Florida Mortgage Report

Postings Will be Scarce Again for a Day or Two as I Prep For Dallas

If you are wondering why I have not been posting the last couple of days, and especially not more than one per day it is due to my current schedule.  Besides normal business, I am getting things in order around the office to be able to handle business on the road.

As I mentioned back in December, I am switching aircraft at American Airlines, and that means training.  So, I will be away in Dallas for two weeks, starting Wednesday, so my portable office needs to be ready to go so I do not miss a step.  So, for those of you in the Dallas area, send me an email if you would like to meet up as I am preparing a list.  I am also planning a quick trip down to Austin to meet Benn and Lani of the AG family.

I am looking forward to meeting some of those that read this blog and learn from what I post.  For those of you looking for a little unbiased advice, I may even have time to go over your situation with you, just keep in mind I will be doing a lot of studying while I am out there.

The change of aircraft will provide more opportunities to meet many of you, so I will be updating my database of readers who would like to meet and which cities they are in.  That list will be with me everywhere I go and if you are on it and I make it to your town, I want to grab at least a coffee with you.  So, make sure you are on my list.

What can you expect while I am gone?

Nothing much different, just I will not be in the office, so the office will be set up to answer and forward my voicemails.  Business will be usual and posts will likely be as usual as well, once I get settled in.  So, make sure you are subscribed to the feed as I will likely be posting some catchup posts showing my take on what has been happening and, of course, what is happening at the time.

Florida Mortgage Report Looking at a New Home

I eluded to the fact I was working on switching this blog to a new domain and new format.  Currently, I am running a WordPress version of this site alongside this and have already transferred all of the posts and comments over to it.  Please check it out at www.flmortgagereport.com.  I will get into why later in this post.

As with any move, there are going to be things that get lost, namely those incoming links and trackbacks already set up for this site.  So, I ask you to please start linking and tracking back to posts on the other site in order to protect the integrity of those links in your own blogs.  No one likes broken links, especially when they are looking for follow up material, so this will help you as much as it will help me.

Also, I am always looking for solid feedback.  Please take a moment and let me know how you like the new site, what you would like to see added, and what you would like to see taken removed.  Also, while you are there, don't forget to subscribe to that feed as this one will shut down eventually.

Why the move?

There are a number of reasons I am moving the blog:

1. I can control, tweak, add and subtract the site easier through WordPress and I control who hosts it as well.  I also maintain it with the latest updates to keep it running as smooth and quickly as possible.
2. Domain names should be indicative of the blog's title.  I was getting tired of having Florida Mortgage report on www.floridamortgagedaily.com when I also have a mortgage market blog called Florida Mortgage Daily that isn't on any domain.  Florida Mortgage Report will now match its name with the new home, www.flmortgagereport.com.
3. That leads into the next reason, which is the expansion of Florida Mortgage Daily.  This site will eventually be moved over to this domain, www.floridamortgagedaily.com, to match it's title.  This is important as I will be offering this service to others in the RE.net.  I will provide more details later as I am ready to launch, but it will likely be a free service.
4. I wanted a new look and feel to the blog.  I like Typepad, but I was not happy with the layout I had and did not feel it was worth the money to upgrade to gain functionality when I could do it basically on my own for free.

So, as you can see, I have many things in the works.  I am constantly trying to upgrade my services to provide better content, education and more for you.  I believe this change will be for the better and will be more user friendly.  Don't forget to provide some feedback so I can make it the best.

Am I Worthy?

Many times I think that I am in my own mind, but what really matters is what do you think.  I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Brian Brady last year on BloodHound Blog (podcast)which actually helped my decision to start blogging separately from my ActiveRain blog.  Now, I am honored to say I was tagged for an interview with REMBEX and have joined an great group of RE.net bloggers.  Here is the list of interviews available and I suggest you check them out:

Alex Clark April Groves Ardell Dellaloggia Chris Lengquist Dan Green Dave Smith David Porter Dustin Luther Eric Blackwell Frances Flynn Thorsen Greg Polashock Greg Swann Jay Thomson Jeff Brown Jeff Corbett Jeff Turner Jessica Hughes Jim Cronin Jim Duncan Joeanne Hanson John Harper Jonathan Dalton Kelley Koeler Kristal Kraft Lani Anglin

Laurie Manny Linda Davis Mariana Wagner Marlow Harris Mary Pope Handy Maureen Francis Maureen McCabe Meredith Hanson Mike Mueller Morgan Brown Nicole Nicolay Owen Raun Pat Kitano Phil Hoover Phil Leto Rhonda Porter Rob Blake Robert Ashby Steve Scheer Teresa Boardman Teri Lussier Todd Carpenter Tom Wolf Vali Wimberly Vicki Moore

In case you missed it in the list or just want to go straight to mine, here is the link:  Blogger Spotlight: Robert Ashby

There truly are a lot of great bloggers out there, so take a moment and check out at least a few on the list.  Who knows, maybe you will find a new blog to add to your feed, or even someone you want to work with.

Florida Real Estate Blogger Sued for $25 Million by Developer

Chances are you have heard about the recent lawsuit brought against Lucas Lechuga by Tibor Hollo about the Opera Tower condos apparently plagued by problems, delaying closings for months.  Rather than go into the details, check out the following links...

Miami blog postings spark $25 million lawsuit (Miami Herald)

Opera Tower, LLC & Tibor Hollo Sues Me for $25M (Miami Condo Investments - Lechuga's blog)

Real Estate Blogger Faces $25 Million Lawsuit (CBS4 (local) Video Clip)

Blogger Sued - $25 Million (Agent Genius - Benn Rosales)

NAR should defend Lechuga (Agent Genius - Ben Martin)

Real Estate Blogger Fired and Sued for $25M (The Phoenix Real Estate Guy)

I am sure there are more out there and likely more to come, so keep looking around the RE.net.

The New Face of Agent Genius: Brilliant!

Most of you probably already know that I contribute to other blogs on the Internet, and Agent Genius is one of them.  Benn Rosales has done a spectacular job of getting "genius" minds of the RE.net community together on one site and now he has revolutionized the blog design for the RE.net community blogsites.

So, visit the new AG site, namely this post, to get the lowdown on the transformation.  Benn revealed the new look, which includes a new Agent Genius logo, Sunday morning.  The new logo will be one you will more than likely see at upcoming RE.net events.

So, I would like to express a special thanks to Benn for all of his hard work and dedication to making AG a site worth bookmarking for everyone!!

The Best Time Management Method

I must admit that I like Dilbert cartons, even though I don't work in a cubicle (although the cockpit can be considered one I guess).  Nevertheless, there is sometimes a strip that has some good advice for all of us and today's is one of them.

Many struggle with time management these days, so today's Dilbert is right on target for some...

Why Did I Post Affiliate Links?

Many people have asked me why I posted the two affiliate links on the right column.  SO, this post addresses that issue and explains them a little more.  Both links, in my opinion, are great resources and that is why I even offer them.

First off, the Tax Reduction Institute (TRI) has a lot of great tax advice you may or may not know.  I know that when I first started listening to Sandy Botkin, I learned a lot and I used to read tax codes.  I suggest you at least take a look at what he has to offer and see if there is anything that is worth it for your particular business.

TRI offers a lot of free articles and tax tips on the site as well as a tax quiz to see if you are missing deductions or not.  It is definitely worth at least taking a look at.

The second link is to Soundview Executive Book Summaries.  This is not a benefit for everyone, but if you want to read a lot of business related books covering management, marketing, leadership, etc. and find yourself with little time to do so, this may be a solution for you.

Soundview breaks down about 3 books each month and gives you an 8-page summary that encompasses the material.  Of course, if a book catches your eye, you can still go out and purchase it for more in depth reading.

I have found Soundview to be exceptionally useful to "read" books quickly and gain the knowledge I want, not to mention the handy reference tool it makes.  If you do not like reading, the summaries come in mp3 format as well, which you can sync to your music player and listen to while working out, another time saver.

As you can see, I use these tools in my own business and wanted to offer the same tools to you.  Feel free to check them out and see if they can be beneficial to you as well and if not, move on.  I did become an affiliate for them, so yes I do get paid if you buy. I do not join "affiliates" that I do not believe in, so you can be assured these are quality products.

Vote for Grinch of the Year

There is a website that is hosting their 7th annual Grinch of the Year contest.   There are several candidates in the running already, but you can always write one in.  It is a labor run website, though I am not sure if it is union affiliated or not.

Anyhow, if you want to take part, vote for one of the contenders or write in your choice of Grinch of the year.  There are many CEOs that are not already in the running.  I am sure a few would like to add Mozilo or someone else in our industry as a contender.  Don't forget to read why the contenders were chosen, and yes, Gerard Arpey of American Airlines (AMR) is on the list (deservedly so).

Typical Government: Help the Few While Screwing the Majority

It never ceases to amaze me how Congress can quickly push crappy legislation through, but when legislation that is needed is being worked on, such as an AMT patch, it takes forever.  Granted any "rush" job is going to be poorly done, but a poorly done fix that helps the majority that can be amended later is better than screwing the majority in a way that cannot be undone.

Case in point is the failure of Congress to come together and formulate a AMT patch.  While everyone agrees a patch is needed since the AMT is grossly outdated and will screw more than it was originally intended, neither side can decide on how to do it.

Yet, when it comes to legislation that may prove to be unsafe in the long run, they push it through, such as the "Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act", HR 4343.  This bill is to raise the pilot retirement age to 65, something the majority of airline pilots do not want, many for safety reasons.  Yet, appeasing the minority as Congress likes to do, they cram it through both the House and Senate while leaving important bills on the sideline.

The FAA has a rulemaking process in place already.  They have sought to change the rule before, but it was deemed unnecessary and potentially unsafe due to lack of evidence showing little or no loss of safety when over 60 pilots man the cockpit. 

What has changed?  The main reason more pilots want to fly beyond age 60 is due to loss of their pensions.  Until recently polls showed that a relatively low percent were in favor of changing the age restriction.  Recent polls show more pilots, though still only around 40% want to change the rule and the change came after they were financially stripped.

Current polls of the public show so far that the overwhelming majority of the population favor status quo as well, due to potential safety concerns.  So, why then is Congress pushing this issue through, when there is a rulemaking process and the majority is against it?  Why are they wasting time focusing on this issue when issues, such as mortgage reform and AMT go unresolved?

These are just some of the things that go on that you may not be aware of.  In fact, the only reason I am even aware that this issue came out and was pushed through both the House and Senate in a matter of days is the fact I am also an airline pilot.

While the arguments for the change may be that other countries allow over 60 pilots in the cockpit (with limitations), they have only been doing it for a short period of time and there is still no conclusive evidence for keeping pilots past 60.  There are some concerns though.  Pilots are required to fly more hours these days than in the past.  We know there is an increased risk of health problems for others, so how are pilots any different?

While this post is intended to make you aware of how Congress is wasting time on frivolous issues, I will admit I am against the raising of age 60.  If you are concerned with the potentially diminishing safety of having pilots older than age 60 in the cockpit, you should write the President and your Congressmen and ask for a veto and dismissal of this bill.  It may already be too late.

(Note:  APA does not endorse this post.  This post may not be reflective of the position of APA or its members)

What Kind of Christmas Food Are You?

You can thank Lani Anglin at RErevealed for this one.  This post is partly a response to hers.  The other part is to spread Christmas cheer.  Enjoy and don't forget to comment what kind of food you are.

What Kind of Holiday Food Are you? Robert is a Gingerbread House

A little spicy and a little sweet, anyone would like to be lost in the woods with you.

What Holiday Food Are You?