Shannon Ziccardi

Another "hurry up and wait" month on tap for the end of October. September saw families readjusting to the school year as it always does and very little business being conducted. Although, with the dip in Mortgage Rates seen at the end of the month, applications for a new mortgage skyrocketed. Typically, these fluctuations in the mortgage application rate mean a squall of loan signing business for us at about six weeks after the application blip. Many lenders have gotten better with the 30 day turnaround while utilizing their "skeleton crews" [appropriate for October huh?] to produce the deals for signatures.

Hopefully, the phone will begin to ring sooner than Halloween night. Invariably, mortgage brokers and Loan Officers alike, ratchet up the pressure only with a "month-end" deadline looming. I know of no rule that requires deals be signed during the last three business days of the month. Yet, seemingly like clockwork, that is when our phones ring off the hook! Experienced Brokers seem to have deals closing at all times of the month. They also value the role of a Notary Signing Agent in guiding their borrowers through a process that can seem overwhelming and keeping their deal from going sideways at the table. Choosing an Experienced, Ethical and Professional Notary Signing Agent seems more important than ever.

"A Quick Note" is a Certified Loan Signing Agent doing business across six Southern California counties, based in Lake Forest, in the heart of Orange County. We are familiar with all types of paper, having completed over 6,000 Loan Signings since 2002. During the downward trend of the Southern California mortgage business over the last two years, we diversified our services to include: Service of Process, Messenger and Errand Services as well as Photo/Occupancy inspections. A huge believer in technology, we are GPS guided to all locations and have on-board wireless for [Am-Trust and other] E-Signings and prompt communication for next-stop instructions. Please visit and bookmark our website and be sure to follow us on Twitter!

"A Quick Note"

www.aquicknote.net

www.twitter.com/aquicknote

Self-employment continues to be a "double-edged sword" as we in Southern California mortgage-related businesses continue to meander through the trials of a foul economy. While I've seen a fair amount of hardship all around me and experienced more of it than I'd like to admit personally, hanging in there and staying self-employed seems to have been the right move-at least for me.

Clearly, income has not returned to 2005 levels. Still, 2009 has shown great improvement over the prior two years. When the bottom fell out during the first quarter of 2007, I was bewildered and somewhat broken-hearted. Having finally [after 25+ years] found the career I loved and being successful at it and generating an income that I always felt we deserved, that sudden THUD of mortgage-related businesses closing all around us was almost overwhelming. It seems that those businesses are reopening now in their leaner, meaner versions. Finding those professionals who either regrouped or reinvented themselves has been no easy task and the search continues.

Relying upon my service-oriented background while struggling to stay positive and upbeat has helped us find our way forward. We continue to minimize overhead, offer new services and remain flexible. This mix of cost cutting and expanding offerings has allowed us to survive. I feel good about the future of my business because I remain in control. As I struggle to regain the level of income my business once had, I'm thankful that I didn't return to a "day-job" and actually reduced my overhead to a more manageable level. Chances are, had I joined another firm, I'd have been faced with with becoming part of that 11% of Californians without a job.

So, keep us in mind for your Southern California Loan (and other) Signings, Service of Process and Urgent Messenger delivery in Orange County, Occupancy/Photo Inspections and for Finding a Notary Signing Agent Nationwide.

"A Quick Note" Mobile Notary and Document Delivery Service www.aquicknote.net Please also add us to your cell phone contacts under "Notary" (949) 279-6874

With turmoil in the financial sector and mortgages in crisis, until recently, banks have been unwilling and perhaps even afraid to lend. However, since January of this year ['09] lenders have restarted the economic train to recovery by lending first to those borrowers most likely to repay. Customers having higher credit ratings and greater equity have led homeowners looking to capitalize on lower interest rates back into the refinance market here in Southern California. The expected "wave" of mortgage-holders whose option ARM's are set to adjust combined with government pressure to lend bailout capital will continue the move toward a resurgence of the mortgage industry. As for the long term outlook, there will continue to be periods and instances of difficulty as appraised values adjust and short term players take the hardest hits.

What does this mean for nationwide markets? Perhaps since California was the first to see the hit, it will also be the first to see a recovery. This conclusion is evidenced by an increasing number of lenders starting their machines from zero and once again beginning to lend here in the southland. As a Southern California small business owner who was in desperate need of a restart to my own mortgage related business, I can tell you I am grateful to see work happening and believe that better times are not far away.

"A Quick Note"

www.aquicknote.net

Seeing our world through the prism of a downward spiraling economy, and with major businesses poised to fail or be reorganized and/or downsized, the challenge to maintain standards and to practice ethical behavior is compounded. While our leaders debate the pros and cons of plans to rebuild and fortify our economy, average Americans react to job losses, higher tax burdens and they begin to hunker down to ride out the storm.

During times of challenge, it seems that others more desperate than ourselves are well poised to prey upon us and pull us toward bending both our own standards and in some cases the law. Certainly, the allure of easy money, the lack of oversight and the temptation of weak human beings facing difficult choices contribute to unethical behavior and standards. It is therefore important to remind yourself each day that such standards must be upheld, adhered to and modeled for others-as well as enforced upon those who might deviate.

When our parents impressed upon us to do right, they never couched their admonitions with phrases like "when it suits you" or "unless you can cheat a little". They believed in things like honor, personal responsibility and boys NEVER under any circumstances hitting girls (but I digress). They believed in such things because they had fought hard to create them in what they deeply believed was the greatest country on the face of the planet earth.

In my daily life as a Notary Signing Agent, I have seen how reminding yourself to do right and then going out and doing it has made all the difference. First, you inspire the confidence of others who will trust you and your services. That, leads to loyalty in your customer, then to client satisfaction and in turn, others recommending your products or services. To me, that sounds like intelligent growth. Such growth, along with a positive attitude and steady reinforcement will spread like wildfire-I've seen it happen!

My wish for you is the fortitude and the confidence to do what is right each time you are presented with a dilemma of conscience. Although we are faced with significant challenges, doing what is right and good is our best way forward.

"A Quick Note"

www.aquicknote.net

Follow me on Twitter at:

http://twitter.com/aquicknote

"A Quick Note" Mobile Notary and Document Delivery Service has survived the economic downturn that has been described as a mortgage melt-down. How did we do it? We downsized. My wife and partner took both a day-job and a part-time night/weekend job. We expanded our services. We returned to conducting messenger services, I became a Registered/Bonded Process Server and we learned to conduct photo/occupancy inspections. We also grew our Nationwide database of Notary Signing Agents and prepared to conduct signing services nationwide. Since January, 2009, the refinance market has returned and I am again conducting a significant amount of Loan Document Signings.

As is her way, my wife Sharon worked hard to help us stay afloat and to allow me to keep the business I love and the career for which I am best suited. Hers is a sacrifice that I will always remember, appreciate and credit for the saving of our business. Because of her hard work I am poised to capture [and recapture] significant work and both grow our fortune and allow me to love what I do every day.

Thank you Sharon! I love you and I thank God for the day that he brought us together! I know that 2009 is the year of recovery and I look forward to every moment we will share in making it just that.

"A Quick Note"

www.aquicknote.net

(949) 279-6874

Follow me on Twitter at:

http://twitter.com/aquicknote