REI Marketing Tips

I know that I’ve been promising you all week that I’d have a new video sharing the biggest “Takeaways” from my marketing seminar this past weekend.

Well not only did I attend a marketing seminar, by my business colleague Miguel attending Ron Ballard’s short sale investing seminar this past weekend as well. For those of you who don’t know Ron, he’s California’s #1 short sale attorney.

We decided to divide and conquer, so I did the 3 day marketing seminar in San Diego, and Miguel drove up to Ron’s all day event this past Saturday in Newport Beach.

We recorded a very brief video where we each share our 2 biggest “Takeaways” from the weekend, and correlate them directly to real estate investing:

Also, I have sent you a couple of emails about posting properties to Sellpoint, the easiest way to distribute your property listings to boatloads of sites across the internet, all with a push of a button. You simply MUST sign up a for a free account here. Also, tell 3 friends and well….you’ll just have to visit the page to find out what cool FREE goodies you get.

Oh yes, and one other thing: add me as a friend on Facebook if you’re on it!

Share and Enjoy:

I’m hosting a free training this Wednesday, June 23rd at 6pm PDT/9pm EDT where we’ll be showing you exactly how to find more private lenders for your real estate investing business. Discover how you can get a list of people who have used private funds to finance real estate deals in the past! These same people want to fund your real estate deals, and on Wednesday night’s training, we’ll show you exactly how to find them.

To get registered for this free training for real estate investors, simply click here.

Share and Enjoy:

Last month I wrote a blog post about how Chase Home Finance had opened 51 “Home Ownership” centers across the country. These centers were to provide free foreclosure and loan modification counseling for anyone who was behind on a Chase mortgage.

I mentioned this and asked people to find creative ways on how they could use this information to grow their business. I actually went out to one of the Chase Home Ownership centers here in San Diego, but discovered that they don’t refer any business out. Even if the homeowner is denied a loan modification!

But I knew that these were high traffic areas with highly targeted prospects: people behind on their mortgages. I recorded a quick video to show you how we ended up targeting these homeowners:

After you watch the video below, please leave a comment. I installed a new plug-in on my blog, and it automatically gives anyone who lives a comment on my blog high ranking, one-way back link to their site just for a leaving a comment.

Now why would you want to do that, you ask? Well, one of the best ways to get your sites to rank higher in the search engines is to get lots of ONE WAY links coming to your site. That’s because Google sees each link as a “vote” in terms of relevance and popularity for your site.

Normally this is very time consuming, but I found a new WordPress plugin called “Top Commentators”.

The Top Commentators plugin actually lists the top 10 commentators on EVERY PAGE of the bloggers blog WITH a one-way link back to the commentators website! Do you see how big this can be? If you are ranked as one of the top 10 commentators on a blog with 50 pages you’ll instantly get 50 one-way links pointing back to YOUR website! How cool is that? What if the blog had 100,000 webpages?

So here’s how this works…

You need to find blogs that are using the Top Commentator plugin (do a Google search) and you need to leave RELEVANT, USEFUL comments on those blogs.

So where do you start??? Here’s where you can help me, help you…

If you look on the right side bar you’ll see that I have the Top Commentators plugin installed. And because I have only a few comments at this time, YOU can easily become a Top Commentator listed on this blog with a one-way link back to your site! And yes, my blog will be is continually growing, which means more and more links and free traffic back to your website over time.

So there you have it…a free way to get quality traffic. All you need to do is post a USEFUL comment here on the blog. I figured that this post was the perfect start, because there’s a great video on here.

So happy investing, let me know how you enjoyed the video, and leave a comment and start getting MORE traffic back you to YOUR website!

Share and Enjoy:

I finally found the hidden video footage that I recorded last month with “Attorney X” when I first met him in Los Angeles last month. Check out what he has to say, and then make sure that you register for the training that we’re hosting by clicking the link below….

Ready to register? The training is this Thursday night, June 10th at 6pm PST/9pm EST, and you can register for free right by clicking here.

Share and Enjoy:

A few people who are still on the fence might be interested to see EXACTLY what’s inside the Commercial Foreclosure Goldrush home study course & system. I finally got my copy, and I want to show you exactly what’s inside:

Don’t forget that if your order at www.REIMarketingTips.com/cfbonus you’ll qualify for my bonus package. You’ll get the following incredible bonuses:

BONUS #1- Waived Set-up Fee for your very own SaveMeFromForeclosure.com county (Value: $2,497)

Instantly have a page 1 Google ranked website, instant credibility, a perfect track record with the Better Business Bureau and SO MUCH MORE with this bonus.  What you get is too lengthy to list here, so check out http://www.TheForeclosureMarketingMachine.com.

BONUS #2- New 4 week coaching program showing you how to get FREE labor for your business (Value: Priceless)

Dreama and I have been working on a super secret project that shows you exactly how you can get FREE labor, from college educated people, without having to spend a penny on payroll.  This is part of a super-secret new project we’re working on, but you’ll get instant, immediate access to a 4 week coaching program revealing EXACTLY what we’re doing with this.  That’s all I can say about this, but if you realize that you need more resources to help your business grow, but you’re sick of Virtual Assistants, this is one bonus you simply must claim.

BONUS #3- Access Justin & Dreama’s Private Money For Your Commercial Deals (Value: Priceless)

If you have been following Dreama & I for a while you know that we recently sold our million dollar home in Vancouver to move to San Diego (because it’s cheaper here…seriously).  We have set aside some of our funds for great commercial deals.  In fact, we found one in February that pays us a net cash flow of $4,432.19 per month.  But we’re looking for more.  Purchase Karen & DC’s elite level program through our link, and be assured that we’ll personally review any deal that you’re working on and be able to help be private lenders on good deals that you find.  These are our own personal private funds, not someone else’s. Sure no money down deals are possible, but when you have cash to bring to the table, the number (and quality) of deals available to you really opens up.  (Please note that Dreama and I reserve the right to review and inspect all deals before we agree to lend on them).

BONUS #4- Be entered into the following prize drawings (Value: $1,000+)

Buy through our special link and you’ll instantly be entered into a draw for the following items:

Raffle Item #1- Free roundtrip airfare to Karen & DC’s 4 day bootcamp (so you don’t have to pay to attend, you can just show up)

Raffle Item #2- New flip cam

Raffle Item #3- New Ipod Nano

Please note that to qualify for these bonuses, you MUST purchase the EILTE level of Karen & DC’s system.  To get these bonuses now, simply head over to www.REIMarketingTips.com/cfbonus

Share and Enjoy:

I often get feedback not only in my own investing business, but also from students around the country, who get frustrated because other people, (often times realtors with whom they’re trying to network with) tell them that flipping short sales “illegal”.

This actually happened to one of my door knockers very recently. He was calling a home that was listed for sale (evident by the sign out front). After speaking with the owners and getting the agents contact info, he called the agent to let him know that we would like to write an offer on the property (tomorrow).

The agent said that his father had recently been to a DRE seminar here in California, and apparently a CAR attorney had told his father to “steer clear of double escrows”. (Important note: this is 100% hearsay, but let’s assume for the purpose of this blog post that the information is correct).

The agent asked us if we could “send him something” in advance of our meeting. I figured that this might be happening to other people out there as well, so I have included some of the email that we used, so you can use it in your own marketing as well.

Please note that the information below is meant for an email (and NOT a flyer) simply because it contains links. Feel free to copy and paste and use as you see fit:

*************************************************************************************

Recently, Freddie Mac, FHA and Wells Fargo have all made major changes to their business models to allow for short sale properties to be flipped, legally and ethically. In fact, that’s what me and my company, www.SaveMeFromForeclosure.com do.

Now before you get worried about thinking that we’re doing something “illegal”, I want to point you to 3 specific bulletins from these three major financial institutions that have been issued in the last 6 months:

First, in October of 2009, Freddie Mac released a bulletin that you can download here: http://www.freddiemac.com/sell/guide/bulletins/pdf/bll0924.pdf. On the first page of this bulletin is link to Freddie Mac’s Best Practices for Loans Involving Possible Property Flips, which can be found here: http://www.freddiemac.com/sell/guide/bulletins/pdf/bll0924xA.pdf. Most interesting to note is that Freddie Mac says that

“A property involved in a flip may be resold on the same day or within days, weeks, or months of the purchase. In some cases, the seller of a property flip never holds title to the property, but instead sells or assigns their interest in a contract to purchase the property to a third party.”

Freddie Mac then goes on to say that:

“Property flips are not inherently illegal and not all transactions involving a rapid purchase and resale are improper. Legitimate property flips are acceptable transactions in connection with loans purchased by Freddie Mac.”

Finally, Wells Fargo, who issued more mortgage loans that any other company in 2009, has now allowed their borrowers to buy properties that are being flipped by others. You can see this internal document that Wells Fargo mortgage lending released at the beginning of 2010 here: http://www.macedesigns.com/clients/srec/WellsFargo.pdf

So why is this significant? Three MAJOR players in the United States housing industry are changing their policies and business practices to allow for short sale flips and for homeowners to get mortgages where the seller is “flipping” the property to the buyer.

I’m sure you’ll agree with me that if 3 big time banking giants like HUD, Freddie Mac and Wells Fargo are making these changes, they’re accepting the legitimacy of short sale flips and them as a viable way to help eliminate foreclosures and help rebuild and stabilize the housing market.

In fact, last fall, before 2 of the 3 major announcements were even released, Mr. Lem Marshall, Special Counsel to VAR (the Virginia Association of Realtors) posted an article in their Commonwealth Magazine, a publication that is “A journal for real estate professionals published by the Virginia Association of REALTORS®”

You can read the entire article here.  (The main article is on page 12 of the publication, which is page 14 of the PDF), or, if you prefer a quick 2 page PDF document extracted from the magazine covering this very specific topic, you can download it here. What’s important to note, however, is how Lem ends the article, and his analysis of short sale flips, with the following paragraph:

So who loses? Nobody. Even the tax collectors and insurance folks come out ahead, as they get payments from owners making productive use of the asset. We all gain when inefficiency, uncertainty, and waste are squeezed out of the system. And we help hasten the return of reasonable market valuations, something of great benefit to our communities at large.

***********************************************************************************************

Hopefully that the information can help you in your business.  I would recommend writing the email in your own voice, or even taking the information above and making a 2 or 4 page flyer that you can use to market to agents with short sale listings.  I’m actually in the process of doing that myself, and it will be made available to our community of exclusive SaveMeFromForeclosure.com local representatives.

However feel free to copy and paste any of the information (and links) in this email and use it in your marketing.  I would love get your opinion on what we’ve included here, and how you’re using it in your business, if at all.

Also, if you have any success stories (or challenges) using this information please feel free to post them here in the comments section.  We love hearing success stories, but if you have any challenges using this hopefully as a community we can help you further.

Happy Investing!

Share and Enjoy:

I constantly get asked by students and members of our community what is the best way to “convince” realtors to work with them.  Some of the more common feedback I hear are things like:

“The realtor told me what I’m doing is illegal”

“I can’t list the property because I’m not on title”

“No realtors will work with me because the say you can’t do that in our city/county/state”

Well how about if I gave you a link to an article in Commonwealth Magazine, a publication that is “A journal for real estate professionals published by the Virginia Association of REALTORS®”

And what about if that article was written by Lem Marshall, VAR (Virginia Association of Realtors) Special Counsel and it basically says (and I’m paraphrasing here) “Who cares if an investor has an option contract, and who cares how much profit they make, and who cares if the end (C) buyer is taking title from someone they didn’t expect”?

Would an article written by an attorney endorsed by a state’s (Virginia’s) Association of Realtors help validate the way you want to structure your transactions?

I bet it would!  (By the way, if you invest in the state of Virginia you should absolutely be drooling right now…)

I want to personally thank my main negotiator Ed for sending me the link to this article.  I am sharing it here in a format where you can share it with your realtor prospects.  This is a GREAT thing to share with any agent who has a short sale listing that is still active, with no offers.  Just think, by using this tool you could have 5-10 new short sale deals in your pipeline by the end of the week!

To get access to the ENTIRE September/October 2009 edition of Commonwealth Magazine, “A journal for real estate professionals published by the Virginia Association of REALTORS®”, you can check it out here.  (The main article is on page 12 of the publication, which is page 14 of the PDF).

However, if you prefer a quick 2 page PDF document extracted from the magazine covering this very specific topic, you can download it here.

After you access and read this document, please post a comment below!  Let me know if this helped you gaining the confidence with realtors, and if you got any new deals under contract because of it.  We love hearing your success stories.

Oh, and one more thing…take a look at the blog post below, and make sure that you check out the video about guaranteed funding.  You’ll be glad that you did…

Share and Enjoy:

I spent a few days this past weekend at Preston Ely’s FreedomSoft event.  It was a lot of fun, great networking, and I got to meet a bunch of great people.  Actually before FreedomSoft even began, we had a small Mastermind at our home in Encinitas.  We had Darrel from here in San Diego, who is absolutely KILLING IT with short sales right now.  We also had Ed from IL, and Tim and his wife Suzanne from TX.  Also joining us was Minx from NYC, one of my coaching students who started with me last year.  Here’s a picture of us:

San Diego Mastermind 2010

We all shared a lot and learned a ton from each other, and came away with specific action plans to grow our business in 2010 to new heights.

The purpose of this blog post however, is to give you some insight into what is the best way to convert a lead into an appointment, and then into a deal.

I have a new realtor on my team, and I recently got a lead from one of my websites.  I had the realtor qualify the deal over the phone, and set up the appointment.  I had put him through some training, and I explained to him that you should ALWAYS email the client the paperwork in advance of the face to face meeting.  I do this because:

1. Short sale packets can be extremely large and overwhelming for someone to sit down and sign all at once, right away.  Letting the homeowner review the documents in advance can help you close the deal on the first in home visit.
2. I tell the homeowner that they should review all of the documents in advance of my arrival.  That way I can clarify any questions they have either before, on the phone, or once I arrive.  If I send the documents in advance, it removes the “I want to think about it” objection (more on how this isn’t even a legitimate objection in California)
3. The homeowner needs to gather all of their documents such as paystubs, bank statements, tax returns, etc.  By giving this to them as a “homework” assignment a few days before the meeting, they have an opportunity to gather all of this information in time, so you can submit a complete, accurate short sale packet the first time.
4. Even if the homeowner DOESN’T review the information, when I arrive for the appointment, I am in much more control of the situation, because I’ll just assume that they reviewed everything and printed it all out.  In fact, if the homeowner hasn’t looked at anything, it allows me to close the deal that much more easily because of the homeowner’s feeling of obligation to the time and effort we spent preparing the documents to send to them.

So here’s what happened: my realtor said that he spoke with the homeowner, but he DID NOT send him the short sale documents in advance.  I told him that when he shows up for the meeting with a huge stack of paperwork, it could be very intimidating for the homeowner to sign everything.

So my agent heads out there with paperwork in hand, but the homeowner has never seen it in advance.

So guess what happens?

The agent arrives, the homeowner says “I want to think about it” and he doesn’t pick up the paperwork.  My agent just wasted time driving to an appointment and then leaving with no deal in hand!  What a waste of everyone’s time.

I think that this convinced him to believe me and he’ll now start sending the short sale packet to the homeowner in advance!

My advice to you, moving forward, would be to send the package to the homeowner in advance.  Here’s a little script you can use when on the phone.

“Well Mr. Homeowner I look forward to meeting you on Thursday at 4pm at 123 main st in San Diego.  Now what I’m going to do it to send you a list of all of the documents that you’ll need to collect.  Things like paystubs, bank statements, etc.  Don’t worry about writing it down now, I’ll email you a list.  I’ll also email you all of our agreements.  I would like for you to print them out, and review them BEFORE I arrive.  If you have any questions, I’ll be able to answer them in advance, on the phone, or I can answer them for you this Thursday at 4pm.  This way, our meeting time will be much faster, and you’ll have had a chance to review everything before our meeting.  Doesn’t that sound like a good idea and the best use of our time, Mr. Homeowner?”

Now going back to my realtor, who didn’t send the package in advance, here is one sales strategy that you can employ, and how I would have handled that situation.  Here in CA the homeowner is given a 5 day right of refusal.  This means that up to 5 days after signing the deal, they can change their mind and back out.  So had I have been on the appointment, I would have closed the deal by telling the homeowner:

“Mr.  Homeowner, I know you want to think about this.  In fact, so do I, and so does the state of California.  You see, by law, you get a “5 day right of refusal.  That means that even after you sign all of these documents today, you have 5 days to changes your mind, and cancel.  We both know the foreclosure clock is ticking, and I’m out here anyway.  So to make best use of our time, and the time that is ticking with your home headed towards foreclosure, let’s get all of these agreements executed today.  That way, if you decide in the next days you want to cancel, no problem.  Otherwise, we’ll have to come back, and we’ll lose all of that time.  I’m sure you’ll agree that sounds like the best plan to help stop this foreclosure as soon as possible.”

Well there you have it.  But I would like to hear back from you.  Please tell me what state you’re in, and what you do: send the paperwork in advance, or show up with it and try and close the deal right then and there.  I’d love to hear what you’re doing and what’s working for you.

Share and Enjoy:

Have you ever received a lead for your preforeclosure investing business from the Better Business Bureau?  We have!  In fact, we’ve experienced an uptick in leads from them recently, and a new lead as fresh as this morning led me to write a blog post about it.

Unfortunately for those of us in the foreclosure prevention industry, there’s been more than a few bad apples who have spoiled the bunch.  Foreclosure scams have made things difficult for many honest, legitimate investors who run their business with nothing but integrity.

One of the things that I suggest to new investors is to immediately get their business approved with the Better Business Bureau.  It does cost money ($515 last time I checked) and does take time to get approved (1 year for online accreditation) but it is WELL worth it.

If you’re a new investor but you can tell a homeowner that you have a “Perfect Track Record” with the Better Business Bureau that is just HUGE for your business!

Not set up with the Better Business Bureau yet?  No problem!  Did you realize that when you subscribe to The Foreclosure Marketing Machine you instantly become part of the SaveMeFromForeclosure.com “family” and can now tell homeowners that SaveMeFromForeclosure.com has a perfect track record with the Better Business Bureau and an “A” rating? It’s HUGE helping you close deals!

Want to INSTANTLY get a foreclosure prevention website, a perfect track record with the BBB, outsourced loan mod and short sale partners, use of a new professional video, “done for you” press releases, exclusive access to leads, new free reports, advertorials, door knocker scripts plus a whole lot more?  Check out www.TheForeclosureMarketingMachine.com right now and you’ll be amazed the program that we’ve put together for you!  In fact, not only will the BBB exposure help generate more leads for you, but you’ll get EXCLUSIVE access to all of the leads in your county, PLUS we’ll even give you 100 FREE leads every month of homeowners who are either 30, 60 or 90 days past due on their mortgages (your choice).

There has never been a better time to set up your business for success in 2010, and reserving your very own SaveMeFromForeclosure.com territory is one of them.  You can check out everything right now, including a very special “case study” video right now at www.TheForeclosureMarketingMachine.com.

No matter what, your business, especially in the world of preforeclosures, needs an independent 3rd party to verify its validity to prospective clients.  What are you doing to address this?  You can build it yourself (you should), or you can have it done instantly for you (you should do this as well).

Share and Enjoy:

Dreama and I got the final report back on all of the people who purcashed FreedomSoft last night.

We decided to film a quick video, with a special guest, to announce the winners of the two contests.
Without further ado, here are the winners of the 2 contests:

We had an absolute blast during the contest, and congratulations to everyone who entered.

Dreama and I really looking forward to meeting all of the FreedomSoft Bonus prize winners here at our Mastermind in sunny San Diego, CA.

Also, special congratulations to Ken Hong, who selected www.unif2004.org as his charity of choice for our donation to the Haitian Relief Effort.  Dreama and I are proud to make a donation from SaveMeFromForeclosure.com

Share and Enjoy: