Don’t Forget to Show Up!

Don’t Forget to Show Up!

 

I remember reading more than once that 90% of succeeding was simply making sure to show up. While this seems obvious there are still an abundance of people that seem to have forgotten this simple principle.

Everyone’s time is valuable but when people fail to show up for an appointment the message that is sent is very simple. There are other issues or clients that are more important and they are going to focus their attention in that direction.

 

Many people don’t even call to cancel an appointment or call at the very last minute with some highly sketchy story about a personal emergency or death in the family.  I realize these things can happen but more often than not people are just blowing off their appointment for whatever personal reason they have at the moment.

 

We need to be respectful of other people’s time and give plenty of advance notice if we can’t keep an appointment.  Being reliable and dependable are still two highly valued traits that seem to be harder and harder to find.

 

If you are looking to do business with someone who is reliable and dependable please contact me today. Also don”t forget to visit my video blog at http://realestatemarbles.com/janesmortgagematters/ and my fan page at http://www.facebook.com/FreeHelp4RealtorsNC for great free marketing ideas, industry information and some fantastic apps.

Jane Estes    –    Jane’s Mortgage Matters    –    704-905-3744

jane@janesmortgagematters.com         www.janesmortgagematters.com

VACATION – TIME TO RENEW

VACATION – TIME TO RENEW

 

I am currently on vacation this week but wanted to take the time and thank all of you for your friendship, your business and your support. All of it is very much appreciated and without it the path would be far more difficult.

Don’t forget to visit my fan page at http://www.facebook.com/FreeHelp4RealtorsNC  and my video blog at http://realestatemarbles.com/janesmortgagematters/ for great free marketing apps, technology and current industry trends and developments. Please recommend to one of your peers. I am 100% honest 100% of the time and will always make your goals and objectives my highest priority week!

 

Jane Estes    –    Jane’s Mortgage Matters    –    704-905-3744

Jane@janesmortgagematters.com    –    www.janesmortgagematters.com 

 

 

ARE WE JUST TOO BUSY AND DON’T HAVE THE TIME!

ARE WE JUST TOO BUSY AND DON’T HAVE THE TIME!

 

We have all said it and I bet for many of us we say it every day. We can’t seem to return all the calls, all the emails, and connect with our clients. We just can’t seem to catch up. It is like trying to sip water out of a firehouse and it just doesn’t work very well at all.  But are we our own problem?

The fact of the matter is it is just not us but everyone on the planet seems to be busy but what are we really doing that our lives seem so out of control? Has this just become an excuse? Are we not prioritizing? Or maybe we are letting our life run us instead of taking control and running our lives

 

At the end of the day being too busy is simply a weak excuse for not doing the very tasks we should be doing  We should be working towards a goal with a plan for achieving those goals that requires and lists specific actions and not being too busy is probably not on that list.

 

When we tell ourselves we are too busy what are we telling someone who needs a response to that email or phone message? When that person, our client, doesn’t hear back from us on a timely basis, or even at all, they hear that   they don’t mean enough to us to take a few minutes and pick up the phone, write them an email, or get in your car a pay them a visit.  In short you are telling them they are not important to you!  When we tell our client, or potential clients, we are too busy to respond they take it very personal and this is going to cost everyone business in the long run.

 

We are all guilty of this behavior as we get caught in a fast paced world but we need to make those changes necessary and let those clients in our life know that they are the most important people in the world to us and without them absolutely nothing happens. So let’s all make an effort to return those emails and phone calls promptly, put our client’s needs first and give them the respect they deserve. To not follow through on this is simply to tell these people they are not important to us.

 

Events will either happen to us or we will take the events in our life and make them work for us. If we actually convince ourselves that we are too busy to take control of our lives then it is no surprise that our lives are not what we would like them to be. Hear those footsteps walking away?  That probably is our clients, hopes and dreams walking away because we were too busy to give them the attention they deserve.

 

If you are looking for someone who is not too busy for you please contact me today. I am 100% truthful 100% of the time and will always make your objectives my highest priority. Please visit my fan page at http://www.facebook.com/FreeHelp4RealtorsNC and also my video blog at  http://realestatemarbles.com/janesmortgagematters/ for free marketing ideas, applications, new technology and current industry information.

Jane Estes    –    Jane’s Mortgage Matters    –    704-905-3744

jane@janesmortgagematters.com    –    www.janesmortgagematters.com  

CFPB Redesigneds Mortgage Forms

CFPB Seeks Input on Redesigned Mortgage Forms

Yesterday the CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) issued an almost 1100 page document containing two new disclosures forms and soliciting comment from the public. That is right, 1099 pages of simplification from the government containing newly proposed disclosures designed to protect the consumers in the conforming market and those who are obtaining high cost loans, think subprime by expanding HOEPA (The Homeowners Equity Protection Act).

Now I could be error but the last time I checked subprime loans no longer existed yet we have a government agency spending millions of dollar on protecting consumers from a nonexistent product, thank goodness they are gone and once again expanding disclosures for the mortgage market place.

 

There is a fundamental problem that has developed that contradicts the initial objective of protecting the consumer. The CFPB thinks of mortgages like “widgets” and is convinced that if they can manipulate the disclosures enough people will extensively shop and always choose the lowest cost for their mortgage.

 

Stop and think about how many brands of clothes, canned goods, automobiles etc. there are and why they are all in business. It is called capitalism, marketing and consumer preference for a particular company or even more so a particular person they wish to do business with at the time.

 

I have absolutely nothing against full disclosure for the public concerning all items relating to a mortgage and think they are important. I do have a problem and with a super agency, the CFPB, that answers to no one, deciding the winners and losers in the market place of Real Estate and Mortgages. The more redundant regulation we have the higher the cost the more the advantage shifts to big banks leaving the smaller entities unable to compete. Consumer protection is necessary and warranted but industry manipulation for special interests is not!

 

If you would like to do business with someone who discloses everything and is 100% truthful 100% of the time please contact me. I can provide a great number of Realtors references and will always make your objectives my highest priority.

 

Please don’t forget to visit my fan page http://www.facebook.com/FreeHelp4RealtorsNC and my video blog http://realestatemarbles.com/janesmortgagematters for tons of free marketing tools, industry information and today’s leading trends.

 

Jane Estes    –    Jane’s Mortgage Matters    –    704-905-3744

jane@janesmortgagematters.com    –    www.janesmortgagematters.com 

Celebrate Our Freedom And The Continuing Recovery of Our Markets

Happy 4th of July! Let’s take the time today and celebrate our freedom and  the continuing recovery of our industries. We are blessed to live in a land where individual  freedom allows for the opportunity for all of us to succeed. Please enjoy the day and be safe.

If you are looking for a real professional who is always on the cutting edge of our industries and technology please contact me. I am 100% truthful 100% of the time and will always make your objectives my highest priority. Please remember to visit my fan page http://www.facebook.com/FreeHelp4RealtorsNC   and also my video blog http://realestatemarbles.com/janesmortgagematters   Both of these sites offer tons of free marketing tips, industry information and many useful tools.

Jane Estes    –    Jane’s Mortgage Matters    –    704-574-0364

Jane@janesmortgagematters.com    –    www.janesmortgagematters.com

The Housing Market Is Back: Let’s Start Buying & Selling!

This came out today in The NicheReport Magazine and is even more evidence of a market that is turning fast. Don’t be left at the station – Now is the time to take action.

 

 

Wednesday, June 27th, 2012 | Posted by TheNicheReport magazine

The Housing Market Is Back: Let’s Start Buying & Selling

 

(TheNicheReport) — Okay, it is time to say, unequivocally, that the real estate markets have stabilized; it is time to tell borrowers, confidently, that this is the time to buy a home (or two). There a difference between selling and speaking to the facts. For months, many of us in the housing market have talked to a recovery of home sales, but this was based more on hope and optimism than economic data. This has now changed. We have the data, economists are less shy about talking about the ‘bottom of the market’; property values are now projected to improve and, quite honestly, the forecast for the bottom was the 3^rd or 4^th quarter of 2012. To have these declarations in the 2^nd quarter, nearly 3-6 months before economists thought it would happen, is a very good sign of things to come.

It is worth noting, this has been an ongoing theme in this publication for several months. So the data below is not new to the religious reader of our beloved publication, but the difference month over month as the story continues to unfold – this is important. It is like the news cycle where you need to cover the same story as more information is released to the public. Economic data is like a puzzle where each piece is released one at a time while economists attempt to forecast which pieces come next, and where they will fall in the end picture. This makes economic or industry forecasting difficult. The housing market is truly complex, with many economic, financial and industry-related factors.

Let’s face it, there are thousands of companies that are directly involved in the purchase or sale of a home – mortgage, title, appraisal or real estate firms to name a few. And there are many more who are associated with the preparation for a sale or purchase or that follow the transaction, such as carpenters, contractors, plumbers, electrical utility companies, NETFLIX, Comcast, landscape companies, Home Goods, Target, COSTCO, Home Depot, and a host of other companies. With so many workers, markets, companies and factors, this leads to the challenges. When you build assumptions and one economic assumption is predicated upon another, it is easy for the economic model to fall apart when one vital assumption proves to be false – understated, overstated or just plainly incorrect.

April by the Numbers

Sales of existing homes rose 4.6% in April to annualized rate of 3.4 million units, following decline in February and March. Purchase of single-family existing homes rose 3.0% to an annual rate of 4 million units. The April sales tally of existing homes represents the strongest reflection of a housing recovery and consumer confidence in light of historic lows in mortgage rates.

Sales of existing homes rose across all regions across the United States, with the Northeast (5.1%), West (4.4%) and the South (3.5%) recording larger gains as compared to the Midwest (1.0%).  Distressed properties made up 28% of existing home sales in April, the lowest since October of 2008 just shortly after the market crash.  This reflects a gradual reduction in distressed inventory, and all of us Real Estate Professionals, we say AMEN to that! Let that inventory dwindle!

 

Where Is Real Estate and What Should We Expect for 2012 and Beyond?

Economic and mortgage finance forecasts from The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) based in Washington, DC, estimate a projected $1.1 trillion in residential mortgage origination volume in 2012, and roughly the same projection for 2013. This is important because as mortgage lenders anticipate demand and the corresponding volume, the mortgage rates and street costs for a mortgage are constructed to establish a profitable business model. The industry that supports the qualification of borrowers for a mortgage is no different than any other business. You establish a budget to cover your costs, make money, and of course mitigate your risk by avoiding higher-risk investments – in this case, lending money to risky borrowers. If overall demand is soft, then there are fewer ‘quality’ borrowers to compete for, and as a result, lending standards remain tight. If demand is high and production volumes are expanding, then this loosens the pipeline leaving more mortgage deals to go around. As a result, companies have a greater appetite for risk and can experiment with various mortgage promotions. This is a function of business psychology in any market. Banking and mortgage professionals are people too.  In these prejudices of today’s market, it is too easy to overlook a consumer psychology inherent in every business; the last I knew, all companies are owned by a single or collection of consumers.

The stable mortgage forecast is a function of lower mortgage rates that have brought higher-than-expected refinance volumes, while new purchase volume has been relatively flat with expected growth across the total percentage of originations in 2013. Previous projections by the MBA in the 4^th Quarter 20111 were set at $990B. These are strong recovery signs within the housing sectors as key support services are set to support the sale and purchase of homes, and both legacy and new construction display signs of growth, albeit modest.

Mike Fratantonia, MBA’s senior vice president of Research and Education, said, “We have lived through a series of unprecedented events over the past month: the debt ceiling crisis in the United States, S&P’s downgrade of the treasury debt, the ongoing sovereign debt crisis in Europe, a commitment by the Fed to keep rates near zero for the next two years, and a stock market volatility that has reached levels not seen since the fall of 2008.”

Favorable to mortgage origination growth and market share adoption for existing firms are a few other key market indicators to both note and keep watch:

• Historic Low Mortgage Rates: Rate Forecasts by the MBA’s chief economists remain unchanged and at historic lows at or below 4.5% through 2013. See chart below:

• New Home Construction on the Rise: Building permits have stabilized and are gradually on the rise, beginning to reflect a measurable rise in the first two quarters of 2012, which reflected the highest post-housing “bust” increase in permits issued. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, the seasonal adjusted 747,000 new residential housing permits issued in March of 2012 was the highest since September 2008. Coincidentally, reflecting a parallel trend, new apartment community permits issued were down 20%. These two market trends reflect confidence in the future of the purchase market, a slow but recovering jobs market, improving credit and lending conditions, improving consumer confidence forecasts and the depletion of existing housing inventory that has anchored economic growth since 2008. From a market supply side, these are the strongest indicators that the market, albeit fragile, has hit bottom, reflecting an opportune moment in the history of the U.S. housing market to invest and grow market share in mortgage origination. See Figure below.

 

Jane Estes    –    Jane’s Mortgage Matters    –    704-574-0364

Jane@janesmortgagematters.com    –     www.janesmortgagematters.com    

HUD REVERSES ITSELF – AGAIN!

HUD REVERSES ITSELF – AGAIN!

 

While I applaud HUD’s latest reversal you have to wonder if there really is anybody at the wheel over there. The latest reversal is the right call, providing they don’t reverse themselves again, with respect to the $1000.00 collection issue. First it was in effect, then delayed and open to comment, then an implementation date was announced and now the rule is withdrawn. Really?

It is noted that ultimately the more logical minds on Main Street prevailed and everyone, consumer and industry, will benefit. Just to refresh your memory if you have become confused HUD was going to require any collection account, disputed, known about or not, over $1000.00 to either be paid off or in a payment plan with at least 3 payment is completed.

 

In previous blogs I have talked about unknown collections especially medical bills that insurance didn’t cover. Don’t get me wrong there are folks out there with legitimate collections that should not be buying a home but there are also many others that would have disputed claims if they saw their credit report or, in fact, are disputing erroneous collection accounts.

 

The point is the HUD policy would have assumed a position of borrower guilt and then asked them to prove their innocence or pay a disputed claim to be approved for a home loan. The downside on this issue was far more serious than the upside. We just don’t presume people to be guilty and then prove their innocence. The last time I checked it was the other way around. Let’s hope HUD doesn’t reverse itself again and show more flawed judgment.

 

If you are looking for someone who stays on the leading edge of both regulations, technology and industry trends please contact me today. Also visit my video blog http://realestatemarbles.com/janesmortgagematters/  and my Facebook Fan Page  http://www.facebook.com/FreeHelp4RealtorsNC  for free apps, current industry info, and great marketing idea and they are all free.

Jane Estes    –    Jane’s Mortgage Matters    –    704-905-3744

jane@janesmortgagematters.com    –    www.janesmortgagematters.com

July 1st – FHA Game Changer

July 1^{st –}  FHA Game Changer

 

Despite a huge industry protest FHA will be implementing their new policy regarding collections on July 1, 2012. The FHA game changer means those potential borrowers with collection accounts of $1000.00 or greater must either pay off those collections or have a payment agreement in place for at least 3 months with the appropriate payments made on time

Unfortunately this comes at a time when the North Carolina market is really showing signs of recovery and starting to heat up. While prequalification has always been critical for success in the real estate and mortgage industry it has now become a huge priority that must be dealt with each and every purchaser trying to obtain a purchase mortgage.

 

To complicate the process is that many borrowers are completely unaware of collection accounts that are on their credit report especially if they are medical collections that they thought their medical insurance had covered. Frequently these accounts are simply reported as collections but no attempt is made to collect the money so the borrower is none the wiser.

 

You need to work with a mortgage professional that can get that prequalifying credit report quickly, interrupt it properly and give you accurate information. If you are looking to work with a professional who is always on the leading edge of underwriting and technology please contact me today. I am 100% truthful 100% of the time and will always make your objectives my highest priority. Don’t forget to visit my video blog http://realestatemarbles.com/janesmortgagematters/   and my Facebook Fan Page  http://www.facebook.com/FreeHelp4RealtorsNC for tons of free apps, marketing ideas and cutting edge industry alerts.

Jane Estes    –    Jane’s Mortgage Matters    –    704-905-3744

jane@janesmortgagematters.com   www.janesmortgagematters.com 

Believe It or Not!

Believe It or Not!

When it comes to interest rates and exactly which path they will take the world is full of opinions based on a whole host of factors. That said, believe it or not, interest rates, already at record lows, could actually continue to decline over the long run. While given the current level of rates this may seem unlikely but you can check out the historical graph below and decide for yourself.

What all of this means is that while housing prices and interest rates are at record lows this is the perfect storm for buyers. In fact in some parts of the country home prices are starting to rise significantly again so this “sweet spot” may not last long. We all need to contact our data base of buyers and borrowers and let them know what an incredible opportunity this is for them right now, believe or not.

 

If you would like to work with someone who is on the leading edge of our industries please contact me today. I am 100% truthful 100% of the time and will make your objectives my highest priority. Don’t forget to visit my video blog http://realestatemarbles.com/janesmortgagematters/  and my Facebook Fan Page http://www.facebook.com/FreeHelp4RealtorsNC   for tons of free marketing tips, useful apps and up to date industry information. Take a minute, do it today and you will find these sites to be a great resource for you.

Jane Estes    –    Jane’s Mortgage Matters    –    704-905-3744

jane@janesmortgagematters.com    –     www.janesmortgagematters.com 

The Only Constant Remains Change

The Only Constant Remains Change

How many times have we heard the above before? Probably more than we can count but it is true and I find it happening to me. The blog was published 3 times a week for quite some time and then it started to slip over the last month or so. The reason is good as your and my business is booming and finding the time to publish a blog 3 times a week has become problematic.

Making sure our borrowers get the most fantastic service is my priority and I will not waver on that commitment. It is, and always has been, my number one priority. With this in mind, and only so much time in a day, starting today the blog will appear once each week on Wednesday. This will allow me the time to continue quality content that will be of high benefit to you while still maintaining the highest standards for our borrowers.

My video blog  http://realestatemarbles.com/janesmortgagematters/     posted each week  continues as does my Facebook Fan Page http://www.facebook.com/FreeHelp4RealtorsNC   posted several times  each week with great free information, marketing tips, and current industry information. Be sure and check out these resources and I am sure you will find them to be of great benefit.

My appreciation to all of you who do business with me each and every day. As you know I am 100% truthful 100% of the time and always make your objectives my highest priority.  Watching all of our businesses continually grow on a daily basis is just fantastic.

 

Jane Estes     –    Jane’s Mortgage Matters    –    704-905-3744

jane@janesmortgagematters.com     –    www.janesmortgagematters.com