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madison: Friends, Rainers, and Countrymen - Lend KIVA Your Ears - and 25 Bucks! - 04/20/07 11:57 PM
20 April 2007 - Madison, Wisconsin
As some of you know, Bill and I are proponents of KIVA, the rapidly growing organization that helps provide microfinance - as microloans - for third world and developing nation business-persons and entrepreneurs. The loans vary from around $300 to $1400 and every business is pre-screened by partner lenders in the host countries or region. We helped co-host a KIVA Talkathon last month (see blog) and joined just before that weekend, meaning we became "lenders" (which seems like a good idea and natural evolution for us).
In our attempt to "test the waters" and do a little something we backed two individuals … (15 comments)
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madison: ALAMODE SUPPORT invitation sent - 04/11/07 09:24 PM
A copy of the email sent to alamode support - I have other addresses, but we'll see what they do with this...
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madison: MY alamode HOME PAGE BLUES - can you make major changes? - 04/11/07 09:04 PM
Hi ALAMODE Rainers
I really don't like the restrictions on my alamode home page. Too much information. I need to change it to a simpler page where the options are presented as hyper-linked (to sub-pages) banners that can get the visitors to where they want to go - FAST.
I envision a quick synopsis, then a link to 'refinances" and one to "purchase" and a couple more - such a listings or foreclosures or damaged credit or such.
Has anyone found a way to do that effectively? Please send your link and/or post here.
Thanks.
Art
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madison: ALAMODE Sweepstakes Announced - and New ALAMODE Group Formed - 04/11/07 08:50 PM
11 April 2007 - Madison, Wisconsin
Our website - like others who use Active Rain - is provided by ALAMODE.com. We pay for the hosting service and template. We can modify it within certain limits, so it is unique to each user. ALAMODE really strives to support us and help us provide tools, value, blogs, and information (much of which we customize) to our visitors and clients alike. It's a good relationship.
ALAMODE now sponsors a monthly Sweepstakes with a nice prize. It is absolutely FREE for visitors to enter - their goal is to increase traffic on the websites and give us- THEIR … (0 comments)
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madison: Khadafi and SubPrime Lending - Repeating History (Humor) - 04/03/07 05:15 PM
3 April 2007
Now is the Time
The (fill in title here) ruler of Libya since 1969 is a man known as Moammar Khaddafy...or maybe Muammar Qaddafi...perhaps Mommar Gaddafi...or... ?? The truth is no one really knew because his name didn't transliterate very well into English. An article in the London Evening Standard reported 37 different spellings in 2004, which is odd because everyone had forgotten who he was a decade earlier, much less cared about how to spell his name.
Sure, we all could have referred to the Libyan leader by his honorific "Guide of the First of September Great Revolution of the Socialist People's … (1 comments)
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madison: Punk Me Baby One More Time!!! - 04/02/07 12:01 PM
2 April 2007
I'll be brief.
I cannot believe my eyes.
Every day and week as I prepare for my business - and radio show - I receive news feeds or do Google searches about the latest real estate news. As foreclosures and SubPrime lending are currently the "hot" topics right now - every digital and print periodical except Cat Fancy seems to have an expose - the searches yield fruit aplenty.
What bemuses me, however, is when I begin to read these articles, I can't help but notice the rotating banners and Adsense and Google Ads surrounding the subject. The ads … (6 comments)
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madison: Let's Teach the FSBO Guys Everything We Know - 03/31/07 02:12 PM
31 March 2007
FSBOs are your friend. When you consider (depending upon the source) that about 70% of FSBOs are eventually sold by Realtors, there is a massive market out there. Can they be YOUR market?
One simple tool - one idea: You can help a FSBO with a CMA to help them price their home (per local real estate laws and guidelines) and in turn possibly become their Buyer's agent - they're moving somewhere.
We took this concept a little further.
We recently did an eight-show radio (WTDY) series of FSBO episodes that incorporated other industry pros (realtor, mortgage, attorney, HOW, title, whatever) instructing FSBO owners on how … (11 comments)
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madison: The Secret TalkCast Topic #11 - The Power of Goals - Listen Here! - 03/30/07 10:36 PM
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madison: All the Substance Without the Abuse - Your Wallet is Safe with TD - 03/27/07 09:19 AM
Those of us in the lending business are always looking for ways to improve our presence - and our bottom line - in our geographic area and lending niche. Most of the mortgage "gurus" (didn't The Beatles bring that term to the American public?) are quite proud of their little pearls of wisdom and charge fees for their "kits" that would make Donald Trump wince.
An exception to this fraternity of Gouging Gurus is an individual living in Florida named Tom Domin. Armed with a couple of decades of real estate experience as a trainer, sales leader, and Mortgage Broker, Tom can provide information … (9 comments)
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madison: All Things to All People? Jack Has His Limitations - and He Should! - 03/27/07 12:38 AM
26 March 2007
Tracy Nicole of Elk Grove, California recently posted a blog (Realtors & Loan Officers...Jack of All Trades, Master of None...Fact or Fiction??) about the reason why she wears two hats - as a Real Estate Agent and a Loan Officer - in her practice. Her reasons were valid and probably work very well for her, but I don't think it's for everyone. She really got me wondering why...
Here's my comment to her blog, then a few other observations:
Hmmmm. Recently on a "Busman's Holiday" in Florida I met a Realtor (Bob?) who owns his own brokerage and is also a loan officer through his … (0 comments)
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madison: Microsoft Small Business Summit - The Last Hurrah - 03/23/07 08:35 AM
23 March 2007
Here are some of the Microsoft Small Business Summit (see Pearls of Wisdom from the Microsoft Small Business Summit blog entry from March 22nd) sessions still remaining as cut/pasted from my email. There are others available. Today is the last day of the summit.
Start your sessions by going to www.sbsummit.com or go to the links below. These DO fill up - if you are late you will not get into these web meetings.
Good luck - hope you find something you like.
Art Blanchet
Art Blanchet
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madison: KIVA TALKATHON A SCREAMING SUCCESS - 03/20/07 05:10 PM
20 March 2007 - First Day of Spring
KIVATHON called a screaming success! TalkShoe (http://www.talkshoe.com) - our premiere podcasting relationship (and the place where you can find our archived radio shows) - staged a 24-hour KIVATHON from March 18th thru March 19th, Noon to Noon. The Your Home-Your Money radio Mortgage Guys - Bill and Art - hosted one of the hours and had a blast. The interactive podcast talkathon - the first of its kind - raised money and awareness for http://www.kiva.org/, the world leader in online microlending.
Microlending consists of giving small loans to (very) small businesses and entrepeneurs in developing nations, … (6 comments)
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Art Blanchet - Stranger in a Warm Land
Sebastian,
FL
More about me…
On the Outside Lookin' In
Office Phone: (608) 217-3252
Cell Phone: (608) 217-3252
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