It's been  200 days since my last blog post.

In that time we got a new president, I had to become a W-2 loan originator and our economy is going to hell in a hand-basket. How many hail Mary's do I need to throw up in the air before they stick?

Try as I might, I keep rubbing these beads you gave me but the banks continue to squander their gold in the name of identifying and better defining risk.

How's about a little devine intervention this afternoon? I have an appraisal appointment this afternoon...

Is it just me or are some of you out there noticing that attendance at your open houses are improving? Most all of the folks coming through the houses I've been holding open are more than willing to leave me contact information, which at times can be a challenge... but no offers!

It's like bees buzzing around a hive! They know the drill, they have a goal and yet their just circling, buzzing and circling some more. 

Interest rates are as good as they can be. There remain a number of flexible loan programs and some bolstered old stand-bys that have recently had life blown back in them with increased loan limits. The homes are at a prices reflecting great values in today's market and yet still the pospects circle, afraid to light.

Is it all the negative news at 6:00? Is it the uncertainty of an upcoming national election? Has the goal; of home ownership been made suspect by unsettled markets of late? 

What's the buzz around your hive? 

When Green Valley Mortgage expanded into the whole top floor of 909 First St. the managers at the time rushed to move desks and copiers and put up bulletin boards. The building's character was of little concern; the high ceilings, crown moldings, the turn-of-the-century character was just lost. Also of little concern was the enclosed outdoor patio visible to the whole office and accessed through French doors.

Despite my descriptive prose, this is not a fading monument to mortgage excesses but rather an office space that can put on more than one face. By relocating desks and better identifying task areas I was able to free up a fair amount of 'floor space' to install a rotating art gallery. (point of clarification, the art work rotates, the office doesn't, pardon my grammar)

This is a not-for-profit venture aimed to create not only a great place top park your laptop but also to fit in with the art community that is strong in Benicia, CA. Our first show opened December 7th and displayed work by fourteen artists, mostly local, some nationally and one internationally acclaimed.

This venture was met with rave reviews but alas, must come to close. We hosted two meet-and-greets and put the wheels in motion for an outdoor seminar series on the deck, weather permitting, in the spring.

I'll be replacing the works with a bunch of vintage posters I own as an interim display while I think of the next theme and begin to contact artists for participation.  

If you're in our neck of the woods call or email for current gallery info and hours. The coffee pot is always on (even fresh grounds as escrows permit, lol).

Tonight is the Arts Benicia opening party for their next exhibit, The Art of a Community. Google them 'Arts Benicia' for details 

A feature I'd like to share here is Green Valley Mortgage Connect. This is a RESPA reviewed and approved mechanism that allows a real estate broker to build a working relationship with us. This is available to real estate brokers throughout California.

When an office signs on with us, the broker becomes a 'manager' for his office. Any loans generated through his agents with our office will be available for his review on our Think Big Work Small website. Communication logs are linked to the referring agent's email box as well as that of the broker. All activity as the loan progresses is noted in my file as well as the broker file.

If my processor requests a document, everyone knows what is sought, when it was sought, sought, sought, sought! Communiques are time stamped and dated. When the appraisal is in, a message goes out. When all the prior to doc conditions are in, a message goes out.

Financial flyer information is at your broker's finger tips as well as a host of other sales, marketing and training features on our site. 

Did I mention the broker gets paid on closed transactions? Oh yeah! Because the real estate broker is now a manager of his own GVM Connect branch (Truth-be-told this is a very passive managerial position!)  he is lawfully, legally paid 25% of our loan commission, right off the top.

Contact me for more information 

Anyone braving the rains in Solano County this Sunday afternoon are welcome to drop in look at a wonderful home I'll be holding open in Suisun. Ten years young, 3/2 priced at $479K

Address is 308 Arlington Ct, Suisun CA 94585.

Between bubbles bursting, stocks rallying then crashing and the big congressional pig races, we have seen quite a January!

On the up side, rates have stabilized and loan programs are beginning to make sense again. On the flip-side 'declining markets' (homes not worth as much this year as last year) are a reality that can impact short-term borrowing decisions made two to three years ago.

Still to be reviewed will be the loan limit increases being tossed around the pig pen in Washington. Realistically a conforming loan rate is usually a full per cent lower than a 'jumbo' loan rate so there is a savings to be had. But big loans are big loans with big payments no matter what you call them or how you categorize them! Lenders will still have to closely evaluate 'risk' and determine the quality of each loan package.

I'd love to hear views from other professionals in the field.