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Balboa Island, CA 92662

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House For SaleHouse For Sale

Top 7 Realtor Marketing Tips

by Commission AdvancesExpress Cash Flow Blog Posts

Any business is dependent on marketing in order to grow, and real estate is no different.  In order to maximize the return on your marketing, you want to make sure that you are reaching the right audiences as efficiently as possible.  

Below are some tips to help you optimize your marketing and reach your real estate goals faster.  

  1.  LinkedIn – In recent years, LinkedIn has become the ‘de facto’ platform for professionals to network. Its 300 million user base consists of just about every professional in the commercial real estate, residential real estate, finance, investing, or legal fields you could want to meet, and it offers a powerful marketing and engagement system with blogging, group discussion boards, and search functions. Combined with ultra-targeted advertising, LinkedIn is an important focus for any business in 2016.
  2. Realtor.com – Claim your profile online at Realtor.com.  Post your picture along with your contact information.  This is usually near the top of search engine results because Realtor.com is such a well-known brand, so you want this profile, which is rightfully yours, to reflect your own individual real estate agent branding.  You may also want to consider some of the tools available on your local trade industry’s website, like the ones available on CAR.org  http://www.car.org/tools/
  3. Your Website – Your website is the foundation for all of your digital marketing efforts. If a potential client goes to your website, you want them to be impressed and you want them to contact you.  Your website should funnel all interest and inquiries into either an inbox or voicemail that you check regularly and can respond to quickly. You can look at using Listingbook, Top Producer, Placester or WiseAgent.
  4. Referrals – Referrals are the lifeblood of any successful real estate business. You can work harder than anyone else out there, but if you don’t have a “sales force” of satisfied clients and trusted referral partners, you will quickly fall behind the competition.  The best referrals can come from CPAs, attorneys, mortgage professionals and even other real estate agents that serve other areas.  Think about a commission rebate for your referral, possibly 1% back is a traditional amount.  You might also consider joining a business networking group like BNI, Le Tip,Toastmasters or a local Chamber of Commerce.
  5. Tap your network via email – There are a number of software programs such as com,Campaigner.com or Constantcontact.com you can utilize to optimize your network. Whether you are using a high priced contact management software or simply keeping track of your contacts in a spreadsheet, being top of mind is key.  One of the most cost effective ways to continually be top of mind is to add value to your network via email.  While you always want to be thought of as the real estate expert in your network, you don’t always need to talk to people only about real estate.  Safe, topical emails that keep you in front of your friends and clients will always frame you in a positive light.
  6. Facebook – Everyone these days is on Facebook. It can be used for just about any purpose, whether it is your client who just bought a new house throwing a party to show off their new kitchen, or the vacation a friend just took based on the referral you gave them to get hooked up with a Home Equity Line of Credit, Facebook is a great way to intertwine your business and personal lives.  Just be sure that you know your audience… you wouldn’t want your Facebook activity to rub potential clients the wrong way.  You can also join Facebook group related to your industry, neighborhood, community, alumni associations or anything else you’re passionate about.
  7. Working Capital – This might be the most important tip of all! You need to constantly be in front of your network, and while email and social media are great for this, there is still something to be said for face time, usually over a meal or drinks.  As the successful realtor that your network assumes you are, you should be able to pick up the tab without thinking twice about it. This means always having cash or credit available, regardless of when your deals are closing.  You’ll also need cash available to consistently send out the marketing pieces that are so important for building a brand.  If you don’t have a good sized war chest available to meet these cash demands when they arise, you may want to consider utilizing a commission advance company such as ExpressCashFlow.com.

Lastly, remember to keep in mind that while you want to market as much as possible, you also want to post an appropriate number of times for the platform you are using.  You would never show up at someone’s door multiple times uninvited in a short period of time, just like you shouldn’t post on Facebook about your business multiple times in a short period of time.  Similarly with LinkedIn.  Posts can be more frequent on Twitter, since the nature of Twitter is to keep up with real time, but you should always make sure that your posts have a lot of value.

About Us:
Express Cash Flow provides commission advances for real estate agents and brokers. Check us out at www.ExpressCashFlow.com or call us at 844-818-2274.

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Couple buying a house

The Pros and Cons of FHA Loans

by Express Cash Flow Blog Posts
[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/2″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]FHA loans are loans guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration. Though they are a little different than traditional loans, they are a great option for those who don’t have the traditional 10-20% down payment available. As this is sometimes difficult to come by for first time homeowners, newlyweds, or college graduates, an FHA loan is a great option because you don’t need a big down-payment. If you are wondering what else is good or bad about an FHA loan, or how to get a real estate advance, here’s some more information about this viable loan.[/cs_text][/cs_column][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/2″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_image type=”none” src=”http://www.expresscashflow.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Express-Cash-Flow_May_The-Pros-and-Cons-of-FHA-Loans_Image-1.jpg” alt=”” link=”false” href=”#” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][/cs_column][/cs_row][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]PFHA loans are loans guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration. Though they are a little different than traditional loans, they are a great option for those who don’t have the traditional 10-20% down payment available. As this is sometimes difficult to come by for first time homeowners, newlyweds, or college graduates, an FHA loan is a great option because you don’t need a big down-payment. If you are wondering what else is good or bad about an FHA loan, or how to get a real estate advance, here’s some more information about this viable loan.[/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/2″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]Cons of FHA

So, what’s the problem with these loans? First off, the property you want to buy has to be appraised and meet certain conditions. You also have to have a couple types of insurance on your home, including the upfront mortgage insurance premium, and the annual mortgage insurance premium, both of which will add to your payment over time.[/cs_text][/cs_column][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/2″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_image type=”none” src=”http://www.expresscashflow.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Express-Cash-Flow_May_The-Pros-and-Cons-of-FHA-Loans_Image-2.jpg” alt=”” link=”false” href=”#” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][/cs_column][/cs_row][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]The upfront mortgage insurance premium is typically 1.75% of the mortgage, and the other is paid monthly and varies. You’ll have to pay these insurance premiums until you pay off your entire home. The second con of the FHA loan is that you’ll end up paying a lot more in interest over the period of the loan because you didn’t put down a larger down-payment. If you can afford a larger down-payment, that’s the better option for you.
Overall, FHA loans are a great option for families that can’t afford a huge down payment, but aren’t a great option if you can. They are, however, a great and easy solution for new homeowners and people who have a bad credit history.[/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][/cs_content]

Female Realtor Standing Outside Residential Property

Cash Before Close- Commission Advances

by Express Cash Flow Blog Posts

Female Realtor Standing Outside Residential Property

Cash Before Close

Phil Guertin launched a creative financial business with one element in mind: help real estate agents and brokers get commission advances within minutes to meet critical cash flow issues.

By Rick Weinberg, California Business Journal

If you’re a real estate agent or broker, cash flow is critical for such vital matters as meeting payroll, buying leads, or completing consistent marketing initiatives to keep up with the competition.

Yet with a property sitting in escrow, many agents and brokers often find themselves a little short on funds at those crucial moments. With banks unable to provide loans quickly, agents and brokers can often find themselves in dire straits.

However, thanks to a creative business model designed by Phil Guertin of Irvine, Calif., agents and brokers can get advances of up to $100,000 through Express Cash Flow (“ECF”) in a day—not weeks or months like at a bank, without even a credit check.

Recently, a Southern California agent approached the company late on Friday—15 minutes before the wire deadline. Within 12 minutes, the $2,000 advance was complete. It was the second transaction in less than two weeks that the agent requested. The first was for $5,000.

“There were a lot of moving parts that had to come together between the agent calling and funding the advance so rapidly,” Guertin says. “That’s one of the many major advantages of working with us.”

The company is self-funded and has significant capital behind it to fund commission advances. The company also quickly underwrites each deal since no two transactions are the same.

“It’s a much more streamlined process than any bank can offer,” says Jake Kucheck, Director of ECF. “Banks normally take 30-45 day to review a file, let alone fund the transaction.”

Express Cash Flow has grown exponentially over a six-month period in 2015-2016, advancing to agents and brokers from some of the largest franchises in the U.S., including, Berkshire, Century 21, Coldwell Banker, First Team, John L. Scott, Keller Williams, and many others.

ECF has experienced a 40% growth rate month over month and expect that rate to continue through the end of 2016, Guertin says.  The company has proven marketing strategies that are scalable nationwide.  In just a brief period of time, it has emerged as the top-ranked business in its space in California.

“High repeat business with top franchises and top producers along with great customer service has fueled the growth,” Kucheck says.

Approximately 50% of the business is generated from top real estate grounds and the remaining from independent brokers and agents.

Express Cash Flow features two primary products:

  1. Listing advances of up to $3,000
  2. Commission advances of up to $100,000 (advancing up to 75% of the net commission due)

Both with without a credit check and eligible for same-day funding.

The range of properties Express Cash Flow handles runs the gamut from the low end on a $87,000 property in Texas to the high end on a $15.7 million estate in Laguna Beach.

How do competitors compare?

  1. Express Cash Flow is usually a third less than the largest competitor
  2. Advances up to $100,000 per transaction while most competitors max out at $15,000
  3. The company provides creative custom solutions

Guertin has been in finance and real estate for his entire professional career spanning 20 years.  Previous experience includes:

  • Chief Financial Officer of the Miller’s Outpost family
  • Restructuring of various portfolio companies for private equity firms
  • Whole loan trader at New Century Mortgage trading bulk pools of loans to regional banks and Wall Street firms
  • Other experience in factoring, business intelligence analytics, the family office space and capital markets helped

He researched various business models in real estate and finance and came up with Express Cash Flow, then he decided he wanted to go off on his own and start his own firm.

“I knew this would be a big business because you’re working with real estate and sales people—and real estate is huge in California and Orange County,” he says. “This model had every metric I was looking for in a business—it’s high yielding, it’s short term and scalable on a national level. Advancing $5,000 or more can be risky, but the possibility of a real estate deal closing is 90% depending on when you advance. I saw it as a huge possibility and a great opportunity.”

He built out a complex pricing model to take into account multiple data points for each transaction to price various risk factors.

There are similar business models to ECF, “but we’re more aggressive on our lending limits going up to $100,000 per transaction and we structure the advances in creative ways,” Guertin says. “We underwrite the transaction differently. We look at how active the agents are, how strong the transaction is, and how far out the close of escrow is, which determines the advance pricing. Typically, we save our clients 30 percent or more compared to other companies.”

Says Kucheck: “We saw an opportunity to improve on the existing model by adding a risk-based pricing component. The existing models were more of a ‘one size fits all’ approach. We wanted to give our clients more options.”

No two real estate transactions are alike. Because they’re different, ECF immediately sees what’s different about it and that will translate that into particular grades of risk to determine the cost for advancing funds.

“We review each deal and come up with a precise calculation of how likely it is to close, using our proprietary pricing matrix,” Guertin says. “What we want an agent or broker to do is take a portion of the commissions now and grow their business, buy leads and do their marketing so that it converts into two other leads or open escrows. Yes, you’re getting $5,000 from us, but we want you to get $25,000 or $50,000 from that reinvestment. If you look at that, the cost is very minimal.”

Without appropriate funds for marketing initiatives, for example, an agent cannot be as effective as their competition, which happens to be chasing down the same buyers and sellers.

“We don’t want agents to delay their growth and we want them to stay ‘top of mind,’” Guertin says. “Most agents are waiting for their commissions and then they’re reinvesting it. This way, they get to do it faster.”

Copyright © 2016 California Business Journal. All Rights Reserved

 

Contact:

Express Cash Flow

Phil Guertin, Managing Partner

19800 MacArthur Blvd Suite 650

Irvine, CA 92612

Phone: 844-818-2274

New home in CA

Student Loans Impeding Home Ownership?

by Express Cash Flow Blog Posts

New home in CA

One of the most commonly asked questions we get as one of the most successful commission advance companies in California is how student loans can affect potential mortgage requests. Many young people are graduating from college with hopes of becoming homeowners and starting their careers. A number of these same people worry that their student loans will stand in the way of this goal. So, will student loans hold you back from getting a good mortgage? The answer is a solid possibly.

That might sound vague, but there are a few different ways that student loans can be perceived. Many commission advance companies in California have noticed that student loans can harm a mortgage attempt in the following situations:

  • If you did not get a college degree
  • If your college degree is not in a lucrative field
  • If your student loans are far more extensive than a 4 year degree requires
  • If you have late or missing payments on the loans

Those four markers can be a huge turn off to mortgage companies, and could mean that you either get denied for a mortgage request, or the offered interest rates will be far more than the optimum range.

If, however, you got your degree, have started a lucrative career in the field of your degree, and have been faithful in paying your loans down, there is no reason that student loans should keep you from your goal of becoming a homeowner. Most of these loans have reasonable payments, tiny interest rates, and will not greatly affect your debt-to-income ratio.

For those who do fit into one or more of those four markers, there are other options out there to help you get qualified for the housing of your choice. We would be happy to sit down with you and help you figure out which option works best for you until you can get your student loans out of the picture.

Loan documents in CA

Market Conditions Effect on Escrow

by Express Cash Flow Blog Posts

Loan documents in CA

We have worked in the world of advanced commission for a long time, which means we have seen things change in a lot of different ways over the years. Every time a major shift happens in the financial market, it immediately follows that things change in the world of escrow accounts as well. We track these shifts pretty closely as it is directly connected to advanced commission. The following is a list of some of the changes we have seen with the current market conditions.

Longer Escrow Wait Times

The financial market is improving, which is a good thing, but many different big institutions are now making it a little harder for people to get the financing they need. This is a good thing, as a little caution now can help prevent another big meltdown like the one that happened back in 2008. That being said, the advanced investigations create a longer escrow time. The money sits longer before being distributed to the deserving parties.

Larger Escrow Accounts

There are fewer loans happening, but we have noticed that these loans are growing in size. The larger loans mean larger down payments and earnest money amounts. All of that is the money that typically sits in escrow accounts. This means that the escrow accounts we deal with are larger in nature due to the growth in the economic market.

More Restrictions on Accounts

This goes back to the tighter restrictions happening with loans. Banking institutions cannot afford to be lax about the security of the accounts under their stewardship. This has affected the world of escrow by making it so fewer people have access to these accounts, and fewer loans are able to utilize an escrow service. This is especially true in the case of new construction loans. We believe that as the market continues to improve, this particular change will not be as stark a difference as it is right now.

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Should You Reject an FHA Loan?

by Express Cash Flow Blog Posts

FHA loans are a popular type of mortgage for homeowners that either don’t have the capital for a large down payment, have a bankruptcy in their past, or can’t get a mortgage otherwise. Because of the downturn of the housing market in 2008, the mortgage insurance premiums (required by any FHA loan) have almost tripled in expense, which means FHA loans aren’t as great a deal as they used to be. If you are trying to decide whether or not to take an FHA loan, here are a few things to consider.

Expenses and Fees

One of the biggest things you need to consider before deciding on an FHA loan is the expense and fees that come with an FHA loan. Because FHA loans offer such a low down-payment, they come with the requirement that you take out two mortgage insurance premiums, one upfront and one that lasts throughout the entirety of your loan. These typically add a lot to a monthly amount. Though a low down-payment is appealing, it also adds quite a bit of interest over the years than if you had paid the traditional 10 to 20% of the mortgage. So, if you have another loan option, you should definitely take that over the FHA, just to save money in the long run.

Financing Limits

Another problem with FHA loans, because they are known for helping families of more modest means, is that they have a limit to how much you can borrow. The FHA recalculates the loan limits (the “floor” and the “ceiling”) each year based on 115% of the median house price in each area. This means that if you live in an expensive area, like New York City or San Francisco, your loan limits will be a lot different than if you live in Kansas City or Las Vegas. This can be a problem if you need a higher loan amount.

If you are considering an FHA loan, these are just a few things that you’ll want to determine before you decide to go with the loan. Because there are a few things that may add a hiccup to your plan, you’ll want to go over all of your options, especially if you have a loan offer from the private mortgage industry. If you are looking to talk about FHA loans, or commission advances in California, be sure to contact Express Cash Flow for more information.

Express Cash Flow, Commission Advances

Invest In Your Real Estate Business

by Express Cash Flow Blog Posts

Your business is your pride and joy. Chances are you love nothing more than watching your business grow, your clients grow, and your hard work toward your California business pay off. But, one of the tough parts about working in real estate is working on building your business and making sure that you are investing enough into your real estate business. With any company, the key is investment. Investing is difficult, especially when you are trying to work for yourself and for your family, while starting a business and taking care of yourself. So, how do you invest money back into your business?

There are many different options, especially for a real estate business. One of the best options is investing your commissions back into your business heavily. One of the problems with commissions is that they tend to come quite a bit later than you would want them to. However, with Express Cash Flow, we can offer you your commissions in advance, so that you are able to invest in your business sooner than later, helping your business in the meantime. The hardest part about starting a company is the cash flow; with our services, we make it easier for you to make consistent investments in your company. Because we are dedicated to helping real estate personnel exclusively, we know exactly what you need to do in order to make your business more successful.

When investing in your business, be sure to think about what portion of your business needs the most help. If you are uncertain whether you will get a strong return on your investment, be careful of investing in that portion of the business. Marketing, PR or upgrading your systems may be great ways to invest in something that will return quickly.

You also may want to think about hiring personnel to help you with running your day-to-day business. And though you may need to reinvest heavily in your business to make sure that your business will get off the ground and become something that you can eventually be proud of, Express Cash Flow can help you keep those investments coming regularly to your business.

Be sure to consider advanced commissions in California to make your real estate business the best that it can be.

Handing Over Cash For House in Front of Home

What Is Escrow and How Does It Work?

by Express Cash Flow Blog Posts

Here at Express Cash Flow, we get asked a lot about what escrow is. For the most part, it is asked by clients who are here to use our nationwide commission advance service. Sometimes our clients need a loan to help them make ends meet between their sales deals, because their commission money is tied up in an escrow account. If you have had to use a nationwide commission advance for this reason, then the following explanation of what escrow is should be really helpful.

In basic terms, escrow is an account held by a third party. This is an unattached party who holds the money from a transaction while the deal is still being worked on. Generally, there will be certain requirements that need to be met by one or both of the active parties in the deal. Until all of these requirements are met, the money cannot be released to the intended party.

Many wonder why the money has to be surrendered at all if it is not going to be given to the rightful party. Honestly, while this might seem like a needless complication, it is done to protect all parties. For instance, if the money were to be turned over before all conditions were met, the party with the money could walk away before all agreed upon services were rendered.

Escrow also protects the party who will eventually be receiving the money. When the paying party is puts up the money at the beginning, it shows that they really do have the needed funds to complete the transaction.

In the end, it is a way to ensure the money is there and to ensure that no payment is actually made until everyone is happy with the work that has been completed.

Attractive Mixed Race Woman in Front of House and Sold Real Estate Sign.

Different Types of Commissions for Realtors

by Express Cash Flow Blog Posts

Many advance companies in California get asked about how realtors are compensated. This can be a complicated question to answer as there are a few different kinds of commissions. If you have been wondering this same thing, then this article will outline some of the most common forms of realtor compensation we use. Each commission advance company in California will encounter these same payment processes.

Exclusive Right to Sell Commissions

Realtors love having their clients sign these contracts. Basically this means that even if another agent is actually the one to close the deal that finally sells the house, the original agent reserves the right to take their contracted share of the sale price. The most common percentage we see in the real estate world is 3%.

Exclusive Agency Commissions

When you sign up with an agency rather than a specific agent, then you will get the help of many people at the agency. How the agents get paid in these scenarios will differ for each company. Some will pool the commissions with all who helped, and others will assign one person who will get the lion’s share of the money. Each sale, however, will give part of its whole to the agency owners and/or managers. This is like paying dues for working under the umbrella of a successful company. Signing this kind of contract means you will pay them if the house sells before a specific time frame. Usually that time frame is 6 months. This is by far the most common listing practice.

Open Listing Commissions

This listing type will give you the most freedom as the seller, but will also solicit less loyalty from the agent. This means that you will get the help of an agent, but whoever is the one to bring about the sale will be the one to get the commission from the sale. Agents working under this listing type will be aggressive, and will also have other projects going on due to the possibility of losing the sale to others.

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