Art Marine

My wife and I have been married for 22 years, we were together for 2 years before that. In those 24 Thanksgivings plus a few Christmas's and Easters we have had a lot of turkey! A LOT OF TURKEY. While my wife does the majority of the cooking at home; she has never cooked a holiday turkey. That is my job.

After all those years, I have developed the perfect strategy to make your turkey perfect and moist...here is my secret.

1. Cook the bird for the first 1 hour at 450 degrees...this seals in the juices and starts things going really well.
2. After the initial high temperature period reduce heat to 325 degrees
3. Cook the bird breast down until there is approximately 1 hour left on the estimated time. Then flip the bird and cook uncovered until you reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
4. Check the temperature often in the last hour do not exceed 165...remember the bird continues to cook for quite a while after being removed from the oven.
5. Let the bird stand for at least an hour before carving. This allows the juices to settle and makes the meat firmer and the cooking complete.
6. When carving, remove the legs and thighs first, then the wishbone! With the wishbone out, you can easily remove the entire side of the breast and use an electric knife to carve. Your results with the electric knife will be much better...don't settle for a sharp kitchen knife, it always tears up the meat.

This method is not typical but try it and you will find the perfect Thanksgiving turkey.

With all the events and family and feasts and fun associated with the holidays, is it worth it to work and try to make sales in December? Or is it better to regroup and plan for the 2010 year?

First, let me say that my largest closing month ever was a December!!!!! Year end considerations can sometimes motivate customers to act rather than just wait. In that particular December, there were some tax law changes that effected real estate so I ended up closing almost $10 Million in one month.

Another consideration is our competition. They often are't working. So there may be fewer deals around but there are also less of us looking for them. A larger piece of a smaller pie is just as good as a small piece of a larger pie. Don't be one of the agents or loan officers that sits back and uses the excuse that nobody is buying in December...it simply is not true.

So, after reading this, map a strategy. I would suggest 10 calls a day minimum. Turn over some rocks and find some gold. December can give you a great start for 2010. Don't wait; go to work today.

Art Marine

Branch Manager

Academy Mortgage

503-764-4005

503-799-7085

art.marine@academymortgage.com

www.academymortgage/artmarine

Reflecting on Thanksgiving

A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store, but couldn't find one big enough for her family. She asked the stock boy, 'Do these turkeys get any bigger?'

The stock boy answered, 'No ma'am, they're dead.'

Big Turkeys and Little Turkeys
If a big turkey is called a gobbler, what do you call a little turkey.
A goblet.

Young Simon was sitting in his grandmother's kitchen, watching her prepare the Thanksgiving meal.

'What are you doing?' Simon enquired.

'Oh, I'm just stuffing the turkey,' his grandmother replied.

'Wow, that's cool.' Simon remarked. 'Are you going to hang it next to the deer?'

Thanksgiving has always been a favorite holiday of mine. To our family, which is large, it would be the family reunion holiday. All of my aunts and uncles and cousins and sisters and nieces and nephews would gather at the lucky host's home and we would feast. Often our Thanksgiving gatherings would bring together nearly 100 people. Many of which I would only see that one day each year. The program was usually the same

•1. Eat

•2. Watch football

•3. Eat

•4. Play poker or black jack

•5. Eat dessert

•6. Play more poker

•7. Eat turkey sandwiches

•8. Go home and pass out from over indulgence

This is a simple formula to Thanksgiving success that I hope will be repeated again this year!

It is getting more and more common that my company is asked to save a real estate transaction at the 11^th hour. I got three calls in the last two days from listing agents that have had their sales put in jeopardy by pure incompetence from the lender handling the transaction for the buyer. Two of the loan officers that work for me have also rescued deals this week! It is worth a few minutes to analyze what is happening.

Often, these transactions were originated by either mortgage brokers or credit unions. Brokers are at a real disadvantage because their chain of communication to underwriting is usually filtered by a wholesale loan rep who may or may not have a good relationship with the underwriter decisioning the loan. In the past, the communication problems that are inherent in the wholesale lending world were often masked by the endless supply product options (both Alt A and Subprime) available to brokers. Since those product offerings, for the most part, have been eliminated, these loans that were not packaged correctly in the beginning turn into failed sales.

Credit Unions are wonderful institutions to get a car loan or use in lieu of a bank for a checking or savings account. Some even do a great job of making home equity loans but, for the most part, they are not experts at mortgage lending. Credit Unions often outsource their mortgage lending to brokerage or banking operations that are more capable of handling origination volume. This in turn just adds another layer of communication to an already challenging process. Add to this the problem of cross training in most CU operations. The same loan officer that is working on a mortgage loan was standing in a teller line that morning or working in collections that afternoon. They often don't have the experience or the knowledge to handle a difficult loan transaction.

I am always ready and willing to step in and save a deal. I only wish consumers would save themselves the grief and come to me first. 4,869 registered loan originators are all that are left on Oregons registary from nearly 20,000 that have been registered at some point. Many of those are from out of state. The numbers have declined significantly over the last couple of years. I can only hope the quality goes up as the quantity goes down.

Art Marine

Branch Manager

10220 SW Greenburg Road, Suite 250

Portland, OR 97223

503-764-4005 direct

503-799-7085 cell

1-866-510-4716 fax

www.academy.cc/artmarine

art.marine@academymortgage.com

State of Oregon 6A football playoffs

As those of you who read my blog know, I am a huge football fan. I love it on every level! I will watch peewee football, middle school football, high school football, or NFL football. Heck, I am such a football nut that I will even sit down and watch a CFL game (even though they have goofy rules). You should also know that I live in Canby and belong to the "Canby Booster Club". So go Cougars beat Sprague this weekend. That would setup a showdown with the Centenial - Clackamas winner ( I am guessing Clackamas) After that win we would face a real test in what will probably be either Sheldon or Lake Oswego.

This weekend is week two of the Oregon 6A football playoffs and I thought I could do a great service by posting the bracket here:

If you need a mortgage loan (in Canby or anywhere else for that matter) please give me a call for the best service around with very competitive rates.

Art Marine

Branch Manager

10220 SW Greenburg Road, Suite 250

Portland, OR 97223

503-764-4005 direct

503-799-7085 cell

1-866-510-4716 fax

www.academy.cc/artmarine

art.marine@academymortgage.com