Market New

Wow, the last few weeks have been amazing and much welcomed! I hope you have seen your activity speed up as well. We have taken more loan apps then I can last remember and our team's pipeline is swelling. On Friday, I locked a client's 30 year fixed loan at a rate of 4.5%!

With rates as low as they are and house prices easily affordable, clients are clamoring to take advantage of the market.

The Forecast for this Week:

The Fed's purchasing program will continue to be something to watch in the weeks and months ahead, and there are also several reports that may impact whether Bonds and rates continue to explore new territory during this coming week.

On Wednesday, we will see the Retail Sales Report for December, and since many retailers have already said this holiday season was the worst in a long time, it wouldn't be a surprise if this is a horrible report...which could be friendly for Bonds and home loan rates.

This week also brings news on the inflation (or deflation) front, with Thursday's wholesale measuring Producer Price Index (PPI) Report and Friday's Consumer Price Index (CPI) Report. With the recent concerns on deflation, it will be important to see which way these reports have moved, and what the impact may be on home loan rates.

Have a great week! My team is ready to assist you and your client's home financing needs!s  

2008 turned out to be a historic year on many counts, and most people including me were glad to close the books and say goodbye to the old year. In observance of the New Year's holiday, the Bond market closed early last Wednesday and was closed all day Thursday, but there was still plenty of time for volatility due to several noteworthy news items. With a great deal of midweek activity, Bond pricing ended the week slightly worse with home loan rates about .125% higher than where they began.

Rest assured that as 2009 kicks into full gear, I will be watching closely and keeping you updated as to all the latest financial news stories, market action, and home loan rate developments. Because windows of opportunity can be fleeting, please call me to look over your own financial situation so that we are ready to act on your behalf.

Forecast for this Week:

As the first full trading week in the New Year begins, more important news is coming as we look forward to Friday's Jobs Report, which will show the number of jobs lost or gained in December. Remember that the Department of Labor averages their numbers, and part of each month's report includes "revisions" to the several prior months' numbers.

The employment news last month was record-breaking: 533,000 jobs were lost during the month of November, which represented the most job losses the US has seen in 35 years. Additionally, November was only the fourth time in 58 years that our economy lost over 500,000 jobs. And adding more pain to last month's Report were heavy downward revisions for September and October, which erased an additional 199,000 jobs.

I'll be watching closely to see how Bonds and home loan rates respond to the Report...and all the other news this coming week is sure to have in store! Again, I encourage you to get in touch with me to review your own home loan scenario. We can determine together if it makes sense to consider acting on the low home loan rates currently available.

Of all the books I have ever encountered in my pursuit of excellence and of the how’s to’s of success, Napoleon Hill’s Masterpiece Think and Grow Rich is the most influential book I have ever read. One of the most fascinating success secrets Napoleon learned was that these people shared in common was what he termed the “Mastermind.”

A group of likeminded, achievement-oriented individuals could come together to create an association far greater than the sum of its parts, which would dramatically leverage each other’s success.

Applying his principles, I started a mastermind group. As a business professional like you are, we always needing support, fresh ideas, and a positive environment to surround ourselves with.

If you are not currently in a Mastermind group, I would strongly recommend you either start one or join one. Choose people who are positive and let them support you and encourage you. You will get far more return then what you put in and you can watch your business grow!

Can i ask a question?

What do you think makes people think of your business when they need to use the services you offer?

Branding is about indentifying and establishing YOU as a brand. This means in the eyes of your clients, you are the only person who does what you do.

The process of branding helps you move from defining yourself by your job title to a more specific position that you do better than anyone else. For example, with the power of branding, you can move from being a realtor or financial planner by saying you are an Asset Manager or a Leverage Specialist in Real Estate. When you are good at what you do, this helps you become the only one who does what it is you do and does it right. Just think how apple stood apart. They did not make anther computer, they made the MAC!

Think about you and your business. Is what you offer different from your competitors? If so how? Once you figure out how you are different, focus on marketing and branding that uniqueness. Focus on branding YOU!

On another note. Thank you for responding to my blog. I enjoy seeing that other people are encouraged by my blogs. I post new blogs every monday, so feel free to subscribe. Thanks again. Have a great week.

The longer I live and more successful, purpose-driven people I am privileged to meet and developed relationships with, the more I am convinced that one of the greatest secrets to success in any area of life is the ability to keep moving forward in the face of rejection.

Rejection is an interesting thing. None of us like it, so most people try to avoid it. But if we avoid rejection, we are also simultaneously avoiding success aren't we?

I once read; Winning in life is more important than winning a popularity contest.

To rise to a higher level where rejection can't touch us we must break free from the belief that we need to get everyone to like us. This was and still is a hard lesson for me to learn and I thought I would share it with you this morning. Some people reject you and I, because of some other past mistreatment that may have experienced with someone in your profession. Their rejection of you is simply a way of protecting themselves from being hurt again. It's up to you and I to help them and break though these walls they have put up. Once we do that, we will have a client for life who will proudly refer you out to their friends and family!

Have a great week.