Matt Thomson Gig Harbor, WA Real Estate & Relocation

Beware of foreclosure predators. Those who are trying to take advantage of the fear that's still prevalent surrounding foreclosures. People who prey on others' fears and perhaps lack of information regarding their house payments.

I received a letter in the mail today that begins, "Records indicate that you are currently in default on your mortgage. Your lender may be in the process of foreclosure proceedings." It's a very official looking letter. They have my address, they refer to the government stimulus act, they make it look similar to an IRS form. They provide sample payments that their plan can get me and give me a 1-800 number to call or a website to visit.

It's easy for me to see how an elderly person or widow or anyone who may not be completely up to date with their finances could be fooled by this letter and sent into a panic. This kind of thing drives me nuts. Far too often in my business now I'm encountering folks who are fearful about the housing market, and folks like this choose to prey on that fear rather than do something worthwhile with their lives.

Please, if you get a notice like this, call a local Realtor or mortgage professional first. Don't become a victim of these jerks. Fear isn't a good decision maker.

The Gig Harbor High School Tides and Peninsula High School Seahawk cross country teams had incredible showings yesterday at the District Championships! Both the Gig Harbor boys and girls won the championships, as did the Seahawk boys. The PHS girls were 3rd of 16 teams to qualify for the state meet!

Check out the results from yesterdays District Cross Country Championships.

My 4th annual Gig Harbor calendar is just about ready to be shipped, which means it's ready for order! This calendar has 12 of the most gorgeous photographs taken in Gig Harbor over the past year from a variety of photographers, and is a full size 11"x17" calendar for only $15.

If you live in the Gig Harbor area, you can either pick it up at my Keller Williams Realty office or I'd be happy to deliver it to you. If you live out of the Gig Harbor area, I'll be happy to mail it to you for the cost of shipping.

This isn't a money maker for me, just a way to share my love of Gig Harbor and my love of photography! If you would like to order a calendar (or several), just email me with how many you'd like, and if you'll need them shipped, delivered, or if you'd like to pick them up.

I'll be able to take cash or check, and maybe be set up with Pay Pal!

To order your 2010 Gig Harbor calendars, email GigHarborInfo@gmail.com

Pictures from 2009 calendar

It's been a couple of months since I last visited Active Rain, and several more months since I've been "Active" on AR. A few things played into my absense, all good.

1) Business picked back up. I got to be #1 in my community during 2008, when I spent the majority of the year hiding behind my computer and not really selling homes. 2009 saw a new focus on my actual business and my time on AR lagged.

2) My other blog is where my business comes from. AR doesn't carry the same weight with Google nor is it as enjoyable for me as my "Undressed" blog. However, AR is a better venue for agent to agent blogs, so my plan is to come back with a new focus on a different audience.

3) I became a bit frustrated with the content on AR. As the network grew, so did the belly aching. Rather than focus on the positive and keeping myself surrounded by those whom I felt were contributing, I let myself get sucked in by the negative. I've corrected myself, stopped pointing the finger outward, and taken responsibility back for my own actions. Thus, I'll just focus on the blogs that I want to focus on here on AR and not worry myself about the others!

So for those who care (crickets chirping) I'm back. I look forward to re-connecting with some of my old AR friends!

I do hope that you'll also follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and my primary blog. You'll get to know me better in those places!

Many of you know that my baby girl was born 6 weeks early, at just over 4lbs. Within days, she had dropped to 3lbs, 11oz. After 15 LONG days in the Tacoma General Hospital NICU, we got to take our little girl home. Today, at 18 months old, she's as healthy as can be! Yet there's still some healing that my wife and I have to go through. I don't think I can explain the feeling of walking out of the hospital to head home for the night while your child lays alone in a small bubble, tubes and feeds and lines sticking and poking all over. That joy of holding your newborn on your chest? My wife didn't get to experience that, as our daughter was rushed from the delivery room to the NICU.

Friends still ask me when I'm going to get a baby sitter and leave my baby for a while. Although I know they're right, the reality is I had a baby sitter and left my baby for over 150 hours those first 2 weeks of her life. At a time when I feel the child is longing for her parents' touch the most, all I could do was stare at her through the lid of her isolette, wanting to hold her but knowing I couldn't. Like I said, I don't think I can explain the emotions, the sense of helplessness, the feeling of being a failure as a dad, the worry and fear that a phone call will come in saying "She's gotten worse." I can't, and don't need to, explain those feelings, because they are in the past and my little girl is fine.

Many parents aren't as fortunate. Premature births are a real problem, and ensuring that all babies are born healthy has become a cause that matters deeply to me now. Therefore I'm a strong supporter of March of Dimes. I'd love for you to join me in my efforts to give all babies a great start at life. On April 25, at 8:30AM, we'll be participating in the 6 mile "March for Babies" beginning at Wilson High School in Tacoma. My family and I would love to have you join us.

I understand that giving financially can be a challenge in today's economy, and I understand that this may not be the #1 cause that's in your heart. For those who are able to and desire to help financially, we'd be extremely grateful. Please visit our fundraising site to learn how. If you can't give at this time, but would like to show your support for this cause, please consider walking with us on April 25th. You can register on our site as well.

If you've got stories of premature birth you'd like to share, please feel free to comment on this post.