DARN... DARN... DOUBLE DARN!
We have a TON of customers closing in the next 10 days who think they are going to:
a) move in next week
b) use USDA Home Loan Financing for their 100% (no money down) financing
c) GET THE $8000 Tax Credit
Well, guess what BOMB just hit MY Email this morning?!?!?
FROM: Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program, Washington DC
The President has signed the Agriculture Appropriations Act for fiscal year (FY) 2010. Since October 1, 2009 we have operated under a Continuing Resolution (CR) with carryover funds from FY 2009 and funds allocated under the CR.
Once the bill is signed into law a lapse of three to four weeks occurs before program levels receive funds under the bill from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Due to a high demand for purchase funds, it is anticipated CR and FY 2009 carryover funds for PURCHASE transactions will be exhausted by October 27, 2009, if not sooner. Refinance funds under the CR and carryover from FY 2009 remain available.
During the lapse of funding for purchase transactions, Rural Development will continue to process and issue Conditional Commitments “Subject to receipt of Congressionally appropriated funds.” Business will be conducted as usual.
Once appropriated funds for FY 2010 become available for purchase transactions, you will be notified. Thank you for your continued support of the Guaranteed Loan Program.
Well, this puts a "kink" in those plans! Anybody want to guess how many people just lost $8000??? This is a GOOD reason for them to extend the Tax Credit!
If you are considering a purchase in Wake Forest, Johnston County, Durham, Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay Varina or anywhere else in NC, and you want to use the USDA Home Loan /Mortgage program - please call Steve and Eleanor Thorne, Professional Mortgage Planners, 919-649-5058
SAS is a Privaately Owned Software Development company in Cary, NC... and also the town's largest private employer. It's always been a "cutting edge" sort of employer, allowing for flexable hours, promoting healthy lifestyles for employees, having healthcare on it's campus. You can see why it's been named the best place to work about a dozen times. Now, it's creating one of the State's Largest Solar-Energy Farms!
We even had the Secretary of Energy, Secretary of the Interior and Senator Hagan in town to do a Tour of the Cary, NC facility! Those of us in the Housing Business should be paying attention to the Energy Initiatives mandated in the White House Executive Order early this month - it could effect FHA Mortage Loans in the future! (I'm just sayin')
The reason this really caught my attention is because I'm very familiar with that area. Apparently I haven't been
paying attention, because they are already operating a 5 acre farm (complete with sheep for the landscaping crew - I mean if you're going green then go all the way, right?), and the articles I've been reading say it will be a 12 acre farm. This is REALLY cool, and I have NO problem with it...
But one article I read said they didn't have to cut down any trees for it?? That's the part I'm not getting. I hike Reedy Creek, I drive all around the front and back of SAS Campus - there's no "naturally NON-Treed" 12 acres? I guess there's an area there that was previously farm land?
Oh well, I think it's cool, and I like the fact that they have "smaller" sheep that might not jump up on the Solar Panels to cut their Grass!
I taught a class yesterday for folks who are basically new to Social Media, and one of the things that 
struck me is their need to understand the LANGUAGE of Social Media.
It's hard to be part of a conversation, if you don't understand half of the words that people are talking about! As I think back to my initial immersion into this "stuff," I know my husband thought I was having an affair because I was spending so much time with my Laptop! LOL! All I was trying to do was figure out what people were talking about!
I am NOT the most technically advanced among us, and so if I'm making a Technical "mistake" with any of these terms - LET ME KNOW! If I leave out any terms you think folks should know, AGAIN, please let me know!
Having said that - here's my "Cheat Sheet" for "Techno Babble" (Figured it might be useful for REBarCampRDU!)
Activerain: Activerain is a blogging platform used by over 162,000 real estate professionals. The site htis over 2 million views a month, has over one million blog posts, and on some days they add over 1700 posts! (Brad is the Man!)
Aggregators: These are websites that generally list headlines found on the web. Example: www.Techmeme.com aggregates technology news from many websites and blogs.
Applications:Usually for Facebook or mobile devices, more sophisticated than a widget (that does just one simple task). Software can be divided into two different classes for end users... Actual Software programs like Excel, and Applications, that allow you to have FaceBook on your iPhone. 
Avatar: These 2- or 3-D computer representations of people are also referred to as "icons." They can be customized, and automated. You know that little bobble head picture that shows up every time you go to put your profile somewhere? That could be considered an Avatar, but usually they are more customized than that. (BE SURE TO PUT YOUR PICTURE ON YOUR PROFILE!) You probably won't hear anyone use this term at BarCamp... but if you have a kid under the age of 36 (or 7) they know what it is... just makes you seem cooler!
Blog: A website where individual posts (articles might be another word) are entered and commonly displayed in reverse chronological order... or by reverse chronological order by Category. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
Embed: a way of linking to content (this is seen on YouTube posts for instance) so that the content itself is visible on (embedded into) the page. I think of it as a way to "grab the feed" to that particular Video!
Flickr - A searchable social image sharing site that allows users to tag pictures with specific keywords and descriptive terms http://www.flickr.com Picasa is another great example.
Microblogging: This is a way of posting information with pictures, snippets, audio, multimedia... "Blogging in tiny doses, usually in a 'stream' with many others' tiny updates." You could use tools like Twitter, Jaiku, Pownce and audio, video and photo tools like Flickr, Twittergram, Utterz, Seesmic and more. Example: http://www.twitter.com or http://www.flickr.com
Online community/Virtual community:Friends and Collegues that you interact with primarily interact via internet rather than face to face.
Organic: Means you didn't pay for your page ranking (usually).
Picnik: A free photo shopping program (EASY way to resize your pictures!)
PhotoBlog: A blog post of pictures or Video (called a Vlog).
Podcasting:A way to share audio (normally) with people over the Internet. Can be "live" interviews (for instance), or for others to download to their iPod / MP3 player.
RSS Feed:Really Simple Syndication. RSS is how your "social media inbox" (RSS reader) knows when something new gets posted to a blog/podcast/YouTube/site that you subscirbe to. (we use feedburner – http://www.feedburner.com)
SEO: Search Engine Optimization - Google Juice - These are the tools that you use to get your website ranked higher. It's not one magic pill, and it's not the same for everyone, AND the "best practices" vary over time. It's a MOVING TARGET (IMHO!)
Social Bookmarks and Social Rankings:del.icio.us. http://del.icio.us, Digg http://www.digg.com StumbleUpon http://www.stumbleupon.com (there are others like Reddit http://reddit.com/) These sites are primarily a way to rank a post or a site, and make it a "favorite." If you make something a favorite on your laptop, and then you are on a different computer and can't remember how to get to that page... you should be using social bookmarks!
Technorati - A search engine dedicated solely to indexing blogs, Technorati tracks the state of the 
blogosphere, ranks blogs according to popularity, and lets bloggers see who is linking to them. http://technorati.com/
Twitter - A way to update others in short, text based posts that are no more than 140 characters long. Some folks use this as a social networking and microblogging service, others use it as their newsfeed. http://www.twitter.com You can use it on your mobile device, or your laptop. Most people I know "view" their Twitter Feed through ANYTHING but Twitter! (I like TweetDeck)
ustream - one-to-many live interactive video encourages broadcast-to-viewer and viewer-to-viewer interaction. Can empowering a much more engaging experience for everyone involved.http://www.ustream.tv/ (I rank this on an advanced level!)
Viral: Not a virus! This is a term that refers to something that is moving around the net FAST! It's what you WANT to happen with your marketing.
Widget: A little box (usually) that has code embedded in it. There are HUNDREDS of them!(see the left hand bar?)
Wiki: Allows for community-edited information (here's the one on Cary), it can be considered an online encyclopedia. Example: http://www.wikipedia.org/
Here's the thing... the WAY we negotiate and sell Real Estate has NOT changed. Some of the LANGUAGE we use... just like relying on "reader ads" has changed. Take time to learn the NEW LANGUAGE... and then become involved in the NEW Marketing Process! It's FUN - It's Interesting! It's DIFFERENT!
What is it they say about doing the same thing and expecting the same results??
I've been reading about the Obama's bid to host the Olympics in Chicago and although they didn't win, it made me think about hosting a World Class Event like that in your city. How exciting would that be?
And what about the Athletes? What compels someone to love their sport so much that they are willing to compete at that level as an Amateur?
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit,study, or science, without formal training or pay.
John Naber, an Olympic Gold Medalist in Swimming was interviewed and asked about the responsibility Gold Medalist have...
";Olympians need to realize that we are members of a very exclusive club to which membership cannot be granted, purchased or bestowed. We earned it!
This can make us heroes to our entire country [Community] (not unlike astronauts and war heroes).
With this opportunity comes a great responsibility, not to be taken lightly. As I say in the foreword of the book ";Awaken the Olympian Within";,
Olympic champions are not extraordinary people, we are ordinary people who have accomplished extraordinary things in a limited area of our lives. If we can do it, so can others, and it is the teaching of that fact that allows us to become real role models.";
As I think about the GREAT Thought Leaders we have coming to Real Estate BarCamps (there's one scheduled in Raleigh on 11/6) it reminds me of these Olympians. No, there's not a Gold Medal in Real Estate Twittering, or Blogging (well maybe) but there's a commitment among a few people in each part of our Community to be the best, to learn the most, to perfect their tools... and the love of the ";sport"; (in our case industry) that drives that distinct group to selflessly SHARE their knowledge with others!!
If there's a Real Estate BarCamp in YOUR community - you should go. You should participate - and you should THANK the people who come there to share! The tools Real Estate Agents are using today are DIFFERENT, and for some it seems POINTLESS... because there are people out there writing blog posts everyday and not getting ANY comments - but there are ALSO people who are getting calls from First Time Homebuyers, who read something compelling.
Real Estate BarCamp CAN be a GAME CHANGER. But if you are coming, you have to be prepared to take a risk.
";RISK taking goes beyond just a necessary step, beyond just a requirement to reach the perfect “10”. Risks-sensible, calculated, prudent, rational risks-are the obstacles that make reaching the destination worthwhile.
Without them there would be no struggle and no satisfaction. I’m not saying all risks are good, and I don’t recommend that we take every outlandish gamble that comes our way, but progress in business or sports occurs only when we risk going someplace we’ve never been before. A new product or a new territory or even new packaging can be risky, but it’s also more rewarding when the risk pays off.
To awaken the Olympian within, we should look for those hidden risky opportunities, places to go, and ways to stretch our abilities. These daily challenges and events outside our comfort zone can be a valuable part of our journey through life, and we should resolve in advance to prepare for them in order to meet them and to beat them.";
If you've been the top producer in your office for 20 years , and your now reading that you need to have blogs, and be on Facebook, and learn to Twitter, that can be pretty intimidating! As a professional who knows more about real estate that most people have forgotten, this can seem pretty silly, and not something you have an interest in taking seriously!
Working to be the BEST in your business, just like being the BEST athlete, means growing your KNOWLEDGE Base. If a Swimmer wants to cut their time by 4 seconds... they have to learn and focus on the details and techniques that will enable them to do that.
The Real Estate Industry has CHANGED, and I'm reminded of that even more as I'm creating my business 
plan for 2010. I'm looking for ways to stretch what I'm currently doing so that I can be better. I'm reading Mashable, I ordered Wordpress for 2nd Edition Dummies, I'm listening to podcasts and I'm growing my knowledge base.
If you are going to a Real Estate BarCamp, start expanding your knowledge base BEFORE you go. PLAN and THINK about what you want to learn and get from that event. (Start TRAINING!) Participate in the survey's regarding what you want to learn - maybe you could look at it this way... to get the MOST out of the Olympics, you would want to be an ATHLETE.
Real Estate BarCamp is NOT a SPECTATOR EVENT!
I am fortunate to live in an area that creates a Triangle between NC State University, Duke, and UNC Chapel Hill (Go Pack!). Right in the "heart" of that Triangle is a Research Park, with HUNDREDS of high tech companies, including RedHat! We have "tweet ups" here with over 200 people on a regular basis, and a couple of nights ago, over 200 people who are "LinkedIn" met at the Lincoln Theater!
Bottomline, there have been BarCamps, WordCamps (I want to go to the next one 8o), CodeCamps in this 
part of North Carolina for YEARS!
NOW... we're having a Real Estate BarCamp, and the Realtors we are talking to are all scratching their heads!
"Camps" are the "New" Conference format. Instead of having one person stand in front of 300 people with varying degrees of understanding on the subject, you break the group up into smaller discussions. There's not "ONE" topic covered - the topics are based upon what the people who come want to talk about!
Let's say one session is on, "I won't be your Friend on Facebook." (There are lots of reasons...) so the "Thought Leader" will talk about using Facebook for keeping your database, or whatever for like 20 or 25 minutes. They "set up" the conversation. THEN, for the remaining time in the session (they normally run for like 50 minutes to an hour) you ask questions and discuss how this might work for you. "How much time do you spend each week on this activity... Don't you really want TWO profiles as a Real Estate Agent (I don't think so)... Do you put your listings on there?"
While you are in your group talking about "To Be or Not To Be" another group could be talking about Fan Pages vs Groups on Facebook. Yet ANOTHER group could be talking about PodCasts! It's not a one size fits all kinda' day.
So, I was talking to a friend about #REBCRDU, and telling her kinda' how it was run, and about Facebook, and some of the applications... and she said, "So, when I go on a listin' appointment, I'm gonna' find out if she's on it.. and then when I get home, I'm gonna' FACEBOOK 'ER?!?!" "Ughhh, yeah," I said. "Well what's that got to do with sellin' Real Estate?" EVERYTHING!
We hope you decide to come! Registration is here, and the event is 11/6/09!
DISCLAIMER: Lots of people take things literally, so I want to be clear... This is NOT an advanced Facebook Conference... I was just using that as an example 8o))
Follow us on Twitter! @REBCRDU
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I see myself differently than most loan officers in the Cary/Raleigh market. As a rare Cary native, I see myself as an expert on the area, on mortgage industry changes and factors that affect rates!
Who We Are
I am privileged to work with my husband, Steve, in an area we both love. When my family moved to Cary in1968 the population was around 7600. Today, we are the seventh largest metropolitan area in the state with a population of over 125,000! Steve and I met at Cary High School, and we remember when Kildaire Farm Road had a couple of FARMS on it and the Cary Parkway was just a good idea.
I'm second generation "mortgage." As I grew up in a home where everyone spoke about the economy and the mortgage and real estate business... I'm an Economic News Junkie and often write about events moving mortgage interest rates. It's important to me that folks understand that I'm not writing about the "gloom" and "ruin" of the mortgage industry - I'm simply looking for lower mortgage interest rates. Typically, bad news in the economy spells good news for mortgage interest rates.
Steve and I were named one of the top Origination Teams in the State (by the NC Association of Mortgage Professionals) and Mortgage Originators Magazine. As entrepreneurs, one of our companies received the coveted Triangle Fast 50 Awards by our Business Journal three years in a row.
Our Commitment
We've been involved in Mortgage Lending since the early 1980's. There is a vision that drives us to do what we do. Simply put, we want to help you create the financial strategy that allows you to live life to the fullest. That requires that together we establish goals, define priorities and determine what's most important to you.
On any given hour of a day, mortgage lending experiences subtle shifts that can create huge forces of change for our customers. We are dedicated to a life of continually educating ourselves in the broad areas of economics, politics and financial planning... and of course we stay on top of the Mortgage Industry News too!
Our Family, Our Community
As active members of the Cary Chamber of Commerce, the YMCA and our church, we have become friends and mentors to local businesses and charities. We've worked hard to raise money and awareness for the "We Build People Campaign" at the YMCA and the American Cancer Society "Relay for Life."
Our unique family dynamic includes a middle school daughter, a son who is at Western Carolina University, a small Japanese Chin (named Lucky) .
I'VE BEEN HACKED!
hi. my name is Savannah Leigh Thorne. i am Steve and Eleanor's daughter, and i feel very strongly that my mom hasn't truly explained our family. so here it is. we are a simi-normal family getting by comfortably in soccer mom territory, also known as the suburbs(not my first choice. but its ok, i still have plenty of fun). we love to do allot of things as a family. my dad and I like to go to the YMCA (conveniently located up the street from us) and play plenty of sports like tennis and swimming and on the occasion even jogging(once again, not my first choice). My older brother is one of my heros, we are 12 years apart and have way too much fun together. my mother often looks at us with a very confused face and asks us why are acting like brothers and sisters.. of course we all start laughing and say "i guess someone didn't get the memo!". speaking of my mom. something you might not know about her is that she is possibly the most creative person i have ever met. she is constantly finding new ways to make something in (or on) our house look amazing. i like to think that's where i get my creativeness from. So anyway. the last thing you should know about our happy little family is that we are very musically inclined. My dad and i will stay up all night playing guitar and piano and singing, of course my mom and brother will join in on the singing too, but its what we do. we may be embarrassing, and we do have our "un-happy" moments. but for the most part were just like ever other typically untypical family. :)
LOVE,
SAVANNAH LEIGH THORNE
Our Company
First Financial Services is a NC owned mortgage banker / broker. We are authorized to handle FHA, NC Housing, VA, USDA... and represent an array of conforming, conventional lenders. We have offices in NC, SC, Virginia and DC. Our team is built upon the same foundation we built our business relationships on. We constantly strive to build a team that embraces and adheres to the values we consider most important... as one of our clients you can be assured that everyone on our team to look out for your best interests!
In most cases we are able to allow our clients to lock into an interest rate and float down if the market improves. We educate our customers on market conditions, and the events that might change those conditions, as we help find the BEST solutions for your situtaton!
We are fortunate to have expertise in helping folks make minor changes to their credit files - as those minor changes to improve a score can make thousands of dollars worth of difference over the life of the loan.
For a more information about Cary check this out or CLICK HERE!
We are helping host RE BARCAMP for the Raleigh Area on November 6 from 10 until 4. This is an interactive meeting aimed at Raising The Bar on Social Media Marketing in the Real Estate World! Follow us #REBCRDU
If you are an agent, or a lender looking for an interesting way to get more people interacting with you, click here.
In addition to the information we post on Activerain, you might find what you are looking for at another of our websites! For instance, we have hundreds of properties (each with their own websites) at STEVE THORNE ONLINE. We also post maps, and qualifying information about ALL Government Loans at NC FHA EXPERT. We've met dozens of people this year who are struggling with ways to improve their credit - and maximize their FICO so that they can get the best rates. Because of this, we created a site dedicated to the question, 'HOW TO IMPROVE MY SCORE." We also have local housing trend information, quirky insights, and networking information about this area at this site. Triangle Area Recognition: Recent "Best Of" Awards
Men's Health
Magazine ranked Raleigh the most politically engaged city in America.
The rankings were based on percentages of active registered voters, ballots counted, percentage of income donated in the current presidential election, campaign spending, votes cast in the 2008 primary and votes cast in recent elections for governor and senate - Men's Health magazine, September 2008
Milken Institute: A Best Performing City
The Raleigh-Cary metropolitan area is ranked number two in the nation's "Top 100Best Performing Cities" in an annual economic performance index released by Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate partners. The annual study ranks
metropolitan areas by how well they are creating and sustaining jobs and Economic growth. The Raleigh-Cary area rose from number 10 in 2007 - September 2008
MSNBC: America's Best City
MSNBC.com ranks Raleigh America's best city! "Raleigh, N.C., it seems, is the best place to be in the U.S. right now. It ranks No. 1 in Forbes' 2008 list and was also top in 2007 - consistent placement among these lists is truly rare. It ranks No. 2 in Kiplinger's list this year. The city is also Fortune Small Business magazine's No. 20 place to live and launch." -- June 2008
Kiplinger's: A Top Urban Area
Kiplinger's Personal Finance names the Triangle the second best urban area in the U.S. It highlighted undeniable date: population growth since 2000 of 19.9 percent; percentage of the work force in the creative class, 36.1 percent; cost of living index, 99 with 100 being the national average; median household income of $56,150; and income growth of 10.3 percent since 200. This ranking dubbed Houston the best in America and Omaha, Neb., the third best. -- July 2008
Forbes: Recession-Proof Local Economy
Forbes magazine ranks the Triangle's economy as fifth on a list of 10 recession-proof local economies. -- May 2008
Best Place For Young Adults
A study conducted by American City Business Journals ranked the Raleigh-Durham
market as the best in the nation for young adults, defined as ages 20 to 34. The
study examined 10 factors, including growth rates of employment and per capita
income, unemployment, percentage of people holding bachelor's degrees and
median rent in the nation's 67 largest metropolitan areas. Austin was ranked
second, Washington, D.C., third. Charlotte placed seventh. -- May 2008
Fortune: A Best Place To Live And Launch
Raleigh's growing tech industry, support of entrepreneurs and the $2.5 billion
renaissance downtown place the Capital City at No. 20 in Fortune's "Best Places to
Live and Launch." -- May 2008
Rachel Ray: Best CityFor Singles
Raleigh is named The Best American City for Singles" in Every Day with Rachel Ray
magazine. - - January 2008
"If we study the lives of great men and women carefully and unemotionally we find that, invariably, greatness was developed, tested and revealed through the darker periods of their lives. One of the largest tributaries of the river of greatness is always the stream of adversity."
Cavett Robert
"This day is all that is good and fair. It is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Any mans life will be filled with constant and unexpected encouragement if he makes up his mind to do his level best each day." Booker T. Washington
"It is impossible to get the measure of what an individual can accomplish, unless the responsibility is placed on him."
Alfred Sloan
<a href="http://technorati.com/claim/jgq34izxdg" rel="me">Technorati Profile</a>
"Of course there is no formula for success except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings."
Arthur Rubinstein
"I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But, I can't accept not trying."
Michael Jordan
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