I Make My Own Hours

Or so I'm told often by those who ask about my work. Let's see, today my 1 p.m. changed into a 10 a.m., my 6 p.m. turned into a noon, my 2 p.m. got postponed until tomorrow, my 3 p.m. moved to 2 p.m., and my 4 p.m., oh yeah, my 4 p.m. stayed a 4 p.m. I really need to do a better job of setting my own hours.

Geez, I Was Just Kidding

In late October the Fed cut their funds rate, the rate that banks charge each other, to 1%. So I sarcastically said, "Well what's next? Are they going to cut it to zero?" Umm, yep.

In a historic move: Central bank reduces the federal funds rate to a range of zero to 0.25%.

And if that doesn't work?

2008 - The Year In Pictures

Some truly dramatic images. MSNBC.

Tis The Season For Bogus E-mails

I don't understand why people continue to forward e-mails without verifying the validity of the claim being made. Two e-mails currently making their rounds involve barcodes and gift cards. The first one claims that you can avoid buying products that are made in China by reading the first three digits of the barcode. The e-mail provides a list of barcodes and countries. The first three digits can only tell you where the barcode itself was issued which is irrevlavent to where an item is made. The second e-mail tells you not to buy gift cards from certain stores that will be going out of business after January 1st. The list is fraught with misinformation and lies.

Before forwarding any of these friendly tips to 100 people, do everyone a favor and go to Snope.com or UrbanLegends.about.com first.

Gotta go, I've got business to handle. There's a rich widow from Nigeria that wants to give me $100 million if I just give her my bank account information.

Personal Branding

My new favorite blog is The Personal Branding Blog by Social Media Specialist Dan Schawbel. I've just discovered it and can't stop reading it. There are great tips from experts on how to brand yourself in today's marketplace, something that's especially vital for signing agents and all those who are self-employed. Today's topic focuses on personal ethics, including the dilemma we face when we observe others performing illegal or unethical acts (say, a signing agent who backdates or falsifies their qualifications?).

Why Do You Ask, Does My Political Preference Matter?

Yesterday I received a call asking if I was a Notary Republican. Well as a matter of fact I am. Is that acceptable or would you prefer to call a Notary Democrat instead?

The Economic Blame Game - NCAA Tournament Style

Having trouble deciding who's to blame for the worldwide financial crisis? Check out this innovative idea from the Grand Rapids Press. They took 32 reasons for the worldwide economic situation and pitted them against each other in a NCAA bracket format. The winner may surprise you.

Why The Double Standard?

We've all seen the clips over the last week; auto executives getting skewered by Congress for flying private planes and making exorbitant bonuses. It certainly makes for dramatic sound bites despite the fact that it completely misses the mark when it comes to what's really ailing the auto industry. However, these auto executives generally displayed a shocking lack of preparation and planning. It's not unreasonable for Congress to demand that the auto industry show a solid plan for how any bailout money would be spent. But where was this same demand for accountability and planning when Washington earmarked 700 billion dollars for the housing industry? Has anyone demanded that these CEOs fly coach or give up their outrageous bonuses? Have we demanded to see their plan for future solvency? Why, despite almost daily examples of ineptitude or greed, do lenders still avoid having to show accountability and competency?

More Great News For Detroit!

Forbes recently published results from the Urban Land Institute, which named the best (and worst) places to invest in commercial real estate in the coming year. The top five cities are:



Seattle
San Francisco
Washington DC
New York
Los Angeles

And scraping the bottom of the barrel? The Motor City! Motown! Hockeytown! This kind of news has become so predictable that I've actually started reading these kind of lists from bottom to top.

HUD Announces RESPA Changes

On Monday, Housing & Urban Development published its final ruling on the much discussed proposed RESPA changes. The new rules are intended to make it easier for consumers to compare terms on loans offered by different lenders and limit the ability of lenders to offer final terms that are far different from initial estimates given to potential borrowers. After much debate, thankfully (and I know some of you have disagreed) HUD appears to have dropped the proposed script to be read at each closing.

Congress has 60 days to decide whether to block its implementation or allow the changes to go into effect. Some provisions will then go into effect immediately, but HUD won't require loan originators to start using the new standardized Good Faith Estimates and HUD-1 settlement statement until Jan. 1, 2010. Companies can chose to follow the new rules during the preceding 12-month transition period.

5 Dumb Housing Questions

Why are we still building?
Do we simply have too many houses?
Where do foreclosed families go?
Why not offer foreclosed homes to poor people?
How long can a house sit before its not salable?

See this MSN article

The Best of 2008

50 Best Inventions of 2008 (including the short refi)

100 Best Products of 2008

Say What?

I am a Notary Public, not a Notar Republic.

The plural is Notaries Public, not Notary Publics.

There is no such thing as a Quick Claim Deed. It's called a Quit Claim Deed.

An Apostle is a religious figure. The legalization of a document under the Hague Convention is an Apostille.

You do not get your notary, you become a notary or you get your notary commission.

You don't do a notary, you notarize a document. Unless you're dating a notary, then you might very well do a notary.

Free Rice

Whittle away the time, sharpen your vocabulary, and help feed the hungry. What more do you want?

Free Rice

Hasta La Vista, Vista.

Microsoft announces Windows 7. See ya Vista, we hardly knew ya.

How Low Can You Go?

The Federal Reserve cut the federal funds rate, the interest banks charge on overnight loans, down to 1%. So what if that doesn't help? Can they cut it to zero?

Can Anyone Figure Out The Stock Market For Me?

Foreclosures up 70%, Greenspan calls the current situation a "once in a century crisis," and the stock market reacts by going up today? Huh?

What Happened To My Business?

It used to be that 90% of my work was signing refinance loans. But things have changed. In the last two weeks I've done several purchases, a structured settlement, a couple of home inspections, some general notary work, a few refinance loans, in house closings for foreclosure properties, and for the last 10 days I've been working about 16 hours a day closing loans for a massive project converting 300 cooperative units into condominiums (which is why I haven't had a chance to post much). Here's my point: there's business out there. If you're still stuck in the old mode and the old way of doing things, you're probably not getting very far. You've got to be open to other opportunities and other places to market your signing services. You can't be passive and you can't expect business to come to you. If things are slow, use your down time to make calls, knock on doors, and find places to list your services. I'm not shy about asking for business. If someone I've worked for compliments me on the work I've done, I don't hesitate to ask for names of other colleagues they might have who might also want my services. I'm in about the worst area you can be in for refinances and of course my business has felt the effects of that, but I've managed to stay afloat by being aggressive and looking for other opportunities. The refinance boom may be over for now, but other prospects still exist. You just have to look for them.

Can This Get Any Wilder?

A week after the biggest one day Dow drop in history, the Dow records its biggest one day rise in history. Nitroglycerin tablet anyone?

And Now For Something Completely Irrelevant

Lego Darth Vader featuring Eddie Izzard: