Curtis's Blog

I read an article today that touched on, among other things, the art of conversation.   Yes, it is an art and it is not a skill we are born with. In fact we are born with the opposite predisposition - selfishness.   It is an important one though because a baby that doesn't let people know about i...

As a marketing person I am constantly involved in research to find the best resources and the best information to help me reach the next customer at the moment (or just before) they realize they will want help with a mortgage in my case for purchases or refinancing. One of the criteria we often c...

Why is it that people are shocked that after walking on the edge of the garbage dump, they go home smelling like a garbage dump?Politicians, CEOs, corporations, LOs, and all the rest of us too. Every one of us has to decide that we will not participate in anything that has even a chance of lookin...

I should add to my earlier posting that when lenders perceive greater risk they respond with higher rates. As much as we don't like that, it's their football.The most important thing we can do is reduce that perceived risk. for example...Too many people today don't have savings. If someone is pla...

Whether it's autumn or because the markets are beginning to recover a little from all the mortgage worries, I can't say...What I can say is that it is possible to get a mortgage today with a rate that's less than 6%. No - it's not an adjustable rate either. That's less than 6% on 30 year fixed. J...

Once upon a time, a little old lady passed on leaving her home to her joint tenant daughter. The daughter, the whole family, was not prepared for this event and didn't even have insurance coverage for the funeral expenses. You can imagine the kind of havoc this caused for the daughter who now was...

I've been in the mortgage business since 2002. I've seen a lot of happy people - my customers, I'm happy to say - but I've seen a lot of unhappy ones too.They are unhappy because they feel that their last Mortgage encounter (male or female) ripped them off. It all comes down to they were told one...

Even before all the sturm and drang about the mortgage market began in earnest, the process for investors to get mortgages had already begun to tighten. The problem wasn't caused by actual investors, it was caused by inexperienced and overly optimistic "speculators" who, when presented with no mo...

Hey Realtors in and around Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, Palatine, Elgin!I'm looking for partners. I have resources that I can put to work for you to help you find more buyers and more listings.Yard signs - free. 800# call capture service - Free. 15 years of marketing and advertising experience ...

There was a time not long ago that investors with good credit could get a mortgage for that next property with no money down at all - even without closing costs. The problem is - as always - a few bad apples ruined the bushell.Today lenders have very strict guidelines about who they will and will...