Creekside Mortgage New VA Logo “NW #1 VA Home Loan Experts”
July 18th, 2011
We changed our logo representing the fact that we are the number NW #1 VA Home Loan Experts. We really want to change our motto towards that, due to the fact that 90% of what we do now is just VA in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. We can do all types of loan options, but VA seems to be the major factor of what Creekside Mortgage has been doing. The majority of employees that work at Creekside Mortgage are prior service, or either had parents in the service or family members who are Veterans. Our pride in continuing to specialize in VA will definitely be something we carry into the future.
Kerry N. Greenwald
NMLS # 70269
Sr. VA Loan Specialist
Creekside Mortgage Inc.
360.571.LOAN (5626)
www.VALoanWA.com
www.OregonVALoan.com
Chelsey Howard the New Member of the Greenwald Team
July 15th, 2011
We have a new team member today on The Greenwald Team to help facilitate VA transactions and make the process smoother. Jenn Stanford and I will continue to do more of the front-end production and setting the files up. Chelsey Howard will do more of the coordinating, making sure appraisals are ordered, and help overall with closing transactions quicker. Our main focus is to stand by our advertised 25-day close, which is almost twice as fast as anyone in the industry on a VA transaction. This makes the consumer Veteran happy, the banks happy, the title company happy, and the real estate agents happy. We welcome Chelsey Howard to the team and look forward to many years together!
Kerry N. Greenwald
NMLS # 70269
Sr. VA Loan Specialist
Creekside Mortgage Inc.
360.571.LOAN (5626)
www.VALoanWA.com
www.OregonVALoan.com
The Crazy World of 80/20 Loans
July 10th, 2011
We have had a lot of people recently doing VA transactions refinancing, who were caught up in the crazy 80/20 loans from a few years ago, or just ARMs that are re-setting in the next year. People are taking advantage of the fact that rates are so low. and Clark County WA values have settled. We even have situations of people cashing out portions of their 401k just to be able to refinance their houses and not be forced out of their homes down the road. That is something that we highly recommend because the interest rates are going to go up in the near future. It is inevitable, and while stocks are at an all-time high, you might as well use some of those portions to refinance your home at all cost and by all means or plan on terminating or getting rid of it down the road. It is difficult to plan on trying to refinance it in the future. Values are not going to come back that quickly. It is better to bite the bullet now and take care of it.
Kerry N. Greenwald
NMLS # 70269
Sr. VA Loan Specialist
Creekside Mortgage Inc.
360.571.LOAN (5626)
www.VALoanWA.com
www.OregonVALoan.com
Home values decline
July 3rd, 2011
Total home sales in Clark County for the month of January of 2011 was $69.8 million, with 319 transactions, which stayed on a pretty steady pace for the last four years. In January 2010, there were 318 homes sold; in January 2009, 244 sold; and in January 2008, 312 sold. Home values have continued to decline, but the overall real estate market in Clark County, based on current conditions, have not been as bad as some other parts of the country.
Kerry N. Greenwald
NMLS # 70269
Sr. VA Loan Specialist
Creekside Mortgage Inc.
360.571.LOAN (5626)
www.VALoanWA.com
www.OregonVALoan.com
Dodd-Frank Bill and the Mortgage Industry 3 Months in
July 1st, 2011
It has now been over three months since the Dodd Frank Bill was enacted, affecting the mortgage industry as a whole. The take on it from industry professionals is that it has made business much, much more difficult due to requirements to meet the regulations. Many more man-hours are required just to comply with them. Now that we have seen the full effect of the bill,it is clear it has affected two groups and two groups only-individual loan officers who facilitate the transactions, and the consumers themselves. From what we have noticed, interest rates about a quarter different in the negative, with a higher rate for the burrower. The loan officer is making about 15-20% less. The companies and banks that the bill targeted have not felt the effect—the expenses just been passed to the consumer.
Kerry N. Greenwald
NMLS # 70269
Sr. VA Loan Specialist
Creekside Mortgage Inc.
360.571.LOAN (5626)
www.VALoanWA.com
www.OregonVALoan.com
QR Codes Advertising in Clark County WA
June 20th, 2011
We have started using QR codes in most of our VA advertising in Clark County WA. QR codes are pretty amazing. The smart phone has the capability to go directly to a webpage instead of requiring the user to type in the URL to get to a web destination. I look forward to continuing to use QR codes to make the process smoother.
Kerry N. Greenwald
NMLS # 70269
Sr. VA Loan Specialist
Creekside Mortgage Inc.
360.571.LOAN (5626)
www.VALoanWA.com
www.OregonVALoan.com
Stranger Tides Pirate Contest
May 19th, 2011
Here at Creekside we are having a competition to see what team can get the most new people to “like” our Facebook page. The winners get a free lunch, half day off paid and movie passes to see the new Pirates of The Caribbean movie that comes out this weekend.
Please help us to be the top winning team so we can enjoy the bounty and not have to watch another team commission what is rightfully ours! If you are already a fan…thank you!!
Do it for Captain Jack!! Thank You in advance!!
Elisa Cotton / NMLS#86692
Assistant to Michael Frakes
NMLS#71539
Creekside Mortgage
360-571-5626 x 115
360-326-1672 Fax
Like us on Facebook!!
VA Loans At a all Time High in Clark County WA
May 9th, 2011
VA loans in Clark County Washington are currently at an all-time high. VA loans are just behind cash offers for the majority of all home purchases being completed right now, which is pretty much unheard-of, since there is no military installation within the vicinity of Clark County WA. Most people don’t know or understand that there are so many Veterans out there. VA home loans are one of their best options.
NMLS # 70269
Sr. VA Loan Specialist
Creekside Mortgage Inc.
360.571.LOAN (5626)
www.VALoanWA.com
www.OregonVALoan.com
Memorial Day Ceremony
May 4th, 2011
The Community Military Appreciation Committee would like to invite you to attend a Memorial Day ceremony at the Vancouver Barracks, 987 McClellan Road on Monday May 30th at 11am. They are asking the military attendees to come in uniform and civilians to wear business casual.
“Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women’s groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, “Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping” by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication “To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead” (Source: Duke University’s Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920). While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860’s tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all. ”
The event is sponsored by Waste Connections.
Michael Frakes
NMLS#71539
Creekside Mortgage
360-571-5626
Like us on Facebook
Vancouver Washington Veterans Center plans ribbon-cutting event
April 30th, 2011
The Clark County Veterans Assistance Center, which opened in April, will have its grand opening from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday May 1st, 2011 at 1305 Columbia St., Suite 100. The 204th Army Band will play at the 3 p.m. ribbon-cutting.
Male and female Veterans, members of the armed forces and their families are invited to visit and use the center any time to get help filing claims with the Veterans Administration or to get referrals for housing or medical assistance. Homeless veterans are invited to visit in a safe environment. For more information contact Gayle Hepler, Sr. VA Loan Specialist in WA and OR, at Creekside Mortgage, Inc., and Emily Stoutsenberger of the Vancouver Women’s Veterans Center. Veterans with disabilities in Washington as well as in Oregon and Paralyzed Veterans of America can find much needed resources here; as well as with the OPVA by contacting Byron Loosli of the Oregon Paralyzed Veterans of America. April is Paralyzed Veterans Of America Awareness month.
Serving Those Who have Served Us
Gayle Hepler
VA Loan Specialist
NMLO- 120728
Creekside Mortgage Inc.
360-567-3773 WA, OR
503.445.1038 ext. 114
Gayle@Creeksidem.com
www.VAClarkCounty.com
www.OregonVALoan.com
