mortgage: Paramount in Trouble w/ Washington State - 07/23/08 01:15 PM
Interesting turn of events. People who live on the west coast have probably heard the Hayes Barnard commercials...not going to say anything bad and just let the article do the talking.
State goes after Paramount Equity Mortgage
The state wants to revoke the license of Paramount Equity Mortgage Inc. and fine the company $500,000 over deceptive lending practices.
The state Department of Financial Institutions charged the company with collecting unearned fees, hiding fees from borrowers, charging consumers to buy down interest rates without reducing the rate and not making certain fee disclosures.
Paramount, based in Roseville, Calif., has a branch … (10 comments)
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mortgage: Don't just list advantages...Show Value & Add Value! - 06/17/08 11:04 AM
Below is a recap of a Jeffrey Gitomer eZine for this week. I found it refreshing and gained something from it. I thought I would share it with you.
Most companies train 90% product knowledge, 10% sales knowledge.
Big mistake.
The percentage should be: 20% product or service, 80% sales, personal development, attitude, and presentation skills.Salespeople spend 80% of their time OR MORE trying to explain their product. Why their button is different than the competition's button. Why their product is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
It is referred to as "educating the customer," and some see it as an … (4 comments)
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mortgage: Green Tip for you "Printers" out there - 06/13/08 06:31 PM
Are you using your paper to its full cpacity?
There is more space on the page than you think. Your computer's common default settings are 12-point type and 1.25-inch left- and right-hand margins.
Try using 11-point type, 1-inch margins, and 0.5-inch right-hand margins.
That's all it takes to fit 27 percent more information comfortably on a page. A simple adjustment that will save paper, still leave you plenty of room on the margins and keep your document very professional looking.
… (6 comments)
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mortgage: 22 Helpful Links for real-estate and business professionals (Part 4 of 4) - 06/12/08 10:50 AM
Here is the last set 22 links that you may find value in. Take your time and don't be overwhelmed. They all contain a good amount of information, free services, marketing ideas or other helpful ideas! Maybe tackle 3-5 a sitting and see if they can help you out. I hope a few help you guys!
•1. www.classifiedflyerads.com - provides a free blog
•2. www.digg.com - place for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web
•3. www.flickr.com - upload and share your photos - view the world.
•4. www.incredibleagents.com - Make sure you are listed!
•5. www.mayorofyourzipcode.com … (6 comments)
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mortgage: 22 Helpful Links for real-estate and business professionals (Part 3 of 4) - 06/11/08 02:16 PM
Here is the 3rd set of 22 links that you may find value in. Take your time and don't be overwhelmed. They all contain a good amount of information, free services, marketing ideas or other helpful ideas! Maybe tackle 3-5 a sitting and see if they can help you out. I hope a few help you guys!
•1. www.ebates.com - register your clients and they get a free gift card
•2. www.floodsmart.gov - check the flood zone on any property
•3. www.hyplet.com - free online contact widgets
•4. www.Igoggle.com - create a personalized and user friendly browser home page
•5. www.imagechef.com- customize signs … (4 comments)
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mortgage: 22 Helpful Links for real-estate and business professionals (Part 2 of 4) - 06/10/08 12:35 PM
Here is the 2nd set of 22 links that you may find value in. Take your time and don't be overwhelmed. They all contain a good amount of information, free services, marketing ideas or other helpful ideas! Maybe tackle 3-5 a sitting and see if they can help you out. I hope a few help you guys!
•1. www.mozy.com -- for only $4.95 a month, they automatically back up your pc and laptop while you're sleeping every night. The back up is not just data---it's all my programs, emails, etc. If your computer goes down or needs to be replaced, just … (1 comments)
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mortgage: JUNE is National Homeownership Month! - 06/03/08 01:15 PM
TIME TO CELEBRATE!
Homeownership is the American Dream! For those of you who own your home, celebrate! And for those of you who still rent, don't fret! There are options for you! Despite the current market turmoil, Bank of Whitman is in solid shape: They have plenty of liquidity, sensible underwriting standards, and are ready to lend! - factors essential to keeping our community strong and families secure in their homes. Today, Spokane is a buyers market and if you are looking to purchase antime soon you have a few things going for you!
1. We have money to lend and programs to fit … (3 comments)
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mortgage: !!! WARNING REALTORS - Do you know who you're referring? !!! - 06/02/08 05:45 PM
We all know competition can bring out the worse in us especially in times like these. I never bring the personal side of my competition into my pitch to earn business. Even though I go up against a person, I state facts and facts only. I never bad mouth my competition nor have I ever been on the receiving end (in the business world)...but recently one of my competitors lost a transaction to me due to the fact that he portrayed himself in an unprofessional manner to a prospective client. Part of this was a slight personal attack on me, but … (19 comments)
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mortgage: Competition, Love it or Hate it... - 06/02/08 05:25 PM
IT IS HERE TO STAY!
Competition as defined by wikipedia: "Competition is the rivalry of two or more parties over something. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which coexist in the same environment. For example, animals compete over water supplies, food, and mates. In addition, humans compete for attention, wealth, prestige, and fame." -- and business
It goes on to say (I love this):
"Competition gives incentives for self improvement. If two watchmakers are competing for business, they will lower their prices and improve their products to increase their sales. If birds compete for a limited water supply during a drought, … (0 comments)
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mortgage: Of the 89,376 AR Members, How Many are Active? - 05/29/08 03:08 PM
About once a week I notice the AR member's number in the top right part of the website. The growth that is shown on a weekly basis is amazing, but it also got me thinking...
How many of these 89,376 Members are still active in the real estate industry?
How many have just logged in and created a profile b/c their friend/co-worker sent them an invite - but never came back?
I know there are A LOT in my community -- and we are a small town compared to the big cities. I have seen people just pop-in make a … (22 comments)
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mortgage: ACTIVE RAINERS...Are you using Zillow Mortgage? - 05/22/08 04:54 PM
I haven't signed on yet, but I noticed that some LO's in my area are on it. Have you logged in yet? I am planning on getting set up this evening, but wanted to touch base and see if any of you have had any success with it as of yet?
Have you generated any new business from it?
Would you recommend it? Why?
… (10 comments)
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mortgage: Mortgage Professional's - You will want to use this. - 05/08/08 05:22 PM
This is a repost from a month or so ago, but I thought it was worth sharing again for those that may have missed it. Have a good one!
Do you have a crystal ball to tell you where interest rates are going?
Well neither do I...but I found something close!
If you are using the 10yr Treasury you are not as accurate as you can be.
Matt's blog is the most detailed interest rate resource that I have found on the net. And the best part? It's Free.
http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/mortgage_rates/blog/
Matt is an absolute genius when it comes to following the external factors that govern mortgage rates … (2 comments)
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mortgage: I Love Spokane! - 04/14/08 03:57 PM
Why you ask? Well while the 4 seasons, generally nice people, good schools and the entrepreneurial flare of the city are nice, the main reason I love Spokane is that it is different. Take for example the article below. If a person from Spokane was to read this and really think that the reasons for not buying a home, applied to our outlook they would be making a huge mistake! Not only has the Spokane market not depreciating, it never has had a depreciating year since they started tracking the statistic in this market. That said we aren't going to see … (0 comments)
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mortgage: Random Facts from a Credit Scoring Seminar I attended... - 04/10/08 05:56 PM
I attended a credit scoring seminar this morning in attempts to learn something new and I am glad I did. Now most of the seminar was review for me, some info jogged my memory and some of it was new. Below I have listed a few topics that I thought you could benefit from knowing.
WHAT GOES INTO A CREDIT SCORE?
The approximate makeup of the FICO score Fair Isaac discloses to consumers
Credit scores are designed to measure the risk of default by taking into account various factors in a person's financial history. Although the exact formulas for calculating credit scores are … (10 comments)
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mortgage: It has been 1 Month since my first Blog...I have learned a TON! - 04/07/08 01:05 PM
March 7th 2008
This was the date of my very first blog...EVER. Since that date, contributed 30 blog posts and this will be my 31st. I thoroughly enjoy reading other people's blogs as much as I like to post my own. During these past 30 days I have found numerous professionals and have learned a great deal on this site. I have an unquenchable thirst for learning my craft. I can't get enough. As I have stumbled across professionals that seem to add something to my life with every read of their blog i have subscribed. I have subscribed to blogs that … (25 comments)
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mortgage: Five Questions That Change Everything - 04/07/08 10:49 AM
I waited a few days to post this blog, to see if the "hype" that comes from a live demonstration was just just that. I wanted to amke sure that if I was to post on this, that i still beleived in it after the initial hype had faded. So here goes!
Last Thursday I had the unique opportunity to go and listen to John Scherer speak about his upcoming book. I am in the process of reading his 1993 book Work in the Human Sprirt and it is definitely an amazing read so far. John, himself, seems like a well spoken … (14 comments)
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mortgage: My Trip to the Gas Station... - 04/05/08 02:36 PM
So...I went in to fill up my car this morning as I had driven almost all of yesterday with the gas light on. As I pulled into the station I noticed gas was $3.49/gallon. I am not sure about the rest of the country but that is the highest I have EVER paid per gallon. Now as I stood there filling up my 2000 Jetta I see the total creep and creep and CREEP up over $40 dollars - which was how much it cost to fill up last time, but this time the pump had no intentions of stopping there. … (17 comments)
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mortgage: Do you have a living will? - 04/04/08 10:16 AM
So I met with my financial planner yesterday and he mentioned getting a living will now that my wife and I have begun a family and my assets base is growing. Personally, I have heard of it before, but never given it any real consideration - partially due to the fact that I don't think of dying all that often. It is probably my naïveness that hasn't allowed me to really look into it. This is something I am going to do, b/c I do not want to be in a situation wheere machines are my only hope of living. If that … (11 comments)
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mortgage: My perspective on the Bankrate.com Mortgage Rate Index - 04/03/08 03:31 PM
After reading the Bankrate.com's Mortgage Rate Index (posted below) this morning I fell into a slight depression...but quickly snapped out of it. Granted the survey is based on a popular vote, but most of the people that read these surveys and participate in them I like to think are pretty well educated in the mortgage market...Maybe I am giving too much credit, I don't know. The survey asked what we thought rates would do in the next 30 days...as a mortgage professional you are taught to think that rates will increase...regardless if that is the case. You are dealing with other people's … (3 comments)
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mortgage: Using ActiveRain to break the ice - 04/02/08 10:38 AM
GOOD MORNING!!
I wanted to jot down a quick blog this morning and tell you guys about my experience using Active Rain as an ice breaker so-to-speak. I don't know about you other brokers out there, but if I have a short down time during the day I will jump on email and shoot an introductory or infomrative email to real estate agents - just trying to make the most of my time. Very rarely (like 2 out of 10) do i get a reply, but the other day I went through the ActiveRain database of realtors in the Spokane area and contacted … (13 comments)
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