ActiveRain Success Stories

Ryan Bruzan, REALTOR®, Home Improvements Professional (United Real Estate): Real Estate Agent in La Grange, KY Ryan Bruzan, REALTOR®, Home Improvements Professional (United Real Estate) said almost 11 years ago,
"I received a featured post with my fourth blog article. How cool is that!

I haven't even hatched out of my pre-license training shell yet and have already experienced such tremendous guidance, direction and encouragement from a large number of professionals right here on ActiveRain. I can't thank everyone enough, but I sure will make you proud!

June 4, 2013- Did AR orientation today. Got my second featured post! Created some laughter! This is fun!"
Donard DonSellsVegas Twardowski REALTOR®, DonSellsVegas.com The Efficiency Factor  (Pulse Realty Group LLC): Real Estate Agent in Las Vegas, NV Donard DonSellsVegas Twardowski REALTOR®, DonSellsVegas.com The Efficiency Factor (Pulse Realty Group LLC) said almost 11 years ago,
"Went to Rain Camp in Las Vegas, Nevada and also in Prescott, Arizona. There was a lot of good information, still implementing what I have learned. Tons of great internet knowledge is taught by Ben Kinney, he is a smart guy."
Jolita Brazzano, Broker, REALTOR, LCAM, AHWD, GRI, RSPS, TRC, CMCA (Brazzano Real Estate & Management, LLC): Managing Real Estate Broker in Palm Coast, FL Jolita Brazzano, Broker, REALTOR, LCAM, AHWD, GRI, RSPS, TRC, CMCA (Brazzano Real Estate & Management, LLC) said almost 11 years ago,
"I was one of the first professional real estate sales associates to discover and utilize Active Rain. I find it to be a very compelling and useful site. If you are looking for professional responses to your questions, this is the site to use."
Karen Baker, Professional Help with Rapid Responses... (Sunset Beach and Beyond Realty): Real Estate Broker/Owner in Sunset Beach, NC Karen Baker, Professional Help with Rapid Responses... (Sunset Beach and Beyond Realty) said almost 11 years ago,
"activerain success story ~ first commission check

We received our FIRST COMMISSION CHECK from working with a Referral we received from Active Rain and selling a home in North Carolina.

For those who are not aware, on your member home page on the left side there is a side bar. In this side bar there are various links to work on as a member of Active Rain. One of the links, the Referral Network is where you can read about the Referral Exchange, Browse Available and Post a Referral. The next section is My Referrals where you can see your Posted Referrals, Requested Referrals and Referral Alerts.

Here is what we did to receive the referral. We clicked the Referral Alerts and set up a new alert for the area we work. When you set up a new alert make sure you click the link Add to add the city. You can add more than one city to your alerts.

We did this on January 15, 2011 and waited for something to happen. The first referral we found during a random search browsing the available referrals in South Carolina. When this happens you send the agent an email from a link in the message. We are still waiting for a reply on that one.

The next one was posted in the "Your Messages" part of our home page and when we noticed it we immediately applied for it by sending an email to the agent.
The same day another message was in the section --> Your Messages. We applied for this one also. Two referrals in one day ~ BONUS ~ Never heard back from the first one but we did hear back from the second one ~

The referral was from Jeff Jasinek of Clients First Realty. February 3rd, 2011 was the date. We closed on our clients brand new home on April 6th, 2011.
We received our FIRST COMMISSION CHECK FROM A REFERRAL on ACTIVE RAIN TODAY APRIL 7th 2011.



For those who are not aware of the REFERRAL NETWORK ~ YOU ARE AWARE NOW ~ SO SIGN UP AND GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR FIRST REFERRAL ~

The SUNSET BEACH TEAM ~ FRANK & KAREN BAKER ~

karen's happy too

Frank heading to the bank

OUR FACEBOOK PAGE





Sunset Beach and Beyond Realty



SUNSET BEACH AND BEYOND REALTY

FRANK AND KAREN BAKER

BROKERS, OWNERS

CRS, ABR, GRI, e-PRO, SFR

SUNSET BEACH, NORTH CAROLINA

910-612-1906

EXCLUSIVE BUYER AGENTS

frankandkarenbaker@gmail.com

www.SunsetBeachandBeyond.com

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Linda Blumenthal, NYS Licenced Real Estate Salesperson, CBR (Hampton Crossing - Licensed Real Estate Salesperson - 631-466-4087): Real Estate Agent in Westhampton Beach, NY Linda Blumenthal, NYS Licenced Real Estate Salesperson, CBR (Hampton Crossing - Licensed Real Estate Salesperson - 631-466-4087) said almost 11 years ago,
"ActiveRain allows each of us to be a part of a wonderful, supportive community. I appreciate the professional atmosphere of this site, and I look forward to learning something new each day. I have met some incredible people here. Thanks ActiveRain!"
Cory Fitzsimmmons, Realtor - Denver, CO ReThink real estate group (ReThink Real Estate Group): Real Estate Agent in Golden, CO Cory Fitzsimmmons, Realtor - Denver, CO ReThink real estate group (ReThink Real Estate Group) said almost 11 years ago,
"I started blogging a couple years ago but felt Like is was lost in the "how-to" realm. I attended Raincamp and learned many valuable lessons and tips. It was way to much info in such a short time and implementing all the "keys" will take some time. Now finding the time to do these things is a challenge. Blogging has certainly sent some traffic to my website and the ActiveRain community is fabulous. I have found blogging to be much easier as I applied myself. Now it is just a matter of doing it.
Also, the content within the AR community is invaluable in teaching my new agents. I often refer to blogs and specific articles as a resource or use as a training topic. The beautiful part is it keeps coming."
Jeff Petsche-951-316-6400, Pacific Real Estate (Pacific Real Estate): Managing Real Estate Broker in Corona, CA Jeff Petsche-951-316-6400, Pacific Real Estate (Pacific Real Estate) said almost 11 years ago,
"In only a short time of being on the Activerain site, I've received some great feedback from fellow rainers that I feel will help me in my performance as a manager.

I've taken an proactive approach to being a part of this site by posting Blogs, commenting on Blogs, etc. and it's paying off with some great responses back to me.

I've even connected with a great person who has a coaching company and we have emailed each other a few times, and now we are going to set up a phone call and talk about how she might be able to help me grow my office. I'm looking forward to more success stories from this site."
Roberto Gonzalez, Hagerstown Commercial Real Estate (RG Realty Inc): Real Estate Agent in Hagerstown, MD Roberto Gonzalez, Hagerstown Commercial Real Estate (RG Realty Inc) said almost 11 years ago,
"Active rain is a good source for information and a great place to share and learn the blogging university the best!!!, At this moment I can just tell you that Active Rain has help me generate more traffic to my website this is converting into new leads and the traffic keep increasing day by day, thank you Active Rain, Today!! new lead !! and keep going strong"
Carl Flickinger, Broker Owner, GRI, CDPE (Golf and Water Real Estate Agency): Real Estate Agent in Naples, FL Carl Flickinger, Broker Owner, GRI, CDPE (Golf and Water Real Estate Agency) said almost 11 years ago,
"I am still building my active rain story. Attended my first rain camp and was completely blown away by the information I was exposed too. I am a believer and will strive to practice all the principals leading me to a successful business."
Kristen Correa, Broker, I love coffee & real estate. I am out of coffee! (Kristen Correa Real Estate & Reedy Creek Realty Services): Real Estate Broker/Owner in Keller, TX Kristen Correa, Broker, I love coffee & real estate. I am out of coffee! (Kristen Correa Real Estate & Reedy Creek Realty Services) said almost 11 years ago,
"Last year another ActiveRainer, Karen Anne Stone, called me! It was such a nice surprise to hear from her! I read her blog posts and enjoy her points of view on comments, too. She wanted a referral to another local industry professional since we both serve the Fort Worth market. I gave her the name and number and she got what she needed right away. It was really fun, out of the blue, to hear from her! It was also nice to build industry referral partner trust by sharing his contact info and his expertise with another Rainer."
Bill Lauler,  Associate Broker,CIPS,CRB,SRES,GRI (Chase Realty LLC): Real Estate Agent in McLean, VA Bill Lauler, Associate Broker,CIPS,CRB,SRES,GRI (Chase Realty LLC) said almost 11 years ago,
"Our family business started in 1972 with my mother and a few great friends. We still do business the same way one client or customer at a time with great care and integrity. We are more than glad to help you with your real estate needs in sales,rentals and property management. We also have a referral company for those agents that wish to keep their license active and refer a customer or client to us without doing anything more.
Stop in and see us at our Mclean,Va., office anytime you are in the area.We would be glad to see you and help out."
Ann-Marie Clements, Ed.D. candidate, Innovative Proactive Principa (Candidate for an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership): Education & Training in Saint John, NB Ann-Marie Clements, Ed.D. candidate, Innovative Proactive Principa (Candidate for an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership) said almost 11 years ago,
"I have learned so much about blogging, social media and website performances that I started to take a formal course in Web Design. I love the creative aspect of web designing and the applications to my real estate world! Without ActiveRain helping me along the way, I would have never taken the initiative to formally take the course. Thank you to all of the SEO's & Realtor friends/bloggers of ActiveRain!"
Jon Cagle, Lane County Oregon - Direct FHA, VA, USDA Lender (Senior Loan Officer at US Bank Home Mortgage): Mortgage and Lending in Eugene, OR Jon Cagle, Lane County Oregon - Direct FHA, VA, USDA Lender (Senior Loan Officer at US Bank Home Mortgage) said almost 11 years ago,
"After attending the Active Rain University class on Tuesday, I immediately sat down and wrote a blog. I carefully inserted my title and repeated it in the body of my blog. I then repeated those important key words 2 to 4% of my word count. After I loaded up my website's URL, I posted the blog. With in 5 minutes I was number 7 on Google search of lenders in my County. It really worked (works)!!!! I can't wait to post my next blog today!"
Steven Baldwin, Sjbaldwin (Keller Williams): Real Estate Agent in New Albany, OH Steven Baldwin, Sjbaldwin (Keller Williams) said almost 11 years ago,
"http://sjbaldwin.com"
Lainie Ramsey, Lake Texoma Expert (Homes By Lainie Real Estate Group): Real Estate Broker/Owner in Pottsboro, TX Lainie Ramsey, Lake Texoma Expert (Homes By Lainie Real Estate Group) said almost 11 years ago,
"What can I say about Active Rain? I have had so much success in my few short months here, but of course you're wanting to know what it can do for you! Can we say Google Juice?!?! Blogs on Active Rain that are written specifically about things you are wanting to be found on the internet for will move faster through the Active Rain system than you can imagine. Active Rain has helped my blog rank, my website move to number one spots in many instances and I have received more information from the other members than I could ever have hoped to get by going to classes or seminars throughout the real estate industry. This year will be without a doubt my ABSOLUTE BEST YEAR IN REAL ESTATE and while I owe alot of that to being a top notch agent -- I contribute a great, great deal of my success to Active Rain. Without Active Rain I know I would not be climbing to the top at such a rapid speed! Thanks so much to Jon, Brad, Bob and all the Active Rain staff!"
Charita Cadenhead, Serving Jefferson and Shelby Counties (Alabama) (eXp Realty): Real Estate Agent in Birmingham, AL Charita Cadenhead, Serving Jefferson and Shelby Counties (Alabama) (eXp Realty) said almost 11 years ago,
"The AR Lessons Learned Are Just as Important as the Leads, Referrals and Checks We Earn

This is my version of an ActiveRain Success Story. While may may think of AR Success Stories as directl leads, referrals and closing of those leads and referrals, I contend that

The AR Lessons Learned Are Just as Important as the AR Leads, Referrals and Checks We Earn

I wrote a post today about a listing that I have that is now pending. Oddly enough, I ended up showing this home to a buyer that was working with another agent. The buyer's agent actually called me to ask if I minded showing the house to her buyers.

Prior to joining ActiveRain, I would have had steam coming from my ears upon hearing such a request. But post ActiveRain has taught me that it's just one more opportunity at a shot to sell a home that I have listed.

Prior to joining ActiveRain, I would have found every reason in the world, why I couldn't do the buyers agent's job of showing the house to her buyers. But post ActiveRain I have learned that I needed to make time to seize any opportunity to get a buyer for my sellers.

Prior to joining ActiveRain, I would have been hell bent on insisting that a BPO agent find an agent in his/her office to perhaps take a ride with them so that the BPO agent could do his/her job (using the other agent's electronic key to access a propert). Post ActiveRain, I'll just have to accept the speeding ticket that I got a week and a half ago while en route to meet the BPO agent at my short sale listing for which we've got an offer and a back up offer.

I will admit that I would not like to see this become a trend, but I have learned to harness the power of opportunity when it comes a knockin'.

So what have I learned from ActiveRain? Among other things: Prudence, Patience and Practicing the art of building a good reputation and rapport.

The AR Lessons Learned Are Just as Important as the AR Leads, Referrals and Checks We Earn"
Kevin Kueneke, San Diego Mortgage Banker (Caliber Home Loans): Mortgage and Lending in Encinitas, CA Kevin Kueneke, San Diego Mortgage Banker (Caliber Home Loans) said almost 11 years ago,
"In the past 24 months, I have closed 26 loans that were direct referrals from ActiveRain. The beauty of ActiveRain is that people get to know you before they even meet you. By the time they make contact, they have already decided to work with you.

Update: 6/4/2013: A local flooring contractor referred me a deal a couple of months ago, and I was able to reciprocate today by referring him one of my blog followers.

Update: 5/13/2013: Just received a call from a potential buyer that is relocating from North Carolina to San Diego. He found my blog last year while looking for information on VA loans and knows the importance of getting pre-approved before shopping for a home. I gave him my checklist and he is going to send me all of the pertinent paperwork later today. AND, he asked if I can refer him a couple top area Realtors. You bet!

Update: 5/1/2013: About three years ago, I received a call from a potential client who wasn't happy with the lender that he was working with. At that time, he was only about a week away from closing on his new home, and I told him that it just wasn't worth switching lenders that late in the game, escpecially since he was fully approved and they were basically ready to draw loan docs. Fast forward to today - the buyer appreciated my honesty back then and has been a follower of my AR blog. He is now ready to refinance and we are moving forward.

Update: 4/3/2013: Just closed a purchase loan today for a client that found me two and a half weeks ago on AR. The lender they were working with (no names mentioned, but think large bank) told them at the 11th hour that the owner-occupancy ratio in their condo complex was too low (43%). She was refinancing her principal residence with a Conventional loan, so owner-occupancy ratio doesn't matter. Glad she found me.

Update: 3/27/2013: A real estate broker from Orange County CA was looking for information on VA homes loans the other day and called me based on a blog post I wrote a couple of years ago. Her client called me the next day and we now have them pre-approved.

Update: 3/18/2013: I first blogged about the HARP 2.0 refinance a little over a year ago when the latest version was about to hit the street. A client bookmarked that blog post at that time, but waited to call me until today because he had a mortgage late towards the end of 2011. He has now been on time for over 12 months, called me about the HARP 2.0 refinance, and we just received the approval. I'm glad I stayed with AR.

Update: 3/5/2013: A real estate agent that just moved to the San Diego area was looking to partner with a local lender and do some joint marketing. He found me on AR and we have not only put on a hoebuyer seminar, but we now have an active escrow together.

Update: 2/15/2013: Got an email today from a local competitor (who shall remain nameless per his request). He has followed me on AR for the last couple of years, and was recently unable to close a loan on a condo with a low owner-occupancy ratio. He read my post and referrred me the deal.

Update: 1/25/2013: I was contacted late last night by a potential homebuyer in escrow with an internet lender, set to close in about 7 days. He is purchasing a condo and was told yesterday that the owner-occupancy ratio is too low according the HOA questionnaire the lender received yesterday...three weeks into the escrow! By the way, I checked and this HOA cert is available instantly online. Anyway, since the borrower is going to live in the home, we do not care about the owner-occupancy ratio. Great income, low debt to income ratios, plenty of reserves. Yes, we will close that loan. And by the way, this buyer found me on ActiveRain.

Update: 1/8/2013: Decided to take a much needed break the other day and go skiing. After a long, well deserved day on the slopes, I was sitting in my car getting ready to drive down from the mountain when I received a call from a listing agent in Northern California. She had a condo falling out of escrow because the buyer's lender had a minimum owner-occupancy ratio requirement of 51%. After asking a couple quick questions, I determined that I am able to do the loan since the buyer will occupy the condo. Opened escrow today!

Update: 12/21/2012: A prospective client that contacted me via AR two years ago resurfaced today. Their financial situation has improved for the better and we are now moving forward with a refinance. Great timing as rates are still incredibly low.

Update: 11/3/2012: I was contacted today by someone that read one of my posts over 3 years ago which they saved in their favorites. They were cleaning out the favorites on their computer, clicked on my post because they couldn't remember what it was about. Guess what? Rates are now low enough for them to refinance!

Update: 10/16/2012: Even though I do not post as often as I used to, I still receive calls on a regular basis from potential borrowers. This morning I received a call regarding FHA Streamline Refinance program from a homeowner that is significantly underwater. They want to stay in their home, have been making their payments on time, but would like to lower their payments to make their lives a little more comfortable. Guess what? No appraisal required, problem solved.

Update: 9/23/2012: I met a possibe referral partner the other day, and they Googled me right then and there. The top result was my Active Rain profile! I received my first referral from him today.

Update: 8/23/2012: Received a phone call today from a real estate agent that found me on AR two years ago. She bookmarked that post (FHA Tidbits) and referred back to it often. She finally decided to pick up the phone today and refer me a new client. Thank you!

Update: 7/25/2012: Just closed a VA purchase loan that was a direct result of a blog post I wrote about VA loans three years ago. The buyer needed a REALTOR as well, so I referred him to one of my best referral partners. Every one wins!

Update: 5/2/2012: I had a direct connect via Active Rain turn into a deal yesterday (another AR member contacted me through the AR site). I am in San Diego, and this agent is in Northern California. However, she has been having trouble finding a solid mortgage loan originator to team up with. She has been reading my blog for a while and finally decided to reach out. We now have a deal in escrow together!

Update: 4/27/2010: I received four calls this week relating to a blog I wrote over 3 years ago. Just proves the point that a solid blog post written on Active Rain is timeless.

Update: 4/15/2012: I received a contact via Active Rain on Friday from an agent that has had zero success getting her client's loan approved for a condo in Los Angeles County. The client is putting 20% down, has excellent credit/income/etc, but the condo project has a low owner occupancy ratio so none of the "regular" players can do the loan. I received their information late Friday night and already have them underwriter approved. Another referral as a direct result of blogging on AR.

Update: 4/2/2012: A new client called me today after doing a Google search for FHA loan officers in her area. One of my AR posts was the #2 search result on page 1. She decided to apply with me because the #1 result did not pick up his phone, I did. We are now in escrow and are closing in 18 days.

Update: 3/27/2012: I have had several calls in the past couple days from potential HARP 2.0 clients that were told by their servicing lenders that it will take at least 90 days to close their HARP 2.0 refinances. So, they searched online for other viable options and found my blog posts on Active Rain regarding the HARP Deal 2.0. We will be able to close them in under 30 days.

Update 1/31/2012: One of the "big banks" needed three more weeks to close a loan, but the short sale was expiring in 10 days. The agent called me in a panic, I talked her off the ledge, and had her help the clients get me everything I needed that afternoon. That was on Friday January 20th. We funded AND recorded on Monday January 30th...on time! Even with the end of the month crunch, my team was able to get it done.

Update 1/25/2012 - just got another call from a blog post I wrote over a year ago. The clients have already forwarded all of their qualifying documentation to me, we had the underwriter review, and now they are shopping for a new home with confidence!

Update 2/4/2011: An agent in Colorado was looking for a competent mortgage loan originator in the San Diego area to assist his mother with a refinance. Mom owns a condo in a complex that is no longer FHA approved and several lenders had already told her "no" for that reason. I was able to structure an FHA Streamline refinance for her with no money added to the loan or out of pocket...and we saved her over $300 per month.

Update 12/31/2010: I got a call yesterday from a prospective homebuyer who was looking to buy property in San Diego County with a high balance VA loan. My ActiveRain post re: VA Loan Limits for 2011 was the third one down on the Google search results, but I still got the call. Looks like we are opening escrow on Monday!"
Larry Estabrooks, 100% representation means NEVER DUAL AGENCY ! (Independent Real Estate Agent): Real Estate Agent in Moncton, NB Larry Estabrooks, 100% representation means NEVER DUAL AGENCY ! (Independent Real Estate Agent) said almost 11 years ago,
"When looking for a real estate professional in another real estate market, ActiveRain is where I start my research. Reading the blog posts gives me insights into the member's abilities, expertise and opinions. I've referred clients and family to these ActiveRain Members:

http://activerain.com/lindsay"
Tim Ventura, Digital marketing & technology consultant (Digital Marketing Consultant): Real Estate Technology in Blaine, WA Tim Ventura, Digital marketing & technology consultant (Digital Marketing Consultant) said almost 11 years ago,
"As a software provider, ActiveRain has played a pivotal role in helping me reach out to agents nationwide to share information about our products as well as seek advice and feedback on how to continually refine our products. Software is sometimes an impersonal industry, but Real Estate is very personal, and ActiveRain is a wonderful forum for us to interact with our customers."
David Lee Morton, Real Estate Broker, Owner, Realtor®, Credit Guru (David Morton Real Estate): Real Estate Agent in Charlotte, NC David Lee Morton, Real Estate Broker, Owner, Realtor®, Credit Guru (David Morton Real Estate) said almost 11 years ago,
"ActiveRain is an awesome! Great for Blogging and Referrals! I have received several referrals this year as a result of using active rain."