Bay Area Mortgage Blog

We recently caught a rare glimpse of what lies bubbling beneath the surface of this soup we call the MORTGAGE MESS. They are the SILENT MAJORITY who didn't walk away from their mortgage. They stayed, paid, and prayed. And guess what? Not only do they WANT to refinance, they just might cause the s...

I wonder how a Seattle Realtor must feel when his buyer breathlessly tells him this: "And I'm pre-approved with a great mortgage broker I found online! IN California". Does the Realtor fake-smile while secretly knowing he will soon be SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE? Does he attempt to refer the client to a...

As most of my readers know, Monday is my musing day. My brain seems to refuse to go into neutral over weekends when I am SUPPOSED to be giving it a rest from Mortgage Madness. Or could it be that looking out over misty lake with moon rising and glass of wine (at weekend home) opens the mind to th...

Rich, you ask us why we are here on ActiveRain on your featured post of today. Of all the ways I can think of to answer this question, the one I never would have said is this: "For Free Publicity". You see, while I see the value of free publicity, I didn't start blogging to get noticed by the med...

They are the ones that were not satisfied to be corporate hacks, allowing some huge company to dictate where and how they live their lives. They refused to carry a lunch bucket and lay cable for the phone company for 30 years. Instead, they went after that other American Dream. The one about risk...

As mortgage madness dawned yesterday, it became apparent that our lenders had swallowed 2 giant aspirins over the weekend: The Freddie aspirin and the Fannie aspirin. They woke up feeling much better. Now, some might argue any government bailout is a bitter pill to swallow. So please excuse my sh...

Sometimes you get that jaw dropper comment on one of your posts. You know, the comment that is raw. The one that speaks volumes about our entire industry. It is something laced with real emotion that spews out like hot lava from a smoldering volcano (that you assumed was dormant). It is the kind ...

  Of all the things that make Realtors go off the deep end, I know (painfully so) that  late closings come in right at the top of the list. What happens when the contract is over but the funding lady has yet to sing? Have you ever: 1. Been furious with the mortgage broker? 2. Yelled at the mortga...

Since Spencer over at Zillow has brought up the discussion of homeowners being delusional about the value of their homes, I propose the following question: Are they delusional? Or are we? Maybe there isn't a gap in reality and perception. Maybe the "value" of a property can be more than one numbe...

Star light, Star bright, I Wish I May I Wish I Might Close this loan, without a fight Find guidelines that are not so tight A lender who will not take flight. Star light, Star bright, I wish I May I wish I Might See credit scores That reach new heights Borrowers of pure delight A Realtor who wil...