My name is Mike Mueller. I am a Loan Officer / Mortgage Broker / Mortgage Planner in Concord, California. I have been in the industry for 14 years, I've seen the good times and the bad. I work for Patagonia Finance in the San Francisco Bay Area. I am a residential mortgage broker for all of California, a commercial broker for all 50 states. That, in a nutshell is me, or at least the professional side of me.
I was talking to a reader yesterday who had searched Google for a particular problem she was having. She typed in not keywords like most people do, but her actual question.
Google interpreted what she was looking for and served up results. That led her to one of my blogs. The wrong one. She read many of the pages but when she couldn't find what she needed she called me. I was thrilled! Really. That's why I list my phone number at the top of every page.
I write to 5 different real estate blogs (almost daily). Each one has it's own particular flavor and purpose. Four of those are on my website and then this one here on ActiveRain. I also guest blog in several other places. For now, I'll just limit this map to what is physically on Patagonia Finance's Website.
This is my main blog. It's been going strong since early 2001. It's a catch all, general purpose bin of useful information. It is usually 100% all my writing. No guest authors, no reprints. The topics can range from financial news to explaining complex mortgage plans and theory in layman's terms, to a little fun. All in all it's my personal spin on what is topical right now in the mortgage and real estate business.
As a blogger I have come in contact with some of the very best real estate people. Real, honest, ethical professionals who always do what is best for the client. As a loan officer I have also seen the evidence of what the worst people in the industry can do. With many homeowners facing foreclosure there was a void in the internet where these homeowners could find that honest unbiased information. The Foreclosure Report was my answer and fills that void. I have over 30 different real estate agents, loan officers, title and escrow people contributing their own honest information for those homeowners in trouble. I also have searched out and found the contact information for as many Lender's Loss Mitigation Departments and continue to add to that list. The Foreclosure Report... is aimed at the homeowner that is trouble now or worried that they might be in the near future.
Obviously this is the other side of the coin. Much like The Foreclosure Report, this site deals out honest and ethical information but is aimed at the person looking to purchase or invest in foreclosures, Notice of Defaults, Bank Owned Properties, and Short Sales. The information contained in this site is primarily for the investor looking at purchasing rental property correctly. Believe me there are hundreds of ways to do it wrong. Late night infomercials, get rich quick seminars, and scammers have always found this arena fertile ground for their devious ways. We work very closely with our preferred investor clients. While this site delivers only some of what we give our clients, it's just a start.
Here's another area where the scammers and unethical individuals can reap steep rewards. Make no mistake, as Reverse Mortgages increase so will the crooks. This blog is meant to counter that and provide simple honest information. A reverse mortgage can make a huge difference in the quality of life for seniors when properly done. As the nation's boomers age this will soon be a very important aspect in the mortgage world. Working with a true mortgage professional will be critical. Knowing the difference vital.
Each blog has it's own RSS Feed. Each blog has it's target audience.
So this meant as a virtual roadmap to who I am, what I write, what I do and perhaps why I do it. I can't fight the bad guys all by myself but via the power of blogging and search engines, I'm trying. Thanks for reading, and please please, feel free to call me, anytime!
I'd like to see others here show us their personal roadmap. How about it? Please do, and then leave a link to your map in the comments!
Mike Mueller
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