Just a reminder to set your clocks back one hour before you go to bed tonight or you could always stay up until Sunday, November 2, 2008 at 2:00 am in observance of Day Light Saving Time.
An Announcement You Will Never See from a Traditional Broker
October 13, 2008 by 2 Comments
"Today Redfin laid off roughly 20% of our employees" writes Glenn Kelman, Redfin CEO on his corporate blog.
You won’t hear these words from the traditional real estate brokerages where agents are not paid salaries. They’re living (or trying to) from closing to closing. Some are doing better than others and others are having to make hard choices about their careers and personal finances.
The traditional brokerages do not announce that 10 or 20% of their agents have not received a commission check in the past few months or are not able to pay their desk fees. Agents move to less expensive offices or they just move on.
It is a very challenging market. And while the many will focus on the struggles of Joe Six Pack, who opted for the wrong mortgage at the wrong time; very few will have sympathy for the struggling real estate agent who made their living from the Joes of this world.
Glenn’s announcement is a sad one. I don’t have established "relationships" with Redfin agents. I do with home buyers who have utilized Redfin. I admire Glenn’s honesty and wish everyone in the market well. I have been very fortunate to work with Washington State buyers and home owners who read my blogs, my past clients who return for their mortgage needs and who refer their friends to me and real estate agents who are trying to stick out this market. At this time and always, I THANK YOU ALL.
Hopefully with today’s gains in the market, we’ll have the confidence that our markets need to stabilize.
Mortgage Porter is in the PINK
October 4, 2008 by 3 Comments
Do not adjust your screen, Mortgage Porter is pink during October to recognize National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you’re a long time reader of this blog, you know that breast cancer has taken two wonderful ladies from our office. Both were around 40 years young and neither had cancer in their family. Breast cancer does not discriminate, men may be diagnosed with this disease as well.
In addition to the pink background, I have a button you click on the left which will help provide free mammograms. (All you need to do is click the button–that’s it!)
Want to do more? Start with your own self-exam and consider a donation of your time or money. You can also help spread the word by going pink!
A special thanks to Mike Mueller for adding the pink ribbon to my mug shot and to Jay Thompson for giving me the idea of pinking out Mortgage Porter.
Seven Years Ago Today
September 11, 2008 by 2 Comments
I’ll never forget it…nobody will. Seven years ago, my son (who had just turned 9) was getting ready for school and I was emailing clients with my AOL account in my home office in my home on North Lake when shots of horrifying photos began to appear on AOL. I really couldn’t believe what I was seeing. In fact, I thought it must have been a terrible promotion for a movie–it just couldn’t be true. Sadly, it was. I kept my son home from school that day, we watched the news unfold and just spent time with each other.
9-11 has forever changed our Country. My thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their lives from the events that took place seven years ago today.
Labor Day
September 1, 2008 by Leave a Comment
Mortgage Master is closed Monday, September 1, 2008 in observance of Labor Day. We will reopen for business as usual on Tuesday, September 2, 2008.
Independence Day
July 3, 2008 by Leave a Comment
In observance of Indepenence Day, Mortgage Master will be closing at 2:00 pm today, July 3, 2008, and will re-open for business as usual on Monday, July 7, 2008. Should you need assistance with a mortgage for a property in Washington State, please give me a call or email…I’ll be around this weekend.
As the bond markets will be closed tomorrow, I will be posting rates this morning (not Friday).
I hope you and yours have a safe, sane and FUN fourth of July!
This photo is from the Statue of Liberty at Alki, West Seattle.
Happy Fathers Day
June 15, 2008 by Leave a Comment
Tim Russert is someone whom I always enjoyed and I’m saddened that he passed away this past week. What an incredible Dad and Son.
In this video, he talks about a note he gave to his son when he was beginning college with three points of advice to work (study) hard, laugh often and keep your honor. He also talks about how he and his wife often tell their son that he is very loved but never entitled. Classic examples of real family values that I relate too and hope to impart on our children.
My heart and prayers are with the Russert family.
I wish my Dad, my Father in Law, my Out-Law’s and all a very Happy Father’s Day.
Memorial Day
May 26, 2008 by Leave a Comment
Mortgage Master Service Corporation is closed today in honor of Memorial Day. We will return to business as usual Tuesday, May 27, 2008.
Photos from my son during our trip back to DC back in Spring 2002.
This monument is in the Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia.
This monument was created by the efforts of the women of the Hollywood Memorial Association. Not content merely to tend the graves of the Confederate dead, the women decided to raise money to erect a monument. A successful two-week bazaar raised over $18,000 in 1867. Charles Dimmock’s design is a dry stone pyramid made of James River granite. It took nearly a year to build and is ninety feet tall. 18,000 Confederate dead are buried around its base.
This photo is from Arlington National Cemetry.
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