Important updates to the site and my ability to serve...3/16/2008 10:30:19 AM      The first thing that I added that I think it is important to point out is Meebo. Meebo is a great little piece of technology that adds a real dimension of service by connecting me to clients any where in the world. If I am working with someone who happens to be on vacation in Vietnam and has a question really gnawing on his/her thoughts, does not have access to worldwide calling, and/or does not want to pay the expense of making such a phone call they can simply get to a computer with internet access (ie. Internet Cafe), come to my website and ask the question, live online Monday though Friday during normal working hours. Phew... I know that scenario was long winded, but the possibilities are endless. Mee... 03/16/2008

I'm talking about chat on your websites... I think that it only makes sense to add a chat functionality, because your website becomes a live tool that you can use to help educate consumers and that consumers can go for quick answers.I just embedded the code for my Meebo into my business blog. I think that my blog is really starting to shape up and look nice, I just need to write some more articles... So far this is what it looks like?:  Recent PostsGovernment cash injection and the dangers ahead...Genworth has still got the goods...Mortgage rates are goin' up, and I'm lookin' forward to it!680 for 100%, FHA finally has a true purpose...Prime Waterfront Business Opportunity!Welcome to lakecitymtg.netMost ReadPrime Waterfront Business Opportunity!680 for 100%, FHA finally has a true purpo... 03/13/2008

It started at the pump, not the mortgage shop...And now it is headed toward your wallet and your savings. Ben Bernanke (FED Chairman) announced yesterday (03/11/2008) that our central bank in conjunction with several of the worlds central banks will be pooling together to inject 200 billion dollars into some of our nations struggling lenders in exchange for souring... Read More 03/13/2008

And what I mean by that is that FHA is not some kind of a spectacular loan program. It is very useful in certain situations, but most often the best way to go is conventional if you qualify. Conventional offers the best rates and terms avaiable which is why it is reserved for those with good credit and income qualifications.I get people coming to me all the time who have been sold by someone who later denied them on an FHA program. Sometimes the person coming to me is qualified for conventional financing, and I ask them "why FHA". I usually get the same response. Something along the lines of "I am a first time home buyer" or some other irrelavent speech about why FHA is so great.Often times the file is denied for one reason or another, most often because the person in need of financing ... 03/04/2008

Maybe, I haven't decided yet. I am working on a transaction with a high profile agent in the Plattsburgh, NY area; Andre LaFountain. Andre is a smart cat, he is heavily imbedded in real estate but he also has a few things producing additional income for himself on the side. Andre has approached me about a travel agency opportunity. I am not sure of the details or of the pay structure. I do know that the business model is MLM. I'm not sure that is enough to disqualify it from being a legitimate opportunity. Of course, I have something else in mind for this program.As a member of the orginization I will be able to give out vouchers for a 3 day 2 night vacation. The vouchers are intended to be used as bait in order to get people to attend the events that are held as a recruitment tool. It ... 02/27/2008

"No Closing Cost++ Home Refinance Loan.Call Today to Combine Mortgage and Debt."I found this enticing headline today on a one of countrywides websites. This cracks me up because I have been talking about this for some time. It makes me wonder though, if it is presented this way is the consumer happy when they get to the table?I give quotes to people everyday and I always hear "hmm... your closing costs seem high" and it no longer blows me away when I hear this statement. My closing costs are very low compared to what I have seen out there and I have seen a lot out there. True, I am working to make a living and I do have to charge something for my efforts but I charge a very reasonable, honest, and fair fee. I usually charge my fee on the front end if the borrower can afford to do so, if... 02/21/2008

I received a referral from Kathy Bennett of Re/Max North Country a few days ago. I am working on the loan file now and it is a go. A couple of days later I had the opportunity to send someone her way. Then I had another opportunity to recomend her and I did. This morning I received a call from someone whom Kathy had referred to me. If you need property in or around Plattsburgh, NY go to Kathy Bennett. She is the best in the area!John Murphy of North Country Realty is a great guy to work with. He is never pushy and always considerate and conscientious of his clients. He is my Malone connection and should be yours too. John sends me referrals quite often and I do my best to get his clients qualified. If they cannot be qualified I call him up and let him know and I give him the reasons. If... 02/21/2008

The bond markets are poised to rally this morning. Jobless claims for last week rose 69,000 to 375,000; analyst were expecting a reading somewhere near 315,000. Consumer spending slowed in December to the lowest levels that we've seen since 2006. MBIA bond insurer lost 2.3 billion dollars in write downs and 3.5 billion total loss for the fourth quarter. Credit rating agencies are threatining to lower the cerdit rating of several bond insurers and the stock market is tumbling.This of course is not good news for the economy overall, but it will drive mortgage rates very low and to some extent fuel the economy with a fresh wave of refinance business. I personally have around 7 people at bay who have been waiting for an opportunity like this to take advantage of and lower their overall mont... 01/31/2008

 We all strive to bring something to the table that is not already there. We all have a similar skill set, policies, and procedures but there are some things that each of us can do to bring a certain unique feel to our own personal business approach.Since my companies investment and my own personal investment in leads I feel like consumers generally see us as "all the same". So I recently began thinking about what makes me different.For one I don't just quote rates. When a person gets me on the phone and starts asking me what the rate "is" that is a very difficult question to answer (more difficult than you'd think). Whats makes that questions so difficult to answer is that the question assumes that there is a "going" rate.Rates change on an hour to hour basis. The more volatility prese... 01/28/2008

I love AR and the community. You guys aer great, and I love the platform. Whether it be through referrals or advice AR has helped me improve my business and my practices. I have gotten many great and inspiring ideas from many of you!My thanks go out to all of you!What I would like to know though is how to get more associations. I am just not sure how the whole asscoiation thing works. I currently have 11 associates but I have associated myself with many more people than that. I understand that there may be some sort of action required from intended associate, such as accepting my association request. The thing that I have noticed that has really confused me is that out of the 11 associates that I have a couple of them just added tehmselves to my list without any action on my part.Larry ... 01/18/2008

Rates are low. low, low!Rates are low, as low as they were in 2004 when I began my career. Refinance applications are up and so we (company and I) decided to start purchasing leads. Wow, what a shift in gear working Internet leads is from working referrals. Sleazy sales tactics...Is what I am up against. The thing with Internet leads is that most people shopping on the Internet have filled several forms with several "Comparison Shops" like Lowermybills.com and Lendingtree.com.I am not really enjoying the quality of these leads as I have noticed that while the sneaky lender's out there low-ball their prospects, those same prospects low ball other LO's. Here's what I mean; if I quote someone a 5%, they will take that 5% and shop everyone else who is contacting them from the web.That 5% ma... 01/17/2008

The State of the City of Plattsburgh:I've really come to fall in love with the real estate that I have come across in the Adirondacks. I live in Plattsburgh, NY near the tip of the Adirondacks. I am from the area originally, I moved away for a while to get some experience behind me. The only real draw-back to Plattsburgh is that the demographic is... Read More This of course came as a shock to my colleagues and I as we are putting up near refi-boom level numbers. Still I guess I can see the evidence of it as more and more of my competitors shut their doors and call it a wrap. It just seems that as they leave we get more business so the decline has been less obvious to us. I do not want to be the first the let the worm out of the can...but we may just be in a declining market, even if on... 01/14/2008

There is a lot that can be said about a good referral. Personally I think that business by way of referral is the only way to go. If my car is broken down I ask my friends who they take their car to. This gives me a good idea of whether or not I am dealing with a reputable professional.This is true with just about anything that you can think of and... Read More So while you don't officially need a referral, I highly recomend getting a referral before shopping and or do your homework! 01/14/2008

Lately I am always on the lookout for things that can help me increase my various blog's SEO. I recently stumbled across the idea of using video as a web enhancement. I think that it is a really great idea! It gives me the ability to add even more new content and it gives a really nice look and feel to the blog. I am setting up an example of what I'm referring to below. Pointers? Tips? They are welcome! 01/13/2008

I commented on a blog and I would like to share my comment with the rest of you and ask you what you all think. I hope the comment was not offensive to the author, but this is something that I feel strongly about. I would be so offended if a Realtor whom is working on the other end of a deal from me recomend that My client seek another lender... That would be my last transaction with that Realtor.On  the same token I would never bad mouth the fee of a Realtor working on the other end of a deal from me and I would never Steer my client to another Realtor.The blog that I commented on is Anyone Know Anything About These Mortage Companies? by Judi Barrett and here's my response:"Judi, I understand your desire to help your client. The fact is however that it sounds like your client is gettin... 01/11/2008

I guess I hurt my own Search Engine ranking without knowing that I was doing so. I launched a marketing strategy a few months ago and I have been writing about it here and there on AR. One thing that I did not know is that duplicate information is identified and removed from Google's directory.My thinking was that the more places that I displayed my information the better that I would be ranked in Google. I was wrong and I now I have given myself the task of going through my hundreds of posts on the internet in an effort to delete all duplicate content. 01/10/2008

Last night I began a post, and had a great idea for it. Half way through when the exaustion hit me and I realized that it was 1am I decided to cut the blog post short and post what I had. The blog originally was going to be about moguling.com. I just discovered them and from what I can tell it is the real deal. Not quite sure though whether or not it is better than any free service like this one with regard to driving traffic. I signed up for the service last night and I plan on doing with it what I can tonight. I have a blog site setup already and I have made a couple of posts.It's really a unique idea, though I don't quite understand the web tv advertising element of it yet. My Mugling.com blog is located at http://nymortgage.ireporter.tv and right now is called the adirondack. I actu... 01/10/2008

  Ok, OK, maybe not all..But I have tried several different methods of expanding my web presence. Initially I was thrilled to learn about just one way. When I was introduced to AR and began seeing my name appear in major search engines like Google, I was floored. I couldn't believe that with a bit of effort and zero dollars advertising expenses I could make myself so accessible.I stayed on the path and met with mini-successes in my progress along the way. I subscribe to the school of thought that most Loan Originator's who repeatedly fail in their marketing techniques fail because they quit and begin something new before their first approach could take hold.Timing is everything!I think that it is important to give any new marketing strategy at least 6 months to determine whether or not ... 01/09/2008

I just thought that I'd come on here to mention that the closing went great yesterday and the client was so happy that he said that he and his wife are going to write me a letter of recommendation. that will make a great testimonial. I actually asked him to summarize my service in one sentence. I told him that I'd write it and send it to him for signature. He thought about it for a second but as overwhelmed as he was due to the fact that he had to leave my closing and go to another he declined and said that he will definitely write something for me.It is absolutely important to stay in touch with past clients especially when the deal was a very smooth one, but always. I am putting a list together of all of the loans that I have closed in 07' and every day I am going to send out two diff... 01/08/2008

It's Sunday afternoon and all I can think about is getting back into the office tomorrow and going forward reaping the rewards and benefits of the hard work that I am sinking into the implementation of my marketing strategies.I have a loan closing tomorrow morning at 10:30am. I am very happy that things went so smooth on this transaction as there were contingencies in the contract. The closing of this transaction was contingent upon the successful completion of 4 Mortgage transaction only one of which was in my hands.My buyer client was selling his home and buying a new home from a person who was selling his home and buying a new home from a person who was selling his home and buying a piece of land to build on... Whew!... This can sometimes make for a sticky situation. I know that on m... 01/06/2008