Homeownership & Lifestyle

Homeownership is more than a mortgage — it’s about community, lifestyle, and long-term planning.

This section includes personal insights, community involvement, and home-related topics that reflect the broader experience of owning and living in the great Pacific Northwest.

Book Review: And Then The Roof Caved In by David Faber

I’ve found that one of the perks of being a mortgage blogger is that on occasion, Roofcavedin people will send me copies of their book requesting a review.  I recently finished reading CNBC Reporter, David Faber’s book which addresses how we have arrived at this financial situation we are in.

If you watched his documentary “House of Cards”; you will find lot of the content from the book follows David’s reporting from the documentary.   I enjoy Faber’s reporting on CNBC in the mornings and when you read his book, it’s as if he’s talking to you.   It’s an easy read that covers every angle of how we got here.  And maybe it’s because I’m employed in the mortgage industry, I found this book hard to put down.

If you want to understand more about the perfect storm that lead to this economic crisis; I highly recommend “And Then The Roof Caved In: How Wall Street’s Greed and Stupidity Brought Capitalism to Its Knees” by David Faber.

From the Junk Mail Bag

Seems like junk mail from random mortgage companies are on the rise again.   I recently had a client who I helped with a home purchase utilizing an FHA mortgage send me a piece of junk mail that he had received from a company (NOT Mortgage Master) that bothered him beyond the typical “deluge of refi offers from firms who’s marketing strategy is to look up public records for a targeted mailing“. [Read more…]

What I’ve Learned About Pugs

I have a 13 year old Pug, Orson.  Last month it seemed his hind legs were bothering Orshim so I took him to the Vet who thought it was most likely old age and arthritis.  He recommended giving him treats with glucosamine to see if that worked.   A couple weeks later, his front legs began to give him trouble as well and he began walking with a sway (almost as if he was a little drunk).  Orson and I went back to the local Vet and this time the prognosis was not good: possible brain tumor.  They referred us to Dr. Sean Saunders of Seattle Veterinary Specialist in Kirkland who specializes in neurology.  An MRI revealed that Orson does not have a brain tumor; he has Hansen’s Type II invertebral disk disease–as bad as this sounds, I’m relieved since this is probably can be managed with doggy drugs. [Read more…]

Who’s Vilifying Who, Mr. Dimon?

In a speech to the US Chamber of Commerce, Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase made a statement that caused my jaw to drop.  From Bloomberg:

“My biggest mistake, probably of my whole career, was not closing down our mortgage broker business sooner.”

He says that mortgage broker business had a loss rate two to three times higher than loans originated directly by the bank.

Here is what you need to know: [Read more…]

Auburn, Washington Homeowner Asks: Will Obama’s Plan Help Me?

They bought their home with 10% down payment back in 2007 using two mortgages which only required interest only payments for the first 10 years.  They opted for this route because they wanted to buy this home before their other property sold (buying simultaneous)…the other property never sold and is now a rental.  This morning I received an email asking:

“Please advise how the stimulus package can help me.  I would like to lower my monthly mortgage payments and not have interest only loans.”

[Read more…]