Matt Thomas

Dear U.S. Government:

I am writing to seek your help. You see, I'm a hard-working American citizen that's never asked for much from the government ... I stayed in school, pursued a college education, haven't been involved in any criminal activity, got married & started a family ... and, I work hard every day at a business that I started. I'm not perfect, but I've made some good choices in my life, and I choose to take responsibility for my actions when things go wrong.

But, as I watch and listen to the news lately, I've noticed that you guys are bailing out everyone else ... greedy financial institutions, homeowners that made poor decisions, automobile companies with horrible business plans ... so, I thought I'd stick my hand out too. It just seems logical that if there's extra money to bail out the people that are screwing up, surely you can reward those of us that have chosen to do things the right way?

Signed: "Frustrated Hard-Working Self-Reliant American Citizen"

Typically, mid-November through mid-January are slower than other times of year in our business, due to the fact that people are very busy during the holiday season. With Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years all within a 45 day span, who has time to buy real estate, right?

Instead of using this down-time as an excuse not to work, I've decided to take time to improve parts of my business that don't get attention during the regular sales season. And, I'm asking for your help ...

I'm trying to increase my online exposure, and I'd like your suggestions on how to make my sites more "user-friendly" ... please visit the following sites, and leave me comments here on how I can improve them (more pictures, better navigation, different color scheme, etc). Just put yourself in the shoes of a home buyer or seller, and tell me what you would like or not like about my sites. Don't be shy about this ... I welcome your criticism!

Athens GA Real Estate - Atlas company site

Matt Thomas Real Estate - Matt Thomas personal site

Also, if any of you have advice on how to climb the search engine rankings with Google, I'm very interested in hearing your suggestions on that as well. If I can ever be of assistance with anything in your business, please email me anytime

Your credit score is affected by many things, and the system for determining your exact score is impossible to figure out. However, here's what we know: The scoring companies place the most emphasis on the following scoring components:

1. 35% your payment history
2. 30% how much you owe
3. 15% length of your credit history
4. 10% your new credit
5. 10% your mix of loan types

While the most significant increases are in areas where hurricanes are a risk, even homeowners in non-coastal areas are seeing increases in their home insurance rates. Here's a few tips on how you can save on your monthly premium:

• get a copy of your CLUE report - just like a credit report, this will give you a detailed list of every claim ever placed on your home. And, just like a credit report, this can contain errors. Insurers can justify increases based on your CLUE history, so it's worth checking it out.


• get a quote from several companies - most new homeowners just use "someone my family recommended". Sure, loyalty is honorable ... but, a 10-20% savings annually with another company would be worth a switch. If nothing else, a lower rate from a competitor will give you ammunition to ask your current company for a lower rate.


• make sure you're getting all discounts available - believe me, your insurer is not likely to remind you about these, but they can all save you big money on your annual premium ... install burglar and fire alarms ... combine home & auto policy ... install deadbolt locks ... update your plumbing & electrical ... these are just examples that you may already be doing, but your insurer needs to know!

If you'd like a recommendation on companies to compare your current rate with, please call or email me anytime - I have some great contacts in the industry.

Just a few statistics that I picked up recently that may be of interest ...

• Georgia ranks 8th of 50 states in the # of foreclosures
• foreclosures are up 112% in the past year, when comparing the 2nd quarter of '08 to the 2nd quarter of '07
• over 1% of all homes in the U.S. are in some stage of foreclosure
• every 3 months, over 250,000 families enter into foreclosure

According to a recent Freddie Mac / Roper poll, 6 out of 10 homeowners that are delinquent on their mortgage were not aware of services that mortgage lenders offer individuals having trouble with their mortgage.

If you're having problems with your payments, please feel free to call me anytime. At no charge and with no obligation, I'll gladly offer suggestions, and I'll help negotiate on your behalf for a workout plan with your lender.