Sam's Blog

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 23:15:27 -0600

Carolina Mortgage Company

Carolina Mortgage Company was founded in 1986 and is locally owned and operated. Carolina Mortgage Company is one of the largest mortgage companies in Fayetteville and one of the largest VA lenders in NC. Dave Allred, the Broker/Owner and his staff are the friendliest people you are ever going to meet and they know more about mortgages than I'll ever know. Dave is well known in the industry and his company is widely known and respected. Agents rest easy when they learn that Audrey Lewis with Carolina Mortgage Company is processing their buyers' loan for their next closing! Here are several more reasons why CAROLINA MORTGAGE COMPANY can help your business in 2009!

Local Processors
Local Underwriters
Local Loan Originators (me)!
Local Closers
Local Funding
Local Appraisers that you pick! (if not VA assigned)

With us, you get quick pre-approvals that you can rely on with great LOW RATES and we will give you a 1-TIME FLOAT DOWN OPTION on any locked rates up until it closes WITH NO RATE BUMP LIKE MOST LENDERS! In addition to those highlights, here are more reasons to pick Carolina Mortgage Company.

Extremely Fast Closings are No Problem!
No application fee or fee to register the loan!
Only $150 for Govie processing or $200 for conventional loan processing!
Strong VA, FHA, USDA and State Housing Lender.
Carolina Mortgage Company pays the appraiser immediately so they are eager to work with the office on expedited loans, when needed.
I will be working 1:1 with my Fayetteville broker/owner, processor, underwriter, closer and your buyers to make sure your loan closes quickly and smoothly. This will be more HIGH TOUCH for you and your buyers that will help you in getting AND retaining better buyers!
Buyers will be able to meet me at your office or at my new office in Fayetteville, NC right at the intersection of Reilly and Cliffdale Roads.

As always, I am available 7 days a week to make sure you are getting the best service you can for your business.

Company website: www.carolina-mortgage.com

Company Address:

Carolina Mortgage Company 6920 Cliffdale Road, Fayetteville, NC 28314

Call Toll free at: 800-868-4689

Local Phone: 910-868-4300

Local Fax: 910-868-3324

Audrey Lewis Email: audrey@carolina-mortgage.us

My new email: sam@carolina-mortgage.us

My Cell Phone has not changed: 843-230-7929

Checkout: http://www.activelaurinburg.com/ Active Adult Community NC

Commercial Loans Available Too! CALL ME WITH YOUR NEXT REFERRAL SO WE CAN SHOW YOU HOW WE DO IT! YOU WILL BE IMPRESSED AND YOUR CLIENTS WILL TOO.

ID Theft Protection

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 23:07:17 -0600

ID Theft Protection

With many borrowers that I came into contact in previous years suffering from ID theft, I can now offer protection for them and you. Pre-paid Legal, Inc. offers this ID monitoring with restoration services for only $9.95/mo. with their association with Kroll America, a lender in this industry for 30 years as well.
ID Theft is now larger than the illegal drug industry and getting bigger every day!   ID theft can affect your finances and many other things as well that can take years and a whole lot of money to correct. Without a monitoring service, once you find out that it happened to you, it will be too late. If you are interested in this protection for yourself and your family or if you want to pursue this opportunity for your career aspirations so you can help your clients and friends, give me a call.
Join my team and I will help you get started with this additional career opportunity so you can supplement your real estate business in 2009. This is a great way to earn more income while giving you another networking opportunity so it can help your real estate sales that way too.

Sam Thompson

Carolina Mortgage Company

843-230-7929

Checkout: http://www.activelaurinburg.com/ Active Adult Community NC

Pre-paid Legal - A great service and good fit for you real estate biz!

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 23:04:49 -0600

Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.

Pre-paid Legal is another company that I have joined as an associate and you can too. I have attended 2 meetings and researched this company and found it to be a very solid company that was founded over 30 years ago. This company protects your legal rights by assigning you to a regional attorney licensed in NC and SC, etc and access to attorneys throughout the country that can help you when you are traveling as well 24/7. The charge for this service is only around $17/mo for a family plan depending on the level of service you need. Over 50,000 companies offer this service to their employees nationwide as a benefit to their employment! I can now offer this to you too. With the many things that can happen to you in your profession as a realtor or US citizen these days with many suing people at a drop of a hat, having a lawyer at your disposal is now a necessity to protect you, your business and your family. This legal service is very exciting with many free services and if you want to learn more, please give me a call. Did you know that realtors are sued more than any other profession behind attorneys and doctors? This is why need this protection for you and your business! Pre-Paid Legal has a special program just for realtors. Call and I will explain it to you!

Sam Thompson

Carolina Mortgage Company

843-230-7929

www.samthompsonmortgage.com

www.carolina-mortgage.com

Checkout: http://www.activelaurinburg.com/ Active Adult Community NC

The Push Method to Sales!

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 00:16:52 -0600

Are you tempted by meat on a toothpick?

It happened to me again at the food court at South Park Mall in Charlotte Friday night! I took a tasty sample on toothpicks from a Chinese restaurant worker and immediately decided to order a plate from their menu. Since they gave me 2 different meat choices to try and since I liked both, I asked if I could get half of each! They were very happy and friendly and they agreed in unison with bright smiles.

Well, just down the mall, there was another vendor with several attractive girls with lotion sample trays that were jumping out at mall shoppers trying to get them to take a sample. I steered as far as I could away from them and they still managed to get my attention every time I passed them by shouting out at me. I declined to accept their offer with each agitating attempt. Even though they were pretty, their pushy sales methods were way over the top and most shoppers were also avoiding them.

Are there any lessons that we can draw from these examples?

Absolutely!

Why don't you put together a tasty offering on your business card of your services and tempt some prospects with this push method of sales?

Here are some ideas:

Free First-Time Home Buyer Guide.
Free "Just Listed" email notices customized for your wish list.
Free Guide on How Stage a House for Showing.
Free Tips for Listing Your Home in a Slow Market.
Free Investor Guide for Home Flipping.

Notice the word "Free" that always appears in the offer? This is critical in this market. Also, make sure to include some testimonies and contact information in each promotion to help them see your value and your personality too. The main thing that these promotions do is to promote your ideas so they can understand how you work and so they will be sold on you before you really meet them. Then, hand these business cards out with a nice simple promotional comment and big warm smile and see what happens.

For you listing agents, here are some ideas to entice your buyers with some tasty incentives on some "listing business cards" that you can promote with some catchy ads like:

New washer/dryer installed if closes by end of February!
Seller will repaint the entire inside to suit new buyers taste!
New granite countertops in the kitchen!
New high-speed desktop PC given to any buyer at closing!
New 52" flat screen TV for the buyer that closes this month!

With many retailers offering tremendous discounts to move inventory, now is a great time to pick up some appliances at a deal that can help your sellers sell before their next mortgage payment is due! Make sure to give plenty of these cards to your sellers too and make sure that they hand them out in a warm friendly manner. Teach them a few things about sales and they'll learn to appreciate you better!

Before you do any of these things, take a look at your picture on your business card. Do you look approachable, friendly and kind? If not, get a new brighter, friendlier picture made and update your cards.

In the book I promoted last week, "Smile and Move", they made the point of saying that just being agreeable is not enough, you have to mean it. For example, when asked to do something for someone, does your YES say, "yes, if I have to" or "yes, it would be my pleasure?"

Some people really have a hard time with this while it comes natural for others. If you look at the successful sales people, you are going to find the latter, more than likely. Also, make sure your cards portray you in this manner too.

Be like the Chinese restaurant vendor and be pleasant in your offering and let your sample sell you for you!

This book also mentioned a study that says that people will remember their very best "peak" encounters (their emotionally-intense moments). When you go beyond expectations, you can create peak experiences and leave people with wonderful memories...

In case you missed it, here's the link for this book.

Click Here!

Here's another neat idea to help you make your business take off in 2009! Refer your prospects to call me by saying "I can have my personal mortgage advisor close your loan with a great rate and fast and easy processing!" This will make me Smile and Move too!

Senior Mortgage Advisor

Carolina Mortgage Company - 843-230-7929

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

www.samthompsonmortgage.com/

Checkout: http://www.activelaurinburg.com/ Active Adult Community Laurinburg, NC

Network with Movers to get ahead of the RE cycle today!

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:39:19 -0600

Do you network with movers?

Movers can be a great networking resource for your business. Like the self-storage building owners I talked about last week, these guys are out talking to people just before they actually enter the real estate market every single day. Think about it. Say your dad is moving to an assisted living facility or to an apartment and he asks you to help him. Are you immediately going to call a realtor to list his house? No. But you might have to call a mover, right? Eventually, you might be helping your dad find a good realtor too and these movers might be the first to recommend a great one to you...

These 3rd-party referrals are huge! This is why you need to get to know these type providers and take care of them with your referrals too. You can get ahead of the real estate transaction cycle by working with the service providers that are working with these people early on. The earlier, the better. I have heard that people will use the first realtor that contacts them most of the time so try to be the first one. This is especially true if the realtor takes the time to build sound rapport like in the topic above! Remember the saying..."The early bird gets the worm!"

Other resources that will get you way ahead of the real estate cycle are the HR managers. Call them too and get them to put you on their recruiting team for their next job vacancy that will require a relocation from another town!

Get to know as many people as you can ahead of the real estate cycle and let them know that if they refer their clients to you, you are going to refer your clients to them or you will help them with their career goals too.

Senior Mortgage Advisor

Carolina Mortgage Company - 843-230-7929

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

www.samthompsonmortgage.com/

www.carolina-mortgage.com/

Checkout: http://www.activelaurinburg.com/ Active Adult Community Laurinburg, NC

Self-Storage Building Prospecting - Find buyers and sellers fast!

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 23:14:32 -0600

These doors could belong to your next clients!

Ever wonder why those self-storage businesses are popping up all over the place? It's because demand is high for people that are in a hurry to store their household furniture and belongings and there's usually a future real estate transaction in the future of many of those using these for you.

With any economy but especially this one, people are having challenges making ends meet and this causes marriages to fail and people to move in search of a better job. In addition, our population is aging which is also creating many to seek quick storage solutions.

Here are several things I thought of that may cause someone to use a self-storage unit:

Recent separation or divorce.

Downsizing to a smaller home, apartment or to an assisted-living or continual care facility.

Moving to the area and staying in a hotel.

Moving out of home and fixing it up to sell soon.

Running out of room in their house. (might need a bigger house soon to store it all) "Packrat syndrome".

So, since many people using these storage units might be entering the real estate market soon, why not start networking with the owner and managers of these facilities in your area?

Take them to lunch and sell yourself and also express that you want to start referring clients to them too! This relationship will be a win/win and help their business grow.

Another thought I had regarding self-storage is to use these units to de-clutter one of your listings! This added service for your sellers could help their house show a whole lot better and by having this new relationship with the self-storage manager or owner, you are sure to get the seller's a "special rate".

Think about self-storage warehouses and how they can help your business and start networking with these guys starting today!

Just add these self-storage guys to your 'service provider network list' along with the plumbers, electricians, landscape guys, interior decorators, roofers, flooring guys, carpenters, handymen, etc. When you do, you'll start to see your business take off with tons of new referrals!

Make sure you tell the self-storage guy about your mortgage advisor too

Senior Mortgage Advisor

Carolina Mortgage Company - 843-230-7929

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

www.samthompsonmortgage.com/

www.carolina-mortgage.com/

Checkout: http://www.activelaurinburg.com/ Active Adult Community Laurinburg, NC

Creative Co-Op Prospecting Idea - Marketing Tip

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 21:37:12 -0600

I picked up a take-out pizza while watching a ball game yesterday and when I got my pizza, there was a Red Cross flyer on it. The flyer was promoting the Red Cross's $100 million nationwide disaster relief fundraiser. If you want to contribute, you can go to www.scotlandcountyarc.org or go to the Red Cross website in your town.

Anyway, the flyer gave me an idea. Why not help a non-profit organization or business with a promotion with information about them or with a coupon for their service along with a promotion about your service? Then visit restaurants, retail stores, hotels, etc. in placing these flyers for the organization or business for them to hand out to their customers.

As you are handing out your flyers, don't forget to network to the owners, managers and employees too!

You can help non-profit organizations or businesses with their promotions by doing the printing and legwork to help their cause or their business. I am sure that these managers or owners will appreciate your effort for a win/win for both of you. And since business owners that will be handing your flyers to their customers will be getting some recognition for the effort, you will be helping them help their customers, so it is a win/win/win. But but if you throw in the benefit to the customer, it is really a win/win/win/win! Everybody wins!

Call a non-profit organization or business that you like and ask if you can help promote them with your creative ideas! For your promotion on the flyer, you can just give a website link to your website with a note, "Check out my website for Hot New Listings!" or "Go here to sign-up for my 'Just Listed' emails so you will know as soon as new home properties are listed in town!".

If you try this, put my website links on your promotions and I will help you by pre-approving your buyers for you!

Good Luck with this co-op idea.

Senior Mortgage Advisor

Carolina Mortgage Company - 843-230-7929

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

www.samthompsonmortgage.com/

www.carolina-mortgage.com/

Checkout: http://www.activelaurinburg.com/ Active Adult Community Laurinburg, NC

Apartment Dwellers are usually ready to move up!

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:17:47 -0600

Apartment Dwellers Might be Ready to Move!

My wife and I used to live in an apartment for 5 years right after we got married and while we never had a T-Rex living beside us like in the picture above, we did have some loud and obnoxious neighbors making our lifes' miserable. For the most part, apartment living was okay but at one point, the guy living below us was working on cars right below our 2nd floor patio! Putting up with neighbors with loud stereos was the most annoying thing we had to deal with in those days.

We also had an angry husband shoot out the glass door below us with a shotgun trying to get his wife out who was inside with her boyfriend. I actually went downstairs and tried to talk some sense to the husband who was still holding the shotgun!! When I finally realized how dangerous this situation had become, I quickly retreated back to my apartment and called the cops. My neighbor across the courtyard was watching and had been screaming to the police on the phone the whole time.

Needless to say, as soon as we saved enough for a down payment to get our first house to get out, we did!

Back then, interest rates were around 18% and there were no 100% financing options or $7500 first-time buyer tax credits!

With conditions just right for apartment dwellers to move up into a nice house and out of a situation that they are tired of, now is the time to prospect for as many apartment dwellers as you can. Do this with windshield flyers or with a postcard mailer campaign to the "Current Resident" to all of the apartment addresses in your area. By addressing to the current resident, you are sure that it will be delivered and this keeps your mailing list current and simple.

Also, check out the "Housing Wanted" sections on www.Craigslist.com and in the local papers for apartment dwellers.

When you do, promote the $7500 tax credit for first-time home buyers (anyone that has not owned a home in at least 3 years).
Also, promote the great mortgage rates below 6% available now with the FED's most recent mortgage bailout plan.
And promote a few properties that could be financed for approximately the same monthly mortgage amount that would represent what those apartment dwellers are paying in their monthly rent.

In order to increase your chances of getting some prospects that are ready to move out of their apartment, add a prize drawing chance from all of those that signed-up to receive your "Just Listed--Hot List" email alert system. This can easily be done using your MLS prospecting manager program once you get their email addresses and some particulars about the type home they want.

Also, try to get them in your office as soon as you can so you can really interview them right so you are able to customize their searches to their real wants and needs as mentioned above.

You can also plug in my cell phone number too in your advertisements if you want so I can pre-approve these prospects for you!! Let's work together with this idea and make some sales to start the new year off right!

Senior Mortgage Advisor

Carolina Mortgage Company - 843-230-7929

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

www.samthompsonmortgage.com/

www.carolina-mortgage.com/

Checkout: http://www.activelaurinburg.com/ Active Adult Community Laurinburg, NC

Buyer Interviews - Getting to their true "Emotional Wants"

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:13:33 -0600

Quality Buyer Interviews!

The key to finding the perfect home for your buyers is to take more time up-front getting to know them better and probing for more about their preferences for now and in their future. When you do this, you are going to find better homes for your buyers and close them faster too!

I have never been a realtor but I have interviewed over 100 people throughout my career for positions and here's how we did it... We had standard questions and we always had 2 interviewers for each candidate. One asked the questions and the other wrote their answers. The questions were mostly open-ended questions that were always written to get the candidate to tell about a time when they did something or about a situation and how they handled it. We wanted to know about some demonstrated tasks, not how they think they would perform in a hypothetical setting...

This type of interview can be HUGE for you because people love to talk about themselves (don't you?) and this helps them do that so you build better rapport.

In case you are interested in this concept, here's 12 questions I thought of for your buyer interviews:

Tell me about your Thanksgiving dinner; where did you have it? (stop and listen after each question) How did the preparation go? Was the kitchen adequate? What kind of kitchen are you leaning towards now? Are there any features of the kitchen that you are looking for in particular?
Tell me about your childhood home; how big was it and did you have your own bedroom? How many bathrooms did your home have? Do you want your kids to have their own rooms or to share a room? What's your thoughts about a 2 story house?
What kinds of schools did you attend when you were growing up? Were your schools near your home? Have you visited the schools that your children might attend next year? If not, do you want to? (this is a great activity to help you build rapport and meet tons of teachers and other parents too!) Do you have any preferences for the schools yet?
Tell me about your experiences playing in your yard; was it a big yard? What kind of games did you play? Is the yard for your next home a priority?
How many homes have you ever lived in with a fireplace? Who cut the firewood and brought in the wood and got the fires going? Do you want a fireplace now? Wood-burning or gas?
Did you ever have to cut the grass or rake leaves when you were growing up? Did you like doing those kinds of things? What about gardening? What kind of yard does your perfect home have?
What kind of heat do you have in your apartment now? Have you had other types in previous homes? Which types do you prefer for your next home?
Have you ever had a garage or a carport? Is that something that you think you would like to have now? How many cars do you own?
Have you ever had a formal living and/or dining room? Did you use them often? Do you like to entertain? Does your dream house have formal areas?
Have you ever lived in a neighborhood with close neighbors? Did you like living close to others or do you prefer living in the country setting away from others?
What kind of sports or activities did you do growing up? Are your kids following in your footsteps? So a local ball field is going to be a high priority for your family?
Did you or your husband work on cars or have a workshop in your last home or when growing up? Was that something that you or he enjoyed doing? Is this something that we should add to your wish list too?

I think these kinds of questions will help you get to know your buyers much better and these questions will help your buyers really understand the kind of home that they are really looking for too. By digging deeper into their inner feelings and past experiences, I think you are going to quickly find them the perfect house that they will be anxious to buy with you.

This helps you get to their "emotional wants" and that is an important key to sales! Get a colleague to take notes for your next buyer interview and watch how you do this and you can return the favor for them when they need a "note taker". This process will impress your buyers right out of the shoot! When you do, call me so I can help you pre-approve them as part of your interview process!!

Thanks for your business.

Senior Mortgage Advisor

Carolina Mortgage Company - 843-230-7929

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

www.samthompsonmortgage.com/

www.carolina-mortgage.com/

Checkout: http://www.activelaurinburg.com/ Active Adult Community Laurinburg, NC

Thanksgiving is over so now we can start promoting great Christmas home values!

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:09:47 -0600

This Christmas, let's all promote some great homes that would be just the right Christmas present. Publish your listings with Christmas decorations and you can also mention that you'll throw in the big bow to set if off for them for Christmas.

Our economy and our industry need some new buyers and now's the perfect time to do this with a festive splash!

You probably won't be able to afford a bow like this but you might be able to put on a nice Christmas Wreath. This is also a great way to show off your listings! To help your buyers really get excited about a new home for Christmas, ask them to call me for a quick pre-approval and smooth and easy loan closing.

Remember that our system for processing loans is just what your buyers and you need to get through the holidays. Our pod processing system with our agent help desk is designed to keep rolling along while the other lenders bog down with processors taking off for vacation leaving you out in the cold...

Call me and we'll show you how mortgage loans are supposed to be processed!

Thanks for your business.

Senior Mortgage Advisor

Carolina Mortgage Company - 843-230-7929

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

www.samthompsonmortgage.com/

www.carolina-mortgage.com/

Checkout: http://www.activelaurinburg.com/ Active Adult Community Laurinburg, NC

Do's and Don'ts to credit while in loan processing! Great advice for your buyers!

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:01:48 -0600

Protecting the credit score!

Top 10 Credit Do's & Don'ts during the Loan Process

Did you know that most lenders pull your credit report a couple of times during the loan process? Keep in mind that we typically pull a new credit report prior to closing the loan, and if your credit scores have dropped, you may no longer qualify for the rate or program that you are attempting to get. Credit scores are very important as all lenders qualify you by your credit score as to which criteria you fit and every loan has different criteria attached. The loan to value, the debt to ratio and so on, etc.

Why It Matters: Knowing what you should and shouldn't do can affect the terms of your loan. It is always best to be as educated as possible in the loan process to ensure you are getting the best deal. What You Need to Know: Following are some helpful tips to avoid the credit mistakes that many borrowers make during the loan process:

1. DON'T APPLY FOR NEW CREDIT OF ANY KIND. Including those "You have been pre-approved" credit card invitations that you receive in the mail. Every time that you have your credit pulled by a potential creditor or lender, you lose points from your credit score immediately. Depending on the elements in your current credit report, you could lose anywhere from 2-50 points for one hard inquiry.

2. DON'T PAY OFF COLLECTIONS OR CHARGE OFFS during the loan process. Paying collections will decrease the credit score immediately due to the date of last activity becoming recent. If you want to pay off old accounts, do it through escrow, and make sure that 1) you validate that the debt is yours, and 2) that the creditor agrees to give you a letter of deletion.

3. DON'T CLOSE CREDIT CARD ACCOUNTS. If you close a credit card account it will appear to the FICO that your debt ratio has gone up. Also, closing a card will affect other factors in the score such as length of credit history. If you have to close a credit card account, do it after closing, and make sure it is a more recent account.

4. DON'T MAX OUT OR OVER CHARGE ON YOUR CREDIT CARD ACCOUNTS. This is the fastest way to bring your score down 50-100 points immediately. Try to keep your credit card balances below 30% of their available limit at all times during the loan process. If you decide to pay down balances, do it across the board. Meaning, make an extra payment on all of your cards at the same time.

5. DON'T CONSOLIDATE YOUR DEBT ONTO 1 OR 2 CREDIT CARDS. It seems like it would be the smart thing to do, however, when you consolidate all of your debt onto one card, it appears that you are maxed out on that card, and the system will penalize you as mentioned above in 4. If you want to save money on credit card interest rates, wait until after closing.

6. DON'T DO ANYTHING THAT WILL CAUSE A RED FLAG TO BE RAISED BY THE SCORING SYSTEM. This would include adding new accounts, co-signing on a loan, changing your name or address with the bureaus. The less activity on your reports during the loan process, the better.

7. DO STAY CURRENT ON EXISTINGING ACCOUNTS. Like your mortgage and car payments. One 30-day late can cost you anywhere from 30-75.

8. DO CONTINUE TO USE YOUR CREDIT AS NORMAL. Red Flags are raised easily with the scoring system. If it appears that you are changing your pattern, it will raise a red flag, and your score could go down.

9. DO CALL YOUR LENDER if you receive something in the mail from a creditor or collection agency that you believe may affect your score during the loan process. We may be able to supply you with the resources you need to stop any derogatory reporting to the bureaus.

10. DO GET A FREE COPY OF YOUR CRDIT REPORT. http://www.annualcreditreport.com is a free resource to the public that allows you to get a complimentary copy from each of the three credit bureaus every 12 months.

Get all of your buyers to call me and I'll help them with their credit if they can't get approved so they come back and refer their friends to us too!

Senior Mortgage Advisor

Carolina Mortgage Company - 843-230-7929

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

www.samthompsonmortgage.com/

www.carolina-mortgage.com/

Checkout: http://www.activelaurinburg.com/ Active Adult Community Laurinburg, NC

Are you convincing enough? Your self-confidence is the key!

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 08:37:50 -0600

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself"

Franklin D. Roosevelt Inaugural Speech 1933

In gaining our prospect's or client's trust and confidence, we all need to show confidence in our words and posture and especially in our tone. Having confidence in ourselves is the key and this mostly comes from experience but can come from some practice in knowing what to say. These are called scripts.

You know the questions that you are going to be asked and you know the answers so by practicing these, you are going to sound more confident and more convincing. Write down the questions your might get and your answers and practice with a colleague or in front of a mirror and develop sound presentations for listings and buyers too.

Professional salespeople don't wing-it, they rely on printed materials to help them in their presentations or teleprompters for their speeches. We all should do the same!

Go Get em! You can do it just like the cat above!

Senior Mortgage Advisor

Carolina Mortgage Company - 843-230-7929

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

www.samthompsonmortgage.com/

www.carolina-mortgage.com/

Checkout: http://www.activelaurinburg.com/ Active Adult Community Laurinburg, NC

Offense vs. Defense. Winning requires both.

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 19:49:21 -0600

Have a winning game plan!

In sales, just like with any winning strategy, you have to have a great offense and a great defense. This was very evident in the campaign strategies for the two political parties for this presidential election too. Over and over was the discussion from the pundits that the candidates were on offense or on defense in talking about where they were spending their time and advertising money.

For us, it is about how much time and money we spend on getting new buyers (offense) vs. trying to convert qualified prospects into buyers and in closing registered buyers (defense). Here's a strategy you can think about... Go on offense for 2 hours in the morning and then go on defense for 2 hours and then take a break for an offensive lunch with a colleague to do some networking. Then get back to the office and go on defense for 2 hours and then finish the day on offense.

I heard a great tip this week that you need to have a goal in your mind anytime you meet a customer, etc. Your goal can be that you are going to get a name for an appointment. Use this mind conditioning to help you focus on your game plan too!

With less than 2 months before Christmas, now's the time to revisit your performance this year. When you do, write down all of your past qualified buyers and get them on your defensive list. With so many new things to talk to them about, you are bound to pick up some new buyers when you do.

Senior Mortgage Advisor

Carolina Mortgage Company - 843-230-7929

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

www.samthompsonmortgage.com/

www.carolina-mortgage.com/

Checkout: http://www.activelaurinburg.com/ Active Adult Community Laurinburg, NC

Creating the illusion of desirability - key sales tactic!

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:40:26 -0600

Human behavior!

People want what other people want! That's why auctions work in getting people together with common interests with money to buy things, many times, just to keep someone else from getting it. They like "winning" the item and feeling like they beat the other person. This human trait has not been seen too much lately because the economy has put a huge wet blanket over us and few buyers are out looking for homes.

But, the market has started coming back in many parts of the country with some builder incentives getting these bottom-fishers off the dime. So, once this momentum continues, we are all going to be busy soon.

How can you take advantage of this human behavior? Here are a few things I thought of that you can do to entice some potential buyers:

1. Promote that your listing will not last long with this first-time homebuyer $7500 tax credit image without explaining it in your flyers and advertisements so you will get some curiosity seekers to call you about it.

2. Hold an open house for the neighbors and quiz them on people that might be interested and call all of them. Then, when you call them, mention that you are calling 5 others, etc. that you heard might be interested too. This will cause them to sit up and think about looking a little harder. You can also talk to the neighbors by personally handing out invitations to the open house so you can make sure to talk to the ones that might be unable to attend.

3. Keep up with the news and use statistics to help buyers see that the market is poised for growth and that once people hear that the market has started to take off, it will be at least 2 months too late. That's because it takes a month to capture data and at least a month to report it so the news will be old when they finally read about it in the papers or hear about it on the news.

4. In your travels, mention about your listing and how many calls you have gotten on it... Don't lie, just brag.

5. Speaking of bragging, you have to do some of this too for your business to really take off. People like deals AND they like working with successful people that are in high demand. Do this by mentioning your success and in hanging your awards on the walls for them to see.

6. This last one is HUGE!! Mention that you have your own personal Senior Mortgage Advisor (ME!) that pre-approves your buyers on the spot for you that helps make sure that your buyers are getting the best deals and that their closings are smooth and easy.

Use this desirability trait to drive more buyers to your door! Create illusions of desirability like the politicians do to get your vote and get to the polls tomorrow and vote too!

Senior Mortgage Advisor

PHH Mortgage - 843-230-7929

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

http://samthompson.phhmortgage.com/

www.myphhmortgageadvisor.com/

Winning! We all need to do this to get excited.

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:36:17 -0600

Phillies Win!

There is nothing like the feeling of winning and this is something that we all need more of too!

Now, maybe after tomorrow, we can get back to real estate...

Finally, we can get this election behind us and get our buyers into thinking about buying a home and not about their candidate's chances of winning.

Remember the following selling points:

1. $7500 first-time home buyer tax credit,

2. Low interest rates with programs down to a 580 FICO score.

3. Some of the best home values in this greatest buyer's market in history!

Also, please make sure that your buyers and sellers know that WE HAVE MONEY TO LEND!! With all the negative mortgage news, many in the public do not know that we can lend money. Spread the news. Put this in your print ads too!

CALL ME FOR A QUICK CLOSING TOO! WE HAVE A NEW QUICK CLOSING CHECKLIST TO GET YOUR BUYERS CLOSED IN A HURRY! Keep reading for 2 good ideas that can really help you with this.

Good luck!

Try us for your JUMBO LOAN clients too! We have a new Jumbo pricing special that is kicking butt right now!

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Call me with your 'Active Military' prospects so I can get them pre-approved with our special low "WELCOME HOME" rates!!

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Senior Mortgage Advisor

PHH Mortgage - 843-230-7929

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

http://samthompson.phhmortgage.com/

www.myphhmortgageadvisor.com/

The 3-day rule in all of sales still applies.

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 23:55:43 -0500

The 3-day rule in all of sales still applies.

The 3-Day Rule!

There is a standard that sales people use in sales that if we all followed, our business would be soaring. It's called the 3-day rule and here is how it works. When you talk to a prospect, always take the time to get to know them and give them some information. Then, try to schedule some time to build rapport and get to know them better and if all goes well, continue to work with them and keep working on finding them their dream house, etc.

Always ask for their contact numbers and email addresses and follow this rule if you have not heard from them in 3-days. Call them and always try to have some news for them to keep them excited! In case you get their voice mail, here's a way to do this to really increase your chances...

"Hey John, I have some great news! Call me as soon as you get this message so I can tell you about it!"

This sparks their curiosity and should get you a call and when they do, have some news to tell them about like a new house you found them, the lower interest rates, the new 1st time buyer $7500 tax credit they qualify for, etc.

Do you see how this will help you get them back on the phone?

Many will not or might not call back with a message like this...

"Hey John, I hadn't heard from you and wondered if you were still interested in the house on Green Street..."

This is Sales 101 and something that will help all of our businesses.

Send all your buyers to me and I will also use the 3-day rule to keep them engaged in looking for real estate with you!

Senior Mortgage Advisor

PHH Mortgage - 843-230-7929

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

http://samthompson.phhmortgage.com/

www.myphhmortgageadvisor.com/

Meet the New Neighbor Socials - Great for Prospecting!

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:27:08 -0500

Weekly Tip - Help Out The Curious Neighbors!

Nosey neighbors love to eat!

I saw a blog that got my attention about hosting a Saturday morning opportunity for your new buyers or the buyers that bought your listing to meet their new neighbors! That's right, do this with your buyers and the buyer's agents buyers too that bought your listing! This way, you are the one that gets to know the buyers better AND their new neighbors. It's all about meeting people that will be connecting you with real estate in a positive light. And since the new neighbors are going to be itching to meet their new neighbors, this idea is a great opportunity for them too.

Here's how you can do this!

1. Meet with the new buyers after they move in and offer to host a "meet the new neighbors drop-in brunch or afternoon drop-in" from 9-11am or 2-4 pm for them so they can meet their new neighbors so they can start making new friends. Ask them when they want to do this for them.

2. Then contact a local restaurant to get them to go in with you by providing some breakfast or afternoon treats. Make sure that they know that you will giving them all the credit for the refreshments and that this is a great opportunity for the restaurant to pick up a new repeat customer.

3. Then deliver invitations to all of their new neighbors with your contact information and the information about the refreshments that you will be serving. Ask for an optional but not required RSVP so you can get a better handle on how many to prepare for.

4. On the day of the event, put out some balloons by the road and set up your refreshments and make sure to bring coffee, juice, soft drinks, etc. and plenty of business cards!

I hope this tip helps your business with tons of new buyers and listings!

Senior Mortgage Advisor

PHH Mortgage - 843-230-7929

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

http://samthompson.phhmortgage.com/

www.myphhmortgageadvisor.com/

Sweat Equity can be used to help offset downpayment for an FHA loan!

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:31:59 -0500

Neat Idea from PHH Mortgage

This Idea is great for new buyers that are buying a new home that need a new baby nursery!

Here's how a builder in Arizona is capitalizing on this idea. Click Here! .

Once I heard this idea today from a colleague, I had to get it out to you to help you get some buyers! This idea is good for at least 1 new buyer for you this month and if you get me involved in closing it, I'll make sure it closes in a hurry for your business!

Sam Thompson Senior Mortgage Advisor PHH Mortgage 843-230-7929 or 910-489-6918

Sweat Equity - Making a Comeback!

If your buyers are ready to roll-up their sleeves, we can allow "sweat equity" to be applied to the downpayment on an FHA loan to cover up to 2% of the 3% required. The new guideline for the FHA is going to 3.5% but we have not seen this change yet so, with this idea, they'll just need to bring 1% to close!

We just need some energic buyers and creative sellers to get this going!

Call a Builder with this idea!

Before After

Use this "Sweat Equity" clause to attract those new homeowners that have energy and talent and then get them to work with a builder.

Here are some ideas:

1. Complete a house under construction that needs to be painted on the inside.

2. Get your buyers to meet with a contractor to fix up an existing house that needs repairs based on the appraisal.

Promote something like "Can you paint? This house has a homeowner do-it yourself opportunity to help with most of the downpayment! Call for the details."

By taking this idea to your sellers, you are going to make them very happy too!

2% Applies to the Down Payment

FHA sweat equity guidelines.

Labor performed or materials furnished by the customer prior to closing, on the property being purchased, may be considered as a cash investment.

1. On existing construction, only the repairs listed on the appraisal or conditional commitment are eligible for sweat equity. Any work completed or materials furnished before the appraisal is made are not eligible. On proposed construction, the sales contract must indicate the tasks to be performed by the homebuyer during construction.

2. The customer's labor may be considered as the equivalent of cash if the customer can demonstrate their ability to complete the work in a satisfactory manner. The lender must document the contributory value of the labor through either the appraiser's estimate or through a cost estimating service.

3. Delayed work (on-site escrow), clean up, debris removal, and other general maintenance cannot be included as sweat equity.

4. There can be no cash back to the customer in these transactions.

5. Sweat equity on a property other than the property being purchased is unacceptable. Compensation for work performed on other properties must be in cash and be properly documented.

6. If materials are furnished by the customer, evidence of the source of funds used to purchase and the market value of the materials must be provided.

Example: The appraiser conditions for a new roof. The customer is a roofer by trade. The customer, at a cost of $500, purchases the materials. The appraiser estimates the labor cost at $500. $1,000 may be added to "assets verified for closing" if the customer can evidence the source of funds used to purchase the material.

Senior Mortgage Advisor

PHH Mortgage - 843-230-7929

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

http://samthompson.phhmortgage.com/

www.myphhmortgageadvisor.com/

Survival Techniques for all of us!

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:25:28 -0500

It's time to get into the "Survival Mode"!

With the economy like it is, now's the time to think about our business and how we are spending our money, both at home and at work. Here are some ideas that I have been thinking about besides the obvious things like reducing spending on purchases and eating out:

1. Get rid of the land line at home. Since we all have cell phones, this can save around $100/mo.

2. Use rightfax instead of having a fax line.

3. Get rid of the cable and sign up for Direct TV or reduce the channels that we are getting.

4. Evaluate the cell phone plan and make sure we are getting the best deal for our habits and usage.

5. Cancel or split subscriptions to the newspaper or magazines with neighbors or family.

6. Spend less time driving and more time surfing the internet with prospects and clients. Also, carpool more and help each other with putting up signs, etc with people already driving out to that area to save time and gas. For realtors, make sure any new prospects are pre-approved with a great lender (ME!) and that they are really serious with a urgent need or strong desire first. I can pre-approve them over the phone in 30 minutes while you are still building rapport!

7. Team-up with others to share expenses with joint advertising and joint services. This can really help in reducing some driving around time too.

Here are some inexpensive marketing ideas too!

1. Utilize the prospecting features of the MLS system to generate "just listed" emails automatically. Create some sign-up sheets and display them at open houses, home shows, etc. and give-away a prize for the winner to be drawn from all that signed-up. Then, call all and tell them they all won a discounted service, etc. and add them to your prospecting list for automatic "just listed" emails.

2. Get the whole office involved in a football game concession stand manning or possibly an information booth manning at a local festival or concert, etc.

3. Team-up with a restaurant or a retail business in a local promotion for them. We have the luxury of being in a career that gives us a tremendous amount of freedom in our daily work schedule, so use this time to help these businesses get through this economy and this will help our businesses too. How about a wine-tasting event?

4. Team-up with a restaurant or retail to mail out coupons for them to your prospect list with your contact information. This would be a win/win/win, for you, your client and the restaurant/retail owner.

5. Some inexpensive websites for things are www.ebay.com, www.partycheap.com, www.orientaltrading.com and www.swalter.com. 6. Host a first-time buyer class, credit counseling class, selling a home without a realtor class, or how about a cooking class, etc.

With this economy, we all need to look for ways to cut expenses if we are going to survive.

Senior Mortgage Advisor

PHH Mortgage - 843-230-7929

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

http://samthompson.phhmortgage.com/

www.myphhmortgageadvisor.com/

Working for your sellers!

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 23:19:53 -0500

Are you doing this for your sellers?

One of my favorite agents does. She also de-clutters, stages with her own furniture, puts out flowers in and outside of the home and cleans the houses that she has listed on a regular basis. I'll bet most of you don't cut the grass for your sellers but I am sure some of you have.

The point of this tip that this realtor told me is that she wants to work for her sellers and earn her commission. The better her listings look, the quicker they'll sell and this is working for her and her sellers.

The flowers work in attracting buyers. Moving her furniture around from house to house works and keeping the homes clean works.

Not only are her listings selling, but she is getting a strong reputation in the city for being a great listing agent. Beyond the obvious, she feels better about her service to her sellers and this gives her a lot to update the sellers on that keeps them happy with her service for them.

Lastly, by spending more time at your listings, you are going to see more neighbors and run into more prospective buyers and others are going to see you there too, all helping your business.

Senior Mortgage Advisor

PHH Mortgage - 843-230-7929

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

http://samthompson.phhmortgage.com/

www.myphhmortgageadvisor.com/

Monthly Activity Report

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:09:59 -0500

Monthly Activity Reports
Help you see how you are doing!

When I worked for Rockwell International, United Technologies and Marley Engineered Products, I was required to submit an activity report that was put into a companywide activity report each month.

This allowed the plant management to report how we were doing to corporate in meeting our goals and in the various projects that we were involved in like production improvement, quality improvement, cost reduction, employee training, compliance, inventory reduction, etc.

But for me, the process of writing the activity report was always

valuable in reading through my planner pages (where all my daily notes are kept) to remind me of my projects and progress on them. This process allowed me to stay focused on projects and in planning them better.

Why am I telling you this? Because I think this would be a great thing for you to do for your business. Just take your business plan that you are developing and start reporting to yourself how you are doing in following your plan and hitting your metrics.

Brokers-In-Charge could require you to do this so they can see how you are doing and so they can help you better too!

Record your daily activities in your planner and this process will help you stay on track, stay focused, help you in your follow-ups with prospects and clients, help you fine-tune your plan and help you make a lot more money in real estate.

Remember that 60% of all sales happen after the 5th call so this will help you keep track of your progress on this. For this you can have a table like this:

Client Call 1 Call 2 Call 3 Call 4 Call 5 Call 6

John D. 03/23 04/21 05/19 06/21 07/18

Sarah E 05/2 05/30 06/25 07/14

Just copy this portion of your report and add to it to save time. What you will find when you start doing this is that you will make the calls you haven't made yet while writing your report and you will pick up some new active buyers and sellers when you do.

_______________________________________________________
If you still haven't started working on your business plan yet, click on the link below and get your own copy of a great template full of neat marketing ideas you can try. Then you can tweak it with your ideas.

ULTIMATE REALTOR BUSINESS PLAN

Senior Mortgage Advisor

PHH Mortgage - 843-230-7929

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

http://samthompson.phhmortgage.com/

www.myphhmortgageadvisor.com/

USDA Guaranteed Rural Development Loans

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 23:33:34 -0500

We can now originate USDA guaranteed rural development loans in NC!

(SC will be able in November)

USDA Guaranteed Rural Development Loan Highlights:

NO DOWN PAYMENT REQUIRED, true 100% financing.
NO MORTGAGE INSURANCE. (There is a UFMIP of 2% on purchases, .5% on Refinances. This fee may be financed similar to the VA funding fee into the mortgage.)
PRIMARY PURCHASE only. Can be 1 unit SFD/SFA, FNMA/FHLMC approved Condos and PUDs
Manufactured Homes eligible if NEW and not EXISTING.
PROPERTY must be in ELIGIBILITY AREA.
Must include debts with 6 or more months to pay.
Value of land no more than 30% of appraised value.
Appraisal similar to FHA and must be performed by FHA appraiser.
INCOME LIMITS for our area: 1 Person household - $42,550, 2 Person household - $56,600, 3 Person - $63,700, 4 Person household - $70,750, 5 Person - $76,400, 6 Person household - $82,050, 7 Person - $87,750, 8 Person- $93,400.
Must meet residual income requirements of $480/mo/person.
Does not require perfect credit, last 12 months - 620 for streamlined processing and can request waivers if below.
ALT CREDIT allowed if no credit score available.
If Appraised value is higher than purchase price loan amount can equal purchase price plus 2% guarantee fee and eligible closing costs, not to exceed 102% of appraised value.
REPAIRS noted on appraisal will have to be made prior to closing.
Competitive low 30-year FIXED RATES.
There is no maximum loan amount, based on ratios only.
Water test required for bacteria for all properties on wells.
RATIOS are 29/41% unless property built after 4/02 then 31/43% but can request waivers for compensating factors.
No in-ground pools or no income producing farms.
Unlimited gifts and seller concessions available.
No Foreclosure, Bankruptcy or CHARGE-OFFS with-in LAST 36 MONTHS.

Adjusted Income eligibility USDA website:

http://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov/eligibility/incomeEligibilityAction.do

Property eligibility USDA website:

http://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov/eligibility/welcomeAction.do

Please call me if you have any questions on the above and just know that I will see if they meet the guidelines for this program and will present this as an option if I can for your buyers!

Senior Mortgage Advisor

PHH Mortgage - 843-230-7929

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

http://samthompson.phhmortgage.com/

www.myphhmortgageadvisor.com/

Don't be so serious! Loosen up a little bit! - Tribute to Jerry Reed.

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:13:34 -0500

"The Guitar Man"

"When You're Hot, You're Hot!"

(1937-2008)

"Jerry Reed Hubbard was one of a kind," said friend and remarkable guitarist Steve Wariner. "There will never be another like him, that's for sure! Before he ever did his first acting role in a movie, he was already a triple threat. He was a brilliant songwriter, consummate singer/entertainer, and of course, a world-class guitarist. Chet Atkins used to say (and I agree), 'I don't think he even realizes how great he is.' Young players will be studying and cussing him for many years to come. Jerry loved to make people laugh and did it at every turn. What a sense of humor! The last little while when I'd visit, I knew he was sick, but he would still be cracking everyone up right till the end. The world has lost a tremendous talent; I've lost a great pal, but Heaven has gained one mighty guitar playing angel, that's for sure! My heartfelt condolences to Prissy, the girls, and the entire family."

In honor of the great Jerry Reed's passing last week, I wanted to pay tribute to an American Icon that lived life the way we all should live it; by having fun and not taking things so seriously. He loved to laugh and to make us laugh and he will be missed.

We all need to be like Jerry used to be and laugh and have fun while we are still here! Life is too short to waste time being miserable, negative or just unhappy so loosen up and see if your business doesn't pick up too. People like being around people that are fun and then you will like yourself better too.

Senior Mortgage Advisor

PHH Mortgage - 843-230-7929

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

http://samthompson.phhmortgage.com/

www.myphhmortgageadvisor.com/

Know the red flags!

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 21:39:47 -0500

Know the red flags!

There are many things that will let you know real quick if you have a good buyer or not and if they are worthy of your 'Preferred Buyer Program'.

Here are a few things to be concerned about:

Just got a job working in sales. (must have 2 yr history on commission sales.)

Doesn't have enough money for the earnest money (must have at least 3.5% for they downpayment so probe this)

Self-employed. (probably don't report much income)

No real time frames to buy; just looking. (if not serious about buying within 2 mos then, not worth your time right now)

Concerned about their credit score. (probably has bad credit)

Looking for a fixer-upper (might be a good buyer but could be short on cash or income)

Has to sell their house first. (could be a big issue as you know)

Looking for a stated income loan (probably knows that their income is hard to document. These programs are gone!)

Wants for investment (needs 10% down, minimum)

Has been working with another realtor (might fire you too)

Has been pre-approved by some broker on the internet (watch out)

Know the red flags and you are going to be more productive in real estate!

Also, if you are getting many buyers with red flags, look at your prospecting and advertising habits. If you need some ideas to help you find better buyers, call me and I'll try to give you some new ideas!

Senior Mortgage Advisor

PHH Mortgage - 843-230-7929

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

http://samthompson.phhmortgage.com/

www.myphhmortgageadvisor.com/

ID Theft - Know how to protect yourself.

Carolina Mortgage Company of Fayetteville — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:34:06 -0500

ID Theft - A big problem!

I just watched a good show on MSNBC Dateline on ID theft that showed how Nigerians are using the Internet to get our credit card and social security numbers for buying merchandise.

Checkout this website on how to protect yourself:

Dateline Fact Finder

Also this week I tried to get a lady approved that was a victim of ID theft with over 20 collections she was trying to clear up. Her problem was caused by her own daughter stealing her identity!

I had another borrower that was shocked to learn she had a "Bowflex" judgment and other judgments and collections. She thinks the guy getting her mail in NYC may have stolen her identity.

Finally, this week an accounting professor at Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg was a victim of ID theft when someone went online and had his mail diverted to a hotel in New Zealand.

According to the article in the paper, this is the 4th time this has happened in Scotland County since July! Anyone can have mail diverted online by completing a "change of address form" without having to prove their identity and this is happening more and more.

If your mail doesn't show up for a few days, make sure this has not happened to you. If it does, here is some advice from the Federal Trade Commission.

Call the three credit reporting companies and place a fraud alert on your credit report. Then ask for the free credit report you are entitled to.
Close any accounts that you suspect have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Start by calling the security or fraud department of each company. Follow up in writing, and include copies of supporting documents.
File a police report! Very important to have this documented so the creditors will help clear up any future illegal actions.
Contact the FTC. Your information also helps law enforcement officials across the country to track down and stop ID thieves. Contact the Federal Trade Commission online at www.ftc.gov/idtheft or call toll-free at 877-ID-THEFT

Before anything happens, the key is to treat our personal information as you would your cash. Safeguard it whether you're at home, whether it's in your purse or your wallet, or at our office.

Go to the Federal Trade Commission website at www.ftc.gov/idtheft for a good video presentation on how to Deter, Detect and Defend yourself against ID theft!

Also, call 1-888-5OPTOUT (888-567-8688) and ask to stop credit card companies from sending pre-approved credit card applications to your house. They are ticking identity theft time bombs.

I did this. Takes 5 mins, last 5 years for protecting you against credit bureaus selling your names to credit card companies.

Credit bureaus

Equifax
1-800-525-6285

www.equifax.com

Experian
1-888-397-3742
www.experian.com

TransUnion
1-800-680-7289
www.tuc.com

The accounting professor mentioned above is trying to make it mandatory to have your id present to divert mail by working with lawmakers. Let's hope he is successful in this for all of our sakes!

After his troubles, he signed up with Lifelock to have his ID protected for $10/month per person. This is the company that the CEO gives you his SS number to show he is not worried. They will protect you up to $1,000,000 per person.

I called them and got their pitch. This is a proactive approach. They call Equifax and set up a fraud alert for each member every 90 days and they order a copy of your credit report for you every year and put you on the opt out list. You can do these yourself with info I am providing in this email.

But they do much more including an address monitoring service, etc and they have that protection for $1MM. They told me they have 1MM customers and even with their protection, they still had 100 claims of fraud involking the $1MM protection guaranty. They also help with trying to get your credit report fixed if the fraud happened under their watch.

Click Here to visit their website: Lifelock

Or, here's the Equifax Fraud Alert Site: Equifax Fraud Alerts I did this for me and my family. Takes 5 mins! But only lasts 90 days so will have to keep doing it.

To order your free annual credit report go to:

www.annualcreditreport.com/

Hope this info helps you, your family & clients!

Senior Mortgage Advisor

PHH Mortgage - 843-230-7929

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

http://samthompson.phhmortgage.com/