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I was honored when Jeff Belonger asked me to write this week's Mortgage Pro Week in Review (Sept. 1-7, 2008). With the week selected drawing to a close, the biggest news to hit the airwaves was released as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were essentially taken over by the government, a move long time coming, I am going to leave those posts for Tom Burris to handle in next week's week in review as there should be plenty of good ones if you mortgage pros are up to it.
I just feel like I am at the end of my rope. You know how things just seem to pile up and then WHAM - one last item happens and you feel like you snapped.
Disclaimer: You don't necessarily have to have an Activerain blog to apply these principals.
Last week, Janie Coffey hosted a teleconference for the participants of my Savvy Prospector program about the magic of niche marketing. I was spellbound by the material and it really made me think about how this business works...
Working with buyers is difficult. It's no wonder most real estate agents would rather list homes and avoid spending a lot of time dealing with buyers. Home buyers are demanding, fickle, sometimes emotional, sometimes unrealistic, but always there waiting for an agent to help them.
It was a Monday morning like most Monday mornings...EXCEPT that the sun was shining a little brighter, and the birds were singing 'Who Let the Dogs Out' by BAHA MEN! Had I not given up coffee two days earlier, I probably would have known that it was going to be a really, special day...a day like none before and none since. 
How's business in your town? In your city? In your state?
If you live in So Cal you may have experienced Captain Jack's Restaurant in the OC, it's one of my favorites at the beach. Sunset Beach is a small oceanfront community in Orange County, between Huntington Beach (Surf City USA) and Seal Beach.
If you could ask just one question of the ActiveRain Staff, what would it be? Would you ask Jon if he really owns that Van on his Blog header? Would you ask Bob who really stays up with Kelan at night? Maybe Rich, to find out what caused his obsession with Crabs? Or Me, like when do I ever sleep? lol~ We will ALL be on the air at the same time this week, to answer ANY questions YOU have.
First the hotels start charging an "energy surcharge", then the airlines and now...real estate agents don't come to the office for meetings and floor duty because "it costs too much in gas to drive to the office."
Many of my listings are owner occupied and require calling the seller before the property can be shown. So, I contact my sellers and share that Mrs, Buyers Agent will be there today between 1-3 to show their property to some buyers.
I would have to pay a small fortune to get this kind of advertising! I wrote an article here on Active Rain about a local Holiday event that over 10,000 will attend and within 1 day I was #1, #2 and #6 on Google. 
Today I had a wonderful afternoon with new clients.Before going out with them they of course signed the Consumer Notice and I also had them sign a Non-Exclusive Buyer Agency. We use non-Exclusives because we do not believe in forcing buyers to use us if they don't like us.I explained to my then customers that it protects them with my loyalties as a buyer agent, but it also serves to protect me should we decide not to work together after today but they would like to buy a house I show them. The NEBA covers just today and just what we … (41 comments)
Think of the invention of color television and how it changed the way we saw things. It allowed us to see the red in the rocks of The Grand Canyon, even if we had never been there. Active Rain is much like color TV. It allows us as professionals to see the world of Real Estate through the eyes of thousands. 
Have you ever reflected on the game of life, not the board game but the journey we all go through? With bumps and forks all the way..I know one thing...no one ever promised me a rose garden! For me there is little to blame...because really as we age...we tend to get smarter...and wiser..and a little more tolerant.
AVA Condo blog post
I woke up this morning with more than 300,000 points! I remember when I hit 100,000. That took forever! Things weren't as competitive back then. Nowadays, those points are like gold and people will do whatever it takes to pass someone, which means I have to stay on my game as well.
In all the polls today John McCain is now showing a significant lead over his rival Barack Obama.
Yesterday my mother and James threw me a wonderful baby shower for our new baby Hailey Grace due in 4 more weeks. We had a great time with lots of laughs, food and great gifts. We're all excited to meet the new baby girl, as most of you may know, James and I have 3 boys and this will be our first daughter. It seems like these last few weeks have been dragging by, I'm tired but too uncomfortable to sleep and don't have enough energy to get out with all of the boys that often. I'm having a hard time … (5 comments)
Sizing up Your Structure: You’ve been in your new home now for all four of the seasons; you may have learned about a leak in the basement during the winter or a sticky window during the spring, but what other issues might you have missed? New homes are often plagued with structural defects and flaws in construction – both minor and major – that slowly come to light during the first year of occupancy. A professional inspection of your new home while it is still under warranty can help you find and address many of these issues at a minimal cost … (0 comments)
Click to see more pictures of 37 Coolidge Avenue, Watsonville View more Watsonville Real Estate Listings
It looks like the negotiating committee for the ORV Beach Access Management Plan is getting back to the table this week. The 2 sides to the long battle over who will manage the Cape Hatteras National Seashore have once again decided that more talks are needed to try and come up with a solution to the current court mandated access plan. The meeting will held in Avon today and while most of the locals here on the Outer Banks pray that our local representatives can work their magic to get the current plan overturned, many are not that optimistic.
So on Friday it was leaked that the government is taking over Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. On Sunday it was official. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have now been taken over by the federal government. But what does it mean for the real estate market, mortgage interest rates, and the US economy. 
Far-Reaching Views to Pike's Peak!
Programs like the ones Congress is doing away with at the end of September 2009 have helped over a million US families, primarily first time buyers, buy homes.Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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