New Title Company in Little Rock

Well I have gone off and done it again…starting up a new title company in Little Rock.  Actually it is a branch of National Closing Corp out of Greenwood, AR.  So in effect, our world headquarters are in Greenwood and the branch is here in LR.  Enough of that…I am happy to be back in the local title business again, after taking some time off.  We thought we could become a radio personality, but it just didn’t work out!  We have some exciting new tricks in our bag that we are going to roll out to the Arkansas Market.  Keep an eye on the blog for updates as we get ready to roll these products out to the public.

Here is a hint….we are going “Green” !!  Our plan is to use as little paper as possible.  No more file folders stack high of copies of all the closing documents.  How does a copy of your closing documents on a Flash Drive sound to you?

This is just a teaser….more to come

Low Rate = Home Sales?

I learned yesterday that you could get an FHA loan for 4.5% for 30 years…that is fantastic! Will that equate to home sales? I still hear that we have some issues with appraisals and credit, but if those two items are ok, then a borrower should be able to get one heck of a deal out there. We are seeing a nice steady stream of orders coming into the title company, and we expect to see a rise in orders these next few weeks.

What do you see happening in your market? Jump in on the conversation and let me know how your business is at this time.

News Reports

I was watching one of the news channels last night, who knows which one, and the talk was of 4% interest rates in the near future and the effect this would have on the housing market. If this prediction turns out to be true, then we may have a very nice spring for those of us in the Real Estate Biz. I have been talking to Realtors across the state and it appears that activity has been on a slight rise. Which is great news for us especially if we combine renewed activity with lower interest rates.

Have we touched the bottom??? I don ‘t know, but I am hoping when the sun starts shining and the flowers start to bloom, that our business starts to pick up!

Too long between updates!!

Sorry it has ben so long since I have been on the blog, but a lot of things have changed these past couple of months and we have been trying to get our hands around this market. I will tell you one thing, I am going to start concering myself with only those things I have the ability to control!! I am not going to concern myself with the news shows that tell us how bad the real Estate market is these days and that it will last for who knows how long!! We can control our attitude and our work ethic. If it takes out working the other guy, then that is what we will do!!

I am excited about this new years as we move into spring, and I will get back on the blog on a more regular basis. I am sorry to say that the radio program was unable to stay on the air do to lack of advertising support. I have a some ideas on how we can use other methods of facilitating a discussion driven type program. those will be coming in a few months.

The Monday After

I have been polling my friends in the Real Estate Biz about how this bailout bill is going to help us out here in Arkansas. I must tell you that I am not getting a very clear message!  Do you have any thoughts or comments on how you think this will help, or hurt, those of us trying to make a living in the RE game here in Arkansas?

I want to thank Shane and David for filling in on the Real Estate Show on Saturday morning.  They did a great job leading the discussion on the bail out package.  Pod cast of the Real Estate Show is coming soon, so if you can’t make it up by 8:00 on Saturday mornings, you will be hear the show via pod cast.

Don’t forget that you can listen in on the internet at www.1037thebuzz.com

Bill Passes House today

I guess we know what the topic of conversation will be on the Real Estate Show tomorrow morning, 8 to 9 on 103.7 FM.   It most likely will the the topic of discussion at every coffee shop, diner and watering hole across the country for several weeks to come.  We will do our best to get our hands around this bill to determine how it will effect each of us in the real estate biz.  Here is one take on the bill and how it will effect us, or not!!  http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9683

Feel free to comment or provide links to sites that will help us decode the bill.

Guest for the Real Estate Show this week

It is Dad’s day at the Univisity of Arkansas this coming Saturday, and being the father of a freshman young women, I must travel to Fayetteville to participate!!!  I wouldn’t miss it for the world.  Shane Wolfe will be in studio to handle the duties of managing the madness we call the Real Estate Show (I may call in from the road) along with David Lukas, with City Pro Lending.  I am sure we will continue the discussion of the bailout, or lack thereof, depending upon what takes place in DC this week

Ethan Nobles with the Arkansas Realtors Association will drop by as well, and will lend his thoughts to the discussion.  Tune in this Saturday morning 8 to 9 on 103.7 FM

Bad News from D.C.

Well, I don’t know what to make of the vote in Congress today.  What do we do now???  The stock market drops off the end of the table and the Real Estate market is now in a suspense mode.  I don’t see any real estate activity taking place until some sort of bail out is agreed by both parties.  What are we going to do now?  I don’t know how we will recover if we don’t get some sort of relief.  This effects every American from coast to coast, and it doesn’t matter what “class” you are in at this point.  Somehow all of us in the real estate biz must stick together and find a way to survive this time in history.  It maybe more difficult than we had ever imagined.

Interest Rates Fall

Good news from the Gov’t bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is that the interest rates have taken a plunge.  I heard one Lender quoted 5.55% on a 30 year loan.   This should help us as we head into the fall season, when we see our traditional slow down in the housing market.  Maybe this will increase the refinance numbers and get some of the buyers who were sitting on the fence, a nudge to make a move.  Thoughts?

Words of Wisdom from Napoleon Hill

NEVER MIND WHAT OTHERS DIDN’T DO. IT’S WHAT YOU DO THAT COUNTS.

If you depend upon others for your success, you are doomed to a life of failure and despair. It is a sad fact of life that few people consistently deliver what they promise. Instead of lamenting what someone else should have done to help you, focus on what you can do to help yourself. The best plan of action is one that provides opportunities for others to benefit if they wish to work with you toward the accomplishment of your goals but that does not depend upon these people for success.