I'm Waiting for the Memorial Day Parade to Start in Plymouth, Wisconsin - 05/31/10 10:19 AM
The Parade Starts in 1/2 hour.  I'm excited to be here with my wife, and my 6 kids.  We came up here to celebrate the start of summer, but it seems so fitting to be watching the Memorial Day Parade. 
Think about it.  The freedoms of summer because of the freedoms that our troops have fought for us to keep.  My Grandfather, Otto Bettag, served in World War II and went on to be the 2nd lung surgeon in the United States.  Thereafter he went into a successful career in politics. 
My dad served in Nam.  He hated it!  He wouldn't … (1 comments)

10% Brain Power and 90% Ass Power - 05/29/10 10:42 AM
When I was in high school, I was the perfect C student.  I'd come home my first quarter and I got 3 C's and 3 D's.  Second Quarter was 6 Cs.  3rd Quarter was 3 C's and 3 D's.  Final grade.....6 Cs.  I had a hard time adjusting to high school.  Frankly, I hated the studying.  My grades were my evidence that I hated studying.  Everytime my report card came in that year, and throughout my years of high school, I could hear my dad walking down the hallway for the "talk."  By the 3rd time he came down, I had … (86 comments)

4 More Active Rain Referrals in just one Week. - 05/28/10 10:04 AM
OK, I'll admit it.  I went through a dry spell.  I wasn't writing.  I wasn't adding value to the community.  I was just "existing" in the world of cyberspace.  It's been like that for about 3 months.  Sure, I had computer issues, but the fire had left my belly.  Can you say gross?  Active Rain wasn't fun (for sure) and any token post was done out of it being a chore, not a love. 
FLASH FORWARD!!!! So, about a week ago, I finally get a crowbar to pull my cyber head out of my cyber _SS!!!!!  Yes, it wasn't a pretty … (11 comments)

USDA Update Alert....we're back in the game. - 05/28/10 12:46 AM
USDA will begin issuing subject to conditional commitments effective today. In turn, Chase Rural Housing will purchase these loans with subject to conditional commitment language. The guaranty fee on purchase transactions will be 3.5% and on refinances the fee will be 2.25%. Loans that already have conditional commitments at a guaranty fee of 2.00% are still valid.
Review the enclosed Chase Rural Housing Announcement before requesting locks on USDA loans.  It is important to note that the lender assumes all loss default risk for the loan until funds are available for Rural Development to obligate. We are hopeful that USDA will … (7 comments)

Kick A___ in Building your Real Estate Practice!!!!!! - 05/27/10 03:31 PM
So I'm sitting here in a continuing legal education seminar learning all about "How to Build a Great Practice."  The speaker has been talking about what makes a great law practice.  After listening to some judges, some sole practitioners and a world class attorney speaker, I come to my conclusion that real estate is really like being a sole practitioner of a law practice.  Needless to say, there are many elements that come to building a great practice.
THE PLAN Have a friggin plan.  Even the Old Hebrew Writers say that without a plan, visions fail.  I fully believe that you … (7 comments)

Wordless Wednesday - Mother's Treasures - 05/26/10 09:24 AM

One of my favorite pictures ever.  Not only did I marry well, but Michelle has given me some awesome kids.  Just beautiful!  Needless to say, it's a happy and bright Mother's Day photo.  Brett is my oldest, Jake is next.  Claire is the oldest girl.  Grant is next and Tessa is my baby!  It was a great Mother's day.  Needless to say, we need to appreciate moments like this!
… (17 comments)

The Last 30,000 were the hardest to 400,000 Points - 05/25/10 12:25 AM
Well, it's great to finally hit that milestone, but I'll tell you, it's been a chore.  First you go through the usual once a year blogging lull, then when your heart is back from vacation, the computer crashes.  Then, there's travel, meetings and business.  When all is said and done, this is the hardest 100,000 points I've ever earned.  Needless to say, 400,000 is finally here.
Just this past week, I received my 54th referral from Active Rain. I met a great realtor who is having me speak to his entire office on June 2nd.  The value of Active Rain is … (17 comments)

Speechless Sundays - First Father / / Son 5K - 05/16/10 10:51 PM

This was a first for the father and son tandem.  We did our first 5K together.  Brett, the older one is in all these sports, but was dogging it as everything he does is sprinting.  When it came to the distances, he was barking like a dog.  Jake, however, surprised me and kept asking if he could run ahead.  I said not this first time.  Let's hang with Brett and finish together.  It was a blast!  Next year, it's every man for himself!
… (8 comments)

Closings Could be Cancelled....RIGHT BEFORE CLOSING!!!! - 05/13/10 10:33 AM
Right from the National Mortgage News:
 Beginning June 1 folks, lenders originating mortgages being sold to Fannie Mae
Will have to pull a second credit report just before the loan closes! The new quality control requirement is designed to prevent a type of mortgage fraud called "shotgunning,"  (which I've never heard of before) but the guidelines could send lenders on wild goose chases. Will Dillard, a vice president of operations at SettlementOne Credit Corp., a San Diego reseller of credit data, told American Banker that pulling a second credit report would help stop such frauds but that lenders might also waste time … (11 comments)

USDA has approved more funding. - 05/11/10 03:48 PM
This just in.  The United States Department of Agriculture has approved funding of conditional committments after the current amounts are exhausted.  Breaking new for sure. 
The Condition? It's:
1)  Subject to the availability of funds; and
2)  A congressional authority to charge 3.5% guarantee fee; and
3)  The ability to charge 2.25% guarantee fee for refinances;
Lenders can process new loan applications and close loans during this time.  The big rub is that lenders are holding the paper until the new funds are issued.  In the event that funds don't get issued by the government, the lender may be stuck holding … (4 comments)

Walking Away from Affordable Mortgage Payments??? - 05/11/10 11:19 AM
Here's a really good piece on millions of Americans making a business decision to walk away from their mortgage payments. They can make the payments, but have made a personal or personal and business decision to walk away from their promise to pay back. What does this mean? It means that there is a huge X factor out there jeapardizing the recovery of the United State Economy. Take a look and make your own determination. I think that there is a moral connect here as well....not just a business decision. Watch CBS News Videos Online … (6 comments)

Mortgage broker USES NEW GOOD FAITH ESTIMATE LAW to Rip Borrower!!! - 05/07/10 10:33 AM
Recently I wrote a post entitled It's Official, the New Good Faith Estimate Hurts the Consumer and the Industry!.  The comments were plentiful as it happened to be one of my more poignant posts recently.  It seems that the New Good Faith Estimate law has created some uninttended loopholes.  Here's a story and an analysis of what this new law permits.
THE STORY I work with a  top realtor in Northern Illinois.  We don't adverstise so referrals are everything to us, therefore we want to make sure that our clients are caredful in the most professional. manner possible.  About two months … (12 comments)

Wordless Wednesday - Boys with friends, living it up hard! - 05/06/10 12:10 AM

So we just got back from a great weekend at the farm.  We went to a little hunt club and when we weren't shooting guns the kids went ballistic fishing.  Needless to say, I could barely bait a hook when the next fish was on the line.  My kids thought they'd die and went to heaven!  How cool was this?  Needless to say, they're all pumped up for the next time that they can dip their lines in the water!
… (13 comments)

The Breaks Have Been Released - 05/04/10 10:15 AM
I was talking to some of my friends who I met at Rain Camp Chicago.  The proxy error was bad for me.  In fact it was horrible.  I was like a guy who was excommunicated from a club that I so wanted to be a part of.  It was painful.  I tried and tried and tried, but just wasn't able to get back in the club.
PROXY ERROR After a while you realize it's just a moot point.  You're wasting time trying to write comment, much less a post.  The worst is that when you go through detox, you have such … (5 comments)

Proxy Error Finally Gone???? - 05/03/10 03:40 PM
I have been trying to sign on and post for weeks.  I tried it again over the weekend.  All to no avail.  Needless to say, I have tried again today and got on right away!  No lag, no stall and definitely no proxy error.  Needless to say, I'm stoked.  For me, my Active Rain was taken away from me.  I was in exile!  I feel that my voice has been given back to me.  Thank you Active Rain.  Thank you!  Good to be back in the fold!
Bob Stewart told me that new servers were coming.  It appears that they have … (6 comments)

 
Cookout Ambassador_large

Larry Bettag Illinois FHA Specialist

Saint Charles, IL

More about me…

Larry Bettag - Cherry Creek Mortgage

Address: 40W310 LaFox Road, Saint Charles, IL, 60175

Office Phone: (630) 524-9677

Cell Phone: (630) 417-7172

Email Me

 1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
(John 14:1-4, New King James Version) I review for BookSneeze

Search Real Estate Locations of visitors to this page

Larry Bettag



Listings

Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog