Social innovation in housing markets - 01/28/08 09:26 PM
Blogger Carlos Gasca Yanez has proposed an innovative solution to this nation’s looming social blight: housing markets in crises.  The idea championed in a post titled Subprime Crises calling for Social Entrepreneurs is to partner nonprofit initiative with corporate enterprise.  Carlos envisions a real estate model that embraces a marriage of compassionate sensitivity to the profit motive.  Essentially, cooperative education would occur at every level beginning with professional development and the implementation of best practices.  Businesses and nonprofits would then endeavor to protect and inform borrowers likely to be victimized by predatory lenders. A ridiculous proposition?  I think not. Years ago, … (4 comments)

Affiliated Business: What I should have said - 01/23/08 11:49 AM
Sometimes it's easier for me to write on my outside blog than on Active Rain.  There are so many different personalities and diverse groups on this site now that I find myself holding back at times.  While politeness is always a good thing, guarded restraint definitely is not.  Hopefully, none of us set out to intentionally harm other members of the community.  I certainly do not. A couple of days ago, I shared some of my thoughts about affiliated business.  A fair number of you had asked me to so.  One of my favorite outside blogs even boasted that the post … (17 comments)

Affiliated Business: The Nemesis of Reason - 01/21/08 02:26 PM
Normally, I have no problem sharing my thoughts about affiliated business, yet for some reason found it difficult to do in an Active Rain post.  I have, in fact, relentlessly denounced affiliated business in the same manner as a preacher condemning sinful acts from the pulpit. The concept of affiliated business in real estate transactions was born of the Reagan Bush brain-trust during the late 1980's.  The federal mood and agenda at the time was one that encouraged bigness of business.  It was thought that "deep pockets" paired with technology could create an environment that reduced costs and enhanced services for … (65 comments)

My other new favorite blog - 01/18/08 07:17 AM
Yesterday, I wrote that Presentation Zen is one of two blogs that I presently enjoy reading.  The other is named Leading Blog - Building A Community of Leaders.  Keep in mind that my taste in business blogs is constantly evolving. While Presentation Zen inspires the unleashed creativity within, Leading Blog offers grounded advice on relating to others.  Michael McKinney constructs a lofty monument to the importance of teamwork by convincing readers to elevate their own games and to bring others along for the mutual benefit of all. 
The drive to improve personally coupled with a clear and defined goal of … (14 comments)

My new favorite blog - 01/17/08 03:26 PM
Actually, I have two new favorite blogs, but I'm sharing only one of them today.  It could be said that I've learned more from a blog named Presentation Zen than any other site.   I've probably learned more from the blog than I did while in business school. 
It's that good ... and informative ... and cool.

My presentation style is very important to me.  So is the effectiveness of my PowerPoint presentations.  They happen to be the tools that I use to craft a living.  I would think that real estate agents, particularly listing agents, are equally concerned about making powerful … (33 comments)

Who's Watching the Watchers? - 01/16/08 12:20 PM
Last week, I suggested that real estate agents check up on title companies after closing to make sure that mortgages were paid off.  Why?  Title company executives have been known to "help themselves" to money held in escrow, particularly when business is bad. See: Is Your Title Company Misbehaving? Most people don't realize that the title industry is basically unregulated in most states.   Unregulated as well, are the massive escrow accounts administered by the title companies.  A preliminary federal study released in 2006 revealed a laundry list of startling truths about a misunderstood industry and its primary product, title insurance.  Most … (12 comments)

When Deals Go Bad: Baltimore's Foreclosure Debacle - 01/13/08 04:07 PM
Baltimore, sometimes called "Charm City," isn't all that charming beyond the inner harbor complex that's featured by media when the Ravens or Orioles are playing at home.  Sheila Dixon, Baltimore's newly elected mayor, along with the city's council have filed suit against Wells Fargo Bank to recover alleged losses caused by a wave a foreclosures ravaging the city's neighborhoods.  The complaint, filed in federal court, seeks damages for municipal expenditures, including fire and police protection and the loss of tax revenue, correlated to a stark escalation in the number of vacant homes.  The New York Times, in a related article written … (13 comments)

Closer to Home - 01/11/08 07:23 PM
I've been an avid reader my entire life.  One of my resolutions for the new year is to devote at least an hour each day to reading as a recreational pursuit.  Boring stuff I know, but humor me anyway.  I've gone so far, this week, to put aside whatever I happened to be working on during the business day to open a book at my desk.  Presently, I'm about two thirds through Walter Isaacson's voluminous study of the life of Benjamin Franklin.  The book, which shares the name of it's biographical character, is one that I highly recommend to everyone.  Franklin … (25 comments)

Is Your Title Company Misbehaving? - 01/09/08 07:02 PM
Have you ever wondered about the integrity, or competency, of a title company after leaving the table?  To say that an enormous amount of money is blindly entrusted for proper dispersement is a serious understatement.  On a monthly basis, we could be talking about tens of millions of dollars gushing through the escrow accounts of average sized title companies.  Who's keeping track of all the money?  You'd be surprised to know the answer.A question recently asked on Mortgage101.com, click here to read, describes the consequences of a title company screwup.  A week after closing, a buyer was informed that his loan … (54 comments)

Scandal, Corruption, and a "Click-Through" - 01/02/08 06:46 PM
Those of you who follow my posts know that I've yet to employ the ill regarded "click-through" to lure trusting souls to a remote site.   While this particular post is intended only to divert your attention elsewhere, I don't intend to duplicate the tactic anytime soon.   Allow me to explain my motives. OpEdNews.com is a site that I hadn't even heard of three weeks ago.  A couple of friends noticed that a writer for OpEdNews.com had quoted a number of my talking points from Title-opoly and brought the fact to my attention.  The edgy, political tone of the written word on … (26 comments)

 



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