Jonathan's Blog

This is going to devastate the Oregon Mortgage Market in 2008-2010!

Better World Mortgage.com — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:28:21 -0500

moneybox

Here Comes the Next Mortgage Crisis

Subprime was just the beginning. Wait until California's prime borrowers start handing their keys to the bank.

By Mark Gimein
Posted Tuesday, April 15, 2008, at 8:12 AM ET

California is to mortgage lending what Chicago is to pork bellies. For years, that meant it was a place with soaring house values; today, the foreclosure rate across the state is twice the national average and going up fast. Riverside County, outside Los Angeles, may be the foreclosure capital of the country, with a rate close to six times the national average. And housing prices are in freefall.

California should be the poster child for a mortgage-loan bailout. In few other places have so many taken on such onerous debts with so little equity. Unfortunately, the crisis in California is going to get much worse, and there is no bailout that will solve it. Why? Because if the first stage of the foreclosure crisis was about people who could not afford their mortgages, the next stage will be about people who have every reason not even to try to pay their mortgages.

Over the next several months, we're going to be subjected to a chorus of hand-wringing about the moral turpitude of people who walk away from their mortgages and pronouncements like last month's warning from Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson that people should honor their mortgage obligations. The problem with finger-wagging on what you "should" or "ought" to do is that, when it comes to money, you're usually given the lecture only when it's in your interest to do the opposite. Certainly, that's the case for all the California homeowners who in the next year or two are going to find themselves with the choice of whether, faced with a huge new wave of interest resets and a historic decline in the value of their homes, they will simply walk away.

<READ THE REST AT SLATE MAGAZINE ONLINE>.. Article URL: http://www.slate.com/id/2188982/

Mark Gimein is a New York-based writer.

Green Mortgages and Socially Responsible Mortgages: Using Your Mortgage to Make a Difference!

Better World Mortgage.com — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 12:18:30 -0600

Green Mortgages and Socially Responsible Mortgages: Using Your Mortgage to Make a Difference!

The two hottest trends in the mortgage industry for both new home loans and home refinance loans are Socially Responsible Mortgages and Green Mortgages.

What is a Socially Responsible Mortgage? A home mortgage is called a "Socially Responsible" mortgage or a progressive mortgage when the mortgage broker donates 10% or more of their total commissions to your favorite charity - at zero cost to you - because they care. While Socially Responsible Mortgages or Progressive Mortgages cost the same or less than any other mortgage from any bank or lender - two things make these mortgages special.

First, with most "Socially Responsible" mortgage, your socially responsible mortgage broker is not restricted to any one bank or lender - so the mortgage broker can pick just the right loan for you from any of dozens of lenders and hundreds of loan types and programs. This means lenders and banks compete for your business - so you get truly great rates and low costs.

Second, the power is in YOUR hands! With a "Socially Responsible" mortgage, you get to decide where the 10% charity donation goes! And then YOU also get any tax write off for the donation! What this means is that when you get a Socially Responsible mortgage, your mortgage broker will donate $100's or $1,000's of dollars to your favorite charity, church or social organization - whether it is the American Cancer Society, the Boys & Girls Club, the VFW, the Sierra Club, or any other standard charity you like. All at no additional cost to you!

What is a Green Mortgage? A home mortgage is called a "Green" mortgage when you use the mortgage to add any combination of solar power or hot water, alternative energy systems, energy efficient appliances, or even purchase greenhouse gas reduction credits or "green tags" for your home. When used in combination to add or retrofit solar energy systems, these green mortgage loans are called solar mortgage loans.

How is a Green Mortgage different from a "green" mortgage broker? A green mortgage broker is a broker who commits to reducing and greening their office's environmental impact, carbon emissions, paper usage, etc. while there are no set standards for a "green" mortgage broker, they should at least: use renewable energy (when available), use 100% recycled office paper, use 100% fluorescent light bulbs, participate in a 100% carbon off-set or reduction program, recycle 100% of office waste and offer "digital" documents to customers as a green paperless alternative.

Remember: with a Socially Responsible Mortgage, you can make us donate $100's or even $1,000's to your favorite charity for free and with a Green Mortgage, you can dramatically lower your global warming impact and your energy bills! Why not do both?

People often ask "What Kind of Mortgage can I get with green or socially responsible mortgages?" You can use Better World Mortgage.com's™ progressive, green and socially responsible mortgage services for your new home loan, when refinancing your home for a better rate, for cash-out refinances, refinancing to add solar and other alternative energy modifications, and for home remodel projects.

Want to learn more about Socially Responsible Mortgages or Green Mortgages?

Call Better World Mortgage.com™ at 503-936-9989 or send us an email here: Contact Us.

Find out more about Better World Mortgage.com™ here: Home Page.

Ready for a Socially Responsible Mortgage with Better World Mortgage™? go here: Better World

Don't just get a mortgage, make the world a better place!

Cheers –

Jonathan

Jonathan W. Logan, Esq.
~ Founder | Social Entrepreneur
Better World Mortgage™
~ The Socially Responsible Mortgage Referral Network™
25 NW 23rd Place, #290
Portland, Oregon 97210
Tel. 503-936-9989
Fax 503-228-2630
Web - http://www.BetterWorldMortgage.com
Email - JLogan@BetterWorldMortgage.com

“Referring Home Buyers to Socially Responsible Mortgage Professionals and Inspiring Charitable Donations by the Mortgage Community Nationwide.”

Solar Energy Tax Credits Can Add Up To Free Solar For Oregon Home Based Professionals & Businesses!

Better World Mortgage.com — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 11:29:45 -0600

Solar Energy Tax Credits Can Add Up To Free Solar For
Oregon Home Based Professionals & Businesses!

Renewable NRGSun of Oregon provides solar energy solutions to businesses, non-profits and home owners. Oregonians interested in solar energy are excited to learn about the significant opportunities that recent changes in the Oregon Business Energy Tax Credit have created for home based professionals and businesses.

For the first time, three special tax credits and incentives can be combined to make adding solar energy systems to your home or small business an absolutely brilliant idea. First, the State of Oregon just raised the amount of a solar energy system that state BETC tax credits will pay for from 35% to 50%. They have also determined that if the system costs less than $20K, you can utilize all of the available tax credits in the first year you own the system. Second, the Energy Trust of Oregon also throws in a cash incentive that is paid on completion of the project. Third and maybe best of all, you also receive a 30% federal tax credit and accelerated depreciation of the system value! Taken all together, these combined tax credits and incentives could mean your $20,000 solar system is virtually FREE!

Renewable NRGSun recently confirmed with the Oregon Department of Energy that they would qualify a business person that claims working out of their home as a business tax deduction eligible for these Business Energy Tax Credits. This means that a standard 2 kilowatt solar energy system that would offset roughly 25% of an average home’s electricity would not only pay for itself in the first year, it would actually put the home business owner about $2000 ahead of the game. The added kicker is that if someone purchases the system before the end of the year they could utilize all of the incentives this year and be ahead of the game by Jan 1!

To find out how you can take full advantage of this unique opportunity to get a brand new solar energy system for your home - at nearly ZERO net cost to you, contact the folks at: Renewable NRGSun

Savvy Oregonians will quickly realize that this opportunity is reminiscent of the huge tax incentives that encouraged small business owners to buy large sport utility vehicles in the 1980's and 1990's and write them off on their taxes. Now, Oegonians can take advantage of the same kind of tax write off with Solar Energy - but with a positive and profitable environmental benefit for a change!

Renewable NRGSun also notes that larger commercial solar energy systems can pay for themselves in as little as 5 years and there are actually programs available right now that enable non-profits to use solar energy with no capital investment up front and leverage themselves against rising energy costs for decades to come.

Solar in Oregon? Yes! Because Oregon has more sunshine on an annual basis than the national average and the folks at Renewable NRGSun are sure that as more people are made aware of the recent changes, this opportunity and this type of solar system will become very popular with not just professionals and small businesses that operate out of the home, but also with an increasing number of smart home owners seeking to off-set and minimize their energy foot-print and costs.

There are a unique series of Oregon Tax Credits, Federal Tax Credits and Energy Trust of Oregon cash incentives that make getting Home Solar energy systems in Oregon for home based professionals and business nearly FREE! We explain the basics here: http://www.betterworldmortgage.com/solar-tax-credits.php

With Oil looking to go well over $100 a barrel in 2008, tens of thousands of small business and professional Oregonians work form home and can take full advantage of this unique and valuable offer to get nearly free home solar energy systems, become more energy independent, reduce their monthly energy bill and increase the value of their homes!

"Solar Mortgages" Now Available for Oregon Homes!

There are three great times to add solar energy systems and other renewable energy systems to your home: first, when you are constructing or building your new home or office; second when you are buying an existing home or building; and, third when you are refinancing your existing home or business property. In each of these three circumstances you can take advantage of a the opportunity to turn your construction mortgage, remodelling mortgage or refinance mortgage into a "Solar Mortgage" with your Better World Mortgage.com™ Green and Socially Responsible Mortgage broker.

We can also show you how to refinance your existing home or small business property to add in smart solar energy options from Renewable NRGSun, so you can take advantage of any solar energy tax credits and incentives available to you here in Oregon.

Questions about getting a Solar Mortgage? Call us today and we'll be happy to answer your questions about Solar Mortgages, adding Solar Energy Systems with Renewable NRGSun to your home or office, and how to refinance your home to include Solar and renewable energy solutions.

Call us toady at 503-936-9989, send us a message here: Contact Us!, or Apply for a Solar Mortgage here: Solar Mortgage Application.

As always, we recommend each person speak with their personal or small business Tax CPA for specific questions on eligibility.

Please forward to every Oregonian you know and ask them to forward onward for a cleaner, greener, more profitable and sustainable business environment in Oregon! Or simply send them directly to the original page here:Solar Tax Credits Make Solar Almost Free for Oregon Home Based Professionals and Small Businesses.

Cheers –

Jonathan

“Referring Home Buyers to Socially Responsible Mortgage Professionals and Inspiring Charitable Donations by the Mortgage Community Nationwide.”