Resource Articles
Social Media Marketing for Real Estate Agents
A carefully-crafted social media strategy can help position a real estate professional as an expert in the field. This helps agents reach their desired target audiences and aids in lead generation efforts.
Tips to Maximize the Sale of Your Home
The real estate market is as hot as ever, with more and more buyers eager to find a new home while taking advantage of historically low interest rates. And with low inventory, now could be a great time to sell if you’re ready for something new.
Preapproval vs. Prequalification
The mortgage process can be confusing – full of steps and terms most people aren’t even familiar with. This is why we’ve always aimed to be a trusted mortgage partner, working to help our customers better navigate their journey to purchasing their new home.
What to Say When Clients Ask These Questions
In real estate, you always want to be prepared with the best information for your clients. After all, you’re their most trusted guide in the complex yet rewarding journey that is buying a home.
Best Times to Post on Social Media
Perfecting your brand and social media presence is only the first step in growing your online presence. Next up is reaching your audience. But when’s the best time to post to reach your audience? Well, that’s easy.
How Self-Employed Professionals Qualify for a Mortgage
More and more people have become self-employed via the gig economy, or by starting their own business.This doesn’t mean self-employed people have to miss out on the dream of homeownership – they just have to go about the process a little differently.
How to Reach Millennials with Digital Marketing
Now more than ever is the right time to brush up on your digital marketing chops to make sure you’re meeting your customers where they are … online. We've provided some tips for reaching and engaging younger buyers, especially millennials.
What Does My Client’s Appraisal Desk / Disclosure Desk Do?
This week on “What Does My Client’s ____ Do?” we uncover the mystery of the Appraisal Desk and Disclosure Desk.
Marketing Automation Tips for Realtors
As a realtor, before you can help any new client buy or sell a home, you must first sell yourself and your expertise. In today's ever-more digital world, you can automate most of your marketing, which frees you up to service existing clients and follow up with new leads.
New Year Marketing Checklist
It’s hard to believe that we are already a few days into 2021. And while 2020 can be characterized as a year of unprecedented challenging twists and turns, we hope it was still a productive and successful one for you.
6 Fun Facts About Mortgages
As a very challenging year for all of us is drawing to a close, we thought it would be nice to invite our partners to take a little breather and enjoy some fun facts about mortgages.
Why Agents Should Think of Themselves as Consultants Rather Than Salespeople
Real Estate is a transaction-based business, and your success as an agent hinges on your ability to sell … or that’s the most basic view of this business, anyway. But in reality, agents do so much more for their clients than accept their check.
8 Tips for Perfecting the Follow-Up Call
While many methods of communication are effective in real estate, the truth is that phone calls still help you find the most success in our business. Avoid the risk of allowing communication to slip with some simple, tried-and-true tips for following up successfully …
Co-Marketing and RESPA
Chances are you’ve heard of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, or RESPA. The regulations defined in this act have far-reaching implications for the real estate industry. And while you may be familiar with RESPA in general, you might not be as brushed up on the Do’s and Don'ts outlined by RESPA for co-marketing.
10 Mortgage Acronyms Every Real Estate Agent Should Know
While there's no shortage of “must-know” info available when it comes to home loans, it's still safe to say you'll never honestly know everything there is to know about mortgages – as rules, regulations and product offerings tend to be updated on a relatively frequent basis.
Trusted Mortgage Advice from a Real Estate Agent
There's no shortage of advice for anyone buying a home, especially on the internet. And it's okay for homebuyers to seek advice online, especially if they're in the early stages of their search. However, as they get further along in their search, and are in a position to make an offer, they really should consult the trusted advice of the mortgage company they chose.
Tips for Building Realtor Relationships
Real estate is an industry built on relationships. As Mortgage Loan Originators, we know it is important you build these relationships to increase your purchase-loan business.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Real Estate Agent and Loan Originator Networking
Strong relationships between real estate agents and loan originators (LOs) stand to benefit everyone involved with purchasing a home.
What Does My Client’s Closer Do?
Welcome to our last installment of “What Does My Client’s ____ Do?” Over the last few months we’ve helped you better understand the many different professional roles involved in the mortgage application and closing process.
Clever Closing Gifts for Your Clients
Closing is such a special moment for you and your clients, and most agents choose to mark the occasion by giving their clients a gift. Let us help you take the guesswork out of the process with this curated list of fun and unique ideas for gifts!
Should Potential Home Loan Customers be Intimidated by Their Underwriter?
One step of the process that is the most unnerving also happens to be extremely important: underwriting. That word can be intimidating for many home buyers, so Guardian Mortgage wants to further inform potential home buyers to help ease some of their uncertainty around the underwriting process.
Partnering with Guardian Mortgage’s Loan Originators Can Increase Your Business
We’ve talked about how important relationships are, and in the real estate business it is no different. In fact, they are more than important, they are a crucial element of a successful business. People often think of the key relationships as: agent / buyer and buyer / mortgage provider.
How to Engage Virtually
Conducting Business in a Social Distancing World | For better or worse, 2020 is officially becoming the year of social distancing. And as everyone, businesses included, have had to adjust to the current crisis, virtual meetings are more necessary than ever.
Spring Clean Your Database
Spring is here! The days are getting longer. The weather is warmer. Birds are chirping. Everyone feels refreshed as they escape their winter stupor…and of course, we’re all busy cleaning.
Host an Effective First-Time Homebuyer Seminar
Buying a home is a major decision. And since it is something people don’t do every day it’s a transaction most people don’t know a lot about. This is especially true if your clients are first-time homebuyers. Hosting seminars is a great way to help people better understand every detail about buying a home.
Understanding Credit Scores
If there’s anything more complicated than the real estate business, it’s credit scores. Which, ironically, are one of the more complicated aspects of real estate.
Did You Know? Builder Incentives with Guardian.
Over the last several years business has been booming for home builders across the country. As communities continue to grow and more people purchase new and custom built homes, builders need a mortgage partner with programs that benefit them and their buyers equally.
Make Your Reviews Work for You
In today’s ever-more-competitive market, it’s vital that you’re getting the most out of your reviews and testimonials. Below, we outline some simple, yet crucial, ways you can put your great reviews to work for you.
Create a Listing That Wows
The internet has changed nearly every industry today, including real estate. In addition to websites like Zillow, Trulia, and others, there are now even sites to help you boost your listings like Tour Factory and Listing Booster.
Is Your Vendor List Up to Par?
Your preferred vendor and contractor list can go a long way to ensuring you deliver a top-notch experience for all of your clients. After all, if your clients trust you, they’re more likely to act on your recommendation.
What Clients Really Want
Buying or selling a home is a big deal. For some, it’s one of the biggest decisions they’ll ever make.
Boost Productivity With Apps
Technology is great when it serves to promote the relationships that build your business. But technology evolves so quickly that it can be easy to miss great apps that might make everyday tasks a little easier.
Expediting a Pre-Qualification
Although Guardian Mortgage Loan Originators are here to guide customers every step of the way, we know that sometimes buyers feel more comfortable in speaking to you, their real estate agent, about the mortgage process first.
Does your loan originator work as hard as you do?
Selling real estate is a rewarding career choice, but it's a highly competitive, get-it-done-yesterday business. That's why it's important to team up with a loan originator who works as hard as you do.
How Much Home Can Your Clients Afford?
Everyone wants to be happy in a new home. The right neighborhood, the right floor plan, and the right sales price go a long way to maximize customer satisfaction.
Prioritizing your Referral Partners
How do you decide which referral partners deserve your time? Should you spend lots of effort putting together an email for past customers?