Sam's Blog

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Great Veteran Gift Idea!

 
 
foldedflag

Presenting An American Flag at Veteran Closings!
 
I read an email from a colleague that said he purchased a nice American flag for around $16 and presented it to the veteran at closing and said that he enjoyed helping him and that he was very honored to be able to help him.  Also, that he was very proud of what they do to protect our country and that he was grateful for their servicing our country to help protect our freedom.
 
My colleague said that the veteran was happier about getting the flag than he was about getting the house!
 
Think about doing this for all of your veterans and for any veterans that I close for you, I'll help you with the purchase of the flag and we can present this together.  It is a nice touch and very thoughtful gift that will be very appreciated.  We can even get one of those flag and pole kits that mounts to their new home!
 
I would be proud to do this with you!  These are the kinds of things that will ensure your continued success in real estate in building a strong referral base for years to come.
 
 

 

Sam Thompson,  PHH Mortgage

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

http://samthompson.phhmortgage.com/

www.myphhmortgageadvisor.com/

 

6 comments • Sam Thompson • April 28 2008 08:31PM

Agent Scenario Brainstorming!

 
innovationgrahic

LET ME HELP YOU WITH YOUR BRAINSTORMING!!!!

Whenever you are trying to get a deal signed, let me help you with several scenario options.  By working together as a team with your buyers, we can come up with a solution for your buyers that the seller can live with too.  This can involve seller concessions, seller gifts, changes in the purchase price, different loan terms, different loan programs, etc.
 
Remember that 2 heads are better than one and with me, if I can't think of a good solution, I'll call my Mortgage Advisor Help Desk to get them involved too.  If that doesn't work, I'll call underwriting or fellow Mortgage Advisors, etc...
 
I will help you sell more homes!!!
 

Sam Thompson,  PHH Mortgage

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

http://samthompson.phhmortgage.com/

www.myphhmortgageadvisor.com/

 

0 comments • Sam Thompson • April 28 2008 08:30PM

The Economic Stimulus Package can Stimulate Your Sales Too!

More than 130 million Americans will receive tax rebates this year as part of Congress' $168 billion economic stimulus package. 

Payments begin in about two weeks and range from $600 for individuals to $1,200 for couples, plus an additional $300 per child.

Not everyone is eligible for a full rebate, however.  For single filers earning more than $75,000 and joint filers earning more than $150,000, the tax rebate is reduced by $50 for each $1,000 of income beyond the limits. 

An individual with no children, therefore, will not receive a tax rebate if income exceeds $87,000 annually.   The IRS provides a tax rebate calculator that can help make sense of the math.

For late income tax filers, the IRS send rebate checks about two weeks after the returns are processed, but not before the regularly scheduled date.

Stimulus Payment Schedule for Tax Returns
Received and Processed by April 15

Direct Deposit Payments

If the last two digits of your Social Security number are:

Your economic stimulus payment deposit should be sent to your bank account by:

00 - 20

May 2

21 - 75

May 9

76 - 99

May 16

Paper Check

If the last two digits of your Social Security number are:

Your check should be in the mail by:

00 - 09

May 16

10 - 18

May 23

19 - 25

May 30

26 - 38

June 6

39 - 51

June 13

52 - 63

June 20

64 - 75

June 27

76 - 87

July 4

88 - 99

July 11

 
So, let's call anyone that needed money to close or that had some collections that needed to be paid off and let's help them stimulate their housing and credit situation with this check and your sales too!
 
Sam Thompson,  PHH Mortgage

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

http://samthompson.phhmortgage.com/

www.myphhmortgageadvisor.com/

 

 
0 comments • Sam Thompson • April 28 2008 08:27PM

Soaring Gas Prices! Time to rethink what we do.

Gas prices soaring again!
 



gasprices

 
This sign says it All!
 
With the soaring gas prices, we all have to work smarter in regards to our driving habits and work habits.  Here are a few ideas that you might not have thought of yet...
 
1. Carpool whenever you can and wherever you can.  It can be fun and safer too.  Just offer to drive this time and ask if you can ride with them next time!   Take initiative to suggest first to get the ball rolling!
 
2. Get all of your buyers pre-approved before you start riding them around town.  Now, more than ever with the credit tightening, you cannot afford to ride people around until you know they are financially able AND that they have a strong desire or urgent need to buy now.
 
3. Get a car with better gas mileage or make sure yours is tuned up and that your tires are inflated properly for better miles/gallon performance.
 
4. Give your prospects some listings to drive by on their own and then ask them to let you know the ones that they want to walk through.  Then you can schedule appointments to show them just those listings.  This will save you a ton of gas and time!
 
5. Advertise for buyers by saying that "With gas at $3.50/gallon, it is costing you around $.15/mile just for the gas alone so if you are commuting 50 miles, (one way) a day, you are spending around $300/mo for gas so maybe you need to think about moving closer to your work."  Then promote your listings in areas where you would expect there might be workers commuting long distances to work. 
 
6. Plan your day better to maximize your trips by combining things on the same side of town.  Make sure to prioritize with less driving around in mind.
 
7. Communicate on an office whiteboard, trips across town or to neighboring towns that people are planning for the day/week so others can see where opportunities are to carpool or help drop off something or to put up a sign, etc.
 
8. Think about mailing vs. personal delivery of papers that you might need back from your clients.  The higher price of postage is a concern but if you do the math, you might find that it is a whole lot cheaper just to drop it in the mail.  THIS WILL SAVE YOU A WHOLE LOT OF TIME TOO!!
 
Back in the early 1980's I carpooled to Wagram, NC  from Laurinburg, NC  to J. P. Stevens which was only 10 miles one way with as many as 4 other riders!  If I remember right, I only put around 5000 miles on my car per year back then and I did it for 4 years!  It was inconvenient at times but was worth the effort.
 
We have to think about how we can save and I am sure we can save a lot if we take the time to do it.  Maybe the higher gas prices will help us change our driving habits and then maybe we can wean ourselves off our dependency of foreign oil!
 

Sam Thompson,  PHH Mortgage

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

http://samthompson.phhmortgage.com/

www.myphhmortgageadvisor.com/

 

 

8 comments • Sam Thompson • April 21 2008 09:14PM

Curb appeal your listings

Are you enjoying this beautiful spring weather with your family and friends?  We were out planting our vegetables and flowers in our new community garden plot and this gave me a real estate idea.
 
Why not take some pictures of your listings, then take pictures of other listings and meet with your sellers?  When you do, get them to talk about if their home's curb appeal is helping or hurting their chances for a sale!
 
Then, offer to get a good local landscape architect to sketch out some ideas and quote a price for some quick and cheap 'make-overs'.  This will allow you to show your worth and will allow you to roll out some new promotions for their house that are sure to generate some interest.
 
curbappeal
 
Since the buyers aren't going to want to see an ugly house and are not going to want to get out of the car at a house with bad curb appeal, this can make you a hero with your sellers!
 

Sam Thompson,  PHH Mortgage

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

http://samthompson.phhmortgage.com/

www.myphhmortgageadvisor.com/

 

4 comments • Sam Thompson • April 21 2008 09:12PM

Great Housing Market Cycle Cartoon Video!

You have got to watch this well-done cartoon...

 

Housing cycles: lessons learned you ought to watch!

Take a few minutes to watch a pretty baby-blue house that's for sale ask a wise old bespectacled brown house for advice. It's in this instructional cartoon by John Burns Real Estate Consulting, and it's aimed at homebuilders, who could probably use a bit of grade-school comforting these days. John Burns' bottom line is reassuring: "Remember, every down cycle is the beginning of the next up cycle."

 

Sam Thompson,  PHH Mortgage

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

http://samthompson.phhmortgage.com/

www.myphhmortgageadvisor.com/

 

1 comment • Sam Thompson • April 12 2008 10:23AM

A bird in the hand is really worth 8 in the bush right now!

 

birdinhand


Just like the saying, "A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush", if you have an approved buyer, you need to nurture them and do everything you can to keep them.  In our market, a qualified buyer is gold and probably equates to 7-8 propects with poor credit.

Also, like the picture shows, a little bird food might help too.

I'll help you pull the birds in and keep them with you!  I'll help you with the ones pre-approved with another lender too.  Who knows, maybe the loan they are pre-approved for is the real reason they are not excited about buying a house.  Tell them to call me for a 'price check' and to make sure that are in the best program they can be...
 
CALL ME!!

 

Sam Thompson,  PHH Mortgage

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

http://samthompson.phhmortgage.com/

www.myphhmortgageadvisor.com/

 

1 comment • Sam Thompson • April 12 2008 10:21AM

Customer Service is the Key!

On average...

Satisfied customers tell 5 people about good service they receive. Dissatisfied customers tell 10 people about bad service received.

 U.S.Office of Consumer Affairs

For every unsatisfied customer who complains, there are 26 other unhappy customers who say nothing.  And of those 26, 24 won't come back

 U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs

 The average company loses approximately

20% of it's customers each year.

 Patricia Sellers, "What Customers Really Want" Fortune                                                              

 Of customers who take their business somewhere else:

15% find cheaper products elsewhere

15% find better products elsewhere

65% leave because of poor customer service.

 The Forum Corporation

 "We've collected the most common service complaints, and every one of them is rooted in a lack of respect for the customer."

Leonard Berry, Director  Texas A&M University Center for Retailing Studies

 It's not the employer who pays the wages.

Employers only handle the money. It's the

customer who pays the wages.

- Henry Ford

Complainers are GREAT! They give you the opportunity.  To fix their problems and keep them as customers - Instead of saying nothing and taking their business elsewhere.

- Unknown

Be thankful for problems.  If they weren't so hard, someone with less ability might have your job!

 - unknown

 

If you are looking for a great lender that understands this concept, call us!  We constantly receive 98%+ "I would recommend" ratings...

 

Sam Thompson,  PHH Mortgage

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

http://samthompson.phhmortgage.com/

www.myphhmortgageadvisor.com/

0 comments • Sam Thompson • April 12 2008 10:18AM

Sellers Homework! Great Advice for your future in Real Estate!

homework

Are you getting your sellers engaged?
 
Just like those home improvement shows,  you need to give your sellers' some homework!  That's right!  By getting them engaged, they are going to help you and this will help them get excited about the selling process too.

The way this works is that they are helping you by giving you tidbits about the house that you should know so you are better armed to market and SELL their home.  Also, you need to ask for the names of their family, friends and co-workers so you can personally call each one to tell them about the property and the reasons for their move.  This gives you a chance to meet a ton of new potential prospects for you continued growth in real estate!  Think about it, once these folks see how hard you are working to sell their listing, who are they going to call or refer people to?  You, of course!
 
They can let you borrow their church directory for a great place to start!!!!
 
When on the phone, go over the features of the home and tell them that the seller wanted you to personally call them to tell them about their move and to ask if you know anyone that might be interested in looking at it.

Help the sellers see that this is a critical step to ensure a faster sale and that they will appreciate knowing about your situation too.

So, get this going with all of your new and existing listings!!
 
Here is a link to my website with a form that you can cut and paste and modify for your use:

Sellers' Homework Link!
 

Sam Thompson,  PHH Mortgage

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

http://samthompson.phhmortgage.com/

www.myphhmortgageadvisor.com/

 


 
0 comments • Sam Thompson • April 12 2008 10:13AM

US Realty Referral Network - Free to Realtors

 

Here's a free Realtor network site you might want to link to and join...

Click here to get started - http://www.usrealtyreferrals.com/


 

Sam Thompson,  PHH Mortgage

Senior Advisor - Helping you GROW your business!

www.activerain.com./luckydog1 - SC

www.activerain.com/luckydog2 - NC

http://samthompson.phhmortgage.com/

www.myphhmortgageadvisor.com/

 

 

 

1 comment • Sam Thompson • April 10 2008 11:32PM