The fact that Veterans Day and Thanksgiving are just weeks apart is a historical quirk.

But it sure feels right, doesn’t it?

As we take time this week to craft a list of family, friends and other things we’re thankful for, consider adding another line item to the list: those who have fought for our freedom. And, of course, those who continue to do so.

During this month of giving thanks, one of the best ways to honor American service members and their sacrifices is to make sure they’re aware of the myriad benefits available to them. From health benefits to education opportunities and beyond, there’s an array of significant benefits that provide some small measure of gratitude to those who have sacrificed so much.

There’s certainly one major benefit in particular worth exploring here — the VA home loan program. This unique purchasing option has helped more than 18 million veterans and their families become homeowners since the waning months of World War II.

Continue reading this post

Maybe you got one because you liked the idea of staying connected even while out of the office. Maybe you were drawn in by all the exciting “apps.” Or maybe it was the best deal when it came time to upgrade your cell phone. Whatever the reason for its purchase, if you have a smartphone (one that offers more advanced computing fuctions) are you making the best use of it to help your business?

Real estate professionals are especially likely to be aided by a smartphone. Rarely are they tied to a desk all day, and even more rarely do they work a “normal” 9 to 5 schedule.

Here are 6 functions that might make your job a bit easier:

1. Email – Having mobile access to email is often one of the primary attractions of a smartphone. If your company email doesn’t support mobile phone use you may be able to log into your webmail account using the internet browser on your phone. Alternatively you may be able to auto forward a copy of each email to a gmail or other personal address that you will be able to receive on your phone. Check with your company to be sure this is permitted.
2. The MLS – Stay on top of new listings by keeping the MLS at your fingertips. Access it through your web browser or through one of the many available MLS Applications. A company called Smarter Agent has even created an MLS App you can customize with your name and logo and offer to your clients.
3. Social Networking – If you are using Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, or any other social networking platforms in order to stay in front of your clients you are probably aware that these tools are only successful when you continue to provide current and interesting content. Stay connected using your smartphone and you can update your status or weigh in on a conversation on the go. Continue reading this post

Join us welcoming our next Guest Blogger, Anna Platz, to the HomeGain Blog.

Anna is a real estate and home finance marketing expert who has years of experience in mortgage and in helping real estate professionals promote themselves and their services through online marketing.

She is a regular blogger on real estate and mortgage industry blog WannaNetwork.com along with fellow HomeGain guest bloggers Tony Sena, Alex Cortez, Wayne Long and Marc Rasmussen.

We look forward to Anna’s future posts about home finance and tips for Realtors for marketing themselves to their clients!

Please welcome the newest kid on the blog, Mark Madsen. Not only is Mark new to our blog, but also new to being a Realtor — he just got his license a couple of weeks ago! He is not new to the real estate industry, though, he has over 10 years of experience in mortgage and is an avid blogger.

Mark plans to share some of his proven techniques of leveraging hyper-local mortgage content for the purpose of attracting and converting active buyers into loyal clients. He also will share his stories of breaking into the real estate world as a rookie real estate agent.

With this mix of experience and insight, we are excited to have Mark as a HomeGain Blog contributor.

Stay tuned for his first blog post tomorrow, titled, “Agents, One Easy Way To Get Free Content For Your Real Estate Blog To Attract First-Time Home Buyers.”

If there’s a base, that’s the place.

Not the catchiest slogan ever created, but the sentiment is something for real estate and mortgage industry stakeholders to embrace. Military communities are driving growth and income expansion across the country, according to a recent study by USA Today.

Sixteen of the 20 fastest-growing metropolitan areas (based on per-capita income since 2000) either have a military base within their borders or are near a military installation. There’s no sign of slowdown in most of these communities. And that means the need for housing solutions is only going to increase.

Scores of service members will return from  Iraq and Afghanistan in the coming weeks and months. Most will qualify for the home-buying tax credits that recently expired for civilian buyers — service members who meet the criteria have until the end of April to purchase and until June 30, 2011, to close.

At the same time, the military continues to meet and even exceed recruitment goals, bringing new faces to these metro areas every month. Sustained growth coupled with the purchasing power and demand for homeownership among military members makes for a dynamic opportunity for RE folks moving forward.

On the whole, American service members are big-time homeowners, with ownership levels that outpace all other consumer groups. Military members are also in increasingly better shape financially to secure financing — the average compensation for military members in 2009 was about $120,000, including pay and benefits.

Agents who can tap into this wellspring have a lot to gain. Getting a solid grip on the scope and inner workings of the VA loan program is often a key step. Continue reading this post

Please welcome Chris Birk, Director of Content and Communications for VAMortgageCenter.com, to the HomeGain Real Estate Blog as our newest Guest Blogger.

Chris has freelanced for newspapers, magazines and trade publications across the country, writing about mortgages and the real estate industry for websites and publications like Mortgages Unzipped, Bigger Pockets, Lenderama, Scotsman Guide, Fat Wallet and Moolanomy.

His non-real estate work has been published in places like Read Write Web, Copyblogger, ProBlogger, Wise Bread, Mint Life and soon at American Express OPEN Forum.

Chris will bring his years of experience evaluating and critiquing various aspects of the real estate industry to this blog, giving new light and perspective of this volatile market.

Check back tomorrow when we publish Chris’ first blog post, “Surging Military Communities Present a Unique Opportunity for the Real Estate Industry.” (Or subscribe to get an email reminder.)