Today’s Sermon: If a Jew Could Do It, Why Not You?

That’s right, my people, although it is a widely known fact that Jews neither hunt, fish nor camp (save for those living on a kibbutz or in a settlement), the most well-known of us was a carpenter.

That’s right. A hammer-swinging proselytizer!

The good book is silent on how many homes the Messiah has flipped or the size of his rental portfolio, but there is no doubt as to the amount of good he did in the community!

And doing good in the ‘hood is what today’s sermon is all about.

Just like they were in the mid-late 1990’s, rehabbers are out in force investing their blood, sweat and tears into stabilizing derelict neighborhoods (one property at a time) so as to deliver good, clean and safe housing for those who need it.

I’m not talking about big contracting firms working for big institutional investors. These are salt-of-the-earth moms and pops whose names end in ‘ski’ or ‘cic.’ My Polish and Serbian brat are making it happen. As are my African American brothas, Hispanic hermanos and Chinese xiong di.

It seems as though everyone is getting back in the game, yet in fact, they never really left.

As it was in the late ’90’s and through the mid-late aughts, all one had to do was pick up a rock and there we were…like cockroaches…ever-present, industrious, opportunistic and persistent as H-E-double-hockey sticks.

This is a veritable cottage industry largely invisible to the ‘outside world;’ yet one that provides a service so vital to the recovery of our real estate market.

Personal wealth creating opportunities abound from both traditional and non-traditional sources. As does acquisition & renovation capital for both small (1-4 unit) and larger (5+ unit) buildings.

“How,” good pastor, “Do we even begin to enter the fray?” “Where do we find these opportunities?” And, “Where do we get the filthy lucre you allege is so readily available?

Shhhh…be still my children and put your minds at ease. The good sherpa is here to take you by the hand and lead you on the journey to financial independence.

The talent on the reverend’s bench is deep and it is at the engorged bosom of real estate knowledge that you may suckle ’til full. (The deacon of development’s bench…not his bosom!)

And as your luck would have it, good flock, not only is yours a minister of the keyboard-tapping variety, but one with 20+ years of hands-on experience AND two-thousand years of tradition at your disposal!

Can I get an amen? …Thank you!

If you’d like to talk more about how Siegel Realty & Finance Group makes buyers happy (and maybe save your soul) call or text me at 773-968-1110 or shoot me an email at scott@scottmsiegel.com

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Today’s Sermon: Giddy-Up!

It’s time to get off of the bench and into the game my good parishioners!

If you are like most investors (or wanna-be investors) you’ve no doubt spent a considerable amount of time these past few years engaging in a variety of self-flegellatory, market-timing machinations like:

1) Wringing your hands over where the ‘bottom’ is

2) Devising myriad ways of plumbing for that depth and

3) Suffering from inaction due to analysis paralysis

Newsflash my brethren: The nadir is well below us as the inflection point has some three years ago passed in many of the city’s most opportunity-rich neighborhoods.

Neighborhoods that were on the bleeding edge of gentrification a few years ago, like Bronzeville, are no longer exercises in trying to catch a falling knife and even parts of West Englewood & Humboldt Park are feeling blessed & highly favored. The same goes for suburban markets as well!

Opportunities still abound and with an integrated plan of action and just a little chutzpah (sufficient to get you to step outside of yourself) you too could enter the game. And, don’t you want to learn to play it the right way?

Can I get an amen? …Thank you! (And, giddy-up!)

If you’d like to talk more about how Siegel Realty & Finance Group makes buyers happy (and maybe save your soul) call or text me at 773-968-1110 or shoot me an email at scott@scottmsiegel.com

You See. You Like? You Buy!™

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Today’s Sermon: “If I Knew”

The last few years have been an extremely challenging time for those of us within (and without) the real estate business and, as a result, many of us have been forced to buckle down, re-trench and become even more focused on work than ever before.

Without a doubt, a strong work ethic is the key to understanding the value of the dollar that we all so doggedly pursue. However, there are few things in this life guaranteed to give the good Deacon pause faster than hearing (or reading) the following poem.

Whether you are a parent, a sibling, a spouse or a significant other, it is the Reverend’s hope that you will stop for a moment and reflect on what is truly important in this life.

IF I KNEW*

If I knew it would be the last time
That I’d see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly
and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time
that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss
and call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time
I’d hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would video tape each action and word,
so I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time,
I could spare an extra minute
to stop and say “I love you,”
instead of assuming you would KNOW I do.

If I knew it would be the last time
I would be there to share your day,
Well I’m sure you’ll have so many more,
so I can let just this one slip away.

For surely there’s always tomorrow
to make up for an oversight,
and we always get a second chance
to make everything just right.

There will always be another day
to say “I love you,”
And certainly there’s another chance
to say our “Anything I can do?”

But just in case I might be wrong,
and today is all I get,
I’d like to say how much I love you
and I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
you get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you’re waiting for tomorrow,
why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
you’ll surely regret the day,

That you didn’t take that extra time
for a smile, a hug, or a kiss
and you were too busy to grant someone,
what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today,
and whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them
and that you’ll always hold them dear

Take time to say “I’m sorry,”
“Please forgive me,” “Thank you,” or “It’s okay.”
And if tomorrow never comes,
you’ll have no regrets about today.

Can I get an amen? …Thank you!

In the spirit of honoring those less fortunate in your life (including yourself) who may be suffering from cancer and undergoing chemotherapy, I invite you to visit MeanerThanChemo.com to tell your story and honor those fighting the fight.

And, if you’d like to talk more about how I make buyers happy (and maybe save your soul) call or text me at 773-968-1110 or shoot me an email at scott@scottmsiegel.com

You See. You Like? You Buy!™

* The authorship of this poem has been claimed by many, but is widely attributed to Norma Comett Marek © 1989, who wrote it in memoriam for a loved one.

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Todays Sermon: $100K On 1 Lead Per Day!

Like you, the good Reverend is a fellow salesperson on a ‘mission from god’ and he just put $100K on your collection plate!

$100K On 1 Lead Per Day!

Having delivered numerous homilies as shepherd of several congregations of salespeople in lead-based sales organizations, the Deacon can say with certainty, the one constant running through all of them is the business plan.

And, the most important (and fun) part of the Business Plan (aside from actually writing and executing it) is determining your revenue goals as measured by your desired personal gross income figure.

If, for example, you want to generate $100,000 in gross income over the next 12 months, you need to break it down!

Here’s the math using our model:

$100,000 per year equals $8,333 average per month in required closed revenues.

Lets say you have an average deal size of $200,000 and an average 2.5% Co-Op commission, that means every closed deal will yield $5,000 in gross transactional revenue.

Take the $5,000 and subtract an average $200 listing agency-imposed administrative fee adjustment (usury!) and your adjusted gross transactional revenue is $4,800.

Multiply that by 60% (presuming the buyer was procured as a house-generated lead) and your adjusted gross revenue per deal is $2,880.

Chip-in $100 to the our contract administration pool and your gross average earnings per deal are $2,780.

Divide your target monthly gross income of $8,333 by $2,780, which equals 3.33, and you can plainly see that you need to close just-over 3 deals per month to achieve your revenue goals.

Now, how do you get there?

The key to knowing how to get there is calculating how many leads you need to work with every month.

Using a 100% lead-generated model, the numbers work out as follows:

First, let’s talk about converting Leads into Clients:

We’ll make the assumption that you can convert 25% of the leads you receive into active buyer prospects. (These are clients with whom you are visiting properties)

Then, let’s assume that of this 25% you will close 70%.

Second, let’s calculate how many leads per month you need:

Now, divide your target annual income by your average per-deal gross revenue. That’s $100,000 / $4,800 = 21

21 is the number of qualified active buyer leads that you need to receive each month.

Now, we need to divide the number of leads you need (21) by your closing percentage (70%) in order to arrive at the gross number of leads you need to receive every month. 21 / .7 = 30

30 leads per month is your target! That’s it!

$100K On 1 Lead Per Day!

Can I get an amen? …Thank you!

If you’d like to talk more about how Siegel Realty & Finance Group makes buyers happy (and maybe save your soul) call or text me at 773-968-1110 or shoot me an email at scott@scottmsiegel.com

 

You See. You Like? You Buy!™

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Today’s Sermon: Your Clients Hate You!

If you are a Listing Agent, the Reverend has some very bad news for you:

YOUR CLIENTS HATE YOU!

If your sellers don’t already, they will.

No matter how well you prepare them for the inevitable price reduction discussion, they’ll forget you had it, resent you for it and forever believe you alone caused them to lose money…if their property ever sells.

So, knowing in-advance how that story ends, why do you keep re-reading it?

Perhaps you’re a masochist or simply not that complex. Can you say: “Groundhog Day?”

Don’t worry, the good Deacon still loves you!

Can I get an amen? …Thank you!

If you’d like to talk more about how I make buyers happy (and maybe save your soul) call or text me at 773-968-1110 or shoot me an email at scott@scottmsiegel.com

You See. You Like? You Buy!™

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Today’s Sermon: Floor Time is For Dummies!

If you are a Listing Agent, the Reverend has some very bad news for you:

FLOOR TIME IS FOR DUMMIES!

Can you say crickets and tumbleweeds? You just keep waiting for those calls to roll, or the occasional customer to walk in.

Surely your family appreciates you blowing half of every perfectly good Saturday and Sunday these past how many years?

How many of your children’s formative years, or fun weekend activities, have you missed in favor of patiently waiting, with that desperately hopeful and subservient grin on your face, for that whale to come swimming in through the door?

Don’t worry, the good Deacon still loves you!

Can I get an amen? …Thank you!

If you’d like to talk more about how I make buyers happy (and maybe save your soul) call or text me at 773-968-1110 or shoot me an email at scott@scottmsiegel.com

You See. You Like? You Buy!™

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Today’s Sermon: Moo & Oink!

If you are a Listing Agent, the Reverend has some very bad news for you:

To your beloved sellers, you are nothing more than a steer or a pork belly; a standardized, interchangeable commodity; easily substituted.

Do you honestly believe that you hold the key to moving property or making the market behave in some magical, mystical way? Yeah, keep dreaming, Merlin.

The truth is that after the first 30 days of market exposure and inertia, your seller will be lusting after the next listing agent like a hungry lion leers at a lame wildebeest. Aren’t you tired of that?

Don’t worry, the good Deacon still loves you!

Can I get an amen? …Thank you!

If you’d like to talk more about how I make buyers happy (and maybe save your soul) call or text me at 773-968-1110 or shoot me an email at scott@scottmsiegel.com

You See. You Like? You Buy!™

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Today’s Sermon: Are You Ready To Rent?

Are you sure? I mean really sure…and how do I know?

Just because you want to rent is only half the equation. Being a bona fide renter is something that you need to prove. Especially in today’s funky market because landlords never accept offers without proof of a renter’s viability.

By prove, I mean:

1) Have a copy of your scored credit report. A free unscored report can be obtained at annualcreditreport.com

2) Be prepared to execute a basic rental application.

3) Have your last 2 pay stubs ready to go.

4) Have a Letter Of Explanation (LOX) ready to provide a global overview of any derogatory credit items.

Believe it or not, having jacked-up credit is not necessarily an automatic turn down. With the economic recession, the proliferation of divorce and the resultant wave of foreclosures and bankruptcies, decimated credit is almost de rigueur.

I am always happy to create a customized property search for you that will tempt your tummy, and have you ready to go kick some tires this afternoon, but I’m not taking even one nanosecond to set an appointment until you have demonstrated your bona fides upfront…with god as our witness.

Simply put: Time and deep market knowledge are the reverend’s only commodities for hire and you get both in spades once I verify that you are viable.

Don’t be insulted. You may very well be a ‘big macher’ and will assuredly be treated as such, but if you want to ‘get a sense of the market’ or ‘see whats out there,’ you can do that from the comfort of your own home, in front of your own computer without getting out of your ‘big macher’ pajamas.

The last thing we want to do is waste (aside from our time) other agents’ and their landlord clients’ time. This tarnishes the reverend’s reputation on the street and he ain’t fiddina let that happen.

So, when you are ready, call me for your custom property search and simultaneously get copies of the items listed above.

Then we can block some time and go find the piece you’ve been praying for.

Can I get an amen? …Thank you!

If you’d like to talk more about how I can help you buy, sell or rent Chicago real estate… and keep you out of trouble in the process, call or text me at 773-968-1110 or shoot me an email at scott@scottmsiegel.com

You See. You Like? You Rent!™

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Today’s Sermon: You See. You Like? You Rent!

Lets face it, renting Chicago real estate is not rocket science and there are three things you can do to make your renting experience brain damage free:

1) You See.

2) You Like?

3) You Rent!

Its that Simple. I create a customized property search for you. We visit your short list of top candidates and then…you rent one!

A wise man once said:“The deal of a lifetime comes around once every month” so, don’t fall into the too-long lead time/analysis paralysis trap because before you know it, you’ll be 6 months downstream, frustrated and still living in your old place.

By all means, research away, but don’t plan to actually visit properties until you are about 30 days from your target occupancy date. This will keep you focused,  allow 15-21 days to view properties, get under contract and moved in.

Conversely, if your goal is to ‘get a sense of the market’ or ‘see whats out there,’ you can do that from the comfort of your own home, in front of your own computer without getting out of your pajamas. The last thing we want to do is waste (aside from our time) other agents’ and their Landlord clients’ time. This tarnishes the reverend’s reputation on the street and he ain’t fiddina let that happen.

Simply put: Time and deep market knowledge are the reverend’s only commodities for hire and you get both in spades once you are viable, serious and ready to rent.

Then we can block some time and go find the piece you’ve been praying for.

Can I get an amen? …Thank you!

If you’d like to talk more about how I can help you buy, sell or rent Chicago real estate… and keep you out of trouble in the process, call or text me at 773-968-1110 or shoot me an email at scott@scottmsiegel.com

You See. You Like? You Rent!™

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Today’s Sermon: Are You Ready To Buy?

Are you sure? I mean really sure…and how do I know?

Just because you want to buy is only half the equation. Being a bona fide buyer is something that you need to prove. Especially in today’s funky market because sellers never accept offers without proof of a buyer’s viability.

By prove, I mean:

1) If you are a cash buyer, have a Proof Of Funds Letter (POF) ready to give the good reverend before we even schedule a showing or

2) If you are financing your purchase, have an Automated Underwriting System (AUS) Pre-Approval for me (NOT a Pre-Qualification letter).

I am always happy to create a customized property search for you that will tempt your tummy, and have you ready to go kick some tires this afternoon, but I’m not taking even one nanosecond to set an appointment until you have demonstrated your bona fides upfront…with god as our witness.

Simply put: Time and deep market knowledge are the reverend’s only commodities for hire and you get both in spades once I verify that you are viable.

Don’t be insulted. You may very well be a ‘big macher’ and will assuredly be treated as such, but if you want to ‘get a sense of the market’ or ‘see whats out there,’ you can do that from the comfort of your own home, in front of your own computer without getting out of your ‘big macher’ pajamas.

The last thing we want to do is waste (aside from our time) other agents’ and their seller clients’ time. This tarnishes the reverend’s reputation on the street and he ain’t fiddina let that happen.

So, when you are ready, call me for your custom property search, simultaneously get a copy of  last month’s asset account statement or speak with your banker and get pre-approved.

Then we can block some time and go find the piece you’ve been praying for.

Can I get an amen? …Thank you!

If you’d like to talk more about how I can help you buy, sell or rent Chicago real estate… and keep you out of trouble in the process, call or text me at 773-968-1110 or shoot me an email at scott@scottmsiegel.com

You See. You Like? You Buy!™

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