Dennis's Notary Public Blog

Saddleback Civil Forum featuring Barak Obama and John McCain

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 21:42:22 -0700

I was fortunate enough to be in the live audience for this monumental event. Hearing the candidates talk about their own views without being interrupted was enlightening and a nice break from what usually happens at these kinds of events. Having each candidate answer questions for an hour was a stroke of genius; especially since they both answered the same questions.

The discussion that followed afterward at dinner and later while watching political commentary on the new networks was the best I've seen to date. Both the liberal and conservative media had very similar comments to make about what happened. The shame of it is that we'll be back to politics and media biased reporting soon. For the moment, however, I'm enjoying the break.

My opinion is in line with most of what I've heard. Obama was talking more in theory while McCain gave direct and decisive answers. Obama's answers came across as he was forming his opinions as he spoke. I don't fault him for this in an age where every word is pulled apart for months in the media. Anybody remember flip-flop at the John Kerry rallies.

The problem for Obama in this scenario is that his style worked against him. When McCain answered the same questions, the answer was quick and decisive, then was fleshed out by commentary or a story. Obama was just the opposite. He would start by commentary or a story and eventually get to an answer. I think that killed him and gave McCain what he needed to ratchet up his support among voters.

Another thing that I think hurt Obama among evangelicals was the tentative nature of his answers about his faith. He did a great job answering these questions, but threw in a few words that took the punch out of his message. For instance, when mentioning being forgiven for his sins, he tacked on the words "I hope" after his comment. Christians know they're forgiven. What I'm afraid will happen is that those who argue that Obama is Muslim will use that against him. Last week I listened to a former Muslim speak on this specific issue. Muslims, according to this speaker, don't believe they will know whether or not they get to heaven until after they die. When Obama tacked on the words "I hope" in reference to the forgiveness of his sins, I think that may have hurt him when considering his audience.

On another hand, McCain had his $5,000,000 moment that the media was having a good time with today. That figure was in reference to how much do you have to make in order to be considered rich. It was obviously his attempt to make a point. However, it will undoubtedly become fuel for more political ads. When Rick Warren was asked about that today, he had a great response. He said that everybody, including him, says stupid things they don't mean and wish they could take them back. I believe Rick had one of his own during that same interview. He was pressed on the issue of McCain being in a cone of silence during Obama's portion of the interview. It turns out that McCain didn't arrive to the venue until much of Obama's interview was over. Warren was being pressed about McCain not being in a "cone of silence" when he said he was. I fully believe Warren's answer that he didn't know McCain wasn't there yet, but his answer didn't come off as a sure statement of fact. It left room for doubt about the truth of Warren's comment.

The forum was what it set out to be; an opportunity to bring civility back to the political process. The format used is the only way that could have happened; the same questions posed to each candidate one-on-one and one at a time.

Now that the forum is over, I would love to see the video edited in a way that each of the responses by the candidates can be placed back-to-back. For instance, the video would show Warren asking Obama question #1 and then Obama's answer followed immediately by Warren asking McCain question #1 and then McCain's answer. That would be very fun to see. If anybody finds a video of that, please leave a comment and I will post the link on my blog.

Gmail Is The Way To Go

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:02:55 -0700

Back in the day I loved Cox e-mail. I could check it using my cell phone and it was a great service. Ever since they stopped allowing me to do that, I've felt out of touch when not sitting right in front of my computer. The other day I started having Cox e-mail forwarded to my Sprint e-mail address, but that doesn't really cut it, either.

Last night I signed up for a Gmail account. This is far better than Cox or any other e-mail I've seen. I highly recommend it because:

1. They give you loads of space to store your e-mail and say I never have to delete it
2. They keep track of e-mail conversations and keep them all together for me
3. It's free
4. Checking it from my cell phone is super easy
Google has it right with Gmail. The only thing I'm unhappy with is that it took me so long to start using it.

Dennis Beckner
BecknerMobileNotary.com

For Cox E-mail Users

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 23:22:54 -0700

A frustration I've had with my Cox Internet service is that they disabled my ability to check my e-mail from my cell phone's Internet program. The other day I had a hunch that, when I checked into it, turned out to be correct. This has been helpful even though I've had mixed results.

I logged onto my Cox account online and found where I can have my e-mail forwarded by entering an e-mail address. I'm a Sprint user so I have a Sprint e-mail address attached to my phone automatically.

Since I entered that address, I now get my e-mail forwarded to my phone. The reason I say "with mixed results" is that sometimes only part of the e-mail comes through and other times I see that I got an e-mail, but can't open it.

Until the new iPhone comes out, (and until I can afford to cancel my Sprint service) this will have to do.

I hope this is somehow helpful for anybody who was burned when Cox stopped this service.

Another option I plan to do, but haven't is to change to a Gmail account. That would solve everything... especially if I end up ditching Cox.

Have a good one,

Dennis

Saving My Home and $1200 monthly

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 22:53:28 -0700

The other day I wrote a blog post outlining how home owners can save their home by renting it out, downsizing into a smaller rental and using the net savings to pay down their debt. The idea behind writing that post is that I was trying to do just that.

Since my notary business fell by 50% recently when I lost one of my clients, I could see disaster coming if I didn't do something quick.

Within a week of deciding to rent my place out, I found some friends to take it for $1600 a month. My mortgage is $2150 a month so I'm taking a $550 loss each month (instead of a $2150 loss each month). I'm going to stay for free with friends for a couple of weeks, but then rent a room out of a house for $600/month.

Here's the bonus for me: I'm saving on storage costs because I'm leaving the condo furnished. They are happy because I have nice stuff. I'm happy because I know they'll take very good care of it, I don't have to move it, and I save on storage costs. My out-of-pocket cost will be $1150/month for housing. That's a net savings of $1000/month. That makes up for a lot of the income I lost. As I gradually work back up to where I was, I'll use the extra money to build up reserves and pay down debt... both of which were casualties of lost business.

The title of this post says $1200/month savings because my utilities, cable, and Internet costs will go way down because they will be shared. That, plus a couple of other cost-cutting ideas, will save me about $200 more per month.

Crazy times call for creative measures. Hopefully this kind of thinking can help somebody else out there. I'm fortunate enough to be single with no dependents. I know this will be more difficult for others who are married or have children. However, this can help anybody willing to bite the bullet and take drastic measures.

Out of all of this, I also have a new goal. In two years' time, I want to have my debt paid down and enough money set aside to put down on a house before the market recovers. I'll keep my condo as an investment. This could be the most productive two years of my life, even though they'll be two years of sacrifice to get there.

If you've ever read Rich Dad/Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, you'll recognize this strategy. That book was a huge help to get me started thinking this way. I highly recommend it.

Dennis

Movie Review: Hancock

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 02:57:01 -0700

Hancock was original, fresh, very funny and action packed. I rate this movie very high. We had such a great time seeing it. It's definitely a little too violent for the little ones. We saw it pretty late at night so there weren't many people in the theater, but we were all laughing pretty hard during many of the scenes.

I give this movie a strong thumbs up. It's got some bad language, but not over the top.

The critics tore this movie apart, but don't let that stop you from seeing it. They got it wrong. Go see this movie.

Dennis Beckner
Southern California Mobile Notary Public
Specializing in Loan Document Signings
BecknerMobileNotary.com
(949) 842-7682

Creative Answer To California's New Hands-free Cell Phone Law

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 03:33:28 -0700

Today California's law went into effect requiring a hands-free device to be used while having a phone conversation and driving at the same time. My friend Randy came up with a great no-cost solution to this problem. It's not a solution I think I'll go with, but it is creative for sure. I think I'll stay with my Bluetooth.

Let me know if you decide to give Randy's idea a try.

Movie Review: Wall E

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:01:17 -0700

Saw this movie tonight at the El Capitan in Hollywood. I'd never been there before. It was amazing. Disney bought this theater a while back and spent $10M refurbishing it. It's amazing. When we walked in, there was a guy in the middle of the stage with his back to the crowd playing a gigantic organ that lowered through the floor of the stage when he finished. Before the movie, they had a cartoon. Then they had a dance routine with several characters from various Disney animated movies. Disney made the trip to the theater as fun as the movie itself. It didn't hurt that Will Smith was outside for the premiere of his new movie. It was fun to see him, too.

Anyway, back to Wall E. The movie was fantastic. It had a lot of undertone messages that were the point of the movie, but never directly spelled out to the viewer. They just assumed you'd get the hint. You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it. Being a Disney/Pixar movie, you know it's going to be squeaky clean.

For storyline, I'd give this movie an A especially because of the use of dialogue (or lack of it) to get communicate. They did an amazing job.

For animation, I'd give this movie an A+. It was so good that I was kind of distracted by how real everything looked.

Not sure how else to rate it. Overall, I give it a big thumbs up with or without children. Probably a good date movie because there is a little romance worked in throughout the movie.

Enjoy!

Dennis Beckner
Southern California Mobile Notary Public
Specializing in Loan Document Signings
BecknerMobileNotary.com
(949) 842-7682

Strategy Can Save Your Client's Home

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 05:01:15 -0700

A problem with financially strapped homeowners with falling home values is that they have their eye set on the problem. Making more money is the obvious solutions, but it's not often possible. Here's one they may not have thought of. The market is flooded with renters right now. Of course many have bad credit because they've been foreclosed on. However, it is a landlord's market. Scenario: A family has a 3 bd/ 2.5 ba home that could rent for $2500 in California. Their mortgage payment is $3000. It wouldn't be the obvious answer to rent the house out. Solution: Rent the house out for $2500. This family then needs to go rent a smaller place, maybe a condo or townhome for $1500. On their mortgage payment, they owe $500 more than their rental income. Add that to the $1500 they are paying in rent and their total new out-of-pocket expense is $2000. Even though they owe more than they bring in on their mortgage, their cash flow just increased by $500. They'll be more cramped in a smaller place. However, if that eases their burden enough to make ends meet, they just saved their home from foreclosure. Eventually, when the market comes back or their income goes up, they can sell or move back in unscathed. I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking this way. However, I know fear and panic can blind a person from seeing their options.

Thanks for the invitation

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:10:27 -0700

It took a few days, but here I am. I'm anxious to see what will come out of this group. Even though every notary in Active Rain may have been invited to join (I don't know that they were, but I don't know why they wouldn't be), it still feels good to be invited.

Let's have a great time and get some great information sharing going on,

Dennis

Financial Freedom Mortgage Workshop

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 23:55:11 -0700

There's a workshop called Financial Freedom Mortgage Workshop happening Saturday, July 12. It's about how to learn to manage your mortgage more effectively.

For real estate agents and loan officers who live in the Orange County area, this is something you may want to attend. It's being taught by Robert Bernabe, former president of E*Trade Mortgage and Chris Goulard, former vice president of Fidelity Investments and Prudential Investments.

I love going to events like this to learn about the industry from people who've been at the top.

Here are the details:

Cost: Free
Location: Saddleback Church, 1 Saddleback Parkway, Lake Forest, CA 92630 - The event will be held in Tent 3
Time: 9AM - Noon
Contact information: (949) 609-8201, Click here to send an e-mail

Topics covered:

1. How to avoid a mortgage crisis
2. What to do if you're in financial trouble
3. Steps to take if you're trying to get a mortgage
4. Valuable information about refinancing, the foreclosure process, and how the mortgage industry works

Enjoy!

Dennis Beckner
Southern California Mobile Notary Public
Specializing in Loan Document Signings
BecknerMobileNotary.com
(949) 842-7682

A Great Appraiser

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 01:45:18 -0700

If you're an agent in Southern California and need an appraiser, I have a great recommendation for a person to use who has never let me down. I have NOTHING to gain from making recommending her. She's a great, reliable, quick-turn-time appraiser. When I was a loan agent, she was the only one I consistently used. Others let me down.

Here's her information:

JSR appraisals
Jodi Squires
(949) 290-1990

Thanks for reading,

Dennis Beckner
Southern California Notary Public
Specializing in Loan Document Signings
BecknerMobileNotary.com
(949) 842-7682

Obama and Hillary Unity Event Happening Right Now

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:45:41 -0700

I'm watching the event right now on Fox News. It's amazing what can happen in the course of a campaign. Hillary is endorsing Obama. He's sitting behind her approving of her words. Two months ago I would never have thought this would happen. If anything, I would have thought it would be the other way around. Just goes to show that you never know what's going to happen.

Dennis Beckner
Southern California Mobile Notary Public
Specializing in Loan Document Signings
BecknerMobileNotary.com
(949) 842-7682

Great Tool For Appointment Setting

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:59:49 -0700

I'm not sure I'm going to use this, but it's definitely worth looking into.

I found an online Flash Calendar that people can use to schedule appointments with you. The reason I'm not sure I'll use this is I'm not sure I want this open to the public. The reason I might want to use this is my dedicated agents can see my schedule and add loan document signings to it.

One of the issues I've had is scheduling conflicts. If my agents can see my schedule while they're on the phone setting a signing appointment, it will help them know for sure when I am available.

Please let me know if you choose to use this service and how you rate it.

Here's the link Click here

Thanks for reading,

Dennis Beckner
Southern California Mobile Notary Public
Specializing in Loan Document Signing
BecknerMobileNotary.com
(949) 842-7682

I Just Discovered Google Reader

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 01:50:27 -0700

I just discovered Google Reader. It's pretty cool because you can make it like your own custom newspaper. You choose content from around the Internet that you like to read. Google Reader pulls it all into one place for you to keep up with all of it in one place. I did this with a couple of blogs I want to follow from different websites. It worked perfectly.

Another perk to creating your Google Reader page is it's another place you can put a link to your website. Since it's on Google, there's a better chance Google will follow your link to your site to include it in its searches. That's free advertising. I learned the other day that Google ranks sites by how many links are pointed to them. The more links you can get pointed to your website, the better it is for your search engine ranking.

Thanks for reading,

Dennis Beckner
Southern California Mobile Notary Public
Specializing in Loan Document Signings
BecknerMobileNotary.com
(949) 842-7682

Follow Up: Getting Picked Up By Search Engines

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:30:55 -0700

In my original post on this subject, I wrote how writing about community news events can increase traffic to your site.

Here's my follow up to that post:

I'm still getting a lot of hits on my personal blog by people looking for Saddleback Church's Refinery building. Today I went to Google and typed in the keywords 99% of the searchers are using, "Saddleback Church Refinery". It turns out that my personal blog is the fourth major entry on the results.

This goes to support the suspicion I had that blogging about news and local events can for sure boost your ranking on the search engines. Hopefully some of these folks will link over to my web page or Active Rain blog and start sending me business.

Thanks for reading,

Dennis Beckner
Southern California Mobile Notary
Specializing in Loan Document Signings
BecknerMobileNotary.com
(949) 842-7682

Gas Prices Are Changing Our Way Of Life

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 02:56:56 -0700

I was listening to a report on the radio tonight about how gas prices are changing our work world. It was kind of interesting and confirmed a post I made about 2 weeks ago.

The report said that companies are shortening their work weeks for some of their workers with long communtes in order to keep them from finding jobs closer to home. The employees increase their hours to 10 hours a day for the days they work which makes up for the extra day off.

I know many people have been doing this for quite some time. However, this is the first I've heard of it for the sake of saving money on gas.

Here's why I'm posting this on Active Rain:

While I'm not sure this will become widespread and that it won't go away when (if) gas prices come back down, it got me thinking about what this means for our industry. If people suddenly had an extra day off each week here are some ways we could benefit:

1. Traffic would become much less of a nightmare. I posted on this a couple of weeks ago - I think it's already happening. Today traffic was absolutely amazing. I'm sure vacations and school being out is part of the reason.
2. Getting time with our clients would be much easier.
3. Fewer night and weekend appointments would give us more time with our families and for other activities.

Three cheers for high gas prices!

Dennis Beckner
Southern California Mobile Notary Public
Specializing in Loan Document Signings
BecknerMobileNotary.com
(949) 842-7682

Movie Review: Get Smart

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 03:25:54 -0700

Tonight I saw this movie with some friends who are way too young to have watched the TV show. They loved every minute of the movie. It was great from start to finish.

This was certainly my kind of flick. I love comedies and I grew up on a steady diet of the Get Smart TV show. It was like watching a new extended episode. My attention was glued to the screen the whole time. The story line made sense and had some good action and a lot of comedy. There were also several one political one-liners that you would have to enjoy regardless of your party affiliation. Both Democrats and Republicans got slammed a little. It was kind of subtle at times. You kind of have to know they're doing it.

The language and activity in this movie was reasonably clean; especially for a PG-13 movie. There were a couple of innuendos and foul words. However, by today's standards, this could have easily been rated PG.

I give this film a strong thumbs up. I'm already anxiously hoping for a sequel. The cast was terrific. I hope everybody comes back for another installment.

Thanks for reading,

Dennis Beckner
Southern California Mobile Notary
Specializing in Loan Document Signings
BecknerMobileNotary.com (949) 842-7682

Getting Picked Up By Search Engines

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 17:58:45 -0700

Something great happened this weekend that helped me get some traffic to my blog. I wrote a couple of posts on my personal blog about the new student ministry building we just opened up at my church. I go to a mega church that is known all over the world so people are always checking to see what's new. What I found is that I had all these page views from people searching on Google for information about our new building.

How this pertains to Active Rain...

1. Blogging about news events (especially related to your field) can boost your hits from the web
2. Including references and links to your professional blog from your personal blog can drive traffic there, too
3. This should go without saying, but it's on the topic, frequently including links from your Active Rain blog to your website should also increase traffic there, too.

You can track statistics for free with an invisible counter on your website. The one I've used for years and love is at StatCounter.com.

Have a great weekend!

Dennis Beckner
Southern California Mobile Notary Public
Specializing in Loan Document Signings
BecknerMobileNotary.com
(949) 842-7682

Stop The Credit Card Offers

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:39:19 -0700

I came across this information about how to opt out of those prescreened credit card offers. I get asked all the time by clients how to stop these from coming. It seems that they get a lot more of these when they are refinancing.

The number to call is (888) 567-8688

Their shredder will thank you. I used to save these up and shred them once a month. It would take me over an hour of shredding. What a nightmare!

If you're a notary, you can increase your value to your loan agents by passing this along to them. Don't forget to remind them of your availability when you do. You need to sneak those in every chance you get. Thanks for reading,

Dennis Beckner Southern California Mobile Notary Public Specializing in Loan Document Signings BecknerMobileNotary.com (949) 842-7682

Now THAT was FAST!!!

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 02:01:01 -0700

A couple of days ago I put a web page up to promote my notary business (http://www.becknermobilenotary.com). Then I went to my personal blog that I have set up on blogger (owned by Google) and put a post announcing my new web page. I think maybe that helped Google add it to their system faster. This afternoon I got a call for a notary job from my new web page. How's that for a quick return on investment?

I've been in marketing mode lately. It's nice to see it starting to pay off. Of course this is only one small job. However, it's a sign that something is working.

Thanks for reading,

Dennis Beckner Southern California Mobile Notary Specializing in Home Loan Document Signings BecknerMobileNotary.com (949) 842-7682

Who Celebrates Your Clients?

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:53:38 -0700

One of my agents has hired a person to send birthday and anniversary cards to his clients. I think this is becoming more common, but I'm not sure if it's a mainstream service. He told me that this has created repeat business and referrals for him.

Here's my question to you. If I opened a service like this, would you be interested in subscribing? It would be nice for somebody to help you celebrate your clients' milestones and special days. You'd like your clients to get a holiday card from you or get a gift basket when they have a baby. However, you probably would like somebody to do that for you.

Let me know if you'd be interested. I have the skills, team of people, and time needed to do this well. I just need to know if the client base is there for me.

Thanks,

Dennis Beckner
(949) 842-7682

Alternative Fuel and Oil

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:27:28 -0700

I keep hearing how alternative energy is a long way off. However, I've started seeing commercials for Honda's hydrogen car. Also, I have friends in Germany who have changed their cars over to propane. We also have several hybrid cars on the market right now. With oil choking our wallets, we don't have time to wait. I love that I'm seeing these options coming online.

Also, did you hear that McCain is now for drilling offshore? Bush is supposed to ask congress to lift the ban on offshore drilling. I'm all for it. I hope that we can once again start using our resources instead of sending so much of our money to people who would rather us not be around.

Thanks for reading,

Dennis Beckner

Today's Task - Getting Signed Up

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:00:36 -0700

Today's task is web marketing. I put my web page up yesterday. It's very basic, but it's a start. Today I'm looking for places to post my web address to help drive search engines and loan agents to my site.

I've found a few free notary lists to join. Do any of you Active Rainers have any suggestions of places I should sign up to get some exposure?

Thanks so much for your help,

Dennis Beckner
Southern California Mobile Notary
Specializing in Home Loan Document Signings
BecknerMobileNotary.com
(949) 842-7682

FHA waives 90-day waiting period for resales

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:06:38 -0700

The REO market is growing and FHA backed loans gain popularity these days. I thought you'd be interested in the changes on the 90 day "seasoning period" for FHA backed loans on resale transactions.

FHA waves 90-day waiting period for resales

http://www.inman.com/news/2008/06/13/fha-waives-90-day-waiting-period-resales

Property flipping rules suspended

http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/13/real_estate/property_flipping.ap/index.htm?section=money_latest

Marketing Idea I Had Last Night

Dennis Beckner (Beckner Mobile Notary) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:41:24 -0700

I've been thinking of ways to get some free marketing done and create some relationships at the same time. Last night I had a no-brainer idea that has started some good dialogue. I attend a mega church in South Orange County. I got to thinking there must be several members in the home loan business I could network with to drum up some business.

I went to Google and typed in "mortgage" and then the name of my church. I came up with several pages of websites. I went through a few of them and e-mailed the people I found. I just gave a friendly message that we go to the same church and I'd like to network with them for business. I got one mediocre response and another interesting response that was hard to analyze. However, I was happy to get responses almost immediately.

I'm going to keep doing this and also consider what other affiliations I may have that I can use to build networking relationships through common interests.

Food for thought for anyone else looking for ways to connect with people.

Thanks for reading,

Dennis Beckner
Southern California Mobile Notary Public
Specializing in Home Loan Document Signings
(949) 842-7682