Mortgage and Real Estate Opportunity - Invest in Foreclosures and Preforeclosures

If you made a decent living in the mortgage or Real Estate industry and aren't holding on to your money or taking advantage of the incredible foreclosure and pre foreclosure markets, please tell us what you're doing?

A good friend of mine did quite well in the mortgage industry, mostly brokering A-paper and then writing his own mortgages. He retired before the mortgage bust (he's in his late 20's) and almost immediately found a killer buy on a commercial property that was going through foreclosure or pre-foreclosure. The only reason he got the deal was because he knew someone who was helping the owner get through the foreclosure process. He bought the property for pennies on the dollar and now makes enough money off of the commercial property to ensure his retirement indefinitely. Just look at today's LA Times Business section, the headline Santa Ana foreclosures spur a bittersweet boom: "Angelica Maciel, who was priced out of the market during the real estate bubble, closed on this Santa Ana bungalow last month. She paid less than $270,000 for the two-bedroom, 910-square-foot house, which previously sold for $504,000 in 2006." People are buying properties for almost half their original price...it's time, or close to the time to buy, especially in the foreclosure market!

Right now there are so many pre-foreclosures and foreclosures that it's tough to weed out the good deals from the deals you hear about through the grapevine. How do you know that the 'good deal' you heard about today isn't the 'unbelievable deal' you may find out about tomorrow?

I've been getting glimpses of Prop Stream's preforeclosure, bank foreclosure and foreclosure software and so far have been completely impressed by it's features. It give investors the opportunity to work a deal with the owners and bank before they go into foreclosure or wait until they have been foreclosed on and be the first to the auction.

The software gives you the ability to forecast foreclosures based on their preforeclosure status and for mortgage brokers, get people out of foreclosure while they are in the pre-foreclosure process. That's right, if you are in the mortgage industry, this is an opportunity to generate leads and help people work through their high-risk situations or get them into a more manageable loan. You can also become the short-sale expert in your area with the tools to run comps based on any area in the country and with more information than the MLS.

Powerful tools to help people keep making a strong and stable income are what will keep the mortgage and real estate experts in the cash while the markets change. And if you're like my friend, you may just make enough to retire sooner than later.

As always, best wishes and best of luck.

Mortgage Broker and Realtor Investing

Here in southern California there are several Mortgage Brokers and Realtors out looking for the next big thing to move to. Some of them, I've noticed, are jumping on the debt consolidation industry because it's a quick transition that seems to be doing well. I'm not sure how they are able to make the kind of money they were bringing in during the mortgage boom because the commissions and dollars just aren't the same.

I know several successful Mortgage Brokers and Realtors that have also seen a down turn and have opted to maintain their businesses while also leveraging their knowledge and glory-days income (savings) to pull in big money again. All of them have found a tremendous income opportunity in the Pre Foreclosure and Foreclosure market. They are buying up commercial and residential properties and either flipping them or keeping them for a perpetual revenue stream, to ensure some long-term revenue stability.

One of the programs I keep hearing people talk about is the search and forecasting tool by Prop Stream. I've seen the presentation and plan to have a closer look when I get the time.

In short, the software gives investors or potential investors the ability to search, filter and research pre-foreclosure, bank foreclosure and foreclosure properties. Instead of trying to do this yourself through your local government, bank or mortgage bank, you can do all of your investigation and research right from one real-time application.

As an investor this is key because you want the ability to jump on a potential deal before anyone else. It is also important if you are a Realtor because these are potential steals that you can offer to your investor-clients. Think about the additional, low cost, opportunities you can add to your product selection. In a time when some of the mid-range deals are going away and even some larger ticket properties are being foreclosed on, it's a wonderful opportunity to continue closing deals.

I'm going to take a closer look at the software and then I'll post again about some of it's features and see what it can really do under the hood.

Maintaining a qualified lead pipeline

Are your sales off to a great start so far this year?
It is my hope that all of my readers are finding success in their respective markets . Using the information in this post is a sure shot way of increasing your business. So listen up, take some notes and get ready to implement!

Business is all about relationships, primarily your relationship with potential home buyers and sellers but also your relationship with other real estate agents, mortgage brokers and any other professionals that service your industry and may be able to feed you new potential prospects.

I travel all over the U.S. these days and the more people I talk to, the more I find that relationship building is the key to most businesses, but is essential in the real estate and mortgage business.

Here are a couple of things I've found, talking to a number of real estate agents and mortgage brokers, which are keeping them on the top performer's list month-after-month. They simply offer other real estate agents, mortgage brokers or "for sale by owner" consumers the free 24-hour recorded info service.

First, "FREE" sells. Putting "FREE information available 24-hours a day" on a yard sign, ad or other marketing material will get you results. If you are using the myAgentPHONE™ system and Talking Property™ feature which will get the caller-id info from every call, you're getting a new lead every time someone calls in to your 800 number. FREE always attracts more traffic and gives you an opportunity to present your services, on a recorded call, to those that are on the fence or those that would have never called otherwise. With myAgentPHONE™ you will also have the opportunity to present to them later as well, if you decide to call all of your in-coming callers.

Second, 24-hour recorded info will increase your response rates. I can't tell you how many people I hear this from. National Association of Realtors® (N.A.R) released the statistic that an increase of up to 500% can be achieved by simply offering a 24-hour recorded message service. You will see a tremendous amount of traffic and activity on every campaign that is delivered this way. Why, because a large number of potential customers are shopping before 8am and after 5pm. Now potential customers will have every reason to find out more about a
property or listing through a non-invasive, recorded message.

This brings me to the last point, removing the invasive hurdle that keeps most potential customers from contacting or interacting with a potential offer. A recorded message is a huge stepping stone for anyone that is afraid or not interested enough to make the extra effort of talking to an agent, broker, FSBO or any other person live. Now you can interact with everyone, without scaring people away.

Now that you have all this extra traffic contacting you, or interacting with you, what should you do with it? You obviously must provide what the people are looking for, give them the recorded call that they expect. Make sure you are providing the service they want and information that they will need to know.

Then you have the opportunity to educate these callers about your company, experience and you can even leave your expert opinion about which products may be best for the potential customers. You may choose to offer information such as, “The Best Ways to Sell Your Home,” “How to get the most money for your home," ”Top 10 Home Improvements,” a brief summary of the hottest mortgage products, hot properties or areas to buy & sell, etc. Give them the opportunity to spend several minutes in your phone system (which you can see in your reporting) listening to local information about the schools, industry, growth-rates, census info and
any other helpful information. The longer you keep them interested and feed them with pertinent information the more they are going to trust you, look to you for information and the more you are going to be known as the source for information, home buying and selling opportunities and or mortgages.

Giving away something for nothing has proven to be a tremendous lead source and lead generating tool for a lot of real estate agents and mortgage brokers. Give it a shot.

Oh, before I forget…this isn't just for real estate agents and mortgage brokers, I have heard of developers doing the exact same thing to pre-sell out developments as well as property managers or owners to rent property. Also, insurance agents and other service providers use these marketing tactics to help generate leads and sales that they otherwise may not have attracted.

Why not offer these other types of companies and industries access to
your Toll Free 800 number so that they can offer the same informative
and valuable information to their potential customers. The whole
time, you will be collecting caller information, usage statistics
(what they're listening to) and new potential customers or leads for
your own business. You can then cater your offering to these newly
acquired leads based on their interest in calling.

There are very few marketing and advertising tools that I have heard
of that can increase your response rates and traffic up to 300 - 500% almost overnight. If you are not using myAgentPHONE or another similar product now, you need to because your competition is probably already looking in to it.


If the information in my posts help you yo do things a bit differently and prove to be helpful and better yet profitable, please let me know. I would love to hear of your successes.

Until next time,
Damien Zamora
myAgentPHONE
dzamora@myagentphone.com

Why you should LOVE those FSBOs

For Sale By Owner (FSBO), Real Estate Agent Lead Generation

Normally Realtors® hate to see the For Sale By Owner (FSBO) signs up and try to bombard the home owner with fliers, information and compelling arguments as to why they should change their mind and use a broker. It is important to know that there is usually a reason the owner has decided to list their property as FSBO, whether it be financial, personal confidence in the market or simply a dislike for the brokering industry.

Whatever their reason may be, chances are the direct marketing, telephone calls and other attempts to convince them that your real estate services are more effective than theirs will always be up for argument but chances are, it’s just more literature for their recycle bin and added frustration at unwanted calls.

You should consider looking at these FSBOs as future opportunities and try to establish a new contact with them, even if it’s not for the immediate sale. The key here is showing your business acumen and befriending them as a colleague, not as someone taking away your potential commission. Look for referrals and opportunities for their future properties.

Here are some ways the myAgentPHONE™ customers have used their 800# service and Talking Property™ feature to help with their real estate lead generation efforts:

Provide them with an informational packet on selling their home (keep it to $5 or so)
• Go to www.zillow.com and print out their estimated property value (if available).
• Give them a list of suggestions or tips on what home improvement are most cost-effective. You can print this out…or find a better article online.
• Provide them with safety and other FSBO information, so they know what to look out for and what to be aware of.
• Include your standard media kit/presentation (along with several business cards) and be sure you have an area highlighting the advantages and successes of your Talking Property™ service.
• Anything else you feel may help them sell their home…and help them remember you in case they decide to get a Real Estate agent later.
• Also, be sure to include sample reports from a myAgent PHONE™ Talking Property™ sample customer. Let them see the types of information you provide to all of your customers.
They should see that you provide the names of their prospects, unblock all calls and provide phone numbers and also the source of the advertisement being used.

Now that you’re in their good graces and have assured them that there is no catch…

Offer them the ability to use your Talking Property™ feature and offer them a FSBO/24 hour recorded info sign to post on their front lawn to get reports on interested callers. Let them know this isn’t something you normally do but will do this for them if they will use you if (and only if) they decide to use a real estate agent in the future. Do the following to show them the benefits of Talking Property™:

• Make sure to let them know of the powerful stat from the National Association of REALTORS® (N.A.R.) that states that they will have a 500% increase in calls from interested parties when they offer 24-hour pre recorded into.
• Make them aware of the rule that callers who block their caller ID give up that right when calling a toll free number because someone else is paying for the call.
• Show them the text messages on your phone that include; name, phone number and ad source that you receive instantly from interested parties on your other listings if applicable. Let them know that you will set it up so that they get a text of interested parties directly.
• Also, be sure to let them know that they will receive calls directly from interested parties who want to talk to the seller right away.
• Remind them how important a QUICK response is in real estate.

You see by taking this approach you’re not hard selling. They haven’t signed anything and you’ve provided them with valuable information. If nothing else, you build a rapport with them and a relationship that may generate you business in the future.

Our customers have found that this strategy has been an effective way of generating qualified real estate leads at little cost and also has helped generate referrals and future business because a potential client will never forget the Realtor® that didn’t try to talk them out of FSBO marketing and actually helped them sell and market their property.

What is in it for me? You ask..

Remember, with the 500% increase in calls along with the fact that the seller really only needs one of them to sell their house, you will bring in an abundance of other qualified potential buyers. 80% of these callers are not represented by an agent and normally have a property to sell so go after the DOUBLE-ENDED DEAL$!

Wow! Who would have ever thought that a Realtor® could potentially receive an abundance of qualified leads and possible double-ended deals by working with a FSBO???

Give it a shot, it’s a great method of real estate lead generation, building new relationships and at a much lower cost than some of your equally qualified (or not qualified) real estate leads that you’re paying for now.

Now if you are not already a myAgentPHONE™ customer and want to learn more about Talking Property™ and other powerful marketing methods click here and put this powerful tool to work today!

Until next time,

Damien Zamora
myAgentPHONE™

dzamora@myagentphone.com

Cash Creating Technology

Dear Damien Zamora:

I wanted to send you a short note of thanks for you’re My Agent Phone

System. I started using the system over a year ago and I LOVE IT! As

a real estate investor there are certain needs my business has. My Agent Phone has allowed me to have a pre-recorded message (you call them Talking Properties) for each of my properties at a good savings and much more functional over other message systems.

I have also been able to assign each of my power team members their own extension which makes calling them from anywhere in the country and at an instant easier than ever. I love your recent addition with the unlimited inbound and out bound long distance calling. I never new having an inbound toll free number would help my business so much. The frugal side of me has also been rewarded by being able to cut my monthly phone cost in half using your system.

Thanks for this great piece of cash creating technology.

Yours in prosperity and friendship,

G William Barnett II

Best Selling Author of "Are You DUMB Enough To Be RICH? The Amazingly Simple Way To Make Millions In Real Estate!"

A great tool for all the agents and Realtors

Hello to all agents ,

I wanted to share with you a service I recently started using and that is a great tool for all agents. It is from a company called MyAgentPhone. In a nutshell, it is a complete telephone solution for all of your incoming and outgoing calls, tied to a toll free number, with all the bells and whistles there are on the market, including online faxing, calls logs, fax on demand, voicemail, etc, etc.

Check it out on http://www.myagentphone.com - it has tons of features! ONLY $49.95/month

Get rid of that efax account. This is also an online fax machine. Talking Property, Call Me Now, VoiceMails, Call Logs, Conference Calls, Caller ID that is NEVER blocked and even sends me the name of the caller, Text messages right to my phone, and all is on an unlimited minutes fare. What does it mean? You only pay the $49.95 a month and that's it. Check it out online!!

I would not recommend it if I did not believe in it. It is the best tool for communications I've seen so far - and for that price... incredible!

Did I mention you get a TOLL FREE NUMBER? You will look MUCH MUCH MORE professional with this. AND for a small fee of $19.95 (one time only), you can search for a vanity number. What is a vanity number? Example: One just like mine (800)EXAMPLE - which spells out something you want to spell with the number keypad.

They even call you to set your account up with your listings and menu preferences. Their service is the best I’ve experienced from a phone service provider!

You really should do your research and sign up for a MyAgentPhone account. No better way to get this new year started right!

Bests, JAVIER

Call & Fax me TollFree at 866-SOTOMAYOR

JAVIER SOTOMAYOR | Realtor Consultant
Serving all Miami-Dade | Specialized in City of Doral FL
email@javiersotomayor.com Website: JavierSotomayor.com
More Realty LLC / Cell 305-975-6225 (try toll free first)
5833 Coral Way , Miami FL 33155

Holiday Bargains

I've been reading in the paper and online about all of the creative deals being done by home buyers, especially those of existing homes. While in Phoenix recently I saw several $15-$25K new home purchase cash back offers. You buy the home and get a nice bonus toward closing costs or putting a pool in so that you can handle the 300 degree summers (OK, only 120+/ :-).

I've also been reading about several existing home buyers making offers that include everything from kitchenware, the Plasma TV, all the way up to complete home furnishing included in the already discounted (or not) offer.

With the Holidays here, the market over saturated and a lot of people selling who have wanted to get out of their homes before the New Year...it doesn't hurt to recommend to your client to consider a creative incentive to include with your listing. I would ask your seller directly, "how seriously do you want to sell and are you willing to accept offers?" Then have a creative session together to come up with a few incentive options to consider.

If the seller is an investor, unmotivated or simply just has the house on the market to see what they can get, chances are you're not going to get much play. On the other hand those that are in dire straights, one step from foreclosure or just want to get out of their current situation will usually work with you to meet half way or make some financial concessions that make the deal more attractive to the market.

A lot of people are hanging tough on their price right now, which is probably one of the biggest reasons the market is dropping somewhat slowly. Chances are most of the people in the market are going to stand firm so don't expect that everyone will be willing to get creative. What you can do is work with your clients that are looking to buy, determine if they're looking for a home or a deal of the century then find out the sellers situation and work accordingly. You may consider approaching FSBOs on behalf of your client that is looking for the “great” deal. Just remember it’s not always a good idea to get into the habit of making unrealistic lowball offers. Fill the seller in on your clients perfect scenario and see if there will be a fit. Don’t forget, price doesn’t have to be the only terms to be negotiated.

Serious sellers will hate the lowball offers, but you could make someone's day just by finding a buyer for their house and get your client a great deal at the same time. I’m sure your client would enjoy their new home with a new Plasma TV, furniture set or some other furnishings all wrapped up into the deal. If you find the right seller, your client could have a better Holiday or New Year present than they expected.

Happy Holidays,
Damien Zamora
myAgentPHONE™

Expand your knowledge at Industry Trade Shows

Hello Readers –

I hope each and every one of you had a wonderful holiday.

I want to share some tid bits on the California REALTOR® EXPO 2006 in Long beach, Ca. that was put on by the California Association of Realtors® C.A.R. October 17^th – 19^th.

myAgentPHONE™ was a major sponsor this year for the EXPO and I am happy to report that it was an amazing success. Not just for myAgentPHONE™ but also for the EXPO, the vendors and all of the attendees.

The EXPO had over 12,000 REALTORS®, as well as thousands of California's key franchise execs, top producers, and movers and shakers. According to Joel Singer, Executive Vice President of C.A.R., this EXPO had a record breaking turn out. If you haven’t been to one of these events across the country, you MUST look to attend an upcoming event in your area. It is the perfect environment for educational, networking and professional development opportunities. Also a great way to learn about the latest and greatest technologies available to use in your business..

This year they had a special pre-EXPO event, Tech Tuesday, which featured a full day of comprehensive training geared toward assisting today's REALTOR® to stay on the cutting edge of real estate technology.

I was one of the invited speakers for this event and my topic was “Turning Your Phone into a Lead Generation Machine.” I must say, we filled the seats and rocked the house! I was thankful for the opportunity to speak on this topic. It was very evident that I was able to open many of my attendees’ eyes to how easy it really can be to sell real estate in today’s market by leveraging technology. Although not as powerful as in person, this is what I attempt to do for you with our blog. Send me an email and let me know if you would like a copy of the Power Point presentation that I used.

According to many at the EXPO we had one of the most modern, hip and busy booths this year. With hip house music playing from the “Chill” station on XM radio, many people came by to just relax on our couches or dance in our booth. myAgentPHONE™ staff and visiting attendees had a great time! Oh and of course we signed up many new myAgentPHONE™ subscribers throughout the event. In fact, we were still taking orders as they were pulling up the carpets at the end of the event.

Thank you C.A.R. You did a fantastic job and we can’t wait until next year!

I encourage each and every one of you to find an upcoming Industry State Association Trade Show in your area and GO and expand your knowledge!

Until next time,

Damien Zamora
CEO/President
myAgentPHONE™
dzamora@myagentphone.com