Justin Coleman

Much like public speaking, camera shyness can create a fear in even the most confident and charismatic people. But video marketing is also one of the most important tools in the marketing arsenal of real estate agents and mortgage brokers. If you are ready to start making videos to promote your business, you must begin by finding ways to become more comfortable in front of the camera. While practice is the most important part of overcoming your camera shyness, there are a few tricks that you can use to help improve your performance on camera.

Instead of focusing on yourself, try interviewing an expert or a satisfied customer to create a video for your business. This will help you focus on the person you are interviewing instead of thinking about how you look or sound on camera. Focus on speaking slowly and clearly and not interrupting the person you are interviewing. While it is a good idea to look at the person you are talking to, you should also look at the camera directly to maintain your viewer’s interest. Don’t over-analyze how you look, instead, try to have an interesting conversation with the person you are talking to.

Next, you will want to find the right person to film you. While most people choose to make videos in front of a webcam or other mounted camera, it is smarter to have a live person to film your interview. The main reason that having a person record your interview will work better is because you can naturally talk to the other person, rather than trying to talk to a camera. This will mean that you make better eye contact with your audience and your facial expressions will look more natural.

Start by making short videos- when you are thinking about what to say, it may seem like you don’t have very much material. However, when you start talking, you may be surprised at how much you actually have to say. Longer videos are more difficult to make because you will have to remain poised and interesting on camera for much longer, and you will have to remember more. The other benefit to creating short videos is that most of your viewers will prefer watching shorter clips than long, drawn out videos.

Remember that editing is your friend. When you start making a video, you will make mistakes, but don’t let that stop you. Just keep talking, and ignore every mistake you make because you can edit it out later. You can also add in bits like transition slides to fill in any spots that seem awkward. Don’t stop what you were saying and restart though, as this becomes very obvious to viewers. Instead, just keep talking and record the video a few times to edit into a single, perfect finished piece.

The most important thing that you can do for yourself is to keep trying. You will get better only with lots of practice, which is why you need to get started today if you want to overcome your camera shyness. Video marketing is the most important form of media today, and your customers are waiting to hear why they should choose you. Don’t let camera shyness get in the way of the biggest business opportunity you have.

Recently I met with a client who was looking to purchase another home. They had owned before, sold and had equity. We went through the qualification, approved the loan, and found the perfect program and payment for their needs. At the end of the application I asked if everything was clear and if they had any questions or concerns. At this time they told me they were going to wait another year….I was quite confused and asked them, what is the driving force behind this decision? Prices, economy, friends bought at the wrong time…I was unprepared to address their fears and concerns and embarked on a challenge to illustrate the true cost of not purchasing a home now.

Many buyers would like to purchase a home but are unsure if now is the right time.

Using data statistics from the leading economist, the NAR and other groups dating back to 1890, I have created a presentation with zero fluff backed up with data.

The main statistics that I focus on are the home affordability index, jobs data , GDP (overall indicator of the economic strength) and sales of existing homes vs.Pending Home sales. All data suggests that home affordability is the highest in 20 years.

Please take a moment to view this powerful presentation:

CLICK HERE
http://mcedge.tv/16a0el

Once your loan application is filled out and sent to the lender for review, the first thing they will look for is your ability to payback the loan you are requesting. My team and I have a streamlined loan process to help you get your ducks in a row prior to this review. A grand slam loan package is in perfect order and answers all the important questions up front. We know what the lenders are looking for, based on long-term relationships with them and extensive knowledge of guidelines for a multitude of loan programs that are available today.

What is the lender looking for when they review the loan application?

The lender wants to know about your personal financial picture, including savings and credit history and your employment stability. The co-borrower's history is also taken into consideration. The lender also considers the loan amount and appraised value of the home you are looking to purchase. Not every applicant is approved the first time through the process. If the underwriter has any questions or concerns, he or she will require certain conditions be met before they approve the loan. Pre-approval prior to house hunting lets you know exactly how much you are qualified to borrow in advance.

What can I do on my end to make it easier?

Before taking out a home loan it helps to establish a consistent record of paying your bills on time. If you have utility bills that are overdue, bring these up to date. Make sure you are paying credit card installments in a consistent and timely manner.

We can help you evaluate your debt-to-income ratio to determine what mortgage payment will be comfortable and affordable for you on a monthly basis. Aim for having enough savings to cover your down payment, closing costs if necessary, and two month's expenses in case of emergency. We'll help you find the loan program that works for you.

If I just started a new job six months ago, can I still apply for a loan?

A stable employment history is important, but the lender does take human factors into consideration. If you've recently completed college or vocational training, or were released from the military, you have good cause to have a lack of consistent work history. If your profession is seasonal, and gaps in employment are normal in your field, there are loan programs that can work with your situation. If you are a freelancer or do contract work, the lender will look for consistency in income over the last two years.

Consistency is the key word in the lender's mind. But know that lenders have developed many different loan structures to meet the needs of the general public. When your grandparents bought their first home, they probably put 50% down and made a lump sum payment when the note was due. Times have changed, and so have loan programs. My team and I stay on top of current mortgage trends. We monitor rates daily and have a support network of Realtors®, CPAs, Financial Planners and Credit Repair Consultants to lend you additional assistance.

Call me directly for a free consultation.

It has been a quiet week in the markets, shortened by Good Friday. Oh, S&P created a tempest with its threat to the AAA rating of Treasurys, but as the week wore on, more and more people asked, “How would they know?”

Stocks regained all losses, but Treasury bond yields stayed low, the 10-year 3.39%, mortgages under 5.00%. Bill Gross, famously dumping all of PIMCO’s Treasurys last month, has lost money on the trade. A Federal budget deal is now likely; Europe is in trouble (again, Greek 2-year bonds paying 22%), and domestic data is weakening.

Sales of new and existing homes are flat, but distressed inventory is rising; and the FHFA found that home prices fell 1.0% in January and another 1.6% in February.

The fascinating thing about housing, now: it’s no longer news. It’s so yesterday, boring. For seven months, media attention has focused on ForeclosureGate, loan servicers allegedly foreclosing on innocent homeowners. The reality is clear now, as then: the servicers have mistreated borrowers by inattention, and have run around antique local-level foreclosure procedures. Servicers will be fined, and newly regulated.

Media have found a handful of wrongly foreclosed families, but that preoccupation has missed wisdom attributed to Uncle Joe Stalin (if he didn’t say it, he should have): “The death of a man is a tragedy; the death of a million is a statistic.” The search for human-interest has abandoned the real victims: another two million households will be foreclosed this year, 11 million underwater -- and government help is going... gone.

Imagine if in 1937 FDR had said, “I see one-third of a nation ill-clothed, ill-housed, and ill-fed... but if we wait long enough, they’ll get over it.” Everybody understands the basics: more houses for sale than buyers. However, even those in pain often don’t believe me when I say that credit is too tight and too scarce. Today, two examples.

Fannie, Freddie, and FHA are the only remaining significant sources of mortgages, and they are frantically trying never to make another bad loan. One cause of default is fraudulent borrower documents. Early in the 1990s, minutes after the invention of desktop publishing, the first borrower fabricated tax returns showing more income than the ones filed at the IRS. Minutes after that, FF&F required form 4506T, to pull transcripts from the IRS. For a while we actually checked, but so few fraudulent returns were found that the signed 4506T became a threat, but not an immediate act.

Since 2009 -- as never before -- every borrower must bring tax returns (not just the self-employed), and we must run a 4506T every time. May a merciful Almighty save us this time of year, when the IRS could not find its behind with the help of a proctologist. Transcript delays have run six, even eight weeks.

How many fraudulent returns and defaulted loans are we really preventing? In a billion dollars of loans through here, I know of one case of fraud (a CPA applicant!), hundreds of innocent but odd 1040s questioned with red-hot tongs, and thousands of delays. Think FF&F are tracking cost/benefit? Uh-uh. Just tighten, baby, tighten.

Second example: the Dodd-Frank Qualifying Residential Mortgage, qualifying for capital exemption in securitization. QRMs will require 20% down to buy, 25% equity to refi, forbid 2nd mortgages... a belt tightened right through the backbone. An FHFA study (April 14 www.fhfa.gov) found annual rates of 90-day delinquency pre-bubble (1997-2003) clustered between 2.50% and 3.00% for all loans -- which is why FF&F charge to securitize loans, or require mortgage insurance. QRM-equivalent defaults ranged 0.31% to 0.55%, but were barely 20% of all loans.

By 2009, standards had so greatly tightened that all new purchase loans had a 0.30% default rate, and the QRM fraction 0.07%. No one need fear the wind-down of government supported lending: it’s already done -- although the 80% of supply, non-QRM loans are going to be expensive and scarce. This self-defeating political backlash against FF&F has turned them into insurance companies offering hurricane coverage, but only for homes 200 miles from an ocean.

I have approved thousands of clients for home loans and no matter how much coaching or explaning, each year ten to fiftenn clients will not get a loan because they did not follow indtructions. Here are some tips to ensure that you do not lose your home loan.

The lender is looking to see what your source of down payment is.

Your lender will most likely ask you to provide proof of your liquid assets. This includes bank statements for checking and savings accounts, verification of investments, and any other liquid assets. Some of the things they ask for may seem trivial, but keep in mind, if you are planning a move to a new home, it's important to have all documentation readily available. If the lender asks for cancelled checks or deposit receipts to meet certain conditions, you want to be able to find these things quickly to avoid delaying the closing of your loan. Make sure your paper trail is easy to document, and don't move money from one account to another.

Major purchases tip the scales against your favor.

Avoid making any major purchases. You might be thinking about purchasing new appliances for the new home. This is not the time to do it. Avoid making any major purchases on jewelry, appliances, furniture, vacations, or anything with a significant price tag.

Buying or leasing a car can make a negative impact on the way the lender views your financial status. This is a big ticket item that dramatically affects your debt-to-income ratio. You may feel you have room in your budget to purchase a new car, and think this is a worthy investment if you are looking for a home that will mean a longer commute for you on a daily basis. But by tacking a car payment onto your existing debt, you reduce the amount that you will qualify for in a home loan. A $400 a month car payment can reduce your approved loan limit by as much as $50,000. Think about doing this after your loan is approved if you really need it.

If you have to change jobs, you may be asked to document why this change occurred.

If you are changing jobs to increase your income, that's a no-brainer for the lender. If you have an erratic work history to start with, another job change may make it look worse for you.

If you are an hourly wage employee, most likely a job change will have no effect on your ability to qualify for a loan. If you have a track record of a consistent amount of overtime or consistent bonuses over the last two years, the lender views this favorably. If you change jobs, there is no way of knowing if the new employer will pay overtime. Many do not! If you work on a salary + commission or straight commission basis, it has a dramatic effect on your stability. If you are considering starting your own business, again, this is something to consider after your loan is funded.