REALTOR^® Magazine Seeks Entries for Good Neighbor Awards

Five $10,000 Grants will be Awarded!

REALTOR^® Magazine’s Good Neighbor Awards recognize REALTORS^® who have made an extraordinary impact on their community, or on the national or world stage, through volunteer work. Five winners are announced each fall in REALTOR^® Magazine. Winners are recognized annually at the REALTORS^® Conference & Expo, and receive $10,000 grants for their charities. Winners also receive travel expenses to the conference and national and local media exposure for their community cause. In addition to the winners, five honorable mentions each receive a $2,500 grant. Good Neighbor Awards entries must be received by Friday, May 18, 2012. For more details and a nomination form, call 800- 874-6500, or visit www.REALTOR.org/gna.

If you know a realtor that you would like to nominate anywhere in the country, Please submit them. I applaud not only realtors but anyone who would qualify for an award like this.

Simple, the announcer in the advertisement didn’t use any of the above tactics. He realized that simply because everyone else in his industry seems to have a “SELL! SELL! SELL! BUY! BUY! BUY!” mindset, didn’t mean it was the correct approach. Instead, he decided to show his humanity by simply stating the facts and showing his expertise in the auto industry. With his calm and knowledgeable approach, he made my co-worker stop and pay attention. She even admitted to thinking that maybe it’s time for her to shop for a new car, and this is probably a salesman she would like to contact.

So what can we learn from this Car Salesman? This gentleman not only seems to have a firm grasp on the ins and outs of managing a car dealership and the true benefits his cars offer his customers, he also understands how to effectively use his marketing mediums. He managed to take TV, a traditionally one-way forum of mass communication and make it something personal to his viewers. He understands that selling is as much about listening as it is about talking. An old supervisor put it best when he said, “You have two ears and one mouth for a reason, because a good salesman does twice as much listening as they do talking.”

I believe a realtors job is assist their clients in finding the features in a home that meet their needs. We accomplish this by building personal relationships through establishing trust and positioning ourself as their real estate expert. In time, this approach will increase transactions and (even better) referrals as our customers tell their friends how professional and knowledgeable we are.

If your not getting this type of service with your realtor on your largest investment… maybe you should find one that will offer you what you desire.

2)      So, why is a car’s windshield so large and the rear view mirror so small?  Because our past is not as important as our future. So, look ahead and move on!

3)      Friendship is like a book…it takes a few minutes to burn, but it takes years to write.

4)      All things in life are temporary.  If going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever.  If going wrong, don’t worry, they can’t last long either.

5)      Old friends are Gold! New friends are diamonds!  If you get a diamond, don’t forget the gold. To hold a diamond, you always need a base of gold.

6)      Often when we lose hope and think this is the end. God smiles from above and says, “Relax, sweetheart, it’s just a bend, not the end.”

7)      When God solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities. When God doesn’t solve your problems, HE has faith in your abilities.

8)      A blind person asked St. Anthony, “Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?”  He replied ,” Yes, losing your vision.”

9)      When you pray for others God listens to you and blesses them, and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember, someone has prayed for you.

10)   Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles, it takes away today’s peace.

Here are some other mistakes that can make your credit tumble.

Maxing out your credit card.

The balance to limit ratio is almost as important as paying your bills on time, accounting for 30% of your credit score.  A good rule of thumb is to never charge over 30% of your credit limit. This means if you have a total of $10,000 as the limit on your credit cards, you should never have a balance greater than $3,000.

Missing a payment

Just one 30 day late payment can drop your credit score significantly. Payment history is the single most important factor in the calculation of your credit score, at 35%.

Not checking your credit report.

It is estimated that over a third of credit reports contain some sort of error.

Co-signing a loan.

Sure, you want to be a good friend, neighbor, cousin, brother, etc. and help obtain a line of credit your loved one cannot qualify for on their own.   However, becoming a co-signer on a loan for someone else is really asking for trouble.  If the borrower does not pay on time or at all, you are responsible for the loan.

The best advice on this one is: Just say NO!

Closing an old credit card

15% of a person’s credit score is their length of credit history.  Credit cards are factored in by the age of the oldest account, and the average age of all the accounts.

Look at this example. Say you have 4 credit cards. The oldest is one you opened in college, 22 years ago. The others you have had 15 years, 9 years, and one you just opened 2 years ago.  Currently, the oldest account is 22 years old, and the average age of the accounts is 12 years.  If you close the oldest account, that changes the oldest account to 15 years, and the average age of the accounts decreases to 8 years. This change in credit history can cause a decrease in your credit score.

You plan on moving anyway, so go ahead and pack those items up ahead of time. Leave just enough in places to highlight book shelves, counter tops and walls. Think about homes you are looking at and the comments you make about those homes – Both good and bad.

It is also helpful to remove any excess furniture as well as move furniture around to give the best traffic flow in each room and make it look as large as possible. Use your friends and family for suggestions or comments on possible ideas. Your realtor will have helpful suggestions and ideas in this area also.

The more you do to help yourself and realtor the better chance you will have of selling your home faster.

Remember Buyers whether they are moving up or down sizing want the feeling that if they move into your home it will be clean and attractive. If they walk into a fully decorated or over decorated home they may get the feeling life would not be better if they bought your home or that I need renovation.

I know this can be emotionally hard to do, but again, think about homes you are looking at and the comments you make about those homes – Both good and bad.

The following information is usually required during the loan process:

• Your Social Security number
• Valid Driver’s License or picture I.D.
• Current pay stubs or, if self employed, your tax returns for the past two years
• Copy of last year’s W-2 (most recent 2 years’ for FHA)
• Bank statements for the past two months
• Savings/Investment account statements for the past two months
• Life insurance policy
• Retirement account statements for the past two months
• Make and model of vehicles you own and their resale value
• Credit card account information
• Auto loan account information
• Personal loan account information

If you currently own Real Estate:

• Mortgage account information
• Home insurance policy information
• Home equity account information (if applicable)

If you are looking for a “Main Street” business I just may have one for you. The business consists of a 6,330 SF building built in 2003 on 1.588 acres in Broken arrow, OK. In a desirable location on a highly travel arterial street. Professionally landscaped including water features, sprinkler system and 72 paved parking spaces. This property is worth the money just in the building and land, However, if you want the Restaurant business as well they will include it for you. Matter of fact the owners will stay on until you are comfortable with the day to day business just to help make the transition smooth.  

Most people are aware of the big actions that can cause your credit score to take a tumble: filing bankruptcy, having an account sent to collections,or being foreclosed upon. However, these are not the only actions that can decrease your credit score. Here are some other mistakes a consumer can make with their credit. While not ‘major offenders’, these 5 missteps can still prohibit you from joining the credit elite.

Maxing out your credit card.

The balance to limit ratio is almost as important as paying your bills on time, accounting for 30% of your credit score.  A good rule of thumb is to never charge over 30% of your credit limit. This means if you have a total of $10,000 as the limit on your credit cards, you should never have a balance greater than $3,000.

Consumers who think they are managing their finances wisely by only having one credit card, but are using over 30% of the limit are actually HURTING their credit score.

Missing a payment

Just one 30 day late payment can drop your credit score significantly. Payment history is the single most important factor in the calculation of your credit score, at 35%.

A consumer who has no late payments on their credit history is gaining lots of points for their positive usage! One late pay can change all that. It is possible for a good credit score to drop 80 points with just one 30 day late.

Whether you sign up for automatic payments through your bank, get an app that reminds you, or write the date your bills are due on your calendar, pay those bills on time!

Not checking your credit report.

It is estimated that over a third of credit reports contain some sort of error. These bits of erroneous information can be accounts showing late that were actually not late, collections that should have never gone into collections, or accounts that are not even yours!

By not checking your credit report, these errors linger on your credit history and can cause your score to take a dive. Be sure you are checking your credit report at least once a year.  Review all accounts, balances, and payment history.  Make certain to follow up on any information that looks erroneous, and get it removed from your report by filing a dispute.

Co-signing a loan.

Sure, you want to be a good friend, neighbor, cousin, brother, etc. and help obtain a line of credit your loved one cannot qualify for on their own.   However, becoming a co-signer on a loan for someone else is really asking for trouble.  If the borrower does not pay on time or at all, you are responsible for the loan.

The loan will also show up on your credit report and be factored into your credit score. If the borrower is paying late, all those late pays will show up on your credit report, affecting your credit score in a very negative fashion. And once that happens, there is nothing you can do about it.

The scariest part of all is that this can happen without your knowledge. Co-signers rarely receive a copy of the bill, so they would not be made aware of the issue until the account was in a default status.

The best advice on this one is: Just say NO!

Closing an old credit card

15% of a person’s credit score is their length of credit history.  Credit cards are factored in by the age of the oldest account, and the average age of all the accounts.

Look at this example. Say you have 4 credit cards. The oldest is one you opened in college, 22 years ago. The others you have had 15 years, 9 years, and one you just opened 2 years ago.  Currently, the oldest account is 22 years old, and the average age of the accounts is 12 years.  If you close the oldest account, that changes the oldest account to 15 years, and the average age of the accounts decreases to 8 years. This change in credit history can cause a decrease in your credit score.

The best idea would be to keep the old credit card, and use it a few times a year to make sure it is positively factored into your credit score.

It’s obvious to guard against bankruptcy, foreclosures, and collections.  Also make it a top priority to put measures in place to make sure you don’t make any of these small credit mistakes either.  Your credit score will thank you for it!

Two of my personal favorites is Dropbox and DocsToGo. These are APPS for my I-Pad which allow mw to quickly drop Phots’s, Presentations and Documents into my Ipad. DocsToGo will also give you the ability to edit or make changes to the documents such as Excell, Word and publisher.  These are cloud baased systems, so all changes i make can be accessed by my I-pad, I-phone and compter. I personally use these APPS on a daily bases to manage all the different projects i have going on at the same time. Try them, I hope it helps you as much as it has nme.

Do you have a pile of business cards you’ve been meaning to organize? If so, you might want to check out LinkedIn’s Cardmuncher. This app allows you to simply shoot a photograph of a business card and upload it to LinkedIn’s servers. LinkedIn then has a staff of real people that transcribe the business card into a contact for your phone. If the person you scanned also has a LinkedIn account, this app will give you a one-click button to connect with them.

Please give me feedback to any apps you might be using – i am always tring to learn better ways of staying productive.