I was honored when Jeff Belonger asked me to write this week's Mortgage Pro Week in Review (Sept. 1-7, 2008).  With the week selected drawing to a close, the biggest news to hit the airwaves was released as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were essentially taken over by the government, a move long time coming, I am going to leave those posts for Tom Burris to handle in next week's week in review as there should be plenty of good ones if you mortgage pros are up to it.

I did a mortgage week in review a long time ago and made an effort to find new talent amongst the ActiveRain community.  Alas, I wasted a lot of time to find less than one handful of new authors worthy of being highlighted.  I certainly hoped to find some new talent this time around, and found that many members still blog inappropriately despite the multitude of instructional posts available on AR.

Throughout this past week, posts were plentiful and full of crap, such as advertisements, reprints of email newsletters, plenty of misinformation, copies of headline news simply cut and pasted into a blog and blatant point mongers amongst the community, part of the reason I don't venture in here much anymore.  Where is the originality and how is a client going to relate to you if you guys keep putting out crap?

But within our realm, there lie some worthy contenders, those that blog with purpose and have posts worth reading.  With over 250 pages of blog headlines read over the last week (just so you know how much time goes into these), these were the few that made my selection list. 

Conflicts of Interest? OR Wearing multiple hats in a transaction? - Ron Tarvin brings up an interesting "conflict of interest" scenario that occurs when a buyer's agent also does the buyer's mortgage.

Are You Still Unsure About Reverse Mortgages? - Sharon Young breaks down a presentation on Reverse Mortgages which covers the major points on these types of loans.  

My take on these - In an overall financial plan, sometimes these mortgages make perfect sense, but make sure you get solid advice before obtaining one.

5 Reasons Why Loans Go Awry at the 11th Hour - David Garcia hits on 5 of the multitude of reasons choosing the wrong mortgage professional can kill a deal.

Why can't your loan close now, the day before closing???? - Jeff Belonger also hits the closing scene.  Jeff puts out at least one good blog a week, usually more so keep an eye on his work.  In fact, here's another...FHA loans & Real estate - Disclosure, Disclosure, & ??????

A sense of urgency... - Jason Sardi hits on the fact borrowers need to act, not just sit around, as the mortgage process unfolds.

Should Mortgage Brokers Consider Realtors Their CUSTOMERS? - Avery good question presented by Janet Guilbault.

Do Lenders miss the point when working with the Listing Agent? - Antonio & Alexia Cardenas bring up a good point many mortgage pros should think about.

And since it is Hispanic Heritage Month, we must include a post on that, so here it is...

Hispanic Heritage Month begins with a history lesson from Victor Montalvo

As I said, plenty of posts coming out regarding the FNMA/FHLMC takeover, so look for those next week. 

One other note, I am glad to see other mortgage professionals picking up on mortgage market updates, something I started about 2 years ago.  While I am glad to see it, these updates appear to be falling into the same paths as other blogs, regurgitation of scripts, newsletters, even others' blogs.  For those of you falling into my critical side, take this as a constructive post to help you avoid continued mistakes.

 Remember, Tom Burris has the next Week in Review (9/8/08 through 9/14/08), so don't miss it.

Mortgage blogs by loan officers   Here is a list of Loan Officers.  If you are not listed, please email Jeff Belonger to be added. This way the person doing the Mortgage Pro week in reviewcan try and find most mortgage related posts in one section. ActiveRain is growing rapidly and it is difficult to keep up.... If you think you have been ignored, you have not. This is open to all!!!

All About Mortgages/Mortgage Networking   Here is a group that many loan officers post their mortgage related blogs in.  A good place to learn more about the type of programs, new industry news, and sometimes some inside tips. Don't hesitate to join.

We really could use some new volunteers for the Mortgage Pro Week in Review. Even if you are a realtor, a title person, or someone else that is related to the mortgage/real estate industry..... please read below.

MORTGAGE PRO Week in Review    A repository for the Mortgage Week in Review.  Please don't hesitate in joining this group. And any volunteers for the mortgage week in review, please e-mail Jeff Belonger at   jbelonger@ihmci.com

There will be no recreations of any type regarding the titles or content of this group or Review without the permission and expressed written consent of the Group's founder

Mortgage Pro Week In Review - Copyright 2008^©