So one of my employees and her husband just closed on their first house last night, but only after their mortgage company put them through the ringer on Monday and Tuesday. They'd submitted all their paperwork in early July and had been assured that everything was in order. On Monday they called just to make sure everything was cool and that's when the mortgage company pulled the "well we don't have everything we need from you" routine even though everything had been submitted and receipt had been confirmed weeks earlier.
One of the things that the mortgage company said was missing was verification of my employee's employment so she gave them my direct number and they said they would call right away. That was mid-day on Monday and by five they hadn't called so she called back and the woman she was dealing with said that she'd talked to me and everything was okay. In other words the mortgage company's rep lied or had a conversation in her head that she confused with a phone call to me.
Cut to this morning. I received a call from the mortgage company to confirm my employee's employment. Like I said, they closed last night so really the horse was out of the barn. I guess if she had lied the mortgage company could have taken possession of the house as a recourse, but I can't imagine there are many banks out there that would want to take possession of another house in this day and age.
Sheesh.
I tried to post this from my Blackberry last night, but for some reason Typepad's mobile function ain't working for me right now. Anyway, I took this picture at Wal Mart on Hanes Mall Blvd last night. Those who know me well know that I rarely shop and I only go to Wal Mart under extreme duress, so let's just say that I had to do a little searching to find what I needed: table leg levelers and table cloths for work. While searching for the levelers I found myself in the hardware aisle and stumbled on the display in the picture. Only in Wal Mart would you find a jockstrap, golf tees, golf head covers and batting gloves displayed next to the furniture gliders and other various and sundry hardware items. And yes, they were supposed to be there according to the price labels on the hangers.
BTW, did you know it's damn near impossible to find a plain white table cloth? I tried, desperately, to find them at any place but Wal Mart last night and I struck out. Damn you, Target. I did find two ivory table cloths at Wal Mart fresh off the boat from China, but unfortunately when I unpacked them this morning they were stained. As in big, gigantic coffee looking stains. Had to happen at the manufacturer because the plastic containers they came in were sealed (not opened and returned).
On a positive note the lady at the check out aisle was very nice to me. She was ready to close down but saw me in the next line with my two items and said she'd take care of me before she closed down.
Always lookin' for that glimmer of positive, I am.
The question: Where to put them? Already using most of its 200 acres and hemmed in by development, the school has struggled with that question for years."
The decrease in starts was led by a 16 percent drop in the Northeast, followed by a 1.6 percent decline in the West and 1.4 percent in the South. They rose 13 percent in the Midwest."
Make a boatload of money. Pay your taxes. Lots of taxes. Hire people. Train people. Pay people. Spend money on rent, equipment, services. Pay more taxes."
He also says:
"I’m not saying that the government’s use of tax money is the most efficient use of our hard earned capital. It obviously is not. In a perfect world, there would be a better option. We don’t live in a perfect world. We don’t live in a perfect time. We live in a time where the government plays a big role in an effort to help lead us out this Great Recession. That’s reality.
So I will repeat my point. Get out there and make a boatload of money. Enjoy the shit out your money. Pay your taxes.
Its the most Patriotic thing you can do."
(BTW, that's the same day that most of the high schools in our area are having their open houses so I don't think she'll be getting a lot of high schoolers or their parents on the call.)
Coldwell Banker Triad Realtors has launched a mobile version of their listings so that house hunters can use their Blackberries, iPhones, etc. to look up listings. Not sure how many local realtors have done this, but I think if they haven't then they'll need to get on the stick pretty quickly. I think the days of carrying around listing printouts are numbered.
Anyone know if ListingBook has a mobile version?
