How many of us truly have a business plan? How many of us are still afraid of the internet? How many of us don't utilize the internet as they should? I am sure marketing dollars are tight for many of us. How do you target your marketing dollars. Keeping in mind, time is money.  So how do you utilize your time and your money? There are so many ideas and marketing strategies, even in a down market, when you don't have much money to use for marketing. In my opinion, I do believe that print advertising (not 100% dead) is out the door, that you can spend your money in better places. I wanted to share three basic concepts that we might take for granted, and not utilize to our full potential. I was inspired to write this after reading Jay Beckingham's blog, "Rain Power" It's Awesome. Jay ga... 09/23/2009

Business Recommendation Bill Artz, Big League Floors, 1103 Somerset Ave, Voorhees, NJ 08043 856-354-2076 Recently, my wife and I ripped up the carpet in my home.  We discovered wonderful hardwood floors.  Unfortunately, the floors were not covered when the previous owner had the walls painted.  In addition, a wall had been removed and hardwood planks were missing.  We called several people to take a look at the job.  We met people with various experience and prices.  The person that we ultimately chose was Bill Artz of Big League Floors.   We could not have chosen a better person to refinish our floors.  Bill and his crew was courteous, professional and clean (most dust was limited to the areas that were being refinished).  Bill told us the price up front.  The final price matched the e... 09/22/2009

Many of you know that I recently moved into a new home.  In the midst of moving and renovating the new home, I have come across some skilled trademan who are worth recommending. The first person I am recommending is my carpet installer.  Mr. Donald J. Brooks, Jr is an excellent carpet installer.  We were able to purchase carpet at less than retail (through Mr. Brooks contacts).  Mr. Brooks removed the old carpet, installed new carpet and stretched carpet that was not being replaced.  He was detail oriented and knowledgeable.  The thing that I really like about Mr. Brooks is that he is very proud of his work.  He takes pride in each and every installation.  His price was fair and I was completely satisfied. If you are looking for an excellent carpet installer, give Donald a call.  Tell h... 09/22/2009

  Yes, credit guidelines have gotten tougher, but NO, you don’t need a 700 credit score.     Here we go again, with realtors making things sound semi easy. There was a question on Trulia last week, and the buyer said that they heard that you needed credit scores of 700.  And what do you do if you have scores from 614 to 620.         Here was part of the answer from a realtor answering the question. "You can actually purchase a home with a credit score in the 500'sdepending on job history, etc. I have several lenders who can assist you." Sorry, but this answer sounds easy, and it's not that easy if you are under 620. Yes, there are investors out there that are allowing credit scores below 620, even down to 535. But the guidelines are much stricter. You really can't exceed the income rati... 09/15/2009

  …… 1 - 2 - 3    you struck out   How many of you are sports fans? Or just that you understand how it works sometimes. And that's when you rave about your team or a specific player. Yet something happens or that person goes into a slump.  Now you drop them like a sack of potatoes. Well, in the real estate world of things, this seems to happen more than we would like at times. People can tend to be creatures of habit. When the tough get going, they go.... but wait, is it really even that bad? Do emotions get involved in too many cases? And it distorts your thought process?         A true partnership, whether they be your referral source (realtors giving loan officers referrals) or your borrowers that you would hope would be your clients for life, can't be complete without 110% satisfac... 09/07/2009

Keller Williams Cherry Hill Presents 744 Cooper Landing Road.  This 2 story home is best described as light and airy.  The large eat in kitchen features newer cabinets with a matching countertop.  The first floor also includes a very comfortable Family room and oversized utility room. A large formal living and dining rooms complete the first floor.  Upstairs you'll find three nice size bedrooms and full bath. The bath has been updated with newer tile surround, floors, sink and toilet. All the windows have been replaced.  The interior of the house has been freshly painted. Finally, the Government (Uncle Sam) is willing to give first time homebuyers $8,000 tax credit to buy your new home. If you would like to preview this home or any others in the area, please give me a call.       Make T... 08/31/2009

August 2009 Cherry Hill Recent Sales Report By Leander McClain, Realtor I am asked all the time...How's business.  My answer for the past 3 years has been GREAT!!.  There is a misconception that real estate has tanked and nothing is selling.  Or that both buyers and sellers are getting screwed.  The bottom line is that there are great bargains available for both buyers and sellers.  If you are interested in how I can help you make your dreams ome true, feel free to call my office and set up and appointment with me.  We will discuss your dreams and I will tell you my plan to make them come true. Have a great day     address subdivision bedrooms bathrooms sold_price Seller Assist 1921 Pippin Cir, Cherry Hill, NJ Apple Hill 3 1.5 $283,000 8,000 1903 Baldwin Rd, Cherry Hill, NJ Apple Hill ... 08/31/2009

Renault Winery Resort & Golf Presents Their Famous Grape Stomping Festival & Craft Fair Sunday August 30, 2009 12 Noon - 5pm Free Parking Free Admission Rain or Shine   If you are looking for something interesting to do this weekend, check out this annual event.  People come back to Renault year after year to participate in a fun filled day of grape stomping activities.  You will also discover many hand made creations, BBQ & drinks. When you arrive, make sure you ask to sign up for grape stomping.  You will be able to stomp grapes and create your own wine.  This is great fun for the whole family   72 North Bremen Avenue, Egg Harbor City, NJ 08215 609-965-2111   www.renaultwinery.com Grape Stomping photo provided by http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_seg/2975700105   Have a great day Make ... 08/28/2009

  Direct Lenders, Bankers, and Brokers, oh my....   Another discussion has arisen again, and this time it's about dealing with Direct Lenders. The blunt of the topic is that dealing with those big banks, aka, Big Box Banks as mentioned, aren't always in your best interest for several reasons. Now, I will actually agree with this statement and will give my opinion later. But I am more about defining terms and such, and not just opinion that is one-sided. Janet Guilbault wrote : Why recommending a Direct Lender could make you choke on your coffee. Janet talks about these big banks being slower in closing loans. In most cases, a fact and not an opinion. But the message set within the blog has come across sounding evil, that many realtors refer their borrowers to these big banks. My problem... 08/23/2009

  Dual Agency can sound like a harmless word, right?  We are suppose to trust anyone in the real estate and mortgage industries, right? Sounds simple enough when the person representing you says that they have your best interests at hand. But wait, let's dig a little deeper, because not every realtor will explain it correctly to you, hoping that you truly don't understand both sides of the equation.   Let's define Dual Agency. - Is when a real estate agent is representing both the seller and the buyer at the same time in the same transaction. Since we are on the topic of dual agency, there is also the term designated dual agency. This is where you have two different agents from the same real estate office, in which case, one agent has the seller and the other agent has the buyer.      ... 08/10/2009

An Initiative Focused on Preparing for Doctoral Study in Education The following information  is from the UPenn website.  For further information and an online application click here Penn GSE has made a serious commitment to preparing promising undergraduate scholars for admission to and success in Ph.D. programs in the field of education. We are seeking to identify talented undergraduates who are entering their junior year for participation in our Grad Prep Academy, a program that includes a four-day visit to the University of Pennsylvania in November 2009. We will select 10 college juniors and cover all their travel expenses, lodging, and meals. During their visit to our campus, the selected scholars will learn more about applying to and succeeding in graduate school; hear about the ... 08/06/2009

    BEWARE – A very boring topic below, but important to understand. (please read the whole thing before you assume what I meant by the title of my blog, about FHA loans.)     What first comes to mind when you hear the word junk?    --  Crap?   --  Old?   --  Trash? What about the term, junk fees? Closing cost junk fees? Answer dot com gives you a definition of this and an example. - Junk Fees - Many people, even realtors and loan officers, assume that fees other than points charged by the lender are junk fees.  Back in the day, this might have been partially true. But there is a cost of doing business and in today's market, it's not cheap. It all comes down to how it's explained and how it's shown on your good faith estimate.     So, how does a mortgage work?  A mortgage company, the p... 08/05/2009

 Cherry Hill, New Jersey Home Sales July 2009 Are homes selling in Cherry Hill, NJ??  Yes.  In fact, they never stopped selling  Is there a healthy supply of homes for sale?  Absolutely Yes.  Is now a great time to buy a home?  Depends on YOUR Situation.  If you are a frist time homebuyer looking to collect a free $8,000 from the Government for purchasing a home, this is the best time for you Is now a great time to sell a house?  Contrary to popular opinion, yes. Call me and I will tell you why.  The table below shows that in July 2009, Sixty Five (65) single family homes sold in cherry hill.  There are currently 480 single family homes for sale in Cherry Hill.  12% of the single family homes available for sale sold in July.  This leaves an 7.4 month supply. What does this all mean? A b... 08/05/2009

As most South Jersey real estate agents will tell you, remodeling, decorating or repairing your home can go a long way towards getting it sold.  For that matter, it can add value to your property in case you want to sell later - that is, if you don't choose the wrong places to buy cheap: • Windows - Never buy a window based on which one is cheapest.  You want windows that look good, and, as most South Jersey real estate agents will recommend, you want energy-efficient windows.  During 2009 and 2010, you may be eligible for a Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency of up to $1500 when you purchase Energy Star windows. • Paint - Paint is one of the biggest places people skimp when it comes to cost, and a big no-no.  Cheap paint may take several coats to look right; those several coats ca... 07/22/2009

    WARNING - Common sense prevails here.....    Does this sound easy to answer? Which came first, the chicken or the egg?  How about this question.... Do you know the difference between a pre-qual letter and a pre-approval letter?  Both answers could differ greatly, depending on who you speak to and who is a professional on the subject matter and who isn't. I just wanted to dig a little deeper into this. There seems to be a major misunderstanding in my opinion. You first need to read this post by Steve Kappre & the comments: Pre-Approvals that pack a Punch (or real Pre-Approvals) - He did an excellent job of doing a quick breakdown of what his pre-approvals consist of and how he operates. This prompted me to continue this discussion after reading some of the comments.         Pre-Quali... 07/16/2009

One of the comments that I often get from buyers, or potential buyers, is that they're waiting for the market to change.  I understand that there is a lot of bad news out there, but this idea of waiting for the market to change really doesn't make any sense to me.  Right now there is a strong buyers market, and properties are being sold for less than they have in years.  At this moment, homes are 'on sale', and in some cases up to 50% off.  I've never heard anyone say that they really wanted to buy a new tv, computer, car, suit, etc, but they wanted to wait until it wasn't on sale anymore.  This is exactly what many potential buyers are saying today though. Don't wait until the sale ends, if you are thinking about buying a new home give me a call today. Joseph Cacciapaglia, MLERERealtor... 07/06/2009

This Week's Guest: Pat Murphy  This week on the Get More Business show, we're going Old School!  Pat Murphy is our guest on TVPG Radio!  Join me at 11:30am Eastern on Wednesday July 1, 2009 at http://www.BlogTalkRadio.com/Get-More-Business.  You can listen live over the internet or over the phone by calling in at: (646) 595-4184.   In a time when technology is constantly presenting to us new and exciting ways to market and brand our businesses, sometimes it pays to step back re-acquaint ourselves with the basics. History holds a lot of important lessons for us. There's something to be said for "Old School." My guest this week, Pat Murphy, defines old school. He's been a Real Estate Professional since 1955, a Real Estate Broker since 1960, and self employed since 1965. With over 53 years... 07/02/2009

I often get calls and emails about rent to own opportunities.  Today someone happened to ask me if I had a website that listed all of these homes, and unfortunately I had to say that I didn't.  I get this question a lot, so I thought that I should address it in my blog.  I do maintain 3 different websites for different aspects of my business, in addition to this blog, but I've found that the rent to own opportunities don't last long enough to warrant a site.  What I typically do is get a application/search form from potential tenant/buyers and then contact them as soon as opportunities arise.  It seems that there is never quite enough supply out there to handle all the demand for these properties.  I have seen many companies that will list numerous rent to own opportunities, but I've fo... 07/02/2009

More good news in the national media.  This article points out that rates have dipped again.  I hope these rates last, but if you are thinking of buying, this is probably a good time to pull the trigger. If you're thinking of buying a home in Cherry Hill or elsewhere in South Jersey, give me a call today. Joseph Cacciapaglia, MLERERealtor Associate®R&I Realty15 Potter StreetHaddonfield, NJ 08033Office: 856.795.3111 x268Cell: 979.218.2286Jcacci1@gmail.com   07/02/2009

    CONDO ALERT -  Yes, condos have looked attractive to many borrowers of lately because they are dropping in price in several areas by more than a few dollars. But so many people are asking why Condos are more difficult to purchase now than ever before. And so many are complaining that lenders are being more difficult when purchasing condos. The main reason?  Many condo associations are under water when it comes to the monthly dues that they collect. They are in the red... I know of one association that is over $50,000 in the red. By normal standards, the association is suppose to have 2 months or more in reserves per unit. Hence why it's been harder to get buyers a mortgage when there are no funds in the reserve account. In any case, HUD just added a new mortgagee letter on June 12th... 06/30/2009