Since the beginning of time (the Bible), we are told how important knowledge is.  Because I don’t want you to perish in the world of real estate, I am sharing what the experts at the National Association of Realtors are saying about today’s real estate market.

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The following is an excerpt from the National Association of Realtors website…

Existing-Home Sales Off in
September but Higher
Than a Year Ago
Washington, DC, October 20, 2011

Existing-home sales were down in September on the heels of a strong gain in August, but remain well above a year ago, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

Total existing-home sales¹, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, declined 3.0 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.91 million in September from an upwardly revised 5.06 million in August, but are 11.3 percent above the 4.41 million unit pace in September 2010.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the market has been stable although at low levels, and there is plenty of room for improvement. “Existing-home sales have bounced around this year, staying relatively close to the current level in most months,” he said. “The irony is affordability conditions have improved to historic highs and more creditworthy borrowers are trying to purchase homes, but the share of contract failures is double the level of September 2010. Even so, the volume of successful buyers is higher than a year ago and is remaining fairly stable – this speaks to an unfulfilled demand.”

According to Freddie Mac, the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage fell to a record low 4.11 percent in September, down from 4.27 percent in August; the rate was 4.35 percent in September 2010.

Contract failures² were reported by 18 percent of NAR members in September, unchanged from August; they were 9 percent in September 2010. Contract failures are cancellations caused by declined mortgage applications, failures in loan underwriting from appraised values coming in below the negotiated price, or other problems including home inspections and employment losses.

NAR President Ron Phipps, broker-president of Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I., said access to credit is unbalanced. “All year we’ve been discussing the fact that many creditworthy home buyers are being denied mortgages,” he said. “On top of that, loan limits have been lowered, which means buyers of higher priced homes, including many in more expensive housing markets, now have to pay a higher interest rate for a jumbo mortgage than buyers who can qualify for a conventional loan. We need to remove the roadblocks to a housing recovery – not place more obstacles in the way of financially qualified buyers.”

All-cash sales accounted for 30 percent of purchase activity in September, up from 29 percent in August and 29 percent also in September 2010; investors make up the bulk of cash purchases.

Investors purchased 19 percent of homes in September, down from 22 percent in August; they were 18 percent in September 2010. First-time buyers accounted for 32 percent of transactions in September, unchanged from August; they were also 32 percent in September 2010.

The national median existing-home price³ for all housing types was $165,400 in September, down 3.5 percent from September 2010. Distressed homes – foreclosures and short sales typically sold at deep discounts – accounted for 30 percent of sales in September (18 percent were foreclosures and 12 percent were short sales), down from 31 percent in August and 35 percent in September 2010.

Total housing inventory at the end of September declined 2.0 percent to 3.48 million existing homes available for sale, which represents an 8.5-month supply⁴ at the current sales pace, compared with an 8.4-month supply in August.

Single-family home sales fell 3.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.33 million in September from 4.49 million in August, but are 12.2 percent above the 3.86 million-unit level in September 2010. The median existing single-family home price was $165,600 in September, down 3.9 percent from a year ago.

Existing condominium and co-op sales rose 1.8 percent a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 580,000 in September from 570,000 in August, and are 5.6 percent above the 549,000-unit pace one year ago. The median existing condo price⁵ was $163,800 in September, which is 1.0 percent below September 2010.

Regionally, existing-home sales in the Northeast rose 2.6 percent to an annual level of 790,000 in September and are 6.8 percent above a year ago. The median price in the Northeast was $229,400, down 3.3 percent from September 2010.

Existing-home sales in the Midwest slipped 0.9 percent in September to a pace of 1.09 million but are 17.2 percent higher than September 2010. The median price in the Midwest was $137,400, which is 1.4 percent below a year ago.

In the South, existing-home sales declined 2.6 percent to an annual level of 1.89 million in September but are 10.5 percent above a year ago. The median price in the South was $144,400, down 3.0 percent from September 2010.

Existing-home sales in the West fell 8.8 percent to an annual pace of 1.14 million in September but are 10.7 percent higher than September 2010. The median price in the West was $207,400, which is 4.5 percent below a year ago.

“The falloff in Western sales from a surge in August was expected because many lenders had lowered mortgage loan limits over concerns that sales wouldn’t close before the higher loan limits expired at the end of the September,” Yun said. “Given the concentration of higher cost housing in the West, particularly in California, many buyers were motivated to close in the months leading up to the changeover while they could still get low interest rates on conventional mortgages. Unless Congress reinstates the higher limits, the overall housing market recovery will be slower than it otherwise could be, and will hold back the broader economic recovery.”

Read More Here…..

 Information about NAR is available at www.realtor.org. This and other news releases are posted in the News Media section. Statistical data in this release, other tables and surveys also may be found by clicking on Research.

“Make it simple. Make it memorable.
Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.”
Lee Burnett (Advertising Executive, 1891-1971)

Giving out business cards is crucial to marketing your skills or services.  Anyone who is serious about their business should have a professional business card and always be looking for places to hand it out!

Here are some steps to getting them done most professionally, quickly and at the best price.

1)      Do some personal research. What are the other investors have on their business cards (or even their websites)? What do you like? What do you not like?

• Your business card is a direct reflection of you and your business.  It’s important you like them or you will not feel good about passing them out.
• Create a basic business card layout. If you are not internet or graphic savvy, I list some companies below that offer many examples you can take from. However, you will want to add your own personal touches.
  • Keep in mind your niche. Who is your customer? Put on your card what you want people to know about what you can do for them. What problems do you solve?
  • Do you want a picture on your card? Of what? Your photo? your logo? A house?
  • Do you want to offer a $500 to $1000 referral fee?  People will be more likely to keep and pass on your card if you are offering to pay them a referral fee for referrals.
  • Research printing companies that regularly focus on printing business cards.

Here are some questions you might want to confirm they will give you what you need:

• What is the turn-around time once the order is placed?
• Can you e-mail me a proof before printing? (this is a must)
• How much do you charge to create a personalized business card design?
• Is there a printing set up fee? If so how much?
• Is there a shipping fee? If so how much?
• Below is an online resources who usually offer 250 free basic style cards or 500 color one –sided color cards for less than $20. (I am not offering any guarantees. However, they have done a good job for me in the past)
• http://www.vistaprint.com

Powerful Tips To Get More Out of Your Business Cards

Business cards speak volumes about who you are, what you offer and how serious you are at marketing your real estate investing as a business. A school bell rings letting kids know class has started. Your business card is your bell announcing it time to get together too.  The following are some proven tips using business cards to increase your chances of creating and maintaining more business opportunities.

1. Never leave home without them. Before leaving home, your checklist should be expanded to include business cards, as part of “do I have my wallet/money, house keys, driver’s license’” Any ‘per chance’ meeting is an opportunity to give out a business card. A morning run or a quick trip to the local store could be an opportunity to network in line. Make it a habit to always carry business cards. Give out your card to everyone and their mother!! My kids even have their own supply to pass out. Someone told me they taped their cards inside outhouses when they attend fairs, festivals, concerts and frequently received calls from them.  Hey – whatever works!

2. Insert a business card when mailing bill payments. Bills contain advertisements. Why can’t you advertise your skills or services the same way? My reasoning for this… A movie, entitled ’6 Degrees of Separation’ points out that we are 6 people away from knowing someone of influence. Eric Horvitz of M Microsoft Research and Jure Leskovec of Carnegie Mellon University analyzed 30 billion conversations among 240 million people using Microsoft Instant Messenger in June 2006. It turned out that the average path length, or degree of separation, among the anonymous users probed was 6.6. You could be 6 people away from knowing the President of the United Sates, your favorite movie star or someone who is in a position to hire your skills or services. Each of us knows someone, who knows someone (X6.6 on average), who we need to know…

3. Use proper business card etiquette. Whenever you give a business card, ask for a business card. When given a business card, don’t just take it and place it in your pocket. Make the person feel important by looking at their card for a few seconds. You might see something that could be a topic of discussion. Write comments on the card such as date, location and common points of interest. These comments will prove valuable when following up with that person. This also demonstrates a sincere interest in the other person. Then place it in your wallet. This lets them know they reside in a special place with you. “Skill with People” by Les Giblin is a book that expands on this approach. Make people feel important, in order to make yourself important to them.

4. Be generous. Give business cards out to everyone, including family and friends. Hoarding your business cards only makes your wallet feel full, not your bank account.

5. Ask for referrals. When giving a business card, people feel more comfortable when you ask; ‘I would appreciate a referral, if you know anyone that could use my services’. Give them 2 cards.

6. Maximize every “per chance” meeting. You never know when you might meet someone who can help you. Small social events, like a birthday party your son is going to, could produce unexpected encounters with people you will want to network with. You never know who you might meet

7. Place yourself at the right place at the right time. Have you ever been to a REI club meeting to find out you were not really given an opportunity to pass out your cards. Volunteering for REI speaking and networking events for big name speakers has been a very successful resource for me to grow my business. Zig Ziglar, one of the most successful sales trainers in the world says “if you help enough people get what they want in life, you will get what you want in life”.

8. Do consistent follow up. Immediately after a meeting a person who could be part of your REI business, I suggest you “snail mail” a hand written note thanking the person for their time. Insert your business card. Now you’re in the driver’s seat in standing out from other people. If you get no response and were expecting one, do it again. Patience and persistence pays off. . Make it a habit to do this once a week. Remember ’6 Degrees of Separation’. You just never know. Remember, people open invitation type envelopes faster than any others.
Below I show you a picture of the business card I use for my internet business. I have included many of the recommended elements. Evaluate my business card and feel free to post what you think would make it better. What is missing? What do you like about it?  Feel free to post your input here, on my blog, so that others may benefit and learn from what you have to say.

Your Business card is a very important representation, yet a very inexpensive, way to get the word out about your business. It’s important to share them with everyone – everywhere you go. There is no better way to let others know what makes you and your services special and unique.

Spread the news!

Tamera Aragon
www.TameraAragon.com
Top 10 Marketing Strategies for Real Estate Investors
Part 1 -Aim-Ready-Fire- Talley The Score
Part 2 – Networking
Part 3 -Business Cards

Originally posted 2010-09-21 11:26:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

“It’s tangible, it’s solid, it’s beautiful.
It’s artistic from my standpoint.
I just love real estate.”
Donald Trump

Building relationships with Real Estate agents is vital to any real estate investor’s success. Why?

They bring you buyers.  They bring you sellers.  They bring you leads before they hit the market.  They present you to other realtors for offers.  They teach you how to get your offers accepted.  They are one of the most important members of your “power team”.

Important to work with “Winning Agents”

The old 80/20 rule applies. 20% of Agents will be handling 80% of the best whole sale properties. It’s important that you get out there and meet them! Here are some ideas to get to know who the movers and shakers are in your area:

1.       Join Local Realtor Association

2.       Call  local associations and ask who their REO specialists are

3.       Scan The Internet to see who is putting up the best listings. Examples:

• www.Realtor.com
• www.zillow.com
• www.ziprealty.com
• Google  “MLS online”  in your city to see all properties online

4.       Drive the area you are interested investing in. Look for agents who have signs posted in the areas you want to invest in.

What do you need to say when you meet them?

Most importantly do not make the about what they can do for you, make it about what you can do for them!

• Get Them On Your Team By Meeting Their Needs.
• Ask them questions.
• Get to know them.

If you are not comfortable with approaching new contacts,  you might think about buying the book by Dale Carnegie, ‘ How to Win Friends and Influence People’.  This is the best book on the logistics of how to do just what the title says.

I am going to focus on 2 specific strategies you can work with Realtors to grow both your businesses.

Realtor Partnership Strategy 1: EXPIRING LISTINGS: This one consists of Realtors Contacting agents holding listings that are about to expire.

This marketing is an easy way to discover untapped discount properties.  Do you agree that Realtors and sellers might be much more motivated to accept discounted offers when their listing is about to expire. As you know the Realtor will make no money for all their efforts if this happens. Plus the seller wants to sell the property and it won’t be sold.

• Steps for working with realtors to contact listings about to expire:

1. Contact Realtors looking for those who you can work to support each other’s businesses.  I follow a script when looking to build these most vital contacts.
2. When you meet Realtors excited to support you, set up a system to do the following:
   1. Realtor e-mails you list of all listings expiring in 30 days on a weekly basis. Excel format is best. You just need basic info – address, beds/baths/ sq feet/ notes from MLS.  Most important info is the listing Realtors name and e-mail address
   2. You go through and chose those you would like to make offers on. Make an offer that is sure to include all your costs after buying and make a profit for you.  To be sure your offer is where you need it to be, you would want to run the numbers through The Bottom Line Calculator.  Either your Realtor OR You will e-mail your purchase agreement to the sellers agent along with a cover letter, proof of funds, and copy of your earnest money check.  (Who does it will be up to you both. It’s a lot of work so it would be best if you would encourage your Realtor to allow you to do this tedious task.)

This system is a great free and easy way to reach out to motivated sellers.

Here is a Sample email content/cover letter for your Realtor to send on your behalf to Realtor who has expiring listing:

Hello,

My client has asked me to forward the attached purchase agreement (offer).  Thank you for discussing with your clients their consideration of it. In making this offer, I represent serious investors who have access to cash that will allow them to close on your seller’s property quickly if necessary.   Feel free to call me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Your Realtors Signature and Contact Info

Realtor Partnering Strategy 2 – SHORT SALE LEADS – The Second way to Partner with a Realtor to help them make double their commissions is handling Short Sales for both your “buys”  and your “sales”.

This strategy works great with open-minded Realtors who understand the law and see that this is a creative, but perfectly legal strategy that does not break anything inside the Realtors Code of Ethics. You will occasionally hear from unknowing, negative, close-minded people that when a Realtor is representing a seller, they cannot also represent you, the buyer, and also seller for after you buy it. They may say this is not “legal”.  However, as of the time of this writing, as long as proper paperwork is filed and all is disclosed and agreed to by all parties involved, nothing about this strategy is illegal. However, due to new laws coming out every day, be sure and run this strategy by a qualified attorney prior to using it.  Keep in mind, they do not have to represent you to find buyers, however if they would like, it is just another way they can profit 3 ways with 1 property. If they are not comfortable helping you to find a buyer for a property not yet closed, you will find buyers in other ways. Have you looked at this incredible online system…. www.cashbuyers4flips.com ?

SIDE NOTE: Whenever anyone tells you something is illegal or legal, ask if they can tell you where to find that information in writing.  You will run across many nay-sayers in your walk as a real estate investor.  It’s important you are swayed only by the facts and the law, not by well-meaning, yet unknowing, concerned individuals.

You would want to provide Realtors very easy instructions and explanations to read for how you would want to partner with them on your short sale deals. This information is on my own Easy I Buy Houses Website. (See http://www.tamerabuyshouses.com/ibuyhouses/realtors.php ) BTW! This  17 page website can be customized and used by you too. If you do not have a web presence, go here to get this ready made real estate investors website. (very cheap, hosted and ready to go in minutes). I highly recommend you take a look!  ( target=”_blank”www.EasyIBuyHousesWebsites.com)

Here’s How We Work Together to Create A Win/Win/Win/Win/Win/Win Situation!

1. A WIN for the Seller: Relieve over–leveraged homeowners from the pain of foreclosure and having their credit report badly damaged. They can now start a new chapter in their life.

2. A WIN for the Lender: When I handle the short sale with the bank, our packets go to the lender in perfect order so that they can process and negotiate the short sale in the most streamlined way possible. A successful short sale brings them greater financial return than the alternatives of an auction or REO.

3. A WIN for the Realtor: Collect a FULL commission and do what you do best–buying and selling real estate. By using our services you will not get bogged down with the paperwork, phone calls and interactions coming from overwhelmed loss mitigation departments. Plus – If you bring a new buyer to us, you then receive commissions on both the buy and a sell transaction… 6%

4. A WIN for Us: We might end up purchasing the home ourselves and making a larger profit margin from a subsequent sale.

5. A WIN for the new Buyer when I sell it: Now that the property’s price has been appropriately discounted for the market, it is much easier to attract a new homeowner when you put it on the market for me to sell.

1. First and most important, sellers, lenders, title companies… everyone involved in this transaction, receives full disclosures in writing from the beginning, communicating our intentions to buy and sell this property for a profit should the bank agree to accept our offer.
2. You market to find owners who are behind in payments or in foreclosure and who are interested in a short sale to avoid foreclosure and save their credit.
3. Contact us when you find a solid candidate for the program. If it looks good, we will submit an all cash offer.
4. We will then personally confer with you and the seller to explain the process and coordinate preparation of the required short sale documents. All intentions and plans are disclosed and agreed upon in writing with notary.
5. I , along with my short sale negotiation team,  are available to prepare, submit and negotiate the short sale package, driving the entire process for all involved and request they postpone the foreclosure auction if necessary.  (If the sellers agent would prefer handling short sale directly with bank instead of my team , that is great as long as they have a track record for success in this area).
6. While the short sale is being worked on, you work with me and my company to find a new end-user buyer. You create listing agreement with me as the seller and re-list house at agreed upon price. Full disclosure of entire process disclosed will be in writing up front to current owner.
7. The lender orders an interior BPO or appraisal to obtain an “as is” value.
8. We prepare a repair estimate, a terms and descriptions report along with our own comps to give to the lender’s BPO agent when we meet with them at property. (As an investor, I can let them in the house to assure BPO agent notes all its flaws)
9. We seek to find out what value the BPO agent gave to the house. We negotiate with the lender to find out their bottom-line price.
10. If the price makes sense, we will negotiate as needed and purchase the property with a 30 day close.
11. If the price does not make sense for me or my company to buy; you, as the Realtor still come out way ahead!  The process has given you some very important information in order for you to sell the house to anyone else you choose. By knowing  the lender’s bottom-line  acceptance  price, plus some potential buyers you have reached out to for us,  you are now in a position to sell the property quickly at an attractive price to those buyers or anyone else on the market at a agreed upon price.
12. However, if the price makes sense for us to buy, or we have an offer from an end buyer, as promised we will purchase the property with quick cash closing as promised. Keep in mind, our purchase contract will stipulate that the lender pays buyer’s closing cost, seller concessions and full real estate commission.  No money is ever requested from the seller.

To close the transaction we use title companies that are familiar with the sometimes more complex title and escrow work in transferring our new property to a new homeowner in a short period of time.

You may enjoy a complimentary video training on this strategy here: www.CoachingU2Profits.com )

Expired listings and short sales are just 2 of the many ways in which a good Realtor and you can support each other’s businesses.  There are many other strategies you may learn as well. I have over 24 exit strategies I teach my students in just one part of my 11 part training and coaching program, in addition to how to scripts to follow when calling every member of your much needed investors power team.  If you think you could use a down to earth, step by step plan, to quick profits through real estate investing, go to www.Coachingu2profits.com to see if this is right for you.

In the mean time, the most important thing you can do for your business is Get the Word Out!  Marketing yourself is the key to your success.

Spread the news!

Tamera Aragon
www.TameraAragon.com
Top 10 Marketing Strategies for Real Estate Investors
Part 1 -Aim-Ready-Fire- Talley The Score
Part 2 – Networking
Part 3 -Business Cards



Originally posted 2010-10-11 11:26:28. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

I read this article the other day and thought it worth sharing. I feel more strongly than ever that today’s real estate market is bringing the best opportunity to profit from real estate than at any other time in history…..

…Hurray for real estate investors! Tamera Aragon

Here is what Steve Berkowitz, Chief Executive Officer
of Move Inc, wrote in his recent article.

Many homeowners might be flinching at the latest home price reports may not be in a grateful mood right now.

But what they may not realize is that property values could be in worse shape if not for the recent actions of many unsung players in their local housing markets… …real estate investors.

Today, while investors make up less than 20 percent of all home owners, in recent months they’ve been quietly buying approximately 35 percent of all homes sold each month. Even more intriguing, investors are expected to become three times more active than typical homebuyers in the next two years, based on data from a new investor survey recently conducted for Move, Inc.

While there’s nothing new about investing in real estate, today’s climate has made it an attractive option for a wide variety of little known buyers in thousands of communities across the country. Many are typical homeowners who probably won’t or can’t sell their existing home at today’s prices.  Instead, they opt to rent them out until prices improve.  Others are taking advantage of low prices to buy second homes or retirement properties as long term investments, and then rent them until they’re ready to use the property themselves.

They also don’t fit the stereotypical deal driven buyer known as a ‘flipper.’   Most real estate investors today are beginners; only 36 percent have done more than one deal. Most are financing over 50 percent of the transaction; only 18.5 percent will use all cash.  They also have a heightened interest in their local communities; 62 are paying more attention to local home values today than they were a year ago.  Two-thirds say they’re investing for the long term and half plan to hold their properties for five years or more.

It’s also important to keep in mind that today’s investors do more than just reduce local housing inventory with their purchases.  Many repair the properties they buy and then live in them until they’re ready to sell or return them to the community as rentals or restored properties for sale.  For many it’s a labor of love; some 42 percent of investors save money by doing the work themselves.

For some, the decision to venture into real estate investing is simply a matter of economics and opportunity.  They see prospects for a 10 to 20 percent gain over five years as a real estate investor, where others see overstocked housing inventories with little chance of earning value.  They see stock market investments in today’s recessionary climate are only yielding 1.6 percent a year over five years.  They also see the potential to regain recent portfolio losses within a local housing market they know and probably lived in for many years.  It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for many that cannot and must not be ignored.

Local real estate investors are a more vital force in the marketplace today than perhaps at any other time in recent history.  They are a little known factor that’s shoring up many local housing markets.  One might even say American entrepreneurialism is helping to preserve the American dream of homeownership.

In the next few years, it’ll be very interesting to see how they fare as the market changes.  In the interim, let’s give them credit for the role they now play in helping to keep local housing markets alive

Article taken from: http://www.businessinsider.com/todays-real-estate-investors-a-vital-force-in-americas-communities-2011-5#ixzz1OX0Vci9D

Originally posted 2011-06-06 15:04:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

“Doing business without advertising is like winking
at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does.”

~Steuart Henderson Britt

Classified ads are a good cost /effective way to reach property sellers in  Pre-foreclosure, and pre-default. Secondary niches who you will find contact you from your ads are Absentee Owners, Probate and bankruptcy. Classified ads are also good for selling any type of property.

Keys to Success:

• Ensure that your headlines command attention and virtually DEMAND that your prospects take action.
• You have to be UNIQUE. What do you have or do that makes you stand out from the chatter of the ever-increasing crowd?
• Write as you speak rather than as a professional “Report Writer.”
• Don’t sell the prevention, sell the cure.  As Jay Abraham says, “Nobody wants the ¼ inch drill. What they want is a ¼ inch hole.”
• Take all the risk away from a buying decision by making an IRON-CLAD guarantee & STICK to it.
• Cover concerns and likely objections of your TARGET audience.
• Test your copy and your advertisements before you start to roll them out on a large scale.

Remember… suspect = prospect = customer = client = raving fan…and maybe even a friend

Estimated Cost

Print Ads: The costs for print classified ads are not cheap. But when we look are our ROI, (return on Investment), this form of advertising makes us money. We spend about $800 a month which is also $10,000 a year on newspaper ads and we bring in an average of 4 deals a year netting us $100k annually. That is getting my money back 10 times!!!

Online Ads: There are many online classified ad spaces to place your ads and many are free. I always place my property on Craigslist.org and backpage.com. To get your information out to many online advertising resources very quickly, I recommend a free service at www. postlets.com .

Here are the steps to follow in placing print classified ads:

• Website searches: www.newspapers.com or Search the term “newspapers” by your city, state online via Google or Yahoo.
• Personal touch: Contact the Chamber for your niche city and ask for information on Main Newspapers and smaller Neighborhood Newspapers like the Penny Saver or Fickle Nickel; etc…..and get the Name, Phone Number and Website Address’s for each one.
  1. Then look at the each newspaper under real estate wanted & Real Estate Finance/Services. Check out what other investors are doing.
  2. Call all the newspapers and find out the following:
     • Circulation: where does the paper go and how many are delivered.
     • Ask if they have any special days or sections catered to real estate. For instance, our paper is Wednesday and Sundays.
     • What is the cost for an ad you have created to run 1 week? You can work with them on making changes to the ad to get the price down.
     • Ask if they have any specials available right now. If so what?
     • Create your ad with the representative on the phone
     • Be sure and ask for proof prior to printing if at all possible.
     • Run an ad for 1 month in the most popular print ad spaces.
       This will allow you to really understand what kind of response you get. You can do 1 at a time or do 2 to 3 at once (depending on how busy you want to be and your budget)
     • When you get calls always do the following:
       • Answer the phone. Or if you can’t answer the phone, it would be best to use an answering service.
       • Keep track of your leads by asking where the seller saw your add
       • Also ask the seller: “what was it about my ad that made them want to call me.”
     • If you not receiving any calls it could be that the ad you placed
       is the reason. At this point it is best to tweak the ad a little and put it back out there.
     • Once you do the tracking for a month see which one brought in the most leads and stick with that one.
     • Repeat the process when necessary.

Here are a few sample ads that have worked for me!

SAMPLE: FOR RENT OR RENT TO OWN

*SW    215/Durango*

RENT or RENT-2-OWN

3bd/2.5ba + loft $1485mo.

Call   380-7848

Why rent when you can

RENT 2 OWN!

Bad Credit ok!

5 bedroom/2 bath

Newly Remodeled.

Granite Fireplace

Hardwood Floors

10% down/ $1495/mo.

Call Now! xxx-xxx

*SW   215/Durango*

Lease 2 Own

3bd/2.5ba + loft

$5000/down  $1485/mo.

$200/mo credit towards

purchase  Call 380-7848

AIRPORT *Brand New!

4/2, 1965sf, pool, park,

Tennis +upgrades, $7000

Down, $1695mo$200/mo

2725 Telegraph Ave

Lease 2 Own

3bd/1ba.  Built-in pool.

$15K/down $1600/mo.

$300/mo credit towards

Purchase. Call 649-7586

2725 Telegraph Ave

Lease 2 Own

3bd/1ba.  Built-in pool.

$15K/down $1600/mo.

$300/mo credit towards

purchase. Bad Credit ok.

Call 649-7586

FOR SALE 100k and under

ONLY $69K – CALL TODAY!
OWNER MUST SELL.

Fixer upper.  Large Lot.
Hazelton and Fresno

in  Stockton.

Make Offer. Xxx-xxxx

FOR SALE 100-200K

Don’t Pass.   It Won’t Last!

MUST SELL! Newly Remodeled.

4Bed 3Bath. 2 story

Covered Patio, Built in BBQ

Hardwood & Tile Floors

Otto & Estate Area

$189K or BO 209-957-6971

Don’t Pass.   It Won’t Last!

MUST SELL! Newly Remodeled.

5 Bedrooms 2 Bathroom. Covered Patio.

Granite Fireplace. Hardwood Floors.

Lower Sacramento & Hammer Lane

$149K. Make an offer!   Xxx-xxx

Need a home to call your Own?

4 bedroom/2 bath

Newly Remodeled.

Tile Floors, build in BBQ

Owner must sell! xxx-xxxx

MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS

I’ll Buy or Lease Your House Within 48 Hours
or Tell You Why No One Else Will
Ask for Marge xxx-xxx-xxxx

We’ll Buy Your Home Today!!!
Don’t Make Another Payment
Ask for Mark  xxx-xxx-xxxx

Do You Own An Unwanted Home?
Free Consultation
Sell Today
Call Dave  xxx-xxx-xxxx

Kristie Buys Houses
Immediate Debt Relief
Locally Owned and Operated
xxx-xxx-xxxx

Payment Assistance
We Buy and Lease Houses
Don’t Delay, Call Today
Bryson  xxx-xxx-xxxx

Behind on Payments?
Need Immediate Help?
Call today for free consultation
xxx-xxx-xxxx

Area Specialist Buys Real Estate
Little or No Equity OK
Cash or Terms
Prices Quoted By Phone
Dana xxx-xxx-xxxx

We Buy and Lease Houses
Don’t Delay Call Today
Bryson xxx-xxx-xxxx

Can’t Sell Your House?
Behind on Payments
Little or No Equity?
I can Help!
Call Jordan  xxx-xxx-xxxx

Free Report
How to Sell Your Home in 3 Days or Less
Any Area or Condition
AC  xxx-xxx-xxxx

Real Estate Workouts
Problem Ownership is My Specialty
Call Roscoe xxx-xxx-xxxx

Corporate Leases Needed
Your Home May Qualify
Don’t Make Another Payment
Ask for Perry  xxx-xxx-xxxx

Ads should be in the local newspaper everyday.
(You can’t catch any fish if your line is not in the water)

Additional Ad Ideas

I suggest you place the following ads in the financial section or
the real estate services as a second choice.

Immediate Debt Relief
Stuck with a house payment you can’t afford?
Stuck with a house you no longer want?
Call Sue @ 777-444-1111

NEED TO SELL FAST
I BUY HOUSES
CASH TERMS OR TAKE OVER PAYMENTS
RAPID DEBT RELIEF
CALL: xxx-xxxx

0 Stress, 0 Cost to you.  Sell for cash in 72 hours.
Foreclosure OK.  We can even help you move.
Husband/Wife team in CA since ’80.
Extensive references.  Call John & Judy, xxx-xxxx

CASH FOR HOUSES
In 48 Hours!
Any area, price or condition
Call xxx-xxx-xxxx

I suggest you place the following ads in the
“Homes wanting to Buy” section of your newspaper:

Executive investor wants to buy a nice home
in a nice area on a lease purchase option.
Call Tom @ 777-444-1111

Want out? Give us a shout…
We buy houses
Phone number
Website address

Spread the news!

Tamera Aragon
www.TameraAragon.com
Top 10 Marketing Strategies for Real Estate Investors
Part 1 -Aim-Ready-Fire- Talley The Score
Part 2 – Networking
Part 3 -Business Cards
Part 4 -Win-Win-Win with Realtors

Originally posted 2010-10-25 10:22:03. Republished by Blog Post Promoter