Underwriters are not always requiring full appraisals in lieu of PIWs in fire areas; in most cases they are just requiring simple inspections, with no value attributed, that certify the property has not been damaged by fire.
I might add that we are seeing the same issue in parts of Texas now with hurricanes approaching.
And finally, if COVID and too much volume were not enough, we are experiencing additional delays with closings involving properties in both fire and hurricane areas.
MORTGAGE COMPANIES IGNORING PURCHASES B/C THEY ARE “TOO HARD” 😊
Several senior members of our team recently attended a large seminar that was all about Consumer Direct Marketing (how to attract borrowers directly to a firm without cultivating referral sources).
There were dozens of major mortgage companies in attendance, but we were amused to learn that we are the only company still focused on purchases over and above refinances.
Managers in attendance stated things like: “we just don’t want to work with Realtors; it is just too hard” or, “Realtors are a pain…”
Not to sound obsequious, but this shocked us to say the least given that Realtors are literally the lifeblood of our business.
Also – how does a company build a sustainable business focused on refis when rates cannot fall forever?
In any case, we love working with agents and will do pretty much anything we can legally do to help.
AGENT RESOURCE GUIDE
It was in this vein that we created our Agent Resource Guide, and, needless to say, I highly recommend reviewing it.
It sets out the following:
- Our Technology Partners. We have bulk contracts that allow us to compliantly offer major discounts to agents for Reputation Management (Reach 150); Predictive Analytics (Revaluate); Past Client Engagement (Homebot); Dialers (Phone Animal); Virtual Assistants (MOD); and Automated Marketing (Back At You) – among other things.
- Consultants and Coaches. We get asked for recommendations all the time, and our sales and marketing team has compiled a list based on years of seeing which coaches are most effective.
- Facebook Groups. Peer interaction is one of the most underrated education and marketing opportunities.
- Books. We get asked for book recommendations all the time too, so we compiled a list of 18 slightly out-of-the-box but very helpful books that have elevated us and our clients.
- Blogs. We tout some of our favorites, including, a bit self-servingly, this one 😊
- News Sources. We list a few of our favorite go-to sources for all things real estate.
Jay Voorhees
Founder/Broker | JVM Lending
(855) 855-4491 | DRE# 1197176, NMLS# 310167
