Kelly Noble

I was enjoying a sushi dinner last night with a couple of my girl friends when the topic of home buying came up. One of the ladies had mentioned that she was thinking about purchasing a new home but was leaning more on the side of renting for another year to "save up some money". "Why?" I asked. She said she simply didn't think she had the money to buy right now.

This leads me to my point... Why are so many people on the fence? I think it is because so many people are not educated enough on not only why NOW is the time to buy, but also showing them the cost difference if they waited a year.

Let's look at an example: (and forgive me if I did not calculate this exactly right since I am not a mortgage person)

A house worth $200,000 today in Colorado Springs would be worth about 210,000 in a year based on historical data supporting a 5% appreciation rate in Colorado Springs, CO.

Now let's look at interest rates. The last interest rate I saw was at 5.25 for a conv loan. Let's say that goes to 6% in a year (which is actually being pretty conservative).

Now we look at the tax credit of $8,000 which goes away after Nov 30, 2009.

Now let's compare:

Now I understand that the tax credit is for first time buyers only but even so non first time buyers would be saving $57,600 over the course of the loan.

If you continue to wait, you may never be able to afford a home of your own. Even if the housing market is in a downturn other things have to be evaluated including: rents, along with the cost of living which continues to climb.

There is no better way to build wealth and invest in your future then owning a home. Once you become a home owner, you are able to take advantage of the generous tax deductions that homeownership offers, not to mention you will be building equity in your property. As your property builds in equity, you can use those gains to sell your starter home and afford to move into a bigger house.

If you are unsure about whether or not you can afford your dream home, you may want to scale back on your expectations and go for a home you can afford with the idea of moving up into a better home in the future. Instead of trying to buy a 2,000 square foot home, consider shopping for a 1,500 square foot home. Buy what you need and then you can build the equity and savings that it takes to get to the "dream home"

The sooner you make the jump from renter to home owner, the faster you will begin to create wealth for your future.

The question is not why wait the question is can you afford to?

For more information about the new tax credit visit: www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com

for more information about Campbell Homes visit: www.campbellhomes.com

Are you going to the 2009 Breakfast with the Builders? If you were not planning on it you will be missing out on a stellar opportunity to connect with other area professionals and builders! Think of it as a one stop shop for seeing what's out there!

There are just so many reasons why you should attend this years Breakfast with the Builders:

It's a one stop shop for discovering what all the area builders have to offer!

Why drive around town trying to figure it all out when all the information you need will be at this event! Find out what the builders have in store for you and your clients!

Special promotions are generally rolled out at Breakfast with the builders.

Meaning you will get first dibs on special incentives and promotions before anyone else, and sometimes these promotions are only for attendees!

Hundreds of door prizes and give-a-ways!

But you have to be present to win!

FREE breakfast for all who attend!

Why eat cereal at home when the Breakfast with the Builders offers an impressive spread of food!

You get to meet the Campbell Homes team!

No really, it's a great chance to network with other professionals in the industry...Everyone could use more friends and contacts in this market!

Here are some of the Builders & Sponsors who will be there:

• Acuff Homes
• Alliance Builders
• Aspen View Homes
• Banning Lewis Ranch
• Campbell Homes
• Capital Pacific Homes
• Cedar Heights Development
• Century Communities
• Classic Homes
• Copperleaf Homes
• CreekStone Homes
• Flying Horse
• GJ Gardner Homes Colorado
• Goetzmann Custom Homes
• Journey Homes
• Keller Homes
• La Plata Communities.
• Legendary Homes
• Majestic Custom Homes
• MasterBilt Homes
• Meridian Ranch
• Oakwood Homes
• Pulte Homes
• Red Rock Canyon Estates
• Richmond American Homes
• Robert Scott General Contractors
• Ron Covington Homes
• Saddletree
• Todays Homes
• UBuildIt - Colorado Springs
• Vanguard Homes
• Vantage Homes Corp.
• Wolf Ranch
• Yellico-Leach Co.

Now the details:

Friday, February 13, 2009

8:00 am.-10:00 a.m.

Doubletree Hotel World Arena

1775 E Cheyenne Mountain Boulevard

If you want to attend just go to http://www.cshba.com/icws281w2/eventdetaildisplay.cfm?eventID=366&sx=1

To register or email Shirley at shirley@cshba.com.

Can't wait to see you there!

Did I mention it is FREE to Realtors?!?!

Consumers should be shouting off the rooftops about the fantastic deals they are being offered in both housing and mortgage rates. Mortgage rates have dropped to the lowest level since the 1970s. Housing prices are the lowest they have been in years, affordability is available and offered. So why are so many consumer waiting? I believe many consumers are waiting to see what will happen. They want the best deal possible so they are on the fence waiting for rates to drop even lower and home deals to get even better. But sadly they may be missing out on something that will not last much longer.

According to a recent poll done by local real estate industry professionals asking when they think the market will start to recover (meaning the sellers will once again get the upper hand) 25% said mid 2009, 25% said late 2009, and 37% said late 2010. If these predictions hold true we could see a shift in the next year towards stabilization of home prices and mortgage rates. This means that sellers will no longer give away the firestorm deals and incentives they have in the past 2 years and it is likely that with this stabilization the Fed will bring the interest rates back to a normal level we have seen in recent years rather then the under 6% range we see now.

So like any other investment there is risk and in a market like this the risk is much lower for buyers then it is for sellers. The deals are out there but many consumers might have noticed that less and less builders are giving away their homes and re-sale sellers are taking their homes off the market until the prices stabilize. The time is now; buy now or you might loose money later.

Buyers are seeing that there are a lot of great resale deals or perhaps hearing about all the quick sale/ foreclosures that are out there. Yes quick sales are up meaning that the amount of distressed properties are up. Many people are struggling to make their house payments because of all the crazy loans they were put into are now adjusting. This is both bad and good. The bad news is we never want to see this many people struggling with their payment, this is bad for both them, the banks, and the community. However President Obama has pledged that between $50billion and $100billion will be used to help boost efforts in combating the increasing mortgage foreclosures. The good thing is that an increase in Foreclosed sales and closes in the area means the inventory will soon be going down. The idea is the more inventories we wash out the more stable the market will be.

There is a pent up demand for homes out there and anytime now consumers will realize that now is not only the time to buy but the BEST time to buy. So as the title of this blog suggest, time is of the essence. Buy now or soon or else you could miss out or find yourself purchasing your home with a higher interest rate and a higher price.

Ed Doss Wrote: (Interviewing me Kelly Noble)

I couldn't wait to do this interview. I first noticed Kelly Noble online in Facebook. Needless to say, she is a very prominent presence and regularly posts updates and expresses her gratitude for new connections. I've watched her video posts as well and have been very impressed with her overall online activity. If you know anything about me, you know how much of an advocate I am for builders being in these new medias. So I'm proud to bring you Kelly Noble.

Kelly, how did you get started in this industry?
"I was kind of born into it. My Mom and Step Dad owned a custom home building company in California when I was growing up and my dad worked for US Home as a division President. I also have a degree in Marketing so when I graduated I was already exposed to the New Home Building industry through internships and my family ties, so it was pretty natural to take a job as a new home consultant. From there I just excelled in Internet Marketing. I think it was the mix between Marketing (my passion) and the Internet which is such a part of my generation's landscape that I found the job I do very intriguing and fun. I am part of what has been called Generation Next which sees social networking as part of everyday life. I was already involved in many of the social medias personally so it was easy to see the importance of it in my business as well."

Kelly is the Internet Concierge for Campbell Homes which is a local Colorado Springs home builder. "I was basically hired on to take care of all the internet leads that come in. Apart from that, I have expanded my job to include internet marketing, social networking, MLS, and realtor relations."

We are local and we have experience. Since we have been building homes since 1965 it's not hard to see we have staying power. We are 100% Energy Star Certified which means that ALL of our homes are certified by a 3rd party for Energy Star. We save our customers around $450 per year in utilities because of the Energy Star standards we not only adhere to but exceed. In addition, the integrity of our owners and employees is unmatched. We are not just in this industry to earn a buck but we really are concerned about doing what is right by the customer. This is becoming more and more important these days because buyers are looking for individualized attention, they want you to care and to be sensitive to their needs.

Kelly believes that she brings a new voice to the building industry and I would agree. She is passionate about building relationships and understands the fact that the internet is not a cold world anymore...people want real connections. "I have recently been noted at being pretty good at this social networking thing, which came as a bit of a surprise because it is such a part of my everyday life it's hard to believe I do better than most. But I guess I have become somewhat of a resource of information on social networking and I am always happy to help."
As far as Campbell Homes, we build the type of home that will last a lifetime. We use the best products, the best materials, the best building practices and we do it with the best customer service. Our owners are honest and hard working. They do what is right and take care of their homeowners as if they were family. We build a house you can call home for a very, very long time. From the service to the design center we deliver the best! We don't believe in fitting people into cookie cutter homes - we never stop asking questions about what they want and what they need so we can provide for them the home that best fits there needs and wants...and when we don't have what they need we recommend our competition when necessary. We have been known to get referrals from people who couldn't buy from us but knew someone who could. We try to sponsor meet your neighbor events and try real hard to be a friend and not just a salesperson or cold company. Building relationships is a very important aspect of our company culture.

I asked Kelly what she as an employee brought to the table with regards to her expertise.
"I guess you could call me a social butterfly. I attend as many events as I can. I am active in the HBA by means of the Sales and Marketing Council and the Builder Realtor Committee. I have also recently been asked to be on the planning committee. I specialize in Internet Marketing and social networking. I also take care of all internet leads that come in and make sure they get the information they need. I have also recently taken over as the companies "Realtor Liaison" meaning I get the opportunity to make friends with Realtors and create win win situations."

I love this definition of "social butterfly". It goes without saying, but I will anyway, that your activity in as many social gatherings as you can muster is paramount in your overall success. Builder Association events, Realtor Association events, Marketing circles and Internet Social Networks are key aspects of your marketing strategy and cannot be ignored.

"The industry is a changing! When I was little the home computer was just starting to become available and there was no internet for private use. Now, the internet is becoming a vital media source that must be utilized or you will get left behind." Over 87% of buyers start their home search online according to the NAHB and this number is growing at an astonishing rate! Social Networking is a necessity and taking your company to the ultimate level means having Blogs, being active in Social Networks, Vlogs (Video Blogs) and photo diaries. The buyers are different. The generation "Next" is even larger then the Baby Boomers and they are the next consumers to start buying homes, if they are not already doing so. However, even the baby boomers are getting online. These consumers want their information now! They will skip over you if you are not online so at the minimum you need to have a website. How often do you search for a product or service online and you pass all companies who are listed with no website! Client lost. In fact I was in a SMC meeting and too many people stated that they already had customers and so the internet was just fluff and unnecessary to participate in - This is crazy - people online want information, they demand it and if you don't have it available you are losing that percentage of the market. Remember that 87% are starting their home search online? Let me share a personal example of how effective social networking sites are: I singed up for a LinkedIn account about 2 weeks ago and since then I have received 12-15 referral click-throughs to my website. This is happening with all my networking sites! And the best part is - it's FREE! Why wouldn't you do this? Don't be afraid to fail, just jump in. Updating your social networking sites daily needs to become a huge part of your work day. If you can't do it you need to find someone who can. Customers are also becoming more environmentally conscious and want energy efficient homes. They want the best materials and no longer want the "cheap stuff". This buyer is well educated, knows what they want, and use the internet to search, network and make friends. Being online is an EVERYDAY PART OF THEIR LIFE. They are not only the future of this industry they are the present and if you don't jump on board you will be left behind!

Sometimes the hardest part of accomplishing this is getting the message across to your company. "Conveying the importance - was a struggle at first but I kept on driving it home until they realized how important it was." It also helped to have the VP of Operations as a strong advocate for online marketing as well as having the owner go to the IBS in Las Vegas and see the pros talking about how important it is to have a strong online presence. They attended Mike Lyon's class "Attracting Today's Buyers Online". Now they are way on board! If email is still new to you then you need a crash course of Internet training. Too many builders who have been around for a long time have a fear of the technology - look at the facts, study the numbers and you will realize that you can't afford to ignore this phenomenon. Don't be afraid to have somebody on your staff that is devoted to this as a part of their fulltime job.

There is no question that Kelly is one among a few that have embraced Social Media as a vital part of their overall marketing strategy. She was a pleasure to meet, and I felt privileged to interview her.

To follow Kelly more closely you can find her and Campbell Homes at:
Her profile on LinkedIn
Her profile on Twitter
Her profile on Facebook
Watch her videos on YouTube
Her profile on Active Rain
Read her Blogs
Her profile on Flickr

Ed Doss
Internet Marketing Specialist
New Homes Directory.com
Mobile: 425-638-2434
Email: edoss@newhomesdirectory.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/eddoss

So many of you commented on my blog about the family that was dropped from a company that is going out of business locally. This family was heartbroken and I was given the task of mending their hearts and redirecting them to Campbell Homes. I stated before that they had decided not to buy with Campbell Homes right now and they needed to just take some time.

UPDATE:

I continued to follow up with them. No pressure just talking to them as if we were friends (and at this point I would consider them so). Well their Realtor took them back out to one of the homes we had initially talked about and they still loved it. So last night 2 of our owners, The Sales councilor for that community, their realtor, and their former sales person at the other builder (who is no longer with that company) all sat down and made the home theirs!

YAY! Success for everyone. This just goes to show that building those relationships and trust is worth it. Sometimes it takes time to heal the heart but when you show genuine compassion and interest in a client they become a family to you not a paycheck and now my family has joined the Campbell family!

To read the blog I initially wrote about this family simply go here: http://activerain.com/blogsview/906987/The-emotional-side-of-buyingwhat-they-dont-tell-you