va loans: Fridays With The Farmer's Wife: Do What You Love and Love What You Do
- 08/31/12 12:54 AM
In the book, "Start With Why" by Simon Sinek, the author's goal is simple: “To help build a world in which the vast majority of people go home everyday feeling fulfilled by their work”. Imagine this for a moment: You love what you do every day. Harvey McKay says, "Find something you love to do, and you'll never work a day in your life". Because your work is your calling - it is what you were created to do. You would do the work you do for free if you had to because you love it that much. … (6 comments)
I love the poster above. This woman is a control tower operator. Operators received their special training at Naval Air Station, Atlanta, Georgia. The preferred candidate was twenty to thirty years old, had 20/20 vision, normal visual, auditory, and speaking capabilities, short reaction times and the ability to perform in stressful situations, scoring well in mathematics and good teaching skills. In 1942, the Bureau … (8 comments)
Please do not quit your job this week if you are closing on a home purchase next week!
Although most people would think that statement is just common sense, I fear that common sense is not so common anymore. Although this scenario is a little different than most because the borrower was active duty military, it has actually happened to me with civilian borrowers in the past. Even though we go over the "thou shalt not's" from the very first day of application, ie., do not apply for new credit, do not transfer money around from accounts, etc., … (10 comments)
If you are active duty military and you have PCS (Permanent Change of Station) orders to Barksdale Air Force Base, in Bossier City, Louisiana, here are five reasons to consider using your VA Home Loan Benefits to purchase a home in the area:
#1 Competitive interest rates - even with less than perfect credit #2 100% financing #3 Flexible Credit Requirements #4 No monthly mortgage insurance. Unlike conventional and FHA loan products, with monthly mortgage insurance premiums that could add to your monthly payment, there is NO monthly mortgage insurance with the VA Loan. #5 The … (2 comments)
va loans: June is PTSD Awareness Month: How Can YOU Serve?
- 06/28/12 07:20 AM
June is PTSD Awareness month: How Can YOU Serve? One of my mortgage offices is located in Leesville, Louisiana, the home of the Army base of Fort Polk, Louisiana. Almost daily, I have a soldier in my office, and many of those soldiers are just home from war. PTSD is common among our clients as you might well imagine. The Department of Veterans Affairs defines PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) as"... a mental health problem that can occur after someone goes through a traumatic event like war, assault, or disaster". June has been designated as PTSD Awareness month, and June 27 … (8 comments)
va loans: Why I Left Active Rain - and Why I'm Back.....
- 06/20/12 07:16 AM
My last Active Rain post was several months ago. If you look at my AR activity, it was as if I dropped off the face of the Active Rain World. Which I did. Why would I post for months on end, earn over 100,000 points, avidly comment and interact with some of the most incredible people in the world almost daily - and then suddenly just stop? What happened? The opportunity to be involved in a life-changing project that so filled my mind and heart that I could focus on nothing but that one project until it was completed. A project … (124 comments)
It is difficult for most people to grasp the concept of our national debt. I mean, when I think about debt, I think in thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, not BILLIONS and TRILLIONS. And I do have to admit that the reality of our National Debt increasing like a snowball going down hill is not something I think of daily. Well, unless I watch the news. This video brings it all into perspective and I think it is easy enough to understand that even my teen-age grandchildren will "get it". Well, hopefully, they will "get it" … (5 comments)
Martin Luther King, Jr. discovered the cause for which he could die for - and he did. Our active military and every veteran understand this principle - FREEDOM IS NOT FREE. Dennis H. Smith, director of VA Maryland Health wrote this today in the Baltimore Sun:"King never served in the military, but he commanded an army of Americans dedicated to fulfilling our country's highest ideal — that all men and all women are created equal; an … (3 comments)
The data for new home sales in November marks the fourth straight month of rising sales volume, making it a 7-month high. This is a great show of strength for the housing market. According to the Census Bureau, the number of new homes sold rose 2 percent in November. On a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis, home buyers bought 315,000 newly-built homes last month. Existing home sales also climbed in November. But the big story in the report is the remaining new home supply nationwide. There are 158,000 homes "on the market" and with home sales picking up, it is … (0 comments)
"Picture yourself in your minds eye as having already achieved this goal. See yourself doing the things you'll be doing when you have reached your goal." Earl Nightingale a
Many people have a written business plan but few have a written business vision. Today I asked all of my team - 16 of them - to write out at least two paragraphs of their vision of what they want their life and business to look like for one year from today - December 28, 2012. I wanted them to take the time to "see" themselves in … (7 comments)
Many people are writing their business plans for 2012 but what about a business vision? Before you can adequately write a business plan, you must write a vision statement of what you want your business to actually look like in 2012. Most of us would agree in the real estate business that to begin to build a house with a set of plans while having no clear picture in your mind of what that house would look like after it was built would not be the best idea! The same is true for making plans to build a … (5 comments)
va loans: Day 20 of the 2011 December Blogging Challenge - VA County Loan Limits for 2012
- 12/20/11 03:58 PM
Today is Day 20 of the 2011 December Blogging Challenge. The VA County loan limits for 2012 were FINALLY posted on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Home Loan Limits website last week. For a copy of those limits click HERE. Loan limits will range from $417,000 to a maximum of $625,500, depending on the median county home price. Loan limits in some counties have decreased but will not affect the IRRRL transactions which can remain at current limits. Lenders are being notified by VA that it is possible that Congress may pass legislation in the near future increasing the … (3 comments)
Let me share with you how you can change that! But first - listen to the rallying cry of several hundred mortgage professionals at Sales Mastery in Palm Desert, California:
I was honored to be one of the speakers at the event, Sales Mastery, last week in Palm Desert, California. The title of my presentation was … (12 comments)
Missing a contract date is the kiss of death for a mortgage professional in my neck of the woods!
So.....how is it that my client, a military home buyer, is missing the contract date by three days but all of the parties - the client, the seller and both real estate agents - are happy and content and more than willing to execute the three day extension?
Because it will save this military … (12 comments)
va loans: Fridays with the Farmers Wife - Bittersweet Blackberries and What They Taught Me About Priorities
- 07/07/11 05:05 PM
A few weeks ago, my husband whom I call affectionately, "The Farmer" and I were riding over one of our pastures when we came upon a huge patch of blackberry bushes. We jumped off the Ranger and began to gather a sweet afternoon snack of plump and delicious blackberries. The berries had just begun to ripen and the vines were laden with hundreds of red berries. I looked at the tangled berry vines, my mind begin to envision what these bushes would look like in a few days, the berries going from red to black. I was thinking of blackberry cobbler, … (5 comments)
va loans: What to Know BEFORE You Move To a New Neighborhood! It's MORE than STATISTICS!
- 07/06/11 05:20 AM
What To Know Before You Move To A New Neighborhood Home buyers tend to research homes a lot. They look at square footage, upgrades, landscaping, even community statistics! And just about every other "number" on which they can get their hands. But those are just statistics. What about the home's "feel"?
In this 5-minute piece from NBC's The Today Show, a home-buyer can learn a dozen complementary home-shopping techniques to help them review and evaluate a home for purchase. Each is focused on findings you won't find on a website. One example, instead of scheduling a second visit … (2 comments)
va loans: What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates: Week of July 5, 2011
- 07/05/11 05:03 PM
What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates : Week Of July 5, 2011 Mortgage markets worsened last week as Wall Street's renewed optimism pushed equities to their best one-week gain in 2 years. The change in sentiment was bad news for rate shoppers, however, as investors pored into stocks at the expense of bonds. Last week, for the first time since February, mortgage rates rose 5 days in a row. By the time bond markets closed for the 3-day weekend, conforming fixed mortgage rates had climbed to their worst levels since mid-May (mortgage rates are now at 7-week highs) The biggest reason for … (3 comments)
As we celebrate today the 235th anniversary of our DECLARATION of INDEPENDENCE, I will share the 6th and final blog on "Having a Star Spangled Heart to Serve Those Who Serve". ]Parts 1-5 of "Having a Star Spangled Heart to Serve Those Who SErve" and linksare:
#1 - "H.E.A.R.T." Star Spangled Heart Part 1 #2 - "H" is for Star Spangled Heart Part 2 #3 - "E" is for Star Spangled Heart Part 3 #4 - "A" is for Star Spangled Heart Part 4 #5 - R is for Star Spangled Heart Part 5 And today we conclude … (4 comments)
va loans: Having a Star Spangled Heart To Serve Those Who Serve! (Part 5)
- 07/03/11 08:56 AM
R – is for “Raving Fans”. That is what we are looking to create – RAVING FANS! We want clients for life! Because I want to be their mortgage strategist for life, I have in the last few months taken the necessary tests to obtain my personal license in 3 additional states, all because of my military clients! When my clients are transferred and they receive a PCS ( “permanent change of station”), I want to not only assist them with their strategy for either selling or renting their present home, I want to put them in a home in their … (0 comments)
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