Home Financing Ninja

The Results of Optimizing Your Active Rain Profile

In my previous article, I wrote about the importance of optimizing your Active Rain Profile.  This was targeted at the new members of active rain, but the more I look, there are many Rainmakers who should do the same thing in order to get optimal results.

So lets talk about the effects of this

Example 1: Phil Caufield

Do a Google Search for Phil, another Active Rain approved trainer like myself.  He is number 1, 6, 7, and 9 on Google with a "reccommended search" at the bottom

Now, Google Search "Jumbo Loans, Burlingame, California".  His content is at position 1 thru 5, number 7 and number 11

As you can see by his profile, he has the term "Jumbo Loans" and "FHA Loans" and "Pre-Approval" - All cities except San Fran (Address Line 1 and 2) which again, proves that smaller is better

Example 2: Steven L Smith

He has the terms "Home Inspector" and "Home Inspections": Located in All Cities (again, address lines 1/2) and even the ZIP CODE (did you notice that)

Talk about profile power - Notice the Local Business Results and the results for His Website -- King of the House

Has this helped you to see the light.  Do you like this level of customer service from Active Rain

Then take the plunge - How to Join Active Rain for $1.00 for the first thirty days

Log into your free account - Then Click on the coupon

Have you found this helpful -- Then imagine what I can do for you as a loan originator or a property marketing animal.  I am here to help you win more listings, sell more homes, finance your clients to make YOU the expert in your area and a part of a high functioning team.

Who's Your Pal

Chuck Ward
Program Manager, Realtor Coach and Mentor

Florida Home Benefits/Proficio Mortgage Ventures

New Members: Why You Should Optimize Your Active Rain Profile for Better SEO Results

Lately, I have been getting out of my comfortable office chair and pushing myself into areas outside my comfort level. 

I have been making it a part of my list to call at least two new members from Active Rain on a daily basis.  This person suggested it in her blog a few months ago.  Since I have moved into a new (bank) office that allows me to work for agents in 48 states (48 is more than one), I can now go outside of Florida to help other professionals. 

What do I do when I talk to someone.  You see, most members are not Rainmakers.  So they have the free account that allows them to only post to other members.  The first thing that I review is their profile page.  I would estimate that of the profiles I have reviewed, less than 5% are optimized for Google, Bing, and the other search engines

So Let The Class Begin

Active Rain Profile Page Optimization 101

GOALS:
By the end of this class, you will know how to optimize your profile page on Active Rain
By the end of this class, you will know why that is important
By the end of this class, you will understand why you should become a Rainmaker
By the end of this class, you will learn how to become a Rainmaker for $1 for the First 30 Days (for those of you on the fence)

Where is that Profile Page at anyways.  Do you see the Blue bar running across the length of your screen at the top?  Look at the right corner -- See "My Home" in white.  Click on that button

What now.  There are a lot of places to click.  Do you see on the right side, 3rd Block down, "My Profile (Edit) -- Click There, (please)

Good Job, Grasshopper! You have now successfully negotiated the challenge of locating and manuvering to your Active Rain Profile.  Here you can upload an HD Picture (for more points) and create your own unqiue customized, optimized Active Rain Profile

SEO Techniques

Step One:
Add one or two key phrases after your name.  These terms must be very specific.  These can be location (geographically) specific or title specific.  For example -- "Short Sale Specialist" or "FHA Loans in Tampa, Florida." Get the idea?  Your typical "Homes for Sale" just won't cut it, after all everyone else is doing that.  But "Luxury Multi Family Homes under $200k in Bergen County New Jersey"

Step Two:
Lather, Rinse, and Repeat Step One, but this time do it in the "Company Name" Field

Step Three:
Most common mistake is what to put into "Address Lines 1 and 2".  (Hint: It is NOT your address that you want!) Instead of actual company location, insert your market area.  Bigger is NOT better here.  Instead of the cities or metropolises, do Suburbs, Communities.  Instead of Florida or Tampa, I should have Temple Terrace, Easton Park, Hunter's Green, Riverview, etc.  Make sure that you seperate each with a comma.  Again - Lather, Rinse, Repeat one address line #2 for shinier results!!

Step Four:
You now see three larger form fields.  This is where the bulk of your information about you is going to be at.

But Chuck, I don't know what to say?  No problem -- Use this model - WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY - Essentially -- Who the heck are YOU.

• WHO are you
• WHAT  do you specialize in?  What niche product or market
• WHERE do you offer your services at? Remember, geographically specific is good
• WHY do you do what you do?  (That's all you, cause I am not inside your mind, not yet at least)
• REFER BACK TO STEP One Thru Three: Repeat Key terms from the key phrases your added in your name and company name.  Repeat also locations from step three
• Make those Key Phrases Stand Out:  Make those phrases stand out by either bolding, underlining or italics.  If you add images, put those key phrases in the title.
• Linking: Second Most Common Mistake (I think this is the NUMBER ONE BIGGEST MISTAKE.  Employ proper search term anchoring.  What is that you ask - Find a phrase that people search on.  Again, specificity is best here.  NEVER, NEVER, EVER, NEVER (ie - don't do it) make a link of "click here" or "email now".  Make a link with the phrase of "Luxury Homes for Sale in Tampa, Florida - Hunters Green" (See Below for an imaged example)

Rinse, Lather, Repeat, Rinse, Repeat Again: For a Flake Free, Shiny Profile and Blog - Repeat once per week (minimum) by adding new content and incorporate terms into those articles (blogs).  Not sure what to say, Talk about Listings, Programs, Industry News, Community Events -- Still Not sure what to see - Here are 101 things to talk about.  My point is, everything you do (or don't do) will have a consequence - Optimization of Your Profile without additional content pointing back at it, will do nothing for you. 

The more often you talk about the same subject (and associated keyowrds) the more times you take someone else place on page one of google!

Check out the Continuation to See the Results of Optimizing Your Active Rain Profile

Bank Real Estate Solutions: How a Realtor Sells A Short Sale in 27 Days at Full Price in Tampa, Florida

There are many steps that go into selling a home, whether it be a short sale, traditional or FSBO listing.

A few months ago, there was a challenge for other AR Members to call on a new member once a day and introduce them to AR and related benefits.  This could be to offer help, say hello, network, whatever.  Two days ago, while sitting in my new office, I checked thru the new members and saw someone's name that I had spoken to before in Tampa, Florida.

Introducing Angeline (Angie) Ogle-Clarke and Bank Real Estate Solutions:

Why is BRES different? Bank Real Estate Solutions is a very unique model.  It solves several issues that surround the safety and security of vacant homes for sale in Tampa, Florida. Where as a Vacant Bank Owned, Short Sale, REO, or Traditional listing screams "Come break in and take my copper piping or destroy my air conditioning unit" or "Attention all transients/vagrants.  Come squat this home and destroy it". BRES employs a unique marketing idea that protects and guards the listing by incorporating Human Staging.

Vacant homes linger and lag on the market, pulling down values. A vacant home gets less traffic than that of an occupied home.  An occupied home gets less traffic than that of a staged home.  A staged home get less traffic than that of a home with an open house.  This applies equally to traditional listings, short sales, or REO.  And if your (or your client's) homeowner's insurance finds out the home is empty, expect a cancellation or increased rates, which will only compound the situation.

How does this help?  By partnering with her resident partners, Bank Real Estate Solutions brings the home up to "model ready and quaility".  Whether this involves drainage and acid washing a pool that was a new frog habitat, to yard upkeep, to light remodeling if neccessary.  Once done and ready to unveil to the world, she then holds a major open house.  The house is staged with furniture and a live human being until the sale closes.All the while, keeping the house in pristine, model condition and agreeing to show the house at any point in time and holding open houses, as neccessary.

What's in it for you?  As a realtor, you will sell your client's home faster, for more money, without the commission split. As a homeowner, you will sell your home faster and for more money, all the while being safe guarded and secured.  As a resident partner, you pay a monthly membership fee that is less than market rent for the specifics of the house.  (These dollars are then translated to mass marketing advertising in the form of radio, tv, single property websites with HD pictures, Virtual Tours, Video, etc). The homeowner and realtor do not pay anything to Bank Real Estate Solutions in any form

See my interview with Angie Clarke, Owner and Founder of Bank Real Estate Solutions:

See the Live Example and the Subject Home Of This Blog:

 Since this house is already under contract, you can find more homes like this.  Find Foreclosed Homes in Tampa, Florida

This is a directed response to "USDA: The New Subprime Lender", A Blog written by Vince McEveety on Aug 30th

I wanted to say first of all, I waited four whole days before I commented on this.

It seems to me that Vince completely disagrees with 100% financing for someone or anyone.  The basic message I got was that the less skin one has "in the game" the more likely they are to default on the mortgage. 

Then as I read thru the comments section there were several comments that stood out in regards to whether 100% PLUS financing was a good or bad thing.  Of course, this is just one more reason why the market crashed!

Again, this is my understood synopsis -- So here is my response!

Apparently 45 other people did.

So I will be number fourty six -- And I wanted to address certain aspects and comments

First of all, USDA, FHA, VA ALL (yes, all three of them) have a 100% PLUS Financing product.  So who really is to blame.  Is it the Government?  Is it the borrower?  Is it the Banks who loaned the money?  Is it the economy?  Or is it (wait here is a "shocker") THE MEDIA?

It is a combination of all of the above.  But I blame mostly the media who had the hype of the negative amortization and balloon payment loans that were not fully explained to clients.  I mean why would someone really believe that a 1.99% Rate Mortgage actually help them in the long run.

Yes, some borrowers were to blame by being steered to and accepting these types of loans.  But I also think that the media, government, banks also are not with out fault.  In fact, I personally dont see how the national licensing system is going to keep this from happening in the future.  It is flawed to begin with (but I will save that for another post)

So for the record - I wanted to address why VA loans have such a low failure rate -- Because most of those borrowers are in the military.  Default on something (including credit cards or student loans) as a member of the military and trust me -- Those people in trench coats come and have a conversation with you in a back room.  Or worse yet (trust me when I say this) the service-member's direct chain of command gets involved (thats really bad and unpleasent)

But although that product, along with FHA Zero Down Payment Home Loans in Tampa, Florida and the USDA loan are 100% PLUS financing products.  All required VERIFIED INCOME.  As for "skin in the game" I can go to my local, state or federal government and get down payment assistance - Or to a relative (or someone else who "has a vested interest in [me] the borrower, such as a fiance {not on the loan} or an employer" according to HUD 4155).  I have to agree with Cory (response #41) and Greg (response #31) - There are way too many changes in external factors such as higher healthcare costs, higher fuel prices, higher utilities in the home and loss of job for two plus years that even the borrower with high credit score with reserves did not expect (but again, it is all the mortgage person's fault, a statement I have heard time and time again!)

Over half of us in society (and I am sure that this number is more than half among the real estate industry professionals) live paycheck to paycheck.  One major event such as a sickness, accident, significant time of work, and most of us would be homeless.

Do you want to change the negative image of the housing industry.  All it takes is EVERY realtor putting their "skin in the game" and getting ONE person to buy a home that otherwise was not in the market. 

Stop complaining about the government and their programs.  We, as a society, approved these programs. If you dont like what is going on in your capitol or in Washington DC - Then Be Informed and Make a Change and Vote in/out those people who don't have skin in the game. 

Until our leaders stop spending more than what they are making, how will the rest of society change.

LEAD BY EXAMPLE