mike in tucson: Tucson Meet-up; Connecting in the Rain
- 08/28/17 04:31 PM
Shout out to Allie Angeloni for putting this Active Rain meet-up together for the second year in a row! Tony and Suzanne Marriott made the trek down from Phoenix to join us, and it was great to catch up. Suzanne is front right in the photo; Tony is on the left. Behind Suzanne is our Marana Neighbor, Cara Mancuso, one of Long Realty's newest brokers. Allie & Roger are on the left behind Tony. They call Oro Valley home. It doesn't seem possible that I've been blogging on and off in the Rain for ten years. I've been AWOL a … (7 comments)
"On September, 19, 2014, “Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015,” (Public Law 113-164) was signed by the President. The continuing resolution extends a current general provision regarding housing program eligibility. This means that if a community is eligible today, they will remain eligible under the continuing resolution. Barring further Congressional action, RHS will delay implementation of the revised rural area maps based on the changes to the rural area definition as revised in the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Pub. L. 113-79). … (4 comments)
mike in tucson: USDA Geographical Boundaries to Remain As Is Until 2020
- 02/04/14 06:45 PM
Yesterday, the US Senate passed the Farm Bill. The hoopla in the media had to do with Food Stamps, but REALTORS and homebuyers are excited that (1) the Rural Home Loan financing program will remain in place, and (2) the current geographical boundaries will remain in place. If you are an Arizona REALTOR, and want to attend, please RSVP to (520) 349-9090.
… (4 comments)
mike in tucson: Will USDA Fundings Continue After September 30, 2013? Call Mike Jones
- 09/17/13 08:31 AM
You may hear (to your consternation) that USDA loans must fund prior to the end of September, or not at all. NOT TRUE! While many national lenders will cease funding USDA loans unless and until Congress passes a Farm Bill, Sunstreet Mortgage, LLC will continue to accept applications and fund USDA loans. I've closed USDA home loans this year in Surprise, Wittmann, San Tan Valley, Sahuarita, Red Rock, Tucson and Corona de Tucson. It's my favorite program because there's no limit on the price of the home, and it's 100% financing for qualifying borrowers and properties. I can't help if you … (6 comments)
mike in tucson: Closing At Title: "What Do You Mean, I Can't Have The Keys Today?"
- 10/22/12 07:59 PM
"But We Signed! I Want to Move In Now!" There aren't usually many distractions at closing. This one was an exception. Grandma was the Buyer's Agent, and Mommy was the buyer. (I was the lender, and I go to every closing that I'm able to attend.) We funded, and this little one's home recorded the next day.
_____________________ I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson-based Arizona Mortgage Lender I do purchase and refi loans all over Arizona. NMLS #223495 SUNSTREET MORTGAGE LLC ~ Correspondent Mortgage Bank Offices in Mesa, Tucson, Sierra Vista & Nogales … (15 comments)
mike in tucson: September in Arizona: Barrel Cactus in Bloom
- 09/04/12 06:37 PM
~ Barrel Cactus in Bloom ~ We've had an exceptional Monsoon Season in Arizona this year--more rain for Tucson than we've had in more than 15 years! This Barrel Cactus would have bloomed just as brightly if the drought had continued. Like a wise old man, it stores moisture from the good times to see it through the bad times. Good lesson!
_____________________ I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson-based Arizona Mortgage Lender I do loans all over Arizona. NMLS #223495 SUNSTREET MORTGAGE LLC ~ Correspondent Mortgage Bank Offices in Mesa, Tucson, Sierra Vista & Nogales … (9 comments)
mike in tucson: Thank You, Lexa Montierth and the Homefront Team at Tierra Antigua!
- 08/28/12 06:16 PM
~ Arizona Sunset ~ I love contests! Lexa Montierth of the Homefront Team at Tierra Antigua Realty created one for sunset photos, and this was the winner! Thank you. Arizona has some of the nation's most spectacular sunsets. I don't know if that's because we're closer to the equator, or because we get so much dust in the air during monsoon storms. Either way, I'm grateful to live and work here. Happy Birthday, Lexa!
_____________________ I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson Arizona Mortgage Lender NMLS #223495 SUNSTREET MORTGAGE LLC ~ Correspondent Mortgage Bank Offices in Mesa, Tucson, Sierra Vista … (8 comments)
Located in a parking lot at an elevation of more than 6,500', this painting has a most unusual canvas. A fortunate few (relatively speaking) visitors to Tucson have the opportunity to see it, but even fewer ever hear what it is, and why it's here. Can you identify this painting? Can you tell us its significance?
_____________________ I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson Arizona Mortgage Lender NMLS #223495 SUNSTREET MORTGAGE LLC ~ Correspondent Mortgage BankOffices in Mesa, Tucson, Sierra Vista & Nogales … (6 comments)
mike in tucson: 10,000 Boomers Reach Retirement Age Every Single Day! Can You Spell "Opportunity?"
- 04/18/12 06:59 AM
High School Class of 1968. If you're a Boomer like me, that doesn't seem all that long ago. And we're reaching the age of 65 at the rate of 10,000 per day, according to PEW Research. That's going to continue for the next 19 years! High OpportunityWhile many agents and loan officers bemoan the current long-lived housing downturn, others of us are taking advantage of a promotable competitive edge with this demographic group, creating a powerful marketing message, and reaping the benefits. Low Competition"But everybody knows this," you say, "Isn't there a lot of competition for this age group?" Surprisingly, the … (40 comments)
mike in tucson: Will The Rental Boom Cause Spike In Foreclosures?
- 03/15/12 10:49 PM
Will the rental boom cause a spike in foreclosures by the banks who hold the paper? There's a storm clould on the horizon for homeowners who are hoping to work out a loan modification with the banks who hold their paper. It's the rental market. Three things are driving rental prices higher, and the banks who hold non-performing mortgages are taking notice. 1. Available Credit Contraction for low-FICO buyers. As the recession has continued, I've seen a decline in FICO scores among loan applicants for a variety of reasons, including late payment on mortgages and Home Equity loans. 2. Tightening Guidelines … (12 comments)
mike in tucson: Tucson Wildflowers in the Arizona Sonoran Desert
- 03/10/12 05:48 PM
~ Poppies and Lupine on the King Canyon Trail ~ Just opposite the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum is the trailhead for the King Canyon Trail. It's one of Tucson's easiest hikes, as the first mile of the upper trail follows an old mining road. The desert wildflowers can be seen in abundance right now.
Who can identify this one? I don't know what it is. I've lived in the desert for the past 14 years, and every year brings a new discovery. I haven't been able to identify this plant. It has a reclining growth pattern, and the flower … (15 comments)
mike in tucson: Tucson ~ Early Wildflowers in the Arizona Sonoran Desert
- 02/20/12 09:34 AM
Tucson Wildflower ~ Apricot Mallow The Wildflower season in Tucson has started early. My afternoon hike began at the King Canyon trailhead, just across the road from the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum. I found this beauty, commonly called the Desert Globemallow, in the sandy wash that comprises the lower King Canyon trail.
~ Tucson Wildflower: Blue Phacelia ~ The coloring of our Tucson Wildflowers belies the ordinarily drab hues of the Arizona Sonoran desert. This plant was blooming alongside the upper King Canyon Trail. In a 2 1/2 mile hike, I only saw two Blue Phacelias, also referred … (17 comments)
mike in tucson: Ancient Ironwood Tree at Sunset, Tucson, AZ
- 01/25/12 11:23 PM
~ Ancient Ironwood at Sunset ~ While Seattle is dealing with an unusually snowy winter, Tucson is basking in glorious warmth, and today will be in the mid-seventies. This sunset photo, taken at the Ironwood Picnic Area in Tucson Mountain Park, is a visual blanket to wrap around yourself as you're pouring the morning cup of coffee. Come visit! We have great home prices, world-class real estate agents, and some of the best interest rates available since you were born. Oh! And I forgot to mention that Tucson has the lowest gasoline prices in the nation! ...and world-class golf resorts. … (30 comments)
mike in tucson: Federal Reserve Will Fine 14 Mortgage Servicers. Why Should A REALTOR Care?
- 01/08/12 10:01 PM
The Federal Reserve will fine 14 mortgage servicing companies, according to Fed Governor Sarah Bloom Raskin on January 7th at the annual meeting of the Association of American Law Schools. "We should not forget that effective enforcement of our laws can animate our efforts as policymakers, regulators, business innovators, legal educators, and lawyers in creating the conditions that must exist for the emergence of an improved mortgage-servicing model that hinders neither economic growth nor homeowners' legal security. If a law is worth having, the law is worth enforcing." The irony of that last remark is that Raskin was nominated to … (7 comments)
mike in tucson: Tucson Beauty: The View From Gates Pass
- 11/30/11 10:08 PM
~ Looking East From Gates Pass at Sunset ~ Days are getting shorter, so I planned to be at Gates Pass for sunset. Off in the distance, the city of Tucson is painted in blue shadow, highlighted by the pink Rincon Mountains at day's end. The last rays of the setting sun paint the Tucson Mountains where I stand a deep ochre-red, and the contrast punctuates the peaceful quiet of the desert floor at the end of day. I expect an amazing sunset! And I'm not alone in my expectation! My zoom lens captures a couple silhouetted against an amazing … (20 comments)
mike in tucson: Blogging Blahs... Dolphin Jockey
- 11/28/11 11:34 PM
Just saying... This was a great Thanksgiving weekend, and I'm back in the saddle as far as lending goes, but I've got the blogging blahs. I went to the internet for inspiration, and decided that it's time for a new venture in my life. A new hobby. A new avocation. I'm going to take up the sport of dolphin racing. It looks like I'll need minimal gear, and once I find the right dolphin, I'll be set. Underwater TrainingThe hardest part is going to be the next step after what you see in the photo--the underwater part. But hey! I live … (14 comments)
mike in tucson: Tucson Loan Officer Indicted by FBI
- 11/21/11 09:28 AM
From time to time, I'll have to deny a purchase money loan application where the borrower's documentable income is insufficient for a loan approval. Self-employed borrowers often find themselves in this situation, especially in the last two years as underwriting guidelines have tightened up. It's understandable that taxpayers want to minimize their taxable income. The rub comes when the borrower asks "if there's any way" to bump up the income. My standard reply is to ask if they want to show more income on the current year's Tax Return and put off the purchase until such time as that can be … (13 comments)
mike in tucson: Great Horned Owl: A Lesson From Nature on Focus
- 11/15/11 06:28 AM
~ FOCUS ~ Isn't this an amazing visual to illustrate what it means to focus? This Great Horned Owl generally has only one thing in mind when she launches into the air like this: food! For the owl, survival can never be taken for granted. If the hunt is not successful, its very existence hangs in the balance. That's sort of like where many of us find ourselves in business today. We're grateful to still be standing, but its a desert out there. Deals are fewer and farther between, and the competition is fierce. Still, I know you'll succeed today! … (19 comments)
mike in tucson: If I Had 3 Free Hours Every Week, Just For Me... I'd Write Poetry
- 11/08/11 10:07 PM
Terri was dumbfounded. Literally. Words failed her. She showed up for work - the graveyard shift - just as she had for the past eight years. Terri hung her coat in the locker and put her lunch in the breakroom refrigerator. Yawning, she made her way down the dingy hall to the mailroom where old Annie would be gathering her things and getting ready to go home. It had been a rough week. The new postal sorting machine had been delivered on the first of the month, and the mailroom was a beehive of activity for the three days it took … (17 comments)
mike in tucson: The Desert's Version of Severe Weather Warning: The Haboob
- 11/06/11 02:14 PM
~ Dust Storm Sunset at Saguaro National Park TMD~ They're called Haboobs ~ rolling dust storms that suck the dirt from the face of the earth, throw it high into the atmosphere, and move it miles away before dropping it back down again. We're not talking a dust devil or two. A haboob can move hundreds of tons of earth, and when it rolls over you, the sky becomes black as night. I took the photo on the right last Friday afternoon at 5:00 pm, the end of the day for Saguaro National Park's Red Hills Visitor Center. You can … (8 comments)
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