All Forum Posts by: Devin James

We’re currently building out our CRM

Real estate is a relationship business and follow-up is everything.

Your memory isn't built for scale.

That’s where a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system comes in:
1) Tracks every interaction
2) Keeps follow-ups from falling through the cracks
3) Automates reminders, emails, and tasks
4) Helps your entire team stay on the same page

We’ve been building out pipelines in HubSpot for:

- Investor leads

- Land acquisitions

- Homebuyer journeys

It will help us stay more consistent, clear, and scalable.

Our future self will thank us.

What CRM are you using?

 Hopefully! Im optimistic. I Dont think itll get any worse. Builders quarterly calls are showing that pricing has not increased due to tarrifs.

The past 30 days, we’ve seen a huge shift in buyer interest.

January and February were pretty much dead.

But the last two weekends our phones have been blowing up with showing requests.

Is anyone else seeing the same trend?
- Seasonality?
- Rate drops?
- Pent-up demand finally unlocking?

Whatever it is, buyers seem to be back… at least for now.

Curious what others are experiencing in your markets?

 Great point! Im not too familiar with these advantages.

Do you have any insight?

Seller financing is when the person selling the property acts like the bank.

Instead of the Buyer going to a bank for a loan (mortgage), the Seller lets the Buyer make payments directly to them over time.

There’s usually a promissory note that spells out the loan amount, interest rate, monthly payment, and any balloon payment (a big lump sum due at a future date).

It’s kind of like a rent-to-own or “buy now, pay me later” deal, but with ownership transferring right away.

Pros:
- Easier to Qualify for Loan
- Flexible Terms
- Usually a smaller down payment

Cons:
- Usually a Balloon payment
- Harder to Find
- Higher Interest Rates

 100%!

Taxes & Insurance are terrible; rentals are so difficult to make work right now.

 Great insight and it is very important to start young. What do you have to lose?

 Exactly , looking back the 5% isnt so bad haha

In Q1 of 2022, when interest rates were rising, our future primary residence came on the market.

The seller wanted cash or seller financing at 4.5% interest, but we couldn’t pay cash.

I realized that to win the deal, we needed to make it more attractive to him.

So I offered 5% interest—which, at the time, felt crazy because just 4 months earlier, rates were around 3%.

But the deal still worked well long-term, and after talking with the seller, it became clear that he actually preferred financing over cash.

Deal-making is about structuring terms that make sense for both sides.

Would you have done the same?

 Thank you @Kerry Baird! Speaking from experience