Illinois Mortgage 8-7-17

ILLINOIS MORTGAGE EDITION

SUCCESS – these 7 Habits Are the Real Secret to Success 6 Things you Need to Do to BE A GREAT MENTOR COVER STORY

DANIEL ANDERSEN

5 Morning Habits to MAKE YOUR DAY SUPER PRODUCTIVE DO YOU ADD CONSISTENT VALUE for your Business and for your Clients?

Living on COMMISSION

ILLINOIS MORTGAGE EDITION

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DANIEL ANDERSEN

CONTENTS 4) SUCCESS – THESE 7 HABITS ARE THE REAL SECRET TO SUCCESS 13) 6 THINGS YOU NEED TO DO TO BE A GREAT MENTOR 16) LIVING ON COMMISSION

19) DO YOU ADD CONSISTENT VALUE FOR YOUR BUSINESS AND FOR YOUR CLIENTS? 22) 5 MORNING HABITS TO MAKE YOUR DAY SUPER PRODUCTIVE

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Success– These 7 Habits Are the Real Secret to Success What is it that makes some people so successful and others not? Is there a secret recipe one can follow, as easy as baking a cake, which will give them the strength to achieve their ultimate goals and have it all?

The answer is that, in a manner, there is. The trick is in how you think about success and what it means for you. Many people define success as achieving their personal goals, but could this be leading them to look at the world a little too narrowly? The people that are truly successful in every aspect of 4

their lives don’t stop at simply achieving their personal goals. They succeed in many avenues of their life, including their job, relationships, health, and family just to name a few.

It turns out that ultra-successful people tend to have quite a number of things in common. One main skill many seem to possess is high emotional intelligence, or the ability to manage your emotions so that you can stay calm and focused even in high

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stress situations. Luckily, it seems not all of them are simply born with this ability, but have many strategies they use to help them achieve higher emotional intelligence. Here are seven strategies and habits that will help you achieve success in every area of your life.

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BE COMPOSED The first thing successful people always seem to have under control is their composure. Successful people stay calm and composed when the going gets tough and fingers start pointing. They don’t panic. The secret? They understand that in life things are always changing. It doesn’t matter if something is bad at the moment because that will change soon enough. In this topsy turvy life all you can really do is adapt in order to stay happy and remain in control of how you react.

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BE KNOWLEDGEABLE Have you ever noticed how successful people always seem to have such a wide range of knowledge and interests?

Successful people do know more because they are always working to grow and learn. They strive to constantly increase their self-awareness. If a spare moment exists, then they will fill it with some kind of self-education. They do this because they are passionate about learning new things and ways to improve their life.

Ignore the fear of being judged and ask questions, because that is the only way you can learn. Successful people don’t

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fear asking questions. They fear not asking those questions and growing stagnant.

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BE DELIBERATE It is important to think and reason before you come to a decision. Successful people don’t rush. They seek out advice from other, they think of all the aspects, and sleep on their thoughts before finally making their decision. Your gut instinct can be misleading, and lead you to make a rash decision that you will come to regret later.

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BE CERTAIN, AND SPEAK WITH CONVICTION Successful people speak with certainty.

Unless you communicate your ideas with conviction and certainty, then you will have a hard time getting people to listen to them.

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BE POSITIVE Successful people use positive body language when they are talking to other people. Their tone is enthusiastic, they maintain eye contact, leaning in towards the person speaking to show interest.

Successful people use it to draw those other people in. How you say something can be just as if not more important that what you say to people. Positive body language can completely alter how your speech is perceived by others, and helps to keep attention on you and what you are saying.

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BE MEMORABLE BY LEAVING A STRONG FIRST IMPRESSION You only have once to make a first impression, and they are incredibly important, as they are closely ties to positive body language. You have around 7 seconds to convince a person to like you after you initially meet them. That is how long it takes them to decide when they meet you. After that a person is simply spending the rest of the conversation justifying that initial reaction they had. You can make sure you make a good first impression by having strong posture, a firm handshake, a warm smile, and open shoulders.

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BE FEARLESS Successful people know that to give in to fear is a choice. They don’t let the fear take over, instead focusing on the rush of euphoria that comes with conquering fears.

All of this adds up to having a high emotional intelligence. What helps you to succeed is the ability to control those whirlwind emotions so you can stay calm and focused on actually succeeding. These habits can help you gain a higher emotional intelligence, but as you probably already know, anything involving dealing with your emotions in a healthy manner takes serious work. So, don’t give up if you fail the first time. You must always try and try again.

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DANIEL ANDERSEN Top Agent Magazine

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DANIEL ANDERSEN After a successful turn in the hospitality industry, Daniel Andersen was introduced to the mortgage business—a field in which he knew he could parlay his people skills and work ethic to great success. Eight years after his career as a lender began, Daniel is now at the helm of a flourishing enterprise, serving as a Senior Mortgage Advisor for Peoples Home Equity. Today, Daniel’s practice is grounded by an abiding devotion to transparency, thoroughness, and his clients’ successes.

Based in Illinois, Daniel partners with a fellow lender, Matt Skas, to lead a team of 8 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

four support staff. Together, they offer clients a variety of direct lender loan products, including conventional, VA, Jumbo, firsttime homebuyer grants, and much more. “We take care of everything in house,” Daniel explains. “We’re a purchase-driven company.

We never miss closing dates and are always sure to do a fantastic job.” In that vein, Daniel’s professional approach is defined by a personal touch. In addition to earning more than 220 five-star reviews online, Daniel is sure to appear at all closings, while his office operates under a straightforward motto: “We Make Lending Easy.” What’s more, Daniel Top Agent Magazine

Earning more than 220 five-star reviews online, Daniel Anderson and his office operate under a straightforward motto: “We Make Lending Easy.” cites transparent communication and individually tailored client care as steady drivers of his office’s success. “Our team is extremely organized and consistent in our communication,” he recounts. “Each of our clients has their own personal processor and designated closer, which allows borrowers to make it Top Agent Magazine

from start to finish in a very timely and efficient manner. When it comes to down to it: we love what we do. It’s satisfying work and our clients recognize our enthusiasm.”

Likewise, Daniel brings considerable experience to the table—not only in terms of his Copyright Top Agent Magazine 9

near-decade tenure in the industry, but also in sheer volume. With his office closing forty transactions a month on average, his team operates like a well-oiled machine, seasoned in the minutia of the lending process. “We have the knowledge, patience, and structure to get the deal done efficiently and easily,” Daniel says. “Our reputation really speaks for itself. We’ll have the best rate, the best costs, and the best service. We don’t fault and our reputation proves that.” With the vast majority of his business generated from repeat and referral clientele—amounting to an exceptional 90%—Daniel’s consistency in execution is unequivocal.

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Because most of his clients are comprised of real estate professionals—though a fair share of attorneys and direct borrowers make up the pack, as well—Daniel and his team make great efforts to support agents above and beyond the transactional level. Not only does he pair with agents to participate in co-branding efforts and digital advertising campaigns, but he’s also a regular attendee of realtor events and pitches in wherever he can. “We do a lot to make sure the agents we partner with get the support they need,” he says. To keep in touch with clients, Daniel manages a sizable database and connects year-round through mailers, birthday cards, Top Agent Magazine

e-mails, local athletic team schedules, and social media.

Daniel and his team also incorporate charitable giving and civic engagement into their professional routine. They are ardent supports of the local fire and police departments, throwing a regular lunch to thank first responders for their service. Daniel’s office also contributes to the local animal shelter and several charities, in addition to sponsoring local events and generously donating resources to those in their network experiencing need. In his free hours, Daniel is an avid adventurer who loves to travel, from snowTop Agent Magazine

mobiling and snowboarding in the winter, to road-biking and ATV riding in the summer months. His travels take him all over, from Colorado to Tennessee in search of his next outdoor challenge.

As for the future, Daniel plans to continue his business’s consistent year-over-year growth, all while upholding the high-caliber service that keeps clients coming back. With eight years of storied industry experience already behind him—and equipped with a decisive eye toward the future—the years to come are bound to yield continued promise for Daniel Andersen and his team.

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To learn more about

DANIEL ANDERSEN visit peopleshomeequity.com/danielandersen, e-mail Dan@RatesByDan.com, or call (708) 261-2665 www.

http://www.justingrable.com 12Copyright Top Agent Magazine

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6 Things You Need to Do to Be a Great Mentor

Everyone reaches the point in their career where they feel they have gained enough experience and wisdom about business and what it takes to succeed, to actually help someone else achieve the same. Although you may have trained or given advice over the years, taking on the official status as a mentor to someone is a whole new ball game.

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Although mentorship is an unpaid endeavor, you’ll be surprised to find out how much you’ll gain from the experience. You’ll also grow as a business person through the process of teaching someone else. It’s also an endeavor that many will pay forward one day, creating a business atmosphere that is based more on mutual success than competition, which is better for everyone.

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If you were mentored, you may already have an idea of what it entails, and what you liked or didn’t like in your mentor/mentee relationship. Although it is a personal relationship that will need an individual approach, there are certain things that are key when it comes to being a great mentor: 1. Be a good listener

est about your own failures. It can be a huge relief to find out someone they look up to has gone through similar experiences and still managed to come out on top. As we all know, oftentimes the greatest lessons come from failures, which can be times when our character is truly tested. Building trust through mutual respect and honesty will make every aspect of your mentorship more effective.

You’re basically a sounding board who needs to hear your mentee’s ideas, plans and goals in order to advise them. Strong, constant and clear communication is key to any successful mentoring relationship.

Sometimes just letting them talk things out with you, will lead to them to discovering the solution they were looking for.

2. Set expectations and goals at the start When listening to your mentee in your first meeting about the potential relationship, it’s important to establish the parameters of what that relationship will be: What can you give them? What do they need or expect from you? Once the terms are agreed upon, you may want to set specific goals you’ll be working on together so that there’s a defined plan of action, timeline and result you can both expect.

3. Be honest This is important when it comes to offering them constructive criticism or tough love, but more importantly, you need to be hon14

4. Get them to think, don’t make decisions for them Sometimes being a mentor is being a bit like a psychologist. By asking certain ques-

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tions you can lead your mentee to their own conclusions about their business dilemmas and strategies to reach their goals. Being a mentor is all about guidance. Build confidence by drawing out the best in your mentee rather than just presenting them with solutions.

5. Look at the situation objectively One of the key strengths you offer your mentee is a complete emotional detachment to their business. You have no sentimental attachment to doing things a certain way or working with an incompetent vendor because you ‘go way back’. Your only motive is what’s best for your mentee and their business. Although emotions cans still get in the way sometimes, having a detached perspective on hand to guide you is invaluable.

6. Don’t just offer constructive criticism, be supportive Yes, being a mentor is sometimes advising your mentee that he’s doing something ineffectively, but your main purpose is to alway approach everything like cheerleader.

You need to let them know that through it Top Agent Magazine

all, you are a reliable support to them and have a complete belief in their abilities.

Make sure to always praise their accomplishments.

Remember: your job as a mentor is more about guidance than constant feedback.

Your goal is to help someone become the best they can be, not someone who just does everything the way you do it. You’re helping them build confidence in their own intuition, which will hopefully lead to a lifetime of success, and one day, they too might be a valuable resource to another mentee down the road.

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Living On Commission

by Linda Brakeall

Commissioned sales is one of the few places where you get paid exactly what you’re worth. One of my friends really hates that concept.

“I could never live on that!” But loan officers have to do it all the time.

The most successful people I know love being on commission! They love being able to give themselves a raise just by working harder. Most people need a little help learning how to budget, and how to put away money for taxes and infrequent but important expenses.

and maybe a third will go directly to the government for taxes. You should be putting at least 10% away for savings and investment and 5% for surprises is not unrealistic.

When I took over a large real estate office a few years ago I found out that one of my new REALTORS® was going through bankruptcy proceedings. I knew she a sold a lot of real estate and I couldn’t figure out how she got in that situation.

One evening over coffee she told me about being a rookie with another company. She fell into a land deal and made the single largest sale her company had ever made.

So here’s the rule: Never plan to spend more than half of any paycheck. You can have all kinds of Within six months she received a fancy formulas but that’s it. You huge six-figure commission. Within have to assume that at least a quarter two years she was in debt over her 16

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Commissioned sales is one of the few places where you get paid exactly what you’re worth. head. The problem? She spent it all!

She started borrowing trying to pay her taxes. She was so stressed out over the tax situation that she didn’t sell any more real estate for the next year.

REALTORS® or other commissioned sales people. A little planning in advance for regular and predictable expenses and a slush fund for surprises and you’ll be covered!

Don’t let that happen to you. Loan officers aren’t that different from

Copyright© 2014, Linda Brakeall. All

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Do You Add Consistent Value for Your Business and for Your Clients?

By Walter Sanford

We recently received a question from some of our favorite coaching clients.

The Premier Team is lighting up the upper end, downtown, and historical St. Louis real estate markets.

As coaching clients, they are challenging for me because they demand new value and service for their clients each week. In fact, Chris and Lisa know that to dominate an industry they need to have tools that the competition does not. They require tools that not only make the job easier, but also more profitable for their clients.

Here is the result from a recent request from which we created a letter handout for the listing presentation and for advertisement in other media: The Premier Team Helps Clients Achieve Goals through Pre-Launch Inspections We have found that all buyers should have their purchase inspected. When we represent our sellers, the negotiations start with offers and potential counter offers. Traditionally, the buyer obtains and pays for an inspection of the property. The negotiations start again.

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Rightfully, the buyer wants any challenges to be addressed; the seller feels they had lived with the challenges, sold the property with the challenges, and do not want to repair if they have no chance to enjoy them. It’s a difficult negotiation and can sometimes leave clients unhappy.

As we do many times, we have devised a system to help all involved parties know what they are buying and selling while also saving our client’s time, trouble, and money in the mix.

When we custom-design a marketing plan to achieve our seller’s goals and receive a commitment to market the property, we then offer our seller an opportunity to have the property inspected by our team inspector. The inspector will review all systems of the home and write a thorough report on the findings. We then discuss the findings with the seller and place any challenges in different categories. There is the “must fix now” category that deals with safety of the occupants or the property. There is the sub-standard category that is below the expectations a buyer would expect of a property for the area and price range. Lastly, there is the upgrade category for items which buyers would like to see done.

By having the report and determining what categories, we can offer many opportunities to our seller clients: 1 We eliminate the “rush into a repair” syndrome by having the repair report early and without the input of a buyer waiting for an answer to complete the next step of their purchase.

2 We have time to contact numerous vendors who will compete for the best price.

3 We have time to make decisions on the condition vs. price, which is much better determined before the buyer has made a successful offer.

4 We know early if there are any big ticket items that would prevent a sale from a buyer not wanting the property or the seller not being able to afford the repair.

5 We can choose the mode of repair before a buyer has a stake in the decision. There are many ways to repair rather than replace. Replace is usually how a buyer wants the challenge remedied.

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6 We have time to get government or utilities involved if needed.

7 A seller’s net proceeds or “net sheet” can be professionally prepared.

8 We might receive a higher offer when a potential buyer is presented an inspection with all the repair receipts attached.

9 The one to two week wait is eliminated by having a report done before an offer rather than waiting for it after the offer.

10 Since we are paying for the report, we get to choose the inspector.

Finding inspectors without the drama gene is important.

There are many other reasons to be knowledgeable about the property, prior to negotiations. We have arranged a team of inspectors who have agreed to wait to be paid for their inspection and report until the seller receives their proceeds from sale. This cures the cash flow problem.

We, at Premier Real Estate, believe that this is not only an outstanding investment that pays many dividends, but it is also the most professional way to handle a sale including all possible disclosures to all potential parties.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to discuss. We have much experience in this little utilized system to increase our seller’s net proceeds.

Many people have a coach who has not been through the ups and downs as Walter Sanford. Many coaches do not have the same achievements as Walter. He has millions in cash flow equity that came from his real estate business, and he developed systems that can be implemented without any special abilities.

We currently have a few availabilities in our coaching program, and this year’s schedule has some availability for seminars as well.

Copyright©, 2016 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Walter Sanford has been designing and implementing real estate systems for 30 years.

One of the most successful REALTORS® and now wealthy from his systems, Sanford teaches his systems and strategies through his products, seminars, and personal coaching producing the best results in the industry. Do what works, do what is proven. Hire Walter Sanford. Call our office at 800.792.5837, email walter@waltersanford.com, or chat with us online at www.waltersanford.com.

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5 Morning Habits to Make Your Day Super Productive For many, most mornings begin with a rush—a rush to get dressed, a rush to find something edible for breakfast, a rush out the door and into rush hour. Likely you have heard articles advising you to set your

alarm early to give yourself some flexibility —which is sound advice, of course—but consider a few of these additional tweaks to your morning routine that can set a productive tone for your day at large.

1. Keep Screens Away Until Breakfast Oftentimes, our first instinct upon waking is to check-in on our phones, tablets, or computers, to scope out the latest social media updates and e-mail correspondence. While diving into the action might seem productive, studies show that waylaying screen time until you’re up and dressed, and have had a good breakfast, will actually make your first pass 22

at all things digital more focused, clear, and efficient. Instead of answering a few e-mails, checking out a friend’s photos, and then hurrying to shower and dress, instead make a resolution to keep the online world at bay for the first half-hour to an hour after you rise, then you’ll approach the digital world with fresh eyes, energy, and adeptness.

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2. Meal Prep Sometimes hitting the snooze button is inevitable, but if you make prepping breakfast the night before a part of your routine, then grabbing something healthy on the go will be a snap—and your stomach will thank you for it. Load up your coffee machine ahead of time, so all you have to do

is hit brew. Or, chop up a fruit salad, mix a smoothie, or simply put a granola bar and a grapefruit in your lunch bag, ready to be grabbed on your way out the door. Even if it’s small or basic, keeping yourself fueled will keep distractions, inefficiency, and mood swings at bay.

3. Queue Up a Podcast on Your Commute Whether you’re driving, biking, or taking public transportation into the office, a podcast is a perfect way to brush up on industry knowledge. Try sourcing a podcast relative to your field and narrated by experts.

Not only will it get you thinking about the topics of your industry—while expanding

your professional vocabulary—it will also wake up your brain and get your head in the game as you prepare to launch your day. Use your commute time to bump up your knowledge and conversation points, and you’ll be ahead of the curve before you reach the office.

4. Begin with a To-Do List When work gets busy, sometimes just getting started is an overwhelming prospect.

Before you dive in to your e-mails and projects, take twenty minutes and be thoughtful as you assess your daily and weekly to-do

list items, then map them. By giving yourself a bullet point system of what you need to accomplish and by when, you can undo some of the anxiety that a busy schedule promotes.

5. Walk It Out, Even If You Missed the Gym While we often rely on coffee for our morning buzz, exercise provides a potent burst of energy that can supercharge your day. But, let’s say you’re running behind and skip the gym—all is not lost! Take fifteen minutes in

the early morning to take a walk around the block a few times. The fresh air and aerobic exercise will wake you up, get your blood moving, and provide your morning with a natural injection of motivation.

Everyone’s morning routine varies, but perhaps the first step is identifying aspects of your routine that could be improved, and tackling them from there. From waylaying

screen time distractions to getting in a little blood-pumping exercise, keep these tips in mind as you launch your most productive morning routine ever.

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