Most of you are familiar with the copyright laws with regard to music and books and, most recently, even your MLS listings. However, at our first annual appraiser convention last week in Las Vegas, we introduced the concept of appraisers protecting their ownership rights of their appraisal reports under U.S. copyright law.   Read more...

DUBLIN, CA -- Ellie Mae® Inc., the award-winning provider of innovative software and services for the mortgage industry, announced a strategic alliance with a la mode, the leading provider of desktop and web-based technology for the appraisal industry.   Read more...

Though we keep hearing that recent home price appreciation is "unsustainable" and will lead to a substantial "correction" - that is, that the home price boom may be followed by a home price bust - the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) did something radical: It took a look at the data. History suggests that a boom alone is insufficient to cause a bust.   Read more...

Capturing new business on the web has become a crucial component of today's mortgage brokerage business. However, too many people get hung up on the number of "hits" their site gets each month and analyze it against the amount of new business coming in. While generating traffic on your site is important, it's not what's going to put money in your pocket. You need your site visitors to inquire about your services and programs or fill out a loan application. Here are a few tips on how turn your Mortgage XSite's visitors into new clients:   Read more...

Not only did we add new content and themes to your Mortgage XSite, we also supplied you with more tools in your XSellerate marketing system. XSellerate combines professional print and e-mail marketing with web-based client communication tools including e-mail and scheduling. And now, you now have even more marketing campaigns to help you reel in new clients and keep in close contact with your existing ones. We've added 44 new campaigns. Some of the newly created campaigns include:   Read more...

According to the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB), there are more than 44,000 mortgage brokerage companies around the country - and that number is growing every year. Now, more than ever, you need to differentiate your services from the competition by showing you're the expert in the business. Your online prospects' first impression of your professionalism is the quality of your website design and the information your provide them.   Read more...

With the majority of home buyers starting their home buying search on the Web, a professional, dynamic website has become mission critical. What better way to capture these prospects than by providing them with an interactive website full of straightforward, engaging information on the home buying process? Chances are, they'll contact you when they have questions and - ta da - a new customer. Over the past few weeks, we devoted all of our time and resources to creating more Agent XSite themes and content to help you attract new business. We've added 28 new pre-written content pages to your Agent XSite on some of the more intricate aspects of buying and selling a home including, "Reasons why homes don't sell," "Role of the MLS," and "Types of listing contracts." You can view the full list of additions here. To add your new content pages, visit Step 6 in your XSite Wizard.   Read more...

In addition to new content and themes for your Agent XSite, we've also added more features to our XSellerate marketing system for Agents. XSellerate combines professional print and e-mail marketing with web-based client communication tools including e-mail and scheduling. And now, you now have even more marketing campaigns to help you reel in new customers and keep in close contact with your existing clients. We've added 67 new campaigns. Some of the newly created campaigns include:   Read more...

As you know, generating new leads is a crucial component of any real estate agent's business. Your Agent XSite has the ability to attract hundreds of visitors every month. But achieving that kind of traffic requires some work. Here are a few tips on how to increase your XSite traffic:   Read more...

With Aurora coming out soon, we would like to reiterate a point we've made previously (here and here, to name two) that we recommend that you upgrade computers every couple of years to a top notch system. We've often taken the approach to upgrade now, before a new version ships. You want to get your new computer up and running, be familiar with it, get WinTOTAL form filling software going on it with all your files, databases, and so on, and have it ready for a new version. That way, when you get the new version CD, you just plop it in and it all works. Otherwise, you're asking yourself to learn a new computer, get the old WinTOTAL installed with all your data files, and then get the new version going. Not ideal in any work environment, particularly what we and you hope is a busy one.   Read more...