Building Wealth Magazine

Choosing the Right Real Estate Agent

Choosing the right person to represent you in negotiating your home purchase is a major decision. Whenever you see the designation of REALTOR® (with a registered trademark) you can rest assured that person is a member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR), and has a commitment to meeting the standards of the organization. My team and I have a network of professionals that have done a great job for our clients in the past, and we can provide you with a referral to a qualified representative, and pre-approval to shop as a cash buyer.

How will you know which REALTOR® is right for you?

Seek to work with an experienced Real Estate professional that works with buyers on a regular basis. A real pro will go the extra mile to show you that they will look out for your best interest and gain your respect. Sincerity is a key word here. This type of Real Estate Agent

will act promptly to get you information about their team and their methods of doing business, along with quotes and references from past clients.

Once you set an appointment to meet with a Real Estate Agent and his/her team, they should be rolling out the red carpet for you. You should have a personal introduction to each person you are expected to have contact with throughout the buying process. They should go out of their way to establish a long-term relationship with you, rather than thinking of you as a one-time transaction.

An experienced buyer’s representative will ask many questions regarding your goals rather than tell you what they think you want to hear. He/she will also take your finances into consideration so that they can help you make the purchase you qualify for. They will seek to exceed your expectations in every way by having a system in place that provides complete customer satisfaction

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What can an experienced REALTOR® do for you?

An experienced professional will have access to the computerized Multiple Listing Service

(MLS), which changes daily. He or she can provide you with new listings to consider as they become available, and will also include important demographics and market value information on the area you are seeking to buy a home. This person will serve as a strong negotiator on your behalf and provide guidance every step of the way. In the long run, using a trained professional will save you time and money. It is important to let your Real Estate Agent know what your goals are so he/she can eliminate the listings that do not meet your criteria.

Likewise, it is equally important to let my team know what your goals are so we can provide you with financing that fits your current and long-term goals. Our job is not just to close a loan for you, but to help you build a strong financial future by assisting you with managing that debt in the future. We use an extensive database system that allows us to run reports and determine when refinancing is appropriate and beneficial.

 

 

We work with Realtors® Nationwide. Contact us for one we trust near you. www.GGGLoans.com

 

 

 

The Benefits of a Professional Consultant

Choosing the right lender is a key element to managing your mortgage. As a mortgage consultant, my goal is not just to provide you with a loan, but also to help select the one most beneficial to you and your long-term goals, and then, help you manage that debt over time. There are not many lenders out there who provide this type of personalized service.

My job is just beginning when your first loan closes. I will continuously monitor rates on your behalf, and stay in touch with you to make sure we remain on target with your financial goals.

Seek Pre-Approval

What’s the difference between pre-qualification and pre-approval?

Pre-qualification is the starting point in your search for mortgage financing. A quick snapshot is taken which includes income, existing debt, savings, length of employment, etc. All of these factors will then be analyzed to determine your loan eligibility.

Pre-approval is Read the rest of this entry »

 What it Takes to Get Ahead of the Competition

Very few individuals have the luxury of being the only professional in their marketplace offering their particular service. Competition is constantly at our heels, hoping to catapult one step ahead of us. For this reason, we must continually strive to differentiate ourselves from any competition we may have.

Dan Sullivan, President of The Strategic Coach Inc. and co-author of How The Best Get Better, provides a solution. According to Sullivan, if you wish to remain in the upper echelon of your profession you must “…disregard your own commodity and focus on deepening the power and possibility of all your relationships.”*

This means that no matter how much better your business model may be Read the rest of this entry »

Know Your Target and Hit the Bull’s-eye

When evaluating the different advertising formats that are available to you, it’s important to define the best approach to reach your target market. Advertising representatives are quick to brag about “reach” and impressions,” but their demographics can be misleading when taking your objectives and budget into consideration.Direct marketing guru, Karen Deis, feels that it is critically important to maximize your advertising dollars in an effort to have qualified customers call you first.For example, if your target market is people who are considering a home purchase, then it makes more sense to advertise in your local, freely distributed home-shopper magazine than in your local newspaper, even if it costs more. The 100,000 people reading the newspaper are looking for news, and may not be looking for Real Estate at all. On the other hand, the 1,000 people reading the home-shopper magazine are specifically looking for homes. Focus as tightly as possible on your target market and consider the following questions Read the rest of this entry »

Make a Great Impression with the Right Body Language 

Practicing scripts is a wonderful way to perfect what you say to clients. It’s also important to study how you look when you deliver your speech. Body language can account for up to 90% of the impression you make in a conversation, and it can enhance or undermine the point you’re trying to make.Here’s one way to find out whether your gestures are telling customers you are desperate or self-confident. Set up a video camera and practice your pitch to your spouse, siblings, or co-workers in a role-play scenario. Talk to them just as you would a new client. Then watch the tape and see what your body language is telling people. Here are some key things to look for:

Do you make appropriate eye contact, without staring down your client? An intense stare makes people uncomfortable, and can even make them feel you’re a little off balance. On the other hand, if you avoid eye contact, the person you are speaking to will probably think you’re lying. Be attentive and smile. This tells them you’re a winner!

What is your posture saying? It’s important to look relaxed, but don’t overdo it. Slumped shoulders give a negative impression; on the other hand, leaning back and clasping your hands behind your head tells people you are quite full of yourself. If the bottom half of your body is covered by your desk when a new client is sitting across from you, they’re missing half of your body language. So the way you position yourself in your chair is very important. Relax and lean slightly forward with one shoulder as you tilt your head just a bit. This shows you are captivated by what they have to say.

In business, we often have to remain positive even in a negative situation. Being attentive to your own body language can make an incredible difference in how others perceive you. This is one area where practice really does make perfect. Rest assured, if you’re not practicing, your competition probably is. 

Setting Salaries and Bonuses for Your Assistants

A good assistant can make all the difference in business. It can be the difference between doing fine and doing great, between breaking even and being profitable.So what’s the best way to get (and keep) someone good? Make sure they’re well compensated. Here are a few tips to make sure that the good ones stick around and stay properly motivated:

Pay good money for good people. According to Payscale.com, the median salary for an administrative assistant is $29,500, and the median salary for an executive assistant is $39,000. That pay is for those who do a median job. Better performers could get paid five to ten thousand dollars more - even higher, depending on the cost of living in your area. Always err on the side of overpaying, assuming you can afford it. Read the rest of this entry »

Productivity Will Follow

How many times have you experienced a brilliant revelation while in the middle of something else? Ten minutes later, you go to retrieve it, and it’s gone. Or you have a task that you know you must complete, perhaps a phone call at work, but other items keep popping up. The day ends, you pull into your driveway, and realize that you never made that call.

Years ago, George A. Miller wrote an article for The Psychological Review in which he suggested that the number of items a person can keep in their short-term memory is approximately seven, plus or minus two. With everything going on in the world around us, it’s no wonder that we forget so many things.

What’s the solution? Write it down! Productivity expert David Allen* believes that you should avoid having the same thought more than once, unless you enjoy that particular thought. Our minds are prone to Read the rest of this entry »