Brian P.'s Blog

With all political agendas and allegiances aside, all I've got to say to the President and his administration's attempts to help homeowners in trouble is, "Nice try, big fella!" There is certainly a movement in the right direction, but Florida mortgagors are contending with 30% differentials in t...

So I was visiting my Dad down on his farm in Georgia over the Easter holidays. I received a call from Lori Crawford who is an extraordinary Realtor with whom I do business. She said, "Brian, I need your help. I've got a bidding war going on over a property." The first thoughts in my head: "You ha...

Yes, it has come to this....we need 45 days on all loans! I am talking about all products (Conventional and Government loans) across the board, the worm has turned. As far as FHA and VA for example, I have a lender with files that were turned in on February 26th but were not slated for submission...

OK, I have said some disparaging things about Fannie Mae in the past, and with justification. But when they do wake up and smell the coffee, I'm buying! Fannie Mae now understands that investors, (the real ones, not the hairdresser who moonlights as a property maven!), can be a contributing facto...

OK - I don't want to incur anyone's wrath here but I am just trying to make a point - bear with me! In lending, I understand the necessity of changing with changing times and staying current on trends.* It is part of remaining at the top of your business game. Successful business people need to k...

All you Realtors out there know as well as I do that the devil is in the details. An issue I had this week was case in point. After application review and analysis I received both written verifications of employment (the borrower had a full-time and a part-time job).   The hourly rate and the num...

Where's the Sense? The other day we found out that Barclays Bank closed Equifirst - another plug pulled on a lender. The reason cited for the closure was ‘market conditions.' The only good news is that even though Equifirst is not accepting new applications, they are following through with curren...

Knowledge trumps everything in the end. You deal with all kinds of personalities in my business. I get a real cross section of attitudes and behaviors. Maybe it is because anything to do with the financial component of a deal causes clients and their Realtors stress. I understand the time sensiti...

...No, not really; but many lenders are no longer doing them in Florida because of the perceived risk of properties in that class. Unfortunately, so many owners have defaulted on their HOA fees that it creates a financial burden on the rest of the owners and a vicious cycle is perpetuated: defaul...

Stay Tuned... I guess if you put yourself out there and preach anything you've gotta be prepared when your fan base pounces on ya for not practicing it!  I attended a great marketing seminar last week that was filled with many friends, colleagues, and clients who really beat me up because I haven...