The Mortgage Porter

Book Review: The Big Score by Linda Ferrari

Last month I had the opportunity to speak at The Mortgage Girlfriends Mastermind Summit and to meet Linda Ferrari.  Linda is someone who I've known of for a long time.  She's an expert at credit scoring and is passionate about consumers knowing and understanding their credit score.  She is the author of "The Big Score -- Getting It and Keeping It".

This book is a great resource--for young and old alike.  We are impacted everyday by our credit scores and Linda does an excellent job shedding light on mystery of credit scoring.   Her book is structured in an easy to read and research format.   If you need help working on repairing your credit, you'll find step by step advice in this book.  It could be the best $20 you ever spend.

For the record, I paid for my copy and I am not receiving any compensation for my review. 

Book Review: And Then The Roof Caved In by David Faber

I've found that one of the perks of being a mortgage blogger is that on occasion, people will send me copies of their book requesting a review.  I recently finished reading CNBC Reporter, David Faber's book which addresses how we have arrived at this financial situation we are in. 

If you watched his documentary "House of Cards"; you will find lot of the content from the book follows David's reporting from the documentary.   I enjoy Faber's reporting on CNBC in the mornings and when you read his book, it's as if he's talking to you.   It's an easy read that covers every angle of how we got here.  And maybe it's because I'm employed in the mortgage industry, I found this book hard to put down. 

If you want to understand more about the perfect storm that lead to this economic crisis; I highly recommend "And Then The Roof Caved In: How Wall Street's Greed and Stupidity Brought Capitalism to Its Knees" by David Faber. 

Holiday Gift Idea: Books on Finance

Get Rich Slowly is a blog that I've recently become a fan of.   They have great info and although I may not agree 100% with some of their views on mortgages, I do respect the writers approach and how much they're helping their readers.   I enjoy this blog so much I'm a subscriber.

They recently published a list of books and broke down the list by age group with ideas from young children to old folks.   If a book on managing finances is not your idea of a Christmas present...this list works for any time of the year!

Mortgage Ripoffs and Money Savers by Carolyn Warren: a book review

I just finished reading Carolyn Warren's book, Mortgage Ripoffs and Money Savers. As  I mentioned over the weekend, this is a longer read at 222 pages...it is full of information that I feel is very useful.   If I had to be critical, I would say at times the book is a little on the sensational side...with that said, it does have me thinking.   I've only worked for one mortgage company and Carolyn, the author, has not only worked for several mortgage companies, but also varies types of mortgage companies (wholesale, subprime, bank, consumer loan, etc.).  She has been more exposed to various types of Loan Originators than I have.   I wonder how much of her experience is more subprime/consumer lending vs. working for an ethical mortgage company?

I do have experience with Loan Originators from my previous career in the title and escrow industry and I certainly developed an opinion of many in the profession.   Are there really that many bad Loan Originators out there?  I know so many outstanding Mortgage Professionals who I'm proud to be assoicated with...and I also know there are some giving our industry a black eye.  It will be interesting to see how many do not pass the mustard with the state's new licensing requirements (this law only applies to Loan Originators who work for Mortgage Brokers: not mortgage banks, credit unions or consumer finance companies).   Anyhow, back to the book review...

What is most valuable with Carolyn's book is that she teaches consumers how to shop for a Mortgage Professional...not interest rates.    She also has great points on how to compare good faith estimates and understanding YSP (Yield Spread Premium).   I do have some small issues with how she covers YSP.   I'll have to do a separate post to dig into this issue and being a Correspondent Lender.   

Bottom line, she is providing consumers with a lot of information to help them navigate getting a fair deal on their mortgage and I am all for that! 

What I hope to do this weekend

Besides visit my baby sister (baby, she's 36 years of age!) for her birthday on Saturday...I'm hoping to dig into a book that was graciously mailed to me.   

Carolyn Warren is the author of "Mortgage Rip-Offs and Money Savers".   She was kind enough to send me her book a week or so ago and I've only made it to page 16.  So far, it's a fascinating read, even for someone in the industry...me making it only to page 16 is not a reflection on the book!   I've had a very crazy week trying to help a couple of clients who had the misfortune of getting involved with a major internet lender (you know, the advertiser on TV who promotes having 4 lenders compete and beg for your business)...I promise to post about their stories will follow once their transactions are closed (names will be changed to protect the innocent and not-so innocent, of course).   

Carolyn's book is a bigger read than the last review I did, It's Not About Rate...so I'm contemplating reviewing the book in sections or just reading all 222 pages and then giving my 2 cents!   I'll figure it out and post the results soon.

Happy Birthday, Janette!

Book Review: It's Not About Rate

Richard Cohen, author of "It's Not About Rate--The Right Way To Get a Mortgage", was kind enough to send me his book to review.  For a short book (we're talking 76 pages) it covers a great deal of mortgage material without being overwhelming to a first time home buyer.  I appreciate how Richard injected bits of humor along with solid information about mortgages.  This is very readable and I highly recommend this book for consumers considering buying or refinancing their first home.

The 12 Gifts of Christmas

My friend and colleague, Marian York, recently shared a gift with me that I would like to in turn, share with you.  Marian is the Author of "The Loving Dictionary" (her book is linked below), she is a renown speaker and is the founder of The WORDpower Institute NW.

The following is Marian's December WORDpower Tip, although Christmas was yesterday, I think this is appropriate all year long:

The 12 Gifts of Christmas

Here are twelve special gifts you can share with the people in your life!  They don't cost anything and come in every size, shape and color!

1) The Gift of Patience...Take a deep breath and count to 10 before responding.

2) The Gift of Understanding...What unfulfilled need for love, respect or kindness might lie beneath their behavior?

3) The Gift of Support...What's one small thing I could do to make their life easier?

4) The Gift of Appreciation...How have they contributed to my life or to the lives of others?

5) The Gift of Communication...When was the last time I "told" them how much I appreciate them?

6) The Gift of Thoughtfulness...What makes them feel really happy, valued or safe?

7) The Gift of Forgiveness...Was their oversight or mistake really worth the loss of the relationship or friendship?

8) The Gift of Interest...How much do I know about this person? Or listen to them?

9) The Gift of Acceptance...Can I see their warts in perspective to all of their good points?

10) The Gift of Trust...Do I say what I mean and do what I say?

11) The Gift of Mastery...How can I use my skills and talents to enrich their lives?

12) The Gift of Humor...What could I say or do to put a smile on their heart today?

I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday and a peaceful, healthy and happy New Year.