Meet Terry Gangaram, Founder of Drexel Mortgage Corporation

With 30+ years of real estate experience, Terry Gangaram founded Drexel Mortgage in 1995 to help Americans nationwide make their American Dream a reality. Starting with residential mortgages, Terry has helped thousands of homeowners buy their first house, investment properties, and commercial real estate to grow their business. Terry's team at Drexel is committed to finding you the financing you want for the home you want.

Learn more by visiting the websites for Drexel Residential Lending and Drexel Commercial Lending.

1. What made you decide to focus your career on working in the home mortgage field?

I wanted to help people become homeowners. Just like the American dream, I wanted to own a home rather than renting, and that's when I wanted to help others do the same. With decades of experience pursuing my entrepreneurial passion providing loans to clients, I built the Drexel Mortgage brand to become one of New York City's top mortgage providers.

2. What are some of the differences for consumers when it comes to working with a local agency like Drexel Mortgage rather than a large national company?

Drexel Mortgage offers great advantages with a hands-on approach to real estate. We're not quick to say no right away with a lot of red tape. For example, when it comes to credit, Drexel Mortgage works with the individual to repair their credit so they become creditworthy to become homeowners. We dispute charges, challenge charge-offs, and help fix delinquincies by advising clients how to prepare their credit for homeownership. Traditional lenders tend to cherry-pick who they want to work with, ignoring many borrowers who are only a few simple steps away from their own homes. We advise clients on a personal level to tailor-fit every loan for each borrower's needs. For example, we advise borrowers to have a co-signer, or have a family member assist them with the loan process to make the loan process comfortable and easy-going.

3. In addition to helping people who want to purchase a new home, what services do you provide for refinancing and debt consolidation?

Once people become a homeowner, they call Drexel Mortgage to utilize the equity in their home to purchase investment properties, consolidate their high interest credit card payments into one low monthly mortgage payment, or pay off bills. Refinancing has many benefits, and Drexel makes it easy for customers to refinance to renovate their homes, fix their credit, and even to finance major purchases.

4. Are there any common questions you get or misconceptions you regularly see regarding home mortgages and personal finance?

Being in the mortgage industry for decades, I've seen a lot of recurring mysteries and common questions. For example, people assume the mortgage process is a mystery that takes a long time. At Drexel, I make it easy for homebuyers to understand that buying a home is an exciting and simple process. Drexel understands buying real estate; mortgages can look like a daunting endeavor--after all, it's probably one of the biggest purchases a person will ever make. But the reality is, at Drexel Mortgage we take the time to assure you're comfortable with achieving your goals.

Another real estate misconception is that you need a lot of income with a huge down payment to own a home. With Drexel Mortgage, we put these popular myths to rest very quickly. I'm often asked what kind of houses are clients qualified for. Clients commonly think they need a high 700 credit score with 20% down just to qualify for a mortgage. Those days are long over, and today's real estate market understands that there are clients from all over the credit/income spectrum who can qualify for a home. At Drexel Mortgage, with flexibility to tailor loans based on the individual's needs we can provide loans to clients with a 600 credit score, with 3.5% down payment.

5. For people considering buying or selling a home in the Richmond Hill neighborhood of New York where your office is located, do you have any locally-specific advice?

New York City, where Drexel Mortgage is located, is one of the most sought after real estate markets in the country. New Yorkers are fast-paced, high-speed people who want it all yesterday. If you're buying a home in NYC, save yourself some time by getting pre-qualified first. Providing a Pre-Qualification is a free service we offer. We look at the income, assets, and credit of the individual to let them know what purchase price their income can support. Sometimes we can offer a pre-approval letter, to save some time for the realtors as well. With a pre-approval letter, the realtors, homebuyers, and appraisers can make fast, intelligent decisions to buy a home and start the loan.

Feel free to call me directly with any questions at (718) 441-1515, terry@drexelmortgage.com, www.terrygangaram.com.

Thanks, Terry!

Introducing Gabe K, Langley BC Realtor

Gabe Kadoranian is a real estate professional based in Langley, BC in Canada. He also serves Surrey BC, Cloverdale, White Rock, Delta, and Abbotsford. I've seen a lot of websites for real estate businesses, and his is one of the best as it is informative, offers lots of excellent pictures to let you see what properties are available, and gives you opportunities to gather more information for free (such as a free valuation to see what your house is worth on the current market). Check out his site at http://gabek.ca/.

Another nice feature of his site is that he has detailed sections for buyers and for sellers, and it's easy to contact him for more information and/or to get answers to any questions you might have about buying or selling a home in Langley.

A lot of people are looking to live in Langely because it's a great, quiet place for families and is ideal for commuting to Vancouver. You can find a wide variety of houses and condos, including both existing homes and new construction. The area has a strong economy and lots of shopping and amenities; plus it's a beautiful places with hundreds of acres of parks.

Gabe K has been working in real estate since 2009 and spent many years in the corporate field before that. He left his corporate career for real estate because he wanted the opportunity to work more directly with people and to give outstanding customer services to his clients. "When I discovered a career in real estate," he said, "I never looked back."

He puts a lot of emphasis on communication and building relationships. He invites potential clients to contact him any time and is always glad to sit down for a coffee and a chat about his favorite subject, real estate--or more accurately, the real estate goals of his clients.

Meet Charlie Bennett of Bennett Atherton Investments

Based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Charlie Bennett is the CEO and a founding partner of Bennett Atherton Investments, a firm that buys, restores, and sells houses. He's a licensed realtor and active real estate investor with a passion for rehabbing old homes. As a lifelong resident of Tonka Bay, MN, Charlie is an expert on the small, yet complicated markets that make up the Lake Minnetonka area. Learn more at http://www.ba-invests.com.

1. How did you first get into buying and selling houses?

I was a used car salesman. It wasn't a career I was too enthusiastic about which was a real problem in my life as my Dad and both grandparents were all car dealers. There was a local eyesore property, and I drove by it every day. I had no money and no experience, but I was certain we could bring it back to life. My mother is a designer, and I had seen her do some pretty neat projects. I didn't have enough money to buy anything on my own, so I found a business partner, Richard Atherton. We bought our first property for $85,000 and sold it "for sale by owner" for $240,000. The rest is history.

2. What are some of the most important things to change and update when you sell a house?

If you're on a budget, start with THE INSIDE!!! It's where you live. It's what you see the most. I would rather have a rockstar interior and an average exterior than vice versa! Wouldn't you? The art of living is living in art :)

3. How has the housing market changed in Minnetonka, Minnesota over the past few years?

I focus exclusively on Tonka Bay, Shorewood, and Excelsior. It's a very small area geographically. Many houses are turning over for the first time in well over a decade. A properly priced home is moving quickly, so offers need to be quick and near full asking price.

4. What makes a house a good investment for you--or in other words, how do you choose which properties to buy?

I'm looking for properties within Minnetonka School district. We buy and remodel everything as if we're moving in. We want good bones (layout) with a good lot. Cosmetics don't matter in the slightest bit as we're remodeling 100% anyway. Unfinished square footage is a bonus!

5. For anyone reading this who wants to get into investing in properties and fixing them up to resell, what's your advice?

My advice is to consult experts. I'm part of a multi-person team. I'm the real estate / investment side, my designer designs, and my builder builds. Trying to wear all the hats is not a good idea.

Thanks, Charlie!

Introducing Reliable Moving Company, Los Angeles Based Movers

The following is a guest post provided by the Reliable Moving Company.

Rapid Moving Company, a Los Angeles-based, licensed, and insured moving company offers total moving package services for local, residential, and commercial moves along with professional packing services. Rapid Moving Company established itself as the most reliable and professional Los Angeles Mover due to its cutting edge, fast paced, well-organized, and affordable services. The Los Angeles Mover represents the movers licensed in California, movers who are members of the LA. BBB and movers that are members of American Moving and Storage Association.

The company developed a unique pricing system to make the customers feel comfortable from the beginning of the deal. The customers are allowed to choose a flat rate after which trained professional team provides a free estimate or an hourly rates upon agreed prior the move.

The Los Angeles Mover team have been put through a rigorous screening process to work efficiently and to put the customer at ease. The moving team is excited at the prospect of helping a new client. What is best with the Rapid Moving Company is that there is absolutely no obligation and the moving quote is totally free.

The packing team discusses the requirements and concerns of the customer before even packing and lifting the first box. The Los Angeles Movers team understands the value of customer's belongings. During Residential moves, the team takes utmost care to deliver packed electronics and furniture items to the destination, in a scratch-free and damage-free condition.

The advantage that Rapid Moving Company Los Angeles offers over other long distance moving companies is individualized service. The team avoids grouping a customer's items with other people's, thereby eliminating the necessity of a one-week or a three-day window for the arrival of the items.

The movers from Los Angeles are professionally trained to make your business move a smooth transition. The team is fully aware that people want to be up and running in the new location with as little downtime as possible. The Los Angeles mover offers insurance for the items, location, and a free onsite estimate coupled with a walk through. The packing team is trained to disassemble and reassemble cubicles and office furniture in a hassle-free fashion.

Rapid Moving Company team makes every attempt to customize every moving experience to suit the customer needs, thereby providing the customer with a satisfied and stress free experience.

Meet Jack of Win a Free Home

Jack runs a website called winafreehome.co.uk; the concept of the website is simple: users are invited to win a house worth £300,000 for free. Users must earn entry tickets by completing offers, in much the same way that a cashback website works. There are completely free ways to earn tickets so that users can have a chance to win without risking any of their money.

1. What gave you the idea for Win a Free Home?

Back in 2008 at the start of the financial crisis, a large number of win a house competitions were springing up in the UK and abroad; basically because the housing market had crashed, people were finding it very difficult to sell their properties. They started running raffles, competitions, and prize draws to try and raise money to move house.

I looked at this and thought it was a brilliant idea: giving someone a chance to win a property when mortgages were so hard to get. There were, however, a few draw backs that I noticed. Many of these competitions were charging relatively high entry prices of between £30 & £100 per ticket. Obviously for the winner these prices are a bargain for a house, but for anyone on a small budget, the ticket was quite a large outlay for them. Another issue was that the location of some of the properties up for grabs made them less desirable.

Due to this issue (and others), many of the old competitions failed to give away the full prize, and some of the organizers even ended up in debt.

Around this time I had just started looking at affiliate marketing as a way of making money online, and the two ideas seemed to tie in together really well. My idea was that I could run a win a house competition in the same way that a cash-back website works. Instead of earning cash-back for shopping online, taking surveys, etc, the users would be rewarded with free competition entry tickets. This means we don't have to charge a fee for entry, making the competition affordable for all and meaning there is no risk involved for participants.

Also, to ensure that potential entrants are not put off from entering due to the location of the prize, we decided that instead of giving away a particular property, our competition is going to give the winner the choice of any property they want, up to the price of £300,000.00. We are even providing a small team of house hunters to help them find the property of their dreams (only winners from the UK get this added bonus).

2. When did the contest start, and when will you be holding the final drawing for the home?

We soft launched the website back in August 2013; basically most of the development work was completed, and there were only minor enhancements left to complete. We have only just started to actually promote the competition this month (September 2013). As for the final draw, we are trying to be realistic here: we are aiming to raise a large amount of money, and that is going to take some time.

We have set the prize draw date for a few years' time, giving the competition plenty of time to find entrants and raise money. The current date for the prize draw is set at the 20th July 2016.

3. Do entrants need to live in the UK, or can people from other countries enter as well?

The competition is geared towards the UK public; however, unless there is a legal reason why you are unable to enter from your country of residence, you are welcome to join in.

The only issue we currently have with worldwide entry is the fact that most of the advertising offers are set up for a UK audience and may not be available in the USA and other parts of the world. We have further development to the website planned so that we can include country-specific offers. Check the blog on our website; when there are offers available for different countries, we will make an announcement there.

4. How many different offers are available for entrants to complete to earn entries, and are advertisers still able to get involved in this project?

We currently have 24 offers available from 24 different advertisers. Entrants can earn tickets to the competition by completing a survey for free; this takes about 15 minutes. Entry tickets can also be earned when people do their weekly food shop, order takeaway items like pizza and burgers, and when buying items like perfume, aftershave, and loads of other products which people require in their daily life anyway.

We are still on the lookout for new advertisers to work with, so if your company has an affiliate program and you are interested in getting involved, please contact us.

We are also offering users the chance to earn a larger number of entry tickets by donating to charity. We currently only have one charity on board but are on the lookout for more good causes to support. Please contact us if your charity is interested in getting involved.

5. What responses have you been receiving so far to this contest?

It is still early days for the competition, but new entrants are signing up every day and responses to the site seem to be mostly good so far. As with anything, there are a few teething problems but no show-stoppers.

We are hoping that with additional promotion and publicity, the competition will soon start to really take off.

We have a built-in sharing mechanism within the website which rewards users who choose to share the competition with their friends with free entry tickets. We hope that this will help the competition to "go viral," so we can reach a large number of potential entrants in the UK and further afield.

If you would like to find out more about our prize, then please visit our website at http://www.winafreehome.co.uk.

P.S. I would really like to thank you for the opportunity to take part in this interview. I hope that it is interesting for your readers and that they choose to get involved. To anyone who does get involved I would like to say "Good Luck."

Thanks, Jack!