Blog Archives
Simple tips to generate leads through social media
Here are the social media tips you need for a successful lead generation
- Set up a Facebook Page. Don’t use your personal Facebook account for your real estate services.
- Post about your neighborhood.
- Use images when you update.
- Post about events in your neighborhood.
- Show you care about your clients.
- Engage with contests.
- Post your listings.
- Use Geo-targeted ads.
Lead generation from social media is not a popularity contest or superficial likes. It’s about making genuine connections. Source: wishpond.com
Your Loan in the Valley
5 Things that Kill Your Credit Score
1. YOU PAY OFF THE WRONG DEBT
You would think paying off any debt would help your score, right? Not quite—it seems some debts are preferable than others. Auto loans, if paid off early, can potentially decrease a credit score.
2. YOU ONLY USE ELECTRONIC STATEMENTS
So you turned off paper bills, thinking you were saving trees… but records show that consumers tend to pay closer attention to paper statements versus email bills, which could end up in the spam folder or ignored over time. Only turn off paper if you’re meticulous about never missing a monthly payment, otherwise opt for both paper and an email notice to cover your bases.
3. YOU ASK FOR A HIGHER LIMIT
Some credit card issuers tend to issue credit limit increases automatically, without the cardholder requesting them, and don’t come with a hard inquiry to your credit, which can lower your score.
4. YOU CO-SIGN FOR A SIBLING, FRIEND, OR LOVER
Co-signing for a credit card, student loan, auto-loan/lease, cell phone, or even an apartment rental can have a negative impact to your credit score if the person bails on making payments.
5. YOU FORGET TO FILE YOUR TAXES
We all get busy and forget stuff, but if you fail to file and pay taxes you could see the result show up on your credit report.
Knowing what not to do with your credit history is as important as knowing what to do. If you’ve made any of these mistakes, don’t panic! It’s never too late to get your credit score back up to the number you want it to be.
Source: societyofgrownups.com By Jennifer Nelson
Your Loan in the Valley
6 Things Only a Real Estate Pro Knows
Those who consistently make money in real estate know the market. They know the location and the history. They know what new developments are planned. They know the transportation and the schools. They know everything about the area where they invest. They have to know it all.
Staying ahead of the competition in real estate investment means doing your homework. If you are new to the business, it can be daunting, but in this article we’ll teach you six tricks that the old pros use to get ahead of the trends instead of chasing them.
- Study Local Pricing
The first things to study are the current price trends in the area. For example, a potential investor should look to see if the price of homes is accelerating faster in one area than in others. Next, check to see if the average home price is more than in other neighboring towns. This will provide an idea of where the biggest demand is. Another reason to study these trends is that, over time, you will start to develop a sense for which prices are “fair” for certain properties and which are overpriced. For individuals looking to buy properties at the lowest cost possible, this knowledge can be invaluable.
Realtors and real estate agents are a terrific source for this information given their access to the Multiple Listing Service (or MLS). The local newspaper, the internet, and the town hall may have a record of recent sale prices as well.
- Get Pre-approved for a Mortgage
There is a host of benefits you can enjoy by getting pre-approved for a mortgage. Chief among them are financial benefits. For example, most lenders will lock in an interest rate for you once you are pre-approved for a mortgage. This let’s you enjoy the benefits of a lower interest rate if interest rates rise while you’re house hunting. Further, if you are able to be pre-approved for a mortgage prior to finding your dream home then you become a preferred buyer in the eyes of the seller because you’ve demonstrated you have serious financial backing.
- Look for a Catalyst
One sign that an area is up-and-coming and that it will be desirable in the future is the development of new infrastructure. When you see new roads and schools being built, it’s a sign that the community is set for a growth spurt. Investing in a growing community can be very profitable. In addition, certain types of development, like new shopping centers, may be extremely attractive to homebuyers, and may also help keep the tax base low.
Spotting new developments can be as easy as looking out your car window as you drive by. Telltale signs of land clearing, surveying or the beginnings of construction in and around major roadways are pretty big tip-offs. Also, look for widening of traffic lanes, the installation of turnaround lanes and the erection of new traffic lights. All suggest the possibility of increased traffic flow.
Next, visit town hall at the municipality or the county level, and speak with the road and the building departments. They should be aware of any major projects slated to begin in the area, and they may even be able to provide you with a connection at the state level so you can find out if any state-owned roads or properties are slated for development as well. Real estate agents also have a general idea of what new projects are about to be undertaken. (For added insight, see Profit With Real Estate Land Speculation.)
- Explore Low-Tax Alternatives
If there are two towns side by side – one with high property taxes (or with progressively rising property taxes) and the other with low property taxes – the one with the lower taxes will usually be more in demand.
Real estate agents can help you determine which areas have the best and worst tax structures. In addition, a simple call to the local tax assessor can reveal how much the town charges in taxes per $100 of house. The assessor can also let you know when the last time the area was evaluated by the township. Also watch to see if a reassessment is set to take place in the near future, as it may mean that property taxes are about to go up. Beware of towns and communities that are becoming overcrowded. Signs include schools filled to capacity and inferior roadways. This could mean the town will have to do some major construction to accommodate the influx of people. And how do they pay for that construction? Tax dollars. (For more on property tax, see Five Tricks For Lowering Your Property Tax and Tax Tips For The Individual Investor.)
- Check the School Rankings
Nearly every state ranks its schools by how well students in each district fare on tests in math and English. Sharp-eyed investors should look for schools that are moving up or are atop the list. These areas are often desirable to parents. Access to quality education is a big selling point to new home buyers.
There are several ways to find this information. Check our your state’s board of education website. Also, PSK12.com has public school rankings for most states in its free section. Visiting the schools yourself is also a good idea. Schools that rank the highest are usually quite eager to provide information.
- Watch the Outskirts
If the properties in a major city or town have become overpriced, the areas on the outer fringes most likely will soon be in demand. Areas in close to major bus and rail transportation are even more desirable Nearly any area that is about to install a major train stop or a new major bus route will see its proverbial stock go up in value.
To find out what’s planned, you can check with the local railroad or bus company to see if they will be expanding service in the area. The local town hall or planning department will also have this information.
The Bottom Line
It pays to do your homework and to tap local resources to determine which areas are hot now and, more importantly, which ones will be hot in the future. Much of the information is out there and free for the taking. You just have to be willing to do the leg work. Source: Investopedia.com By Glenn Curtis
Your Loan in the Valley
Finalmente tienes tu propio Real Estate Website…
¿Ahora qué?
Nada más tienes que definir como te vas a diferenciar de más de 1 billón de páginas web dedicadas a bienes raíces. ¿Suena fácil verdad?
No te preocupes, vamos a darte algunos consejos que con algo de persistencia, te llevarán al éxito.
- Investiga lo básico del SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Es muy importante que antes de poner tus cartas a jugar entiendas lo básico de cómo los sistemas de búsqueda en internet funcionan.
- Escribe contenido valioso que pueda ser realmente de utilidad para tu cliente.
- Crea perfiles en tu website de los vecindarios en los que estas enfocado. Después de todo, ¿quien sabe de estas áreas más que tú?
- Escribe tu biografía haciéndote ver como el experto que eres.
- Crea videos informativos, profesionales y divertidos que puedas conectar con tu sistema de marketing.
- A menos que hayas vivido debajo de una roca los 10 años pasados, no tenemos que mencionarte lo importante que son las redes sociales hoy en día.
Ahora sí, con esta información y tu creatividad estas listo para empezar a darle un funcionamiento adecuado a tu website. ¡Manos a la obra!
Your Loan in the Valley
Top reasons your Mortgage Loan Application was declined
- Poor Credit History
Your credit history is a great way for a lender to tell whether you’re a risky investment or not.
- Insufficient Income
A lender can tell if you’re able to afford a mortgage payment by looking at your income to debt ratio.
- Down Payment is Too Small
A lender looks at the down payment as an investment in their future home, so a low down payment does little to put their mind at ease.
- Problems With the Property
A denial doesn’t always have to do with the homebuyer. Sometimes a property’s value isn’t enough to back the amount of the mortgage loan being applied for, and therefore is denied.
- Inadequate Employment History
A consistent employment history can be a very valuable thing when applying for a home mortgage loan. Source: bluewatermtg.com
Why Do Interest Rates Change?
We’re all familiar with interest rates. Most of us have a credit card, student loan, or mortgage, and some of us have all three. And although consumers often are able to lock-in fixed interest rates on certain financial products like certificates of deposit (CDs), interest rates nevertheless are constantly in flux. For example, the federal funds rate—the rate at which banks lend to other banks and the basis for most consumer interest rates in the United States—has moved about quite a bit, from 0.25% to 19% since 1954. What causes rates to vary so much? There are many reasons, but two key factors are the supply of money and inflation.
The Money Supply
The US central bank—better known as “the Fed”—has two primary goals: full employment and stable prices. The Fed seeks to achieve these goals through monetary policy that can increase or decrease the money supply. The Fed primarily controls the supply of money by buying or selling government bonds through a process known as open market operations. Banks hold reserves at the Fed and through open market operations the Fed enters into transactions with banks to buy or sell government bonds. When the Fed buys securities from a bank, the Fed increases the amount of money in the bank’s reserve account at the Fed. With a greater supply of money on hand, the bank has an incentive to reduce the rate of interest it charges borrowers.
The interplay between borrowers’ demand for money and lenders’ supply of money also has an impact on interest rates. At the micro level, if a bank experiences greater demand for its loans relative to its supply of deposits, then its interest rates tend to rise. In order to lend additional money, the bank must incur additional costs—either from borrowing money from another bank, raising capital, or increasing the rate it must pay depositors to attract additional deposits. Ultimately, the bank passes these costs on to borrowers in the form of higher interest rates.
Inflation
Interest rates also can vary because of inflation. When determining the interest rate to charge borrowers, lenders factor in their estimates of what future price levels will be in order to ensure lenders will profit from the loan. High inflation, or anticipated inflation, will result in higher interest rates. For example, in the 1970s, the United States experienced greater levels of inflation after the Federal Reserve “loosened” the money supply. The Fed’s intention was to reduce unemployment, but it not only failed to keep unemployment in check, but also resulted in inflation that averaged almost 10 percent from 1974 to 1981. In response, the Federal Reserve “tightened” the money supply, taking money out of circulation by selling government bonds. As a result, the federal funds rate skyrocketed from five percent in 1976 to over 13 percent in 1980, in large part because there was significantly less money to loan out than was being demanded by consumers and businesses.
From the early 1980s through today, interest rates have fluctuated significantly. After the hyperinflation of the 1970s, interest rates remained high during the early 1980s, peaking in 1981 at over 16 percent. During the mid 1980s and early 1990s, the federal funds rate declined, ranging from 5 to 8 percent. Spurred by the economic boom of the 1990s, interest rates hovered between 3 and 6 percent, hitting the top end of the range as the dot-com and housing bubbles burst during the early 21st century. At present, the federal funds rate is below 0.25%, near an all-time low.
The Federal Reserve has kept the fed funds rate low in an attempt to stimulate borrowing, investment, and the economy as a whole. Whether or not low rates will bring about a speedier recovery is uncertain, but one thing is for sure: when interest rates start to rise, supply and demand and inflation considerations will almost certainly be the driving forces behind it.
Source: simple.com by by Ted Iobst
Want to earn more money in 2017?
Here are 16 things that you can do to increase your closings in 2017:
- Increase your activity on social media sites.
- Make a marketing or social media calendar
- Adhere to a regular prospecting schedule.
- Join a networking or business professionals group.
- Create a blog.
- Employ pay-per-click advertising.
- Create landing pages to attract prospective home sellers.
- Hold an open house.
- Boost an upcoming event on Facebook.
- Maintain or update your CRM.
- Send out regular email drip campaigns
- Attend local marketing or broker caravan sessions.
- Read a book or listen to an audio book.
- Attend meetings or courses to stay current on local and state contracts and real estate policies.
- Find a mastermind partner.
- Outsource annoying and time-consuming tasks. (For example, hire a transaction coordinator, a virtual assistant, or a short sale processor.)
Source: melissazavala.com
Your Loan in the Valley
What Do Lenders Look At When You Apply for a Mortgage?
While this is a bit of a broad question, most banks and mortgage lenders are looking for the same basic thing, your ability to repay the home loan.
After all, as long as you make your mortgage payments on time each month, there isn’t much else for them to worry about. You hold up your end of the bargain and they’ll be more than happy to extend financing.
Pinpoint Potential Red Flags Before the Lender Does
Think of a home loan application like a job interview. You want to put your best foot forward. This means taking a hard look at yourself and determining what your weaknesses and strengths are. This is exactly what a lender will do.
So before your loan application is actually submitted to a bank or mortgage lender, it is imperative to ensure that every possible red flag has been addressed.
Typically, borrowers know what these issues are, but if you don’t, consider shortcomings in asset, income, employment and/or credit departments.
Ultimately, you want your loan application to be as strong as possible and to make sense so approval will be the only option; underwriters tend to love common sense. As long as it makes sense, they can approve it knowing they won’t get any flak for letting a bad loan slip through the cracks.
Don´t forget that one of the biggest things lenders are concerned about is credit. It’s key to know where you stand before looking to purchase or refinance.
Source: thetruthaboutmortgage.com
Your Loan in the Valley
Mejora la experiencia con tu cliente
Sólo tienes que poner en práctica estos puntos y estamos seguros que tus clientes no podrán resistirse a tus encantos.
- Saluda siempre al cliente, haz que se sienta cómodo y a gusto.
- Dale el valor que se merece y dile porque es tan importante para ti.
- Ponte a su servicio, déjale saber que estas interesado en lo que quiere o busca.
- Escucha y ayúdalo a obtener lo que quiere.
- Invítalo a que regrese aún y cuando no se haya decidido a usar tus servicios.
Todos queremos clientes más felices, ¿verdad?
Your Loan in the Valley
10 maneras de aumentar tu capacidad cerebral
Los neurocientíficos han comprobado que nuestro cerebro puede cambiar. Y para que esta transformación sea positiva te proponemos ejercitar tu mente para potenciar tu capacidad cerebral.
Nosotros utilizamos sólo el 10% de nuestro cerebro y, contrario a las creencias de algunos científicos que suponían que conservábamos en nuestra vida el cerebro con el que nacíamos, hoy han comprobado que eso no es así. Es posible aumentar tu capacidad cerebral si tomas en cuenta estos consejos
- Haz cosas nuevas
Cuando experimentas nuevas cosas estás estimulando tu cerebro. Por eso, no caigas en la rutina y cambiar tu recorrido al trabajo o prueba una receta nueva.
- Ejercítate regularmente
Moverte es fundamental para potenciar tu inteligencia ya que en cada ejercicio generas nuevas células en tu cerebro.
- Entrena tu memoria
Seguramente has escuchado muchas veces a personas que desean tener una mejor memoria pero no hacen nada para lograrlo. En estos casos lo mejor es ejercitarla, memorizando números de teléfono u otros datos importantes.
- Sé curioso
Para esto sería bueno que cuestiones todos los productos, servicios y todo lo que te rodea. Esto ayudará a tu cerebro a innovar y crear (Visita Conozca la manera más divertida de ser más creativo y más productivo) nuevas ideas.
- Piensa en positivo
El estrés y la ansiedad matan tus neuronas e impiden la creación de nuevas. Para revertir esto piensa en positivo.
- Come saludable
Tu dieta impacta fuertemente en tu cerebro ya que éste consume más del 20% de los nutrientes y el oxígeno que consumimos.
- Lee un libro
Esta es una forma muy útil de incentivar tu imaginación y potenciar tu cerebro ya que cuando lees, debes hacer un esfuerzo por imaginarte lo que hay entre líneas.
- Descansa lo suficiente
Cuando duermes recuerda que liberas las toxinas del día.
- Deja el GPS
Esta herramienta ha hecho nuestra vida más fácil pero también ha vuelto más perezoso a nuestro cerebro.
- Haz las cuentas de forma manual
Hoy sucede que dependemos de la calculadora para hacer hasta las cuentas más sencillas. Esto no es bueno para tu cerebro. Source: lifehack.org
Your Loan in the Valley
Your Loan in the Valley 