About Saint Clair County, IL

In America, we have a fascination with the new. Ask anyone who works for a city trash collection department. Tree lawns, especially in wealthier suburbs, are covered with usable furniture and working appliances in need of a new knob or some other small repair. In some cases, it's becomes cheaper to buy new small electrics than repair them.

There's one area where it is definitely not cheaper to go for the new rather than salvage the old.

In a document entitled "Keep Those Customers Coming Back!," the Better Business Bureau stated businesses will spend roughly five times more to obtain a new customer than they would to keep an existing one. And yet when many small business owners think of customer communication, they are thinking of reaching new customers and potential clients. They are wondering how to increase traffic to their website, or how to make the phone ring with new business.

Here is a statistic to think about: according to Businesstown.com, if you currently retain 70% of your customers and begin a program to improve that to 80%, you will add an additional 10% to your growth rate. By taking care of the clients you already have, you increase the chances of repeat business, add-on sales and referrals.

As a real estate agent and small business owner, chances are you do not have a huge promotion budget. That's why newsletters, brochures, thank-you notes and satisfaction questionnaires remain a great way to keep in touch with past clients ( a potential source of referrals), and past contacts who aren't quit ready to buy.

For additional information and guidance on this topic we have posted an article on our website entitled "Tips for Staying in Touch without Spending a Fortune" for you to review.

Show us your commitment by commenting with your thoughts, plan and deadline below!

Make A Commitment: I will implement at least one of these ideas and track my results.

Deadline: _____________

If you've been thinking about getting a great deal on a house, consider the Fannie Mae HomePath program. Currently, Fannie Mae has about 40 houses listed for sale in St. Clair County, including homes in Belleville, Caseyville, O'Fallon and Fairview that are eligible for this special financing. Since Fannie Mae owns the homes and since they're the ones providing the money to make the loans, they're making it really easy. You can buy one of these homes with as little as 3% down (or 10% for investors)! Seller contributions for closing costs are OK and to make the deal even sweeter, NO APPRAISAL IS REQUIRED. On top of that, the loan doesn't even require mortgage insurance.

To find a home that is eligible for HomePath financing, visit the HomePath website by clicking here. To be pre-qualified for a HomePath mortgage visit my homepage and apply now!

In the current housing market, eager buyers may have their wings clipped when they go to the bank. Interest rates are low but requirements for getting a mortgage loan are tougher these days.

Here's where you as an agent can really earn your commission. Most of us portray ourselves as "real estate consultants." So what can you do to help clients?

We all know that days of encouraging clients to get pre-qualified by a bank are long gone; pre-approval is what's needed now. If, after talking to the client, you know he might have some credit issues, encourage him to get that pre-approval letter sooner rather than later. If you know of some lenders who are particularly good at dealing with borrowers with lower scores or certain financial circumstances, make sure you share you expertise with the client.

When he gets the word back from the bank(s), the client may have some loan choices available to him as well as being informed of the maximum loan amount. With several loan choices, the potential buyer may be able to buy more home for a certain payment level. If he is not quite sure what the lender was talking about, make sure you help him understand all his options.

Once you know the maximum loan the client can get, make sure you steer him to properties in his price range. If a client on a beer budget falls in love with a champagne-priced house, it will be hard to get financing unless he has more cash available. Maybe you can exceed the limit a bit if you think a seller will take a low ball offer, but this will end up wasting everyone's time if you don't gear your efforts toward great properties the client can afford.

Once the deal is in process, the buyer may be very enthusiatic about getting new furnture, new carpet,new drapes, etc. Not that you want to squelch his joy, but make sure you mention that charging a major purchase may affect his ability to get hhe loan. it's very important for buyes to maintina the same debt to income ratio they had when the loan was approved.

If the client can't get financing, obviously you do not want to waste his time or yours when there are no more options, but if you have treated him with respect and been clear about his options, he'll be willing to work with you when the time is right for him to buy. Just make sure to check in with him occasionally until that time comes where you can turn a lead into a SALE.

A recent Microsoft Money blogger Louis Navellier outlined 7 reasons housing is doomed:

Low housing starts... foreclosures hit record numbers... expensive homes still not selling... banks not giving loans... property prices falling... housing permits drop... homebuyer credit expiring

The responses by commenters ranged from "at last, someone outside of real estate is telling us the real truth" to "one that I believe is the only response that will help the situation:

I bet that if the media did an experiment and just decided to write positive things about the housing market for 4 or 5 weeks people would start to believe that houses are a good investment and the market would begin to heal itself...so much of this is an emotional reaction and pack mentality....try it please....

If real estate agents, analysts, journalists, builders, lenders, and the general public write off housing, how will anyone better off? People need homes, lenders need customers. There's always roadblocks, things could always be better. But, as have been proved time and time again in the past couple years, creative agents have been successful at matching up buyers with homes.

A common technique shared with job seekers is to prepare a 30 second commercial about themselves. When they make a job call or meet someone they know, they are encouraged to work in the commercial as it give more insight them than saying, "Hi, I am John Jones. I have a degree. Please hire me."

As agents, sometimes we list all our credentials on our websites and flyers without really convincing anyone that we are the best agent for the job!

However, as a knowledgeable expert, you embody just what the name implies. You are more than your written credentials. You are an expert in the field of real estate, who knows what it takes to buy or sell a home. You know how to best market a listing and get the highest price. You're familiar with the homes in your area so the buyer isn't riding around for weeks searching for something she likes.

Most important, you know what it takes to get stuff done. How do you demonstrate your skills to prospects before they ask you to do a listing presentation, or even before they are personally in the market of buying or selling a home? Easy. You do it while networking. Let's look at an example.

"So what do you do?" the person asks.

"I specialize in helping clients sell their house for the highest possible price - regardless of location," you reply.

"Really," he responds. "Regardless of location, huh? I always thought location was everything when it came to selling a home."

"Well sure, a great location is going to make my job a whole lot easier. But there are a bunch of ways to maximize your selling price without necessarily having the huge corner lot," you answer.

"Something I like to do is to put an extra light or two in some of the higher trafficked areas in your home," you suggest. "I don't know what it is, but when you combine good light with a clutter free layout, homes just seem to sell faster."

"Is that so?"

"Oh yeah. As a matter of fact, I got a listing the other day where a home just wasn't selling fast enough. A mutual friend of ours knew about the situation, referred me to them and within a couple of weeks, their showings were increased by 30 percent. As a matter of fact, we've got an offer on the house right now."

"Really?" (Pause) "Let me get your card. I've got someone you might want to meet."

Notice how you clearly demonstrated your expertise in a subtle, yet powerful manner? The conversation didn't feel like a "pitch", just a comfortable exchange of good information with a person who clearly knows what she's doing.

While all the other agents are answering the "what do you do" question by saying they're an agent and allowing the conversation to stop right there, you're actively demonstrating your expertise in a subtle, yet informative manner. Just like your neighbor did when you asked them about the lawn.

The bottom line is that any agent can win a deal during a listing presentation, when the client is in the market for their service and simply wants to make a decision. The truly successful agent starts the process long before that. They start the process when talking to someone for the first time by clearly demonstrating their skill and professionalism with everyone they meet. They are a knowledgeable expert, are you?

Make A Commitment: I will become The Expert!

Deadline: ____________