When the Details Become the Devil - 04/22/09 11:34 AM
"The devil is in the details", as the famous saying goes.  Recently, I came across a post written by a fellow Mortgage Girlfriend who wrote about how agents (Mortgage Professionals & Realtors) are boring our clients to death with details.  She went one to say that many agents tend to hide behind the data and why we can't understand why our client's eyes glaze over when we give then tons of data, info and statistics.
Cyndi Maxey, Speaker, Coach and co-author of Present Like a Pro, says that "when making a presentation you should never confuse data with your core message. … (12 comments)

Just a Little Incentive to Get CA First Time Buyers Off the Fence - 04/21/09 11:55 AM
Although nearly half of today's home purchases are being made by young first time buyers, there are many other first time buyers who are still sitting on the fence - and rightfully so.  With CA unemployment at an all-time high, #4 in the nation in unemployment rates, many first time buyers are extremely reluctant about buying home because of the uncertainty of their own financial future.  To help provide CA first-time home buyers with peace of mind when purchasing a home, the California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.) Housing Affordability Fund is offering a new mortgage protection program. 
On Thursday, April 2, … (1 comments)

What You Need to Know About First Time Homebuyers: 2008 NAR Survey Results! - 04/20/09 09:50 AM
With historically low rates low and home prices continuing to decline, right now, it's the perfect time for the first time homebuyer purchase market.  Just recently, National Association of Realtors (NAR) came out with the results for their 2008 Home Buyers & Home Sellers Survey.
 
 
First Time Homebuyers Made Up 41% of All Home Purchases  Living Arrangements Prior to Buying Their First Home  75% of FTHB lived in apartment complexes or rented a home or condo prior to purchasing. 19% lived with parents prior to purchasing  Marital Status of First Time Homebuyers  49% Married Couples 12% Unmarried Couples 24% … (14 comments)

Divorce & Credit: What You Need to Know NOW! - 04/17/09 07:02 PM
The other day, I was on the Mortgage Girlfriends (MG) website (http://www.mortgagegirlfriends.com) when I came across an article on how to protect your credit during a divorce.  Having a client in escrow right now who is also currently going through a divorce, this article interested me.
 
The article was written by fellow MG, Linda Ferrari author of The Big Score, Getting It & Keeping It - Buying Power for Life, and President of Credit Resource Corporation.  Linda is the mortgage industry's credit improvement and education resource, and she is a leading nationwide credit score expert who has dug into more than 15,000 credit reports providing in-depth solutions … (8 comments)

Buyer's BEWARE! GET YOUR OWN BUYER'S AGENT - 04/16/09 05:57 PM
I just read this blog (Why Do Buyers Need a Buyer's Agent--That ISN'T Representing the Seller?) by Debe Maxwell (Debe Maxwell Talk Charlotte with Charlotte's Realtor®) that scared the beejesus out of me and should scare the holy crap out of any buyer out there right now thinking that they're going to save money by using the listing agent to buy your home.
So often, I have heard so many of my clients tell me that they will only work with listing agents because they will save money.  Many times (thankfully), the listing agent will tell my clients to get their own agent because … (2 comments)

Is DU Refi Plus Going to Be the Answer to What Homeowners Really Need? - 04/14/09 11:12 PM
So, Fannie Mae finally rolls out their new DU Refi Plus program that was specifically geared to help gads and gads of struggling homeowners who owe more on their mortgages than what their homes are worth.  So, let's take a look at just who exactly is going to benefit from this new program. 
The goal is to allow homeowners with a relatively good and stable payment history refinance their current loan into a more stable loan product and hopefully lower their monthly payment.  Here are just some of the program requirements:  
Current loan must be a Fannie Mae loan with an … (5 comments)

Now This is an Interesting Sales Tactic - Great Dog Needs New Home - 04/14/09 02:00 PM
As a dog mama, I get emails all the time from other dog mama or papa's who are passing along messages from other dog mama and papa's who are looking for homes for their "babies".  I just received the one below and thought it was just too funny not share with other dog mama and papa's here on the rain.  Whether you own a dog or not, you must appreciate the efforts of this dog mama to find her "baby" a new home!
Great Dog Needs New Home
Free to good home.  Excellent guard dog.  Owner cannot afford to feed him anymore, as … (12 comments)

Government Websites You Should Know About! - 04/13/09 04:20 PM
Fellow Mortgage Girlfriend (www.mortgagegirlfriends.com), Karen Deis Karen Deis recently was doing some research for the next issue of www.LoanOfficerMagazine.com, which she contributes to, and she came across a tremendous amount of really great government websites. 
She commented that the Obama Administration has ushered in a new era of information teamed with technology, which has created more transparency than ever before.  If don't know already, HUD is now on Facebook and Twitter! 
It so much easier now than ever before to find just about anything that you need to know.  There are also RSS feeds to keep you informed and key word … (9 comments)

ATTENTION REALTORS: You Need to WOW My Clients & Me to Get Our Referrals! - 04/12/09 03:26 PM
I just read this post called Mr. Lender, Here is Hawaii Randy's Tip for the Dayby Realtor Randy Prothero (Hawaii Randy's Blog).  While I agree that we (lenders & mortgage professionals) need to serve of our clients (and yours) very well during the sales transaction (regardless of who referred them), I want to also pass the same message on to the Realtors and/or agents as well. 
In today's market, mortgage professionals are just as much as a resource of referrals for Realtors as Realtors are for mortgage professionals.  In many cases actually, mortgage professionals are probably a greater source of referrals … (10 comments)

 
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Donne Knudsen CalState Realty Services

Simi Valley, CA

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Los Angeles & Ventura Counties in CA

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