by Eric Blackwell

The Real Estate Group, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake VA

Author website

A while back, I wrote a post about how my blog was hacked and what I did about it. Turns out it dropped me out of Google for a week or two, but the experience was well worth it. Shortly thereafter, Eric Bramlett posted the solution of setting Google Alerts on your site. (Can’t find it, or I’d link to it). Trace and others had some good comments and suggestions as well. I did what Bramlett suggested and I want to show you an example of how it works.

This morning, I received an alert (one of many that I have on my site), to wit:

Google Web Alert for: site:ericonsearch.com +viagra

High gas prices and online marketing…a correlation? : Southern …
… phentermine shipped tramadol without perscription dopamine phentermine generic cialis pills generic viagra levitra prescribing information valium valium …

This as-it-happens Google Alert is brought to you by Google.

I quickly went and found the offending post(s) and promptly deleted hundreds of “bad neighborhood” links. Nice. And yes. I am making further changes to beef security that I am not going to talk about publicly. Will be happy to share them with you privately one to one if you have been hacked.

The good news about this go around is that we are being PROACTIVE and getting to them before we have to bug Google or other search engines about it. By setting yourself up a boatload of alerts for site:mydomain.com +(insert poker,porn, or pharmaceutical term), you can get ahead of any issues that arise.

If you Google “Indiana SEO” or other similar terms, you will see that as of today’s date, I am still blessed to be doing OK for now.

So if you haven’t taken the time to do this to your blog… Now’s a good time.

by Eric Bramlett

Real Estate

Author website

Microsoft Office will be uninstalled on my PC on 10/23.

If all goes as planned, Windows will be replaced by Ubuntu on 10/24.

Sure, the Google phone isn’t as sexy as the Iphone.  Open source isn’t supposed to be sexy.  Just free and awesome.

by Brian Brady

Commercial Real Estate Finance Expert
Structured Debt and Equity
Licensed Real Estate Broker in AL, CA, and FL

Author website

From the Wayback Vault in The New York Times Building:

Fannie Mae, the nation’s biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people and felt pressure from stock holders to maintain its phenomenal growth in profits.

In addition, banks, thrift institutions and mortgage companies have been pressing Fannie Mae to help them make more loans to so-called subprime borrowers. These borrowers whose incomes, credit ratings and savings are not good enough to qualify for conventional loans, can only get loans from finance companies that charge much higher interest rates — anywhere from three to four percentage points higher than conventional loans.

”Fannie Mae has expanded home ownership for millions of families in the 1990’s by reducing down payment requirements,” said Franklin D. Raines, Fannie Mae’s chairman and chief executive officer. ”Yet there remain too many borrowers whose credit is just a notch below what our underwriting has required who have been relegated to paying significantly higher mortgage rates in the so-called subprime market.”

Some Lessons I’ve Learned From The Credit Meltdown:

(1) Borrowers who can’t meet prime underwriting guidelines are “sub” prime

(2) When government regulates private industry to make crappy loans and the crappy loans are the cause of the crisis, you can’t blame the theory of deregulation; you must levy the blame at overregulation.

In July, the Department of Housing and Urban Development proposed that by the year 2001, 50 percent of Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s portfolio be made up of loans to low and moderate-income borrowers. Last year, 44 percent of the loans Fannie Mae purchased were from these groups.

(3) When you move down the credit and income scale, you can expect more defaults.

Here’s Senator Obama, talking about his solution:

Finally, I will modernize our outdated financial regulations and put in place the common-sense rules of the road I’ve been calling for since March – rules that will keep our market free, fair, and honest; rules that will restore accountability and responsibility in the boardroom, and make sure Wall Street can never get away with the Read more

by Eric Blackwell

The Real Estate Group, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake VA

Author website

One of the coolest parts about my job is that I get to hang out with some of the best REALTORS that Louisville has. That’s not hyperbole. I am not blowing sunshine up anyone’s hindquarters. It is simply the truth. Often, when I am lost in my own thoughts or troubles, or in solving the latest issue at the office, or maybe even worrying a little too much about the latest market news, one of these great people will snap me out it.

Case in point.

Michael Higdon is one of the agents in our office. He dropped by on Tuesday, and plopped down in a chair across from my desk. “2009 starts tomorrow, and nobody around here knows it.”, he announced.
“At least they are not acting like it.” It kept coming. “They are gonna slow down…do less prospecting…when what we are doing today will be the checks that get cashed in January.”

*2009 starts Wednesday, October 1.” he said with finality.

My first response (in my own mind) was “That’s a great way of mentally overcoming all of the negativity.” (I did not say it out loud, but my mind was still churning on the fact that my wife had just called with an plumbing issue at home, I had not finished up the taxes, the incessant bad economic news, a 5 year old nephew that had just been diagnosed with leukemia, and a myriad of other issues….the same ones that ALL of us have).

He went on to chat with me about some of the things he was doing to CREATE the RESULTS and the WORLD that he desires for himself and his family (and more importantly how he was going to not let the outside world be the arbiter of his efforts). Bottomline: He was taking ACTION. As my mind let go of the troubles of the moment, I started to focus more clearly on the IMPORTANT things that needed to be done. I gained some clarity that rather than worrying about the stuff I could not control, I could turn the knobs that I was able to and, as a result, create Read more

by Jeff Brown

Real Estate Investments Broker

Author website

Years ago, when my kids began asking questions about presidential campaigns it became necessary to sit down with them, explaining the foundational beliefs of the two basic ways of thinking in our country. The first of these talks took place with my son, (now the Brown who’s after the ‘and’) ’92 when he was a 12 year old middle schooler, during the presidential campaign. Later, at about the same point in the ’96 presidential race, the talk was repeated with his sister.

Here’s how I explained the difference between the two belief systems. Would love your thoughts. (Ready Pandora?)

A thousand years ago there was a river hundreds of miles long. Two villages were located on the river, but were totally unaware of each other’s existence. Both villages were based upon the water and fish provided by the river.

The first village discovered they had families among them who weren’t doing as well as most others. Today we call those folks, poor. The leaders cared greatly for all the villagers, so this couldn’t be ignored. What to do? They decided the solution was simple.

They went to the best 20% of fishermen in the village and demanded much of their catch be given at no cost to those who were having ‘bad luck’ fishing. Any of these 20% who refused were visited again by the leaders, this time armed with spears and knives. The message was received, and the fish was given away to those who couldn’t or wouldn’t get the job done.

Over time, the most talented fishermen and their families stopped catching so many fish, as having ‘extra’ had become a painful experience. Since they didn’t ‘need’ any more fish, they simply caught just a little more than they necessary to keep their family well fed. They had tired of fishing for others.

The second village had the same problem — there was a small percentage of families who just weren’t makin’ it. The leaders got together and came upon the solution they would employ. They invited the village’s best fishermen to meet with them. They asked these elite fishermen if they’d Read more

by Chris Johnson

Instigator, anthill kicker.

Author website

Pass this one…and many many more will follow.

Hell, even the stuff already enacted by fiat guarantees that failure is emboldened.

And soon, every single industry will come crying with their hand out.   Even the hint of passing this one–and the beginnings of it have had the auto industry lining up to start sucking at the teet (or if you believe as I believe, plunging their fangs into the neck) of our worker.   Fear will be the ultimate arbiter.   We have–perhaps too briefly–stood up to the extortion of the unknown for a day or two.  But more folks will come at us with ‘for our own good’ legislation in many forms.

They’ll claim calamity, and they’ll siphon more and more of our power.   The problem that we have is that we’re getting smarter|faster|better & more productive.   We’re creating more to steal, and we still are mollified by an increasing standard of living.   We’re currently creating wealth, knowledge and joy faster than the thieves can steal from us.   And I am glad for it, but I wonder how much we’d accomplish if the stealing wasn’t happening.   What progress has been stolen because of the siphoning off of half or more of our growth, passion, power and love?

It’s not a time where we can blame the seekers of social justice on the left side of the aisle.  The Republicans still rhetorically endorse some ideas of liberty, but in practice, they have been devouring us faster than the liberals.   Government grows and it becomes corrupt when it gains in power.   And seriously, how much cancer is too much?   Even a little must be shocked and starved.

Those in our industry–and I’m talking to anyone lining up at the trough for bailout money–that purport tht they are better equipped to dispense with the fruits of my labor than me…how dare you.  You financiers that tried to maximize risk, knowing full well that the Government would bail you out…you have colluded to weaken the freest society in history.  Mankind has lived thousands of years in bondage and serfdom, and you’ve put us on that path.

Trust and credibility civiity and citizenship Read more