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24 ON THE WEB WEBSITES TO GET TO KNOW. FREDDIE MAC REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS RESOURCE CENTER Launched in January 2016, Freddie Mac's comprehensive resource is designed to keep real estate agents, brokers, housing counselors, and others working in the mortgage industry informed of the latest tools offered by Freddie Mac, including affordable mortgage products, training, and networking opportunities. e Real Estate Professionals Center is an easy- to-navigate webpage providing information that will help users strengthen customer connections, educate clients, increase referrals, and become a stronger housing expert through training offered by Freddie Mac and other professional organizations. SCHEDULE ONCE ScheduleOnce is an integrated scheduling platform that provides solutions for "every phase of the customer lifecycle"—lead generation, lead qualification, onboarding, and support. With ScheduleOnce, you can schedule demos and consultations directly from your website, invite prospects to schedule a follow-up meeting from your customer relationship management platform, or invite customers to schedule setup, training, and installation sessions. You can create a booking page according to your exact needs and preferences, and customers can book on your page from any device—and the meeting is added to everyone's calendars. BIDSKETCH With Bidsketch, you can create professional client proposals in minutes using a guided, step-by-step procedure that walks you through the whole proposal writing process. Move forward or backward through the process to edit or preview at any time. You can easily mix and match content, fees, and designs to create persuasive proposals with customized language and a custom client landing page and templates that will impress clients. Bidsketch also has the capability to capture client signatures electronically, allowing for a faster turnaround when the client approves the proposal. e proposals can also be exported to PDF. SCHEDULEONCE.COM 2 FREDDIEMAC.COM 1 BIDSKETCH.COM/HOME 3 FIVE STAR'S DELGADO: OBAMA'S EFFORTS ON HOUSING 'CANNOT BE COUNTED AS A VICTORY' On January 19, President Barack Obama stood before the nation and delivered his final State of the Union Address. e president touched on a number of topics including budgets, insurance coverage, gun violence, and the minimum wage. Five Star Institute President and CEO Ed Delgado released the following statement in response to the speech: "I congratulate President Obama for his efforts leading our country over the course of two terms in office," Delgado stated. "He has had several successes in his tenure and did what was necessary to affect calm in the economy—but there is a degree of uncertainty regarding the future of homeownership in the United States." "e housing sector of the economy, in particular, needs to be re-evaluated. Although the housing market made strides this past year, the homeownership rate now stands at the lowest level in 48 years, millennials are saddled with $1.3 trillion in student loan debt, and job prospects for recent grads are bleak. As such, President Obama's efforts on the housing front cannot be counted as a victory. ere now exists barriers of entry for homeownership among first-time homebuyers, millennials, and minorities," Delgado said. "Instead of resolving homeownership issues on a broad scale while introducing fair and responsible solutions designed to expand the promise of homeownership, government officials have instead overregulated the industry and measured the success of recovery based upon the size of fines and penalties assessed," Delgado noted. "Bottom line—it is harder today than at any time in recent history to get approved for a mortgage loan—a condition amplified by a burdened industry reeling from reform and restriction." He continued, "Not enough was done to create a lasting solution to bolster homeownership in the U.S. What the Obama Administration did was provide a temporary feel-good solution, not a long-term right solution." "Bottom line—it is harder today than at any time in recent history to get approved for a mortgage loan." –Ed Delgado, President and CEO, The Five Star Institute