Want to Help Buyers? Here’s How to Get Them Up to $31,500 for a Down Payment w/ Johnita Herndon
Release Date: 02/18/2025
Crabs in a Barrel: The Mindset Keeping You From Earning More
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If you think success is about hoarding your secrets, side-eyeing your peers, and treating everyone like the enemy, you're already losing. I see it all the time in real estate: agents wrapped up in rivalries, clinging to titles, licenses, and tasks that no longer serve them, all because they’re afraid to let go or let someone else shine. That “crabs in a barrel” mindset will keep you small, stuck, and exhausted. Here’s the truth: in today’s market, collaboration is the competitive edge. Instead of competing with other agents, we need to be around people who lift us...
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One License, Five Hustles: How I Made Real Estate Pay in Every Way
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A real estate license isn’t just for selling homes. It’s a whole launchpad…if you know how to use it right. If you’re a great agent, you’re doing way more than unlocking doors and writing offers. You’ve got skills that can help you stand out and stack your income. In today’s market, the old playbook won’t cut it. Inventory is tight, interest rates are still high, and the NAR settlement changed the game. Agents who stick to business-as-usual are getting left behind. It’s not just about closing deals anymore. It’s about thinking bigger, leveraging your...
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How to Use Gift Funds and Grants to Prove Your Value to Buyers
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In today’s real estate landscape, agents aren’t just competing for clients. We’re being forced to justify why we deserve to be paid. With buyer broker agreements now front and center, it’s no longer enough to open doors and write offers. We have to demonstrate value. And what’s more valuable than walking into a buyer consultation armed with solutions that literally fund the deal? I’m talking about gift funds, employer-assisted housing, and stacked grant programs. Money that helps your clients buy and ensures you get paid. That’s how top agents are winning right...
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Reverse Down Payment Assistance: The Value Proposition No One Is Talking About
Social Selling Made Simple
Every agent is out here fighting for more listings, but what if the key to dominating your market isn’t just about pricing, marketing, or staging, but about money that’s already sitting on the table? What most agents overlook is that some listings come with built-in financial power: I’m talking about reverse down payment assistance. This is money that can be layered to cover buyer agent compensation without your seller having to give up a dime. In today’s market, where buyers are hesitant and sellers want to net top dollar, this strategy is an absolute game-changer. In this...
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The Hottest New AI Tools Real Estate Agents Should Be Using w/ Katie Lance
Social Selling Made Simple
On November 30th, 2022, everything changed. ChatGPT hit the streets and instantly began reshaping how we live, work, and run our real estate businesses. From digital marketing to image creation and even coding, AI has been a total game-changer. And the crazy part? We’re only getting started. AI is evolving daily. Tools like ChatGPT, Canva, and Descript are moving at lightning speed—what seemed impossible 30 or 60 days ago is now totally within reach. So what can AI actually do for us right now? How can we use it to multiply our time, streamline our workflows, and make our businesses...
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LinkedIn + ChatGPT = Your Ultimate Real Estate Growth Hack w/ Deborrah Ashley
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Real estate pros, if you’re not using LinkedIn to post content, flex your industry expertise, and generate high-quality B2B leads, you’re leaving money on the table. It’s one of the best platforms to grow your brand, so why are so many agents still sleeping on it? Maybe it feels intimidating. Maybe you’re not sure what to say. But here’s the thing: thanks to AI, creating content and making the right connections has never been easier. And yet, so many real estate professionals are still dragging their feet when it comes to using AI, missing out on massive opportunities. Combining...
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Sell Homes and Originate Loans: How to Become a One-Stop-Shop Real Estate Pro w/ Teresa Grobecker
Social Selling Made Simple
It’s no secret that real estate commissions have been in the danger zone for a while now. And with moves like Rocket Mortgage snatching up Redfin, it’s clear that real estate professionals need to fight fire with fire. Well thanks to a new dual-licensing program, we might just have the ultimate weapon to turn up the volume on our production! Most real estate agents have to pass their clients off to a mortgage officer and watch them take a piece of the pie. What if you could handle the whole process yourself, and keep more of the money…all with one simple link? Here’s the...
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Want More LinkedIn Leads? Here's How AI Can Make It Happen w/ Celeste Yamile
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Posting every day…multiple times a day…carousels…sharing your deepest personal stories. If you're trying to boost engagement, impressions, and reel in those real estate leads via social media, you've probably tried it all. And when it doesn’t work, you’re probably left thinking the algorithm is out to get you. But hold up – it’s not. No strategy will ever work if it’s not backed by cold, hard data. If you’re not tracking what’s already working and turning up the volume on that, you’re just throwing spaghetti at the wall. Social media without analytics is just a bunch of...
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The $20K Secret: How to Make Six-Figures With Anointed Listings
Social Selling Made Simple
In today’s market, every real estate agent is searching for a unique value proposition that will get them more listings and get them paid by buyers. What most agents don’t know is that they might already have the ultimate value proposition sitting under their noses…or rather sitting in their active listings! Many homes on the market qualify for down payment assistance, and by simply choosing to hire you as their agent, people could get $20k or more. In other words: some listings have an anointing on them, and you can leverage them to earn six figures. In this episode, I share...
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Want to Help Buyers? Here’s How to Get Them Up to $31,500 for a Down Payment w/ Johnita Herndon
Social Selling Made Simple
No matter what anyone says, owning real estate is still the most powerful way for families to build wealth and transfer it to the next generation. A lot of people would love to own a home, but can’t afford some of the costs that come with the purchase. Well, there is a solution…down payment assistance gifts from family, work or even your church. A lot of people are sitting on equity or cash reserves that could be the perfect down payment assistance gift for first time home buyers. This is a great way to put the wealth vehicle that is real estate in motion, and help more people...
info_outlineNo matter what anyone says, owning real estate is still the most powerful way for families to build wealth and transfer it to the next generation. A lot of people would love to own a home, but can’t afford some of the costs that come with the purchase.
Well, there is a solution…down payment assistance gifts from family, work or even your church. A lot of people are sitting on equity or cash reserves that could be the perfect down payment assistance gift for first time home buyers.
This is a great way to put the wealth vehicle that is real estate in motion, and help more people build wealth for themselves. Real estate agents who are knowledgeable about these programs are more likely to win buyers and get paid what they’re worth, which goes a long way right now.
What should we ask every buyer we talk to? What are some of the pockets of funds first time buyers have access to? In this episode, CRA Residential Loan Officer at Associated Bank, Johnita Herndon shares how buyers can get up to $31,500 in down payment assistance, and all the funds that are available right now.
Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
- Down payment assistance dos and don’ts
When it comes to down payment assistance gifts, every lender and home loan type is different. How do we make sure we meet the requirements?
- The gift of homeownership
From churches and employers to family members, there are many sources of down payment assistance. How can real estate professionals use this to increase their value proposition and help their communities?
- Homeownership is still important
Our ancestors built their wealth by owning houses. How can we pass this wealth on to the next generation?
Guest Bio
Johnita Herndon is a CRA Residential Loan Officer at Associated Bank, she has over 10 years of banking experience, having served in various capacities within residential lending. Johnita is passionate about working with First Time home buyers, down payment assistance programs, homebuyer education, and rehab/new construction. As a community loan officer, Johnita also works as a liaison to nonprofit organizations that provide homeowner education to low- and moderate-income families. The focus is to create a successful homebuyer through education and counseling. Johnita Grew up on the Westside of Chicago and currently resides in Maywood, IL. Johnita has been a mortgage and loan professional for more than 10 years. Graduating from Olivet Nazarene University with a degree in Economics & Finance. To learn more, call or text 312-401-0702. You can also follow Johnita on Instagram and Facebook.
About Your Host
Marki Lemons Ryhal is a Licensed Managing Broker, REALTOR® and avid volunteer.
She is a dynamic keynote speaker and workshop facilitator, both on-site and virtual; she's the go-to expert for artificial Intelligence, entrepreneurship, and social media in real estate. Marki Lemons Ryhal is dedicated to all things real estate, and with 25+ years of marketing experience, Marki has taught over 250,000 REALTORS® how to earn up to a 2682% return on their marketing dollars. Marki’s expertise has been featured in Forbes, Washington Post, http://Homes.com , and REALTOR® Magazine.
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