business: Rome Wasn't Built Overnight - 07/18/13 10:50 PM
I have recently hired some new originators in our business.  They are go getters who are HUGE into building relationships.  Without building relationships there's virtually no way to create and grow an awesome business.  I see the activities that these folks have and look at some of my more long time originators.  Some of my tenured originators are doing the right thing, but others are placid.  They sit around and wait for the phone to ring. 
I have news for people in this market.  You have to make the phone ring.  You have to create the relationships.  You need to create … (8 comments)

business: Back in Business Part II - FOR GOOD I HOPE! - 04/25/12 11:56 PM
So...just recently, I wrote a post about being shut down about 3 weeks ago from a lightning strike.  I bitched.... I whined.... I moaned, but finally Comcast came out and got me restored.....and my internet back up.  Or so I thought.
Things don't go perfect for us all when it comes to the internet.  My router and modem didn't talk and communicate with each other.  I called my I.T. guy.  I called other folks...and blah, blah, blah....nothing
Long story short....
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THREE WEEKS I HAVE INTERNET AT HOME! I do most of my posting at night.  I … (7 comments)

business: What does Kenny Chesney know about Business? He knows that people matter - 08/25/11 02:46 AM
 
So I get this forwarded to me my by one of my realtor partners.  I think it's very telling on not only how to approach your business, but how to treat your team.
 
This interview with Kenny Chesney, the country music singer, was conducted and condensed by Adam Bryant.
Q. So, you’re the C.E.O., in effect, of Kenny Chesney Inc. How big is the business?
A. I have 120 employees on the road every day, and about 30 other employees off the road. I remember being on the bus a couple years ago, and I looked out … (6 comments)

business: Do You Have a Referral to Spare? - 07/07/11 01:54 AM
For Years I've been coached by some of the greats.  I spent a few years being coached by Buffini and Company.  I was coached by Rich Brennan and The Brennan Method, I was also coached by who I consider the grand puba or the PhD. program of coaching, Steven Scanlon of Building Champions...check out www.buildingchampions.com.  I enjoyed being coached by all of them, but this past year, after 7 years, I've taken the year off. 
Now, it's all about getting back in the game.  1 Year away is great, but really, its truthfully time to go from really good to really … (42 comments)

business: Open Your Mouth in This Market - 06/22/09 06:56 PM
I just hired a whale, if you will.  This guy, I've been after for years.  He left a mid major regional mortgage company and then opened up his own mortgage broker shop.  Thereafter, the mortgage brokering wordl went to hell in a handbasket.  We kept in contact (another lesson there for some time down the road).  Long story short...he's finally made the jump and is now cranking his loans here at Cherry Creek Mortgage.  What I find is unique is his M.O...........
Mr. Whale has one value proposition.  He really only needs one.  He calls between 45 and 60 people a day to touch base … (41 comments)

business: I'm Freakin....and I need Help.... - 12/20/08 05:53 AM
Talk about crying in your beer.    I know that I'm whining when people have real problems.  This post will be short since my problems are not those of the average american worker.  The problem?
I'm busy...I'm too busy right now.  A month ago the stress was making ends meet.  Now it's how do I handle the business that I have.  In the last week,
1)  I've locked 15 loans;
2)  I've taken two more referrals off of Active Rain;
3)  I had two new loan officers sign on to my branch;
4)  And I have 17 (no exaggeration here, I … (12 comments)

business: The Dirty Dozen.....12th transaction in the Rain!!!!! - 09/12/08 05:17 AM
Just this past week I had a referral from one of my associates and friends in the Rain.  Mr. Jeff Belonger!  Mortgage Guru Extraodinaire!!!!  The FHA-meister!!!  Mortgage Knowledge at its BEST!!!! (Jeff Belonger) I've now been dancing in the rain for over a year.  I called him up this past week to just BS with him.  I have always enjoyed him and he has a sarcastic element of him that aligns perfectly with my quick wit and sharp tongue.  I'm grateful to Sir Jeffrey....
It's amazing the people that you meet while swimming in the Rain.  I now feel that in … (37 comments)

business: The Active Rain Survival Kit!!!!!!!!!! - 07/22/08 03:29 AM
I've been here for 1.5 years.  I love it.  I thought I'd share my few pearls of wisdom that'll help you learn quicker than I learned.  This past weekend, I asked an fairly straightforward question that evolved into a sub bloggin post of it's own.  Members started to get cross against each other before finally getting everything past them and moving forward today.  So....in hindsight, I was thinking that there are some AR safety tips (Image from www.bellaonline.com/articles/art42143.asp)

First....communication should be two way.....  One way communication tends to get lost or taken the wrong way.  One of the nice tips … (20 comments)

business: Today's Markets....just a little more of the same....but good for bonds - 03/25/08 03:18 AM
Yesterday...
Rates rose sharply on Monday, pushing Treasury yields up 20bp or more and returning yields to their early-March/late-February levels across the curve.  The FHLB got final approval to double mortgage investments. While several reasons were raised for the MBS sell-off, it appeared technical in nature with participants having decided that yields had just moved too far, too fast. Yesterday's sell-off, along with the prior Monday's, was one of the most severe one-day routs in years. JPMorgan's increased offer for Bear helped lift stocks as did the existing home sales report. In February, existing home sales rose 2.9% but the optimism with … (3 comments)

business: Market trends from weekend Fed Activities - 03/17/08 02:26 AM
In an emergency move, the Fed cut the discount rate (the rate on direct loans to banks) by 0.25% to 3.25%.  The Fed also announced that it will create a lending facility for the 20 primary dealers (the first time the Fed has extended financing to non-banks since the Great Depression), which will remain in place for at least 6 months.  Bear Stearns continues to make headlines this morning on news that JP Morgan will purchase the firm for $2 per share, which is less than 1/10th of the Bear's value as of the close last week.  The Fed has agreed … (5 comments)

business: Bernanke and Fed are in the process of changing Respa....what this means to you. - 03/16/08 04:11 PM
Alphonso Jackson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Friday proposed a mortgage reform designed to help consumers better understand the terms of the loans they are considering and offering guidelines for shopping for different products.  This is cool since many consumers don't understand what's been put before them and unscrupulous lenders prey upon victims by not explaining truths to consumers.
If approved, the changes will reform Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). First HUD is proposing that mortgage brokers and lenders provide consumers with a standard Good Faith Estimate. Jackson said that by offering consumers clearer, more certain cost estimates the average borrower will save … (6 comments)

business: On top of the Roller Coaster coming down - 02/29/08 03:05 PM
Wow...last week, I was talking with people who were seriously considering getting out of the real estate business.  You see it was only 3 weeks ago that mortgage rates were awesome.  They were quite stimulating for the economy....a reprieve, if you will in the bastion of negative real estate news. 
Last week, however, mortgage rates had escalated to where they were eyeing the 7.0% mark.  That brought out the naysayers who, after three weeks of bad economic data coupled with inflationary remarks by Bernanke, said that maybe it was time for them to "shift out of real estate" and into something … (2 comments)

business: Keep your eyes on the prize!!!! - 02/19/08 02:28 PM
This market is insane.  Bond prices got rocked today.  The rates shot up....AGAIN!!!!  That's all that has been happening receintly.  Bernanke, last week, said that our economy sucks, but we have worries of inflation.  So our stock market drops, but the rates go up!  When the stock market goes up, rates go up.  When it drops, rates follow.  Bernanke speaks and the stock market drops.  Then he says that we're inflationary.  Well which is it??????  You see if our economy sucks, the our rates should be going down?  Right? 
Well what's a guy supposed to do with a out of whack … (0 comments)

business: Gross.....a snag in the A.R. Wheel - 01/27/08 02:25 PM
I've got it...it's been going great.  I've been cranking away on AR all year making AR a part of my daily disciplines.  Friday, I was hopping on AR to catch up with comments and post, but my motherboard crashed.  For the non computer geeks like me who don't know what the heck a motherboard, I just found out a while back when it crashed a few months ago....THEN FOR THE SECOND TIME.  Basically, it meant in my case that the computer won't power up.  So....bottom line I was shut out.  I called Dell and they said my warranty went out after September.  GROSS!!!  Sure, I have other computers, … (5 comments)

business: Record Month...well not quite, but pretty awesome anyway! - 12/03/07 05:17 AM
This month I'll close about $5,000,000 in real estate transactions.  Pretty awesome if you ask me.  But let's be honest, it's been brutal out there.  Many of the competitors have closed their doors and many individuals have left the business.  Interesting to see who is week and who becomes strong in this environment.  I, too, have experienced just a frenetic sine wave over the last few months.  Good days, bad days, good weeks, bad weeks.  Needless to say, I've always kept in personal touch with my past clients as well as leaders within the community.  Nevertheless, the payoff is now.  I … (8 comments)

business: Record Month...well not quite, but pretty awesome anyway! - 12/03/07 05:17 AM
This month I'll close about $5,000,000 in real estate transactions.  Pretty awesome if you ask me.  But let's be honest, it's been brutal out there.  Many of the competitors have closed their doors and many individuals have left the business.  Interesting to see who is week and who becomes strong in this environment.  I, too, have experienced just a frenetic sine wave over the last few months.  Good days, bad days, good weeks, bad weeks.  Needless to say, I've always kept in personal touch with my past clients as well as leaders within the community.  Nevertheless, the payoff is now.  I … (2 comments)

business: Record Month...well not quite, but pretty awesome anyway! - 12/03/07 05:17 AM
This month I'll close about $5,000,000 in real estate transactions.  Pretty awesome if you ask me.  But let's be honest, it's been brutal out there.  Many of the competitors have closed their doors and many individuals have left the business.  Interesting to see who is week and who becomes strong in this environment.  I, too, have experienced just a frenetic sine wave over the last few months.  Good days, bad days, good weeks, bad weeks.  Needless to say, I've always kept in personal touch with my past clients as well as leaders within the community.  Nevertheless, the payoff is now.  I … (0 comments)

business: Oral Fixation...truly connecting with your sphere of influence - 09/27/07 05:00 PM
I am convinced that the tongue is the most powerful weapon any person owns.  Words alone have been the precipitating factors to many wars.  As a result, many have died from the wars that have been waged that have been started by words of others.  Additionally, as we've seen recently, careers have been crippled by the failure to control a person's words.  Although it's not known as to the extent of permanent damage that words have hurt their careers, Mel Gibson and Michael Richards have stated things that have monetarily negatively impacted their careers and livelihood. 
So what the fuss about … (9 comments)

business: Sprinting to Success...via the fast road....Your story - 07/14/07 04:23 PM

I was thinking this weekend, what a better post to make than to help each other go from zero to 100 in 5 seconds.  There are so many people who are:
1)  considering leaving the business;
2)  Hanging on by a thread in the business;
3)  or just entering the business;
The problem with a lot of people is that their confidence is commensurate with their financial business success.  So what success principle or principles do you have to help your fellow AR'er jump start their business.  Also...WHAT IS THE FASTEST ANYONE HAS GONE FROM A START UP TO FINANCIAL SUCCESS IN THIS BUSINESS?
My tip?  … (5 comments)

business: Proactively moving ahead? - 05/07/07 01:48 AM
 
In this business you are working constantly.  I like to think of myself as a very balanced individual.  Having said that, as a married father of 4 I have found out that working at home (to be proactive) is impossible.  My kids are 8,6,4, and 2.  My wife is pregnant with number 5.  If I work at home...I'm poked and prodded until my children pass out at bed time...
I am the V.P. of a national mortgage company and have a clientele and work and originate and recruit and manage a branch and....the list goes on.  Oh...I'm also a coach within our … (4 comments)

 
Larry Bettag, Vice-President of National Production (Cherry Creek Mortgage Illinois Residential Mortgage License LMB #0005759  Cherry Creek Mortgage NMLS #: 3001)

Larry Bettag

Vice-President of National Production

Saint Charles, IL

More about me…

Cherry Creek Mortgage Illinois Residential Mortgage License LMB #0005759 Cherry Creek Mortgage NMLS #: 3001

Address: 40W310 LaFox Road, Saint Charles, IL, 60175

Office: (630) 524-9677

Mobile: (630) 417-7172

 1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
(John 14:1-4, New King James Version)

Larry Bettag

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