Growing through Google

 

As we all know, Google owns the online world, and we just happen to live in it. As a result of this “ownership”, Google+ is a must. It should be at the top of the list of your online marketing strategy. Most of us have not paid much attention to it in the past and have looked at it as just another social media platform. However, Google+ offers us more than most social media sites can. It has the strengths to segment and target customers through circles, as well as lhosting hangouts, but also offers us search engine optimization. For those non-geeks, better search engine optimization allows you to appear higher on a google search results page! Isn’t that what we all need and want?

 

With many new changes made to Google and Google+, along with the SEO war going on, Google+ is offering us free tools to make our online presence even better. These tools are essential in order to act like an online business directory. For example, Google+ is offering free indexed business pages and custom maps.  This enables us to spend less on marketing and get better return on our investment. It is now wise to have a professional with knowledge of real estate marketing to set us up properly on Google+ in order to promote the best image possible for us. This is a very low cost investment with a high rate of return! 

Originally Posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

I started doing things a little different on my team. I use to try to motivate my team members on Monday by providing a motivational quote for them to start the week and we would discuss it. It was very benefitial or so I thought at the time. Then one day, one of my team members suggested everyone bring in a quote that pertained to what obstacle they were trying to overcome. This brillant idea led to a great change. We then began doing this on a weekly basis and began learning more and more and became more motivated. Each of them had “ah-ha” moments from each other’s quotes and it started a trend. Today, I am sharing one of their quotes with you. We have been going through a lot of change and with those changes comes growing pains. As we are approaching a switch in websites and contact management systems along with the other changes we’ve had, she said she is putting this quote in her mind as preparation that it will become as easy as it is now….MOTIVATION TO OVERCOME THE DIFFICULT!!  Happy Monday.

 

Rising interest rates are great if you are renewing a certificate of deposit but not so much when you’re borrowing money. With interest rates on the rise as well as home prices, housing affordability is a concern for would-be homeowners.

A rough rule of thumb is that a person’s or family’s housing should not exceed 28% of their monthly gross income. While rental rates and home prices have been consistently increasing, mortgage rates have been soaring in the past month. In one week, according to the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, they jumped by .5%.

This means that people have to pay a larger percentage of their income for housing unless their incomes have been increasing at an equal pace.  A $200,000 mortgage would be over $100 more per month if closed in July compared to closing at the interest rates available in January of 2013.

If rates increase by .5% by the time you close on the same size mortgage, payments would increase by almost $60 per month. In order to keep the payments the same, a borrower would have to put an additional $11,000 down to lower the mortgage amount. 

Fannie Mae, in a recently released study, states that consumer attitudes continue to be favorable about homeownership, particularly with the younger generations, ages 18 to 34. Slightly over half of them think that owning makes more sense than renting when comparing the financial and lifestyle benefits.

90% of aspiring owners expect to purchase a home someday and slightly over half think they’ll do it within five years. The primary challenges are having sufficient savings and the difficulty of getting a mortgage today. Younger renters see renting as a temporary stepping stone toward homeownership.

Homeowners are far more likely than renters to be “very positive” about their housing experience. Some of the benefits identified are:

• Having control over what you do with your living space 
• Having a sense of privacy and security 
• Having a good place for your family or to raise your children 
• Having the best investment plan 
• Living in a nicer home 
• Building up wealth 
• Saving for retirement 
• Living in a place where you and your family feel safe 
• Feeling engaged in your community

To satisfy a buyer’s doubts about qualifying for a mortgage, make an appointment with a trusted mortgage professional. If you’d like a recommendation at no cost or obligation, please contact me at info@eliteteamofla.com.  Check out this Rent vs. Own to see the real cost of owning a home.