bloodhound blog: Another Way To Find Home Buyers on Facebook - 05/03/09 06:35 AM
Can real estate agents benefit from Facebook Quizzes?  I think so and the good folks who attended the BloodhoundBlog Unchained Online Marketing Conference helped me realize this.
Facebook Quizzes have often been considered the frivolous indulgence of the bored.  Witness Karen Parsons-Fiddler's observations from last April:
I admit it....long night, not bored exactly, but spare time? I'd like to say I have been busy writing offers and needed a break....truth? I've had a good week....but frankly I'm just goofing around..and yes, I've shared a bottle of wine with a couple of friends! :) Interested in the results?...too bad, here they are!
… (25 comments)

bloodhound blog: Divestiture Is The Answer To A Healthy Banking System - 03/07/09 01:43 PM
Wanna have some fun?  I have an idea about how to “save” the banking industry.  Through mergers and acquisitions, the banking cartel grew to become infallible.  Dave Shafer pins the tipping point of this crisis to the repeal of The Glass-Steagall Act of 1933.  I’m not so certain he’s incorrect.
The intention of The Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 was to avoid this:
Commercial banks were accused of being too speculative in the pre-Depression era, not only because they were investing their assets but also because they were buying new issues for resale to the public. Thus, banks became greedy, taking on … (3 comments)

bloodhound blog: The Dirty, Little Secret of Real Estate Bloggers - 10/24/08 06:35 PM
I know your secret.  Honestly…I do.
 
You aren’t knocking the ball out of the park, regardless of your blogging effort.  You play around on Twitter, Facebook, Active Rain, and might even comment on Bloodhound Blog.  You’re probably REALLY smart and can’t believe that you’re having problems in business.  I know you are; I’ve read most of your blog posts, Tweets, and Facebook messages.  You fancy yourself ethical.  I believe that, too.
Why is a smart, ethical real estate agent like you failing then?
You got hoodwinked.  Tricked.  Sold a bill of goods.  That snake oil you bought?  Web 2.0- it … (38 comments)

bloodhound blog: Bloodhound Blog Radio Hosts Matt Padilla, author of Chain of Blame - 09/22/08 01:33 PM
From Bloodhound Blog:
We interviewed Matt Padilla, author of Chain of Blame- How Wall Street Caused the Mortgage and Credit Crisis.  This book, released in May, 2008, details a history of non-prime lending, the S&L crisis, securitization of mortgages, and what went wrong.
Download and Listen to the 45 minute interview here
An excerpt from the book, by co-author Paul Muolo:
He had made this argument before subprime lending began to boom in 2003. He believed it down to his toes — that Wall Street (despite his contempt for it) would keep the housing market honest because the Street controlled the … (4 comments)

bloodhound blog: Matt Padilla Scheduled For Radio Mortgage - 09/17/08 01:57 PM
Have you been listening to, or participating in Radio Mortgage ?  Each Monday afternoon, at 4PM, we invite California REALTORs to listen to and participate in our 40-60 minute "radio broadcast".  Of course, we welcome ALL REALTORs but the show is focused on helping California REALTORs thrive in this market.
Our first show discussed the Fannie/Freddie Bailout.  Last week, we hosted Ronda Green from the Nehemiah Down Payment Assistance Program.
Our guest this Monday (September 22) is Matt Padilla.  Matt is a regular business and finance columnist with OC Register.  He co-authored a book about the mortgage crisis, Chain of Blame- … (4 comments)

bloodhound blog: Radio Mortgage: Nehemiah Down Payment Assistance Program - 09/15/08 01:26 PM
Our guest on RadioMortgage.net, this week, was Ronda Green, area manager with the Nehemiah Down Payment Assistance Program.
We discussed the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy filing and the Bank of America/ Merrill Lynch merger.  After our brief commentary, we introduced Ronda who discussed the political battle seller-contributed, down payment assistance programs face.  Assuming a successful reintroduction , we had Ronda walk through the process of the program.  Ronda asked folks to support the program by writing their Senators at www.DPAgroundswell.org
Our stated purpose of RADIO MORTGAGE is to educate REALTORs about mortgage programs and offer marketing ideas to them.  The Nehemiah Down … (6 comments)

bloodhound blog: Nehemiah Down Payment Assistance Reinstatement: Why The Increased Credit Scores ? - 09/10/08 07:38 AM
We broke the news about the eventual reinstatement of Nehemiah Down Payment Assistance Program, back in August ,on Bloodhound Blog.  How did we know where this was headed?  We talked to lenders rather than the charitable organizations. We talked to lenders because we know the Golden Rule; he with the gold makes the rules.
The largest lenders in our nation were consulted when Chairman Frank and Secretary Preston were playing political chicken.  Reinstating a program makes no practical sense if you can't get lenders to lend.  In fact, statistics from the largest loan servicers and originators will weigh heavily in the … (52 comments)

bloodhound blog: BloodhoundBlog Radio: Fannie/Freddie Seized- What Now? - 09/08/08 04:49 PM
Sean Purcell and I recorded a teleconference for California REALTORS about the Treasury bailout of the GSEs.
We talk about what exactly happened and what the near-term (3-4 month) effects and medium-term (12-18 month) effects on underwriting guidelines and rates.  We also guessed at what the long-term (2-10 years) effect on conforming loans will be, in light of the mandate for the GSEs to reduce their portfolios.
Click here for the Fannie/Freddie Teleconference podcast.
… (7 comments)

bloodhound blog: Look Who's Talking- It's Jessica Horton ! - 08/12/08 03:50 PM
Here's Greg Swann, introducing new BHB contributor, Jessica Horton:
What do you do when you’re selling a thick slice of a billion dollars’ worth of real estate every year, when you’ve built your own RE/Max franchise from scratch, when you’ve hit the “30 Under 30″ target at Realtor magazine?
Start over in another town, of course, and do it all again.
Today we add once and future mega-producer Jessica Wynn Horton to our roster of contributors. Jessica is designated broker for Brio Realty in Bellevue, WA, a Microsoft suburb of Seattle.
In addition to her duties as broker, Jessica is hoping … (9 comments)

bloodhound blog: Are Lead Vendors a Bunch Of Tools? - 06/23/08 04:28 PM
I think a little bit differently about marketing than Greg Swann does.  Not much, but we’re of slightly different mindsets.  I’m not scared to call a name a lead, a voice on the phone a prospect, a loan applicant a borrower, and a funded loan recipient a client.  I KNOW they’re people because I’ve always treated them as people. I don’t need a rip off of a Nike ad to tell me that.   Ain’t nuttin’ original about treating people who inquire about your services with respect;  Sister Brigid taught me that back in 1972.
Greg and I think a bit differently … (0 comments)

bloodhound blog: You're BUYING in Phoenix? Are You Nuts? - 06/07/08 03:05 PM
Every day is a great day to buy a single family home, even in Phoenix. That ought to rile up the analytical types here. Of course, that same principle applies to the stock market, as well.
I started my career as a “Financial Consultant” but was mentored by some fellas who preferred to be called “Customer’s Man” (title preserved with apologies to the fairer gender). My tutors would buy me a scotch in Penn Central Station, then ride the Paoli local home with me. I’d receive a 70-minute lesson about how and when to buy stocks for clients. The first lesson … (0 comments)

bloodhound blog: Guess Who's Going To Be in Orlando For the NAR Convention (but not AT the NAR Convention)? - 06/05/08 02:20 PM
Here's a wrap up video from an interview I did with Mark from BrokerIPTV.com.
The important announcemnet comes from the transcript:
BrokerIPTV: So rumor has it there is a BloodHound 2 Unchained too in the works?
Brian Brady: Absolutely, by popular demand, BloodHound will be in Florida, in Orlando in November.
BrokerIPTV: Conveniently around the same time say as NAR.
Brian Brady: Exactly planned to be around the same time as NAR. It will either be the day before or the first day of, we will be putting on Unchained 2 in Orlando, Florida at the same time … (12 comments)

bloodhound blog: BloodhoundBlog UNCHAINED Social Media Marketing Conference...brought to you by ZILLOW- Price Is Going Up to $350, Next Week - 05/03/08 04:16 PM
Call me a shrewd negotiator or color me lucky but I pulled off a coup for the folks coming in for the Sunday session of the BloodhoundBlog Unchained Social Media Marketing Conference, brought to you by Zillow.com.
I was spending my Saturday evening online and e-mailed Wonderful Russ, asking him to give me some time, on Sunday afternoon. There are two things you need to know about Russell Shaw: (1) his accomplishments dictate that you should schedule appointments for his time (2) his welcoming nature affords you an open door, so that it isn't always a requirement. You'll have to travel very … (5 comments)

bloodhound blog: The Ashley Dupree Story: Hustlers Win Online (How to Profit By Being Nimble) - 03/15/08 12:32 PM
I’m fascinated by this whole Ashley Dupree story because the mainstream media came into OUR world, the Web 2.0 world, to break the story. Equally as fascinating is the fact that OUR world, the Web 2.0 world, allows Ash to immediately profit from her art. Ashley Dupree disintermediated the onerous process of a recording contract, studio time, and pre-release marketing and got her product to market in less than 36 hours!
We all talk about the “long tail search” and how we can profit immensely off the consumer niches exposed to us by the internet. What I’m learning from the Ashley Dupree … (0 comments)

bloodhound blog: Gift of Knowledge: Russell Shaw - 01/01/08 05:03 PM
Happy New Year, Active Rain.
Are you a working REALTOR who is not getting the desired results?  Worried about your future in this industry?
Listen to this five-part, three hour podcast series with mega producing REALTOR, Russell Shaw:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four 
Part Five 
The poster is from a success seminar, Russell hosted and I attended, in Phoenix last Spring.  Some thirty people listened to Russ give practical information from his years of experience as Arizona's top residential REALTOR.
The podcasts are free.  Nobody will try to sell you anything. 
 
 
… (18 comments)

bloodhound blog: UNCHAINED: The birth of cool RE.net marketing ideas - 11/23/07 12:49 PM
We're racking our brains for brilliance. Now, we have a name for our conference.
Unchained will be all about you, the independent thinking real estate agent or loan originator who is defining her service offering through Web 2.0; interactive marketing.  It's not for the mainstream folks who troll for the stray buyer at the overpriced Open House.  The loan originator who still delivers donuts and rate sheets or is obsessed with the movie Boiler Room will be out-of-place.
We're talking to a REALLY big name in this space for the keynote address. The kind of guy Seth Godin calls boss. If we ink … (10 comments)

bloodhound blog: Bloggers: Be Afraid of the Big, Bad Broker (or Bank) - 10/11/07 12:21 PM
The real estate weblogging phenomenon is catching fire like desert timber in the summer.  The Active Rain Real Estate Network, the little engine that could, has grown from less than 5000 members to over 50,000 members in a short period of time.  The attraction?  Talking about the future around the virtual water cooler. 
Long Beach Realtor, Laurie Manny, said, "The beauty of real estate blogging is that it gives agents access, now.  Access to people whom we never would have dreamed of meeting a year ago."  Ms. Manny was talking about the quick but meaningful connections she made through her participation … (79 comments)

bloodhound blog: Lenn Harley Interview on Bloodhound Blog - 03/03/07 01:42 PM
Lenn on her "new" business strategy:
So, it worked?
Brian, I just “love it when a plan comes together”
Were there fears or trepidations or were you confident in your strategy?
There was never any doubt.  I never had any fear or trepidations because I was NOT “trying” anything.
Lenn on business through social networking websites: 
No.  I would not refer a home buyer to any lender simply because of a friendship or relationship developed on a blog.
...I just settled on Wednesday with a buyer who had been pre-qualified with an Internet lender.  He had been taking advice from an online mortgage transparency “guru“.  It was a … (28 comments)

bloodhound blog: Please Welcome Michael Cook to Active Rain - 02/28/07 04:05 PM
Michael Cook is a multi-family investor and graduate student at the Johnson School of Business at Cornell University.
He is a co-author at Bloodhound Blog and a serial winner of the Carnival of Real Estate Investing.  Greg Swann found him writing his stuff on myspace and quickly recruited him to write at Bloodhound.
Michael read my post about the "Carnival of the Economics of Real Estate" and joined Active Rain.  While I wouldn't expect him to post for points, he is a knowledgeable man with the gifted ability to communicate economic theories into everyday practice.  His entries are short enough to digest and … (13 comments)

bloodhound blog: Wanna Be a Baller? You Better Get Street Cred - 02/27/07 02:06 PM
Russell Shaw is an associate broker with John Hall and Associates in Phoenix, AZ.  He is a mega-producer who stumbled along, paycheck to paycheck, for seven years as a Realtor.  He woke up one day and said that enough was enough, he was going to be a huge producer.  Russell is a huge producer; he closed over 400 sides last year.  If you've ever lived in Phoenix, you know Russell Shaw.  He is all over the television and has been for a number of years.  He practices real estate with a flair and consistency I have not seen in my thirteen … (7 comments)