Paul McFadden Mortgage Loan Officer Bellevue Washington Home Loans

Hi there! How are you? I was curious how all of you are doing. How's your year shaping up? I'll start.

I changed companies to The Legacy Group at the beginning of the year. I only knew one person there and not well. He and I just have similar thoughts and beliefs. Little did I know that one little decision would keep me going. 2008 was not great for me. I worked for a small net branch and had virtually no support. I remember sitting down with a good friend of mine (she's a financial advisor) and saying 2009 was a "make or break year". She too had a rough 2008.

The "make or break" part worked. We both rolled up our sleeves and went to work. Now, we're almost done with the year and it's been a good one. I think I still have a pulse and am not on life support! What made the difference? I think we all need to be real whatever our situation is.

If your head's not in the game, figure out how to get back into it. Or get out. For me, I take one day at a time and make sure I get the necessary exercise, rest, food to keep me going. It sounds like a simple formula but, honestly, there are days where I want to pack it all in. Let's face it. Our jobs are tough sometimes. We work hard for nothing; often for days at a time. Occasionally I think about how nice it would be to draw a salary.

Then I remind myself how much I love what I do. I take great comfort that I work for a fabulous company that wants me to succeed. That and the wonderful relationships I've built since being in the business. Today I woke up feeling less than stellar (I have seasonal allergies. Plus, it rained all night-the Pacific Northwest can get kind of gloomy this time of year). What helped? Writing this blog post and connecting with you.

So tell me how you're really doing. Is there a pulse or are you on life support? We are a great support system here. I'm pulling for you and wish you well! Have a great day!

Good morning! We're in for a wet and windy one today. Batten down the hatches!

I was reading Rich Jacobsen's post about having a Facebook Fan Page among other things and thought I'd comment here. First of all, I do have a Facebook Fan Page. So far, I have 5 fans. If you'd like to be a fan, go to The Legacy Group and add yourself. Thanks if you do.

So how do I feel about Facebook Fan Pages, etc.? To me, the jury is still out. Perhaps I'm just not that technically oriented. Sure, I know people who derive their business from having a killer website, endless Twitter tweets, and a killer blog. And I do think it's important to know about this stuff. Social media is here to stay. With my limited technical skills, I try.

But the greater benefit to me has been the building of great relationships online and, hopefully my reputation. So, I'm curious. What have you seen by having a Facebook Fan Page, etc? Have people found you and done business with you? What do you think has been the net benefit?

Facebook Fan Pages? Again, mine is The Legacy Group. Let me know what yours is. This is an experiment. I want to believe in social media and the power it has. And I will keep trying by blogging, etc. But it's difficult to ignore the tried and true methods of building and working within your database and those great face-to-face interactions.

Thanks for reading this. Again, and since I'm a shameless self-promoter, follow me if you like. And let me know what your Facebook Fan Page is. I'll follow you! Take care.

Good morning all: How are you? It's another cold but beautiful morning here in Seattle. Snow has already fallen and people are skiing! Get excited. I was thinking about Stimuli this morning and if they work.

First of all, a definition: Here is the definition of stimulus. Stimuli is the plural version because there are so many at work right now. Stimulus is defined as "an agent, action, or condition that elicits or accelerates a physiological or psychological activity or response".

Why am I writing this? With the never seen before economic downturn and the government's answer to try and stimulate our economy, I wanted you to weigh in. This is by no means meant as a political rant. In fact, I abhor most things political. But I'm also a free market guy who has to wonder.

Let's start with our own personal favorite, the $8000 first-time homebuyer tax credit which was just extended. I was talking with a realtor yesterday and he asked me how many deals I had done because of it. I told him two so far with a third that will probably close next month. What are you seeing? Have you closed a lot of deals because of the homebuyer stimulus? If so, I'd like to hear about it. For me, it really hasn't helped that much.

I have to wonder what would have happened if there weren't so many stimuli in place right now. How will this work in the future? Are we in fact mortgaging it? Is the first-time homebuyer tax credit, health care bill, government bailout of our financial institutions, etc. etc. working? Some of you may argue we need more time to see the results. But if you look at the definition of stimulus above, it makes me wonder. Have we elicited a physiological or psychological response? Again, I'm not so sure!

As you can see, this is a little deeper post than normal. Sorry about that. But the numbers don't lie. Greater and greater deficits and people in our business having challenging years with no quick turnaround. Again, I invite your thoughts. Stimuli. Do they work? Have a great weekend!

Good morning all: It occurred to me yesterday that social media is invading our lives, mine included. It's a little bit addicting. All the tweets, posts, friend requests, and podcasts can be overwhelming at times.

So why do I participate? I feel like I have to be aware of a trend. I've recently seen the growth of social media in a short video. Have you? If not, it can probably be Googled. I was at a seminar recently talking with the President of a growing company here in the Seattle area. One of their sweet spots is teaching companies how to use social media internally. His comment to me about social media is it allows us to build relationships quicker than ever before. That made a lot of sense to me. I will say this. I've managed to build my Linkedin contacts to over 500 now and have several hundred friends on Facebook.

It's interesting how people can stalk you through your tweets and posts. I always thought stalking had negative connotations. But online it may actually be a blessing!

So how do you get started if you've never been online before? My first piece of advice is don't rush it. Heck, I'd be the first to admit that I'm not a rocket scientist when it comes to blogging, etc. In fact, it may not be for you. But keep an open mind. Start small if you start at all and keep your efforts to a few things (try Twitter and Facebook, for example).

For those of you in the big time online, I'd like to hear from you. What has that meant to you and your business? Thanks for reading about tweets, posts, friend requests, and podcasts. If there's anything I can help you with, you can contact me here. Have a great day!

Hi all: I'm reminded of the advice to post on the specific area where you live, work, etc. For me, that would be Bellevue, WA.

I've lived in the Puget Sound (Seattle area) region for over 30 years now. In that time, I've watched Bellevue grow from a sleepy bedroom community with an outdoor mall (Bellevue Square) into a full fledged powerhouse replete with skycrapers and national retailers.

Bellevue used to be a city where the lights turned out at 5:30. Yes, people worked downtown but they lived elsewhere and went home to their families. Great restaurants were started and died on the vine 15 years ago.

What started the renaissance from sleepy to vibrant city? I think it started with Bellevue Square and it's expansion. All of a sudden major national retailers wanted to locate to downtown Bellevue. The second expansion of Bellevue Square in the last few years brought restaurants such as Ruth's Chris Steakhouse and P.F. Changs to name a couple.

What spawned after the most recent expansion of Bellevue Square was the building of Lincoln Square across the street which is full of retailers and restaurants as well. Lincoln Square also included a Westin Hotel and condo's for people wanting to live downtown.

So much of Bellevue's success has to be attributed to Kemper Freeman, the developer and owner of much of downtown Bellevue. Mr. Freeman had a vision and, so far, it's paid off. In this area, Bellevue rivals any city in America for it's access to shopping and entertainment.

The transformation of Bellevue within the last few years has been amazing. Now, people work, eat and live downtown. Major corporations such as Microsoft and Expedia have moved part of their employees to downtown Bellevue. Nieman Marcus just opened this Fall and there are a myriad of fine dining choices and Happy Hours to choose from.

The future of Bellevue looks bright. If you haven't visited recently, come see what's up. Thanks for reading! Have a great day!

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