Yes, in many ways January is one of the best months to plant; the seeds of opportunity! Many new beginnings happen in January. However, by not recognizing what opportunities to plant for, and realizing where these opportunities are likely to come from, you might as well just throw the €seeds€ out on to the road.

As mortgage professionals we are required to prospect for both short term and long term opportunities. The actions we take on a daily basis need to be consistent with our market and the types of activities that are taking place. For example, January is a huge month for expired listings. Your Realtor® referral partners may be very active in this area and be focused on €courting€ those with their property listings having expired and without a plan on how or what to do to sell their home. Many just give up and forget about selling because of a €bad market€, but others relist with their current agent and give them a second chance, while others will select a new agent and seek a fresh start.

Why is this important to a mortgage professional? Because if you expect referrals from Realtors®, you need to know their business cycles and what they are focused on so you can play a supportive role. What can you do to support your Realtor's® efforts? Try working with them as part of a team approach that will help market and sell their home. Work with that homeowner to identify their financial situation and how much it might really cost to buy that next home, and what the cost will be to carry it. You see many transactions never happen because of misinformation. Sellers often reject offers that they could have accepted because they think they need every last cent to buy their next home. They don't take into consideration that rising home prices are actually costing them money every day! You see, most people sell a home for less money than the one they are planning to buy. If they are selling at $200,000 and planning on buying at $250,000, and prices go up 5% during the time they sit on market, they are €losing $2,500 in value between the two properties. Now look at what happens if interest rates begin to climb a quarter or half a point in rate? Over the life of the loan you are looking at tens of thousands of dollars!

Sharing strategies and concepts like this with your Realtor® referral partners can help them engage in more conversations, create more interest, and generate more opportunities for themselves and for you!

Another thought about January and planting the seeds of opportunity is the fact that rates are off the bottom and the recent rise in rates may be an indicator that we have already hit bottom and if you haven't taken advantage of refinancing or buying your €forever home€, now would be the time to act!

January is the time that Realtors® accumulate listings for sale heading into the spring housing push. Those who list now are looking to €beat the market€ and those that are looking to buy now are trying to be the first to see the €fresh inventory€. Either way, mortgage professionals need to be planting the seeds that grow relationships that turn into opportunities all year long!

Do you have your plan in place to make the most of 2013? If not, why not?

We welcome your questions and comments; please feel free to go to our website: http://www.improvemytomorrowcoaching.com