CloudOn is an iPad that was launched in January 2012 that allows its users to access and edit Microsoft Office documents and save them to their DropBox accounts. If you’re a mobile agent you know how beneficial and time-saving it can be to be able to edit and save MS Office documents from your iPad.

At the beginning of April CloudOn released a new version that now supports Adobe Reader. That’s right, Adobe on your iPad (you still can’t view Adobe Flash on your iPad, but still a great feature!). This feature allows you to read simple Adobe forms and even 3-D documents. If using the most recent version of CloudOn you will also have access to Photoshop images, PNG, JPEG and GIF files!

For a better understanding of how the app works take a look at the video below.

CloudOn is yet another app that makes life on the road as a mobile real estate agent just a little bit easier!

Pinterest is a lot of fun but may also be able to help you sell your next listing a little faster. Take a look.

One of the most tedious forms of SEO is link building. Getting a good amount of high quality, relevant links from other authoritative websites takes creativity, patience and a lot of trial and error. Fortunately, as new websites and trends pop up, so do opportunities for new ways to build links. Enter Pinterest.

What is Pinterest?

Very simply, Pinterest is another website that allows you to save the things (mainly images from the web) that you like, think are funny, inspire you or help tell a little about who you are. Some of the recent and most common uses for Pinterest have been wedding planning, home decoration and recipe collection. The site’s main demographic has primarily been women, but as more and more people join and discover the uses of Pinterest this demographic should gradually expand.

Pinterest is defined by three main components:

• Pins
• Boards
• Repins

Pins are images that are added to Pinterest via the Pin It button or uploaded images from your desktop.

Boards are sets of pins that users create, usually around a certain topic (eg. Recipes, Cars, Furniture).

Repins occur when you add an image you find while browsing Pinterest to one of your own boards.

Pinterest is a very simple website to use and explain, but the best way to really understand it is to try it out for yourself. Go ahead and signup, create your profile and then start searching, pinning and repinning images to get a better idea of how Pinterest might work best for you.

Using Pinterest to Build Links for Real Estate Websites

Unless you have a pretty innate understanding of the anatomy of a repin, then you may not be seeing the opportunity for using Pinterest as a link building method. So, let’s dissect a repin so you can easily grasp how and why Pinterest can be a great link building tool.

How are Repins Valuable for Link Building?

The explanation of a repin, provided by the Pinterest Help Guide, is pretty clear on how a repin becomes a great link building tool:

In other words, when you pin an image that becomes viral on Pinterest (i.e. users repin it to their own boards), you are getting a source-link on each of those repinned images that now exist on other users’ boards.

In this example, you will see an example of a repin (with the original source being LuxuryHomes.com):

How to Use Pinterest for Real Estate?

Hopefully by this point, you have already spotted the opportunity in using Pinterest for building links to your real estate website or blog. If not, no worries, that’s what we’re hoping you get out of this article.

The main idea / opportunity with Pinterest is to promote any and all of your best real estate images on Pinterest with the goal of having other users repin them on their boards. We don’t want to leave you with just a broad recommendation so here are some specific ideas of what to pin to create increased interest and engagement:

• Celebrity homes
• Unique photos of top communities
• High resolution, artistic shots of exclusive neighborhoods
• Luxury homes
• Homes with unique architecture
• Funny looking homes
• Ugly homes
• Massive homes / mansions

This short list should get your creative juices flowing.

TIP: When pinning and tagging your photos, think about what a user might search for on Pinterest, NOT what you would want them to search for. In other words, “Luxury Beach Homes in California” may be a little more likely to get some traction right now as opposed to the homes address or something too specific. The long tail will probably come into play down the road, but right now it is a little too specific for the current user behavior.

Don’t Over-Complicate Your Link Building Efforts

One of the advantages that real estate professionals have in the online marketing world is that there are tons of different, but relevant, topics to create content around for online marketing purposes. Everything from articles to videos to images can be created around relevant, interesting real estate specific topics or themes and easily distributed or re-purposed across the web.

Pinterest is just another tool where you can re-purpose already created content – in this case quality images of homes and neighborhoods.

The best advice we can give you is to spend the majority of your online marketing efforts creating high quality, unique content and publishing it on your website or blog first and foremost. Once it is posted there you should then be syndicating and re-purposing it across the web via the numerous social media tools available to everyone (eg. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, Reddit, StumbleUpon).

Good luck with your Pinterest Link Building efforts. Hopefully you found these simple recommendations helpful.

Click here to view the article - it’s neat!

Here are a few fun real estate trivia facts pulled from the article.

NAR was founded in Chicago in 1908.

In 1917 California adopted the first real estate license law.

The first real estate textbook was published by. NAR in 1923

For most the New Year brings a sense of new beginnings and a fresh start. According to a study nearly 78% of all New Year’s Resolutions fail. The reason? People try to do too much too fast. By committing to just one small resolution you automatically increase your chances of success. Something as simple as changing your mindset to a more positive one can improve all aspects of your life; personal and professional.

Many agents are stuck in the mindset that can’t be a successful agent in this market. This couldn’t be further from the truth! If you’re an agent, this is your time to shine! If you put in the time and effort you will see results and having a positive mindset while working towards success will make the journey that much more enjoyable. Below is a blog entry written by. Cemil Ozcelik that addresses three tips as a starting point for creating a more positive mindset.

Happy New Year from The Real Estate Learning Group!

We by now have all heard the old motto of in order to succeed you need a positive mindset. While we would love to just take this and ignore it, the truth is that this is the basis in order to attain success in business. This can at times seem a little hard to accomplish, but with a few basic techniques you will be able to succeed and ultimately create Life Success.

1. Start by keeping a focus on your goals, this will many times sound easier said than done. There are a few basic steps that you can take to make sure that you keep your focus. Write your goals down and place them in a place that you will see them regularly. This will help you to remain focused, and lead to a positive mindset as well. My tip is to have them in a stop where you can’t help but to see them each and every day. This will constantly remind you of what you need to work towards for Life Success.

2. Mistakes are a part of life, the best way to grow from these is to expect mistakes to be made and learn from them. When you learn from your mistakes, you are able to help make sure that these mistakes are not made again in the future. This is another key step that will help to make sure that your mindset stays focused and that you are on track to achieve your goals for Life Success.

3. When you achieve a goal, make sure that you reward yourself for your achievements. While these may be small to other people, these goals are the primary reason that your mindset will remain positive. These goals are many times a good way to judge your progress. When you begin to achieve your goals, you find yourself in a position where your mindset will actually increase – this is all personal growth and the steps towards Life Success.

These little tips are meant to be a starting point for you and your journey to creating a positive mindset. There are several other things that you are able to do in order to attain a positive mindset.

These are the three most popular things that a person can do in order to get a running start on their business success and as a result this will lead you to have the success that you dreamed was possible and overall Life Success.

The important thing that needs to be remembered is that no business person had success without a positive mindset, and that this did not just occur out of the blue.

Have a wonderful day

Cemil Ozcelik

The Federal Housing Administration has suspended its anti-flipping rules for another year to facilitate the financing and sales of newly renovated foreclosed properties.

“This extension is intended to accelerate the resale of foreclosed properties in neighborhoods struggling to overcome the possible effects of abandonment and blight,” said acting FHA commissioner Carol Galante.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development issued the anti-flipping rule in 2003 to protect FHA borrowers from investors who were quickly flipping properties at inflated prices.

The anti-flipping rule prohibits lenders from using FHA financing in transactions where a single-family property is being resold within 90 days.

In early 2010, HUD first suspended the anti-flipping rule because it was holding up sales of foreclosed properties.  It was suspended again for all of 2011.  And now it is being suspended for all of 2012.

Under the terms of the suspension, all sales must be “arms length” transactions and the lender must demonstrate that the property was not subject to prior flipping and that the property was fairly and openly marketed for sale.

In cases where the sales price is 20% or more above the seller’s acquisition cost, the lender must justify and document the reasons for the increase in value.

FHA research shows the investors can acquire, renovate and resell properties in less than 90 days.  Requiring them to hold the property for more than 90 days increases costs and risks vandalism.

Although the suspension of the anti-flipping rule is designed to stimulate renovation of foreclosed properties, it applies to all sales transactions.

Since suspending the anti-flipping rule in February 2010, FHA said it has insured nearly 42,000 mortgages worth more than $7 billion on properties resold within 90 days of acquisition.

The blog entry below was written by. Coffee with Krisstina.

Click here to view the original post and slideshow.

Over the past 12 months I have been speaking at different real estate conferences across the country on the benefits of bringing technology to the forefront of your real estate business. Though attending these conferences as a Speaker, I am also a Listener. I listen to others on stage; and I listen to attendees.

I’ve listened to a number of conference speakers advise Realtors to invest in one new, fantastic and pretty technique to improve their business: “Looking for that one special something that will transform your business, generate a flood of new leads, and which will save your business from disaster. I give you the Holy Grail of technological tools!” Of course, this game-changing technology may ultimately be purchased through each Speaker. But, in an effort to not appear as salesmen, these glowing product descriptions are sandwiched between sage advice and tips for Realtors.

The problem?

In a classic case of “All talk, No Action,” many speakers don’t put their advice, tips and gadgets to use in a personal practice of generating and servicing real home buyers and sellers. As a result, I’ve listened to many tips that are shallow and ultimately not at all helpful. An excellent example of this loss of potential comes from presentations on the uses of Apple’s iPad. There’s never a shortage of talks on the “Top 10 Apps” or other “Mobile Agent” advice given at conferences, but what is missing from these speeches is sound advice on how to use and apply these applications in the everyday practice of real estate sales. After buying this Holy Grail of gadgets, many Realtors I’ve spoken with admit to allowing it to sit idly on their desk or at home. Few have actually managed to implement the iPad as a fundamental tool of their business. Why? Because they didn’t know how.

Like Excalibur is to King Arthur, an iPad is to an Agent

In keeping with our mythological theme, as Excalibur was to King Arthur, the iPad is to an Agent. His sword was an essential part of King Arthur’s success, and in our modern world the iPad is essential for an Agent’s success. At the GoodLife Team, all of my agents own iPads. Because the iPad is so foundational to transacting and servicing customers in a mobile and digital world, owning one is a requirement for anyone working here. As a company, we teach our agents how to implement it in their daily business practices, and as a result my agents actually use their iPads. If you asked them today, they would admit to you that they wouldn’t know how to function without one.

Beyond practicality …

Though using the iPad benefits the practical functioning of our business, it also serves a larger purpose for our Team. We desire to do our part in caring for the environment, and the iPad helps us commit to our philosophical creed. Our aim at The GoodLife Team is to be a paperless company. With the help of the iPad and a few other technologies and innovations, our Agents are virtually paperless; the company is virtually paperless. By using these technologies, we have almost fulfilled our company-wide ambition!

The Presentation

In the slideshow above, I take you through a “Day in the Life of a GoodLife Paperless Agent.” I show you exactly how my agents use their iPads as a part of their business practice to serve our customers. I demonstrate to you what we revealed to Apple when they came to our office over the summer to learn why we incorporated the iPad into our core business operation and how exactly we use it. I think it’s safe to say we got the Apple stamp of approval when they named us, Official Power Users of the iPad.

How do you use your iPad?

By virtue of sharing, I think we all wind up better off. Please share with us how you use your iPad. What makes it a part of your core business practices? We would love to know!

Here’s to raising the bar,

Krisstina

P.S. Here is a link to an article published in the The Chicago Agent Magazine that describes how we are using the iPad as part of our core business philosophy and best practice.

Stop Whining and Start Winning

I wanted to say something but I couldn’t get a word in.

My wife’s friend Rachel wouldn’t stop complaining.

For twenty minutes she bombarded me with a series of complaints. She complained about her job. She complained about her company’s new policies. She complained about the economy. Most of all she complained about her lack of sales.

I don’t remember saying this but Rachel likes to remind me that I finally stopped her from complaining by saying, “Rachel, Rachel, will you please shut up.”

Then I said, “It’s really simple. You have a choice. You can accept your company’s new policies, come to work with a positive attitude and decide to be your best every day or you can find a new job at a new company. But whatever you do, stop complaining because it’s not doing you any good. Either change your job or change your attitude about your job.”

The conversation was over and so was our friendship, I thought, because Rachel wouldn’t speak to me for a few months.

Then my wife and I saw her at a party and she told me that while it was hard to hear what I had to say she decided to take my advice. She stayed in her job, stopped complaining and started selling more.

Three months after changing her attitude her sales were up 30%.

A year later her sales were up 70%.

Everyone in her company wanted to know how she was doing it. Rachel graciously and honestly told people about our conversation and I was invited to speak at her company’s annual sales meeting.

And just the other day, three years after our initial conversation, I caught up with Rachel again. We hadn’t spoken in a long time and I was wondering how she was doing.

Rachel told me that during the last two years her sales continued to grow. She has been promoted twice and is now in her dream job, leading a division at The Knot. It’s the job she always wanted and she’s more excited and passionate than ever about her work.

Rachel stopped whining and started winning!

How about you?

Is complaining sabotaging you and/or your team?

If complaining is holding you back I know how you feel. I use to be a professional complainer. That’s why I knew what Rachel needed to hear. I was in a similar situation 10 years ago.

But I’ve learned that when you stop whining and take positive action, you start winning.

Give it a try!

-Jon

This article was provided by. Jon Gordon - To view his website visit

www.jongordon.com

For real estate agents, VA home loans can be beneficial because they have higher loan limits than other lending programs in the same category. The average home price in Maine can range from $250,000 to $400,000+ depending on the location, and for military buyers financing such a purchase may not be possible with a conventional home loan. With a VA Home Loan, eligible military borrowers are typically able to borrow up to $417,000 for their home purchase; however, that amount can be as high as $1 million in high cost counties around the country. For realtors this higher loan limit means a larger commission.

What is the Typical VA Loan Process?
The VA home loan process is a relatively quick and easy process, which benefits both the buyer and the real estate agent. In as little as 30 days, a military buyer could be in their new home.

If a real estate agent meets with a military member who is interested in purchasing a home, it is always wise to ask the potential buyer if they have already spoken with a VA loan specialist, such as VA Mortgage Center. If they have, the realtor should be able to determine the buyer’s pre-qualified amount and will be able to commence home shopping at once. However, if the military member has not spoken with a VA loan specialist, suggest to them the benefits of doing so.

After the interested buyer has spoken with a VA loan specialist to determine their pre-qualified amount, and submitted their Certificate of Eligibility to the VA-approved lender, they will be able to purchase a home in four quick steps:
• Find a home with the help of a registered Realtor
• Submit the VA Home Loan application
• Wait for processing and approval
• Close the loan

Who is Eligible for a VA Home Loan?
Nearly all veterans and active duty service members who have served in a branch of the U.S. military are eligible to receive a VA Home Loan. Spouses of military members who were killed in action may also be eligible to receive a VA home loan. To initially qualify for a VA loan in Maine, interested military members must submit their Certificate of Eligibility to provide proof that they have:
• Served for at least 3 months on active duty during war time or 181 days on active duty during peacetime
• Or have served for at least 6 years in the Reserves or National Guard

The VA home loan program has no income or credit requirements, but most VA-approved lenders do. In order to secure financing, most VA-approved lenders will desire a mid-range credit score of at least 620. Regardless of their credit history, all interested veterans and active duty service members are still encouraged to apply for a VA home loan.

Matt Polsky is a blogger for VA Mortgage Center.com and VA Benefit Blog. VAMC is the nation’s leading provider of VA home loans, while VA Benefit Blog focuses on providing service members with current news and information on the VA benefits they have earned through serving our country.

I was recently contacted by an agent who had just received her HAFA certification and wanted to know how to obtain those pre-approved short sale listings that are commonly associated with the government’s HAFA program.

If you are unfamiliar with the acronym, HAFA, it stands for Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives, which is the government’s short sale program. As part of this program, you may recall that short sale sellers can receive a $3000 incentive at closing and deficiency judgments will be waived—if (and only if) the seller qualifies for the program.

If you are a HAFA certified agent, than you know that not all banks and not all investors participate in this program. For this very reason, it is sometimes hard to identify whether a specific seller will qualify for the program. For example, a seller with two loans at Bank of America may only qualify for HAFA if both of the investors are participating in the program. You see, even though Bank of America does participate, not all of the investors for which Bank of America services notes participate in the government’s program. (A little bit confusing, I know.)

Another great component of the HAFA program is that short sales can be pre-approved. If there is not yet a buyer for the property and the seller does qualify for HAFA, a package can be submitted and the listing agent and/or the seller will receive a pre-approved purchase price that is good for 120 days.
Obtaining Pre-Approved Short Sale Listings.

Let’s return to the question from the agent regarding HAFA listings. This particular agent wanted to know how to obtain the listings for those pre-approved HAFA short sales. Well, a short sale is not like an REO. In an REO the bank (who is the seller) selects the listing agent for the property—generally someone who is experienced with REOs. In a short sale, the bank is not the seller of the home—the bank merely ratifies the purchase contract and approves the acceptance of a purchase price lower than the loan balance.
It is the seller who selects the listing agent. So, to answer the agent’s question about how to obtain these pre-approved short sale listings, you need to go after them in the same way that you would any other listing. There is really no way to avoid hard work, good marketing, a strong sphere of influence, and word of mouth.