Conforming Mortgages Rates Continue To Drop

Nationally, the 30 year fixed mortgage rate fell to a new all time low for the second consecutive week. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropped 1 base point down to 3.83% for those willing to pay .7 discount points plus the full set of closing costs, this according to Freddie Mac’s weekly mortgage rate survey.

Not only did the 30-year fixed mortgage set a record but so did the 15 year fixed rate mortgage, dropping down to 3.05% along with the .7 discount plus closing cost.

This is a great time to refinance or purchase a home due to the fact you can get such a great deal on borrowed money.

I have nearly 30 years experience in the mortgage business and has seen the ups and downs and been able to help people realize their dreams of homeownership.

Visit my Facebook page at facebook.com/themortgagefirm

Incorporating Social Media Into Your Marketing Efforts

As we welcome in the new year and resolve to continue our successful growth in the South Florida real estate and mortgage market, we have made focusing on social media marketing a priority at my office.

Participating in social media marketing may seem a little overwhelming at first, but it is really quite simple and most services make it very easy to register and begin your marketing immediately.  I concentrate my social media marketing efforts through a few sites that have proven successful from the beginning, those being my company pages on facebook, google+, foursquare, whocanihire, twitter and my blog.   My recommendation is to start with these sites and expand to others over time.

I have found that the key to marketing through social media has been to position myself as THE reliable source for mortgage information to potential and past clients and to the real estate community.  It is important to be relevant, current and open in your postings and communication.  Many social media experts believe you need to subscribe to the 80/20 rule (80 percent of your updates should provide value for your followers and 20 percent can be self-promotional).  In my opinion, if you are providing value, you are promoting.  Please don't be afraid to promote yourself along with the benefits and services you provide, people expect this.

Already in the new year I have received inquiries from other mortgage and real estate professionals asking my advice and how it is working for me.  If you have not begun social marketing, hopefully you will begin soon.  I believe you will find success and a return in your investment in time in a fairly short time.  I am always available to help and answer any questions you may have.  In future posts, I will expand on my social media marketing efforts along with providing information regarding the mortgage industry.  

I am passionate about the mortgage business and love helping families attain home ownership, but in the interest of full disclosure, my husband is a partner in the company Who Can I Hire, Inc. which is the consulting firm that owns whocanihire.com.

A little about whocanihire.com, this is a website that acts as a hub and directory for small business and services to market using social media.  When a business joins the directory, they set up their profile, contact information, social media links, chamber of commerce links, and gallery page.  Plus, the site contains numerous resources for small businesses of which many are free or little cost.