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get your best mortgage rate: Dad is 93 and Joe the Homeowner is Still My Hero - 03/05/12 07:03 PM
A few years ago to celebrate Dad's 90th birthday, I wrote a 3-part series in support of Joe the Homeowner. You may remember because I wrote about the relationship between Mini Skirts and Hope for Homeowners.Since writing the tribute to Dad who is almost 93 now and sharp as ever, I have been involved with my websites.But as busy as I get, one quote stays with me. "In plain words I, Kate Ford, am sick and tired of home buyers being called irresponsible."You know, I might be the most surprised about the popularity of Get-Your-Best-Mortgage-Rate.com, the home of Ask Kate. I began … (11 comments)
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get your best mortgage rate: Your Home Buyers and Sellers Don't Know How to Call You Thanks to Trimmed Content by Google - 01/09/12 12:42 PM
The couple selling their house can't find your phone number. Interested home buyers lost your web address. How is this happening?
Contact information is our lifeline in sales. But do you know the email you're sending could be blocking your lifeline?
Ever since I can remember, signatures in Gmail turn to a light shade of gray. But now Google is taking their shenanigans one step further.
If you use Gmail, you may be surprised to know that your name and all that follows is now considered "Trimmed Content", thanks to their new and improved format. In fact, your contact information is … (8 comments)
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get your best mortgage rate: I don't recall her name at FHA when I began originating mortgages... - 10/01/11 02:56 PM
I don't recall the person's name at FHA when I began originating mortgages but I remember her clear and consistent message -- Homeownership Strengthens America. I took her mantra to heart and determined to be part of such a movement to build up our country, one real estate transaction at a time.
I've been asked why I left the mortgage industry because, clearly, I'm still in love with finance and helping people achieve their goals of homeownership. It's a personal story, one I won't go into here but you can read about it at my mortgage information website -- Little Did … (8 comments)
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get your best mortgage rate: Grabbing Our Attention vs Leaving Us Cold But Don't Tell Nutsy - 04/06/11 05:41 PM
Answer: What philosophical Charlie B, the dry-humored Mr. James, quirky Billy Jays and of course none other than the Boss of Nutsy have in common. [Insert Jeopardy theme]
Question: What are home inspectors?
Response: No, I'm sorry but that is not correct.
I was recently invited by AboutUs.org to contribute an article to their online marketing website. Cool! So as I unveiled my secrets in How To Write for Internet Marketing Success, I was mulling over a few bloggers on ActiveRain, specifically Nutsy and his knowledgeable band of Home Inspectors across the country.
These 4 inspectors and 1 certifried assistant grab … (20 comments)
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get your best mortgage rate: Slickest Wiki In Town - AboutUs.org Is On A Mission To Improve The Web - 02/04/11 01:32 PM
Are you taking advantage of AboutUs.org? If not, you are missing out on an easy and effective way to bring attention to your website or blog.
AboutUs.org has a pretty slick wiki set up. With a click of their pencil-icon, you can include a summary of your website, pictures, and link back to your site or blog. If the information you add is unique and fresh, it stands a good chance of improving your search engine rankings.
In case wiki is a strange term to you, by definition it's pretty simple. A wiki is a collaborative website providing knowledge. Anyone can … (18 comments)
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get your best mortgage rate: Why You Should Celebrate Christmas Early - Works For Chanukah Too - 12/20/10 06:31 PM
Our family is efficient. We like to get together right before Christmas to celebrate.
Birthdays we hit right on the day and Halloween, Thanksgiving, New Years, Valentines, and Easter too. But when it comes to Christmas, we can't wait to celebrate.
Besides being with my 4 daughters, 4 sons-in-law, 9 grandchildren, this is another big advantage to early celebration for Steve and me.
Well, actually this advantage pertains only to me. I get the flu and head cold over with! and done! before New Years.
This year it started with the twins, then their mom. The school called to say another … (20 comments)
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get your best mortgage rate: Favicons, Twins and Birthdays, Let's Celebrate! - 11/18/10 07:55 PM
Well, it's true. As I said last week, I am diversifying. So it's mortgage one minute and Monopoly the next. At least I keep it all in the real estate family. But back to favicons like I promised in my last blog.
Do you admire custom icons, those tiny custom images in the address bar of websites? For example, Active Rain has an orange "a" and a blue "r". They're called favicons, short for favorite icons.
Would you like one? Favicons are easy to create. You can either use an existing image or create a small graphic. Here's how.
1. Dynamic … (18 comments)
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get your best mortgage rate: Houses, Hotels, and Real Estate OH MY! -- and Favicons - 10/28/10 02:15 PM
Diversification makes sense. Otherwise no one would say, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." But apparently, some magnetic force keeps pulling me back...
I have an informational website - Get Your Best Mortgage Rate. After weeks of consideration, I decided on another site. Board Game Getaway with an emphasis on Monopoly. Eventually I decided to expand to other games too, traditional board games, print-ables, electronic downloads etc.
But one day the lights went on. Why have I always loved Monopoly so much? [Hint: Green Houses and Paper Money] Yes, real estate and finance. (We'll leave Officer Malloy and the … (17 comments)
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get your best mortgage rate: Honey I Erased The Bear - Are You Hunter Or Hugger? Friend Or Foe? - 09/17/10 08:43 PM
Theodore Roosevelt, acting as a humanitarian to a bear on a hunting expedition, sparks the lovable "Teddy Bear". But what about his guide, Benjamin Vernon Lilly? On a mission to wipe out bears, definitely no one ever names a cuddly toy after him.
So which are you? Teddy Roosevelt or Ol’Lilly? Do you hug the bear or hunt the bear?
Well! For a small entrance fee (actually it's free), you too can determine whether you are bear-friend or bear-foe.
Follow This Link and just to get you started,have some fun with:
Jumps on Marries Plays with Shoots Feeds Dresses Hides from … (28 comments)
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get your best mortgage rate: If Only You'd Ask Nicely - The Award Goes To Mutual Respect - 09/13/10 12:29 PM
We dropped our price. Now it's time for our agent to do her part and drop her fee.
The sellers featured on HGTV were in a tight spot. They just refinanced to overly upgrade a house in relation to its neighborhood and need to sell. The real estate agent has a frank talk about price. However sellers decide to price higher.
No offers follow. Frustrated sellers. Lack of home buyers. And then... The homeowners drop their price.
None of this story is unusual yet what follows catches my ear. The husband announces, "We dropped our price. Now it's time for … (38 comments)
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get your best mortgage rate: Is Your Domain Name Working For You - Ask The Italian Power Generator Company - Or Just Ask Kate - 08/31/10 02:34 PM
If you were the Italian Power Generator company, would you pick this domain name? powergenitalia.com (!)
There are varying SEO opinions surrounding domain names. Add dashes, never underscores, short and snappy, long and meaningful, keyword them, keywords mean little.
And then you finally decide on a domain that makes your heart go pitter-patter. Only to find that GoDaddy says it's already taken.
Well, I have been back to the domain choice as I'm beginning my third website. This time around, I decided to forgo dashes and have been determined to make it shorter.
But think about this! If the chosen domain … (22 comments)
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get your best mortgage rate: Selling Is Not A Dirty Word - 07/16/10 06:48 PM
We do it everyday. It's unavoidable for the human race. We only quit when we die. We sell.
Moms sell health and safety to toddlers. Your boss sells motivation. Colleges sell opportunity. Dancers sell inspiration.
I was watching So You Think You Can Dance this week. What a season it's shaping up to be. I love the competition.
But what really got me thinking about selling began with a judge telling a contestant that although he had the technique and experience, he wasn't reaching the audience. No one was voting for him. Why? He wasn't selling.
We don't sell the tangible. … (26 comments)
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get your best mortgage rate: Determining Worthiness - Heroic Homeowners - 06/05/10 10:05 AM
"When will the lender let me know if I'm worthy?" To top it off I called the husband of my first time home buyer gross.
Last night I was thinking about Nellie. It's been years since I handled her mortgages but I could never forget her.
Determining worthiness is a decision only we can make about ourselves. For instance, as Esko has posted, what about homeowners nationwide with a previously pristine credit history who are losing their homes due to the landslide of joblessness?
No, circumstances do not determine worthiness. Likewise, the recession cannot take away worthiness.
Everyday I wake up … (11 comments)
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get your best mortgage rate: Because Terrible Credit is a Big Bully - 05/11/10 12:39 PM
"We want to buy a house. Is it better or will it hurt if one of us has terrible credit but the other has good credit when requesting a mortgage together?"
That's what I was asked at my website yesterday. Her question reminded me that bad credit is a big bully overshadowing good credit.
On the other hand, let's say you earn tons of money but your co-borrower makes minimum wage. No worries! Both incomes are added together and used as joint income to calculate debt ratios.
But not so with credit. Bad credit is not averaged with good credit to … (24 comments)
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get your best mortgage rate: Prince in a Dump Truck - Safety on the Ceiling, and Oh Yes my Mortgage and Real Estate Directories are Calling You - 04/17/10 09:07 PM
Who apologizes for a messy dump truck?
Goofy Host on HGTV climbs up the Dump Truck Bed's ladder. He does not care if cameras televise messy blankets. Mom and Dad are embarrassed. No one has warned them to prepare a neat and tidy bed in their little Prince's room.
No problem, the host reassures Mom and Dad. But what I see next tells me the parents have a whole lot more to be concerned about than a messy bed.
Picture the cameras at ground level, zooming upward to Goofy Host who sits cross legged on the top bunk of a dump … (16 comments)
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get your best mortgage rate: No Nutsy I did not die again. Real estate and mortgage lender directories active! - 04/06/10 11:19 AM
After being off line, I am back. I had the privilege of floating between two daughters' homes to help with their newest additions to their families. Twin four month old boys in one family and a newborn with his 3 year old sister in the other household.
One week turned into two, two weeks turned into three... I was invited to stay permanently by both son-in-laws. What a compliment!
I folded more laundry than I knew was possible. Definitely, baby boy clothes have improved! Love Target's orange helicopter blankets and Gymboree's hedgehogs! Puma infant shoes are the best!
I'll follow up … (24 comments)
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get your best mortgage rate: Part 3 - Who Is Afraid of The Big Bad Wolf, Mortgage Preapproval and Active Rain Blogs - 03/13/10 09:50 AM
Part Three on Mortgage Preapproval and the third little pig who listens to his Realtor and mortgage professional. Continued...
So not only does the smart brother listen to his mortgage professional, he also subscribes to his Realtor's blog at Active Rain. If you listen carefully, you can hear him telling the sticks and straw pigs...
"Guys! When your mortgage preapproval is finalized, your Realtor will need it in writing. Many sellers ask for mortgage preapproval certificates before entertaining offers.
It's no wonder. The seller has purchased another home and is preparing to move. When a Realtor ensures their prospective home buyer … (13 comments)
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get your best mortgage rate: Huffing and Puffing and Scary Teeth vs Mortgage Preapproval - Part 2 - 03/12/10 12:03 PM
So where were we at? Oh yes, the two brothers are jeering their sibling, "Why not cut the corners of mortgage preapproval by running straight out and making offers on homes? Sticks and straw beat bricks any day!"
But the smart piggy answered, "Let me tell you why. Think of mortgage preapproval as a dress rehearsal, the trial run. This is the time to get your ducks in a row."Now who would have thought that a pig knows about getting ducks in a row! But it just goes to show that Third Pig is surrounded by the Pros. He understands going … (6 comments)
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get your best mortgage rate: Huffing and Puffing and Scary Teeth vs Mortgage Preapproval - Part 1 - 03/11/10 04:22 PM
Cut corners! Why waste time on mortgage preapproval? Why? Because the Big Bad Wolf might be hanging out near your mortgage transaction.
Every month, I write for The Green Valley Savvy. Mortgage preapproval is the focal point of my latest article. While writing, I am remembering the three little pigs.
We have an updated LeapFrog version for our grandkids taking out the scary parts. However buying a house without mortgage preapproval is not the modern edition. It's the version with huffing and puffing and scary teeth.
As you recall, the first two pigs applied for their mortgage with sticks and straw … (14 comments)
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get your best mortgage rate: Why Your Computer Back Up Is Not Enough! Virtual Chocolates And Flowers To Arachnophilia Paul - 03/05/10 08:43 PM
Do you remember my post advocating a daily back-up? When my hard drive crashed, I was happy I had. Almost all of my files were recoverable with one HUGE exception. No SHTML files to be found.
SHTML files, also known as includes, aid site wide changes on a website by a simple and quick rebuild of the corresponding .shtml page. They save hours of work and maintain sanity.
For example, a broken link pops up on the navigation bar which is across hundreds of pages of your website. There goes your Friday night while you repair the link on every page.
… (26 comments)
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Ask Kate for answers
Las Vegas,
NV
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Kate Ford's mortgage blog at Active Rain Real Estate Network.
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