Dear ACE agent, THE TURN HAS BEGUN!! Good news is popping out everywhere! People are finally standing up on their hind legs and stating emphatically "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! I'M NOT TAKING THIS ANYMORE!" The buyers are coming back in because they are tired of their lives being put on hold. The news of the Federal Government taking over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on the surface may not seem like good news. Yes, there is obviously tremendous risk there because it just adds another $5 trillion to the national debt. However, what was the alternative? These two companies literally controlled and guaranteed nearly half of the entire nation's residential mortgages. They were failing. How did this happen? It's simple. These two companies operated like any other company and the name of the game is cash flow. Revenues have to be coming in on a regular basis to pay overhead. They simply bought these mortgages, kept some for their own accounts and bundled the others together to sell to investors all over the world. Then real estate started losing favor and banks started creating the incredible credit crunch that we have experienced and people stopped buying, house values started dropping like crazy across the nation. People got themselves upside down with their mortgage and a lot of these people were over-leveraged to begin with. They stopped paying and when enough of these people stopped paying the revenue stopped coming in to these huge companies. Therefore their profits dropped, stock shares plummeted and they found themselves in serious trouble. The reason this can be a good thing though is because it will give an infusion of confidence in the industry. Interest rates for mortgages will begin to drop fairly quickly. This will stimulate more buyers getting off the sidelines and getting into the game. After all, the safest investment that one has ever been able to make over the last 50 years is in Treasury Bonds. These are backed by the strength of the entire government of the United States, which is the greatest country in all of the world. This same backing is now providing security for these many mortgages. No, it will not be the great cure-all or a quick fix. No doubt the industry is still in a mess but the people who will be buying these next 12 months are the SMART people. The turn has begun. Make sure your attitude is turned in the same direction so that the true demeanor of hope inside of you can be transferred to those prospective buyers you sit across the table from. Just remember the greatest person who has to be sold first....is YOU. My Thanks,
Terry L. Weaver, MARKETING & SALES INSTITUTE
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I just wanted to let you know that sales are on the upswing again in Southeast Georgia. We had the best month in July at Osprey Cove that we had had since last July. And in these first days of September we have already written 6 contracts with several more in the works. I am very encouraged that this is not a fluke but an upward trend. Our sales are at 50% of last year’s at this point, but since we were pretty much done after August last year we may catch up. In May we were only at 30% of sales to that date for 2007. (Submitted by Gloria Wilson, Regional Sales Manager, LandMar Group, St. Mary's, GA)
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Distributed by Central Oregon Association of Realtors 9/4/08 The following link is to a presentation made by Lawrence Yun, Sr VP and Chief Economist for the National Assn of Realtors in Chicago last week. http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1767981579/bctid1769984476 (Submitted by Annie Montgomery, Principal Broker/Sales Director, Brasada Ranch, Jeld Wen Communities, Oregon)
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Some good news for you! During early August we had 8 sales in 16 days, and then followed that up last week with 5 more sales! The purchases included 8 homesites, 2 Cottage Homes, 1 Vacation Townhome, 1 Carriage Home, and 1 Estate Home with a boat slip. The prices ranged from under $200,000 for several of the homesites, to the mid $300’s for the Vacation Townhome, to $975,000 for the Estate Home on the lake. The obvious question is, ”Why the sudden increase in sales?” and the answer is, “We don’t know!” We have not changed any of our advertising or marketing strategies and we have added no new lead sources. Obviously, we have been following up on our data base but we have not altered any of our follow up strategy. We would like to be able to say the market has turned, although I think we would be premature in jumping to that conclusion based on four weeks of activity. We hope that is the case, and would like to believe that all the buyers out there feel the slowdown is over, and are now coming off the sidelines and starting to buy again. In reality, we have no idea if this was just a momentary blip on the radar, or if it is the beginning of a return to a more normal market. Regardless of whichever the case may be, we are grateful for the Lord’s recent blessings and are reminded that “All good things come from above” as He provides our daily bread. (Submitted by Johnny Ussery, VP of Sales, Hampton Lake, Hilton Head Island, SC) Winner 2007 BALA Award for "Best Community Facility"
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Choosing to Chuckle Salesman: This computer will cut your workload by 50% Office Manager: That's great, I'll take two of them.
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Sometimes I feel like a Prophet. I just spoke today with a friend named Jeff Waddle, who is the head dude for David Weekley Homes in this entire area. I asked him how things were going and he said “We’ve had three nice home sales in the last week so things are truly beginning to pick up!” It’s happening folks. The turn is beginning so make sure you have an expectant attitude of success with every single person you sit down with. If you can’t muster up that type of attitude, for goodness sake give them to someone who can and will help those prospects fulfill their dreams. I also just finished speaking with one of the Low Country’s finest homebuilders, Steve Tilton. He has built 35-40 homes just in Oldfield alone. He said he just started working with an individual who really shared his heart with him. This individual who signed his agreement to build a beautiful home, said “Steve I am sick and tired of feeling sorry for myself I have postponed my dream for the last year because all I do is read the newspaper and watch the news. Nothing about my portfolio or retirement plans have really changed a whole lot financially, except for my perception. I have busted my butt all my life to enjoy this stage of my life and I will not let all this negative environment steal my dream any longer. Why, I could drop over dead tomorrow!” Folks, I have been saying for many months that this will start occurring. It is starting with these baby boomers right now. We will soon see it turn into a domino effect. So for goodness sake use this real live story in talking with your pre-retirees/retirees. In special memory of those who died on 9.11.01. Terry I
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September 11th, 2008 It’s morning on 9-11 again and my mind begins to remember because I know somehow I am forever entwined in the sacred responsibility and honor of cherishing my lost fellow Americans! Yet I also fight to forget......the horror of witnessing a man and a woman choosing suicide instead of being burned alive. People are running in terror, people are screaming, people are just running,running away.............. I remember faces of the Firemen rushing in to help.....the unhelpable! The Priest who ran in to comfort.....Helicopers sharing aerial views of the unimaginable.Families calling families, just holding the phone, crying together.Souls are speaking ...no words allowed. I stand and stare, frozen, speechless, I cannot speak,I feel so helpless to help, yet my mind is somehow racing feveishly. What can I do, what can I do, what can I do........God, O God, Dear God how can this be, we are the ones so safe, so free. Somehow for all of us, use this for your good,and I just start sobbing, I know some died slowly, some died saving others. I know some were very young and some were very old. I know most never got to say good-bye, or I Love you, one more time. But on every 9-11 America is given a renewed challenge to remember...Freedom isn’t free......we must fight hard to remain One Nation Under God.......and we promise, WE WON’T FORGET YOU............and GOD PLEASE BLESS THE USA (Submitted by Cynthia Bensch 9.11.08) UPCOMING EVENTS October - Just three weeks and counting! The Amenity Communities Marketing Summit, October 5th - 7th, Hyatt Regency Riverfront Jacksonville, Jacksonville FL Register today at www.MSIcorp.us Let us have your Community Good News! We'll publish it right here! Email news to terry@MSIcorp.us or give us a call at 843-706-3872
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