Jumbo Postcard Design Samples

Beautiful samples of Virtual Assistant Chick’s Jumbo Postcard Designs:

Expired Listings Template

expiredI’ve been hearing it from all of you for years now:  You hate expired listings.  You know they are a potential gold mine, but really who has time to call on them every morning?  And even if you have time, you know you don’t even want to.  Face it, these homeowners are already angry that their house is still on the market, now they have to field calls from annoying, hungry, relentless Realtors.

Instead of pissing off these potential clients, hand deliver them a nice, simple expired letter.  Be a source of information rather than a source of annoyance.  You can copy and paste this Expired Listings template to use the next time you want to go out and meet these unhappy people, or you can come up with your own.  Don’t forget to change names, cities, titles and other pertinent information!  And remember, if you don’t have a great follow up plan in place, it doesn’t matter how good your letter is or isn’t.  A Real Estate Virtual Assistant that follows up with expired’s and leads will help you tremendously AND free up your time.

Dear Claire,

I speak with many potential buyers on a daily basis, searching for homes in Huntington and Newport Beach, CA.  For that reason, I was a little surprised to see that the listing on your home expired without a successful sale.

There are many reasons that a listing expires without achieving the results that you had hoped for.  My goal as a REALTOR® dedicated to serving the community of Newport Beach is to make sure that doesn’t happen.

I am familiar with Newport Coast, your listing, your property, and I am certain that you and I can work together to sell your home successfully.  It is extremely simple to renew your listing and I am confident that I can show you some simple ways to add value to your home.  I would like to discuss an aggressive marketing strategy that includes savvy internet marketing tools, mobile marketing and video that will optimize the potential outcome of your sale.

As we both know, a listing alone will not provide results.  I work diligently with each one of my clients to provide a unique strategy that is conducive to closing the sale, and I know more about using the power of the internet than any other agent in Newport Beach.  Did you know that 94% of consumers start their home search online?  It also requires an intimate knowledge of the neighborhood and surrounding area, familiarity with similar listings, and a broad base of potential buyers.  As a professional REALTOR® with a proven track record all over Huntington and Newport Beach, CA I am prepared to bring those benefits to you when you renew your listing with me.

Please contact me right away at 800-AWE-SOME so that we can create a plan that will work for you.  Selling your home is one of the most important financial decisions you will ever make, and you need a REALTOR® that is motivated to produce the results you want.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

 

April May-June

Best REALTOR® Ever

 

Buying A Home With Past Credit Problems: Re-Post to your Blog

Here is an article that you can change up and tweak any way you like, and then use on your own Real Estate website.  Happy sharing!

Buying A Home With Past Credit Problems

Buying a home can be both exciting and stressful but, for those with past credit problems, the process may also seem intimidating.  The good news is that many lenders have adapted to the idea that many hopeful homeowners simply need a second chance, which means that past credit problems no longer have to define your future.

Credit Blemishes

When life unexpectedly takes a turn for the worst, it’s not always possible to come out without a few bumps and bruises.  Every day, people are faced with late or missed credit card payments, mortgage foreclosures, bankruptcy proceedings, auto repossessions and even civil judgments that will affect their credit reports for years to come.  Whether it’s from a job loss, injury or just a simple case of temporary hardship, credit blemishes are often a part of life.  The good news is that they no longer have to prevent you from becoming a homeowner.

Give Yourself A Little Credit

After experiencing a credit problem, most lenders will want to see an attempt to rebuild your credit through a steady payment history with a new account.  This can be accomplished by applying for a credit card and maintaining a responsible use of the account.  If you aren’t approved for an unsecured card, you can always apply for a secured credit card.  Either will rebuild your credit over time and will help to show lenders that your past credit problems are just that – in the past.

Clean Up Your Credit Report

Before applying for a home loan, make sure that you check your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies.  Every 12 months, consumers can request a free copy of their credit report from Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.  If anything is incorrect or found to be inaccurate, filing a dispute with the credit reporting agency can help to get the information corrected before speaking with a lender.

When you apply for a home loan, the lender will access your credit report for the purpose of determining your creditworthiness.  In an effort to ensure that you have the best possible chance at being approved for the loan at the best possible interest rates, making sure that your credit report is accurate is a must.

Save Up For A Down Payment

Some homebuyers often qualify for a mortgage with down payments as low as five percent (three percent for FHA loans), but those with past credit problems may be required to shell out up to 35 percent or more for a down payment on their new home.  A buyer who pays a larger down payment obviously has more vested interest in the home and may, thereby, be less likely to default on a loan.  If you have past credit problems, check with your lender about specific down payment requirements and start saving!

Creative Financing Options

If you’ve exhausted all of your conventional efforts and are still turning up empty, don’t give up just yet.  Alternative financing is an option that many homebuyers use to purchase a home.  Your REALTOR® can provide you with details regarding any lease purchase and/or owner financing properties, which may require no credit check, no bank qualifying, a low down payment and competitive interest rate options.

Delegation Action Item #2 – Prospect Follow Up Printable

I’ll admit it:  I totally hate following up.  If you’ve ever called me about us working together you know just how true this is.  I don’t send thank-you cards, I won’t send you my brochure (and that’s because I don’t even have one), and even though I schedule a follow up in my calendar for 5 business days, I usually ignore that annoying little pop-up message 10 minutes before it starts.

Please don’t ask me why I’m like this, because I have no idea.  I just am, and I have to believe that there are others out there who are like me as well.

I did come up with something that works for me though.  I have a “Low Hanging Fruit” spreadsheet that I’ll pull out once a month where I add the leads that haven’t yet become clients.  I keep them all properly labeled in Gmail as prospects until the contract is signed, so all I have to do is open that file and copy/paste them to my Low Hanging Fruit spreadsheet.  Each month, I make sure that I contact the lead at least once, stopping at 3 times.  I also make sure that they get added to my newsletter list so that I can automatically follow up with them later on.

When I am ready to follow up, I will block off an hour or two and go down the list and follow up with each one either via phone or email.  Batching my time like this makes me more productive since I’m using the same tools for each call, my contracts are ready to go and I’m not bouncing from one task to another.

Is this perfect?  That’s a big NO, but it does work.  And for someone like me who can’t stand anything too repetitive, it works out just fine.  I’ve even heard from a few people that they were glad that I didn’t hound them like a desperate sales person ; )

I’m including 2 versions of this printable.  1 is the Excel spreadsheet that you can fill in on your computer, and the other is a pdf that you can post above your phone or computer and fill in when you need to.  Both are awesome.

Virtual Assistant Delegation Tip:  Have your VA schedule this in your shared calendar weekly, bi-monthly or monthly (whichever works best for you) and have them pull your leads and add them to the list for you.  If you have an email template set up for prospect follow up, your VA can email them out for you as well.

Low Hanging Fruit PDF

Low Hanging Fruit Excel Spreadsheet

*The editable version is not working properly; Email me at VAWork@VirtualAssistantChick.com and I’ll gladly email it to you.

As before, since I’m not asking for your email address in return for these printables, a nice “Thank You” in the comments below is appreciated!

Delegation Action Item #1 – Daily Activities Printable

At the end of the work day, most Real Estate professionals are exhausted.  Having driven all over town, meeting clients here and there, making what seems like a gazillion phone calls, trying to please everybody, etc. it’s no wonder you may feel like you’re spinning your wheels!

I speak with people who feel this way all the time.  By the time an agent calls me for help, they are already buried in paperwork, totally overwhelmed and it seems as though there is no end in sight.

They are so overwhelmed and overburdened at this point that they don’t know where to begin, and that NO ONE could possibly help them out of this mess that they’ve created.  Add to that every internet “Guru” out there telling you how much you *should* be making while living on a tropical island and never having to see clients.

{Sigh}.  It’s no wonder you called!

So, BEFORE it gets to this point for you too, I’ve put together a very simple printable for you to begin jotting down all of your daily activities on.  I always tell new clients to do this, but sometimes even the seemingly simple act of finding a place to write it all down is overwhelming.  Well I’ve just eliminated that excuse for you!

Simply download my Daily Activities fill-in sheet and keep it with you for 3 days.  Why 3 days?  Because everyday is different in Real Estate, and 4 is just too damn many.

Next, put a check in the $ column if it’s a money-generating activity and a check in the √ if you want to delegate it.  Hint:  You can have a check in both columns or neither column if you like.

Also, since I’m not requiring you to give up your email address for this, can you just leave a quick “Thanks” in the comments for me?  Thanks!

Daily Activities

So What Exactly Does a Real Estate Virtual Assistant DO?

I get a lot of email from Real Estate Agents, Coaches, Brokers, aspiring Virtual Assistants and other small business owners.  Some of them want free information (usually just the aspiring VA’s), some just want to know my rates, some want to complain about my rates.  Most are just curious:  ”So what exactly does a Real Estate Virtual Assistant DO?”

I can picture them on the other end of their computer with that glazed over, deer in the headlights look.  It sounds cool, but what the heck can you do for me?

I’d like to show them the 208 tasks that we added to our project management system this month!  But no, it’s a legitimate question that I often begin to answer with some questions of my own:

  • What is it that you do?
  • Who do you prefer to sell real estate to?  Yes, your target market.
  • Do you like working with buyers or sellers? (This question usually knocks them off balance a little.  I think they aren’t used to somebody caring).
  • Where are you stuck right now, this very moment.

That’s where we stop and I can start to get a feel for what their problem is.  This is where my wheels start turning and I’ve already half-way formulated a plan to un-stick them from this position.  I’m also going through my roster of amazing Virtual Assitants who I call my team members.  My chicks.

You see, I like to solve problems.  I want to find out what your biggest problem is and get it solved for you as quickly as possible so that when you’re finally free of that burden you feel as if you can take on anything.  When you’ve dumped some of your “tolerations” you are much more ready to start implementing a new marketing plan, or shifting your focus on more pressing matters, delegating more items to my team, and seeing more clients.

And in case you’re wondering, here is a list of “what we do”:

  • Listing Coordination
    • Add to MLS
    • Create Virtual Tour
    • Create syndicated flyer, QR Code, etc.
    • Create CL ads that drive traffic to website
    • Create new listing flyer, postcard, etc.
    • Reverse Prospecting
    • Post new listing to all social media networks
    • Make all necessary updates to online listings
    • Incorporate client’s existing listing plan
  • Transaction Management
    • “In the Cloud” file management
    • Work directly with clients, escrow, agents
    • Complete all disclosures & docs per broker’s  list
    • Coordinate with escrow, title and lenders
    • Schedule all needed appointments & inspections
    • Obtain signatures via DocuSign, fax or postal mail
  • Social Media for Real Estate Agents
    • Market to new clientso Protect your brand
    • Test new marketing ideas
    • Track all Social Media Metrics
    • Custom backgrounds and landing pages
    • Add new contacts systematically
    • Create professionally branded fan page
    • Post local content daily/weekly
    • Set up auto/semi-auto postingo Reply to DM’s on your behalf
    • Create events, invite contactso Pre-schedule tweets for max exposure
    • Geo-target people to follow
    • Add listing s to fan pageo Incorporate client’s existing social media plan
  • Blogging & Ghost Writing for Real Estate Agents
    • Creation of hyper-local content that you own
    • Creation of real estate content that you own
    • Repurposing previous blog posts
      • Other blogs
      • Social media networks
      • Newsletter or e-zineo
    • All post included pictures, keywords, approx. 300 words and are posted on your site
  • Market Updates, Flyers & Other Print Media
    • Creation of flyer template by former Senior Graphic Designer of the LA Times Real Estate
    • Creation of MLS search templates
    • Add a featured listing at the top of each flyer
    • All market activity is added to the flyer and set up for monthly delivery
    • Professionally printed and delivered to you
  • Database Management
    • Top Producer/Market Snapshot
    • Wise Agent, Ixact Contact, MLS Office, etc.
    • Strategize to find the best possible CRM
    • Creation of new drip campaigns/autoresponders
    • Categorize and assign all contacts
    • Create and maintain clear follow-up plan
    • Sync database w/ client & mobile devices
    • Link social networks to database if possible
    • Use database to build fan/friend/follower base
  • Miscellaneous Services
    • Business Strategizing
    • Full Bookkeeping
    • Calendar management
    • Phone answering
    • WordPress
      • Installation
      • Update
      • Customization
      • Anything!  We have dedicated pros!
    • Lead tracking/management
    • Newsletter creation & management
    • Update listings on websites
    • Photo enhancement
    • Systems & Processes development
    • Vendor management
    • List buildingo SEO/backlinking

 

5 Real Estate and Mortgage Urban Legends

Originally posted here on Trulia.com

Entire feature films, websites and hour-long cable specials have been devoted to debunking  urban legends, those modern fables that circulate at the speed of the internet. And real estate is not immune; modern-day myths of easy-peasy seller financing, distressed sellers practically throwing their properties at buyers, and cosmetic fixers that can be had for pennies are just that – fairy tales which, if believed, can result in some not-so-happy endings.

The real deal is that real estate is much more affordable than it used to be, but the barriers to entry are higher, and the days in which you could get something for nothing are over.  Here are five real estate and mortgage urban legends, and the truth which lies beneath.

Urban Legend #1: Got bad credit? Get seller financing.  Does seller financing exist?  Of course.  Is it as easy to get – or desirable – as they make it seem in the infomercials? Not even close.

Here’s the real deal: most sellers who have a mortgage they obtained in the last 10 years or so also have a due on sale clause which requires them to pay it off when they sell the property. Financing the sale themselves, vs. requiring the buyer to obtain mortgage or other financing to pay for the property, prevents them from having the cash to pay their mortgage off, as required.  And the vast majority of those who don’t have a mortgage of recent vintage need the proceeds from the sale of their homes to buy their next home or invest in their next property.

What’s more, even the few sellers who don’t need the cash often don’t want to take on the long-term risk and hassle involved with having to collect payments from a buyer for 10, 15, or 30 years.  The sellers who can and will agree to seller financing usually want a premium price and interest rate for it – and the smart ones will require some type of credit check and a deeper down payment than a traditional lender.

And seller financing, as sweet as it sounds, poses risks for buyers, too.  If the seller keeps a bank mortgage on the property and fails to make the payment, the seller-financed buyer could end up losing the home they’ve paid for to foreclosure. Best targets for seller-financing are investor sellers who are looking to avoid capital gains, and best practice is to get a local real estate attorney involved in drafting and recording the transfer and financing documentation.

Urban Legend # 2: Buyers save big bucks on cosmetic fixers.  Sellers aren’t stupid – and neither are their agents.  There might have been a day and time in which you could find listings that were deeply discounted because they needed a little cosmetic refresh.  But those days are long gone – even in today’s down market, sellers expect to invest a little cash into paint and carpet to stage and spruce up their biggest asset and get as much as humanly possible for it.  Today’s sellers also know that homes not  in tip-top shape may not sell at all these days, so they go to great lengths to do make their homes shine.  (And those who can’t afford to aren’t slashing tens of thousands off their homes’ list prices, though some will offer buyers a credit at closing.)

That’s not to say you can’t get a discount on a place that needs some work.  But the meatiest discounts are on the places that need the most work; roof leaks, old windows and laundry-list long pest inspection reports are much more likely to get you a big price break than scuffed walls and grungy carpeting on a home in otherwise sound condition.

Urban Legend #3: 100 percent financing for first-time buyers.  Most of the national first-time buyer programs are mere figments of our collective mortgage memory.  But during the subprime mortgage era, 100 percent financing was available to pretty much everyone, not just first-timers.  And the post-bubble first-time buyer programs tended to be tax credits that could defray some of the up front investment required to buy a home, rather than zero-down home loans.

FHA loans, which are extremely popular with first-time buyers, are available to any buyer who can qualify, whether or not they have owned homes before or own one now.  Most of the state and local first-time buyer programs that still exist involve some level of down payment or closing cost assistance, but the vast majority also require that the buyer put some of their own cash into the transaction. The prevailing theory today is that homeowners who have put their own hard-earned cash into their homes are less likely to walk away from it later, whether or not they are first-time buyers.  It has also become clear that the financial management skills and discipline it takes to save up for a down payment or closing costs are skills and habits that stand prospective buyers in good stead for the rest of their lifetimes as homeowners.

Long story short, while virgin homebuyers can and should seek out the assistance programs available to them (local real estate and mortgage pros often know the ins and outs), they should also tuck their pennies away and expect to have to put some of their own financial skin in the game.

Urban Legend #4: Nearly free foreclosures. We’ve all heard the line that banks don’t want to be in the business of owning homes.  That may be true, but they are in that business, whether or not they want to be.  As a result, they’re not giving houses away at pennies on the dollar.  In fact, bank-owned homes, as a rule, must be sold at as close as possible to their fair market value. Banks and their Wall Street mortgage investors do this by exposing the property fully to the market, rarely accepting lowball offers, and only lowering list prices in fairly small increments after a listing fails to sell after 60 or 90 days (plus) at the pre-reduction price.

While foreclosed homes do sell for less, on average, than their “regular” sale counterparts, they are also often in worse condition.  And banks are virtually always less negotiable on pricing, repairs and other terms than individual sellers.  The fact of the matter is that some of the best deals on today’s market are to be had via negotiations with realistic owners of non-distressed properties who are ready, willing and able to make a deal.

Urban Legend #5: Distressed owners who will sign their home over to you, gratis. This one is fantasy of the highest level.  First off, very few assumable home loans even exist anymore; most mortgage are due on sale, which means that new buyers have to qualify for and secure their own loans.  Secondly, many mortgages that ARE assumable have much higher interest rates than today’s home loans. Third, most homeowners who are in a distressed position on their home are in that position because their home has declined in value and they now owe more on it than it’s worth, which stops them from pulling off a traditional sale or refinancing it at today’s lower rate.

Ask yourself: why would you, a buyer, want to assume a mortgage balance vastly greater than the property is worth, even if you could?  It’s just not worth it, even if you think you’re getting a shortcut around the mortgage qualifying rigmarole.

Add to that the fact that many states have consumer protection laws dramatically limiting the sort of ‘bailout’ that is even legal to propose to a homeowner who is in some stage of the foreclosure process. In addition, many homeowners who have received foreclosure notices are in the process of trying to work out their distress with their lender or staying put without making payments as long as possible before losing their homes.  These folks might be slightly miffed at your intrusion, to put it politely, if you ring them up, send them a note or knock on their door trying to pitch yourself (and your signature) as their mortgage distress solution.

Did you have any personal real estate urban legends that were debunked in the process of homebuying?  Leave a comment, and share with us!

P.S. – You should follow Trulia and Tara on Facebook, too!