REALTOR® magazine, the official publication of the National Association of REALTORS®, has announced the 10 finalists of its ninth annual Good Neighbor Awards and Lei Barry, of the Keller Williams Blue Bell, Pa., market center is among those named.

20 years ago, Barry founded the Inter-faith Housing Alliance to help prevent low-income families from becoming homeless. Inspired by her own experience in the 1960s as a single mother with no place to live, Barry has worked to provide temporary housing for thousands of people through a network of more than 20 local churches and synagogues.

In 1995, Barry raised $1.4 million to open Hope Gardens, offering transitional housing for eight families at a time. The Inter-faith Housing Alliance also offers life skills, parenting and budget training, family therapy, job counseling and an emergency help hotline.

In October, five winners will be selected from among the 10 finalists and will receive travel expenses to the 2008 REALTORS® Conference & Expo in Orlando in November, national media exposure for their community cause, and a $10,000 grant for their charity.

In addition to the winners, five honorable mentions will receive a $2,500 grant. The winners will be announced in the November issue of REALTOR® magazine.

The Good Neighbor Awards honors the ongoing volunteer efforts of REALTORS® who are making exceptional contributions to improve the quality of life in their communities. Finalists were selected based on the depth and impact of their volunteer contribution, the broadness of that impact, and their demonstrated leadership and initiative.

Read about all the finalists on REALTOR magazine’s site by clicking here. 

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SHIFT’s “Tactic 5: Get to the Table – Lead Conversion” teaches you the skills you need to turn leads into appointments.

Below is a diagram from Tactic 5, demonstrating “The Decision Continuum.” Between the absolutes there are degrees of yes and no, which SHIFT will teach you to either convert or walk away from.

Learning to make the most of your leads is vital to your business because, as SHIFT notes, “For right now, good leads are great and great leads are golden.” Click here to read this week's excerpt.

Pre-sales are open! Click here to order your copies and

save 45 percent off the cover price.

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As markets shift, it becomes even more important to have timely, relevant strategies that can be put into immediate action for success. Keller Williams University is dedicated to giving you the right information and tools to keep your business on top and one step ahead. Start your path to success with these three resources that offer strategic solutions for long-term results.

Breakthrough to Mastery Agent Guides — REVISED EDITIONS! 

Originally released at Family Reunion 2008, KWU has updated the content of these highly popular guides in incorporate the tactics of SHIFT to keep you at the forefront of the real estate industry. Available exclusively to Keller Williams associates, these revised guides show you how to achieve success, no matter what market you are in, by sharpening your focus on SHIFT's 12 tactics from  

Buyer & Seller Scripts: Handling Objections in a Shifted Market*

Today’s buyers are more reluctant than ever and today’s sellers need more consultation on how to properly price their homes.  Created by MAPS president Dianna Kokoszka and renowned real estate coach Tony DiCello, this two-CD set provides you with the scripts you need to get your buyers off the fence and your sellers’ homes priced to sell!

*Formerly titled Make Your Own Market Audio Scripts

SHIFT Coaching

Tony DiCello is leading a powerful new business-building MAPS coaching program based on the tactics from SHIFT. This program is designed to transplant the wisdom of the pages into your business and help them to take root. Gary Keller has announced a special offer:  A matching scholarship to help cover your enrollment in this market-leading program.  You invest $99 in your business every month, Gary funds the remaining $99 and together, you cover the $198 monthly cost.

For details visit the MAPS booth at Mega Camp or email fasttrack@kw.com. 

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Your Business is Your Database for ProManage/TOP PRODUCER® 8i has been rewritten to incorporate the lead generation models of SHIFT, along with those of The Millionaire Real Estate Agent. With the updated version, Your Business is Your Database will move you beyond simply tracking your contacts to ultimately using your database to generate, capture and follow up on leads. Use this resource to successfully make your database your marketing partner and transform your current database into customers for life.

Hardbound copies of the rewritten Your Business is Your Database will only be available at the KWU bookstore during Mega Camp; after which, they will be available for purchase at the KWU online bookstore. Your Business is Your Database is also available as a free download on the My ProManage page, located on the My Information tab of the KW Intranet.

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Visit Reed's Website

Author of:

An Agent's Guide to Financing Solutions

Mortgages 101

Mortgage Confidential

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) recently altered its guidelines as a result of the Economic and Housing Recovery Act of 2008. One significant change was the elimination of the seller-funded down payment assistance program. Often used by builders through non-profit organizations such as Nehemiah and Ameridream, this program enabled the seller of a property (either an individual or a builder) to “donate” an amount equal to the funds needed by a buyer for a down payment on a home when securing FHA financing.

As of Oct. 1 of this year, the FHA will no longer allow seller assisted down payments. Not only that, but the FHA actually increased the down payment requirement from 3 percent to 3.5 percent—a setback for those who want an FHA loan and are already having problems saving enough money to close on a home.

Fortunately, there is another financing option that can bring these folks a little closer to home: family loans. This feature is unique to  FHA. And while it‘s not permissible for buyers to borrow the down payment from individuals when securing any other type of mortgage, FHA’s guidelines allow buyers to borrow from family members. But to obtain a family loan, borrowers must keep some specific requirements in mind: 

• The family member making the loan can be a parent, grandparent, son, daughter, stepson or stepdaughter, or a legally adopted child or foster child.
• The term of the loan cannot be less than five years.
• The FHA loan and family loan combined cannot be greater than 100 percent of the value of the home.
• The scheduled loan payments, if any,must be factored into the buyer’s debt ratios.
• Funds cannot be directly or indirectly associated with the seller, or anyone in the transaction who has a financial interest in the sale.

Now let’s combine the family loan with another advantage afforded by the Housing and Recovery Act of 2008: the $7,500 tax credit. If Grandpa is a likely candidate to supply a family loan, then he might want to know how he would get paid back. If the buyers are first timers and qualify for the tax credit, then Grandpa could get repaid come tax time.

Remember that lenders will want to verify the source of all funds to close the transaction, so be prepared to provide a copy of the loan agreement that spells out the terms and verifies that Grandpa has sufficient funds available to make the loan.

Sometimes when a window closes, another one opens, So while the recent Housing Recovery Act of 2008 has put the squeeze on the seller-funded down payment assistance program, a family loan can provide another avenue to closing on a home.

Written by David Reed, Texas-based mortgage banker with more than 20 years experience

and author of Mortgages 101 and Mortgage Confidential.

Have a question? Contact David Reed.

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As a top assistant to Gary Keller and top producer Nikki Ubaldini, Mimi Patrick knows what it takes to be a great administrative assistant. Let Patrick teach your assistants to turn your paperwork maze into the systems they need to be more productive.

Chris Heller is a top producer who perfected a system that achieves exceptional results year after year, regardless of the market. Outskill and outsell the competition in any market with MAPS Institute's new Fast Track Coaching program, "An Hour with Heller the Home Seller." Register for this MAPS coaching call for a free preview of Heller's powerful program.

Click here to see our entire free call schedule. Each of these calls is a $49 value but MAPS is offering them to you for free!

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It was down to the wire to see who would win MAPS’ Power Hour contest, and these 20 leaders made it out on top!

The contest was simple: team leaders who recruited the most cappers from May 5 to this month’s Mega Camp won:

• Free registration for Mega Leadership
• Exclusive dinner and one-night stay at Mark Willis' residence

And here are the accomplished winners!

Thinking you could be joining the fun next week if only you had tracked and reported your numbers? You have another chance!

The contest resets next week. Keep track of your success in building your market center between August 25 and October Masterminds, and get in on the next wave of dedicated Power Hour winners.

Log onto the KW Intranet today and enter you numbers!

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