Do-it-yourselfers will always be a part of our society. But for many people, there comes a time when the frustration of doing it on their own far outweighs the cost of calling in a professional. When an individual who is trying to sell their own home arrives at this conclusion, you want to be the first person they call.This can be achieved by initiating a "drip campaign." To do this, you must have a series of letters, flyers, or handouts that you send consistently to your FSBO targets. Successful drip campaigns are clearly systemized, so the process is easy to follow. There's no guesswork involved, and this can be easily delegated to one of your team members once the system has been set up. Here are a few tips for a successful FSBO drip campaign:Tip 1: Send out tips that will help sell... 07/27/2011

Type A: A tendency towards tenseness, impatience, and aggressiveness. Type B: A tendency towards a relaxed manner, patience, and friendliness. Both of these personality types have their merits, and both tendencies exist in all of us to some degree. But when it comes to home buyers, Type As are the ones you want to be working with.I heard a real estate superstar say one time that her turning point was when she decided to seek one type of customer over another. "We had spent an inordinate amount of time on people who drained a huge amount of energy," she says. "We made a conscious decision to cut out those kinds of clients. We stuck to our guns, and within a very short time, our business just took off."So who makes better buyers, Type As or Type Bs? Well, Type A buyers are the ones who ar... 07/27/2011

With all of the debate going on about the how and why we should or should not raise the national debt ceiling, I began to think more local and more personal.  I started to think of the "debt ceiling" of a potential home buyer.  I would like to lay out a scenario for you and then get your opinion of which plan you think is the best. Here's the deal:  Mr. and Mrs. Smith own a huge house right now.  They must own a huge house because their four grown children still live with them.  BUT .....their children are now having children and the Smith's need a BIGGER home.  AND they need the limits of all their credit cards increased.  To qualify for the new home, they need one of two things - more income or less debt.   Two of their children are working, John as a Realtor and Jane as a mortgage ba... 07/26/2011

What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : July 25, 2011 As the Greek sovereign debt situation came closer to final resolution, mortgage markets worsened last week and  the U.S. housing market showed signs of life. After many weeks, European leaders agreed on a financial package for Greece that featured favorable loan terms designed to slow Eurozone contagion, along with a built-in, 37 billion euro "haircut" for private-sector investors. The accord pleased Wall Street. Equities rallied after the announcement. Mortgage bonds sank.  Bonds also sank after a strong home builder confidence report Monday. Last week, conforming and FHA fixed mortgage rates increased and for the first time in 3 weeks. Adjustable-rate mortgages slipped slightly.  The interest rate spread between the Freddie Mac... 07/25/2011

The government says, "A strong spring season helped home values recover".  And according to the Federal Home Finance Agency's Home Price Index, home prices rose a seasonally-adjusted 0.4 percent from April to May. It's actually the HPI's second straight increase, and puts the monthly index at its highest point since January 2011. Sounds like great news, right?  Home sellers everywhere may be jumping up and down and loving news such as "rising home prices". BUT (there's always a "but") it's important to remember that the Home Price Index has a several built-in flaws -- the biggest of which its age.  I know the feeling - I think that is MY biggest flaw! Today, the calendar nearly reads August, yet, we're still talking about May's housing data!!  A 2-month delay does little to help buyers ... 07/23/2011

So I must apologize, but I had every intention of videoing our foundation being stressed. However, I missed the foundation guys! They were supposed to come on Wednesday, and apparently came on Tuesday instead =( Have no fear though! I found a great video on YouTube that shows the process of stressing the post-tension cables. If you missed the part about the cables and why we stress them check out part one of this blog series “Building a New Home | Part 1: Preparing the Foundation.”   Previous Post From Jenny The Realtor:  Building a Home | Part 2: Pouring the Concrete 07/20/2011

The number one thing you can do to ease the stress of moving with your pets is plan ahead!  Not only do you want to reduce the stress on yourself, but you animals as well.  Each pet will react differently to the move, so you'll want to address them individually (just like you would your children!).  Cats tend to be more sensitive to change, but that doesn't mean you should focus soley on Garfield... Odie might need some extra care as well.   Here are some great tips when moving with pets!   Check with state and local offices to see if your pet is legal in their jurisdiction.  Sound silly, but some states require special permits for exotic animals, and some local ordinances prohibited some animals such as Pit Bulls, or even snakes or rabbits within city limits. Take your animals to the ... 07/19/2011

Previous Post from Jenny The Realtor:  Building a New Home | Part 1: Preparing the Foundation Pouring the concrete is not as exciting as you might think!  Ha! But it did go a lot faster than I expected.  It was pretty fantastic to see large pump truck pump so much concrete so fast.  At this point the concrete pump truck was the only equipment here.  While we were waiting for the concrete trucks to arrive, these guys got their pump ready. Concrete Pump Truck   Once the concrete trucks arrived, everyone got down to business.  There were tons of people all doing very important jobs.  This guy was keeping the concrete moving and wet (he had a hose too).  There was a guy on the other side controlling the amount of concrete coming out of the trucks.  Essentially, the two concrete trucks poure... 07/18/2011

Building a home is a complex process that takes many steps. The first and most important is preparing and building the foundation.  Here we will focus on the preparation.     After receiving the building permit the lot is surveyed out to ensure correct placement of the home.  This is very important, especially in planned communities because not only do you have to abide by the parish guidelines and setbacks, but also the covenants.  This particular house received a variance from Bossier Parish because the front porch crosses the set back line.  Building Permit   Property Line    The frame for the foundation is then built, and the footers are dug out.  I thought this was an interesting step because the areas were dug with a large trenching machine, but were filled back in with soil.  The... 07/17/2011

In June Retail Sales Rise For 12th Straight Month  The American Consumer will not be deterred. Despite worsening jobless figures and an increase in the Cost of Living, Retail Sales are climbing. In June, for the 12th straight month, retail receipts rose, excluding cars and auto parts. Analysts expected no change from May. Instead, receipts topped $321 billion -- an all-time record. For home buyers and would-be refinancers, this is a bit of unwelcome news. Mortgage rates are rising in the wake of the Retail Sales data release. This is because Retail Sales account for roughly half of consumer spending, and nearly one-third of the economy overall. A rise in Retail Sales, therefore, suggests stronger growth ahead. Here's how it happens. As consumers spend more money, businesses sell more pr... 07/15/2011

For The 9th Straight Month, Foreclosure Filings Fall For the 9th straight month last month, foreclosure activity slowed. According to foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac, the number of foreclosure filings dropped 29 percent nationwide on an annual basis in June. The phrase "foreclosure filing" is a catch-all term, comprising default notices, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions. June marked the ninth consecutive month of sub-300,000 filings after 20 months above it -- a promising signal for the housing market nationwide. It's also noteworthy that each of the 10 most foreclosure-heavy states showed fewer foreclosures in June 2011 as compared to June 2010, led by Florida's 54% decline. Florida is one of 4 states on the leading edge of foreclosure activity since 2007. The other 3 st... 07/15/2011

What Is Annual Percentage Rate (APR)? More commonly called APR, Annual Percentage Rate is a government-mandated mortgage comparison tool. It measures the total cost of borrowing over the life of a loan into dollars-and-cents. A loan's APR is printed in the top-left corner of the Federal Truth-In-Lending Disclosure, as shown above. When quoting an interest rate, loan officers are required by law to disclose a loan's APR, too. APR is meant to simplify the process of choosing between two or more loans. The theory is that the loan with the lowest APR is the "best deal" for the applicant because the loan's long-term costs are lowest. However, the loan with the lowest APR isn't always best deal!  APR makes assumptions in its formula that can render it moot. First, APR assumes you'll pay your ... 07/12/2011

Get ready for another busy week... and possible volatility. This week's inflation reports and upcoming auctions will determine if the rally continues. The week starts with the Balance of Trade report on Tuesday and the release of the Fed’s FOMC Meeting Minutes on Wednesday. The big news hits toward the end of the week, when inflation will be in the spotlight. The Producer Price Index (PPI) will be released on Thursday and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is due on Friday. If the inflation readings are hot, the rally inspired by last week’s Jobs Report could be short lived. I will monitor this issue closely to see how it may impact home loans.  Retail sales will also be released on Thursday. This is the most timely indicator of broad consumer spending patterns. Thursday we’ll also see the... 07/10/2011

    "HE THAT SPEAKS MUCH, IS MUCH MISTAKEN." Those words by Benjamin Franklin rang true last week, after a report earlier in the week had the markets buzzing about the potential for a strong Jobs Report... only to have those expectations crash at week’s end. Here’s what happened and how it impacted Bonds and home loan rates. Major shocker. According to the Labor Department’s "Non-Farm Payroll" Jobs Report, only 18,000 jobs were gained during the month of June. That number was significantly below the recently upwardly revised gain of 125,000 new jobs that were expected, and showed employers hiring the fewest number of workers in 9 months. Unemployment ticks up. The Unemployment Rate was also a disappointment, rising from 9.1% to 9.2%. While this facet of the report isn’t unexpected - as ... 07/10/2011

It's dry in our corner of the world and my husband (affectionately referred to as the "Farmer") is concerned. Everywhere I go, people are talking about the drought. "I have never seen it this dry before...." old-timers are saying. The Farmer's friends and family are all concerned about their cattle. They need the rain for the pastures to grow the hay to feed the cattle. And the rain hasn't come. It is season of drought.             But in other parts of the country, there are the floods. You turn on the news and there are cities and counties under water. The ground is soaked and the rain continues to pour. They just want the rain to stop. It is a season of floods.     And other parts of the world have green pastures - and it's all perfect....for now.   In my work (and my life) I have ex... 07/10/2011

Is Active Rain the best thing since sliced bread? I am a "Newbie" to Active Rain - posting my very first blog just a few weeks ago!  Today,  37 days, 38 blogs, one featured post, over 21,800 points, and SEVERAL new friends and acquaintenances, later.....YES - I DO think Active Rain IS the best thing since sliced bread! To go along with that queston - I will share with you that on this day in history,  the first loaf of “Kleen-Maid” Pre Sliced Bread went on sale in Chillicothe Missouri.  Otto Frederick Rohwedder was the inventor of the “Loaf-at-a-time” Slicing machine. At the time, "Presliced Bread" was advertised as the "Greatest Step Forward" in baking since bread was wrapped, which formed the birth of the current cliché, “The greatest thing since sliced bread.’   But going back to my ... 07/07/2011

I discovered this unbelievably cool ad while reading a recent leadership blog by Chris LoCurto.  Chris is one of Dave Ramsey's key leaders (Total Money Makeover).  I am a regular follower of his blog and one of his "top commenters" (he gives away a book to each of his top 10 commenters every month).  I have even had the privilege of writing a "Guest Blog" which greatly expanded my network.  What he shared today blew me away and I just had to share.  WATCH THIS! First 100 Days Ad from Nazarene Publishing House on Vimeo. The advertisement is from Nazarene Publishing House promoting the book, The First 100 Days, a book is about one pastor’s journey through his first 100 days at a new church. They took a picture of the pastor’s face and added a QR code over his mouth. Then shot a video of h... 07/07/2011

  Friday morning, at 8:30 AM ET, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its June Non-Farm Payrolls report. If you or your client is currently shopping for a mortgage, or maybe even floating a mortgage interest rate, be prepared! Mortgage rates can change following the monthly report's release. Often, by a lot!!! More commonly called "the jobs report", Non-Farm Payrolls reports on the U.S. workforce by sector, summarizing its findings in terms of total workforce size, and as a national Unemployment Rate. Jobs are considered a keystone in the continuing U.S. economic recovery.     More working Americans means: More consumer spending, a boost to businesses More tax collection, a boost to governments More personal savings, a boost to households For June, analysts expect the government to ... 07/07/2011

What To Know Before You Move To A New Neighborhood   Home buyers tend to research homes a lot. They look at square footage, upgrades, landscaping, even community statistics! And just about every other "number" on which they can get their hands. But those are just statistics. What about the home's "feel"?   In this 5-minute piece from NBC's The Today Show, a home-buyer can learn a dozen complementary home-shopping techniques to help them review and evaluate a home for purchase. Each is focused on findings you won't find on a website. One example, instead of scheduling a second visit to the home for the same time of day as the first one, the home-buyer might revisit the home during an "opposite" time. If they originally saw the home in daylight, maybe make the second visit at nighttime. I... 07/06/2011

What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates : Week Of July 5, 2011 Mortgage markets worsened last week as Wall Street's renewed optimism pushed equities to their best one-week gain in 2 years. The change in sentiment was bad news for rate shoppers, however, as investors pored into stocks at the expense of bonds. Last week, for the first time since February, mortgage rates rose 5 days in a row. By the time bond markets closed for the 3-day weekend, conforming fixed mortgage rates  had climbed to their worst levels since mid-May (mortgage rates are now at 7-week highs) The biggest reason for last week's mortgage rate turnaround is that lawmakers in Greece approved a national austerity plan. Reaching an accord on spending cuts and tax increases was a necessary step for the nation-state to avoid defaul... 07/05/2011