We are just returning from a family vacation at Ocean Shores and I’m very tickled to learn that Mortgage Porter is receiving some nice nods from some fellow real estate bloggers whom I think a great deal of.

Tony Gallegos of the Mortgage Cicerone has declared Cicerone’s Top 20 Bloggers for 2007.  Yours truly is very honored to be included as one of Tony’s top 20.  I’m excited to be on this list as there are many fellow bloggers I’m familiar with and a few who are new to me.  I enjoy checking out blogs I’m not subscribed to yet.

Equally exciting, Larry Cragun’s Magnificent 7 on Real Estate Undressed is down to the final round.  I’m very lucky to have a couple of posts included in the running of the total of 14 consumer focused articles.   Please do check out the posts and let Larry know which one gets your vote. 

Is this a sign for how great 2008 will be?  I certainly hope so.

I don’t know if it’s because Mortgage Porter has a birthday coming up in a few days…or if it’s just overdue.   I did a little "house keeping" on my blog this morning.  Now that she’s a year old, it’s time to reorganize and unclutter.

My intent with Mortgage Porter is to have it very consumer focused.  And I hope it appeals to real estate professionals, too.   When I write for Mortgage Porter, I picture my clients, the questions they’ve asked and experiences they’ve had.   I want to help them understand the process.    I also like to throw in some personal stories and local events…just for fun!

Here are a few of the changes I’ve made…

A while back, I removed the monthly list of Achieves and created one link.   My goal was to list out every post however as far as I can tell with my Typepad platform, this has to be done manually and it’s been a chore!   You can still find Archives listed by month after you click the Archive link on the left right side of the blog.

I’ve also slimmed down my blog roll and separated the local blogs into their own list.  After I did that, I evaluated the remaining blog links and (this was hard) tried to really narrow it down to the (non-local) blogs I read the most and that are consumer focused.  I also created a link for all the other blogs that I enjoy that might be geared more real estate or mortgage professionals.

Plus, I’ve added a couple of badges that I’m proud of.   From top to bottom on the left:

• CMPS Certified
• Mortgage Market Guide
• Top 12 Women RE Bloggers
• Larry Cragun’s Magnificent 7 Consumer Articles.   

You can click on any of these badges for more information.

I’m learning that a blog is an evolving process full of tweaks and hopefully improvements.   Nothing is permanent or stagnant.   I’m sure I’ll be continuing to adjust and change Mortgage Porter…it’s kind of like moving around your furniture or cleaning out your closets at home!

Once again, Larry Cragun has revealed what articles he feels are most consumer oriented with his Magnificent 7.   I am very honored to have a couple of my posts from October recognized.   Please visit Larry’s blog, Real Estate Undressed to check out all of the nominees.

Big move today.  I’m taking www.rhondaporter.com off line; the URL will be forwarded to www.mortgageporter.com (hopefully) by tomorrow.   I may have a bit of down time with my email address.   If you’re not receiving a response from me in a timely manner, please pick up the phone and give me a call or use my alternate email.

Update 8:20 pm: my email is back and running! www.rhondaporter.com is now forwarding to Mortgage Porter…. Isn’t technology great?