Remember to set your clocks ahead one hour Saturday night! Spring Forward……..
This week’s update is short!
Ø Are you looking to build a team?
Ø Are you looking to implement systems in your business that are consistent , and generate (a) more leads, (b) raving fans, and (c) less working hours?
Ø Are you looking to net more income?
Patriot Bank Mortgage is sponsoring a FREE 2 hour seminar for our realtors on Wed, March 24th. My coach, Rick Ruby, is flying in from North Carolina to visit my office, and at the same time, is willing to spend 2 hours with YOU, to talk about how to run an efficient business. Rick is President of The Core (www.thecore.tv), and coaches lenders and realtors. He has a strong message, and is an expert at building successful teams. Personally, after 15 years, I thought I knew everything… But my systems seemed stale, and my team was at a stalling point. Now, with Rick’s help, my team is focused more than ever, and we are concentrating of creating raving fans out of our clients and referral sources!!!!!!!
Please consider joining us for this 2 hour event. I promise you, it will be worth the effort!
When: Wednesday, March 24 (2-4 pm)
Where: Holiday Inn Express, 1300 N Sam Houston (Beltway and 45)
Rsvp to us this week – space is limited. Just reply to this email!
Have a wonderful weekend and go out and enjoy this amazing Houston Weather!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Tick tock
Only 50 more days until the homebuyer credit deadline approaches! That means that by April 30, your borrowers must have an EXECUTED CONTRACT, and can close as late as June 30 to receive the credit of either $8,000 (first time buyers) or $6500 (current buyers owning 5 years or more). That is only 8 weekends , which is when most people look for a home.
Daily I have questions from prospects and realtors if the credit will be extended? Well, that is anyone's guess of course, just like when will the rates start going up? No one knows. However, if your buyers are waiting around for the 'too good to be true' 2nd extension of an already miraculous gift, they may be sadly disappointed. Currently I have heard no rumors at all of an extension. Don't get left behind!
Life is full of surprises! Imagine my horror to hear that Whole Foods imports its 'organic' vegetables from China? This is about a year old in the news, but it just made it accross my ears. I have tried to be as organic or 'green' as possible, incorporating small habits in my life that will make a difference (I hope). So should I really be concerned about this China organic thing? Is it my own fault that I did not read the label that has been there clear as day? What other things am I not paying attention to? With the media, and internet , and countless information at our fingertips, it is no wonder consumers are confused. We have too many outlets, too may choices, it is just plain overwhelming. So imagine shopping for a mortgage !!! A referral of 2-3 trusted sources for mortgage financing is the BEST GIFT you can give your client. People you know, and trust , and have had good experience with before.
Have you interviewed your lender lately? This week I had coffee with a realtor that has known me for years, but never referred me. That's ok, because I knew he had several long standing , deep rooted relationships. I respect that. He receives my weekly updates, and recently asked me to meet with him. His story is a tragic one, of 2 loan officers he has trusted for years, and they each ruined a transaction for him. One client understood, the other held it against him because it was guilt by association. In each case, it was not necessarily the loan officers fault, but it boiled down to (a) lack of control, and (b) lack of communication.
So we had coffee, and Mark and I discussed past , present and future. He asked me tough questions. How many A+ realtors did I already have, and where would he fit in to all that? Did I have the time to service him too? Would I be working after the baby? (YES!) He also wanted to know about my team and philosophies of customer service. What could I do to help him grow his business? I was so relieved (and flattered) that he was giving me an opportunity to get to know me! (That is also why my weekly updates have some personal tid bits, so you can know what makes me tick). So again, have you really ever sat down and gotten to KNOW your lender? The ones you trust and rely on to give the best experience possible for your clients? Call them for a cup of coffee, spend 30 minutes with him/her and ask the questions that are important to you. Develop a list of questions your CLIENTS should be asking lenders before they hire them. Its not all about rate. RELATIONSHIP IS EVERYTHING.
As for rates, they are there, steady, and waiting for your borrowers to pull the trigger on that home of their dreams. There is LOTS of money, waiting to be approved.
Daily I have questions from prospects and realtors if the credit will be extended? Well, that is anyone's guess of course, just like when will the rates start going up? No one knows. However, if your buyers are waiting around for the 'too good to be true' 2nd extension of an already miraculous gift, they may be sadly disappointed. Currently I have heard no rumors at all of an extension. Don't get left behind!
Life is full of surprises! Imagine my horror to hear that Whole Foods imports its 'organic' vegetables from China? This is about a year old in the news, but it just made it accross my ears. I have tried to be as organic or 'green' as possible, incorporating small habits in my life that will make a difference (I hope). So should I really be concerned about this China organic thing? Is it my own fault that I did not read the label that has been there clear as day? What other things am I not paying attention to? With the media, and internet , and countless information at our fingertips, it is no wonder consumers are confused. We have too many outlets, too may choices, it is just plain overwhelming. So imagine shopping for a mortgage !!! A referral of 2-3 trusted sources for mortgage financing is the BEST GIFT you can give your client. People you know, and trust , and have had good experience with before.
Have you interviewed your lender lately? This week I had coffee with a realtor that has known me for years, but never referred me. That's ok, because I knew he had several long standing , deep rooted relationships. I respect that. He receives my weekly updates, and recently asked me to meet with him. His story is a tragic one, of 2 loan officers he has trusted for years, and they each ruined a transaction for him. One client understood, the other held it against him because it was guilt by association. In each case, it was not necessarily the loan officers fault, but it boiled down to (a) lack of control, and (b) lack of communication.
So we had coffee, and Mark and I discussed past , present and future. He asked me tough questions. How many A+ realtors did I already have, and where would he fit in to all that? Did I have the time to service him too? Would I be working after the baby? (YES!) He also wanted to know about my team and philosophies of customer service. What could I do to help him grow his business? I was so relieved (and flattered) that he was giving me an opportunity to get to know me! (That is also why my weekly updates have some personal tid bits, so you can know what makes me tick). So again, have you really ever sat down and gotten to KNOW your lender? The ones you trust and rely on to give the best experience possible for your clients? Call them for a cup of coffee, spend 30 minutes with him/her and ask the questions that are important to you. Develop a list of questions your CLIENTS should be asking lenders before they hire them. Its not all about rate. RELATIONSHIP IS EVERYTHING.
As for rates, they are there, steady, and waiting for your borrowers to pull the trigger on that home of their dreams. There is LOTS of money, waiting to be approved.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
The WHY? of things
Lately, I have been playing alot of superheroes with my 4 year old, Diego. In fact, I think I may now turn into one. My choice would be Cat Woman, but I'm not sure how I would look in that tight black leather suit, especially 5 months pregnant. So its superheroes in the morning before school, and then the minute we get home, its superheroes again. So I happily endure, and play, even if just for 5 minutes, my sweetie is satisfied. His last waking breath the other night was ' Mommy, why does Wolverine not have hair? '. Well, because he has a mask on, that's why. 'I KNOW that Mommy , BUT WHY?'. Well, I was not sure how to continue that one, so I changed the subject.
WHY?????????????? Such a powerful word.
Why are there so many unemployed?? There are 4.6 million-that we know of, and on Feb 28, 1 million of those will run out of benefits. The $787 billion stimulus package was to create 4 mm jobs, and there have been about 2 mm created (source: Fox News). That is a cost of $393,000 per job.
Why are banks not lending to businesses? Could it be that they have no incentive to take risk at a 3.5% interest rate?
Why are more small banks going to the Fed's emergency 'window' to borrow short term/overnight funds at close to 0%? Could that be a sign of a yet weaker economy-the Fed won't say, nor release the bank names in fear of hurting consumer confidence.
Why is our economy not getting better? Could it be unexpected things like the meltdown of the Euro (being compared to the mortgage meltdown- since Greece is about to be downgraded for their credit. France and Germany hold much of their debt, so will they then fail? If you think the Euro economy has nothing to do with us here, think again. Or could it be the unexpected blizzard have destroyed business in the central US and East Coast, causing further layoffs? It has been said that the housing recovery will drive us out of recession. Well bring it on! The Fed is cautiously NOT rising rates yet, as they don’t want to further inflation. Mortgage bonds hate inflation, and if and when that happens, rates WILL rise.
So many ‘Why’s ‘ and so little time to answer them all. I think I would rather play superheroes.
WHY?????????????? Such a powerful word.
Why are there so many unemployed?? There are 4.6 million-that we know of, and on Feb 28, 1 million of those will run out of benefits. The $787 billion stimulus package was to create 4 mm jobs, and there have been about 2 mm created (source: Fox News). That is a cost of $393,000 per job.
Why are banks not lending to businesses? Could it be that they have no incentive to take risk at a 3.5% interest rate?
Why are more small banks going to the Fed's emergency 'window' to borrow short term/overnight funds at close to 0%? Could that be a sign of a yet weaker economy-the Fed won't say, nor release the bank names in fear of hurting consumer confidence.
Why is our economy not getting better? Could it be unexpected things like the meltdown of the Euro (being compared to the mortgage meltdown- since Greece is about to be downgraded for their credit. France and Germany hold much of their debt, so will they then fail? If you think the Euro economy has nothing to do with us here, think again. Or could it be the unexpected blizzard have destroyed business in the central US and East Coast, causing further layoffs? It has been said that the housing recovery will drive us out of recession. Well bring it on! The Fed is cautiously NOT rising rates yet, as they don’t want to further inflation. Mortgage bonds hate inflation, and if and when that happens, rates WILL rise.
So many ‘Why’s ‘ and so little time to answer them all. I think I would rather play superheroes.
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