real estate: Who is to blame, the listing agent or the seller?
- 02/22/07 02:29 AM
How do we see ourselves as realtors, loan officers, staggers, real estate attorneys, appraisers, and just as individuals in general. Sure, the picture to my right might be a little obscured in what I am about to talk about, but there is a meaning behind this. I received a new lead from Ravi Shah here on Active Rain. I haven't met Ravi yet, but we have talked many times on the phone and through e-mails. I first met Ravi on ActiveRain in December of 2006 and we have gotten to know each other recently, hoping to meet in person soon, hence why … (13 comments)
real estate: What? I can make a mortgage payment with my credit card?
- 02/17/07 12:33 PM
Yes, you heard it right....... You can make your mortgage payment with your credit card or one supplied by the mortgage company. And yes, this could bring some arguments up in regards to your tax write offs. Advice : Speak to your accountant about this.
Sure, as mentioned before, the argument would be that you couldn't write off your interest. And what you would need to do is check your tax return from last year and see what your savings was because of this. And if you have a small mortgage, the write off might not be that much. And if you … (28 comments)
real estate: As a consumer, is your credit bad enough to deserve the worst scenario? -- Part 1
- 02/04/07 07:02 AM
How many of you fear that your credit score is just not good enough? What about when a lender tells you that you only fit a particular loan product just because of your credit score, no matter how much money you make? Can all of this be true? Not necessarily!!! Why can I say this when so many of the lenders might tell you, the consumer, differently. There is one loan product out there called FHA. And not every lender is either approved to offer this or are many loan officers aware of this program and what can be … (6 comments)
real estate: Does your client's loyalty cost them money?
- 01/30/07 01:11 AM
After being in the mortgage business for over 14 years, this is one question that bothers me the most. Sure, consumers look at us as being professionals and expect us to be upfront and honest. Have you seen people get taken advantage of from a realtor's or loan offier's point of view just because your competitor uses the words, "I promise" and or "don't worry"??? Do more 1st time homebuyer's get taken advantage of because they are new at this? I remember one particular client from 5 years ago that stayed with a lender because she felt like they did a lot … (8 comments)
real estate: Has the Real Estate market been forged or fradulent?
- 01/21/07 08:31 AM
Over the past several months, we have talked about how lenders or loan officers and how they commit fraud and what to look for. I read an article in Business Week called New Listing! (Sort Of). The gist of it, real estate fraud is one of the fastest-growing white-collar crimes in the United States, and the FBI notes that it could quickly become a national financial epidemic. In regards to the article from Business Week, it talked about another type of scam per se. Real estate agents that manipulate the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) system. But what I want to talk about is how this … (24 comments)
real estate: A conversation I just had with an underwriter
- 01/10/07 05:09 PM
Account Executive: "You want answers?" Underwriter: "I think we are entitled to them!" Account Executive: "You want answers?" UW: (YELLING): "I want the truth!" Account Executive: (YELLING): "You can't handle the truth!!!" Account Executive: (Continuing): Son, we live in a world that requires loans. And the loans must be brought in by people with elite skills. People who thrive on cold-calling, rejection, and false promises. Who's going to find it? You? You, Mr. Operations? We have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You scoff at sales divisions and you curse our lucrative incentives, commissions and bonus plans. You have that luxury. You have … (61 comments)
real estate: Okay, so you know what you want? -- People Skills -- Part 2 of 2
- 01/07/07 03:13 AM
People skills seem to lack in many professions. One reason is because they allow the client to take control, as this was talked about in my first blog, You are begging me to lie to you!!!! People Skills : Part 1 of 2 . Yes, Knowledge is extremely important and in my job, I use this to my advantage over my competition. As seen by the chart to my right, it strongly states that your people skills are far more important than what you know. Now, I will have to disagree a little on the percentage that they derived from. Not sure … (42 comments)
real estate: You are begging me to lie to you!!!! People Skills : Part 1 of 2
- 01/06/07 03:04 AM
Understanding people and connecting with them can seem hard at times. Especially when that client seems that they think they know what's best for them and just wants to hear what they want to hear. Example: I had a client the other day that apparently was shopping his mortgage around and had spoken to 8 other lenders. The kicker, everyone was giving him indefinite answers. And one company even said they could do it, but changed things around last minute. I start to ask him questions and some appear to be personal. ie: income, how much money do you have and … (42 comments)
real estate: Buying your first home can be intense.......
- 12/25/06 03:59 PM
Homes can be a worry to many consumers and high debt is causing twentysomes to worry about how they can afford a home on their own. But being prepared can cut down on headaches. Many Americans are much younger than before, which are the fastest-growing group of homeowners. No matter what your financial backing is or your financial means are, your first home can be overwhelming. And because the medium home price has doubled in many cases in recent years, those living with parents or renting, has become increasingly harder. Here are tips to think about and look for when buying a … (36 comments)
real estate: Business Cards can help you move your career forward..........
- 12/22/06 03:03 AM
You basically can call it a "Pocket-Sized Promotion". How many of you have your cards with you at all times? Myself, in 14 years, you caught me maybe twice without a card. Networking, we all do it. What a quick and easy way to advertise. Rich Jacobson wrote a post : "Personal Photos in Real Estate Marketing" - the Debate Continues! This was more geared towards web sites, but brings up an interesting point in general.
The integral part of business is the often overlooked business card. So many of us think it's a casual business when presenting our … (345 comments)
real estate: Bryant Tutas reaches an Active Rain Milestone.....100,008 points!!!! -- Congrats
- 12/10/06 11:32 PM
Congratulations to Bryant Tutas as the 6th person on Active Rain to achieve this milestone of 100,000 points. I know that there might be a few other posts in regards to Broker Bryant reaching this, but I feel honored for mentioning this for several reasons. The main reason why I wanted to pay tribute is because when I first joined Active Rain on October 1st, I felt a little lost. Sure, I could turn to Brian Brady, a friend of mine whom I met on myspace back in February of 2006. But I couldn't reach Brian by phone one day, after being on … (33 comments)
real estate: How did I lose that client!!!!
- 12/09/06 01:25 AM
Every now and then I am sure many of us, even after going the extra mile, just can't seem to capture that one particular client. This goes back to a client of mine that was recommended by a realtor, but at the end, wanted to choose their own mortgage company. Was my rate higher? Was my service lacking? My follow up not up to par? None of the above. Quite frankly, when they told me that they decided to go with another lender, who was actually a local bank, they said they were impressed with my follow up throughout the process. My … (62 comments)
real estate: Please Help Me Welcome Angela Phillips .................
- 12/07/06 01:23 PM
I would love for all of you to take the time to help me Welcome ANGELA PHILLIPS as a new member to my team of mortgage professionals of Assured Lending Corporation. Angela brings a dynamic appeal to Assured Lending and her understanding of the true concept of customer service. And her ethical stance on many issues is most impressive. Angela lives and works in Vero Beach, which is in Indian River County, Florida. Angela has only 3 years of lending experience under her belt. But you would never know this after speaking to her for a few minutes. She is very knowledgeable, … (41 comments)
real estate: Thinking outside that box…. What to do with the sellers concessions & where to apply the money. Buying down the rate vs the buydown…..Part 2
- 11/29/06 12:43 PM
Okay, I am back again to finish up 'thinking outside the box'. Summary of the first section: I talked about the difference between buying down an interest rate vs a buydown. The conclusion was that a buydown would be your best bet. But I also talked about goals and what this would mean to the whole equation. Again, we do know that you can't predict the future, but we certainly can have a good idea depending where we are in our lives. So that being said, the buydown would work for anyone even if they were to move in 4 years … (34 comments)
I have talked to several of you on the phone from Active Rain and overall, I just love Active Rain. The continuous networking, a great Team (Caleb & Matt) that keeps this site active and improving daily, great people on here with great ideas, and just to be able to express yourself and feel like you have friends all … (9 comments)
Sure, this is a subject oftened talk about and frequently talked about on Active rain. But I wanted to give a little more information on what predatory lending is all about and not the misconception of what most might think it is.
Anyone’s commitment in the financing/mortgage industry should be to provide borrowers with the best possible financing, in the least amount of time, and for a reasonable fee. Home ownership is an American Dream and it is priceless. A loan should not be offered that would keep that dream from coming true. Or actually hurt that client down … (19 comments)
People that over shop, looking for the best deal; can certainly even bring down the best of a sales person’s moral. This can be tiresome for the good realtor or loan officer that has to deal with these types of clients on a weekly basis. Most of us are here to help in one way or another. Sure, we all need to get paid for what we do. And some of us have our own ways of doing things. But when it comes down to deceiving the general public to make a quick buck, this is where it … (25 comments)
real estate: Infomercials...... How many of you watch them? Are they real?
- 10/10/06 01:13 AM
INFOMERCIALS….. what can I say? It’s sometimes like watching a comedy show. How many of you get suckered into this? Hey, I admit, I sometimes think I should call. Ever see the new lipo-pill? It reduces your fact from within, never needing lipo-suction. LOL I was like, gee, that would be great. Then I said, “wake up Jeff. Get real.”
Infomericals arose because of the deregulation during the 80s involving television. But these originated on the radio at first. There are just countless infomercials on TV. 100's of 1,000's are made a year. But have you noticed that 99% of them are … (13 comments)
I just want to educate people about mortgages and the process.
In regards to lending, I am very creative, intuitive, honest, and one who communicates information, may it be good or bad. I am a loan officer that looks out for your best interest.
How do we see ourselves as realtors, loan officers, staggers, real estate attorneys, appraisers, and just as individuals in general. Sure, the picture to my right might be a little obscured in what I am about to talk about, but there is a meaning behind this. 
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