I always like to be as optimistic as possible, and nobody would deny that 2007 has been a difficult year in the mortgage industry. However it does leave a lot of opportunity for dedicated loan officers that refuse to simply quit when the financial winds change. A huge chuck of my former colleagues in the mortgage and Real Estate sides of the business have simply quit and gone back to the hourly grind or on to other endeavors.

Looking forward to 2008 there is so much uncertainty with all the political changes happening here and across the world it is difficult to forecast how this coming year will pan out. I've found that although a traditional mortgage is more difficult to qualify for (meaning you actually have to afford the loan) there is a bigger opportunity than ever for buyers to own homes, and now at affordable prices.

I'm still finding almost every consumer on the fence or with no confidence at all in our economy. Has the media hyped this whole thing up? We still have the strongest economy in the world. What will it take to those buyers off the fence?