Greek Bailout Boosts Market and Rates Jump FRIDAY IS KEY FOR RATES & STOCKS - 06/29/11 09:36 PM
Greek Bailout Boosts Market and Rates Jump FRIDAY IS KEY FOR RATES & STOCKS
I started this week with my usual Monday post about where I anticipated mortgage rates to be moving this week. I anticipated a flat to lower trend for rates and so far I have been wrong. I hate to be wrong but I'm glad when it's on the heels of stronger than expected economic data.
There have been a slew of positive reports this week that have surprised to the upside. Pending Home Sales where better than expected and the Case/Schiller Home Price Index showed an increase … (2 comments)

The Mortgage Buddy Says Thanks Vee Somoulaylack of Keller Williams for 2 Great Closings This Week - 06/29/11 09:10 PM
The Mortgage Buddys Says Thank you Vee Somoulaylack of Keller Williams for 2 Great Closings this week

Vee is a fantastic buyers' agent for with Keller Williams in Worcester,MA. I have the privilege to work with Vee on a monthly basis helping close the clients that she is generous enough to trust with my mortgage services. I can't say enough positive things about Vee but I'm going to name a few right now. Vee as usual took extra time to help this first time home buyer find the home of her dreams. She worked right along side me with amazing communication to … (1 comments)

The Mortgage Buddy Rate Outlook for the Week Begninning 6/27 - 06/26/11 01:31 PM
The Mortgage Buddy Rate Outlook for the Week Begninning 6/27

The market continues to run scared on the fears of a spreading European debt crisis, and a slow down in the global economy. Last week saw a very volatile week in the market but it ended with some better than expected durable goods orders and .1% higher on the final 1st quarter GDP numbers.
 I truly believe our economy is going to be just fine. Corporate earnings will drive the market up but that's still about 2 weeks a way. Until then we are going to be on shaky ground … (5 comments)

Realtors & Loan Officers Need to be Appreciated - 06/23/11 04:49 PM
Realtors & Loan Officers Need to be Appreciated
I first off want to sincerley thank Michelle Wesson of Keller Williamsfor a successful purchase closing this week. This was just one of those transactions that had many obstacles to over come, but through team work and perseverance we were able to help this family find a very nice home for their growing family. Michelle went above and beyond her traditional role numerous times to make certain her client was happy.
As most of us know sometimes a loan can be very challenging and require a lot more paperwork from the client than … (9 comments)

How to Use LinkedIn to Generate Real Estate Business - 06/20/11 10:04 PM
Rebekah Radice is an amazing loan officer that takes her knowledge from the mortgage industry and it expands it to the web. This is a fantastic article about how to use Linkedin to maximize your web exposure for business. Rebekah breaks down step by step how to build a profile and increas your SEO. Thank you for your hard work Rebekah.
Via Rebekah Radice Colorado Springs FHA Loan 203k, VA Mortgage, Loan Pre-Approval (Benchmark Mortgage, Colorado Springs FHA, VA, Pre-Approval):
 
 
Updating my LinkedIn profile and tweaking it for optimization and SEO purposes seems to be a never ending (albeit fun) … (7 comments)

The Mortgage Buddy Rate Outlook for the Week Beginning Monday May 20th - 06/19/11 09:32 PM
The Mortgage Buddy Rate Outlook for the Week Beginning Monday May 20th

We finally broke a six week losing streak for the stock market last week. The week started off pretty rough but we rebounded well with the news that France and Germany are going to bail out Greece. This gave a little confidence to the markets and some faith in the fact Europe won't collapse under their debt crisis, well at least for now.
This week is going to be full of data for us to pay attention. There is some housing data on tap as well as a … (0 comments)

Mortgage Buddy Product Alert Fannie Mae HomePath Now Even Better - 06/18/11 05:40 PM
Mortgage Buddy Product Alert Fannie Mae HomePath Now Even Better

Fannie Mae has a great product that helps prospective home-buyers get into a home without mortgage insurance, without an appraisal and now they are giving up to a 3.5% closing cost assistance. For those who are not aware of how the Fannie Homepath product works please look at one of my previous postings http://actvra.in/cBS and look on the homepath.com website for more eligibility.
This makes a fantastic loan even better. Below are some of the highlights of the new closing cost incentive from the HomePath site.
HomePath® Buyer Incentive: June 14 … (4 comments)

The Mortgage Buddy Meets Michael Maher and his 7 Levels of Communication - 06/17/11 02:51 PM
Today The Mortgage Buddy Meets Michael Maher and his 7 Levels of Communication
Today I had the privilege to meet Michael Maher, the author of The Seven Levels of Communication. For those who have not read this book I strongly recommend it. This seminar was an absolutely amazing event. It was a chance to meet with other motivated real estate professionals and rap about what makes them successful.
I was able to get so many new ideas from listening to others that I can't wait to start implementing them first thing tomorrow morning.
Here are some highlights from the seminar:
"Don't … (6 comments)

What Happened to My Loan Approval - 06/14/11 04:42 PM
This is a fantastic post by Rebekah Radice. She details the problems that can get in the way even after your mortgage has been pre-approved. This is a valuable read for anyone involved in buying a home. With increasingly tighter underwriting guidelines, it is important to avoid the simple mistakes that could slow down your approval process or even cause your loan to be denied.
Via Rebekah Radice Colorado Springs FHA,203k VA Mortgage Loan Pre-Approval Specialist (Benchmark Mortgage, Colorado Springs FHA, VA, Pre-Approval):
Murphy's Law says "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."  Unfortunately, that adage holds true in the mortgage … (0 comments)

Mortgage Buddy's Rate Outlook for the Week Beginning Mon. June 13th - 06/13/11 02:35 PM
Mortgage Buddy's Rate Outlook for the Week Beginning Mon. June 13th
This week is jammed packed with economic data that could really move the market and effect the direction of interest rates. We are coming off of 6 straight down weeks in the stock market and this has happened since right after dot com bubble and 911. It's tough to really say if this a healthy market correction or if this is something more devastating to our retirement funds. I think we are going to have one more down week and then start to see some greener pastures and rising rates … (0 comments)

Upcoming Charity Event in MA Rally for Ally Ride June 26th - 06/10/11 07:26 PM
As I continue to update local residents about charity events in the area, this weeks' up coming event highlights The Alexandra Smith Foundation. It focuses on helping raise money for "Ally" who had a traumatic brain injury. Here is her story.
Alexandra "Ally" Smith walked out the door on December 28, 2010 in her own happy and carefree way, with a smile on her face and laughter in her heart. On a country road in Sherborn, her life changed in an instant when her car skidded into the path of an oncoming car.Ally was rushed to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center where she was treated for … (4 comments)

Does it Cost me OR Make me Money to Turn Down a Mortgage Referral - 06/07/11 08:53 PM

This is a difficult topic for me to discuss openly and I hope everyone can appreciate my honesty towards the topic. I am extremely grateful for every referral I receive. And I am blessed to have earned the trust and respect of my referral partners. I felt this is an important topic for Activerain to think about since in many ways we all get paid the same way.
Sometimes I'm forced with the question am I saving myself money by turning down a loan for someone. It's a difficult position to be in. I have a couple of new agents … (58 comments)

The Mortgage Buddy Rate Outlook for the Week Beginning Monday June 6th - 06/05/11 10:35 PM
The Mortgage Buddy Rate Outlook for the Week Beginning Mon. June 6th
This week is a very light calendar week of economic data and reports. I think that's probably a good thing, the markets need to digest the plethora of bad data last week. We had much weaker than expected manufacturing and factory data and then we were wall disappointed by Friday's unemployment report. I like when my forward looking predictions are correct because it makes me seem credible to my readers, but there is nothing to boost about when it comes to a report like that.
Just to give a … (2 comments)

Good Time of the Year Time To Review the Business Plan-Share Your Ideas - 06/03/11 05:15 PM
It's crazy to think that we are almost half way through the year already. Up here in New England the first couple of months were a blur from the crazy amount of snow we had, and before I knew it the Spring Market was in full bloom. I spent some down time over the Memorial Day weekend to pull out my business plan for the year and take a look at where I stand and where I want to be in December. I'm not a business coach by any means but I know what works for me and that's writing down … (5 comments)

Markets In Correction Mode Jobs Report Tomorrow-Mortgage Buddy Mid-Week Report - 06/02/11 09:20 PM
Mortgage Buddy Mid-Week Commentary
Interest rates may have ticked up a sliver today, but for the past 5 weeks the markets have been trending downward. We are coming off of the worst May in a couple of years but as I keep saying we have to find a positive with everything, and the positive here is that rates are at their lowest point this year. REFINANCE NOW IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY
For those who read my posts you know I'm a mortgage geek and a CNBC junkie. I'm constantly reading and listening to commentary from technical traders, hedge fund managers, and those who … (0 comments)

 
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John Saari "The Mortgage Buddy"

Worcester, MA

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Office Phone: (508) 740-7442

Cell Phone: (508) 740-7442

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I decided to start writing this blog to be an education resource to my referral partners and my clients. We live in a new world of mortgage lending in which we need to be up to date on the changing underwriting guidlines and mortgage products offered. It's through these updates that we will all be able to provide our clients with the customer service they derserve and expect. It's my belief that this industry insight is what will take our business to the next level. Education = Confidence


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