Entries by The KCM Crew

Yet Another Dumb Reason for Not Buying a Home

We have been addressing some of the more questionable reasons people give for not buying a house each Wednesday. Two weeks ago, we covered Dumb Reason #1: Real Estate is no longer a good investment. Last week, we covered Dumb Reason #2: Renters are happier than homeowners. We will cover the third reason today: Dumb Reason […]

The Power of the KCM Community is Needed

HELP! If you are reading this blog, you know the KCM Crew works hard every day to deliver to you a quality post that you can share with your consumers. They are up for the Inman News 2010 Innovator Award. Please honor their hard work by taking the time to vote. click on the Inman News link […]

Walking Away: The Impact on Housing

There is a growing trend in this country of people walking away from their mortgage obligations. The definition of a ‘walk away’ borrower is one who has the financial means to continue to make their mortgage payment but decides not to. This situation is also called strategic default. The incidence of people taking this path […]

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Home Buyers Tax Credit Extension Update

UPDATES!  Friday 7/2 12PM: Done! The president has signed the bill. Wednesday 6/30 10:30PM: Tax Credit Deadline Extension and Flood Insurance Extension passed by Senate. Headed to the President!!! (Isn’t in main stream media yet but we got it from a VERY reliable source). Wednesday 6/30 1:30PM: The Associated Press is reporting that politics may […]

Attention: All Real Estate and Mortgage Professionals

Times are changing and so should your strategy. You can no longer do business the old fashioned way. If you are part of the KCM community, you have already received our free strategy guide, the KCM Quick Report, in your inbox this weekend. Read, enjoy and implement. If you have not yet joined our community, […]

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Why is Real Estate So Confusing Today?

May Shows a Continued Strong Pace for Existing Home Sales –  National Association of Realtors (NAR) June Existing Home Sales Report headline Is May’s Home Sales Decline an Alarming Signal of What’s to Come? – headline of an article in Housing Wire Both of the above headlines appeared this past Wednesday. They seem to be […]

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Communication IS the Lubrication

Catchy headline, yes?  But I have been reflecting lately on how we can improve the “client experience”, and I was reminded of something I heard mortgage icon Greg Frost say way back in 1994.  From a stage in Palm Desert, California, Greg proclaimed that “Communication is the lubrication of a well-oiled transaction.”  I, like the […]

Another Dumb Reason Given Not to Buy a Home

We will be addressing some of the more questionable reasons people give for not buying a house each Wednesday for five weeks. Last week, we covered Dumb Reason #1: Real Estate is no longer a good investment. We will cover the second reason today: Dumb Reason #2: Renters are happier than homeowners. I sort of […]

5 Things Sellers Must Require of a Real Estate Agent

Are you thinking of selling your home? Are you dreading having to deal with strangers walking through the house? Are you concerned about getting the paperwork correct? Hiring a professional real estate agent can take away most of the challenges of selling. A great agent is always worth more than the commission they charge just […]

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Job Creation: Only Solution for a Housing Recovery

The government has tried many stimulus programs to re-energize housing.  They attempted to kick-start demand by offering the First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit and they did have some success originally. They extended the program and added a provision for move-up buyers also. Even the government admits that the extension may not have increased demand […]

My Dad

My father was the greatest man I ever met. He passed away almost 20 years ago and I still miss him – EVERY DAY. The most amazing thing about my dad is I am still discovering how much of an impact he has had on my life. After one of my speeches this week, a […]

KCM named Inman News Innovator Awards Finalist

We have been honored as a finalist in the blog category of the 2010 Inman News Innovator Awards. Each year, Inman News announces the launch of the Innovator Awards process with a call for nominations several months prior to the Real Estate Connect conference. An Inman News review team considers the nominations and selects a […]

Is Your Pre-Approval Worth The Paper It’s Printed On?

For decades lenders have been shouting to the rooftops that buyers should “Pre-Qualify BEFORE You Buy!”  Admittedly, we were trying to get access to prospects as early as we could to, hopefully, bond with them and eliminate our competition.  Today though, a Pre-Approval has become the cornerstone of most real estate transactions. You see, by […]

Those Who Walk Away Could Be Penalized

The number of people ‘walking away’ from their mortgage obligations has reached epidemic proportions in this country. Strategic defaults account for 31% of all mortgage defaults. Walking away from an underwater house may seem like the easiest way out of the financial burden created by your monthly mortgage payment. And it looked as though there […]

Countdown to June 30th

As the Tax Credit Expiration Date comes barreling towards us, we in the mortgage business are facing some challenges we haven’t seen since December 1986 (when the tax law changes that were becoming effective in January 1987 required an flood of closings onto the docket).  Today, I want you to understand the challenges and provide […]

Appraisal Challenges: Straight from the Battlefield

Chip Wagner is an appraiser with over 20 years experience. Below is a comment he made to Monday’s post. We thought so highly of his response that we received his permission to post it directly on the blog. – The KCM Crew There are many challenges facing the real estate industry today, and one of the […]