If you've been in the real estate business three years or less, consider yourself extremely fortunate. These are the best of times. Interest rates are low and the Midwest is enjoying record sales. If you've been in real estate for more than three years you know that during times like these it is important to remind yourself of the basics, the 'blocking and tackling" so to speak, that results in success in good times and bad. Farming, networking, advertising, listing, and direct mail are just some of the fundamentals to ensure our success even when this market slows down, and it will slow down.

Strategic alliances, partnering, and affiliate partnering, are all recent buzzwords most of us have heard or read about. Often these terms are so over-used that it tends to diminish their value. However, in real estate, a quality partnering arrangement can contribute considerably to your success, further your penetration of the market, and insure the quality of the service your customers receive on current transactions to ensure future transactions.

Mortgage financing is undergoing considerable change. Mortgage brokers now provide 60% of all mortgage origination's nationwide. Only four years ago, mortgage brokers provided less than 30% of mortgages. Some important changes are taking place that you should be aware of since it can effect your current lending relationship, and more importantly the service your clients' receive.

It's no secret that banks large and small are consolidating at a rapid pace. This leaves you with two questions: Will my current lending relationship exist a year from now? And, Do I have more than one strong lender relationship?

Will the larger merged bank have the same focus on residential mortgages and personal service they did in the past? After the merger, many "new organizations" change their strategy and direction. They often look for lower expense businesses than mortgage lending, such as credit card lending or loan servicing.

Mortgage brokers have evolved in lending as a dominant force. They can provide you with an extremely valuable business relationship. The perception of the mortgage broker community is still catching up to the reality. In the past, brokers were typically 2-3 person "fringe operators" that focused on the "hard" money deals. Recently, as an offshoot of the merger and consolidation of banks, many of the finest professionals from these large bank mortgage divisions after consolidations, have broken off to form very professional, quality mortgage broker operations. The advantage is that this new breed of broker has the experience and know-how developed over the years with the big organization. These new companies focus on their customers and how they can add value to their relationships with real estate agents. They also have the financial size and strength to have numerous mortgage sources which allows them more products and options for your customers at a more competitive price. Their marketing and promotional experience is a powerful tool that can be put to work for you.

Amerihome Mortgage Company, LLC( is a good example of such a company. Amerihome was formed by a group of 30 mortgage professionals with over 15 years experience that stayed together after a corporate downsizing. The intended mission of the newly formed company: Deliver the highest quality personal service at a competitive price while always seeking ways to add value to our business relationships!

When times are good, it's a good time to assess your current lender relationships. When things get tough, it's too late. Ask yourself; What has my lender done for me lately? What business have they brought to the table for me? Are they contributing to my success? The open house flyer, financing scenarios, and free pre-qualifications are a given. If your not receiving this minimal support, you should either request it or look elsewhere.

Some of the more proactive and progressive co-marketing that a great mortgage partner will provide:

• On-going brainstorming of co- marketing opportunities.
• FSBO (for sale by owner) marketing program. Not the typical FSBO contacts, but creative ways to position yourself with FSBO's
• Drip direct mail marketing program encompassing both your and your lenders' databases.
• On going database mining. This provides for marketing directly to active buyers and sellers in the market from a variety of data sources.
• Lifestyle marketing that targets buyers and sellers when they have pre-determined their buying habits.
• Internet co-marketing of your real estate services
• Affinity relationships- You can team up to provide real estate services to trade groups and organizations.
• Employee Group Programs- again, many midsize to large employers are looking for ways to increase benefit offerings. How about real estate "bundled services"

These are only a few of the types of partnering you should be working on with your lender, but it's easy to procrastinate when things are this good. Good preparation though, will result in your continued success and survival when the glory days are gone!