Snohomish County, WA FHA and VA Loans

Mortgage Rates.  When Should You Pay Discount Points?   As rates have started creeping up a bit I have been getting asked more frequently about the option to “buy down” or pay points for a lower rate. Discount points are an effective way of reducing your interest and monthly payment, however they...

Just like everything else, the price of an FHA loan is going up.  I'm sure a good percentage of you are aware, but for those who are not, as of Monday, April 18th, FHA will be increasing their mortgage insurance premiums by 25%.  For those of you considering a home refinance or new purchase loan,...

How is the economy comin' along?  I'm not an economist, but as a mortgage professional I would be doing my clients a disservice if I didnt pay attention to trends.  Of course every "expert" seems to have a different opinion and depending on what news you want to hear all you have to do is change ...

I've had this conversation a couple of times recently.  As a mortgage lender here in Tennessee, one of the loan products I talk about often is the HUD100 loan.  It's basically an FHA loan with only a $100 down payment if you buy a HUD owned property.   The program is outstanding, clients love it,...

I was recently reading an article by Joe Stumpf, founder of By Referral Only, and in it he was talking about the qualities that make someone "Refer-able". As a mortgage consultant here in Nashville, TN for the last ten years, I have received my share of referrals from clients and other industry p...

Why is it so hard to let go?  Or maybe a better question...why is it so hard to say "No"? We all have them, those "clients" or "partners" who are demanding of your time, a drain on your energy and resources, and will cost you more then they will ever make you.  So, as I go through my database and...

Ok, so I had some traveling to do over the last thirty days, and in that time I have been in four states...my home state of Tennessee, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana.  Now...let's start with Iowa.  I was born and raised in rural Oregon and now live in Tennessee, far be it for me to have the audacity...

Have you ever had it hit you right between the eyes that you arent as young as you used to be?  It happened to me last night.  After work I went grocery shopping.  And as I went through the meat department I discovered that my FAVORITE chicken was marked down on the manager special!  At $3.88 for...

A month or so ago I posted about a conversation I overheard from two loan officers. http://activerain.com/blogsview/967221/Please-Tell-Me-I-Did-NOT-Just-Hear-That The premise being that one loan officer sent a client an offer that was LOWER then what he even thought he could do AND his offer got ...

This is definitely a bumper sticker for the times!  Dean Jackson, marketing extraordinaire, sent that too me this morning.  I hate bumper stickers and would NEVER put one on my car...but that one may make me change my mind.  What else can you do but find the humor in the stressful times, right?!?