Joseph Goodman a call 615-476-2193 or 615-444-7100
wconway@lincolnhomeloans.com
Wade Conway
VP Business Development
2400 Crestmoor Rd
Nashville, TN 37215
615-838-8777
NMLS# 157765
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Well, today is the day. I have now turned 40.
Is 40 the new 20? If so, it sure doesn’t feel like it. I really never liked anything that was “the new” anything else.
So, what does it mean to be 40? According to statistics, the average life expectancy in the US is 76 and growing a few months every year so I am half way through. You want to look back and see what you have accomplished in half of your life. I think most are tempted to see how they are doing financially, what their title is, what status they have achieved. I have never put a lot of stock in those things, however, I do want people to think well of me and I do want to leave a legacy. The question is, what it the legacy that you are leaving? If you were to leave today, what would people say about you? I have not made any major contributions to society where my name will be spoken of for years like Franklin or Edison. I have not built an empire around myself and used my fortune to make my name know in every household like Trump. I think of the Montgomery Gentry song “That’s something to be proud of.” That generation of folks that fought in WWII seem to be a different breed. I don’t think I or many of my peers fare well in comparison.
What legacy does a common man leave? What is a noble profession? What does today’s man do to give something back? It seems like all of the teachings today are about ‘getting yours”, making big money and climbing the social and economic ladder, but when a man turns 80 and has made a fortune, does he really feel like he gave something back?
While doing research on this post I ran across the link of the Carnegie Mellon prof that died a few years ago that gave his going away speech.
I’m disgusted. I just looked and it has been over 2 months since my last post. I guess it really doesn’t matter as I don’t think anyone is reading this anyway. I t is more therapy for me than it is anything else. So, to catch you up on what has happened. We’ll the new job is going pretty well. I am working a little more than I wanted to, but at least there is some income coming in. I have had a few really good months since March. Stephanie seems to be doing well with it. I don’t get to see her as much as I want though.
I am settling into a little better pace now alternating days of going into the office at Green Hills and working from the home office. I really like the flexibility coupled with the income potential. It really is like owning your own business. I really never thought working for a bank could be like this. In reality, not a lot has changed for me. I still keep my own hours, albeit the volume model of the bank requires me to work more, but at least there is business to work. I was having issues finding business before and there are some opportunities that Bank of America offers that I just could not find as a broker.
Well, it’s Mothers day today and I want to wish my Mommy a Happy Mother’s day at her camp spot at Coyote Creek in NM where she and Dad are camp hosts again this year. I’ve got to go feed spoiled little Sasha and get ready to go to brunch with Steph and her family. I’ll check back in later.
View from Avalanche of Ceday Creek
We got about 6″ of snow in Tennessee yesterday. We went and played fetch with snowballs with the dogs. They can’t seem to figure out where the snow balls go when they roll up in the snow on the ground. Bear loves eating the snow and Spunky just loves to dance around it it. This is the first time in years where there has been enough snow here to play in.
It is so beautiful looking out across the Tomlinson’s farm past the barns over the snow covered hills back to the trees in the distance surrounding Cedar Creek. We got so much rain last week you could have rafted down the creek where I occasionally sneak off to in the spring to fly fish in the clear shallow water for the bream. I would not want to be in that water now.
Imagine if you will for a moment, that you wanted to shop for the cheapest gas station to buy gas at. It seems easy enough at first. You can drive around and look at the big billboards and after you get tired of driving, you simply pull into the one that had the best price. That seems reasonable enough.
What if the store owner had the ability to adjust the billboard very easily with just the click of a button and did so multiple times a day? Even MORE tricky right?
What if when you pulled into the station that had the best price you saw as you drove around, and in the time that it took you to drive around, the price you saw at the others had changed?
Virtually impossible to shop simply on price right? Welcome to today’s mortgage market. You say wait a sec. What about those guys on the internet that you go to and they supposedly get you several quotes from lenders? Maybe a good idea, maybe not. 95% of those guys are not lenders at all, but just lead sellers. They take your information and sell it to all bidders. Your phone might be ringing for days and again, you will be getting quotes from different lenders over different time frames and ultimately, you really are not guaranteed the rate until you’ve made application and locked the rate at which time, even more time has passed and rates have changed again.
Sound like a sales pitch? It might, but it is just the facts when you are talking about a volatile market with VERY fluid interest rates. Take a look at the chart above to see a fairly calm day in the mortgage market. It still shows variance of around .125 or 1/8 of a point. That may not seem like much, but in order to buy down an interest rate that same 1/8 on a $200,000 loan, it would cost around $1000 to $1500. In the last year, we have seen the market move over .5% in one day. That means at noon you could have been quoted 4,5% and at 5 the same lender would be quoting 5%!
What is a shopper to do?
I recommend working with someone you can trust that is recommended by friends or family and that you know is a trusted professional. In this market, the timing that the lender used to lock your rate is more important than the rate that was quoted when you were shopping for it. How do you know you are dealing with a professional?
I am glad you asked. Tune back in for our next installment: Four questions to ask your lender to know if they are a True Pro or email me with “Shopping Letter” in the subject line for the free report.
wade@wadeconway.com
So, I am thinking about training for and running in the 1/2 Marathon in late April this year. I am almost 40, terribly out of shape and probably 50 or more pounds overweight. A buddy of mine at church mentioned that if I wanted to try and do it, that it was time to start training now. My wife and I were talking about it and she said the only bad thing about running in a race like that is the cost so I looked it up. Sure enough, it costs $110 to run the half marathon so I got my viral mind ticking.
If I was to challenge 11 of my buddies that I could do the half marathon in less than 2 hours and 20 minutes that they each pay me $10 toward the entry fee. Not that I really could not afford the fee, but it would at least take that one objection away and make me have to find another not to do it.
Anybody want to challenge me to give it a shot????????
What do all of these have in common? They are all great places to stay or visit while in Florida. My wife, Steph and I just returned from 10 days in Orlando and St. Augustine. We hit all of the Disney Parks while staying at a timeshare called The Fountains on I-Drive in Buena Vista. It was a great trip and we had great weather.
We visited St. Augustine, the oldest city in the US, for Halloween night for its famous ghost tours and ate a a great BBQ place called Scarlett O’Hara’s just down the road from Flagler College. What a beautiful campus and town. We also made it out to the World Golf Village for a quick visit. They had a great sale going on at the golf shop, but it was too late to visit the Hall of Fame so we just walked around the property and found yet another great BlueGreen condo development there.
We were not sure of what was going at the WGV as they were setting up an outdoor stage on Sunday evening. It was not until we returned home that I found out what the stage was for. They did the Hall of Fame induction ceremony the day after we left and fellow Kappa Sigma Lanny Wadkins was inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame. Congrats Brother Lanny! Sorry we missed it. I doubt I could have gotten in any way.
