Taking into account our $150,000 donation to the REALTORS® Relief Fund to be applied toward housing needs for disaster victims, we've raised or contributed more than half a million dollars in the wake of Katrina. And we've done it with contributions from people just like you, our customers and other real estate professionals — many of whom are uniquely susceptible to the enormous increase in gas prices. The huge wave of contributions we've seen in the last week is real money coming out of real people's pockets, at a time when they could probably use it themselves.

We're not patting ourselves or even you on the back — we want to let you know about the power and goodwill of the real estate professionals we work for. And we want you to donate if you haven't! Or if you have, pass the web address, www.alamode.com/katrina, on to colleagues, friends and family. Dave will match their donations dollar for dollar, too.

"These are our clients, our neighbors, and our friends, and we intend to do all we can to help.  I truly hope our users donate as much as possible, so I can give the entire $250,000," Biggers said.  "And if the response is overwhelming, I’ll be happy to go farther.  Living in Oklahoma City, through bombings as well as devastating tornados, I know what sort of hospitality the nation, and this industry, extends during a disaster.”

We've heard from some of our customers who have lost their homes, some who were allowed to return to their homes briefly before having to leave again for possibly weeks, and some who were a little luckier but whose business is going to be down for quite a while while their city or region rebuilds. We've heard from customers who want to do more to help than donate cash. The government, the Red Cross and experts agree, though, that the very best individuals who want to help can do is to donate. Particularly when it will be matched.

We’ve hired a customer who lost his business in the hurricane, offered corporate housing to displaced families who may need it and deferred all fees and payments due us under service contracts, annual subscriptions, website renewals or anything else for our thousands of clients in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. We're doing everything we can — please consider giving, because we can offer even more together.

XSite Tech Tips:  Go paperless today by using DirectFax
The real estate industry is constantly developing the technology and tools needed to facilitate the paperless mortgages of the future.  Your XSite's DirectFax feature is an important part of the paperless process that's already in place — so why not start using it today?  DirectFax turns paper documents into electronic documents using only a fax machine.  Here's how to use this feature in five easy steps:

1. Your client logs into your Mortgage XSite using their username and password they created when they first filled out the loan application.

2. Your client will click on the icon labeled "Manage Docs," and then the "DirectFax" icon.  They will be prompted to print a fax cover page.

3. All they need to do now is fax their documentation to the fax number on the cover sheet, making sure to include the cover sheet on the top of the fax.

4. Our fax server will read the barcode on the cover page and create a PDF of the documents before routing it to your clients' specific loan file in your XSite.

5. To retrieve the PDF files log into your Loan Apps and highlight your clients' application.  You will see a DirectFax icon with a link that says "View."

That's all there is to it!  You'll never have to worry about losing paper documents again.

Learn how to do more with your XSite
Join us at our Orlando Training Center on Sept. 13 for our Hands on Training seminar, "Optimize Your Mortgage XSite."  We'll cover lead generation, setting up your site for different users in your office, automating loan apps, developing secure digital signatures, managing appraisal and title orders, and more!
Register here

And be sure to stop by our booth and say "hi" at these upcoming industry events:

Oct. 23-26
MBA Annual Convention
Orlando, Fla.

Nov. 11-15
Western Regional Mortgage Brokers Conference, Las Vegas

Contact Us

For questions about this newsletter, contact the editor: Amanda@alamode.com

For sales inquiries, contact sales@alamode.com or call
1-800-ALAMODE.