I’ll admit, I do read some “realtor” flyers that are left in front of our door, even though I gripe about the endless parade of tree trimming business cards, gardening cards, handyman cards, Merry Maid offers, and other realtor newsletters that find their way into our mail box or in front of our door.

But wait, I don’t read ALL of them. In fact 99% of them land in the trash, sometimes almost as soon as the traveling biz card dispenser drops them off. In fact, I have a waste basket right near our front door for this very purpose.

But I do read some that are well produced. Such as Darren Pujalet’s realtor newsletters. And no, he’s not paying me to write this, he doesn’t even know who I am. He’s even got a blog but it badly needs updating (kinda like this one LOL)

Here’s why I read his stuff over other “junk circulars” that immediately make their way to the trash:

1. It’s SHORT. It’s literally 1 large sheet of paper folded in half to make 4 glossy pages of material. Short enough for me to at least take a look at it.

2. It’s RELEVANT. The listings are based on my ‘burb. I care about the houses selling around ours. Not way out there somewhere in Torrance. Or Hermosa :p

3. It’s USEFUL. At least, the upper right corner of page 3, that has “Wellness Corner” in this issue on how to keep resolutions. Not like I make ‘em, but it’s a quick skim and I’ll skim it. I’ve gotten circulars from realtors that offer recipes! I get that I may fit into a “targeted profile” (female) but I don’t cook nor do I want to.

4. It’s got SUCCESS STORIES. In this issue I paid attention because I had walked past one of Darren’s Expired Listing Success Stories (2100 Blossom) several times over the past year.

I totally remember that sign on the door of the 2100 Blossom house about taking your shoes off because it was a “Hawaiian style” house, whatever that means (I thought that was a Japanese style house where you have to take off your shoes).

I also remember how long I’ve seen that piece of paper there. It was there fore months and months – 150 days to be exact! Then one day I saw a “sold” sign and I thought “well, finally this house gets sold off”, but I assumed that it was a matter of the same Realtor waiting long enough for the right buyer to come along to make an offer. I didn’t realize that Darren had sold it in 5 days. That’s impressive.

5. It’s got CAUSE. I vaguely remember that Darren was involved in some charity causes, I had to look at his blog to remember that it was “Darren’s 2010 Seva Challenge” but the key is, I remembered there was a cause. It does make him stand out in my mind.

Anyway, Darren I’m going to be honest and tell you that your circular will make its way into the recycle bin too, but yours got way more of my eyeball time.

And I can’t believe I’m actually writing a blog post about a realtor circular. But I like to reward “good business practice” when it comes to circulars. Keep up the good work, Darren!

The feds cutting interest rates can mean only one thing: mortgage lenders are jumping at the opportunity to persuade you to refinance your loan!

There’s just one catch: if you happen to be a responsible and conscientious borrower who locked in a jumbo loan at a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, your rates are probably better than what is being offered right now on the market.

At least, that’s what I’ve found: our jumbo loan 30 year fixed rate is 6.0% and as of today, most of the interest rates for jumbo loans hover in the low 6% but generally above 6.0%. I’ve seen some as high as over 7%! It is the non-jumbo 30 year fixed rate mortgages that have the attractive high 5% rates.

Unless you’ve lived in California for decades or traded “up” a house using the equity of your first house during the housing boom, you’re likely to be paying a jumbo mortgage, which is a loan exceeding $417,000.

It’s that time of the year again… speculations abound for the coming year’s housing challenges and home prices.

Yahoo News posted Reuters’ report on a record drop in home prices nationwide, predicting that 2008 will continue to see home prices but 2009 may see a rebound. Washington Times looked at who’s to blame in the current housing debacle, comparing this cycle of housing bust with previous busts, and suggesting that “some combination of easy money, loose lending, greed and fraud” turned a housing boom into a bubble. More »

Wall Street Journal’s Informed Reader blog recently reported on a research citing that homeowners hurt the economy because homeowners are less mobile than renters and therefore are less willing to leave when local economy takes a dive. This lack of mobility exacerbates unemployment issues and hinders new development with zoning rules. While homeowners are more likely to invest in their communities and improve their neighborhoods, these benefits may not offset the drawbacks.

We got an email blast from Countrywide’s President, and it made me wonder whether Countrywide is worried about its customers leaving in droves due to recent concerns about the company’s wellbeing:

Dear Countrywide Homeowner,

As the mortgage and housing industry goes through unprecedented changes, Countrywide has been taking swift steps to help ensure that our customers won’t be impacted – and that we maintain our position as America’s #1 home loan lender.

With millions of current customers, no one is more committed to the dream of homeownership than Countrywide. And we continue to place an enormous value on customers like you.

As your home financing partner, we pledge to:
•Make sure you always know your mortgage options, and provide you with the information you need to make the best decisions.
•Tell you about opportunities to improve your home financing position, such as lowering your rate or payments.
•Make sure the loan process is always simple, honest, and straightforward, and that you know all terms and fees upfront.

I want to thank you for letting us serve your home financing needs, and assure you that your continued satisfaction will always remain our #1 priority.

Sincerely,
Andrew Gissinger III
President and Chief Operating Officer
Countrywide Home Loans, Inc.