JoanLoans!

They like us!

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:56:14 -0500

A local toy company is recruiting from the mortgage industry to increase its sales department. I received one of these recruiting calls. I sort of giggled to myself..."this is a change in attitude - an industry wants one or several of US". Presently, mortgage brokers are not that highly regarded. It seems that this particular toy maufacturer thinks that mortgage brokers fit the bill nicely. The recruiter said, "Loan Originators are used to a quick response, great follow-up and they tend to communicate well." WOW, I was blown away...a positive comment about an industry that has been under fire. There are people out there who like us, YAY!

Now more than ever...

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:37:56 -0500

Appraisers must know their stuff!

This Ridgefield, CT mortgage broker had an interesting discussion with a local appraiser. As we all know, banks are ripping apart appraisals like never before...I believe we all know why, but allow me to reiterate...

Appraisers have fewer comparable sales to draw upon.
Big discounts from listing prices.
More sellers are offering incentives to market their properties such as paying closing costs.*
Greater concern about property conditions.
Lenders are more cautious.

*The incentive inclusion, like sales incentives, is skewing market prices - appraisers must really dig deep to determine true sales prices.

Good appraisers know how to deal with these issues - it's best to discuss these variables upfront instead of confronting issues that may delay a closing.

Click here for advertising information.

mortgage payments+property taxes=rent? = time to buy!

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:19:00 -0500

I just read an interesting rule of thumb - just like many, it is afterall, COMMON SENSE! When mortgage payments and property tax equal one's rent, it is time to buy! Of course...such easy logic. I have mentioned this to several realtor and they have said, "oh yeah......" I'll pass this along. Not only is it the logical time to buy because properties have been reduced but some renters are reporting that they are being taken advantage of by building owners who are gouging them with rent increases. So everyone out there...calll your favorite active rain realtor and mortgage broker in your state and let them go to work for you!

Homes actually selling...

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:59:12 -0500

"The sales of existing single-family homes jumped 3.1% in July due to strong sales in markets that previously have seen substantial price declines, such as Ft. Myers, Fla., Sacramento, Calif., and Las Vegas."

Why do you think this is so???? Finally home prices in this area dropped to what they should be. Buyers knew these were prices that would probably not drop much more in the near future because they were priced at the assessed value and the buyers jumped in - thus creating a glut of sales - Homeowners in other areas of the country should learn from this...

23% fraudulent loans from 10 zip codes...

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:40:53 -0500

By Brad Finkelstein

Very interesting piece...

A report from Fannie Mae finds that 23% of all the fraudulent loans originated in 2006-2007 come from the top 10 ZIP codes nationwide.

The report, issued in May 2008, breaks down the information by the first three digits of a ZIP code. The to 10 cities are Detroit, Minneapolis, Tampa, Atlanta, Pompano Beach, Fla., Las Vegas, Miami, Dearborn, Mich., Memphis and Orlando.

This is a change from the list for April 2008, when Minneapolis was listed as No. 1, followed by Atlanta, Detroit, Memphis, Miami and Las Vegas. The last three cities fell off the list for the following month: St. Paul, Victorville, Calif., and Moreno Valley, Calif.

By type of misrepresentation found, income being inflated or fabricated was tops at 26%, followed by the borrower misstating liabilities at 25%.

Whether the borrower actually intended to occupy the property was next at 16%, while a material fact or comparable sale about a property was not accurate was 10%.

Rounding out the findings are a property's value being misstated, 8%; identity or credit history misstatement, 6%; Social Security number discrepancy, 5%; and borrower assets being inflated or fabricated, 4%.

In April, income misrepresentations were 30% of the findings, followed by misstating liabilities at 26%.

Fannie Mae provided the top seven markets for Social Security number misrepresentation. The top three are the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, along with a suburb, Burnsville, Minn. Rounding out the list are Salt Lake City, Atlanta, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and Houston.

The Southeast edges out the Midwest as the region where the most fraud is found. The states of Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida had 29% of Fannie Mae's findings.

Meanwhile, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska was where 27% of the fraudulent loans came from.

California and Hawaii accounted for 15% and the Southwest states of Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado accounted for 10%

At the other end of the spectrum, only 1% of fraudulent loans came from the Pacific Northwest states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Next best region was Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, West Virginia and Virginia at 4%.

The Northeast - Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine - and the oil patch states of Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas each were found to be host to 7% of the fraudulent loans.

Fannie Mae said that Las Vegas, Tampa and Orlando were found to have loans that contained significant fraud issues related to condominiums. Those areas are believed to be among the hardest hit by the downturn.

In the report Fannie Mae said the specific issues regarding these loans at the project level include ineligible use, such as condotels, lease-back agreements with no access to the units for owner-borrowers, seller contributions that are either ineligible or excessive, inflated appraisals and/or the placement of mandatory arbitration clauses in sales contracts.

At the borrower level for these condominium properties, Fannie Mae commonly found misrepresented income, misrepresentation of the intent to occupy and/or undisclosed liabilities.

just checking in...

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 17:38:28 -0500

I think the sentiment and the expression are adorable...as one says...a picture is worth a thousand words...(not however, if you are into Active Rain points!) It's also funny that at first I just posted this picture without any sort of comment - I received more comments than I have when I write a well thought out commentary - I must listen to this...obviously, my commentaries are boring, senseless and not of interest to most!

Only in New York, folks...

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:22:40 -0500

Brad Finkelstein reports, "Average home sales prices in New York City actually increased by 12% in the second quarter 2008 over the same period in 2007, according to a report from ResidentialNYC.com, a website managed by the Real Estate Board of New York.

The report tracks the sales prices of both apartments (condominiums and co-operative) and one-to-three family homes. The increase was driven by a rise in the average sales price for apartments.

"The second quarter report found that in the midst of falling property values nationwide, prices are still rising throughout New York City, particularly for apartments, despite some declines among single-family homes," said Steven Spinola, REBNY President. "Manhattan average sales prices experienced substantial gains in the quarter and led to the citywide increases, but Brooklyn and Queens apartment average sales prices also saw increases, and are clearly retaining their value."

Leave it to New Yorkers!

"No more HELOC for you..."

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:55:02 -0500

As a mortgage broker here in lovely Ridgefield, CT, I have received numerous phone calls from homeowners who have taken out HELOCs - home equity lines only to find after only using a portion of the HELOC, their bank tells them, "WHOA" - no more checks to be written against this loan. With the declining home market, many homeowners are finding themselves "underwater" or "upside down" in their home loan situation. Equity has decreased due to falling prices therefore many banks are saving what they can by curtailing the use of further funds from HELOCs. These HELOCs don't necessarily have to be paid off, but use must be curtailed.

Help dogs beat summer heat

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:03:52 -0500

Great Advice from the "Dog Pound" online

Besides food, daily walks are the other essential ingredient in a dog's world.
Many of our loyal companions crave walking as much as eating, but sweltering summer heat can be disruptive to them - and even pose danger - as they go about their daily exercise routines.

Unlike a person, a dog has no sweat glands for cooling, making hot weather particular dangerous for our precious pooches. A dog dissipates some heat from the skin but relies heavily on panting to evaporate water from the respiratory tract. A dog's cooling system will start working hard when the temperature approaches 70 degrees and can easily become overwhelmed in summer's heat and humidity, leading to heat stroke.
Dogs who are elderly, have heart or respiratory conditions, and breeds with short snouts - like pugs, terriers and bulldogs - are especially at high risk of overheating.

On hot and humid days, even a healthy dog can quickly begin to overheat even after just 20 minutes of vigorous exercise.

The obvious way to beat the summer heat is to plan your dog's daily exercise for early morning or late at night, when the temperature is cooler. But some energetic dogs insist upon going out even during the heat of the day or they are miserable.

If your dog is one of these, try some of these ideas to keep them safe:

Wet your dog down with a water-laden sponge before going on a walk. I have had two energetic English Setters who insisted that they had to get their exercise even on the hottest days or they would go stir-crazy. Sponging down a dog will keep its fur coat cool - at least temporarily.
Carefully plan walk routes along shaded areas. Stay off the pavement, especially the black top of roads and driveways that can sizzle in the midday blazing sun and actually burn a dog's foot pads. A park or area with trails that traverse through heavily wooded areas is a great place on hot days. The temperature in the woods sometimes can be 10 or even 15 degrees cooler.
Go to a pond in a wooded area rather than an ocean beach. Blazing beaches are one of the worst places to take a dog in the summer. The sand sizzles, the blinding sun reflects off the water and sand, and the water is salty. All are a bad combination for a dog's foot pads, eyes and fur coat. Conversely, a pond in a wooded area gives a dog a chance to take a dip in fresh water to cool down and then walk in the shade.
Always have a supply of fresh drinking water. Either carry a canteen or plan the route to go by a water fountain. One of my favorite tricks is take a tiny two-ounce Dixie cup with me. They have a waxed coating, so they easily fold without tearing and fit into a pocket. One route I walk my dogs along has a fountain at the midway point, where we stop for water. They have no trouble lapping up the water from the tiny cup with their probing tongues. The cup also is a handy tool to use to wet down a dog's coat. I repeatedly fill and use it to gently pour cool water over my dogs, wetting them from head to toe before we resume walking.
Modify the exercise routine. Rather than that one long hike, go on two or three shorter walks. During the summer, I sometimes take my dogs on three 20-minute walks at different locations around town. The drive in between each location allows them to cool down in the air-conditioned car, drink some water and rest

7 Key Marketing Strategies

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:25:01 -0500

The Real Estate Analyst Guide advises...

To Help your Business Thrive...

How do you grab prospective client's attention, arouse their interest, trigger their desire, and motivate them to take action? Answer that four-part question correctly and you've identified the secret to achieving tremendous sales and marketing success in the Real Estate Industry. To complicate matters, however, the potential answers are as numerous and multi-faceted as the growing number of niche markets, products and services, and marketing trends in our culture.

Marketing Strategy #1: Gain Your Customers Confidence. Customer indecisiveness, skepticism, indifference, or confusion are among the top sales killers in the business world. It's up to you to project an image of experience, quality, dependability, excellent customer service, and/or added value to your prospective customers in order to win their confidence. If you haven't clearly communicated the advantages and solid reasons for them to do business with you, then they'll be hesitant to commit and the sale will go to your competitor.

Marketing Strategy #2: Penetrate awareness of your target audience by using some form of integrated marketing. In other words, the more ways the public hears about you, the better your chances are for achieving brand recognition, credibility, and greater market share. Effective marketing is partly the result of exposing your target audience to your name and your selling points (unique selling proposition) as often as possible(frequency), in as many ways as possible, and as cost-effectively as possible.

Marketing Strategy #3: Sincere enthusiasm, in both print and in person, is contagious. If you deeply believe in your services, your company, and yourself, then your prospects will pick up on that passionate attitude and feel confident and optimistic about doing business with you.

Marketing Strategy #4: Purchasing is an emotional decision. Instill in your prospects good feelings about your company, your business relationship with them, and how you can improve their situation. Accomplishing that is as important in the sales and marketing process as focusing attention on your companies features and benefits.

Marketing Strategy #5: Dispel distrust. Gain customer confidence and overcome potential feelings of distrust by offering written guarantees of satisfaction whenever possible, customer testimonials, references, and by joining respected and well-known professional organizations, such as the Better Business Bureau, Chambers of Commerce, and industry associations.

Marketing Strategy #6: Impose a deadline. Counteract one of the biggest obstacles to closing a sale known to mankind: procrastination. To overcome the natural human tendency to deliberate, postpone, and delay, it's often necessary to inject a sense of urgency into your ads, sales presentations, and marketing messages. Whether supplies are limited or prices are going up at the end of the month, some prospects need to have a deadline or an incentive to motivate them to take action now.

Marketing Strategy #7: Create a business marketing plan to identify and capitalize on your strengths and opportunities. Your marketing strategies should also take into account factors such as your weaknesses (and possible remedies), external threats (competition, economic factors, etc.), your marketing mix strategy (services, promotional goals, pricing strategy, and distribution decisions), media strategy, sales and expense budgets, target market analysis (know your customers), and readily available marketing tools, as well as marketing tools that you need to research or obtain..

Can I count on you?

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:00:45 -0500

Brian Sacks, Mortgage Expert stated the following:

This may sound corny, but I believe the most critical factor in marketing yourself successfully is establishing and maintaining a sterling reputation. You can gain expertise through training, put out top-quality marketing materials, and put in long, hard hours, but if you're known as someone who "talks out of both sides of his mouth" or who "doesn't deliver the goods," you're sunk.

Sustained, long-term success depends on a positive image. People need to see you as someone who is honest, trustworthy, diligent, and communicative- in short, someone they can count on.

We all try to put this statement into words - I feel Mr. Sacks nailed what people want from their broker. Why is it so difficult to achieve this?

Dogs and the 4th

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:46:40 -0500

Greeting! Tomorrow is the 4th of July and as you may know, many cities and municipalities are having their fireworks displays tonight. Tomorrow - there will be tons of picnics and parties that probably extend through the weekend bringing the potential for a lot of fun but also a lot of dog dangers (Tomorrow - I'll give you some tips on how to prevent some of the most common dangers).

The most common dog owner complaint during the 4th of July - is their dog reaction to fireworks. The combination of loud noises and bright lights can scare dogs that don't normally have a history of noise phobias.

Some dogs will exhibit signs of fear that can include pacing, panting, trembling, salivating, trying to escape and/or barking. Many dogs will actually injure themselves when trying to escape.
What can you do to help keep your dog calm during the fireworks?

1. Consider not taking your dog to the fireworks. Make sure he or she is calm at home. Or ... stay home with your dog during the fireworks. Keep your dog confined in a comfortable location if possible.

2. Don't try too hard to reassure your dog during a fearful event with petting, soothing words, or extra attention, as this can sometimes exacerbate the problem by reinforcing your dog's fearful response.

3. Some dogs are very sensitive to peoples' moods may be influenced by the way that you react to the noise. It is best to act happy and upbeat or to redirect your dog's attention to some absorbing activity.

4. If you must leave your dog alone - consider what would make your dog most comfortable. Bring your dog indoors, would he feel safest in a crate? And or turn on the radio/television/fan/air conditioner as ("white noise"). Make sure you provide a comfortable hiding place or "safe place" in case he is scared during the fireworks.

Enjoy! Happy 4th!

OY VEY!

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 09:26:13 -0500

Angry Client Stabbed Broker After Unhappy Refinancing

As reported in "The Mortgage Ledger" ...

After adjusting the defendant's bond, a Michigan judge pushed forward the trial of psychologist and professor William L. Harshman after he was charged with intent to murder after breaking into his neighbor's home and stabbing her with a knife on Christmas Eve after the woman - who faces numerous charges of mortgage fraud - helped him refinance his mortgage.

Mortgage Brokers Exonerated (fingers crossed!)

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:01:35 -0500

The Senate has approved an amendment by Sen. Christopher S. Bond, R-Mo., that requires lenders to provide better consumer disclosures on adjustable-rate mortgages with teaser rates.

This is GREAT news for everyone! Not only will the loan officer be exonerated for all the wrong doing of even suggesting an arm product and the client will be forced to read the fine print. As we all know, it is the mortgage offficer who always takes the heat when a client goes "belly-up", "upside-down" or "underwater" because the client did not know (understand) that ARM's adjust after a number of years. Now the public, realtors, Wall Street will hopefully stop pointing fingers. We can all assume that people who take out mortgages are adults who know how to read - at least, the closing attorney should know how to read. Now, hopefully, the fine print and not so fine print will be read because it will have to be signed off on. AND, we mortgage brokers won't be held responsible for suggesting a loan program that works and is a good one for SO many people!

Open House Survival

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:23:12 -0500

Just want to share a great marketing technique that we at Hamilton Mortgage use. On Sundays we visit real estate agents at public open houses. We bring bags that say, "Open House Survival Bag" imprinted boldly with our Hamilton logo. We include some goodies, COLD water, some interesting reading material about the state of the mortgage market and of course our cards. We are welcomed warmly and have good one on one time with realtors. I have been doing this for well over a year now and have met some great and interesting people AND have seen some absolutely extraodinarily beautiful houses. And, I have even gotten business that I ordinarily would not have gotten because I did not know these agents prior to my visiting every week. Just want to share a fun, easy, inexpensive technique with all of you -

Still another reason to use a mortgage broker...

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:03:48 -0500

WOW! A new bank rep came into our Hamilton Mortgage office today. He was invited in because we heard about some fabulous programs his bank is offering. As we all know by now, most banks are not offering too may LTV's over 85% nor is it easy to find a HELOC with a CLTV much higher than 85-90%either. Well, this well versed, well spoken young man presented his program from a popular bank from a different part of the country...we signed up with him because his bank offers 90% LTV's up to 1.25 mm and 100% CLTV HELOC's- kind of unheard of in this market. The owner of the company did a trial run with them and his loan was approved in 6 hours! So it is almost too good to be true - but it is! I guess if we all dig deep enough there are some banks out there who want business. This is another reason to come to a mortgage broker, not your local bank - Mortgage brokers do dig deep! (and often hit gold!)

RESPA says YES!

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:09:00 -0500

Being a mortgage broker in Ridgefield, CT, I enjoy hosting broker open houses. I am able to meet new realtors and really get to know the realtor I am hosting the open house with. Several agents and brokers have told me that they are fearful of commiting a RESPA violation by inviting me to host with them. Below is the information that clarifies this...

4. Q. When a title company hosts an agent luncheon at an open house, they are providing food in hopes

of meeting agents - just as Realtors hold open houses. Doesn't this need to be looked at in a much more

practical way and allowed under RESPA?

A. If a real estate agent requested that a title company pay for a lunch that the real estate agent was

hosting, and the title company agreed, the payment would be a thing of value for, or in the hopes of, the

referral of settlement service business. If, however, the title company paid for the lunch, but attended the

open house and gave a brief presentation, or prominently displayed a sign indicating the title company's

name and distributed brochures about the title company during the open house, there is a reasonable

argument that this activity is a form of advertising and therefore acceptable under Section 8(c)(2). Again,

real estate agents should apply a rule of reason. If these activities and materials are present, a casual

lunch of sandwiches for $200 likely would be acceptable. A catered lunch by an expensive restaurant at

a cost of $800, however, would more likely be viewed as a referral fee. It is indeed within RESPA

regulations to do this.

120% Financing - is it true???

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:04:46 -0500

Is Fannie Mae going to introduce a re-financing option that gives those "upside down" borrowers 120% financing? A Fannie executive said that Fannie will start purchasing loans refinanced for up to 120% of the CURRENT value of the property. This could save/help 100's of 1000's of people stay above water and assist them with their current negative equity. Fannie will not use balloon loans to satisfy this 120%. As of now, they are "mum" as their method of re-fi. Apparently this option is not available for AltA borrowers, however in the future there will be a program for AltA as well. Stay tuned...

Joan Wexelbaum Ridgefield, CT Mortgage Broker...

"Tickville, CT"

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:38:20 -0500

I live in "TICKVILLE" - This might be of interest to you and yours...

Please forward to anyone with children... or hunters or dogs, or anyone who even steps outside in summer. A School Nurse has written the info below -- good enough to share.
I had a pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best way to remove a tick. This is great, because it works in those places where it's some times difficult to get to with tweezers: between toes, in the middle of a head full of dark hair, etc.
Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds (15-20), the tick will come out on its own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away. This technique has worked every time I've used it (and that was frequently), and it's much less traumatic for the patient and easier for me.
Unless someone is allergic to soap, I can't see that this would be damaging in any way. I even had my doctor's wife call me for advice because she had one stuck to her back and she couldn't reach it with tweezers. She used this method and immediately called me back to say, 'It worked!'
Please pass on. Everyone needs this helpful hint.

PUL-LEZE...It's not always the mortgage broker's fault!

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:41:59 -0500

I am always defending myself, so here it goes...again...

It's not always mortgage brokers who are at fault...I had a loan, a nice and clean loan, so I thought, that was due to close last week. The day before closing the title company notified us that the owner of the house to be sold had the house in trust. The realtor should have known that piece of info...the title company found out at the last moment. If the realtor had done due diligence this could have been worked out easily and in a more timely fashion. The seller's agent wanted a 30 day lock for his seller - I tried to discourage that, but they insisted. So...lo and behold, there's a problem, not mortage broker related, but guess who loses money on the commission for the loan extension. That's right, it's me, the mortgage broker. AND the poor buyer, my client, had packed his house up, movers were coming in the AM, and he had nowhere to go with his 3 children and dog until this was cleared up. So...with all due respect, it isn't ALWAYS the broker's fault...

MetLife Buys First Horizon!

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:04:38 -0500

Some good news about the wholesale mortgage business...for a change! Just this morning First Horizon National Corporation announced the sale of assets to MetLife Bank, NA.

This is great news! MetLife has the national prescence, strength and stability to withstand the present mortgage situation (I choose not to use the word "crisis"!)

Sort of First AR Referral!

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:08:32 -0500

I received my first referral from Active Rain! I actually started the process by contacting a mortgage broker in New Hampshire close to the area where my daughter wants to move. I went through the NH mortgage brokers names and came across a friendly looking, smiling face with the name of David Keslar. I emailed and called David. He promptly got back to me with answers to the gazillion questions I had of him. I hung up the phone with him more knowledgeable about the area my beloved daughter is potentially moving to. Of course, because she is MY daughter, I do not get a lot of answers to the questions I ask of her thus, a phone call to a stranger

I called David back a few days later with an update - any of you who have a 20 something child knows that their plans change from breathe to breathe. He reappraised the scenario and gave me his take on it. I greatly appreciated this because he is not emotionally involved (and he is a guy!) so he can be rational and practical without letting the "what-ifs" get the best of him...

Once I allowed Dave to get a word in he asked me if I did mortgage loans in New York as well as in CT. I answered positively. He had just gotten a call from a gentleman he was unable to help because Dave is not licensed in NY. So, I got my first referral! Dave also has a future loan from this Connecticut Mortgage Broker who is not licensed in NH when my daughter decides to the pull trigger on her "dream farm" in NH.Not only did I make a friend in Dave, but hopefully both of us will "cash-in" a bit...

Third most common doggy emergency

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Thu, 29 May 2008 09:49:55 -0500

Most dog owners guess that the most common problems are various urgent traumas but the truth is that the most common emergencies are...well the most common problems that dogs get. I'll tell you what they are.

The MOST common dog emergency is vomiting. The second most common dog emergency is diarrhea. And finally, the third most common reason that dogs are brought to veterinary emergency rooms is...not eating.

This "symptom" of "not eating' is a common symptom of many different diseases and problems and often accompanies other signs. For example, a dog may not have eaten but also vomited or is acting lethargic. Regardless, not eating is a very common symptom of various diseases, some of which are serious which causes worried dog owners to bring their dog to emergency rooms.

Because it is so common, it is likely that it will affect your dog at one time or another. I want to give you some tips on how to plan for, prepare, deal with and prevent this problem in your dog.

Do you know what to do?

1. This is basic but important. Make sure you know where your local emergency room is or how your vet deals with emergency. Keep this information (phone number, hours, address and directions) handy.

2. Next, make sure you know your dog's medical history and any medications he is on. The emergency veterinarian will want to know when the last time your dog ate, and if his lack of appetite is associated with any other symptom such as vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, weakness, collapse, trouble breathing...or anything else. Make sure you observe your dog during this time. Take him out on a leash and observe if his urine and bowel movements are normal. Also, this ensures that he is not doing something you don't know about such as vomiting that you may not have observed if you weren't with him or her. Check the trash to ensure that he has not been exposed to any toxins or other objects. Note if there has been any diet change. Is your dog a senior? If on medication, has his medication changed recently?

3. Here are some tips on how to help a dog that is not eating. You can try to offer fresh food - and fresh water. Some dogs respond to "fresh food" from the bag. When an owner calls some veterinary clinics - they may hear some advice (depending on the clinic). If the dog is acting sick or the owner is concerned, the recommendation is always to bring the dog in for evaluation. However, if the condition does not sound life threatening sometimes a bland diet may be recommended.

A bland diet can be made form a boiled lean meat (chicken, hamburger or turkey) mixed 50/50 with boiled white rice. Do not use any additives such as butter, salt, garlic, or seasoning. Over a couple days, you can slowly decrease the bland diet and increase his regular food until he is back on his normal food.

Again, if you are worried, the best recommendation is to have the dog evaluated by a veterinarian.

4. There is no good way to "prevent" the lack of appetite unless you can prevent the underlying cause. To keep your pet safest, prevent exposure of your pet to trash, table scraps and other foreign objects that he may be inclined to chew on. Make any food changes gradually and over several days. Buy only safe toys and ensure your dog does not chew on any objects around that house which he could swallow and be unable to digest or pass through his system causing a possible obstruction.

Ringo the Star - the doggy vacuum!

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Tue, 27 May 2008 14:04:41 -0500

My beloved German Short haired pointer consumes EVERYTHING in sight...I was always told that Labs are the voracious eaters - there is no way they can compete with my Ringo. Three weeks ago he ate a full, brand new bottle of Glucosamine that I had just bought for my elderly dog - that was 150 pills. Of course, this happened after 5 - after my vet closed. Off to the Emergency clinic. They induced vomiting "just in case". I paid them $260 to make my GSP vomit and of course, I had to order new Glucosamine - $75. The emergency vet giggled as I left, "At least Ringo won't have joint pain for awhile!". OK - nothing serious occured - just a dented wallet.

Then a week later, UPS delivered 6 months of heartworm pills for my 3 dogs (that's 24 heartworm pills) - I arrived home to find a ripped up UPS package with remnants of the HeartGuard logo here and there. Good old Ringo consumed all 24 pills plus the foil wrappers plus all the UPS paperwork. Back to the Emergency vet. He again vomited his guts out including 24 heartworm pills still in their foil wrappers! OK - This time, I paid $330 to the vet (I guess this time his barf was more valuable) -and $150 to order more Heartworm pills.

A few days ago I had a yen for Oreos. I had a couple and put the rest away in the pantry. I guess I left the door ajar, because when I returned home from work there was a little ripped piece of the Oreo box with crumbs everywhere. I guess once Ringo got into the pantry he decided he did not want the oatmeal or the bread crumbs or the Special K - instead he sniffed out the best - The giant box of Oreos. It was after vet hours again (Of Course!), so instead of going back to the Emergency vet, I just gave him a big glass of milk - afterall, what's a box of Oreos without milk?????

Don't worry, he's fine...just fat!

I don't do that...

Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage) — Sun, 18 May 2008 19:56:30 -0500

I most certainly don't...I do not...give pre-approvals to people who do not meet the criteria for the amount they request if they don't meet certain requirements. When a potential client calls me and asks for a pre-approval for a certain amount I look into the following...I ask for asset information, I ask about their employment income, their passive income, and I check their credit for credit worthiness as well as debt. I will not and do not risk their future by granting a pre-approval to someone who does not factually afford an amount requested. If they cannot afford the amount requested, I will suggest an amount that will be "digested" as a workable number for a mortgage for this particular person. I want to be able to sleep at night.

In the past there were some mortgage people that would pre-approve clients for a high mortgage when they should not have been pre-approved for this amount. The bank may have even allowed this loan to be processed. Those days are, thankfully, over. Only qualified borrowers need apply. That's the way it should be. It will save heartache and sleepless nights if we get it right with loan amounts that fit the bill for each borrower.

Last week a customer came to me and wanted me to give her a pre-approval for a high amount. I told her I could not do this, because the numbers do not work. She told me, "OK, I will go elsewhere and find someone who will qualify me then". I am worried about her.