By David Krichmar
Mortgage banker
America Home Key Inc.
6 Steps to Effective Blogging
Market your business — and your expertise — on the Internet
The mortgage business has changedinthepastfewyears. Closing loans has become
tougher, and this has led much of the
competition to leave the industry. This is
helpful to those who remain, but mortgage brokers and originators still must
market themselves to get business.
Previously, simple networking with
realtors could net you new business,
but now you must earn that business.
One way to do that is to highlight your
expertise through blogging. a blog
is basically an article that you have
written and published on a website.
Blogging seems simple, but you have
to be committed and proactive to get
results. Here are six steps to make sure
your blog is effective.
1. choose a platform: a platform is any
website where you can post your
blog. This can be your own page or
an outside website, like activerain.
com or Trulia.com. It is great to blog
on your own website, but don’t stop
there. Blog on other sites that get
more traffic than your own. By build-
ing name recognition at an already
popular site, you can begin to drive
more traffic to your own website.
David Krichmar is a mortgage banker with
america Home Key Inc. in Texas. He has been
in the mortgage business for more than 10
years and has experience in all aspects of the
lending industry. Krichmar blogs for Realtor
magazine’s young Professionals network
(y Pn) and Houston Agent Magazine. He also
teaches a class on social media to realtors.
For more information, visit Daveyour
MortgageGuy.com. reach Krichmar at (832)
689-6012 or david.krichmar@gmail.com.
Follow him at twitter.com/DaveMortgageGuy.
By Aphrodite C. Hill
President
Testa Capital Group
The New Year Brings New Opportunities
Launch 2012 with lessons you learned from the past year
It is important to learn from the past — from successes as well as failures. Much has been learned in
the mortgage finance industry since the
housing crisis began in 2007, but there is
still more to learn and to improve upon.
as 2012 begins, mortgage brokers and
originators should look back on what
they experienced and learned in 2011 to
be better prepared for, and to capitalize
on, new opportunities this year.
One of the most important changes
in the past year is the implementation
of the nationwide Mortgage Licensing
System (nMLS), which has revolutionized the mortgage industry and licensing methodologies. This system
came into effect on jan. 1, 2011, under
the Secure and Fair Enforcement for
Mortgage Licensing act (S.a.F.E. act),
which establishes minimum standards
for the licensing and registration of
mortgage loan originators.
although the process may seem like
a nuisance, originators who pass the
federal and state nMLS exams, as well
as background and credit checks, find
themselves in elite company. This system
may eliminate much of your competition
and elevate the quality of originators by
setting the bar at a substantially higher
level. Earning an nMLS designation is a
prestigious credential.
For the qualified originators remaining
in business, opportunities are available
— if you know where to look. Distressed
properties have been expanding their
market presence since 2007. real estate
owned properties have been a continuous source of purchase financing and
likely will increase as lenders begin to release shadow inventory into the market
this year. Short-sale purchases are full
of closing challenges, but they exploded
onto the housing market in 2011 and
likely will continue to grow. Originators
who partner strategically with listing
agents and short-sale negotiators may
see a definitive increase in business.
In addition, originators likely will see
an increase in investment property or
non-owner occupied loan requests.
although many long-term investors pay
cash, a new group is abandoning stocks,
bonds and the money market to invest
in residential real estate. a portion of
these investors will need financing for
their purchases. Originators who learn
about non-owner occupied financing
sources can position themselves to take
advantage of this niche.
Aphrodite C. Hill is president and co-founder
of Testa Capital Group, a private-capital real
estate corporation based in newport Beach,
Calif. Testa helps stabilize communities
by repositioning distressed housing, while
also providing high-yield private investment opportunities. In Hill’s eight-year real
estate career, she has specialized in single-family and multifamily residential properties throughout Southern California. Her
extensive experience includes expertise in
finance, technology, real estate acquisitions,
renovations and property management.
reach her at ahill@testacapitalgroup.com.
