Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Back to Business for August; Listen up!

Greetings All:

We are getting back on track (since knee injury.) August is a critical production month because it sets up business for the remainder of the year. A few things I want to mention for August:

1. Anyone holding at least one open house per week (5 weeks) will be eligible for drawing.

2. Call Nite will be every Monday evening at 6:00 -- the month of August
a. If you have no business – you must commit to being here – use your script books

3. After Tuesday sales meeting (8/11) - we will have ListersLunch – stay tuned for more details – it will be good.

4. Tuesday evening 6:00-7:00 Twilight Training for ALL those unable to attend weekday training/meetings –
a. It is expected you attend if you are unable to attend during the day

5. Every Thursday (8/13 start) at 1:00 we will have FROG Workshop – all are welcome to attend

6. Friday morning (8/14) at 10:00 is NAP – New Agent Training – for all those newly licensed


We have 8 people that will be joining our office as soon as they pass their state examination – pls welcome them.

I appreciate all you do for our office. Please plan on attending August training.

7/28 Office Meeting Notes

Using your Sixth Sense. The objective is taking care of your senses. We become what we think about. 6 positive sales senses are confidence, achievement, winning & success. 2 of the hardest things to handle are failure & success. There are 9 negative senses, fear, rejection, nervousness, procrastination, reluctance, justification, self doubt, doom and unlucky. If you don’t think you are the greatest agent then you need an attitude adjustment.
Happy birthday to our August birthdays: Al, Linda Tooson and Tim Duncan.
New home sales rose the highest since Nov. 2008. Existing homes rose for the 3rd consecutive month. Most of the credit goes to the first time buyer tax credit. Chuck Barnes (CB Mortgage) thinks that the interest rate will stay stable or maybe go down a little. Housing inventory fell .07% in June. Hopefully housing prices should stabilize by end of the year. First time buyers were 29% of all transactions in June. The first time buyer tax credit is helping with the overall stimulus package.
The best places for you to go for answers to your questions are: cbwswy.blogspot.com which is our office blog. There you will find things discussed at our office meetings, information on the new programs, easy to click on websites of interest, etc. or you could use cbws.com for mortgage info, how to figure title insurance, community guide etc. or use cbworks.coldwellbanker.com to find how to market yourself, do listing presentations, flyers, get statistics, etc.
Jennifer w/Residential Title was here to talk about Bank of America (Countrywide) that will be starting probably in Sept. a new website where you can down load all paperwork for sales on their properties. Right now they are having a 60-70% fall out rate and only 30 to 40% actually go to closing. This new website should help keep the paperwork at their fingertips. She also talked about the new Mortgage disclosure act going in effect. Upon making application a borrower is provided a Truth in Lending statement detailing to the total expected costs that could be incurred over the life of the loan. Should anything change in the loan application that could change the APR by more than .125% a new TIL must be reissued to the borrower a min. of 3 business days before closing. Items impacting the APR could include a borrower accepting a higher interest rate that initially qualified by floating their rate at application, a change to the loan amount, a change in produce, a change in closing date and any changes to fees. You will need to allow for more time in your contracts to close. The usual 30 days is not enough now days. Allow 45-60 days to close. Better to be safe. Also keep in mind that a FHA or VA appraisal is good for 6 months and work orders stick with the appraisal. Even if it goes conventional financing later you still need to disclose the work orders.Please give Chris (CB Mortgage) a chance to help your customer with financing. Call her direct and she will take the loan application personally and follow thru to the very end on that loan. She will get it packaged right so it goes thru.

Tim Duncan update

A lot of you have been asking about Tim so I called and talked to both Tim and his wife. He did not have his surgery yet. He was scheduled last week but before they could do it he got an infection which they had to clear up first. They sent him home from the hospital about 10 days ago with a prescription to clear up the infection. When they went to the drug store to fill that prescription it was $2200.00 for a 2 weeks supply. (They since found out that their insurance will cover $1600. of it). He will be taking the last of the prescription this coming weekend and it is looking good that it is clearing up. He goes back to the doctor next week and his wife thinks that if everything is cleared up they will get him in surgery right away before something else happens. Please keep him in your prayers.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Texting to your phone FAQ

I’ve heard from a few people that when they attempt to send a text to themselves to test whether or not the tour/text feature is working that they are receiving either an invalid message or no text message and they are concerned because they assume it’s because they don’t have a “smart” phone. If you’ve gotten a new phone in the past 5 years, the chances are that it is capable of sending and receiving text messages.

If you’re experiencing this problem, first make sure that your cell phone is “text-enabled.” Some people believe that they will never send a text message nor do they wish to pay for any sent to their phones so make sure that feature isn’t blocked on your phone. The next thing to check is to make sure that you checked or clicked the SMS button which activates the texting option when you created your tour (or edited it to activate the texting feature). If after ensuring you’ve done the above and you continue to have problems, please contact me with the tour number and address and we’ll trouble shoot it to see if there is a problem with the system. Our goal is to make sure you understand how to create and distribute the tours so that potential buyers can access tours, send text messages and that you receive the contact information.

Thank you! Have a great week!
rw
Randy Wax Field Marketing

ProRealtour texting client presentation

This link down loads a Power Point for ProRealtour client texting for listing prenenations




http://www.box.net/shared/ac01xrbylj

MDIA/ Mortgage Disclosure Information Act - IMPORTANT INFORMATION

LINK TO ARTICLE

http://www.box.net/shared/lni8ydhod7

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Mortgage changes

More Change Coming
It's no secret that many facets of lending and real estate have changed as a result of the credit crisis. In addition to tightened lending practices that resulted from rising mortgage delinquencies, Washington has been heavily involved in altering the way lenders do business today.
Two individual pieces of legislation impacting our business need to be taken into account when determining closing dates for purchase transactions.
Home Valuation Code of Conduct – The Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) went into effect May 1, 2009. Intended to shield appraisers from undue influence from loan officers and lenders, this legislation installed a "firewall" between those individuals directly involved in the origination of the loan from the selection of and contact with appraisers.
HVCC also requires that borrowers receive a copy of the appraisal a minimum of three days in advance of closing. Part of the kicker here is that "received" is considered, in effect, three business days after the appraisal has been mailed to the borrower.As HVCC requires a firewall between the originator and the appraiser, the time to receive an appraisal has increased, in some cases by as much as two weeks or more. While this may not always be the case, it is important to take into consideration when considering closing dates. Today, conservative closing dates are mandatory to properly manage expectations of all parties.
Housing and Economic Recovery Act – The Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA) amends and impacts several aspects of obtaining a mortgage, the disclosures required for borrowers, and the timing of their delivery. This impacts the minimum time required to close, and should any changes be made to a loan application that could impact the Annual Percentage Rate (APR), this could impact the closing date.
Other than paying for a credit report, lenders may not accept any additional fees from a borrower until four business days after disclosures have been provided to or mailed to a borrower. This has the potential to delay several aspects of the application process.
Finally, upon making application, a borrower is provided a Truth in Lending (TIL) statement, detailing the total expected costs that could be incurred over the life of the loan. Should anything change in the loan application that could change the APR by more than .125%, a new TIL must be reissued to the borrower a minimum of 3 business days before closing. Items impacting the APR could include a borrower accepting a higher interest rate than initially qualified by floating their rate at application, a change to the loan amount, a change in product, a change in closing date, and any changes to fees.
What Now? – While there is more we can discuss on the specifics of these legislative implications, I felt it important enough to let you know now that I would not recommend you write purchase contracts with short closing time frames.
We will be preparing additional information you can provide both your buyers and sellers to help explain the rationale behind not scheduling closing dates in advance of 30 days at a minimum and ideally not less than 45 days. We are also preparing a CBOLT session to go over the changes in the next few days. Thank you again for your business and if you have any questions, please pick up the phone and call us.

Sincerely,Chuck Barnes
Regional Sales ManagerMortgage Services

Invitation for Agents of CBWS Wyoming

Happy Friday Greetings:

You are cordially invited to happy hour with Chris, Chuck and me next Wednesday – July 22nd – 4:00 to 6:00 pm -- Gabby’s Café on Wyoming Avenue. We will have drinks and light appetizers. Hope you can make it!

Linda Wilson

Thursday, July 16, 2009

7/14 meeting notes

ProRealtour’s lead generation tool is the latest improvement to the virtual tour. This upgrade will enable CBWS agents to provide their clients outstanding virtual tours on the web as well as deliver that experience curbside. With the addition of our texting solution agents will now be able to be notified, either via email or text that someone has inquired about a specific property. This feature enables CBWS agents to quickly follow up with their prospects and qualify their interest. People today expect instant service and agents who do get the sale. Put the tour on your facebook account. Mike will be doing a class after the meeting next week to help answer all the questions you might have in regards to ProRealtour.
Our office lost a lead over the weekend because everyone’s Lead Router was in the red and we were unable to capture that lead. Please check your Lead Router on a regular basis and keep your account in the green.
Someone suggested to Linda that we start our sales meeting at 10AM in the future. After some discussion it was agreed to keep it at 9AM. At 10AM they agreed that it would shoot the day by starting late.
There was some discussion about the shortage of homes in the $120,000-130,000 price range for buyers looking to use the $8000. tax credit. Linda suggested that you call areas of interest for those buyers and ask if people thought about selling their home.
Everyone also needs to be doing open houses to pick up buyers and making those 5 calls a day 5 days a week.
CABR is holding another mock trial on short sales on Thurs. July 16 at the Crossroads at 3500 Madison Rd. Good for 4 hrs of CE credit. Short sale transactions can be confusing to everyone if the process is not understood and explained well. This program is designed to give you the education and tools that you need to understand short sales better. Call board to register. $20. for CABR members/$30. for non-members.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Your cell phone plan for text messages

Based on our meeting today, 7.7.09, we all need to review our cell phone plans to see how they charge for text messages. The new feature on ProRealTour uses text messages to let you know that a customer has checked out your listing via their service. You don't want a nasty surprise on your next cell phone bill, if your service plan does not include text messages. You also may want to assign a different ring tone to incoming text messages. Your phones manual will tell you how to do this.

Mike

Office meeting notes 7.7.09

Thanks to Janet Davis for handling the week again this week while Linda is out recovering from her knee surgery.
Janet has cookbooks for sale from the Home Builders Assoc. that benefits the Children Heart Assoc. They are $12.00 ea. Copy of the book is at the front desk to look at. Linda has several recipes in the book. If interested make check out to HBA and give to Janet. Our birthday people this week are Gary Roger & Karan Heuer. Happy birthday to the both of them.
Jennifer was here is present Bill Elfers with a certificate for being #6 in the company for title orders year to date. Jennifer also talked about banks, especially Bank of America, making sellers sign a note for the loss on a short sale. There was talk about who the seller should talk to about advise on should they sell on a short sale or let it go to foreclosure. It was suggested that they should first call their lender and discuss their options and then call their attorney, financial advisor or legal aid and get further help. The Cincinnati Area Board of Realtors is having a class on short sales at Crossroads tomorrow evening if you are interested in getting more information.
The new version of ProRealtour with the texting capability will be available on Wednesday. This upgrade will enable you to continue to provide your clients outstanding virtual tours on the web, as well as deliver that experience curbside with the addition of the texting solution. Agents will now be able to be notified either by email or text that someone has inquired about a specific property. This feature enables you to quickly follow up with their prospects and qualify their interest.
Janet will be out of town Thursday afternoon and Friday. Linda is doing well and will be available to answer your questions on her cell phone while Janet is away on Thurs. & Friday.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Linda's out for surgery

Tomorrow is the day for my knee surgery (yeah!!!) In my absence, Janet Davis will be filling in for me. Janet will be in and out – she still has appointments she needs to keep. If you have a contractual, legal, or procedural question – pls ask Janet for assistance. Her cell number is 513-708-1515.

I don’t anticipate extended time off – pls continue working hard to get those listings and sales. We need every deal we can get – especially need mortgage and title orders. Thanks for all your hard work. You are the best agents – ever!

Meeting notes 6/30

Thanks to Janet Davis for covering the meeting today for Linda while she is out for her knee surgery.
Sara Lutz was here to talk about the “Discovery Shop” sponsored by the American Cancer Society. It is an upscale, resale shop. They are looking for gently used women’s clothing, accessories like jewelry, belts, purses, shoes, etc. Also they are looking for furniture, home décor, artwork, collectibles, household items like lamps & dishes. Your donations are what the discovery shop resells to raise money for the Cancer Society research, education, advocacy and service programs. If you have furniture they have a moving company that volunteers one day a month to pick up items or deliver purchases. If you have questions please call Kathy Walker, Mgr. at 891-8343.
Check you mailbox for an excellent article on “Who’s to blame for a declining real estate market?”
Janet talked about our effective service area which is W02. There are 299 listing now on the market in W02. 79 of those listings are in Wyoming. It is important when you get a listing to get it priced right.
Janet covered a few of the points from the 2 day seminar last week. If you did not attend or would like to go back over what was covered at that meeting go to: truenorthprinciples.com and use the password truenorth123.
There is a new real estate vocabulary today.
Examples: marketing a home instead of listing a home
Homes currently on market & not selling instead of active listings
Initial market positioning instead of asking price
Repositioning instead of reduction
Marketing consultant instead of listing agent
Generating new business instead of prospecting
Difference between Appreciating and depreciating market:
Appreciating market has low interest rates, prices pushed up, sellers don’t sell, low inventory
Depreciating market has overpriced listings, tipping point, inventory increases.
Deciding when to buy or sell. Predictors are saying we probably have not hit bottom yet. It may be another 5 to 7 yrs before things start to appreciate again. Over the last 2 yrs company transferees are down 70%. GE is asking transferees to rent instead of buying because they don’t want to deal with trying to sell their homes again in 3 or 4 yrs.
Janet suggested that you make your repositioning meeting at the office which is a more neutral place. Keep in mind you are their advocate, share all data on inventory and office market concept, graphs with MLS data, review market positioning graph, appreciation & depreciation concept. The buyer pool is always there at the right price. They used the example of a laptop. They asked if anyone would buy it at $5000.00 and no one put up their hand, then they ask if they would buy it for $1.00 and everybody put up their hand. At the right price there is always a buyer. Your job is to educate and to tell them what the reality is. Janet said the managers are going to be assisting you in getting listings. If you give Janet (or Linda when she gets back) the listers name & phone number they will call your seller a day or two before to talk to the sellers to explain that you are part a team and everyone works together to get your listing sold.

Office schedule for 4th Holiday

Reminder the office will be closed on Fri. & Sat. this week to celebrate the 4th of July.

The Home Builder Assoc. has a cookbook fund raiser for the Children Heart Assoc. Linda Wilson has several of her favorites in the book. If you are interested in purchasing a book please leave a check made out to the “HBA” and leave it for Janet Davis. She will see that you get a book. She left a sample book for you to look at in the front office.