Karen Burket's "Active" Mortgage Blog

I'm really surprised an agent did this with a pre-qualification letter I provided back in September.  I had borrowers pre-approved for a $130,000 purchase price and a $110,000 loan amount and they put in an offer on a  short sale.  The agent specifically asked me NOT to mention a dollar amount in...

This is an awesome and excellent reminder to do what we can to support our LOCAL stores and businesses.  This Black Friday...think LOCAL!    Thank you Connie for the great reminder.  Shop Small Saturday, November 26, 2011 This Thanksgiving Holiday weekend is full of opportunities to spend money. ...

I just received a very interesting..well, somewhat alarming phone call from my mom.  A lady at my parents church heard of a disease, Leptospirosis, in dogs that is becoming more prevalent here on the West.  Leptospirosis is much more common down in the South, however after Hurricane Katrina, it b...

     It's that time again. The  2011 DARWIN Awards are out. The annual honor is given to the persons who did the gene pool the biggest service by killing themselves in the most extraordinarily stupid way.   Last year's winner was the fellow who was killed by a Coke machine which toppled over on ...

Ole is on his deathbed. The doctor has told him he has only a few hours to live. He catches the scent of his favorite cookie bars wafting through the air. With all the strength he can muster, he drags himself into the kitchen and sees a fresh pan cooling on the rack. He cuts one out and bites int...

Please help me welcome two new additions to the AR Family!  While officially, they aren't members, I'm pretty confident that there will be occasional information and updates from and about them. Introducing, Sammi and Rodeo! Many of you know, that we lost our beloved Mini Aussie, Rodney, several ...

With tomorrow being Veteran's Day, my mind wandered back to the memory of my grandfather, a United States Marine who served in World War II.  As I was thinking about him, I was also reminded of the small garden my grandmother had in her back yard.  It wasn't much...I remember specifically lots of...

This was a great email I received recently.   We have enjoyed the redneck jokes for years. It's time toTake a reflective look at the core beliefs of a culture thatValues home, family, country and God. If I had to standBefore a dozen terrorists who threaten my life, I'dChoose a half dozen or so re...

Southern Oregon has been yearning for a Trader Joe's for years now.  Rumors have circulated in the past as to when and where one would be located, but it sounds like, it's official; Southern Oregon will now be home to a new Trader Joe's! Ground work has started where the new Northgate Shopping Ce...

Holly has some wonderful ideas here and provides some great resource links relating to what we can all do to honor our Veterans.   Thank you Holly for this information.  Good stuff!   Friday, 11/11/11 is Veterans Day. It is a strangely uncelebrated holiday. When one of my friends who works for th...