Russ Msrtin's (edumakated) Blog

Over the years, I have been monitoring and documenting the types of Realtors I have come across in this business.  While I am sure there are some other undocumented species of Realtor, these are the ones I see most frequently in metro Chicago.  If you are aware of any others, please let me know a...

Sitting from the sidelines watching the Redfin commercial, I mean 60 minutes expose on Realtor compensation all I can do is chuckle.  I have to wonder if Realtors are getting a taste of their own medicine or experiencing what loan originators have been dealing with for years. Realtors are constan...

One of the things that always bugs me about the main stream media is that they often leave out key facts or make statements that often makes things seem worse than they really are.   I think there really needs some perspective on foreclosures and sub-prime mortgage lending.  Now before someone go...

I love extreme sports.  As a former bicylce motocross (BMX) racer, I have the jacked up knees and scrapped elbows to prove it.  However, I suspect most fans of extreme sports are really there not to see the jumps and stunts completed but for the off chance there will be some big time face plants....

Everyone makes mistakes.  Especially the credit bureaus.   Unfortunately, when the credit bureaus make mistakes it can be very costly for YOU, not the credit bureau.  This is why it is important that consumers really know what is on their credit reports and monitor it like a hawk.  Consumers shou...

Last week I told you about the Supreme Court ruling in Watters versus Wachovia that pretty much solidified the mega mortgage bankers and their subsidiaries skirting of state regulations and their attempts to drive mortgage brokers out of business by unfair legislative tactics.   An email I receiv...

With very little fanfare the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Wachovia Bank in the Watters vs. Wachovia case last week. The case was about whether a subsidiary mortgage company of Wachovia Bank should be governed by state laws or federal law. Most of the big mega banks we are all familiar with (WA...

In a previous post I introduced you to a particularly disturbing money grab by the three major credit bureaus called trigger leads. Trigger leads are where the credit bureaus sell consumers' information after their credit is checked by a mortgage lender. For example, you apply for a mortgage and ...

"The definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing over and over again expecting different results." - Rita Mae Brown (Or Einstein depending on the source). I have resisted writing on this topic for sometime now, but I can no longer bite my tongue (or keyboard). Several months ago, Go...

With all the press coverage about sub-prime lending and the impending housing bubble (if there really is one), it was only a matter of time before the politicians started licking their chops and proposing brilliant plans in order to win votes. I am hoping that real estate industry is not beyond t...