Yesterday was another good day.

Nice sunshine day. Wrote an offer on another property. Market is picking up. Talked to my lender and she is happy with the 5.5 interest rates. We are both hoping that after the new year starts that home buyers will move out and start looking for their dream home to take advantage of the low rates and the $7500 tax credit.

Really nice day.

I had a really nice day. Sunshine and warm weather. Went to my office in Tulsa and took care of a lot of paperwork. Listed a home in Broken Arrow. Put pictures of my little horse property in Claremore on the MLS and worked on my websites. Have an appointment to write another contract tomorrow. I am a happy camper. My lender partner said that she can get my clients a 4.5% interest rate by paying some points. 4.5 is that ridiculous or what. Now is the time to buy.

Nice weather and lots of sunshine

The weather was nice in Northeast Oklahoma today. Temp was down in the mid-twenties last night. My wife and I stayed up and watched movies until 1am and I slept in this morning. I drove to Chouteau and held our model home open there. I got some paperwork done. Not too many visitors. Worked on a counter off on one of the offers that I wrote yesterday. I hope we get a meeting of the minds.

Been a good day.

Well yesterday after showing six tracts of land, I wrote and offer on one of the tracts. Today I just slept in. After lunch I was out showing property again with another buyer client and we are submitting an offer. Sales are good and getting better in Northeast Oklahoma real estate and I am enjoying todays weather in the 50's. Oh by the way...this is the blue whale swimming hole on old route 66 in Catoosa Oklahoma.

Friday after Christmas

Spent Friday morning after Christmas out walking land with a potential buyer client and the owner. We walked and located the corner markers. While we were walking we found evidence of beaver cutting trees and found their lodge. There are also a lot of white tail deer on the property as seen by their scrapes. I saw six deer here last week. I still can not believe that it is 66 degrees right now. I love this weather.

Loving this weather

It is in the 50's today...makes me want to go swimming.

The Reason for Christmas

Remember this as you celebrate today.

Nice day. Temps in the 30's and sunshine. I made a few appointments for Friday. Christmas Eve at home this year.

Warming right up.

Pretty decent day. Mist hung in the air all day causing me to use the wipers on the Land Wagon. Went out and measured property lines this morning. Finally got a mobile home moved off of a property I sold. Still have a couple of closings scheduled before the end of the year.

Pretty good day.

I have been negotiating two contracts. I plan to write two more offers. The weather was better. I actually was able to take my coat off for a while. Sunshine is nice.

Give me 18 inches of snow.

I bought this big bad 4x4 Suburban and I want some snow to play in.

Stayed home all day. Tired of this cold weather.

I am sick and tired of this cold weather

12 degrees

I think I will go back to bed.

Tell me again how bad the economy is in Tulsa Ok.

All of these people are spending money like they have it in Tulsa Oklahoma at the malls on Saturday before Christmas. Money is flowing. Cash is King.

Serious land buyers like to walk it.

It said it was 38 degrees. With the wind at 20 miles per hour it feels like 24 degrees. Serious buyers like to walk land that they are thinking of buying. Did we walk it in the cold wind...yes we did. By the way it was 4217.43 feet that we walked around the property. It was a workout for a 54 year old guy with heart issues.

I have a busy Saturday ahead

I will be showing land to two different buyer clients and putting a sign on my new listing.

Good news for re-haber investors

Investor Report: 203(K) Rehabilitation Program
by Kenneth R. Harney
Real estate investors could regain access to an important FHA financing program that's been closed to them since the late 1990s -- provided HUD goes along with a proposal submitted recently by the National Association of Realtors.

In a letter to HUD Secretary Steve Preston, NAR president Charles McMillan asked the department to rethink its decision to bar investors from the 203(K) rehabilitation program, under which FHA insures a combined home purchase and renovation mortgage based on the after-repairs valuation of the property.

McMillan said reopening 203(K) to investors could play a key role in disposing of large numbers of vacant foreclosed houses that have been damaged by vandals or prior occupants.

"Many foreclosed properties are severely damaged after they are vacated, making them difficult to sell," said McMillan. "Investors utilizing the 203(K) program could purchase dilapidated foreclosed properties for rehabilitation and conversion into rental units."

Amending 203(K) restrictions "will benefit neighborhoods across the country," he said, and give investors "access (to) credit that is unavailable (during) the current economic crisis."

McMillan suggested the change could be temporary -- ending with the expiration of HUD's "Hope for Homeowners" program, under which FHA refinances seriously delinquent mortgages.

HUD imposed a moratorium on investor participation in 203(K) in 1996 after a series of scandals involving the program - bogus repairs, straw buyers and other abuses by speculators.

In his letter to Preston, McMillan acknowledged those earlier problems, but said HUD's Inspector General had concluded that most of the abuses were connected with nonprofit groups and so-called "identity of interest" transactions.

McMillan proposed that both types of participation be prohibited under any limited return of investors to the 203(K) program.

Asked by RealtyTimes whether FHA might reopen the doors to investors, an official said that given the short time frame until the Obama team takes over at HUD - now barely a month - the agency is likely to leave the issue open for the next administration's consideration.

The good news here: The incoming nominee for HUD secretary, Shaun Donovan, knows the 203(K) program well, and has direct experience with preservation of housing stock. Since 2004, Donovan has headed New York City's department of housing preservation and development. Plus he served at FHA during part of the Clinton administration.

Donovan won't require months of education to get up to speed on FHA programs, and the department should have a baseline decision on possible investor participation in 203(K) sooner, rather than later.

Published: December 19, 2008

Fed Action Creates Best Interest Rates in 50 Years, Realtors® Report

WASHINGTON, December 17, 2008

The National Association of Realtors® applauds the actions of the Federal Reserve Board in lowering interest rates for home buyers and homeowners who need to refinance. This will significantly impact housing sales, home valuations, and the nation’s overall economy.

The Federal Reserve is purchasing large quantities of agency debt and mortgage-backed securities to provide support to the mortgage and housing markets.

“NAR has been aggressively calling for mortgage rate reductions, and the Fed’s action to slash interest rates, coupled with the actions by the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the Department of the Treasury, has driven down interest rates to make the dream of homeownership once again attainable for thousands of Americans,” said NAR President Charles McMillan.

Mortgage rates, which had averaged 6.3 percent in the third quarter, have recently fallen into the 4 percent range in some parts of the country. “That is the lowest rate in nearly 50 years and will bring buyers back to the market,” McMillan said. “We are pleased that the government heard our message and responded to our call for action.”

NAR has estimated that a one percentage point decrease in mortgage rates will increase home sales by more than 500,000 homes. “To boost the economy, it is critical to stem the rising tide of foreclosures and boost home buyer confidence in the housing market.” McMillan said. “Lower interest rates coupled with increased foreclosure mitigation are the key ingredients to stabilizing the housing market and preserving communities and homeownership.”

NAR continues to call on the federal government to maintain the higher loan limits passed in the economic stimulus bill earlier this year and to expand the $7,500 tax credit for first-time home buyers to all buyers and to eliminate the credit repayment requirement. “Together, all of these actions will stimulate and stabilize the housing market and begin an overall economic recovery,” McMillan said.

What a fun day. I spent the morning at Endodontics getting a root canal and the afternoon at My Dentist getting a temporary tooth built and installed. Recieved a call when I got home from another new land client. I have not had a day in two weeks that I have not had a call on real estate from a new client. Very good. Thank you very much.

It is warm...it is warm...it is warm...repeat it is warm.

I am ready for warmer days....can you tell????

Back to work

Well it was a better weather day today. I was able to get out and go the office and the bank and put a sign up. Talked to a new client today looking for a home and acreage and negotiated on the offer that I have out and talked to another client that wants to come and look at homes with acreage. I have made two appointments to show land this Saturday. Keeping on keeping on. Thanks for your cooperation and God bless America.

I am getting cabin fever.

Sitting around the house most of the day, I was happy to go look at a tract of land for a client. I went down the trail into the valley and found the property. It was really pretty down there with everything in ice.

bah humbug

24 degrees at noon. Ice on the side streets. Dreaming of mowing the lawn and washing the car. Still lots of phone calls and e-mails today.

I have had all the cold I want for a while

I have been thinking that 70 degrees today on the beach at the Cayman Islands looks really good to me. Let's see...I could come back to Oklahoma about March in time for tornado season. maybe...just maybe.

16 Degrees feels like 1 degree

Are you believing this. We were pelted with ice until about midnight and get up to ice covered ground and streets and it is 16 degrees at 8 am. I think I am going to stay in by the heat until at least noon. Oh by the way, with the wind chill it feels like 1 degree.

Change in the weather.

Wow what a day. I left home in Claremore about noon to drive to Chouteau to hold the model homes open. It was 69 degrees and the sun was shining. About 4 pm I stepped out side and it was beginning to cool off and the wind was blowing. When I did get back home it is 33 degrees and with the wind chill it feels like 22 degrees. Made me wonder why I chose to wear a short sleave shirt today and take no coat.

Nice day.

It is really 60 degrees today. Cleaned out my home office and brought in a new desk and it is great. So much more space. Finally got the home office re-organized. Made a trip to the dairy for milk and to the store to fight with the crazy people. Came back to the office and called my new client in Texas and another one in Ohio. Everyone is moving to Oklahoma. Taking the rest of the day off to watch some TV and read.

Another good day.

Negotiated on my contract offer. Sent letters to several sellers whose listings had expired. Spent most of the day on the phone. My phone rings every day with new clients. The market is now and always will be as good as the Realtor working in it. If your home did not sell during the time you had it listed with another Realtor. Call me and let's talk about why your home did not sell. Of course there is no obligation. 1-918-948-3425.

I remember volunteering...but really.

I told the incoming officers of our Greater Tulsa Association of Realtors and Northeast Oklahoma Real Estate Services (our MLS) that I would be happy to serve on committees this year. The President of NORES appointed me to the Key Box Committe as Chairman. The President of GTAR appointed me to two committees. One is The Membership Committee and the other is The Sales Associates Committee. I will be busy and it will be great to meet with other members who are also appointed to these committees.

It was a good day. I wrote an offer on a property for a client. Had a closing. Put signs on a new listing. It was 23 degrees this morning when I started showing houses but it warmed up nicely to the mid fifties.

Another day in paradise?

It has been another day. Seller cancelled listing after buyers flakes out and splits up during the contract negotiation. Boyfriend steals money from girlfriend. Neither buyer shows up for contract initials. But, I did get something done. I did get new pictures of my listing. North Star Ranch at Chelsea. You thought it was all fun and games and showing houses didn't you?

Coldwell Banker Select, Realtors

We had our last company meeting, of the year, today. Sam Rader, our President, reminded us of some of the accomplishments of the company this year. First, Coldwell Banker Radergroup, Realtors merged with Terry Gartside Realtors to form the new Coldwell Banker Select Realtors. Second, the company purchased an Oklahoma City company to add to our Durant offices to make Coldwell Banker Select Realtors the largest real estate company in Oklahoma. Sam also reported that we are number one in the Tulsa metropolitan real estate market with 22% of the sales and 22% of the listings. This is good news for those of us who work for Coldwell Banker Select Realtors. We currently have offices in Oklahoma City, Durant, Owasso, Oologah, Claremore, Tulsa, Sand Springs, Broken Arrow, Skiatook, Sapulpa and more cities are to follow.

We had a thunderstorm last night. I was sound asleep and at 11:30 my phone rang. It was the Claremore police department with a recorded message telling me that we were having strong winds, rain and hail. I could have slept right thru it...but no. I had to sign up for reverse 911. What a great service from the City of Claremore.

Going to be a good week.

I have home showing appointments this week. Two different buyers ready to buy. One is cash and one is already approved for financing. I also received a buyer referral from OKC. This buyer is wanting to buy a home with acreage. Oh yea... I spoke to a client yesterday who has decided to buy a place to run cattle. Wow!!! Busy is good.

People are selling and buying houses.

I held the model homes open in Chouteau today and I visited with a couple who came by. They have just sold their house on 80 acres and are looking for a home closer town with an acre or so. Real estate is still selling and people are still buying homes in Northeast Oklahoma. So tell the national news to just bite their lip and quit talking about how bad things are.

Home Mortgage Money

Mortgage rates keep dropping
The 5.53 percent average is the lowest since January.


WASHINGTON — Rates on 30-year mortgages plunged this week to the lowest level since January after the government launched a sweeping new effort to aid the U.S. housing market.

Mortgage finance giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that average rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages dropped to 5.53 percent this week. That was down from 5.97 percent last week, and the lowest since the week of Jan. 24, when it was at 5.48 percent.

Further drops could be on the way if the government launches an industry-backed plan to lower the rate on a 30-year mortgage to 4.5 percent by spending hundreds of billions to buy mortgage-backed securities issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

That would follow an effort announced last week by the Federal Reserve, which is planning to buy up to $600 billion of mortgage-backed securities and other debt issued by Fannie and Freddie and the Federal Home Loan Banks. Those institutions don't make loans directly to consumers, but provide money to the mortgage market by packaging loans into investments.

The Fed's move caused rates to immediately drop by about a half-point, and many in the real estate industry hope rates will keep dropping as the government increases efforts to battle the credit crisis.

Rates "are now almost a full percentage point lower since the last week in October," Freddie Mac Chief Economist Frank Nothaft said in a statement.

Mortgage rates are sinking as Treasury yields, some of the most sensitive barometers of investor sentiment, have dropped to record lows this week as a torrent of bad economic news continues. But as investors send yields down, they're also influencing the economy — driving interest rates so low that savers get punished and borrowers get a break.

Treasury buying has picked up and sent yields down because the economy is in a recession that investors believe will be long and deep.

Consumers already are taking advantage of the situation. New mortgage applications more than doubled last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's weekly survey released Wednesday.

By ALAN ZIBEL Associated Press

As seen in the Tulsa World Newspaper.

Well I am back in the Claremore Progress Newspaper again Sunday December 7, 2008 on Page 2A. I attended my last meeting of the City of Claremore and Rogers County Metropolitan Planning Commission. Next meeting I will be on the Commission.

I have been going so hard this week it was good to take a whole day off. I think I will do it again tomorrow.

You know how much I hate this cold weather...

But if I have to put up with this cold weather...I want some snow to play in.

Cousin Garth Brooks' house

This Garth Brooks home. It is located west of Claremore on Highway 20 to the top of Keetonvill Hill. When you get to the top of the hill, turn left on ridge road to the gate. When you turn right at the gate, Garth owns everything on your left with the high chainlink fence.

Have you looked at my Christmas list yet?

I have put this new real estate car on my list for Christmas. Check out the back seat for the hard working real estate agent and the front seat for the assistance.

Another of my listings is under contract

Why do THEY say that the real estate market is bad. Not in Claremore, Rogers County and Tulsa area. Properties are being shown. Interest rates are as low as 5.4%. I am getting a number of calls on my listings. We may see a slow down during the Christmas holidays. I really do not expect business to slow down. Bring it on. I am ready.

Busy day. Lots of activity. I went to my last Planning Commission meeting before I become one. Picture is Claremore main street Christmas of 1971

The market in Rogers County is really picking up. I have presented one offer and have been on two listing appointments. I listed another Horse Farm last night. I look for business in our area to continue to pick up through Christmas and we will see a little slacking off during the holiday and then by the time we pass the new year, look out and plan to be busy again with buyers more confident and financing deals a plenty.

Washburn appointed to Planning Commission

According to page 2 Claremore Progress Newspaper dated Tuesday December 2, 2008. Claremore City Council approved the appointment of Mike Washburn to the City of Claremore Rogers County Metropolitan Area Planning Commission. Upon appointment Washburn will serve a four year term, effective January 2009 through January 2013.

Lots of folks are e-mailing me with questions about property they are finding on line at my website and www.realtor.com. I am being really busy with calls and e-mail.