Washington Mortgage Planner-straight up mortgage advice and commentary

Good morning all! I hope you're well. I decided to work from home today. I've been fortunate since the first of the year because I have such tremendous support from my company. In fact, I haven't worked from home this much in years.

Granted, my drive to Bellevue is 30 miles one way. This can take a minimum of 45 minutes and is often tiring. I also have the luxury of being all by myself most of the time. My wife works and the kids are grown and gone. How does working from home work for you?

I think the key is to minimize distractions. I could see how it might be difficult if you still have kids at home, for example. I also try and break up my day and get out of the house. Today I'll probably work out this morning and then come back and make phone calls, send emails, etc. This evening I'm meeting a couple buddies for a beer in Renton.

How often do you work from home? I keep hearing about the dawn of the virtual office. Personally, I like to have my cake and eat it too! Most of the time I head into out corporate office (probably 4 out of the 5 days a week I work). I find the camaraderie and support to be helpful.

But there are days where I just don't feel like being around the noise and chaos no matter how positive it might be. That's when I opt to work from home. So tell me your story. How productive are you working from home? I think if a person is disciplined enough it can work great. Have a fantastic day!

Good morning! Today is cloudy, cool, and rainy; typical Pacific Northwest Fall weather. Have you carved your pumpkin yet?

I wanted to give you an update on Southeast King County and what I'm seeing. This is where I live. I actually work in Bellevue but have noticed some encouraging trends in the cities of Maple Valley, Kent, and Auburn.

I've started to see builders finishing their developments. For over a year, there were just vacant lots. Now, I'm seeing houses being finished which is a very good sign. With prices dropping by as much as $100,000 even on affordable homes (think $250,000-300,000 price range now) and the first-time homebuyer tax credit still in play, I'm hearing reports of increased closings.

All this needs to be tempered with the fact that banks are in serious trouble up here (there are several on the FDIC's watch list who can't lend money right now) and there are still over 1,000 homes scheduled for auction every week.

Are we out of the woods yet here in Southeast King County and other parts of Puget Sound. I think its too early to tell but, again, I'm encouraged by the return to commerce of the builders. I'll keep you posted! Have a great day!

This is a great post that really gets back to the heart of how we all can build a successful business. At least it's working for me! Have a great day!

Good morning all: Up here in the great Northwest, it's Fall. Today is cloudy and cool and we've had quite a bit of rain this week.

I've been meaning to write this blog for some time because I think its important. The question is how tranparent are you? The reason this came to mind is I recently had to tell a client exactly how I got paid. Granted, I've always done this but, still, most clients don't understand or pay attention.

In my case, I was working on a huge loan and had tried to submit to an East Coast bank (big mistake) who didn't understand my client's income as much of it was in the form of bonuses. After that loan submission failed,  we were scrambling as we had to pick a new lender with a higher rate and not much time to close. Needless to say, everyone was a little stressed.

I had to call my client and explain how not only was the rate higher but also how I got paid. In the first deal with the East Coast bank, I was being paid yield spread premium and wasn't charging my client any origination fee. When I submitted the loan to the second local bank, not only was the rate higher but I had to pay .25 and charge an origination fee. In the meantime, my client had gone to Lending Tree and gotten a quote for a no fee mortgage. I requested the Good Faith Estimate and saw that the competing lender had unnecessary junk fees in the loan and a slightly higher rate.

When I called my client, I levelled with him about how I got paid. I'm not sure how happy he was about the change but hope he appreciated my candor and transparency. The bottom line is we got a loan approval yesterday and it appears we will close on time. My client will be happy as they're realizing buying their dream house. I also learned something about going with the lowest rate projected. Most of the time, the lender either won't approve the loan or they can't honor that rate. How transparent is that?

In the three and a half years I've been in this business, I've seen so much. One of the things I didn't like was working with people who were in it just for the money. They weren't transparent at all in my opinion. So that should be everyone's goal; To tell it like it is. We all have our warts. But one way to build a great business is to be as upfront and honest as we can. If not, I'm not sure we belong! Thanks for reading. I invite you to share your stories about how transparent you are in your business. Have a great day!

Good morning: I keep reading about injecting your unique personality into your blog and elsewhere. The question is, do you do it? There are some wonderful writers here and, frankly, I love the writers who write something different and thought provoking. Yes, I know. We're supposed to be updating people on what's going on in our world. And I usually come here to get the latest information on our world. In fact, that's the reason I came to Active Rain in the first place! But, again, I like to get to know the person as well. What better way than by telling us something personal about yourself. I'll start.

I'm 50 (turned in March), married for 17 years (we met on a blind date), a brand new Grandpa (our grandson Samuel just turned one month old), and work for the coolest company around (The Legacy Group is either the largest or second largest privately held lender in the state of Washington) and feel blessed to have wonderful family and friends in my life.

I started over in the mortgage business 3 1/2 years ago and obviously have seen everything known to man in that timeframe! My business is just starting to gain traction and I'm thankful for all the referrals I increasingly get. In building my business, most other things that I enjoy have taken a back seat. I'm hopeful that will ease up a bit in the next couple years because I miss travelling and the other things I like to do.

I'd like to think I have a myriad of interests. Those include wine, good and different types of food, staying fit, and reading all types of literature. My personality has been tested and I'm a phlegamatic person so not so driven to conquer the world. In fact, I sometimes put off today what can be done tomorrow!

O.k. I got the ball rolling. If you're comfortable with sharing, let me know about you. We all have our own unique and interesting story to tell. Thanks for reading! Remember to always inject your unique personality in whatever you do. This will answer the question "How are you different?" Thanks for reading!