New Mortgage Product, at least it's new to me - 02/23/07 03:42 PM
My friends over at First Federal Trust Mortgage introduced a new mortgage product to me. I guess it goes like this. It's so new I guess they don't even have it on their website yet.You buy a home, let's use round numbers, and it costs $250,000. You put your normal down paymennt and closing costs on the table and purchase the house.Now, you set up your paycheck to go as a direct deposit into a paydown of your mortgage balance. Following? This pays down your mortgage perhaps twice a month quite a bit. Then you write checks to pay all your … (8 comments)

(Your Input Needed Here)* - 02/22/07 06:19 AM
My title line was one of many potential subtitles submitted to Wikinomics authors during a collaborative request for subtitles to their new book.  I only read the first chapter so far, so I can't comment or reivew the whole manuscript.  But I have been challenged.
Quoting Google CEO Eric Schmidt the authors reflect on collaboration, "When you say collaboration, the average forty-five year old thinks they know what you're talking about - teams sitting down, having a nice conversation with nice objectives and a nice attitude.  That's what collaboration means to most people."  They continue in their own voice "We're talking about … (2 comments)

Too Much of a Hurry to Post - 02/21/07 03:23 PM
It's been crazy since the first of the year.  Just a quick report from Northwest Indiana.  In the last two months, we've seen more activity than we did at any time in the last 14 months!
This bubble burst thing is over.
I'll post some cute photos and maybe even a link or two, but (from my blackberry) I figured I would get the news out to everyone. 
New Homes Sales Are UP ... 2007 is starting out like a LION!
Update:  I guess this post did put me over 30,000 on points, not as big as the 100,000 and 150,000 guys, but I … (5 comments)

Feel Invincible? - 02/18/07 11:50 PM
I watched the movie Invincible with my son tonite again.  Sure it's just like Rudy or a host of other unsung hero type movies where the underdog makes it finally.
While I watched the movie I read the posts of the bloggers I subscribe to here on Active Rain.  Unsung hero types themselves.  They donate their ideas and their advice so that real estate professionals can be challenged and grow.  Here's my salute to them for their posts today, no they weren't all featured, but they were featured for me. 
"Have You ever Lost Your Voice?" Rich Jacobson comes back and finds his voice
Book: … (3 comments)

The angry new home buyers club - House Rabies - 02/10/07 05:39 PM
I was hopping around the web today, generally looking for some new blogging ideas for my local real estate and new homes site for our area (Synergy Thoughts) and on low and behold I bumped into some pretty angry new home buyers and attorneys and writers.
The first guy who hosts site Toll Brothers Truth got mad and decided to get even.   Now an interesting side thought occured to me, he's making money pushing Google Ads and Clickbank ads, how genuine is this Toll Brothers attack?  His story is that a sprinkler soaked the house and they wanted out of the contract.  … (10 comments)

Real Estate Interuptive Marketing - 02/08/07 07:47 AM
I know I'm about a week behind on this post.   Television show "Agua Teen Hunger Force" promotes in Boston using a stun campaign featuring light boards with eerie images, causing a bomb scare instead. 
"Peter Berdovsky, 27, a freelance video artist from Arlington, Massachusetts, and Sean Stevens, 28, were facing charges of placing a hoax device in a way that results in panic, as well as one count of disorderly conduct, said Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley. The hoax charge is a felony, she said. Both men were arrested Wednesday evening." From CNN.com
You can do your own surfing for all the … (1 comments)

Economist Shows Federal Budget Balancing Next Year - 02/07/07 12:49 AM
First, I am not an economist.  I am a home builder in Northwest Indiana, and I intend to stay one.  But, I couldn't help but get a little excited to see this post by Steve Conover of the Skeptical Optimist.  I will quote him a couple times, but you really have to go to the link to see his terrific graph, I've privately asked for the right to copy and paste it here and will revise if he allows.
"Although this chart is just a report of what the Monthly Treasury Statement is telling us, that of course doesn't stop anyone so … (4 comments)

Home Builder says Go Away to Agent - 02/06/07 11:45 PM
KB Homes issues cease and desist to agent in Florida.
Now here's some of the details, I guess Carlos Rodriquez a real estate professional in Florida, posts on his Orlando Weblog information pertaining to builders and specs ... he's offering himself as an expert who may be able to help a buyer find the right home.
The telling quote:
"If you are interested in a KB Home community, I am still willing to provide you with information and sell you one of their properties if this is absolutely what you want.  However, there are plenty of properties to pick and choose from other great … (7 comments)

Chesterton Indiana Community Information - 02/04/07 08:36 AM
Town of Chesterton Site
Chesterton Tribune newspaper, featuring some common sense editorial, poignantly different than the liberal media in the rest of Northwest Indiana.
Chamber of Commerce with some photos of the Lakeshore.  I'll try to get their permission to grab some of them and post to http://www.localism.com/
Chesterton, Indiana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia  Chesterton is a town in Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 10,488 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Chesterton is located at 41°36′15″N, 87°3′30″W (41.604251, -87.058442)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 22.4 km² (8.6 mi²). 22.0 km² (8.5 mi²) of it … (3 comments)

February Indiana's Sunrise - 02/03/07 11:46 PM
This picture doesn't do the scene justice, I'm more a poet than a photographer.   I sat "warm" albeit in the lobby of the Indianapolis Convention Center this morning, and watched the sun come up over downtown Indy, day before the Super Bowl.
I wrote an internal blog post to my sales staff, reproduced here with some minor revisions for propreitary information.
The point?  Sunrise for real estate in Indiana is upon us.  Time to gird for action!
 ***** I am sitting warm with my Starbucks peering out at downtown Indianapolis, the sun is rising slowly between St Anthony's and the Indiana Sports Corporation building … (17 comments)

Super Week- Super Bowl - 02/02/07 05:24 PM
Here in Northwest Indiana the Super bowl has dominated the week. We're halfway between Indianapolis and Chicago so we're really torn. I was thinking, as I pondered the week, that our industry too is perched right between two rivals. Those who would suggest that realestate was overly exciting for the last decade and therefore needs a bubble burst ... And those who believe that the media engineered last year's downturn and the market is now re-exerting itself. Which are you? Are you like us here in colts and bears land? Torn between two loyalties? Time to choose.
Update: I was in Indy … (16 comments)