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A Thought to Share from San Diego – Feb. 2012
Dear friends and colleagues, here is a thought I shared with my team and wanted to pass it on…
Keep going
When you have a long way to go, keep going. When you’ve almost reached the goal, keep going.
Success is achieved by those who simply do whatever it takes to keep going. All it ever takes, is taking the next step.
When you’re frustrated, make note of your frustration and keep going. When you’re tired and weary, take time out for a 
little rest, and then keep going.
The real joy is in the journey, there is no finish line, so give yourself the joy of making that journey. Pick yourself up, again and again, and keep going.
You know full well that you can do it, so do it. Remind yourself why you’ve chosen to get there, and keep going.
You are a bundle of possibilities, keep going, and bring the best of them to life.
(800) 800-2978
Chris Heller & The Heller the Home Seller Team
Why Smart Sellers are Putting Their Home on the Market Now
There is a common perception among most home sellers that spring is the best time to sell a home.
While you can certainly sell your home in the spring, the smart sellers actually have a better chance of selling their home for a higher price in the weeks before the “spring market.”
Why Smart Sellers are Putting Their Home on the Market Now: 
If you wait until the spring to put your home on the market because you believe people are more likely to move in the spring, you’re relying on data that is out-dated.
In today’s world, buyers move at about the same pace throughout the year.
If you look at the number of buyers in San Diego County in any given month, the numbers only show a slight deviation month-to-month. What changes more drastically is the number of homes for sale (or home inventory).
Basic Supply and Demand
If you wait until the spring to put your home on the market, the only thing that is certain is that your home will be competing for the same number of buyers with many more properties for sale.
When the inventory rises in the spring (and demand stays the same), it is likely that prices will also decrease.
Do you now see why the smart sellers are putting their home on the market before the spring market?
There will be about the same number of buyers in San Diego county, but inventories will be lower, which means less competition and a higher price when you sell your home.
(800) 800-2978
Chris Heller & The Heller the Home Seller Team
6 Keys to Negotiating a Real Estate Deal
Many consumers hire a real estate agent to perform a task that most people don’t like: negotiating the deal.
When you hire a real estate professional to help you buy or sell your next home, ask them about their negotiating skills. Here are some tips from www.realtytimes.com that your agent should practice.
6 Keys to Negotiating a Real Estate Deal:
(see full article from Realty Times here)
Key # 1: Know your value: While you can’t know every possible result that the other party would want, be sure to understand what your offer or position can do for them. If your argument is lacking some key benefit, then it is up to you to figure out how to adapt it.
Key # 2: Personal relations: Relationship management is the key to showing the other party who you are as an individual, what you can do, and how the deal at hand will benefit everyone involved. Both parties must feel that there’s synergy; only then can a mutually beneficial relationship be forged.
Key # 3: Get buy-in on your vision: Getting others on board with your plan can be challenging, especially when there are many people involved and/or there is much at stake relative to risk and potential upside. A critical step is to convey your vision of the outcome so that the opposing party will desire that very same outcome.
Key # 4: Be humble: You have to be humble, but firm, to effectively broker a deal. There’s a fine line between the two, particularly when you’re dealing with people who have already attained a measure of success.
Key # 5: Finesse: No matter how large or small, almost every deal takes finesse, which is where skill and natural ability meet. This is where your personality shines. It means being able to explore different angles and find creative solutions.
Key # 6: Swagger: Swagger is an attitude you implement through finesse; it uses finesse as a tool. If finesse is about problem solving and outside – the – box thinking, then swagger is about having commanding and authoritative disposition and demeanor but without being pretentious or arrogant.
Only an experienced real estate agent will have the skills to negotiate for you at this level.
(800) 800-2978
Chris Heller & The Heller the Home Seller Team
The Call That Nobody Wants to Make
It’s very difficult to be a home-owner who is in financial distress. They think every day about the guilt, shame, and embarrassment they feel.
For home-owners in that situation, it takes a lot of courage to ask for help…and that’s the call that nobody wants to make. 
Unfortunately, if the home-owner does not ask for help, they risk losing their home, damaging their credit, and escalating problems in other areas of their life.
Many of the calls we get from home-owners asking for help are calls that were prompted by a family member or friend who helped the home-owner realize that giving us a call would make them feel better.
If you’re the friend or family member of somebody in that situation, it might help for you to realize that they really do need somebody to talk to you, and you’re in the position to listen, and offer them guidance. If you feel like our team can help, we have helped hundreds of people in similar situations.
We’ll listen, we’ll be honest, but most of all we’ll help you take steps to manage your short-term situation while helping you prepare for the long-term.
Please consider referring us to your friends and family who could use our experience and knowledge to help them today.
Thank you,
(800) 800-2978
Chris Heller & The Heller the Home Seller Team
What Exactly is HARP 2.0?
Many homeowners have heard about a government program called “HARP 2.0″, but most do not yet realize how it may be able to help them.
HARP = Home Affordable Refinance Program. Discover some of the frequently asked questions about this program below.
What is HARP 2.0?
According to www.makinghomeaffordable.gov, the official website of HARP:
“If you’re not behind on your mortgage payments but have been unable to get traditional refinancing because the value of your home has declined, you may be eligible to refinance through MHA’s Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP).”
The program is intended to help borrowers who owe significantly more on their home than what it’s currently worth.
Who is eligible for the HARP program?
- You have a mortgage owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.
- You do not have an FHA, VA or USDA loan.
- You are current on your mortgage payments and have not been more than 30 days late making a payment over the last year.
- Have a first mortgage not exceeding 125 percent of the current market value of your home.
- The refinance will improve the long-term affordability or stability of your mortgage.
- You have the ability to make the new payments
- Effective March 2009 – June 30, 2012.
How do I know if Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac has my mortgage?
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have “lookup” forms on their respective websites. Check Fannie Mae’s first because Fannie Mae’s market share is larger. If no match is found, then check Freddie Mac. Your loan must appear on one of these two sites to be eligible for HARP.
Am I eligible for the Home Affordable Refinance Program if I’m behind on my mortgage?
No. You must be current on your mortgage to refinance via HARP.
Do I have to HARP refinance with my current mortgage lender?
No, you can do a HARP refinance with any participating mortgage lender.
What are some of the other benefits or pitfalls to refinancing with the HARP program?
Because there are many more nuances to the HARP 2.0 program, we encourage you to give us a call or contact us using the info below so we can help you discover your best options.
(800) 800-2978
Chris Heller & The Heller the Home Seller Team
A Thought to Share from San Diego – Raise Those Expectations
Dear friends and colleagues,
Here is a thought I shared with my team and wanted to pass it on…
Raise Those Expectations:
After life has dealt you a setback, it may seem reasonable to lower your expectations. And yet, it is in fact just as reasonable, and much more advisable, to raise those expectations.
What has already happened has indeed set the stage for what is to come. 
However, your past does not have to control your future, because you can control and direct what you do right now.
If you visualize and expect more disappointment, you’re sure to get it. But you don’t want to do that.
Instead, use that moment to break the pattern. Stop looking down on what has been, and choose to look upward to the best that can be.
You are more experienced, more knowledgeable, and more determined than ever before. So raise your expectations accordingly.
Form your expectations based on the best you know you can be. Feel the power of your most treasured dreams and desires, as you enthusiastically bring them to life.
- Chris
Chris Heller & The Heller the Home Seller Team
Chris Endorsed by Roger Hedgecock!
We’re very excited to announced that Chris Heller is now endorsed by Roger Hedgecock as “THE Real Estate Agent in San Diego.”
The Roger Hedgecock Show is syndicated nationally and the power and popularity of his show is being shared with Americans everywhere from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekday afternoons.
His show is heard daily from San Diego to the East Coast and from the Gulf Coast to the Northwest.
Use the links below or tune-in to Roger’s show to listen to Roger endorsing Chris and the Heller The Home Seller Team!
:15 Endorsement
:60 Endorsement
Chris Heller & The Heller the Home Seller Team
10 Steps to a More Profitable Real Estate Business in 2012
Wondering how to take your real estate business to the next level in 2012? Start with these ten tips!
10 Steps to a More Profitable Real Estate Business in 2012:
1 – Use a simple business plan and focus on what you do best.
2 – Understand your income producing activities and stay focused on doing them first. 
3 – Understand your branding and your target markets and be consistent with your message.
4 – Understand the strengths and weaknesses of your marketing plan and make necessary improvements to pictures, web pages, blogs, resume’s, etc.
5 – Establish business and personal PROMISES rather than “goals” – review them daily and update as required.
6 – Select the most cost effective technologies and hardware/software to support your business.
7 – Learn to master your time and stick to a schedule that also gives you life balance.
8 – Learn “persuasion skills” rather than trying to “sell” people using out-dated scripts.
9 – Find somebody you trust to keep you accountable.
10 – Control your ego when it says “I can figure it out on my own.”
Can you already see how sticking to these 10 steps will result in a more profitable 2012 for your real estate business?
Chris Heller & The Heller the Home Seller Team
A Thought to Share from San Diego – Dec 2011
Dear friends and colleagues,
Here is a thought I shared with my team and wanted to pass it on…
Great Courage
You have great courage. Use it. 
Whenever you feel fear, you are also feeling your potential for courage. Go ahead, feel the fear, and then let that courage of yours spring to life.
The fact that you can feel the fear means you also have the courage to get beyond it. Otherwise, the fear would serve no useful purpose.
Put that fear to good use by allowing it to ignite your courage. Put that courage to good use by utilizing it to move toward positive, meaningful objectives.
Feel the fear and know it means you have the courage. Learn from that fear and then step forward with all that courage.
The beginning of courage feels like fear. Follow through on that feeling, let the courage come, and with it you will achieve great things.
Happy Holidays!
Chris Heller & The Heller the Home Seller Team
3 Things You Can Do If Your Loan Modification Isn’t Working
We received a call on the Ask Heller The Home Seller radio show this past weekend from a caller who had figured out (after 6 months) that he was not going to be able to get loan modification from his bank.
As you probably already know, this is a very common issue for many San Diego and California home-owners.
If you’ve been denied a loan modification or it has become clear your loan payments will not be lowered by the bank you have three options.
3 Things You Can Do If Your Loan Modification Isn’t Working: 
1. Write a big check to bring your loan current again: This is the least likely option since you probably do not have the available funds to write a check if you need a loan modification.
2. Do nothing and the bank will eventually foreclose on your home and take it back: Foreclosure is probably the option you most want to avoid, but you will be able to live in your home without making any payments for a while.
3. Do a short-sale: Right now a short sale for your San Diego home is the best option. The banks are very motivated to do short sale, and because of the new California short sale law, if the bank approves your short sale they can no longer come after you for any deficiency.
This means that if you complete the short sale you can move on with your life, and you no longer have to look back.
The reality is that the chances of completing a successful loan modification is not very high, and often still leads to foreclosure.
If you need assistance completing a short sale of your San Diego home instead of worrying about your loan modification please call us at 800-800-2978.
Chris Heller & The Heller the Home Seller Team
Chris personal cell phone: 800-800-2978
