Posts from ‘June, 2007’

I’ve often joked with friends that I do mortgages on the side to support my blogging habit! Well I finally came across a tool that measures your blog addiction. Since it’s a Friday afternoon I figured I’d take the test. (I would have taken the test even if I had seen it on a Monday morning :-)) [...]

As I was driving up to the office this morning from an early morning appointment I noticed that several intersection lights were not working. This was along Val Vista Road in Gilbert going north.  Most of these are very busy intersections. It was a bit scary at times as drivers were getting frustrated trying to make left turns. Now I see this [...]

The Federal Reserve left short term rates alone today. The key Federal Funds Rate has been at 5.25% since June 2006. The FOMC statement was balanced overall. Bond prices fell (yields increased) in reaction to the Fed observation that “a sustained moderation in inflation pressures has yet to be convincingly demonstrated.” Meaning inflation is still not where the Fed [...]

Many borrowers ask me why a silly three digit number, the credit score, is so important. Well, for one, it gives lenders a snapshot of financial behavior. The way the scores are calculated provide a really good instant photograph of the borrower’s potential to repay the loan in a timely manner. After all, lenders are in business [...]

From a recent story “Bad Loans get Worse” at CNNMoney:
More than $1 trillion worth of adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) will be hit with higher reset rates this year, and that could add up to big trouble for many homeowners.
It’s June, so the year is already half over, and many of the rates have probably already [...]

During the course of a mortgage transaction I often get questions on homeowners insurance - particularly from first time home buyers. I feel that I’m not the most qualified to talk about insurance and what constitutes good insurance. I always send inquiring minds over to my own agent, Jim Kreisman. I send them to [...]

Lights, cameras, action! And off we went. The blogging conference was a smashing hit. Wow. I want to thank all those for attending. Special thanks goes to Jay Thompson and Greg Swann for sharing their thoughts. I know its hard to share business ideas and methods which are working for you – without a fee. [...]

In the movie Zoolander, Ben Stiller’s character Derek asks the most important question of life: “Who am I?” Of course those who’ve watched the movie know that Derek is a mega successful male model living in a cocoon of a world where members forget that lighting a cigarette during a gasoline fight can be fatal! [...]

That is exactly what it was like at the height of the frenzy a few years back. What was meant for good was turned into a system advancing fraud. The fall out is all around us. Many of the foreclosures happening today can be traced back to the pizza delivery guy making $8,000 a month. [...]

The world of blogging is defined by sharing. In this spirit, over the past few weeks, I’ve written a few articles for other blogs. Since regular AMG visitors may not have seen these articles I’ve made a list of the most recent ones below. I’ve also included an introduction to the blogs where my [...]