Description of the Mortgage Pro Week in Review :
What is the Mortgage Pro Week in Review, for those that are new to Active Rainor those that haven't come across these in past weeks? It's 1 member from AR that volunteers their time to pick any mortgage related blog in a course of a specified week. And these posts don't have to always be written by loan officers. A good one written by a realtor, a title person, an appraiser, etc, etc.....they are always welcomed. Times are changing and we all need to stick together.
Basically, we are trying to pick the best out there. This weeks review is most of August for a few reasons. It's been increasingly difficult to get help in writing these reviews. But with so many new members, I hope that changes. Another reason was that my hard drive crashed and I lost a few of the vvolunteers names. And being busy hasn't helped to stay on top of that.
If you would like to volunteer, please read the bottom part. Thank you in advance.
For many of you that might not know of her or who she was, this Weeks Mortgage Review is dedicated to Karen George. For those that didn't know, Karen was fighting breast cancer. Please read : Karen George, Rest In Peace & Karen George - Goodbye to an Angel
Karen was not only a loan officer here on Active Rain, but wrote many good posts on SEO and other blogging ideas. My thoughts and prayers go out to Karen and her family.
Onto the Mortgage Pro Week in Review... This one is a little long, because it covers 3 weeks of mortgage related blogs.... and many are about some major changes taking place now, in today's market, that we need to be aware of. And today's review is jammed packed with some very good loan officers.
Understanding mortgages & the beginning stages : From credit to pre-qualified consumers !!!!
So Daddy......What Is It That You Do For A Living?? by Ron Withers Is a home a privelage or a right? Very debateable in my opinion.
It's Free, It's Fun, It's Your Credit Report? by Jason Sardi Any easy breakdown of what needs to be look at when it comes to your credit.
Are you being marketed to by loan officers to Repair Credit for Clients? Watch Out!! by Julie Hite Something very important to be aware off.....
Fix your credit without paying judgments or collections by Scott Parsons This is extremely important. Many loan officers don't know this........
You Understand what you need : now go speak to a lender then to a realtor !!!
I dont need a Realtor or your referral.... by Kim Murphy This is great for the average consumer to understand that it is good to have a realtor help you sell your home or to help you buy your home. And this is coming from a loan officer.
No Excuses - Why You MUST Get Pre-Approved with a Mortgage Professional! by Jason Crouch From a realtors point of view.
If your Butt isn't pre-approved, you ain't getting in my car! by Jeremy Blanton From a realtor. I partially agree with, but what about relationships?
What is the Difference between a Pre-Approval and a Pre-Qualification? by Robert Rauf This is a must read, because as you see with the two previous posts, I don't think many understand the true distinction between the two.
Please hold the Ketchup & the Mustard.... just give me my rate!!!! by Jeff Belonger What to look for when shopping for a mortgage. What do you consider to be the best price? The lowest rate? Think again and read this.
Applying for a mortgage : You are applying or applied, what the loan officer deals with.
Want your Mortgage Loan to close fast, here's a few tips. by Jason Sardi - Good Tips -
Front-End Ratios, Back-End Ratios, What are They? by AJ Nisen Did you feel like your loan officer was speaking Chinese on your income to qualify?
Why Mortgage Rates Won't/Can't Go Down: Huge GSEs Are Trying to Unload Debt by Mike Jones Some very good insight for bother consumer & loan officers.
FHA loans & FHA mortgages -- The basic concept of mortgages by Jeff Belonger Some good understanding on what might be better for you, even though your loan officer might tell you differently. Some good dialog.
The RED TAPE Section aka the gov't : Info about mortgages tend to be boring, but this is important.
The Housing Bill and A NEW Short Refinance Option by Paul Dunn Paul is new and brings new life to FHA. Here is a must read that will be mentioned a few timses in this review.
New Foreclosure Rescue Law - real help or just fantasy? by Joseph Metzler Some of what Paul mentions,
When it comes to HR 3221... by Mike Mueller An excellent explanation on the new bill that talks about so much.
HUD IS INCAPABLE OF PROTECTING THE CONSUMER WITH RESPA REFORM by Lenn Harley A realtor who speaks hard core! Who is RESPA truly protecting?
FHA Loans & FHA Mortgages -- Legislation Update -- August of 2008 by Lewis Poretz Okay, so it's a re-blog. Lewis gave me a nice compliment, so I am paying him back. Besides, I have spoken to Lewis and he knows his stuff & is passionate as myself. Read him. Zillow & Trulia ratings..... enough is enough
Types of Mortgages : Mortgage programs that you might not know about.
Funds Available for Handyman Specials and Fixer-Uppers! by Lewis Corcoran The 203-k loan and in this case, the streamline 203-k.
FHA Loans & Energy Efficient Mortgages -- A Huge Savings !!!!! by Jeff Belonger With gases prices, food, and expenses overall, how about reducing your energy costs and building the cost of it into your mortgage.
GREEN Bill - Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods by Richard Smith A new bill that is passed in regards to energy efficient items.
What's the advantage of VA over FHA loans? by Greg Zaccagni Greg gives some very good information about VA mortgages.
Homebuyers: FHA Now Allows You to Have Your Cake......And Eat it TOO! by Ron Withers More specific information about 203-k loans and streamlines.
Hawaii VA Loan Amount Increase (AUG 2008) by 1SG (Ret) David Kucic by David Kucic (no picture) Even thought this is just for Hawaii, it has some good info in it.
Rural Loan Programs for Lane County, 100% financing available by Fred Chamberlin Even though this is specific for a county in Oregon, this program is available in all states, but not all counties. I will be writing more about this in the coming week. So check with your loan officer that you trust.
Today's Market : Are we headed for harder times? I am always positive, but read these !!!
NEW BILL TO SAVE DPA! by Diego Hodge There is a link to vote on saving this program.
Are you kidding me ? No More Down Payment Assistance Programs - You need to read this and ACT! by Jeff & Grace Safrin From a realtor who knows what the importance of this program means to real estate.
We are at a crossroad with DPA- an open letter by Gerry Suarez Jr Just another opinion about down payment assistance programs.
Crucial Information About FHA and Down Payment Assistance by Ken Cook This has to be one of my all time favorites. You want to talk about someone giving away some secrets? Well Ken, you did it... and this is how I get business over others. Thanks, but great job.
Bravo - Finally - Now, lets hope it passes by Dave Woodson An excellent post about how to support the DPA's with who to contact.
ETHICS : Do they exist? A peak behind the scenes from a loan officer and a realtor..
The Real Deal About FHA Loan Commissions by Bill Ladewig What a must read !!! This post eliminates those rumors.....
Ethics Is As Ethics Does! by Bryant Tutas From a realtor and how they can be attacked or accused of.
And to end on a positive note. A good, warm, fuzzy feely kind of post. Your Pennsylvania Mortgage Professional. Why you ask? by Scott Geary It feels good to read someone else that loves what they do and are passionate about it.
The next 2 members for the Mortgage Pro Week in Review :
1. Robert Ashby 08/25/2008 through 08/31/2008
2. Volunteer 09/01/2008 through 09/07/2008
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©
For Active Rain Members
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For more information on FHA loans, please go to this link. The FHA Expert
For more information on how you can obtain your dream home, please click here : Mortgage Financing Options
For important mortgage insight to watch for, please read : Consumers need to be aware of these Red Flags !!!!!
Copyright © 2008 by Jeff Belonger
Excellent job Jeff! Some very good posts all in one place - bookmarked!
Wonderful bunch of links for loads of information. Thanks for taking the time to put this together...now for some reading homework :)
Jeff,
Whew! It is long but I'm sure it is chunk full of excellent links and information. Thanks.
TIM & PAM.... thanks for the kind words.... hope some of them shed some light on some important topics.
SALLY.... my pleasure... thanks for stopping by and for the polite comments. Hope some of these help.
CYNTHIA..... long? I felt like this was a college exam or a thesis that was due. It took way longer than I wanted.... but then it again, if was for 3 1/2 weeks of mortgage blogs. In any case, thanks for the compliment.
Jeff, great way to catch up. I liked your groupings. And, there were some wonderful post there. AJ
Thanks for the inclusion Jeff... My google alert notified me of this one...I am all about forming relationships with buyers...but in my market especially a rainy day equals people wanting to have a realtor be a tour guide. Today it rained...I had 3 walk-ins and 1 sales call in less than a hour...most weeks you don't get 3 walk-ins for the entire week...unless of course it is a rainy day. It comes with the territory of living in a tourist town with the main attractions golf and beach. When the storms come, you can't do those, so they go for the next best thing...calling a REALTOR! LOL!
Jeff - Important material for our industry, for sure. Daunting task my friend, but again you rise to the occasion. I'm going to have to come out with something very special for Ashby this week. Thank you for pointing out a couple of my contributions. I don't think the popularity of this review will ever reach the level of its importance. Very well done.
AJ....... yea, considering that it took a whole day to do this... lol But thanks for the compliments. I was glad to not only find some good stuff, but some new faces to go with some of the good veterans.
JEREMY....... my pleasure.. and I have Google alerts to... and it comes in handy. In regards to your post... I agreed with most of it.. and not here to bust or disagree. I think it would have been right on the money then, if you stated that you do try to build relationships, but that you aren't running people all around god's creation. It came across... no pre-approval, no car ride. And so many agreed... which I think is a bad business decision. Just a little elbow grease can go a long way. But then again, if extremely busy, I could understand... but get a buyers agent... juggle things around. Just a few points... thanks for the input and for the comment.
JASON S. ........ I agree 110%... and I wanted to include about 5 more.... but it would have been a mini novel. Which gets to your second point... it won't get read as much as others... but I am hoping for a record on this one in both comments and views. Time will tell.... and your welcome in regards to the two blogs... well done. Overall, thanks for the kind words.
Jeff! My google alert told me someone was talking about me! Thank you for taking the time to do it! Many great blogs and information you have put together! You done well!
That is an impressive collection of posts. Thank you for taking the time to put it together.
VERY impressive collection ... bookmarked for sure. Thank you very much. Wow!
Jeff
As you know, I am an early riser....always have been (damn internal alarm clock :) ). I generally crank up my laptop while the coffee is brewing and open outlook and access AR for a quick peek. Whether or not I step out into the rain each day rally depends on what else is pressing. Well the first thing I see is your "mugshot" heading up the feature column. Well that helped get my eyes opened! :)
As usual, great job of assembling and organizing your information. Thanks for including a couple of my recent posts, I appreciate it. I really like these week in reviews as it helps the " cream separate and rise to the top."
It rained valuable mortgage info this week---I found some excellent and informative posts that had been missed.
KIM..... and what were they saying? ;o) Besides, long time no chat... in any case, my pleasure and thanks for the polite compliments.
RANDY.... thank you very much.... I hope some of these help... thanks
SUSIE..... blushing here.... seriously, thanks.... it took some time and I hope others get something from this.
RON...... that damn military and what it did to you. Well, I wasn't in long enough for it to have that effect on me. In any case, my pleassure, your posts were worth the mention and thanks for those kind words.
DIANE..... cute, very cute. Maybe that could be a title of a blog... glad that you found some valuable information and thanks for the comment.
Hi Jeff
A comprehensive and very lengthy work you put in here. Great job Thank you!
Sincerely
Joel Silberstein
Jeff - You are a machine! Thank you for putting this together. I've done a couple of these and encourage everyone to take a turn at putting one together. It is a bit of work, but you'll also reap the benefit of reading some excellent posts and finding some surprisingly smart people.
Hi Jeff - Holy cow that is a boat load of some terrific mortgage information. I will try to take in a few of the posts I missed.
Jeff, All great posts and a great idea to put them together. Many I have read and many I have not. Nonetheless, there is a value and educatonal content in having them all in one place for all to read. thanks for being a torch bearer for the rest of us. btw. I might consider taking on one of the weeks in review, but would like to discuss this with you first. Let's talk later this week.
Thanks
Bo
Wow, thanks for the mention it is a honor to just be nominated. I hope that bill does pass and that it gets us back on the right track
JOEL.... my pleasure and thanks for stopping by. Hope that you could volunteeer for another one sometime in the near future.
MIKE...... thanks for that polite compliment. Yes, I was able to read a lot of good ones..... the only problem is that it took me 8 hours to put all of this together, considering that it was 3 weeks of blogs. Just thank god, 80% of them were not truly mortgage related. But don't get me started on that one... lol And I would love for you to do another one of these.... thanks
BILL.... more like an oceanliner... lol Seriously, thanks for the compliment and I hope you get something out of these... thanks
BO..... there is plenty of educational stuff in here... hence why I like these, because it even allows me to keep up on a few things. Overall, I would love to have you do one of these. We had a title guy, Ed, do one once before. We;ll talk soon... thanks
DAVE..... my pleausre.... I hope that they can get something worked out. I'll be writing about it later, but I have been asked to go down to DC for a rally.... thanks
Jeff, an honor to be included for the first time. There is a lot of great information here. Thanks for taking to time to put it all together. Wonder why my google alert didn't tell me? Must have something set wrong. LOL
WOW! I can't believe I made it into the Mortgage Pro Week in Review for the first time. I am honored. Thanks, Jeff!
Jeff - great post... and nice way to honor the Karen George & her contributions to the community. She will be missed.
Gross....I tried so hard. I guess I need to get deeper in the real estate industry to get a feature here. No more Packer posts huh?
FRED.... it was a good post, hence why it was in the review. In regards to Google? Not sure, once in a blue moon that happens to me, that I don't get all the google alerts... thanks
JASON C. ...... well, you deserved it... it was a good, timely post. Now, you have my address to send the bribe check, right? lol Thanks for stopping by.
KENT..... thanks.. I was taken back when I found out Sunday. And thanks for the compliment.
LARRY..... gross? what did you do? lol Well, maybe if you post some things about the Seattle Seahawks? Because of AR is based in WA. thanks for stopping by.
Yeah Jeff, I actually wrote that post rather late at night and was falling asleep while doing it...I actually did doze off in the middle of the post for about 10 minutes...so, there was no editing, no second reading or anything...when I read through later I was like wow, I was kinda harsh...but I think the main point of getting your buyers pre-approved is imperative in todays market before you begin driving everywhere with them and investing hours & days of time & energy.
Jeff:
Thanks for notifying me of your hard work. I am honored to have been included in this impressive list of contributors.
Greg Zaccagni
Hey Jeff - WOW! Thanks for including me among these outstanding professionals. You've created a great directory here and I'll be back to peek often. I'll be back to read more on the Red Tape section today!
As a blogger you have to Let Your Voice Be Heard - great tool here!
Cheers,
Paul Dunn
JEREMY..... lol.. well, I have done many of those late at night also. And sometimes we do come across different;y, with the lack of sleep and being tired. But trust me, I know what your main point was and I think so many do. It's just funny on how many jump on the same bandwagon though, without thinking it out sometimes. Again, it's a major concern, but... let's define this issue. Do you do it with everyone? What about establishing relationships and not just kicking people to the curb. Lastly, let's understand the differences between such key terms. In this case... pre-qualified vs pre-approved... from reading the comments, it sounds like many don't. As I wrote in this post, Nehemiah - Countrywide & Wells Fargo.... what do they have in common? ,many loan officers don't seem to know either.. thanks for the follow up comment and for your input/feedback.
GREG..... would love to see you around more... some of your blogs and possibly doing one of these week in reviews would be great also. thanks
PAUL...... my pleasure .... and I have been reading some of your stuff... we seem to be a like with good information. And thanks for the compliment....
Your welcome....give me a shout when you have a few minutes. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks gain
Bo
Jeff,
I'm touched and honored to be included in such an accomplished crowd! If you will have me maybe I'll try my hand at one of these weeks...
after September's done!
Gerry Suarez, Jr.
Your HUD Loan Pro!
BO...... maybe over the weekend... this past week was busy. Talk soon..
GERRY...... after September? lol We are just now ending August, believe it or not. In any case, thanks, and I will take you up on that in October.