About Dallas County, IA

We spend a lot of time here on Active Rain, and in social media seminars, talking about how to use Facebook as professionals to be found by new clients. This week, the shoe was on the other foot for me!

On Monday I hired a Realtor to sell one of my investment properties in Waukee, IA. My husbandand I reached out to this particular Realtor (I can't remember if it was thru voice mail or email), and the first time I spoke to him, he said "yeah, I saw on Facebook it looks like your husband and I have a mutual friend and what do you do at Zillow".

Here is what the Realtor knew about me before even placing the first call:

• I am an actual person.
• I have a job and knew where I worked.
• I am married and he knows where my husband works.
• We are out of town sellers.
• We are into the Internet and use Facebook a lot, based on our Friend count.
• What I look like, so he can guess my approximate age.
• He knows a little about my interests because you can see which Fan pages I follow.
• He knew who, if any, mutual friends we had. How good of conversation starter is that?

As you can imagine, the first call we had together was no cold call. We were instantly able to have a more personal conversation and he was hired minutes later. I really appreciated the fact that he took a few minutes to do a little research about me before picking up the phone and it made for a much warmer first conversation.

So yes, Facebook is a great prospecting tool and can potentially get your deals. But it is also a great tool to help work with the leads you get through other sources!

(Oh, and I bet you all are wondering where I found him? He was the only Realtor in Waukee, IA to have a completely filled out profile here on Active Rain and Zillow. Did I really have a choice who to use? Haha!)

Despite an historic mortgage crisis and lagging home sales, I sold more residential real estate in 2008 than any other first-year agent in central Iowa, earning the title ‘Rookie of the Year' by the Des Moines Area Association of Realtors (DMAAR).

I sold 31 homes in 12 months-500 percent more than the typical central Iowa realtor in 2008. The average number of sales among central Iowa's more than 1,500 licensed agents was 5.4 transactions in 12 months. I was also a top selling agent at Remax Opportunities, Inc., in Urbandale, beating out many seasoned and experienced realtors. My areas of concentration are Waukee, Clive, Urbandale and West Des Moines.

My first year real estate success is the result of hard work, great clients and embracing technology. I like to tell people that 'I have a Blackberry and I know how to use it.' It's a new age in real estate and technology is King!

In college, I came across the saying, ‘Good enough never is' and I immediately made that my mantra as an agent. I am grateful when someone asks me to help them sell or purchase a home. For most of us, it's the biggest transaction of our lives. I take my clients' trust seriously and am sensitive to each individual's unique needs.

See my listings, read client testimonials, get great real estate tips and contact me through my website, www.greaterdsmhomes.com.

New changes in the way credit bureau's look at your credit score.
by: Brian Wentz, Realtor

Fair Isaac, home of the well known "FICO" scoring method, has announced some changes that will impact consumers credit scores in 2008. Dubbed "FICO '08", the new guidelines put heavier emphasis on several key areas which received less focus in the past, such as having higher balances on credit accounts and keeping a mix of both revolving and installment accounts.

The new scoring system may also be more forgiving to consumers who apply for new lines of credit. This change better reflects the fact that today's consumers seek and use credit more than in previous generations.

FICO 08 also addresses a process which has been come to be known as "piggy backing". In recent years lenders and consumers have used a loophole that could quickly boost a consumers credit score by adding their name to another consumers credit history. Some credit repair companies have even gone so far as to "rent" one consumers good credit to boost another consumers credit scores.

Read more about the changes and how to Build a Killer Credit Score in 2008.

Brian Wentz & Beth Ernst
Burnett Realty
515-334-4994
www.BrianWentzRealtor.com

Helping buy or sell homes in Des Moines, Iowa including Urbandale, Clive, Beaverdale, West Des Moines, Johnston, Ankeny, Altoona and Waukee.

(Source: MSN Money)

Mortgage rates falling to near historic lows for Des Moines lenders.
by Brian Wentz, Realtor

Cetntral Iowa Lending, our in house mortgage lender here at Burnett Realty, announced on Friday that rates were at an amazing low rate of 5.375% with around 1% origination fees.

Over the past 20 months, rates have been as high as 6.5% for a 30 year fixed rate mortgage.

Below is a chart of recent mortgage rates. As you can see, it is a great time to buy a new home, or refinance a home loan in Iowa!

If you have an interest rate above 6%, you may want to look at the benefits of refinancing to take advantage of today's great rates.

For a free review of your current mortgage, contact Bryan Byrnes at 515-334-4982 or Mick Hayes at 515-334-4981, or visit Central Iowa Lending.

Brian Wentz & Beth Ernst
Burnett Realty
515-334-4994
www.BrianWentzRealtor.com

New Construction and homes for sale in Des Moines, Iowa including Urbandale, Clive, Beaverdale, West Des Moines, Johnston, Ankeny and Waukee