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We got it! I was really wanting the URL Indiana Mortgage for our facebook page. And after a concerted effort to build our fans over 100, we grabbed the URL. If you use Facebook, please check it out and join our page.
What's that mean? Who knows, really we'll have to see how well Facebook Business Pages even search, so far they aren't searching real high. But if they do, and if we can get some inbound links we should be able to give the quickens and eloans of the world a run for SEO leader in Indiana.
Northwest Indiana Mortgage Broker
My July 4th #followFriday
It seems we all love a list, and twitter is like no other for making us want to rank and list. Here is my own list of Top 50 #nwindiana tweeps to follow. Obviously you can follow me too @daltonsbriefs
Go ahead and comment on who you think is missing, who should be included when I update the list next week. I did not purposely skip anyone, but I'm sure I missed some obvious important people from the region. Are you following them all? Have you gone to their blogs to subscribe so you can keep track of important posts? The order is random, but I did list number of followers.
Lastly, you'll note only one politician. Although a few have profiles they hold, none really use them to engage or retweet or even post links. Hopefully this will change next year.
- @kathysipple 1,703 followers, organizer of first #nwitweetup
- @davewoodson 2,103 followers, the one and only Mad Mortgage Machine
- @fftmortgage 72 followers #mortgage broker
- @safrin 495 followers #realestate
- @kissmyaster 1,734 followers blogger Kiss My Aster
- @bill_mitch 151 followers and a weather report for #valpo every morning
- @nwiblogs 246 followers, sponsor of first NW Indiana blogger meetup
- @nwi 1,605 followers, breaking news from NWI Times
- @posttrib 323 followers, breaking news from the Post Tribune
- @richschmidt 307 followers the Valpo Rev
- @evelynbaycoffee 536 followers and first #nwitweetup
- @aaronsimac 47 followers #insurance
- @passtimes 257 followers and everyone's favorite neighborhood pub
- @cendercompany 231 followers, municipal consultant
- @chucklehman 542 followers, landscape architect
- @mbstockdale 1,227 followers, Suncrest Christian Church
- @allynpaul 1,078 followers, landscaper and blogger
- @jonathonwthomas 788 followers tech/SEO fellow Blog Indiana 2008 attendee
- @natfinn 2,225 followers
- @chris_hedges 1,941 followers #attorney and original #nwindiana blog carnival
- @myCMPS 3,462 followers, #mortgage broker (James Barath)
- @iamfiction 127 followers
- @livemercial 1,438 followers, many of the staff have profiles as well
- @coachlee 2,135 followers
- @tudorrestores 131 followers
- @loan_guy 265 followers, #mortgage broker (Scott Swinford)
- @lakenetnwi 223 followers featuring Lakenet NW Indiana
- @cameronbanga 326 followers
- @silcottshoes 1,576 followers and uses tweets for biz quite well
- @finucane 315 followers
- @nwireconnect 462 followers and local ning site NW Indiana Reconnect
- @nwitweetup 203 followers this profile used to announce tweet ups
- @cartronix 560 followers wireless services
- @ValpoLife 543 followers, #valpo portal
- @Valpocity 200 followers ... but they arent following anyone ... a mistake
- @PorterGOP 179 followers, Joyce Webster County GOP Chair and Portage Trustee
- @prayeramedic 951 followers, active long form blogger
- @lybolt 528 followers, Joshua Lybolt head of NW Indiana SBDC
- @bargainjane 162 followers
- @bantafeedss 102 followers
- @indianadunes 486 followers
- @indiana_sbdc 484 followers
- @goldentech 26 followers, host of first #nwindiana blogger meetup
- @emc440 33 followers
- @ktracycom 130 followers, probably biggest blogger by traffic in region
- @mattsaliga 46 followers, Hammond focus
- @wendeburbridge 104 followers, Lakeshore Public TV
- @nwihomes4sale 28 followers, #realestate (Valerie Kubacki)
- @railcats 211 followers, official profile for Gary Railcats Baseball
Let's be honest, this was a real question submitted by a reader, but they knew my thoughts on the matter. YES, there has never been a better time to purchase a home in Northwest Indiana. Real estate values have completed a small correction over the last two years, and are actually leveled or even increasing in some areas.
Mortgage rates for FHA and conventional loans went all the way down to 4.5% in late May but have since bounced upward into the 5's. It's my opinion that the amount of money that is being borrowed by the federal government for this so called Stimulus plan, is going to push interest rates up to 8% by this time next year.
YES .. low prices and interest rates on the rise. This is the THE time to buy a home in Northwest Indiana. I'd be happy to discuss the next step ... call me or email today.
Steve Dalton - Northwest Indiana "Buy Now" consultant
219-762-7200
Northwest Indiana Home Loan Guy Scott Swinford "sounds off" on the same thing today.
Where can you find us online?
Twitter - FFTMortgage
Facebook - Northwest Indiana Mortgage Services and Lending
Our webpage - First Financial Trust Mortgage in Portage Indiana
Or email me today
For those looking for our website, please check it out First Financial Trust Mortgage.
For home mortgage loans in Indiana we focus on FHA mortgages and first time buyers.
As always call me at 219-762-7200 or email me at Northwest Indiana Mortgage Steve
From marketwatch this morning:
CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- After a recent spike seen in mortgage rates, some consumers are wondering whether they've missed their chance to refinance into an ultra-low rate.
Fear not: While the conforming 30-year fixed-rate mortgage hit a daily average of 5.81% last Thursday, it averaged 5.53% on Tuesday, said Keith Gumbinger, vice president of HSH Associates, a publisher of consumer loan information. And it's possible that rates could continue to fall.
Is the worst over for housing?
Housing starts jump a surprising 17% in May, but the jury is still out on whether this signals a turnaround in the struggling housing market. MarketWatch's Stacey Delo reports. (June 16)
"Predicting interest rates is like predicting who is going to win the World Series in January," said Guy Cecala, publisher of Inside Mortgage Finance. That said, he calls the recent spike "somewhat of an aberration," and expects rates will continue to drift down. Read the latest mortgage data.
Why the recent run-up in rates? Over the past month or two, "the economic skies have brightened somewhat," Gumbinger said in an email, and the threat of "trillion-dollar budget deficits for the foreseeable future, the potential for significant inflation, and few clues as to how the government might extricate itself from intrusions into markets" created a landscape that was not appealing to investors.
But now, rates are retreating partly because inflation doesn't seem as immediate a threat as investors feared, Cecala said. In his opinion, nothing fundamentally has changed in the economy over recent weeks to warrant the rate rise, yet he expects volatility through the remainder of the year as investors debate the economy's health.
"Realistically, I think that the rates will drift under 5% again. It may take a month, may take two months," he said.
It's also important, however, to realize that extremely low rates likely won't be around forever, said Bob Walters, chief economist of Quicken Loans, in a statement.
"Luckily, we have seen rates drop some this week, which should help many consumers breathe a little easier," Walters said. "But the fact remains, the government's plan of purchasing mortgage-backed securities cannot go on indefinitely, and when it ends, we will most certainly see a spike in rates. The hope is that the Fed can keep rates low long enough to kick-start a housing recovery. Whether that will work remains to be seen."
"Volatility is the key word in the mortgage industry these days when it comes to rates," said Kyle Kerwin, senior vice president of mortgage lending for Signature Bank of Arkansas.
Here are five tips for those shopping for a mortgage today, particularly those who need to refinance an existing loan:
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Get started on paperwork. Once you've found the mortgage professional you'd like to work with, get started on the necessary paperwork, said Dan Green, loan officer with Mobium Mortgage in Cincinnati and author of TheMortgageReports.com. Rates move regularly, and if paperwork has been started your file can be processed more quickly when rates hit a low. When you start the application process, your credit score will be pulled and you'll need to submit support documentation including W-2 forms and pay stubs. You might be asked for updated documents nearer to closing.
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Make sure your credit is in good shape. Check credit reports and fix problems as soon as possible, said Mary Curran, president of Highland Financial Mortgage Corp. in Northbrook, Ill. Even seemingly small charges can haunt a borrower: A forgotten, unpaid parking ticket, for example, can noticeably affect a credit score, she said.
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Decide at what rate it makes sense to pull the trigger. If you have a 6% rate now, rates would have to hit 5% or lower for it to make financial sense to refinance, Cecala said. Talk with your mortgage professional about what's best for your particular situation.
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Stick to your guns. Once you determine the rate you'd need to get, it's probably wise to stick to that decision. Consumers sometimes gamble that rates will go lower, and the plan can backfire if rates reverse course, Kerwin said. A couple of weeks ago, rates were close to 4.5% in his market, "and people wanted to hold out for an extra eighth of a percent."
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Remember, rates are still good. Yes, rates could fall and create another record low as a result of a swoon in the stock market, a collapse of a major bank or a deepening of a recession, Gumbinger said. But it isn't likely that many consumers would crave those economic shocks. "Why would anyone wish for those things again to simply get a rock-bottom, ultra low mortgage rate? If it means saving $250 per month on your mortgage but it costs you $50,000 in your 401(k), how could this be seen as any kind of benefit?" he said.
If you are sitting on the sidelines waiting for something to say "it's time" then this week was that something. The Fed dropped inter-bank rates to an all time low, did you read that? An all time low this week.
That means that some very clean credit borrowers are getting loans below 5% right now, today! Even if you have a few credit blemishes, call or email us today. Our staff of loan originators stands ready to help you clean up any issues ... find a property ... assist with the appraisal and title work ... and get you refinanced or into your new home fast.
Last week one of our loan originators was able to meet a customer and in less than 10 days close their new low interest rate loan.