Realtor Marketing – Using the Internet to Generate Free Leads

The Realtors who use internet marketing love how it generates leads for them day in and day out. It not only puts all your lead generation efforts on autopilot but it also generates free leads.

In this article I’ll show you how you can use the internet to automatically generate free leads that will turn into home buyers and earn you more commissions than ever before.

Secret #1:

You first have to understand how internet marketing can give you a free lead generating system for your business. You have to identify the sources of the free leads. There are people online looking for solutions to their problems and their issues, including what homes to buy and where to buy them. Within your market you have to identify these people and where they are on the internet.

Secret #2:

You have to learn the right way to make contact with your future buyers to build relationships, trust and credibility. More often than not people on the internet do not trust paid advertisements. They look for social proof, endorsements and word of mouth advertising. You have to know how to get all of those things and make sure you are viewed very positively in all the right places online.

Secret #3:

You can get a continual stream of new leads from people who learn about you through free online sites like forums and blogs. It helps to also be listed in free internet directories and classified sites. Having articles and press releases written about you and your business can be great if they are distributed correctly online. Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook can generate hundreds of free leads if properly integrated into the rest of your automatic lead system. Do all of these things and you will have a regular stream of new potential buyers visiting your website. And this will translate into more sales and higher commissions than you’ve ever had before.…

Yucatan Real Estate – Beachfront & Colonial, Nature & Culture

As far as beachfront real estate is concerned, the area encompassed by Yucatan Real Estate and Cancun Real Estate provide some of the most diverse options for real estate buyers, also providing close access to many places to visit and activities to experience.

Since its creation in the late 60’s and early 70’s Cancun has grown to become one of the favorite tourist destinations not only for Americans, but for world-wide travelers. Along with this growth in tourism came and interest to live next to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, kick- starting a growing real estate market that has already overflowed into several other thriving areas in the Riviera Maya, just south of Cancun. Beachfront condos in highrises not only provide amazing views, but also more accessible prices than in other nearby locations which only allow low-rise buildings.

While Cancun was created in an almost uninhabited jungle, the Yucatan has been populated continually since the Spanish conquest of the Mayan territories. There are several beautiful colonial cities and towns, including the state capital, Merida. Real estate buyers who wish to live an romantic city, which blends Mexican, native Mayan and international culture, Merida is also one of the safest cities to be found, not only in Mexico, but even compared to just about anywhere in the U.S.

Yucatan MLS listings include traditional Mexican homes near Merida’s city center, luxury homes near golf courses, condos on the nearby beachfront in Progreso, and haciendas – the old estates of the past elite. For those who have a taste for something less discovered, the Emerald coast is a stretch of beachfront heading in the direction of Cancun. The oceanfront is spotted with traditional villages, and includes several wildlife reserves, one of which is home to a natural flamingo habitat. Homes on this beachfront area can be found for very accessible prices.

Whether a buyer chooses modern Cancun, the colonial metropolis of Merida, the more hidden away options of the Emerald coast, The majestic Mayan pyramids of Chichen Itza, Coba and many other sites are only a short trip away. Eco-parks allow visitors to experience the nature of the area first hand; many include access to the area’s famous cenotes – cool, natural pools at the entrance to an underground water system – while others provide detailed displays of local culture and history.

Life on the Yucatan Peninsula is like no other place. Take a look at property listings today, and talk to an agent to find out how you can make this area your home.…

Purchasing Short Sale Properties

A lot of people want to have good bargains when it comes to buying properties. The opportunity of getting one has been made possible by the auctioning of the foreclosure properties in the market.

Unfortunately, the chances of getting them are slim because people who have more money usually get their first dibs on them. Real estate investors are very good in finding them that as this is how they make a living. They get first hand information from contacts and upon hearing the news, they already have an action plan to get the property. They can even bid the maximum and still get the best price for the property.

If you were an ordinary person wanting to buy a house for personal use, you can get deprived of this opportunity. Some wouldn’t go all the way to top an investor’s bid just to own a bargained property. If this happens, you may get caught up with the bidding war. You can win the bid but then you may have paid already too much for the property.

So a better option in getting bargained properties will be short sale. This kind of option does not involve bidding. The properties for sale are those that are being foreclosed. It’s just that the seller is trying to avoid the foreclosure process that is why they are selling the property for less than the amount owed from their lenders.

However, buying a short sale property isn’t a walk in the park. To be able to get the property, you have to do several things. One is to make an offer that the lender wouldn’t hesitate to accept. The seller would then go to the bank and submit the request for short sale, together with your offer and their letter of hardship. Then it would take time before the bank would approve the sale because they have to analyze their losses.

The good thing about short sale is that you get to transact with the seller personally.

Tips in Buying Short Sale

First of all you have to find a property for short sale. Finding them is not a piece of cake but they are everywhere. It is just a matter of identifying them. The best way is to ask a real estate agent. But you can go ahead and visit local courts to see which properties are foreclosed. And you can check if you can talk the owner into selling through short sale

It is also best that you investigate about the seller. Ask them the reason why they had problems for mortgage. Ascertaining the kind of hardship they are going through will give you an idea on the likelihood of getting the short sale approved. Get pre-qualified for financing. If you are serious on buying the property, you must have the necessary funds to buy it. If you have to get mortgage for it, then start working your application ahead of time.

Determine the legal implications of buying …

Yes China Has Spectacular Growth Numbers – But How Much Is Fake?

Don’t you find it completely amazing that year-over-year the Chinese government claims that China’s GDP is increasing by 10%? And who is to say for sure? After all, there is very little transparency, and a lot of that GDP growth is not actual or real. Just like many of the banks in China have outstanding loans that are no good, and they aren’t even worth the paper they’re written on. Yet those same banks are doing initial public offerings, and capturing tens of billions of dollars in capital.

But I ask you, are they merely raising capital to cover their butts, for all the bad loans in municipal vehicles that they have outstanding, if so, then that is fraudulent by Western Standards – and if so then all the investors that put up that money, have invested not in an actual bank, with transparency, and not in a free market enterprise, but rather in a house of cards.

Do you recall when Dubai was growing by leaps and bounds, it looked like they had more money than God, I mean Allah. The real estate prices kept going up and up, and every new building was taller than the last, until they had 10 of the tallest buildings in the world. Yes, a stunning job in human engineering, clearly impressive in all regards, but, that’s not my point here.

It turns out the whole thing was a giant real estate bubble, built on a foundation of sand. If you will recall everyone thought they were a rich nation, but it was all based on debt. It wasn’t real, and whereas it appeared to be too good to be true, that’s because it was. Now China could be little different because it has the demographics behind it, for solid growth if they run things correctly, but I doubt that, and worry about the whole; “it’s glorious to be rich,” motif.

We must also understand that the United States also went through periods of near bankruptcy, industrial revolution, labor riots, corruption, chaos, and several complete market collapses. For anyone to think that the technocrats in the central government of China can maneuver through all those same obstacles without any chaos is kidding themselves. Just because China doesn’t have to be transparent, does not mean all is well, because it obviously isn’t.

China may be able to hide its tracks better, and clampdown on the media, and prevent the truth from being told, but there is far too much foreign investment going into that country for the secret to stay in-house. Yes, China does have incredible growth numbers, but I ask you how much is actually real? Now then, I’d like you to please consider all this and think about it.…

Roatan – A Lush Caribbean Paradise

If you are looking for an interesting, off-the-beaten path vacation destination, Roatan may be just the place for you. The largest of the three Bay Islands of Honduras, Roatan is a tropical island located just off the north coast of Honduras. It has broad white beaches, lush jungle-covered hills, the second largest barrier reef system in the world, charming people, and an authentic Caribbean feel.

Diver’s Paradise

Thousands of scuba divers travel to Roatan annually to explore the large barrier reef system. It is one of the best snorkeling and diving spots in the Caribbean. Tourists used to be mainly divers, but in recent years the beautiful island beaches have attracted hotel developers and cruise ship operators. There now are several cruise ship ports on Roatan, causing a noticeable influx of visitors to the island. Tourism is its most important economic sector on Roatan, although fishing is an important source of income for islanders.

Explore the Island

While snorkeling and diving are still as popular as ever, there are plenty of other things to do. Guests can interact with dolphins, explore beautiful tropical gardens, bask in the Caribbean sunshine and much more. The island’s friendly, “laid back” atmosphere invites you to relax and enjoy its many fine restaurants and bars. Places to visit include the Mangrove Tunnel near Oak Ridge, the Iguana Farm, the Tropical Butterfly Park, Marble Hill Farms, the Cameo Factory in Coxen Hole and the Institute for Marine Sciences at Anthony’s Key.

Municipalities and Towns

There are two municipalities on the island, Jose Santos Guardiola on the east side and Roatan on the southwest side. The largest town on the island is Coxen Hole, capital of the Roatan municipality. Other towns include French Harbour, West End and Oak Ridge, capital of Jose Santos Guardiola municipality. The easternmost portion of the island is separated by a narrow channel through the mangroves. This section is called Helene, or Santa Elena. To the west, between French Harbour and Coxen Hole, is Barefoot Cay, a privately owned island with a beautiful marina, and excellent dive shop.…

How to Use Google Sites to Capture Real Estate Leads

Google has a lot of great business apps you can use free but the ones I use to generate leads is Google sites, and Google forms. When you want to generate real estate leads you can easily and quickly create custom pages to target any specific audience. In this article I will teach you how to quickly create some and how to target a group of consumers to capture information.

Step one: Decide who you want to target. You can look for investors, first time buyers, people needing to short-sale, or a buyer in certain geographical locations. I will pick first time buyers for this sample, and a great audience would be newlyweds. We will just create a form with a catchy title like move in ready homes with low down payment. Underneath we just need a paragraph describing what you will be offering which in my area would be move in ready homes under 250K that can be financed through FHA. Maybe make a note saying you are offering a free list of the best deals. Make sure you add your contact info and any other items required for ads in your state.

Step two: After you have the catchy title and body you create custom fill in fields. They will be right in front of you when you press edit and you can’t miss it. Just edit what it says. I make a box for name, then email and mark them as required. Then I make a paragraph box asking the consumer to describe what they are looking for. Now whenever a consumer fills out the form you will be notified of the sign up and have the info needed to give them listings and market to them. You can just make a Google site also that has links to your social sites and contact info that people can get to from a QR code on your business card or water bottle.

Step three: Get the form in front of people for traffic. You can generate online and offline traffic to your form and you can create any amount of forms or sites that you need. For my example I could create a Facebook ad that targets people in my area between 26-34 years old that are engaged or married. (About 50% of newlyweds buy a house). This should create me a list of good leads for very cheap as Facebook will charge me about $1.75 per click on these. My last promo generated about 100 leads in 2 weeks. The rest is up to your sales skills to close.

These forms work great with QR codes also as people can scan a flyer or sign to get to your form offering school info, comps or more listings, which will always capture consumer info.

I hope this article helps with your lead generation and gets your creative juices going when targeting your audience. It’s easy, flexible and fast …

Three Ways to Get Involved in Real Estate During a Downturn

When people hear about a downturn in the real estate world, they just sigh. No one wants to hear that their homes are worth less today than they were yesterday. No one wants to live in a world where house prices keep shrinking and everyone seems to have trouble selling their home.

Everyone except real estate investors, that is.

A real estate investor who really knows his stuff can get involved in – and turn a profit from – property even when downturns happen. While many people fret about how hard it is to sell, the buyers of the world are pleased because it means they can hunt for bargain after bargain. Of course, waiting for a downturn to happen isn’t a great strategy – it just simply means you’ll have to change your strategies to suit the market.

If you want to get involved in investing with sound strategies during a downturn, here are a few tips.

1. Try less-conventional transactions like a Subject To transaction. In a Subject To transaction, you can take on the expenses of a mortgage with a limited up-front investment, taking advantage of the “seller’s market” by making sure you can get a piece of real estate for a relatively cheap amount of money. Upfront investment? There isn’t much.

2. Remember that sellers are looking to sell – often at reduced prices. If you have the money to hold a piece of real estate long term, you can buy someone’s home at a reduced price thanks to the “seller’s market” and wait until even a small upturn to increase the property value. This can be risky if you need to take on some expense risk in the short-term, but if you know how to create a good situation or can even rent a piece of property out, you’re looking at long-term success.

3. Building real estate can often be cheap because of the reduced activity – if you’re looking to expand or develop a piece of property, you might be able to find quotes that are less than they have been in years past.

Remember that you don’t have to be subject to any one particular swing in the market and you’ll be just fine. Adopt a mentality that says “I don’t have to succumb to anyone’s particular feelings” and you learn what it takes to be a confident real estate investor who’s working off of his own attitude – not everyone else’s.…