are inaccessible- while taxes on all gains and income are deferred, all profits must be kept within the IRA until age 59 ½ to avoid penalties.

In a nutshell, the drawbacks of IRA real estate investing wash away many of the benefits.  Keep in mind that purchasing real estate outside of an IRA still makes for a very tax advantaged investment with depreciation deductions and 1031 exchanges available. 

The IRA real estate investment seems to be most appropriate for middle aged and older investors whose primary net worth is held in an IRA.  If you are 50 years old and you have $500,000 in an IRA but little else in outside investments, it's likely that the only capital you have available to purchase investment real estate is that in your IRA.  Rather than keeping all of your investment exposure in the stock market and rather than paying a penalty to liquidate a portion of your IRA to buy real estate, using your retirement savings to purchase real estate within your IRA gives you the opportunity for greater portfolio diversification without patently unfavorable tax consequences.

If you have available investment capital both within and outside of your IRA then it's debatable as to whether making the purchase within the IRA makes sense.  In all cases, meet with a financial planner and CPA to dig into the details of how this decision will affect your long-term financial situation.

This is how one of my top agent responds when a client chooses to go a different direction! They sent me this letter as a sample of how they handle the situation. After they send this letter they have a follow up system to make the client feel special and continue to take the blame for the mistake, I asked them how many clients come back and they say over 75% return in a few weeks/months. What if all of us responded this way...... how much more business would we have and how many times would our names be passed out?

Dear Client

As a past client and the purchaser of a new home 3 years ago, we are writing this letter "from the heart".  Why from "the heart?"  We feel your pain!  We felt we should say something.  We are not upset you listed with someone else. 

You are our friends!  You have been a trusted adviser and part of our concierge program since our meeting.  We have looked out for you.  We have kept you updated on the real estate market, sent out gifts, Christmas cards, and provided you with updates, and as new homeowners to our fair city have tried to make you both feel welcomed.  Hugs all around when we met at our listing appointment.   It was really nice of you to share your new plans and visions with us.  We were, and are, excited for you and your family.

We have failed you!  We're sorry!  

 We did not think your house would sell for the price you wanted.  We offered to have a licensed appraiser, at our expense, to verify it's market worth.  We failed you when we explained the market, we failed to communicate the importance of pricing, we failed to communicate! 

We were looking out for your best interests.  We would have come back and made adjustments to "the price"  We would have worked with you. 

I could tell from your voice when you said you "were going with another agent" that it was upsetting to you and that we were not chosen to represent you.  Again we are sorry we did not agree on your price! 

We truly hope that your house sells for your price, and we wish your family the best of luck!

Sign name (blue ink)

In today's market everyone is looking for ways to stay ahead of the curve, one way is the forgotten art of referral relationships! We as professionals need to have established relationships in multiple fields to service our clients every need and be seen as that trusted advisor. Below is a sample letter I use to get coffee appointments with Attorneys in my area

<Attorney info here>

I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce the <team Name>. We specialize in working with other business people to assist each other's business.  Over the last three years we have found the quality of our business is higher because of the loyalty of our network.

 We're looking to add one more piece to our network of business people for referrals.  We work with several GREAT realtors, builders, financial planners, accountants, and insurance agents.  We're now looking to add a fantastic attorney to our network.  Many of our clients need an attorney that they can trust to take care of them as well as we do, and we hope you'll be able to fill that need.

 Call us immediately so we can set up a meeting to discuss exactly how we can help each other.

<Pickering Group Info Here>

We trust that you had a wonderful holiday season with your family and that your New Year is off to a wonderful start.  Let's hope that 2009 exceeds all our expectations and is even more joyous than 2008. 

It is at this time of the year that you are going to start receiving 1099's and W-2's in the mail, which marks the moment that you can begin to prepare for your tax rectification for the calendar year of 2008.  Over the course of the last twelve months, many of you have expressed unhappiness with your existing accounting situation.  Several of you have even asked for us to refer you to one of our CPAs. We do work with several professional CPAs and would like to refer you to one.

 A few things that we would like to point out to you that are of critical importance as it relates to preparing taxes are as follows:

1. Your accountant is an extension of your overall financial plan, and should be acting in accordance with your long-term financial goals. This includes running sophisticated analyses and making sure that you are preparing yourself for your long-term retirement needs.

1. Accountants typically spend the majority of their annualized work hours over a three-month period of time beginning in late January and running through late April. The critical mistake that we often find is that most people visit their CPA during this three-month period of time. Now ask yourself this question: Does it really make sense to be meeting with one of the most pivotal people in your financial planning life at the time that they are most busy? Of course not. 
   
   This is why it is very important to work with an accountant who takes a much more proactive approach. You need someone who meets with you to do forward tax planning during the off season. If this is not happening, it should be a red flag that you are not getting all that you should from your accounting relationship. 

 Again, please contact us if we can be of service to you or if you are looking for a new CPA.

 May 2009 be a great year for you!!

Sincerely,

 Jeff Pickering

 The Pickering Group

Office: 623-551-9360

"Just leave me a Loan"®