Grow Time - March 2025

Throughout 2025, Marketing will be emailing agents and clients on your behalf each month. Be sure you read and review this section to see what emails will be going out and for important deadlines to opt-out.
Note: This list does not include transactional automations such as Loan Milestone Updates, Post Closing, Customer Intelligence, etc. For a full list of Marketing Automations, click here.

The Truth Behind Billboard Interest Rates: This email will be sent to all contacts still in LEAD STATUS in Total Expert and includes a link to a branded blog helping clients understand why they may not get those rates they see on billboards. Click here for a sample.
- Send Date: Thursday, March 13th
- Opt-Out By: Monday, March 10th
Why Having A Buyer's Agent Is Essential: This email will be sent to all contacts still in LEAD STATUS in Total Expert and includes a link to a branded blog explaining the importance of having a buyer's agent and providing advice on how to find one. Click here for a sample.
- Send Date: Tuesday, March 25th
- Opt-Out By: Monday, March 10th

Help Your Clients Manage Rising Debt: This email will be sent to all of your real estate agents in Total Expert addressing rising consumer debt and how their clients can use their equity to pay off bills. There is also a link for them to sign up with you in Homebot. Click here for a sample.
- Send Date: Tuesday, March 18th
- Opt-Out By: Monday, March 10th

FINALLY! At long last, Total Expert has released Credit Score Monitoring through their Customer Intelligence platform! Here's how it works:

We will monitor everyone in your CLIENT group whose status is either DENIED or WITHDRAWN. If at any point this client achieves a credit score of 580+, they will be sent a Firm Offer of Credit, loaded onto an email campaign, and you will be notified as well.

Additionally, you can manually add clients into a special group called CREDIT MONITORING and these clients will be monitored as well! If you come across anyone who is worried about their credit, add them to this group too!

Anyone flagged with a Credit Monitoring Alert will also appear in a contact tab on your contacts screen.

Click here for samples.

Schedule all of your social media posts! Click here to jump down to our social media calendar. All posts are loaded and live in Total Expert and ready for you to pre-schedule to your channels. Pro-Tip: Delete and redo your Facebook and LinkedIn integrations before you start scheduling. Why? This will ensure an updated connection between the platforms, and will get you in the habit considering Linked In needs to be refreshed every 2 months. This won't affect your currently scheduled posts.

Click here to watch our March 5th Marketing Mastermind and follow along and schedule your posts for the month!

Last week we released a new process regarding CMA Requests you receive through Homebot. Be sure to watch a recap of our webinar here.

When you receive a CMA Request via Homebot, you will get a notification from Homebot as well as a notification from Total Expert.
On your behalf, we will send this email out to the client who requested a CMA.
The onus is on the Loan Officer to reach out to either the client's buyers agent or another trusted agent partner and have them complete the CMA and return the info to you.
See below for next steps

Option 1 - Self Service

5. Log into your Homebot account and follow these steps to manually add the CMA to your client's account
6. Log into Total Expert, navigate to Focused View, and find the client in the "Homebot CMA" Focused View
7. If the CMA has come in higher than what their Homebot was initially, then click LOG OUTCOME and select "CMA Completed - Value Improved"
8. If the CMA has come in lower than what their Homebot was, then click LOG OUTCOME and select "CMA Completed - Value Decreased"
9. Depending on their CMA results, one of two emails will be sent providing further information and encouraging them to reach out to you for next steps or questions. (Samples: Value Increased, Value Decreased)

Option 2 - Marketing Support

5. Forward the CMA results from the agent to marketing@castlecookemortgage.com. Be sure to include whether or not the CMA has come in higher or lower than what your client's value is reflecting in Homebot.
6. Marketing will enter the CMA results into your client's Homebot
7. Marketing will log an outcome in Total Expert and depending on their CMA results, one of two emails will be sent providing further information and encouraging them to reach out to you for more next steps or questions. (Samples: Value Increased, Value Decreased)
8. Marketing will inform you when these steps are complete.
9. Marketing will track this client's progress, if a loan is created after the CMA has been logged, it will be marked as a company generated loan.

Your Weekly Calling Strategy

Agent Relationship Strategies

Monday's are where you should plan to time block two hours to call approximately 40 agents. Whether it's your best referral partners, or someone you're trying to develop a relationship with, these calls will help you grow your business.

These strategies are proven and everyone has the time and capacity to follow this path! You can do this! Stick to it!

Sample Script:
Hey [Agent], it's [Your Name] from Castle & Cooke Mortgage. How was your weekend? Did you host any open houses?

I'm just calling to check in and see how everything is going with your buyers. Have they all been pre-qualified and set with their home loans? Do you have anybody you'd like me to chat with to help them get started? Are there any challenging buyers who are having trouble getting pre-qualified? Any buyers having trouble getting under contract?

Last questions - What can I do this week to help make your life a little easier? Do you have any open houses this weekend you need help with? Let me know if you need any flyers, websites, or loan scenarios. Or if you need help setting up, I'm happy to come early and put out signs, bring some water and snacks.

If there's anything else I can do, call me any time. I'll check back in with you next week.

Start setting up your calendars in Outlook to time-block two hours on Mondays for these calls starting next week!

Instructions for listing content
(Note: Agents MUST be set up in Total Expert first as a Co-Marketing Partner before you can co-brand any flyers or websites!
Step 1 - Create a Single Property Website
Instructions
- Go to WEB MARKETING > SINGLE PROPERTY SITES
- Click CREATE
- Enter the MLS in the SEARCH BY MLS field and click the magnifying glass
- Click on the home that pops up and wait for the page to refresh
- DON'T FORGET!!!! Click ADD next to your name under Lender Partners, and select your agent's name under Agent Partners.
- You can either leave the page as is and click ACTIONS>SAVE or click NEXT and play with the site layout, etc.
- Click ACTIONS>VISIT SITE to see the site live and to copy the URL
Step 2 - Create a Listing Flyer (or Open House flyer)
- Go to PRINT MARKETING>CREATE NEW
- Under the FOLDERS drop down select LISTING FLYERS
- Pick a flyer and click ACTIONS>SELECT
- Select your agent under CO MARKETING PROFILE
- Enter the MLS# and click the magnifying glass
- Click SELECT under the home
- Click CUSTOMIZE AND PUBLISH
- If it is an Open House flyer, be sure to enter the date and time in the appropriate field
- You may need to edit the home description so it can all fit
- Click SAVE FIRST DRAFT, then PUBLISH
- Click ACTIONS and GENERATE PDF
- You can either save the PDF to your desktop or copy the URL to the PDF
Step 3
- Now, open an email in Outlook, and send the link to the Single Property Site, the link to the PDF (or attach the file) to your agent!
- Don't forget to offer your agent the ability to purchase Open House Kits at EXCLUSIVE wholesale pricing (requires 7-10 days advance notice)

Loan Status Update Calls

Ask any successful loan officer, and they'll tell you about Loan Status Update Tuesdays. This is a strategy our team has been sharing since the very beginning and when done properly, can ultimately save you time!

Each Tuesday, time block an hour to contact the borrower (it's ok if you just call the primary), buyer's agent, and seller's agent with an update on the home loan. It doesn't matter if there isn't any change to the loan's status from the previous week. The goal here is to provide weekly updates to calm nerves and anxiety through the process.

Sample Script:
Hey [Buyer], it's [Your Name] from Castle & Cooke Mortgage. Just giving you a ring with your Tuesday update call. I wanted to let you know that your home loan [insert status or update here]. Everything appears to be in good shape. Let me know if you have any questions and I'll be glad to help. I'll check back in next week with more news.

Hey [Buyer's Agent], it's [Your Name] from Castle & Cooke Mortgage. Calling to update you on the [Buyer's Name} loan at [Subject Property Address]. I wanted to let you know that [insert status or update here], and everything looks like it's in good shape. Before I let you go, do you have any buyers you'd like me to speak with? Do you have any needs for open houses you or your brokerage may be hosting this weekend? I'll check back in next week with more news.

Hey [Seller's Agent], it's [Your Name] from Castle & Cooke Mortgage. Calling to update you on the [Buyer's Name} loan at [Subject Property Address]. I wanted to let you know that [insert status or update here], and everything looks like it's in good shape. Are you hosting any open houses this weekend? Do you need my help setting up or can I bring some waters and snacks? How's everything going with your other transactions? Any challenging situations I can help with? I'll check back in with you next week with more updates on the loan.

The key here is to decrease your incoming calls from agents who constantly call you to check in on your borrower's home loan. Stick to it!

Alphabet Calls

Each Wednesday, plan to time block one hour to call your funded clients going through the alphabet based by last name. (Week 1=A, Week 2=B, etc).

One letter a week for the next 26 weeks. When those six months are up, you start over! This allows you to give a personal call to your clients twice a year.

All it takes is time-blocking and sticking to the plan! You can do this!

Sample Script:
Hello [Client], it's [Your Name] from Castle & Cooke Mortgage. It's been a few months since we chatted last, so I just wanted to call and check in. I wanted to make sure you're getting your mortgage statements and that everything for your home loan is going smoothly.

Do you have any questions or run into any challenges lately?

Have you been reading your Homebot report you get each month?

We happen to have some new loan programs that can help people [pay down credit cards], [buy investment properties with their equity], [upgrade or downgrade], [get cash out for home improvements].

If you happen to know of any friends, family, or neighbors who might need help in that area, would you be so kind to pass them my contact info?

Thanks for being a great client - please call me any time if there's anything I can do to help.

Homebot Motivated Clients

Homebot does a great job in setting up your daily dashboard to show you clients who are motivated to sell (and also refi, but we are focusing on sellers for now).

For those of you who attended (or watched) our Homebot Best Practices on Day One of our Virtual Sales Rally, you may remember our rep, Bethany, showing us how to leverage and communicate with Motivated Sellers.

Each Monday you receive a report from Homebot showing your most active leads. When you click on VIEW ACTIVITY FEED it will bring you right to your Homebot Client Activity Feed.

Click on the MOTIVATED TO SELL filter and here are the folks you should call weekly.

Sample Script:
Hello [Client], it's [Your Name] from Castle & Cooke Mortgage. I just wanted to check in and see how you're liking your Homebot Digest? Do you have any questions about your home's value or some of the options you have? Based on your equity, you might have an opportunity to purchase a new home if you're thinking about a move. Should we set a time for your agent to do a CMA for a more accurate estimate? Have you been thinking about making a move, or using some of your equity? If you want, I can pull up your Homebot report and we can review your options together if you have time?

There is a reason they are called Motivated Sellers! They've explored their options in Homebot - get in front of them first to help them understand all the ways they can use their home equity. Stick to it!

Friday Pre-Qual Check Ins

Every Friday, time block two hours to call everyone AND their REALTOR in your pipeline who is pre-qualified but hasn't gone under contract.

Sample Script:
Hello [Client], it's [Your Name] from Castle & Cooke Mortgage. I just wanted to check in on your home search. How's everything going? Have you taken a look at your Homebot Buyer Report lately? Do we need to adjust your price point? Are there any contingencies we should re-think like appraisal or inspection? Anything else I can do or help with your home search?

Hello [Agent], it's [Your Name] from Castle & Cooke Mortgage. I just got off the phone with [Pre-Qualified Client], and he let me know they're still shopping for a new home. I wanted to ask if you thought maybe we need to revise their price range or change any of their contingencies? (If any changes are needed, let them know you'll send a revised pre-qualification letter). Are you working with anyone else this weekend I should chat with?

If you want to avoid people calling you in a panic over the weekend, this is a great way to cut down those calls. Stick to it!

Become a Total Expert Expert

Want to get the most out of Total Expert? Check out our Top High Value and High Dollar Actions

1) Log in to Total Expert Every. Single. Day.

2) Use Focused View every day as a call list to reach out to clients. We've created many Focused Views tied to Journeys and Campaigns so you can see who is actively receiving emails and texts from you. Be sure to log an outcome for each client within your Focused Views - don't let them just sit there. (Note: Customer Intelligence alerts only last seven days, so be sure to quickly log outcomes for anyone flagged for CI when you receive the user notification).

3) Use Journeys! Over the last few months, we've released a number of campaigns that fall outside of our usual automation strategies. These campaigns require you to add a contact and place them into a group, our use a Lead Capture App. Below you will see our brand new First Time Homebuyer Campaign. Last month we released the campaign and strategy for Divorced Leads. Earlier this year we released a campaign targeting renters. Setting clients up on these Journeys take very little time, and allow you to stay top of mind and provide valuable intel to push people to apply.

3) Connect with multiple co-marketing partners for more business. Think outside the box too! You can add accountants, attorneys, and even insurance agents as co-marketing partners. Remember the Divorce Lead Campaign from July?

4) Make sure your real estate agent co-marketing partners are at 100% completion! The biggest obstacle to this is their MLS-ID and affiliation.

a) When your agents connect their MLS to Total Expert, you'll be notified of new listings.
b) Create a Single Property Website, an Open House Lead Capture App, and a Listing Flyer for every new listing notification you receive. Then congratulate the agent for their new listing and send them the content you created.

5) Clear your tasks! When you receive or create a task, it's important you clear the task so they don't stack up in your account.

Caption:
Rates are high. Prices are high. Wait, what? Historically, there's been a correlation between mortgage interest rates and home prices; one goes up, the other goes down. That correlation has gone out the window lately leaving many asking why. Over the next few days, we'll go through the economics behind rising home prices, to help give you a better understanding in navigating the market. Get pre-qualified today to see your options! #homeprices #homeownership #economics

Total Expert Tags: Education, Market Conditions, Home Prices, Grow Time March 2025

Caption:
Interest rates and wages/salaries determine how much homebuyers can borrow. Let's face it, at the end of the day, whether it's the price of eggs, a new car, or a home, you might be most concerned about affordability. Interest rates are high, sellers still don't seem to be lowering prices, and of course there still is more demand than inventory (yes, even with inventory rising - more on that later). Before you go shopping, know what you can afford. When it comes to buying a home, get pre-qualified FIRST so you can understand your buying power. Click the link below to get started. #homeprices #buyer #economics

Total Expert Tags: Education, Market Conditions, Home Prices, Grow Time March 2025

Caption:
We're seeing the lowest home sales volume in nearly 30 years, yet prices remain elevated, putting housing affordability out of reach. Why? High demand, low inventory, and a persistent seller's market (read: sellers not dropping their price). There just aren't enough affordable homes on the market to drive prices down quickly, forcing buyers to face fierce competition and risk getting priced out of the market. If you’ve been waiting for prices to collapse, you may want to rethink your strategy. Get pre-qualified today to understand your purchasing power. #homeprices #homebuying #lowinventory

Total Expert Tags: Education, Market Conditions, Home Prices, Grow Time March 2025

Caption:
We've mentioned inventory before. It's true - inventory is rising across the country, with some markets returning to pre-pandemic levels. Will rising inventory be enough to mark a downward shift in housing prices? Inventory isn't just new builds - it's existing homes as well. Both sellers and buyers have been on the sidelines in the face of high interest rates. If rates ease, we could see both parties back in play, increasing inventory. Will it be enough? Hard to say. Want to develop a homebuying strategy? Start by getting pre-qualified today. #homeprices #risinginventory #homebuying

Total Expert Tags: Education, Market Conditions, Home Prices, Grow Time March 2025

Caption:
Many homeowners say they feel stuck or trapped in their starter home thanks to ultra low interest rates from the pandemic boom. Instead of giving up that sweet interest rate and changing your address, consider changing your home! We have a number of programs that help homeowners utilize their home equity to either get cash out, get a HELOC, or even a closed-end second mortgage to make improvements or renovations. Click the link below to get pre-qualified today!

Total Expert Tags: Home Equity, HELOC/HELoan, Grow Time March 2025

Caption:
Unexpected expenses such as medical bills, home repairs, or job loss can contribute to financial instability as well as general anxiety. If you don't have 3-6 months' worth of expenses saved, consider using your home's potential equity to help create a financial cushion. We have several options to help you get cash out, often at lower interest rates compared to credit cards or some personal loans. Click the link below to talk more about smart ways to prepare for the unexpected.

Total Expert Tags: Home Equity, Debt Consolidation, Grow Time March 2025

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