Debt Consolidation Credit Counseling In Phoenix

If you're on a roll with your 30 minutes, by all means take advantage of the situation, and carry on a while longer. There's nothing magic about the 30 minute mark. You can make it 20 minutes or 45 minutes. Just make the commitment and focus on the task you have chosen.

Then, in 2006, a slowdown in real estate led to a deterioration of home values, an increase in inventories, and ultimately to today's tightening of credit guidelines, leaving many investors unable to sell or refinance out of their existing positions. Many Americans who had tapped into their equity were suddenly tapped-out and overextended as home values fell. Foreclosures followed in record numbers and a re-valuation of mortgage bonds and other financial instruments created the credit/liquidity domino effect we're now experiencing.

ARMs Borrowers: If your ARM is scheduled to reset in the next 2-18 months, you need to schedule an appointment with a mortgage professional right away. Whether your ARM is subprime, Alt-A, or even if you have a pre-payment penalty, don't let a default or foreclosure situation sneak up on you. Did you know that your monthly payments can increase anywhere from 30% to 100% once your loan resets? At the very least, give yourself the peace of mind of knowing what your adjusted payment will be.

Thou shalt dedicate thyself to becoming the very best Mortgage Professional you can be. Thou shall be a virtual sponge and soak up everything related to your knowledge and improvement of your Mortgage Business. The more you learn, the more powerful you become, and the more powerful you become, the more effective you will be at originating mortgages.

Finally, there's an important concept to embrace: all markets, while cyclical in nature, are self-correcting, be it credit, real estate, stocks, or bonds. For the last 6 or 7 years, real estate was booming and riding high. The correction we're experiencing now " while it seems harsh and could get much worse " is, in a sense, "natural" and directly related to the extremely loose guidelines and perhaps overzealous lending and leveraging during the boom cycle. Thou shalt follow the 30 day contact rule. Your customers, prospects and advocates (those who refer business to you) should hear from you every 30 days without fail. You should call them, email them, and send them postcards, note cards, a newsletter, or mortgage news and happenings.

Thou shalt create and maintain a detailed Mortgage customer, prospect list, and contact list. Thou shall allocate time each week to maintaining and updating thy lists. For it is these lists that hold the customers that will be in your next mortgage pipeline and your pipeline for years to come.

Thou shalt steal good marketing ideas only from successful competitors. Add your personality and experience to the mix and make it your idea. Just be sure you do not violate any copyright laws.

How did this happen?The recent real estate boom was fueled by a period of record home appreciation and historically low interest rates. Banks, in order to compete, loosened guidelines and began offering more funding to more borrowers through riskier, non-conforming or "exotic" mortgages.

Yes, I'm very much a believer in continuing education and self improvement. There's no doubt you need to allocate time every day to do these things too. But, this 30 minute block of time we are scheduling is your "marketing time" and has a direct bearing on your loan originations, your pipeline and your bank account. Start this little program today, your mortgage marketing success depends on it.

Buyers: Get pre-approved by your mortgage professional. While there are a lot of great deals out there, getting credit is becoming tougher and tougher, and it's taking longer and longer to complete a transaction. Remember, what you qualify for today could change tomorrow in a volatile market. For those looking to refinance, keep this in mind. There is no time to delay! Communicate with your lender. Don't do anything that could negatively affect your credit, and make sure you get all your documentation in on time.