Several Memorial Day Parades Canceled Because Of Rain In Connecticut - 05/30/11 01:57 PM
The sun is shinning now and picnics have started, buy the weather was much different this morning and "Several Memorial Day Parades Canceled Because Of Rain In Connecticut".  The only Memorial Day Parade that I know of that is still on is in Cromwell, Connecticut, which scheduled their Memorial Day Parade for 6:00 PM today.
I can't remember the last time that Memorial Day Parades were canceled due to the weather.  I have both marched in and sat in the side lines with an umbrella due to rain, but this morning it really came down.  Hopefully some of these parades and … (5 comments)

Let Tomorrow Also Be A Day Of Celebrating The Living - 05/29/11 09:55 PM

 
Tomorrow is Memorial Day.  A day of parades, picnics, and family gatherings to celebrate the brave Service Men and Women that have scarified their lives for our Country.  But Memorial Day was not always a day of remembrance of the dead, it was originally a day of celebrating the living.
The first Memorial Day was actually called Decoration Day, but before it was even formally known as Decoration Day, it had been a celebration that was first enacted by a group of former African-American Slaves, who had gained their freedom a result of the Civil War.  They came together tocelebrate … (11 comments)

Happy Memorial Day Weekend - 05/28/11 12:21 AM
I hope everyone has an enjoyable Memorial Day wweekend, and that all of your get to enjoy some of the activities that will be going on this wweekend in you communities.
 

 
******************************************************************************************************************
Who To Call For Your Mortgage Needs In Connecticut:
George Souto NMLS# 65149 is a Loan Officer who can assist you with all your FHA, CHFA, and Conventional mortgage needs in Connecticut. George resides in Middlesex County which includes Middletown, Middlefield, Durham, Cromwell, Portland, Higganum, Haddam, East Haddam, Chester, Deep River, and Essex. George can be contacted at (860) 573-1308 gsouto@mccuemortgage.com, or visit my McCue … (5 comments)

New Strategic Defaul Credit Model Being Used By Some Lenders - 05/27/11 02:43 PM
A topic that just not seem to go away is "Strategic Defaults"  This past week there was a blog written by Lenn Harley about a new "Strategic Default Credit Model"that I have not heard about before, but is apparently being put in place by some Lenders.  This new Credit Model is raising concerns and even some outrage from some of the Realtors that commented on Lenn's blog.
First let's get one thing clear about the definition for "Strategic Defaults" which is nothing more than the politically correct word for stiffing the Lender, and not honoring the Promissory Note that was signed at … (10 comments)

VA Condo Approval Process - 05/26/11 03:22 PM
With the number of our young men and women serving overseas in recent years, we once again have a large number new Veteran's who are eligible for VA Mortgages.  Because of this I feel that those of us in the Real Estate Industry have an obligation to remind our men and women that have bravely served our country of the home buying bennifit that is avaliable to them.
It has been a while since I have done a blog on VA Mortgages, so this is a good time to not only do one again, but to go into this special loan product in more … (0 comments)

Where is a ladder when you need one? - 05/25/11 04:09 PM
Have You Ever Felt Real Small?
Where is a ladder when you need one?

 
Rebecca Lobo was at McCueMortgage this past Friday, and spoke at our Monthly Sales Meeting.  Rebecca is the spokes person for McCue Mortgage, and If you have not heard Rebecca speak before, than I would hope that you would look for an opportunity to do so at one of the events that she appears at for us throughout the year.  Rebecca is a wonderful person, and her stories will have you laughing all through her speech.
All of our employees had an opportunity to have their picture … (8 comments)

National Association of Mortgage Brokers ........... "Call To Action" - 05/24/11 06:08 PM
The National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) has issued a "Call To Action"in an effort to keep one of the many proposals under the Dodd-Frank Act from being enacted.  The provision of the Bill that the NAMB is putting out a "Call To Action" on, is the Qualified Residential Mortgage Rule (QRM).  This provision of the Bill would require that a 20% Downpayment be made by new Borrowers applying for a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac backed Mortgage.  The Bill also contains a provision where by Lenders will have to retain a "5% Percent Risk Retention"in their portfolios on Mortgages that … (5 comments)

First Time Homebuyer Seminars ............. The Big Day!!! .............. The Closing - 05/23/11 08:02 PM
Once the Attorney and the Buyers have completed all of the conditions that were listed on the Commitment Letter, the Closing Department will give the Attorney a "Clear To Close".  These are the words that everyone has been waiting to hear during this whole process.  The words that were needed for The Big Day to happen, The Closing.   Now a firm Closing Date that has been agreeded on by all parties can finally be set..
Closing Date -  Manny times this date is different from the date that was initially written in the Sales Contract. There could be various reasons for this.  The Buyer or Seller … (6 comments)

First Time Homebuyers Seminars ............................... Preparing For The Closing - 05/22/11 09:28 PM
Now that the Commitment Letter has be issued, which means that the Mortgage has been approved, and the Bank/Lender has committed the funds, everyone is much more at ease.  But this is not a time to relax, all the conditions that were on the Commitment Letter have to be completed before the Closing can occur.  From this point on the Closing Department will be in charge of staying in contact with the Buyer and the Buyer's Attorney to making sure that all conditions are met.
At this time a tentative date can be scheduled for the Closing, but the Closing will not take … (6 comments)

First Time Homebuyer Seminars ................. Processing & Underwriting The Loan - 05/21/11 07:36 PM
So far we have covered in this First Time Homebuyer Seminar Series the pre-approval process,  choosing a Realtor, shopping for a house, and "Applying For A Mortgage".  The next component of the First Time Homebuyer Seminars is putting the Loan into process and Underwriting the loan.Once the Buyers have finished signing the Loan Application and Disclosures, and I have collected all their documents, I put the Loan into Processing by:
Registering the Loan - All of the information is uploaded into our system.  This will enable everyone who will be working on the file to have full access to all of the … (11 comments)

First Time Homebuyer Seminars .................... Applying For A Mortgage - 05/20/11 09:47 PM
Now that we have covered in theFirst Time Homebuyer Seminar the pre-approval process,  chosing a Realtor, and shopping for a house.  We next cover the process of actually "Applying For A Mortgage" once their offer has been accepted.
Once they have an excepted contract, it is very important that we get together as soon as possible to get their loan into process, because now the clock has started to tick on the date to obtain a Loan Commitment, and there Closing Date.
But before we get together I go over with them the Loan Programs that are available for them and the … (4 comments)

First Time Homebuyer Seminars .............. Shopping For A House - 05/18/11 02:51 PM
So far in this series on First Time Homebuyer Seminars, I have covered the Pre-Approval Process and the process of Choosing A Realtor.  So now that the Buyer knows the price range that they can purchase in, and they have chosen a Realtor that they want to work with, they are ready to start "Shopping For A House.
When they first meet with the Realtor that they have chosen, and signed a Buyer/Broker Agreement, they will then need to provide him/her with some basic information:
The Price Range- This will be one of the first things that the Realtor will need to know in order to … (14 comments)

Summer Happy Hour - 05/17/11 06:18 PM
The Midd-Shore Association of Realtors is having a Summer Happy Hour, at the Riverhouse in Haddam, CT, on Thursday, June 9th from 4 to 7 PM.
If you have never been to the Riverhouse then you are in for a special treat.  Not only is it a great facility for an event like this, but it also has a great view overlooking the Connecticut River.  So markyour calendars, for an night of fun and music.  Also this event is expected to be well attended, so it is a great time to do some networking with other Real Estate professionals.
I am … (7 comments)

First Time Homebuyer Seminars .............. Choosing A Realtor - 05/16/11 08:01 PM


This part of the Seminar I expanded back on April of this year when Valerie Osterhoudt asked if she could come and sit in on the Seminar that month.  Since Valerie was going to be there I asked her to send me some suggestions on what Buyers should look for when selecting a Realtor.  I did not have to ask Valerie twice, she jumped on it right away and sent me what she referred as the "4 A's" of selecting a Realtor.
AVAILABILITY - When interviewing one important question is whether the Realtor will be available when you are.  How many … (14 comments)

First Time Homebuyer Seminars ................ Pre-Approval Process - 05/15/11 07:57 PM
Once I have opened up the First Time Homebuyer Seminar by asking the questions that I went over in my previous blog First Time Homebuyer Seminar .............. Basic Openning Questions  I go onto the Pre-Approval Process.
In my opinion the first thing that someone thinking of purchasing a home should do is to Get Pre-Approved for a Mortgage by contacting a local Lender.  All of the Realtors that I work with will not take a Buyer's to see a house unless they know that the Buyer is a qualified Buyer, and that they know the price range that they can purchase in.  This is very important, because … (9 comments)

First Time Homebuyer Seminar .............. Basic Openning Questions - 05/14/11 09:25 PM
From the very first, "First Time Homebuyer Seminar" till now, I have always opened up the Seminar by asking a few simple, but very important basic questions.  By asking these questions I can also quickly get an idea of why those in attendance are there.  A mistake that is made by some that conduct these First Time Homebuyer Seminars, is to assume that they are there because they are looking to purchase a home, which is not always the case.  They could be there:
Simply because they are curious about what is involved in purchasing a home Others know they have … (12 comments)

First Time Homebuyer Seminars - 05/13/11 11:47 PM
In September of 2006, the mortgage company that I work for, McCue Mortgage, decided to make First Time Homebuyer Seminars one of our priorities, and they have continued to be a priority ever since then.  These Seminars are not done with other Industry professionals, but just conducted by our Loan Officers.
We limit these Seminars to one hour, and during that hour we give an overview of the process that a "Homebuyer" will go through.  We begin by discussing the advantages to homeownership, next we try to provide a quick basic understanding of what a Realtor will do for them, followed by the process of obtaining a mortgage, and … (9 comments)

Baseball Fun In Connecticut At McCue Mortgage Rockcats Nights - 05/12/11 11:01 PM
This year McCue Mortgage has got great fun in store for our customers, business partners, and employees! We've signed up a bunch of different nights sponsoring baseball games at the New Britain Rock Cats. (www.rockcats.com)
We are hosting a full weekend of games on July 29, 30 and 31.  We are offering approximately 500 tickets on each of those nights to our customers, business partners, and employees.  Last year we had a great turn out. and we gave away a lot of freebies and even a few mortgage payments to one of our customers on each night.  Our employees are also … (3 comments)

I Want It Now!!! - 05/11/11 10:58 PM
Lenn Harley wrote a blog today  "UNDERWATER"??? WHO'S UNDER WATER?? WHAT'S UNDER WATER??"  that I commented on.  Lenn's blog covered more than one issue, but one of the issues that she touched on was on credit problems that people are having today.  Lenn stated that "about 40% of the American consumer has damaged credit due to the loss of their home, loss of their job, loss of their credit." 
This got me thinking about the number of people that come to me each day to be Pre-Approved to purchase a home, and have credit issue on their Credit Reports.  The … (25 comments)

Please Welcome New Member ........... Joe Petrowsky - 05/10/11 04:08 PM
Please welcome Joe Petrowsky to ActiveRain.  Joe in a new member from Manchester, Connecticut and wrote his first blog yesterday.  We all know how we labor over the first blog and then wonder if any body is going to comment on it.  So I am sure that he would appreciate it if you stopped by and left a few words.
Joe works for Right Trac Financial Group, Inc. and is a Licensed mortgage broker in CT, MA, RI, VT, NH, ME, NY, FL.  We compete with each other on some, not all, loan products, but this is the Rain and here … (5 comments)

Working With FSBO's - 05/09/11 08:40 PM
The one thing that I see in common with most homeowners, who try to sell their house themselves, is that they fail and end up needing the help of a Realtor. So it makes sense to me to position yourself, so that you are the first Realtor that they think of when they are ready to make that decision.
I work with several Realtors, some of them diligently pursue For Sale By Owner (FSBO) properties, while others stay away from them completely. FSBO’s to me seem to be a market that you have to jump into completely in order to be … (7 comments)

Protect Your Credit During Divorce - 05/08/11 08:12 PM
Yesterday I wrote a blog on an issue that can have a major impact on your credit and future purchasing power, “bankruptcy”. This blog is on another issue that has an equal if not more impact on your credit, purchasing power, as well as your life.
When a relationship is ended by divorce, the lives of those involved are changed forever. Divorce occurs because of conflict. The conflict can come in many different ways, but when dissected in its simplest form, there is always some kind of conflict involved. Conflict causes people to react in different ways, and unfortunately most of … (12 comments)

FAQs About Buyer Representation - 05/07/11 11:24 PM
Peggy Chirico wrote this blog yesterday that I felt made some excellent points.  In fact even as a Loan Officer I run into some of these questions when I am Pre-Qualifing Borrowers.  A couple of them the same, and one phrased slightly different, like:
Can't I just call the agent whose name is on the sign in front of the house? Won't I get a better deal if I go to the listing agent? Can a Realtor show me properties that aren't her/his listings? While a Realtor is doing nothing wrong and acting completely with in the rules by representing both sides in … (3 comments)

There Is Life During And After Bankruptcy - 05/07/11 04:31 PM
Bankruptcy is an uncomfortable subject. Anyone who has gone through it does not like to talk about it for various reasons. No one likes to talk about the turmoil, and the financial impact that bankruptcy creates on their life. Bankruptcy also has a social impact, when others know that a bankruptcy has occurred, they tend to look at you differently. The combination of these things can many times cause someone who is going through, or has gone through bankruptcy to make unwise decisions, especially financially
The main reason for bankruptcy is simple, there is not enough money to pay bills, and … (32 comments)

The Real Estate Industry Is Up To The Challenge - 05/06/11 05:44 PM
The Real Estate Council of the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce had a house tour yesterday. I try to go to as many of the tours as possible, for several reasons. I find that it is a good for me to see a lot of houses quickly, it keeps me in formed up to date on newer listings on the market, and it is a great way for me to stay in touch with Realtors that I work with, as well as meet new ones.
Since there are several people on the tour we car pool, and I usually ride with two … (13 comments)

Refinancing In Connecticut - 05/05/11 02:58 PM
I read an interesting article today on the "Mortgage Bankers Association" recent Survey.  The report claimed that applications for home loans made substantial gains this past week, because of increased activity in refinancing of existing mortgages due to interest rates going down over the last three weeks.  I had to read the article twice because this is not what I am experiencing with Refinancing In Connecticut.  In fact I would say that this article is an excellent example of how the national trend can be very different from the trend in each State.  My experience with Refinancing In Connecticut over the … (8 comments)

McCue Mortgage is Hiring Loan Officers in Connecticut - 05/04/11 09:03 AM

McCue Mortgage is Hiring Loan Originators in Connecticut
At a time when most Lenders are cutting back, McCue Mortgage is expanding.  The last two years have been excellent years for McCue Mortgage so much so that we had to bring on more Underwriters & Processors, as well as add to our Servicing Department to handle the volume.  We have expanded our office space, and are ready for more growth.  We want to continue that growth, so McCue Mortgage is Hiring more Loan Originators to both our Inside and Outside Sales Department.  That means I need to hire more Loan Originators … (8 comments)

New Regulation Requiring Mortgage Call Reports - 05/02/11 09:55 PM
In two weeks a new regulation will go into effect for all State-Licensed Mortgage Companies, as well as Mortgage Companies that employ licensed Loan Originators. As with other recent requirement that have been imposed on Lenders, this does not apply to Depository Lenders
The new regulation will require the Lenders that I mentioned above to file a “Mortgage Call Report”. The “Mortgage Call Report” has two parts to it:
Financial Condition Section Residential Mortgage Loan Activity Section  This new regulation comes under the Secure and Fair Enforcement Act (SAFE Act). This means that all State Licensed Mortgage Company that are a … (10 comments)

 
George%20souto%202013-1a Rainmaker_large

George Souto

Middletown, CT

More about me…

George Souto NMLS# 65149 FHA, CHFA, VA Mortgages Connecticut

Address: One Liberty Sq., PO Box 1000, New Britain, Ct, 06050

Office Phone: (860) 573-1308

Cell Phone: (860) 573-1308

Email Me



Listings

Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog