ar contests: JULY 2023 CHALLENGE - What Makes You Exceptional? - 07/01/23 09:31 AM
What Makes You Exceptional?
 
This month, Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400 and I want to know what makes you exceptional?  
 
It is estimated that in the United States alone, there are OVER 3 MILLION real estate agents, with over 1 million REALTORS.  While the number of US adults that are real estate agents is somewhere around ~.75-1%, it should be noted that there are estimated to be just about ~20,000 cities, towns, and villages in the US, with about three quarters of these areas having populations of 5,000 or fewer people. This means that to succeed and thrive in real estate, it’s important to … (93 comments)

ar contests: Getting To Know John - an ActiveRain Contest - 05/10/22 03:49 PM
1. What was your first job and what did you learn from it?
My actual first job was shoveling snow and mowing lawns in elementary school. A friend and I started "J & B Yard Services" and went door to door with flyers. My first "real" job was slave labor (I'm only partly kidding!) at a dry cleaners. It was literally a sweat shop, and I only lasted a few weeks, before making a change. From 14 years old to 21, I worked at a retirement home in Chester County, PA in the food services department. I've worked in some capacity for … (16 comments)

ar contests: Thankful For My Team - 11/22/21 11:23 AM
Thankful For My Team 
Katerina, Erica, and Corliss.  You may not have seen these names on ActiveRain, but if you've worked with our team in the past 12 months, odds are good you're familiar with at least one of them (most likely my right hand woman, Erica).  In 2020, I decided it was time to grow a team.  In 2018-2019, I was suffering - I had moved to the bay area to accept a position in our corporate offices while still maintaining my loan business.  Long, long hours, tedious work, and nights in the office sometimes til 10 or 11pm left me … (2 comments)

ar contests: AR Contest - Gratitude for Our Clients (and those who aren't!) - 11/13/20 04:03 PM
Gratitude for Our Clients (and those who aren't!)
 
This time of year is always an excellent, and much needed, reminder of all we have to be thankful for.  As part of this month's ActiveRain Contest, Jeff Dowler, CRS invites us to share some of the things we're thankful for, one of the invites being to discuss how our clientele makes us give thanks.
 
2020 has been a record breaking year in a lot of ways.  I've transitioned (mostly) away from doing loans and into a role of training others to do business MY way so that we can grow into new markets and grow our business … (7 comments)

ar contests: Back in the Rain - 05/26/20 12:58 PM
Back in the Rain - An ActiveRain Challenge
 
Well, I've got to thank the hosts and Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400 for filling me in on this month's Activerain Zoom calls.  I haven't been active in the rain for many reasons, mostly because I'm busy as heck, but these calls have been so worthwhile to see some familiar faces, and to finally put a face to the voices I hear over the phone.
I've talked with Debe Maxwell, CRS , Eileen Burns and George Souto over the phone, and have had the pleasure of hanging out with Jeff Dowler, CRS in person, but to be able to get some facetime via zoom has been … (25 comments)

ar contests: Grateful for Good Health - 11/18/19 01:05 PM
Gratitude for Good Health

 
This year was a tough one.  I made the most income I ever have, exceeded my professional profit goal of 10% improvement over last year, saw some amazing places, met some tremendous people, was able to make an impact on other's, and yet, it was a tough year.  Back in March, shortly after a fairly tough break up, I tore my AC joint playing hockey.  

This wasn't a catastrophic, life threatening injury, but for a single man in his early (34 is early, right?!?) 30's, living hundreds if not thousands of miles from his closest friends and family, the … (4 comments)

ar contests: Thankful For My Career - 11/12/19 06:12 PM
Thankful for My Career
 
     I'm a pretty lucky guy in a lot of ways, and I have a ton to be thankful for.  One thing that I'm continuously filled with gratitude about is my career.  I've been in the mortgage industry for over a decade (13+ years now!), and for many years it was a struggle.  I entered the business at a very tough time - 2006, just before the industry was decimated.  I learned and struggled for years.  Honestly, from 2006-2012 was one of the toughest periods of my life.  I was a recent post-grad, struggling to make it … (5 comments)

ar contests: The Law of Contrary Public Opinion - 12/03/18 07:23 PM
The Law of Contrary Public Opinion
 
 
"I subscribe to the law of contrary public opinion... If everyone thinks one thing, then I say, bet the other way..."
 
 
     In what I'd describe as one of history's greatest sales movies, GlenGarry GlenRoss, character Ricky Roma subscribes to the law of contrary public opinion.  His sentiment is one that echoes loudly in my life on a day to day basis.  Recently, it's a quote that's weighed heavily on my mind as our industry sees a shift.
 
 
     Consumer sentiment has been off the charts in the marketplace over the last year.  Home values have skyrocketed.  … (29 comments)

ar contests: The Right Way to Refer - 03/09/18 03:31 PM
The Right Way to Refer
 
     Real Estate is local.  There's a lot of truth to that, and because of that fact, the real estate industry has a lot of opportunities for professionals to refer clients, family, and friends to those outside of their local area of expertise.  Clients relocate.  They choose a new town for school.  They move to retire.  They buy second homes.  The reasons are endless.  Even though there are endless reasons for referrals to occur, there are some folks who refer folks (what I would consider) the wrong way, and the way I refer (which I consider … (28 comments)

ar contests: A Lovely Home Buying Experience - 02/01/18 06:17 PM
A Lovely Home Buying Experience
 
     This month Lisa Von Domek invites us to share some of the more amorous transactions we've had the pleasure of participating in, and my first entry is a no brainer because it closed just 6 days ago.
 
     A lot of people hate working with their friends and family.  I'm not one of them.  The reason I think I enjoy it is that I treat friends and family just like I treat the majority of clients - like friends and family.  My job is to educate, guide, and offer as much help and understanding as I can … (22 comments)

ar contests: 12(ish) Days of Thanksgiving - Day 1 - 11/13/17 11:49 AM
Opportunity
 
     I am thankful for opportunity.  This was an easy one as I read Debbie Reynolds contest description from my office in San Ramon, CA.  Just a few months ago, my company, Mason McDuffie, offered me an opportunity to move to the Bay area to work as our company's corporate loan officer and put some time into corporate content creation on top of my production/loan officer role.
 
     Just 3 months after making the move, I've been given another tremendous opportunity - to assist in a production management and training role to help our loan officers across the entire country with marketing, … (1 comments)

ar contests: Getting Time On My Side - 10/24/17 12:00 PM
Getting Time On My Side - How I Handle Time Management
 
For an October contest, Grant Schneider invites us to discuss our time management skills, or lack thereof.  I wanted to jump on this one because until recently, time management had been one of my biggest challenges.  We all know there is not enough time in the day, or at least that's what we think.  The reality is, there's plenty of time in the day if we use it wisely.
In just the past few months, I've put a lot of effort into sucking the most life I can out of each and every day.  … (15 comments)

ar contests: August Business Practices Contest - 08/09/17 02:28 PM
August Business Practices Contest
 
     For the month of August, Mrs Anna Banana Kruchten, CRS herself invites us to share the business practices that have helped shape us and will continue to shape our business, along with an influence that has helped along the way.  I love this contest because it takes me back, makes me look forward, and is a reminder to the mentors I've met along the way that have helped shape my business into something unique to the mortgage world.
My first year
 
     My career started in 2006, the same year I graduated college as a naive 21 year old … (3 comments)

ar contests: Are Strengths Any Different Than Weaknesses? - 05/18/17 07:24 PM
Are Strengths Any Different Than Weaknesses?
 
 
     This month, Carol Williams invites us to share our strenghts, weaknesses, and how they affect our business.  When it comes to strengths, I like to think I have a few.  When it comes to weaknesses, I know I have many.  In some (ok, many) cases, my strengths ARE my weaknesses.
     One of my biggest strengths is my combination of tenacity and persistence.  I worked for a sales company in college that had a phrase on the wall:  Persistence Brings Prosperity.  I believe it, practice it, and preach it.  There's not a wall I … (19 comments)

ar contests: My Favorite Brands - 03/31/17 03:27 PM
My Favorite (and Least Favorite) Brands
 
     We were given the contest opportunity for March to consider branding, and to write about our 3 favorite brands.  I have a lot of brand loyalty, and the 3 below are ones that I've used, and will continue to use, for years to come.
 
Bauer Hockey
 
I've been playing hockey as far back as I can remember, and from the early days til today (with a short breakup when Bauer briefly merged with one of my least favorite companies of all time, Nike), I've trusted Bauer products for performance and endurance.  They produce everything a hockey … (11 comments)

ar contests: Ringin' & Singin' with Sharon Paxson - 01/23/17 03:14 PM
Ringin' & Singin' with Sharon Paxson
 
     Thanks to this months Ringing & Singing contest, I was able to catch up with a friend I hadn't spoken with in far too long - Sharon Paxson .  Sharon has been a long time mainstay here in the rain, currently atop the Newport Beach, CA leaderboard by a wide margin, and she's also a soon to be ActiveRain millionaire! (ahem...stop by her blog and leave some love to get her to the 1M mark a little faster!)

 
     Sharon is a Southern California native that is an expert sunrise-photo-taker - seriously, if you like great … (9 comments)

ar contests: Ringin' & Singin' with Mario Sapio - 01/17/17 03:18 PM
Ringin' & Singin' with Maria Sapio
 
     Thanks to this month's Ringing & Singing contest, I was given the perfect opportunity to reach out to Maria Sapio , a relatively new ActiveRain member that has made an immediate and significant contribution to the rain.   Turns out, prior to connecting, we wanted to see which one of us was better at the game of phone tag, and after some voicemail correspondence, we finally connected, and I was able to learn a bit more about Maria.
     Maria is originally a New York gal from the Long Island area, and now lives and … (4 comments)

ar contests: Attention to Detail - A Lesson Learned - 06/06/16 11:09 AM
Attention to Detail - A Lesson Learned
 
 
     At the start of my career, the mortgage business was a different world.  Loan application accuracy was basically a suggestion, and if you could confirm the borrower had a pulse, chances are you could get them financing.  When things first started "tightening", only highly qualified borrowers could get away with no doc loans - no income, no assets, and many times, an appraisal waiver.  Who needed detail?
 
 
 
     In 2006 I worked for an office that stressed income, production, and "smiling & dialing" for business.  The details about a loan file and borrower? … (32 comments)

ar contests: 5 Years of Thankfulness - 11/17/15 05:27 AM
5 Years of Thankfulness
 
     In the spirit of the upcoming holiday, Dan Stewart invites us to write about 5 things we're thankful for that impact our business each day. In coming up with my 5, I expected to think of technologies, software, marketing systems, the CFPB (Just kidding), and the many tools at my disposal to help make my job easier.  To my surprise, none of the 5 that made this list fell into these buckets.  This list is a reminder to me that our business is a people business.  More than anything else, I'm thankful for the people that surround … (14 comments)

ar contests: How I've Made a Difference - 07/31/14 03:18 PM
How I've Made a Difference
 
 
     For a July ActiveRain challenge, Donna Foerster invites us to share how we've made or are planning on making a difference in our community.  I love this challenge idea, because community involvement, volunteer work, and charity have always been an important part of my life.  What I've done recently isn't too impressive as I've spent a lot of time just learning my way around my new community in Costa Mesa, but prior to moving here I was very active in my old community of Newark, DE.
 
 
Rotary Club
 
     … (15 comments)

 
John Meussner, #MortgageMadeEasy Fair Oaks, CA 484-680-4852 (Mortgages in AZ, CA, CO, DE, FL, GA, IN, MD, MN, MT, NC, NJ, NV, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI)

John Meussner

#MortgageMadeEasy Fair Oaks, CA 484-680-4852

Fair Oaks, CA

More about me…

Mortgages in AZ, CA, CO, DE, FL, GA, IN, MD, MN, MT, NC, NJ, NV, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI

Address: 23441 S Pointe Dr, Ste 110, Laguna Hills, CA, 92653

Office: (949) 247-7530

Mobile: (484) 680-4852



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