Happy New Year - 12/31/09 03:37 PM
For once I am going to leave my office early on a New Years Eve.  To all I've had the pleasure of knowing through Active Rain I wish a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
My one last thought for all as we wind down a very eventful 2009 is to remember the world is what we make of it so keep these two quotes in mind as you move forward into 2010.
"Luck is defined as when Preparation meets Opportunity" so get busy preparing.
"The very best day to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best day is today." so … (5 comments)

Death of the "Telephone Pole." - 12/31/09 02:58 PM
Ten days ago, AT&T responded officially to the FCC regarding their ongoing attempt to withdraw from the traditional land-line telephone service business.  AT&T is the legacy of what I grew up knowing as "the Phone Company," or "Ma Bell."  They are making the case for ending service on what is now referred to as POTS - Plain Old Telephone Service. 
Back in the old days (boy, I hate leading of paragraphs with that kind of sentiment) of 30 to 40 years ago, all Americans had just one phone service, and the vast majority of households had the same rotary dial desk phone.  It … (2 comments)

Population Growth & Jobless Claims - 12/31/09 12:33 PM
The weekly numbers for initial jobless claims were released today showing a "better than expected" number of "only" 432,000.  The "better than expected" part of this number is because the average estimate by a group of leading economists was for this number to come in at 460,000.  Either way, these negative numbers are not good, and worse yet, they don't paint an accurate picture.
The initial claims report is the number of people who claimed unemployment for the first time this past week.  In other words, 432,000 people lost their jobs for one reason or another during the week of Christmas.  What … (0 comments)

Is there a "moral obligation" to pay your mortgage? - 12/26/09 07:18 PM
Is there any "moral" obligation in Real Estate?
 
           I have been hearing a lot of speculation regarding one's "moral obligation" to continue making payments on mortgages involving "underwater" valued homes.  This appears a bit odd given what I have seen on television business channels lately.  Less than two weeks ago, Morgan Stanley announced they would be giving back several of the commercial building properties they acquired in downtown San Francisco in 2007.  These purchases were made at the peak of the commercial real estate pricing boom, and values have fallen by as much as 50% since that time.  Many … (3 comments)

Tacoma, Pierce County foreclosure market impact - 12/18/09 07:38 PM
 As a mortgage lender one of the most common issues I deal with is the impact of foreclosures on the value of Tacoma, and Pierce County homes for sale.  Actually, not just the homes for sale in this area, but all homes.  What many choose to forget is the fact that these "great bargains" really do affect everyone else. 
It used to be that an appraiser could work around, or ignore any transactions that were the result of a foreclosure sale, or non-arms length transaction.  That means that the poorly maintained home down the street which was lost to the bank, and … (0 comments)

Puyallup South Hill Stimulus Grants - 12/18/09 06:43 PM
 I just love playing with the new recovery.gov website that the White House set up to aid in the "transparency" of government spending.  Although there have not been many jobs created for the amount of money that has been spent, it is quite unique to be able to punch in a zip code to actually see how much money is being spent in our local area (and just who the recipients really are).
Looking at the Puyallup South Hill 98373 zip code shows one Grant, and one Contract awarded.  Northwest Cascade received a contract for over $382,000 to rehabilitate nearly 3 miles … (1 comments)

Failed Bank list now at 138 and counting - 12/18/09 06:15 PM
I've been tracking the failed bank list with some fellow bloggers on another site where we have nicknamed it FDIC Friday.  We have a rolling bet week by week on just how many banks the FDIC will close each week.  In a way it is truly sad to watch since every Friday there are multiple closings. 
As of 4PM PST the FDIC has added 5 more to their list, and we still don't know what might happen on the West coast because they don't ever close the banks until the very end of business on Friday (with a couple of exceptions … (9 comments)

Failed Bank list now at 133 - 12/14/09 08:33 PM
After Friday's action saw the FDIC close 3 more banks (1 each in Kansas, Arizona, & Florida) our running total for 2009 stands at 133.  I've heard a lot of people say that this is not such a big deal because back in the 1980's during the Savings & Loan crisis there were thousands of banks closed.  Just because times were worse in sheer number of bank closures, I don't think it is wise to dismiss the fact that we have had over 100 bank failures so far this calendar year.  My reasoning is that the FDIC has not typically closed … (3 comments)

North Tacoma stimulus recipients - 12/11/09 05:03 PM
Once again, I have been playing around on the recovery.gov website looking for where the money was spent in local areas such as North Tacoma. This time I was actually clicking on the grant dots to see who the specific recipients were. I must say I was very pleased to find that both the North Tacoma and downtown Tacoma Boys & Girls Clubs received $42,500.
I guess the reason I find this impressive goes back to the consensus belief that North Tacoma has been oblivious to the recent decline in real estate values. While there are fewer North Tacoma homes for … (0 comments)

Where has the $ gone in N. Tacoma? - 12/11/09 04:23 PM
One of the most interesting government websites have run across is the new site www.recovery.gov .
This is the site created by the White House to add transparency to government spending that results form the recent stimulus/bailout legislation.  I was curious to see what kind of spending was going on in the neighborhoods where my clients were thinking of buying homes.  After all, it would make sense to believe neighborhoods receiving higher amounts of stimulus spending dollars would be more attractive than those receiving less.  From a Lender's point of view, this is important because it could indicate which neighborhoods are … (0 comments)

Do you know where to look for Asbestos in your home? - 12/10/09 07:05 PM

Healthy Home Tips & Green Alternatives for Homeowners
The home buying process is an exciting time, but one that may bring additional responsibilities into your life. Many homes may need renovations or inspections, especially in areas that are susceptible to natural disasters. Having the assistance of an experienced and honest real estate agent will make this process smooth and stress free.
Some older homes may still contain obsolete building materials. Citizens of this great state are striving to move to a green lifestyle, advocating environmentally sustainable methods to be used throughout the state. Building or remodeling your homes with … (0 comments)

 
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Ron Brown MLO-270845 VA/FHA Specialist Alpine Mortgage Planning NMLS 81395

Puyallup, WA

More about me…

Division of Pinnacle Capital Mortgage Corp

Address: 33400 Ninth Ave S, suite 120, Federal Way, WA, 98003

Office Phone: (253) 874-7163

Cell Phone: (253) 520-0000

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The views, and opinions expressed here represent the personal views, and opinions of Ron Brown. They are not necessarily the views of First Mortgage Company, and should not be construed as being so. They are for informative purposes only, and any persons reading them are encouraged to research there current relevance, and timeliness before taking any action.


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