tucson: What's Working for Me? BNI, a Structured Environment for the Development & Exchange of Quality Business Referrals - 07/25/08 12:36 AM
This is a tough market. I want to know what works, and when I find that, I want to implement what I've found. In my BNI chapter, I've found Acres of Diamonds.
BNI (Business Networking International) offers members the opportunity to share ideas, contacts and most importantly, business referrals.
I've … (18 comments)
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tucson: Two Intra-Day Price Improvements! - 07/24/08 04:22 PM
The market was down pretty significantly today, but that's not all that drove the price of bonds up, and interest rates down!
The 10 year bond, which started the day at 4.12%, ended the day at 4% even. Twelve basis points is a significant move.
Some of our lenders improved loan … (9 comments)
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tucson: Philadelphia Fed Governor Plosser: "Rates Going Up As Housing Prices Go Down" - 07/24/08 01:16 PM
It would seem counter-intuitive. Housing prices are falling, but interest rates have to go up.
Charles Plosser, President and CEO of the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank, expressed his concerns about broad based inflation. He sees the current low discount rate as an accomodation to a political situation which is not really a … (8 comments)
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tucson: Mortgage Lenders and REALTORS: Hang Tough. There's Blue Sky Above. - 07/23/08 07:42 AM
Stormy skies are the norm in Tucson, Arizona right now. It happens every year during the monsoon season. The streets and washes flood, and a few idiots decide to risk driving through the water, even though common sense tells them not to. Signs tell them to turn around. In they go, … (29 comments)
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tucson: REALTOR Toolbox: Maximum Seller Buy Down Explained - 07/22/08 01:40 AM
Ann Heitland (Flagstaff, AZ) asked a question a few days ago about the meaning of "maximum seller buy down," and I answered in a comment on her blog post.
I'd like to give the topic wider exposure; you'll be a hero to your sellers if you can offer them this often-overlooked … (16 comments)
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tucson: "Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing, that we see, too late, the one that is opening." A.G. Bell - 07/21/08 10:57 PM
Wachovia is suspending its whosale lending, according to an article on Bloomberg today.
Should I worry as a mortgage broker? Nope!
It was a busy day, full of marketing for the month of August, and it wasn't until my Account Exec from Vertice (American Mortgage Network before Wachovia bought it) broadcast … (10 comments)
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tucson: Saturday Night in the Desert: Cactus Moon Rising - 07/19/08 11:43 PM
It's late on Saturday night, and I'm finishing up my Active Rain week.
This almost full moon was rising over Bren, (one of the named peaks in the Tucson Mountain range,) Wednesday evening when it caught my eye.
I was on my way home from work, and for most of the … (15 comments)
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tucson: What Me Worry? You'll Kick Yourself Next Year if You Don't Buy Your Home Now. Here's Why... - 07/19/08 11:07 PM
Now THAT's a worried look. Mom's holding her more than two feet away, but little India (born 2/29) is clearly concerned. I wonder if those long pointy things remind her of her pediatrician? She puts me in mind of most homebuyers in the current real estate market.
Today's news trumpets the … (18 comments)
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tucson: Think of Your Network Development as Deep Roots for Tough Times - 07/18/08 12:01 AM
Monsoon season brings life to the desert regions of the southwest, and the resulting color is nothing short of spectacular.
I don't water this particular plant in my back yard. It greens up some during the winter rains, but then goes dormant in the triple digit temperatures of June. You would … (19 comments)
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tucson: The Recipe for Success? Implement First. Refine Later. - 07/17/08 05:36 PM
WOW! Are you getting weary in your business? Thinking of slowing up on the blogging thing because it takes so much time? Here's a shot of adrenalin!
Dana Lim, agent with Allstate here in Tucson, joined Active Rain yesterday. She and I talked about the exceptional value of visibility through the … (17 comments)
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tucson: Two New AR Recruits in One Day! Say Hi to Dana Lim of Tucson, AZ - 07/16/08 06:07 PM
This has been an enjoyable day in the RAIN! I've had the privelege of introducing two new members, both of whom have posted their very first time on Active Rain.
Dana is an experienced blogger, and you'll enjoy her outside blog. You'll need to go over there to get the link, … (19 comments)
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tucson: We Just Keep Getting More Californians in Tucson. This One's a Winner! - 07/16/08 02:35 PM
I refer business to an Allstate Agency in my building, and stopped up to talk with one of the agents I work with.
While I was there, I met Kellie Pillors, whose picture doesn't do her justice! She is a whirlwind of smiling energy, and we hit it off immediately.
Kellie … (14 comments)
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tucson: Home, Home on the Ridge. Tucson, Arizona - 07/15/08 10:59 PM
Driving up towards Gates Pass along Gates Pass Road, you might never know that this home sits there.
It's perched on the ridge of the Tucson Mountains, overlooking the valley to the west, and Tucson to the east.
I've never been to the home; access is from the eastern flank of … (15 comments)
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tucson: Live Venomous Critters at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum in Tucson, AZ (2 of 2) - 07/15/08 12:41 AM
Your REALTOR may or may not inform you about our desert critters here in Tucson. We live in a neighborhood called Tucson Estates II, and it is surrounded by Tucson Mountain Park, which in turn abuts Saguaro National Park West, in the Tucson Mountains on Tucson's western flank. Just down Kinney … (26 comments)
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tucson: Live Venomous Critters at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum in Tucson, AZ (1 of 2) - 07/15/08 12:21 AM
Saturday night entertainment. My Darlin' and I were on the very front row. My choice. She's a saint. The venue was an auditorium at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum, just down Kinney Road from our neighborhood, Tucson Estates II.
The two speakers for the evening came walking down the auditorium aisle … (5 comments)
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tucson: Xeriscaping: Think of it as Green Gardening - 07/11/08 11:05 PM
This lovely cactus is located on a side of my house (west) which has almost no windows.
I planted it to enhance someone else's view. Our neighbors had invited us for dinner, and I happened to stand at their kitchen window, which looks across their yard at my blank west wall. The … (10 comments)
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tucson: Tucson's Jim Hogan Is Invited to Sing for President Bush! - 07/11/08 12:17 AM
Jim won't like this photo, but that's him on the right, practicing one of his numbers with the rest of us. Jim's a phenomenal lyricist and singer.
He called me this morning to let me know that he's been invited along with some others (none pictured here) to sing for President … (10 comments)
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tucson: Active Rain Blogging Visibility Lands Me a Spot on KVOA.com, KVOA News 4, Tucson - 07/08/08 11:25 PM
Back in March I wrote a post titled Mike in Tucson Becomes the "Comment Nazi," Gives Orders to Brave Commenters. LOL It's members only, so if you can't see the post, sign up and come on back.) This was my point:
We need to MAKE the news, and stop reacting to it. Your … (51 comments)
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tucson: Tucson Architecture: Benedictine Sanctuary (2 of 2) - 07/07/08 11:01 PM
The Roman Catholic Church is responsible for some of the most beautiful architecture in the southwest. It started with Father Kino in the late 1700s, and the San Xavier Mission.
The Benedictine Sanctuary on Country Club Road fits right into a later chapter of Tucson's history, and to my mind, is … (17 comments)
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tucson: Tucson Architecture: Benedictine Sanctuary (1 of 2) - 07/07/08 10:49 PM
Driving home from the office tonight, I had to pull over, get out, and snap a photo of the architecture that graces Country Club Road in Tucson.
The setting sun painted the Benedictine Sanctuary tower, and created the beginnings of a rainbow in the background.
I stayed for 15 minutes, hoping … (12 comments)
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tucson: Going Green: Living With Nature in the Sonoran Desert - 07/06/08 11:53 PM
The Arizona-Sonoran Desert is my home, and it's the home of one of our favorite desert plants.
It's called Ocotillo, and its long, thin stems studded with thorns make it the perfect poor man's fencing material.
The interesting thing is that when the cut end touches the ground, the Ocotillo … (10 comments)
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tucson: Free Is Good: Hold a Seminar at your Local Library - 07/04/08 11:35 PM
It wasn't my idea, but I'm glad to piggyback on it.
An appraiser here in Tucson held a seminar for loan officers on a non-lending topic. I got an invitation, and showed up at 6:30.
I haven't been to a public library for ages. Imagine my surprise when I found out … (19 comments)
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tucson: July 4th in Tucson: Thank God and Our Armed Services for Freedom - 07/04/08 11:26 PM
A fleet of airships sits silent in the desert tonight, waiting to be deployed for duty as needed.
On this Independence day, I'm thankful for the freedom I enjoy as a citizen of the United States of America.
That's it. Thank you, God, and thank you to each and every service … (14 comments)
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tucson: Mike in Tucson's Monsoon Gift Offer! - 07/03/08 12:22 AM
Doesn't this cast a different light on the phrase "Active Rain?" This is my favorite time of year in Tucson, Arizona.
Clouds build and boil, the sky darkens, lightning flashes across the sky, and the desert soaks up the precious rain!
I thought I'd share my favorite (so far) cloud photo … (28 comments)
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tucson: REALTORS: Do You Participate in Your Town Government? - 07/02/08 11:20 AM
Local government, and the decisions they make, go a long way toward making a home salable. Here's a perfect example from Oro Valley, a town near Tucson, Arizona.
This bench (banco) would make a fine addition to any million dollar home in the Sonoran Desert.
It's a bus stop!
The … (24 comments)
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tucson: Please Welcome My Friend Robin Chlad - 06/27/08 06:55 PM
Robin is an agent with Realty Executives. She joined AR yesterday, and has already signed up her first Rainer! Please click on her photo to go to her Active Rain blog and make her feel welcome.
Robin makes these cool hand-thrown, hand painted southwestern candle covers. The little ones are about … (35 comments)
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tucson: You Should Worry If Dad Says He's Getting a Reverse Mortgage - 06/14/08 07:18 AM
Many big banks and mortgage companies are pushing reverse mortgages right now. Countrywide and others are offering classes to loan officers on how to sell (what to say, and what to avoid saying) this product to seniors. In the first article of its kind that I've read, someone articulated what I've been telling … (51 comments)
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tucson: If I Stand Real Still, No One Will Notice Me - 06/12/08 06:45 PM
It's unbelieveable that my friend the Colonel was able to get so close that he could take this photo without a telephoto lens.
The doe didn't bolt, confident that if only she stayed very still, she wouldn't be seen; the brush is an effective visual barrier.
Sometimes I feel like the … (29 comments)
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tucson: Yes, I Still Do Mortgages... - 06/11/08 11:44 PM
Someone emailed me, asking where I find the time to take all my photos, and write blogs on AR. "Do you still do mortgages?" was the question at the end.
Everything in life is a balance. We need to work enough to make ends meet, keep food on the table, and … (13 comments)
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tucson: Capture Life! Always Have Your Camera Nearby. - 06/09/08 12:26 AM
This has been a great day; I hope yours was, too.
My Mom used to call Sunday "the Lord's Day," and it certainly was today.
Our church meets in a high school gym in the shadow of the Pusch Ridge escarpment, a granite outcropping that defines the westerly boundry of the … (31 comments)
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tucson: More Photos from the Memorial Day Hike in the Santa Catalina Mountains, Tucson, Arizona - 06/06/08 11:20 PM
In case you missed it, go back, and move your cursor over each photograph to see a description of the photo. God's creation is just fantastic! In case you haven't yet joined the Active Rain Group Active Rain Fit Club, now would be a good time to click … (25 comments)
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tucson: Memorial Day Hike: Mt. Lemmon Summit to Catalina State Park (Part 4) - 06/05/08 07:57 PM
If I could have paid to have a helicopter pick me up and fly me out, I would have given it serious con-sideration.
The only way out (other than walking) would have been rescue by mules, and that would have made the newspaper!
My legs weren't obeying my mental commands, and … (19 comments)
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tucson: Memorial Day Hike: Mt. Lemmon Summit to Catalina State Park (Part 3) - 06/04/08 12:03 PM
My friend Eleanor Thorne commented on the last segment "Were you crazy?" To which I freely admit that sometimes, I am. This was one of those times.
Six or seven miles into the hike, we came to one of the really steep parts. The trail was a series of switchbacks, taking us back … (14 comments)
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tucson: Memorial Day Hike: Mt. Lemmon Summit to Catalina State Park (Part 2) - 06/02/08 10:24 PM
(If you're starting with this post, you might want to check out Part One first: Memorial Day Hike Down Mt. Lemmon to Catalina State Park, Tucson, Arizona.)
Someone commented on the first part of this story that they don't think of Arizona as being cold. That depends on elevation. Friends hiked … (18 comments)
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tucson: Memorial Day Hike Down Mt. Lemmon to Catalina State Park, Tucson, Arizona (Part 1) - 06/02/08 12:18 AM
There was snow cover on top; the Friday before Memorial Day, the road to Mt. Lemmon from Tucson has been closed because of snow for a time, and it still lingered at 9,250'. Five of us drove to the summit, and spent all day hiking down to Catalina State Park, 13 … (18 comments)
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tucson: From Ann Arbor to Tucson: The Housing Crisis is Behind Us. Says Who? - 05/22/08 09:33 PM
Missy Caulk in Ann Arbor posted a link to an opinion piece written in the Wall Street Journal on May 6th. Title: The Housing Crisis Is Over. WSJ may not agree (yet) with the article. They buried it on page A23.
As interesting to me as the article is its author. He's Cyril … (14 comments)
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tucson: Little Walnuts Walking on Sticks. A Gambel's Quail in my Geranium Pot. - 05/21/08 11:54 PM
We've never seen the mother sit on the nest, and it wasn't until there were four or five eggs that we noticed them at all.
Gambel's Quail are among my favorite visitors to our backyard in the Arizona Sonoran Desert. The male and the female … (39 comments)
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tucson: Interest Rates: This Morning (First Thing) Will Be a Good Time to Lock - 05/21/08 05:01 AM
IMHO, today will be a good day to lock an interest rate on your purchase if you do it first thing this morning. The US stock market was down nearly 200 points yesterday. Asia followed while you were eating dinner yesterday on the east coast, with a drop of more than … (6 comments)
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tucson: Looking Back at the Good Old Days? Better Keep an Eye On the Road Ahead. - 05/20/08 11:44 PM
Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.
No, they're not.
Despite what you see in the rear view mirror, the good old days are not coming back.
I don't have the NAR statistics on the average age of REALTORS, but I'm betting that my generation comprises more than … (21 comments)
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tucson: CHEAP GAS Sells Real Estate! - 05/19/08 11:20 PM
You're going to want to move to Tucson, AZ!
The LOWEST GAS PRICES in the nation. Combine that with our ourstanding golf, great resorts, forever views, magnificent sunsets... Did I mention gas prices are the LOWEST in the nation?!
The Mars expedition will be manned from its headquarters at the University … (20 comments)
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tucson: Birding in Tucson, AZ: Madera Canyon and the Elegant Trogon - 05/17/08 08:00 PM
I've read about the Elegant Trogon, a magnificent bird that makes its way north of the border when springtime arrives in Tucson. I've seen one in the Coronado National Forest. Until today, though, I had never photographed a Trogon.
Dave Young, who ramrodded our birder outing, is a retired geologist. He's … (17 comments)
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tucson: Looking For A Sign? The End Is Near. - 05/16/08 05:47 AM
Real estate slumps start slowly, gain momentum, and feed on themselves like a tornado. Panic sets in. Prices drop. Bottom feeders are vilified for profiting from the distress of fellow human beings.
Suddenly (it seems in retrospect) the worst is behind us. Bottom feeders are praised for "speeding up the recovery … (19 comments)
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tucson: News Flash: Chase Dumps Home Equity Line of Credit Business - 05/15/08 06:50 PM
I just received an email from my Chase Account Executive regarding Home Equity Lines of Credit. Chase is getting out of that business. Here's what the email announced:
Unfortunately, given the market conditions Chase Home Finance has made the decision toeliminate the Home Equity Channel. Effective end of day Friday May … (12 comments)
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tucson: Unique Mailbox on Soldier Trail in Tucson, AZ: a Mailbox Series Update - 05/15/08 05:01 AM
Chris Griffith, an Active Rain giant and successful REALTOR in Bonita Springs, Florida, is a gem! Newbies would do well to subscribe to her blog, both for content and ideas.
Chris's post The Mailbox Series - First Time Poster's Welcome caught my eye tonight.
Real estate bloggers here in the Rain often … (21 comments)
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tucson: Baxter Black Country: Red Tail Hawks Nesting in Benson, AZ - 05/14/08 10:31 PM
The speedometer was pegged at 50 mph, and I was heading down SR 90 towards Karchner Caverns in Benson, AZ. Talk radio was blaring. Hannity, I think. (I'm a right wing nut case, raised in a Latin American country where the Minister of Finance was castrated in public during the 60's. Wouldn't that … (20 comments)
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tucson: Active Rain Referral: Loan Needed for Manufactured HOME Purchase - 05/14/08 12:09 AM
If there's a sector of the real estate industry that suffers from insecurity, it has to be the Mobile Home. Tin Can, Twister Bait, and many other epithets are flung at this sector. Some REALTORS and Agents alike turn up their noses. Today, Bank of America told a potential client that … (10 comments)
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tucson: I-10 Expansion Half Finished in Tucson - 05/11/08 11:28 PM
We call it "the Tunnel." It's a section of Interstate 10 through Tucson's downtown, from Prince Road to the Interstate 19 interchange.
The tunnel funnels traffic past the construction area where our interstate is being widened to accomodate our growth as a city.
The lanes through the Tunnel have been narrowed … (13 comments)
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tucson: Tucson's Version of the Hot Dog: Sonoran! - 05/10/08 11:55 PM
"So," I asked little Galilea at my favorite roadside hot dog stand here in the Tucson Mountains, "Do you run the business while your Daddy makes the hot dogs?"
"No," she grinned. "Actually, I pretty much don't do anything." Not true. She's the salesperson. Galilea claps her hands and smiles when … (16 comments)
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tucson: Local Expresso Entrepreneurs Battle Starbucks and Thrive - 05/10/08 11:37 PM
Starbucks Coffee is getting gray around the temples. It's beginning to show its age, so to speak.
Once the local Starbucks stores reached the saturation point, we began to see Starbucks kiosks in the local grocery chains.
How big can you get before you've saturated your market?
New competitors with great … (9 comments)
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tucson: Highway Visibility: Yesteryear's Real Estate "Hook" - 05/07/08 11:42 PM
Minnesota has its Paul Bunyan and the Blue Ox. Small towns across the country have the 15' tall lumberjack holding out a tractor tire. This huge bug was a new one for me.
We were in Colorado Springs last year for our daughter's wedding, and I had some free time.
One of … (23 comments)
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tucson: Shotgun Wedding? Bank of America Values Countrywide Between Zero and $2.00 - 05/05/08 12:49 PM
BofA is not my favorite lending institution at the moment. Not ever, actually.
They inked a deal last year to buy Countrywide. Today comes news on Bloomberg that the $7 per share that was to have been paid has been reduced to somewhere between Zero and $2.00 a share. The deal … (21 comments)
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tucson: Agents and REALTORS: The FHA Mortgage is a Fantastic Sales Tool in Tough Markets! - 05/04/08 11:42 PM
My REALTOR partners are closing sales for Tucson buyers who have income, but have saved little towards a downpayment. Buyer demand is strong for zero down homes, or nearly zero down. Here's what you need to do to close more sales using the advantages of an FHA mortgage:
This is a MUST: Make sure your … (21 comments)
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tucson: Silly Tucson Saturday Night Post - 05/04/08 12:27 AM
Some time ago, I wrote a short post about these pigeons camped out at the car wash, just waiting for the happy car owner to drive under the light standard.
Bird brains!
Then today, a realtor from South Carolina sent me a series of photos from a car wash showing starlings going … (15 comments)
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tucson: Jazz at the China Rose, Tucson, Arizona - 05/04/08 12:15 AM
I love Chinese food. I love good jazz. Until coming to Tucson ten years ago, the two never shared the same file space in my brain.
That was before I visited the China Rose on Speedway in Tucson, AZ.
Frank Hartline invited me to join him and his wife Cheryl for dinner … (5 comments)
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tucson: Oldie But Goodie: Antique Truck Still in Service in Tucson, Arizona - 05/04/08 12:01 AM
They say it's a dry heat. Summers get into the triple digits, but with the lack of rain and humidity year round (not to mention NO salt on the roads in winter) Tucson preserves its vehicles better than just about any place in the country. Here's a great example.
I was pulling … (6 comments)
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tucson: Four Wheel Buggy Does Gig at the Tucson Folk Festival - 05/03/08 11:27 PM
Music adds spice to life, and we love performing. Today was the first of two days of folk music here in Tucson.
The Tucson Folk Festival takes over the center of the city for two days each spring.
We performed at three o'clock this afternoon at one of the five venues, the Old … (10 comments)
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tucson: Spiffing Up the Laundry Room - 05/01/08 11:47 PM
My Darlin' and I spent Sunday afternoon walking through three model homes in the Tucson Mountains.
The homes were nicely staged, more Texas than Tucson, IMHO, and the landscaping was exquisite.
The largest model was about 2,000 square feet, with lots of glass facing the mountains. The interior kitchen, if I recall, … (15 comments)
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tucson: The Ferris Wheel Real Estate Market - 05/01/08 11:32 PM
So there we were, last Saturday night, at the Pima County fair. I've been partial to fairs since I was a kid of seven on the eastern shore of Virginia.
Grandpa would take us, and cousin Jerry and I spent out time looking for empty Coca Cola bottles. We gathered them up … (9 comments)
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tucson: Dinosaur Bones On the Ranch in Oklahoma? - 04/30/08 10:43 PM
One of the joys of owning your own piece of real estate comes from things you find. Sometimes its a find in the backyard. A friend of mine found coins from the revolutionary war days on his property in south Jersey.
Our friends, the Colonel and his Darlin', were walking the limestone … (14 comments)
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tucson: Southwest Colors in Spring: This Cactus Really Is Purple! - 04/29/08 11:44 PM
It's a variant of the common Prickly Pear. The first time I saw one, I would have sworn it was spray painted by a graffitti artist.
If not that, it must have been fabricated from metal. Some of them are gun metal grey.
The color just doesn't jive with an easterner's sense of … (21 comments)
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tucson: REALTOR as Trusted Advisor: Get Beyond the Lender Greed Factor - 04/28/08 12:43 PM
Beyond Greedy LendersAre your clients surprised that mortgage interest rates are climbing higher? You can position yourself as a trusted advisor by not parroting the "greed" factor. Instead, become acquainted with specific world events that are causing the trouble. Here are a few things to keep an eye on:
The US Dollar … (10 comments)
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tucson: False Advertising and the Bathroom Break - 04/27/08 06:54 AM
Any port in a storm... We were driving through New Mexico last week, and saw the Necessary as we pulled off Interstate 10.
No Key Needed was painted in five inch high letters, but as I got closer, it was apparent that this was indeed, false advertising. LOL
I'm Mike in Tucson, … (23 comments)
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tucson: Friday Night Post: Twilight In Tucson, Arizona - 04/26/08 01:38 AM
I don't know which I like better, the fire of a Tucson sunset, or the lovely stillness of the moonrise at twilight, after the sun has disappeared in the western sky. I took these two photos a half hour apart, the first from the parking lot at Gates Pass in the … (32 comments)
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tucson: Too Early to Get Comfortable--The Credit Crunch is Still With Us - 04/25/08 04:17 PM
Business has picked up in Tucson, and I'm grateful. My phone rang earlier, though, and the person on the other end was surprised that a loan request had been denied by his bank. He was hoping that as a broker, I could help him.
Because of tightened Fannie Mae guidelines, I couldn't. … (9 comments)
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tucson: It's Not What You Have... It's WHAT YOU DO WITH WHAT YOU HAVE That Makes the Difference - 04/24/08 10:31 PM
This photo is the perfect example of that! This is GARBAGE! And it's wonderful!
I ran into an acquaintance who hasn't seen me for more than six months.
She looked sort of sorrowful as she asked "Oh. How have you been doing in this awful market? I know it must be a struggle. … (37 comments)
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tucson: The Home Inspector Told the Bank I Needed A New Roof - 04/24/08 12:24 AM
This is why we'll always have a job. The buyer in the FSBO transaction paid for a home inspection.
The home inspector told him that the roof was not economically repairable because of the age of the house, and that he shouldn't put much money into something so old.
I guess the … (18 comments)
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tucson: For Newbies Only: Your Camera is Key to Localism Success - 04/23/08 12:06 PM
...for a very simple reason. Visual stimulus is instantaneous. The second you saw that 1915 Ford, your mental thought was interrupted. You stopped. You looked. And now you're reading.
People happen upon Localism posts when they're searching the internet for something else. They're not usually looking for you or your Localism post.
If … (31 comments)
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tucson: Microsoft Stalls on Yahoo Purchase. Maybe This Is Why! - 04/23/08 11:12 AM
Sorry for the holdup? Temporary glitch? Come on! Let's talk!
I've never seen this happen on Yahoo. Have you? I tried to upload one of my banks' ratesheets to price a loan, and the message won't upload. Maybe it's time to go to Gmail!
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, Arizona mortgage … (15 comments)
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tucson: First AZ Blogging Network Get-Together in Gilbert is TOMORROW Morning! - 04/23/08 06:22 AM
Tomorrow. Thursday, April 24th. 9:00 until 10:30, or stay for lunch. Free T-Shirts with embroidered logos! (Okay, I made up that last one. You won't get a tee shirt.)
If you live in Arizona, and you haven't seen this logo floating around Active Rain, you haven't been spending enough time on Active … (8 comments)
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tucson: There's No Place Like Home in the Arizona-Sonoran Desert - 04/23/08 12:43 AM
Getting away for ten days does a lot to recharge the batteries, freshen one's outlook, and to minimize the problems that seemed overwhelming just a week ago.
We were in a beautiful area of God's creation--southeastern Oklahoma in the springtime.
Still, the rain across the desert in spring paints the valley floor twenty … (19 comments)
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tucson: Homebuilding On A Miniature Scale: A Sure Sign of Spring in Tucson, AZ - 04/23/08 12:29 AM
While we Lenders, Real Estate Agents, Appraisers and Title folk are worrying about the housing market and its effects on our individual economies, there's hope on the horizon.
Hummingbirds have returned to Tucson, Arizona.
Oblivious to the humans around them, they court the opposite sex, settle on a mate, and get down to … (10 comments)
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tucson: Photograpy on the Fly: West Texas on the Way to Tucson - 04/21/08 10:23 PM
West Texas, driving home to Tucson.
Keep the shiny side up. That's the main thing on my mind.
West Texas is flat, monotonous, and the Interstate runs a straight line to the horizon.
Except for the rumble strips to keep you awake, what do you do to relieve the boredom?
I take photos. Set the … (22 comments)
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tucson: Part 4 of 5 Ranch Photos from Mike in Tucson - 04/19/08 09:32 PM
No one has written a history of the rock post. They anchor barbed wire fences on most of the ranches in southeastern Oklahoma. This post on your left is a typical rock post along Route 22 between Caddo & Kenefic.
The Colonel isn't a typical rancher. He's made his rock posts into works of … (5 comments)
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tucson: Part 3 of 5 Ranch Photos from Mike in Tucson - 04/19/08 09:15 PM
Pastures in Southeastern Oklahoma are full of rocks. Ancient rocks, actually. There's one layer of rock called Kiamichi. Pieces of the layer are laying in the pasture there on your left.
Look closely, and you'll see fossilized oyster shells from way back when. The entire place used to be at the … (9 comments)
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tucson: Part 1 of 5 Ranch Photos from Mike in Tucson - 04/12/08 12:20 AM
We drove 600 miles today--Tucson to Midland TX, so we're half way to Caddo, OK. Since we've been working this herd together for so long, we consider our friends on Glen Mar Ranch to be family.
The hotel has internet access, so I'm blogging. Thanks to all of you for your comments … (22 comments)
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tucson: Balance in Life: It's Time for the Annual Roundup in Caddo, OK - 04/11/08 09:20 AM
Mike in Tucson will be less visible on the blogosphere for the next ten days. I'll be working cattle.
"Well, who will you get to help work cattle in the spring?" I put the question to my friends Dick and Olivia in early 1995. Dick, having retired from the Air Force, had decided to … (24 comments)
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tucson: Just For (Lenn &) Lenders: Reduced Doc Loans Follow Dodo Bird to Extinction - 04/10/08 08:04 AM
For years, my favorite loan for high FICO borrowers with substantial assets and large down payments has been Suntrust's "Eligible" through Desktop Originator. Fannie Mae gives me its Approve/Eligible, and Suntrust says "regardless of what Fannie says, you do not need to document..."
Before I learned to use DO, Countrywide's Fast and … (13 comments)
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tucson: Rebuttal to the Notion that Mortgage Brokers are Redundant in the Banking World - 04/09/08 09:02 AM
The late 70's gentleman who found his way to my office (broker) had been referred by a client. Quiet, principled, churched, and a Rotarian for more than half a decade, he had fallen on hard times when a business venture folded. He had extended credit to his customers, and they had … (28 comments)
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tucson: Greenspan on Home Price Stabilization: 2008! - 04/08/08 06:52 AM
Alan Greenspan has taken a lot of heat for believing (and acting on his belief) that bubbles are okay, and that they will sort themselves out. No matter. He's retired.
He still has one of the most acutely perceptive minds in the business, however, and when Alan Greenspan talks, I'll listen. At … (16 comments)
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tucson: Two New Active Rain Referrals in One Weekend! - 04/07/08 03:55 PM
If you're young enough to ask the question "What is a broken record?" you'll have to forgive me.
I'm starting to sound like a broken record when I tell you that Active Rain relationships result in real business!
The most recent referral came this weekend, from Kent Simpson. Kent wrote about it yesterday … (84 comments)
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tucson: For Newbies Only: How to Avoid "Comment Stuttering" - 04/07/08 07:53 AM
It happens from time to time. Active Rain sends in the bulldozers to tear up a section of road when increased traffic creates a bottleneck.
You can't see the maintenance crew or know that they're working under the lights, around the clock, to install the new, improved roadway.
All you know is that … (32 comments)
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tucson: In This Real Estate Market, You Need Deep Roots - 04/05/08 10:22 PM
"Bloom where you're planted." I saw this Barrel Cactus high up on a rock outcropping in the Tortillita mountains.
Not all success comes from being planted in fertile, cultivated soil. The tiny seed that is now this hundred pound giant fell between the rocks.
It found enough wind-blown soil, moisture and shade to … (21 comments)
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tucson: Local Expert: Look What You Can Find Under the Bridge! - 04/05/08 09:54 PM
Tucson (rather, greater Tucson) has passed the million mark in terms of human habitation. With that number of people comes a greater requirement for infrastructure. Things like this concrete bridge spanning one of our many arroyos.
Thousands of cars pass over this bridge each day, commuting to work, going to the grocery … (15 comments)
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tucson: Firestorm Issue? Arizona Senators, Please Vote YES on SB-1028, Loan Originator Licensing - 04/04/08 12:57 PM
This is the Debating Chamber of the Arizona State Senate. Not every senator--we have 30 State Senators--shows up for every debate or vote.
I want this one to be an exception.
The Political Necessity:
The US Congress is working on a proposal to reform oversight of our nation's financial services industry. One part … (26 comments)
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tucson: Good News for Interest Rates: Bloomberg Reports on Jobless Claims - 04/03/08 08:02 AM
By now, you know that Bloomberg is one of my favorite sites for evenhanded financial news reporting. Today's article: U.S. Initial Jobless Claims Rose 38,000 to 407,000, bodes well for Agents selling and Lenders supporting their buyers. Look for interest rates to improve today.
If you like it, LOCK IT!
I'm Mike in … (17 comments)
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tucson: This Fool Started in the Lending Business on April 1, 2003 - 04/01/08 11:46 PM
Today is a milestone. Five years in the lending business. All five here in Tucson, Arizona. I remember telling the processor at my first job that I intended to learn to run my own Desktop Originator with Fannie Mae. "Over my dead body!" was the response. Her name is Cherubina. She didn't … (24 comments)
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tucson: Huge Spread Between Borrowing and Lending Costs: Are The Banks Getting Fat? - 03/28/08 02:03 PM
There's an interesting article today on Bloomberg.com, by Ann Woolner. That's Ann on the left. She's not real big on banks right now, because they're hoarding the cheap money the Federal Reserve has made available.
She makes the point that if she went under financially, none of her creditors (the yard … (13 comments)
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tucson: For Newbies Only: Use Your Camera to Capture My Imagination - 03/28/08 12:32 AM
Words without images are like eating a hardboiled egg without salt. You'll get some good out of it, but the experience won't be very satisfying.
My mind (yours too) doesn't understand words. It understands images.
We don't think in words, you and I. We think in images. A story is a series of … (24 comments)
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tucson: 4 Wheel Buggy Makes the Cut, will Perform at Tucson Folk Festival in May - 03/25/08 11:51 PM
If you're going to be in Tucson on Saturday, May 4, let me know. 4 Wheel Buggy was selected as a participant in the 2008 Tucson Folk Festival! Those of you who know me also know it doesn't take much to make me smile. When Frank Hartline (dobro on left) called … (15 comments)
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tucson: Bernanke's Fed: One Week To Accountability Before Congress - 03/25/08 11:44 AM
"The Fed last week agreed to help JPMorgan acquire Bear Stearns after a run on Bear, once the second-biggest underwriter of U.S. mortgage bonds. In an effort to shore up Wall Street's other firms, it also agreed to become lender of last resort to all 20 primary dealers in Treasury notes."Scott … (10 comments)
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tucson: Double B (Ben Bernanke) Dons Superman Cape - 03/22/08 12:51 AM
I blogged earlier in the week about the still-new Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, predicting that "Bernanke will carve out his own niche in US history before this is all over." He's doing it.
The US Dollar rallied this week, routing speculators and investors in commodities who were betting that inflation would return … (18 comments)
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tucson: Too Young to Remember Volcker? Look for an Exciting Day from our Federal Reserve - 03/18/08 04:56 AM
Republican, Democrat, Libertarian or Independent. It doesn't matter right now. We're all united as Fed Watchers, and today will be no exception.
Bloomberg's Steve Matthews makes this prediction this morning: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke may be readying the deepest interest-rate cut in a generation as the central bank struggles … (23 comments)
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tucson: Bear Bites Bear, Stearns. What's Under the Covers? - 03/16/08 11:21 PM
For eighty-five years, the investment bank that is now Bear, Stearns has grown and prospered. Consider how far it has fallen:
April, 2007: Bear, Stearns stock sold for $159., it's 52 week high at that point.March, 2008: Bear, Stearns stock was selling for $70. last week, before rumors of its liquidity problems … (21 comments)
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tucson: Blog Post #201. Mike In Tucson Inactivates Real Estate License... - 03/16/08 10:29 PM
...to focus on FHA and VA loans. Yep. I've held my REALTOR® status and Arizona Real Estate License for more than a year now. I wrote a post last year asking what people thought about lenders who also held a real estate license. I got an earful. And I said I'd … (30 comments)
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tucson: 200 Active Rain Blog Posts! - 03/15/08 09:13 PM
It doesn't take much to make me smile. The past eight months on Active Rain have given me some of the biggest smiles in my life! You are all so creative, so genuine, and more often than not, so funny! So here I am at post number 200, with no … (31 comments)
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tucson: Commercial Real Estate Redo in Tucson: The Drawing Studio Takes Over Johnny Gibson Gym Equipment store - 03/12/08 10:58 PM
January, 2008. The Tucson Citizen ran the following headline: Craving for art classes drives studio's expansion. The article, by TEYA VITU, highlights the growth of a unique art community and school founded by Andy Rush. Vitu's article will give you the particulars of the past and present growth of The Drawing Studio. I … (4 comments)
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tucson: Mortgage Pricing Is Out of Whack! - 03/10/08 10:38 PM
This was a devastating day for the stock markets, so I expected to see the rate (yield) on the 10 year bond fall. I wasn't disappointed. Take a look at where the market ended the day, courtesy of Bloomberg.
I'm going to pick on one of my favorite lenders, SunTrust, although every … (17 comments)
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tucson: Local Rag: Tucson Wildflowers Best in 30 Years! - 03/08/08 08:51 PM
The Arizona Daily Star headline sent my Darlin' and me down 86, west of Tucson, looking for the poppies, bluebells and other wildflowers that blanket stretches of our Arizona-Sonoran desert after the December rains. The morning was cloudy, but by lunchtime, the sun pushed the clouds south. It was beautiful, and we want … (26 comments)
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tucson: Countrywide's Portfolio of Loans is the Ugly Duckling... - 03/03/08 08:52 PM
...with little hope of becoming a beautiful swan. While companies like AmNet (American Mortgage Network) were busy originating 100% loans in the form of 80/20s and Pick-a-Pays, it was Countrywide who was buying and servicing the loans.
That portfolio, a beautiful swan in 2005, has become the industry's biggest ugly duckling. Late payments on option … (24 comments)
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tucson: Tucson Arizona Relocation Package - 02/29/08 02:45 PM
Please think of me as your preferred mortgage lender and Relocation Consultant. I'll work closely with you and your real estate agent or REALTOR. Not many people have the privelege of knowing a town like I know Tucson.
You see, in a previous life as National Sales Manager for an international manufacturing … (23 comments)
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