If Only I Could Get My Client To Listen To Me... - 03/31/11 10:07 AM

~ Listen to Me! ~
"If only I could get my customer to listen to me..." 
The complaint is common with new agents.  Fresh from Real Estate School, and with the Examination under their belt and the framed license on the wall, they venture out into the world of commission-only sales.
(Oh, I know you're not a salesperson.  You partner.  You "come alongside to create a win-win."  You're a consultant.  Whatever...)
The Problem
The problem with anything that's a new skill is that we desperately want to prove our mastery of the subject, and the only way (it seems) … (52 comments)

Found This In The Desert. I Wonder What It Is... - 03/30/11 11:20 PM

~ Desert Find ~
That's my hiking glove next to the rock for perspective.  I have big hands.  The exterior of this rock is melted, and at first, I thought it might be metallic.  It's not.
It's very dense and heavy.  The coloring looks like native copper, but it's not metal.
The world's full of mysteries, and I think I've found one.  Who has a geology degree?  Chime in!
_____________________
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson Arizona Mortgage Lender.
NMLS #223495
SUNSTREET MORTGAGE llc ~ Correspondent Mortgage BankOffices (AZ) Mesa, Tucson, Sierra Vista, and Nogales.
(I don't copyright … (13 comments)

Oro Valley Homes Come Complete With Gambel's Quail! - 03/29/11 10:40 PM

 
~ Gambel's Quail ~
 
We had dinner Sunday afternoon with friends up in Oro Valley (NW of Tucson.)  After a scrumptious meal, we all sat outside taking in the view of Pusch Ridge.  I naturally had my camera with me. 
It's spring in the desert, and this male Gambel's quail is looking for a mate.  Ignoring the humans completely, he strutted quickly through the yard, flew up to the wall that surrounds the yard, and found the highest spot - a post on the corner. 
Puffing out his chest, he began to call, advertising his availability to the … (18 comments)

Hummingbird Food in the Tucson Mountains - 03/26/11 11:48 PM

~ Hummingbird Food ~
Some years, the desert floor is covered with wildflowers: lupine, mexican poppy, and others.  This year, that didn't happen.  I don't know why.
Regardless, and right on cue, the Ocotillo plants, which look for all the world like a bunch of dead sticks, pushed out their red flames all across the desert.  This is the time that the hummingbirds come north, crossing the desert.  It's the Ocotillo that provides the nourishment they need, in the form of nectar, so that those of you in the northwest will have the joy of seeing these jewel-like birds in … (21 comments)

Working With Foreign Buyers? Beware Your Use of Free Translation Software. - 03/25/11 08:51 PM
Are you working with foreign buyers? 
Let's say that English is difficult for them, so you try to compensate by using one of the many free translation services on the internet.
That free software translation service may not be saying what you intend to communicate. 
Of course, you don't speak your buyer's language, so you have no idea what the actual translation conveys to your buyer, and that miscommunication might leave you looking incompetent, or worse. 
A Reverse Example of Poor Translation
Let's reverse the situation, and pretend that you are the buyer, and that you're looking at a home … (13 comments)

I've Been Looking For This Point. Thank You, Gabrielle Rhind! - 03/24/11 05:53 PM
Thank you, Gabrielle Rhind!  I was looking for that comment to take me over the 600K milestone, and you provided it.  We have a great bunch of Rainers here in Tucson!
Milestones need celebrating. 
Little things keep me on track, and make up for the dry periods when I think about giving up blogging and spending the time doing something else.  It happens.
You may not have these feelings, dear AR reader, but from time to time, I want to give it all up and go do something else. 
Then I remember that consistency trumps genius, and that the Hare … (23 comments)

Rain In the Desert ~ This Arizona Sky Makes Us Dance! - 03/21/11 11:03 PM

~ Rainy March Monday in the Desert ~
Oh, I know you like my colorful photos of the sunset with deep golds, reds and purples.  THIS, however, is the type of evening that makes us dance in the desert.  We dance in the rain!
I paid to run my car through the carwash this morning, and from the look of the sky above, I ought to do that more often.  All told, this part of the desert gets about 12 inches of rain in a whole year.  (I know, some of you in NJ got that much in the last … (17 comments)

Super Moon In The Tucson Mountains - 03/20/11 12:01 AM

~ Super Moon Over the Tucson Mountains ~
_____________________
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson Arizona Mortgage Lender.
NMLS #223495
SUNSTREET MORTGAGE llc ~ Correspondent Mortgage BankOffices (AZ) Mesa, Tucson, Sierra Vista, and Nogales.
(I don't copyright my photos anymore. I use them for blogging and creating greeting cards for friends and clients.)
Right click on my image, copy and use it to your heart's content!


… (64 comments)

If You Lived Here, This Would Be Your View! - 03/18/11 12:19 AM

~ A View of the Tucson Mountains ~
Starr Ridge at Tucson Mountain Park

~ Rising Moon ~
(the view from the back yard of that house in the first photo)
Location?  Location.  Location! 
Money's inexpensive, and so are homes in the Tucson Mountains right now.  Call your favorite REALTOR and drive into the Tucson Mountains (Ajo west to Kinney, then right on Sarasota) to see these new homes at Starr Ridge at Tucson Mountain Park.
Second homes have not been this affordable in a long time.  If it's snowing or raining where you are, and too cold to … (12 comments)

The Dragon Is Friendly For The Moment: Interest Rates May Hit Lowest Since November 2010 - 03/16/11 11:40 AM
Interest rates may hit their lowest point since November 2010.
The Federal Reserve Bank this morning cancelled their bond auction, catching the Bond Market by surprise.  Initially, there was an official "No Comment" on the cancellation by the Fed, but shortly thereafter, the reason was given as "market volatility."  I've seen nothing on Bloomberg yet, but expect something shortly.
Of course, the stock market volatility today is sparked by the nuclear situation in Japan.
Demand for the 10 year bond picked up overnight, and then spiked on news of the cancellation of the bond auction.  (Interest rates fall when demand for … (9 comments)

Four Days Without Rain, And I'm Parched - 03/14/11 07:26 AM
It's been four days without Rain, and I'm getting parched.
The cool thing about a good habit is that when you don't do it, you begin to feel out of step with your world. 
I take that back.  I begin to feel out of step with my world. I'm like that bee on the right, looking for nourishment and carrying no pollen.
Something's missing.
That something for the last four days has been interacting with friends and co-workers across the continent on the Active Rain Real Estate Network. 
The earthquake and subsequent tragedies in Japan are a shock to my sense of … (22 comments)

Bank of America Merrill Lynch: "Higher Oil Prices Good For Stock Market" - 03/09/11 06:42 AM
"Some analysts think the U.S. markets can weather the storm of higher oil prices. But Bank of America Merrill Lynch is doing them one better: They see higher oil prices as a “net positive” for their bullish outlook."  Dave Kansas
$2,000 per month gas bill
A loan officer friend of mine at Sunstreet Mortgage, LLC commutes from Tucson to Sierra Vista every day. 
Her gas bill last month topped $2,000.  That was before prices in Tucson (usually the lowest in the US) shot up to $3.56 per gallon.  I'll bet she doesn't share BAML's rosy outlook on the price of … (24 comments)

Silly Saturday Night Post: So The Zebra's Your Brand... - 03/05/11 11:54 PM

~ Bathroom Stall Door, Denver Zoo Men's Room ~


With apologies to my friend Missy Caulk...
I've been browsing blogs on Active Rain and Facebook this evening, and I came across more than one post regarding an unlikely lawsuit involving the use of the Zebra as a trademark.
Inna Hardison's post on the subject got me to thinking of my most recent run-in with a Zebra.  It was at the Denver Zoo last December on a visit with two of my favorite grand daughters. (We have seven scattered around the country, and every one knows that she's Grandpa … (18 comments)

There's No Shortage Of Beauty With Arizona Real Estate - 03/03/11 09:06 AM

~ Hiking Treasure ~
In Arizona, if you see clouds in the western sky half an hour before sunset, you know you're in for a beautiful evening.  Last night's sunset in the Tucson Mountains looked just like this.
If you're a facebooker, check out the photos on my Tucson Mountain Park non-profit page.
_____________________
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson Arizona Mortgage Lender.
NMLS #223495
SUNSTREET MORTGAGE llc ~ Correspondent Mortgage BankOffices (AZ) Mesa, Tucson, Sierra Vista, and Nogales.
(I don't copyright my photos anymore. I use them for blogging and creating greeting cards for friends and clients.)
… (13 comments)

Whatever Happened To Localism? - 03/02/11 05:26 AM

Whatever happened to Localism?

I woke up at 2:00 a.m. (which is getting to be more normal than I would like) and did what all Late-Night-Rainers do.  I went to the computer.
Tonight, I decided to work on updating some of my old posts ~ the ones written back before I knew anything about links, tags and SEO.
From the Active Rain Dashboard, I clicked on Important Links: Localism, and I discovered a funny thing. 

It seems to be the abandoned red-headed stepchild of the Active Rain Real Estate Network!
With one exception (the blue "e-mail me" link … (20 comments)

 
Mj_logo Ambassador_large

Mike Jones

Mike Jones NMLS 223495

Tucson, AZ

More about me…

SUNSTREET MORTGAGE, LLC (BK-0907366, NMLS 145171)

Address: 2840 E Skyline Dr, Suite #230, Tucson, AZ, 85718

Office Phone: (520) 344-6943

Cell Phone: (520) 349-9090

Email Me

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