Blessings in Disguise, How Low Can They Go and Beware of What You Say

What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise. - Oscar Wilde

As I sat in my living room with my husband, my mom and my doctor, hearing for certainty that I in fact did have breast cancer and I would be facing a long uphill battle, I distinctly remember my husband saying, "Boy there better be some BIG blessings that come from this one!" Although I don't think at that point I was prepared to see the silver lining yet, I did concede that I would welcome the rainbow and pot of gold at the end of this storm.

I only have just one more chemo treatment left before I move on to Phase 2 of my fight with breast cancer...surgery. Part of this prepartion requires that I determine whether or not radiation will be necessary. Radiation kills any remaining cancer cells in a localized area, but for me, it will also determine whether I can start the reconstruction surgery at the time of the mastectomy or if I will have to wait up to a year to begin.

As I have discussed, patience is not really a character trait of mine, so obviously no radiation would be considered awesome! Radiation immediately after the initial surgery also means that my reconstruction becomes more complicated with additional scarring as they would take skin and muscle from either my back or tummy to replace the radiated skin which does not stretch well. (Although the tummy option really did sound enticing, because who wouldn't want a little rejuvenation after having kids! Unfortunately, it adds significant risk without the promise of excellent results...bummer.)

Therefore the preparation for Phase 2 means that I met with a radiation oncologist this past week who, to my chagrin, indicated radiation would be highly recommended in my case to avoid possible reoccurrence. So it looks like six weeks of daily radiation treatments are in store for me after surgery. The great news, however, is that the doctor stated he felt comfortable enough to delay treatments for 2-3 months in order to avoid the more complicated reconstruction surgeries! Even though radiation will be a hindrance, the fact that I can avoid riskier surgeries was a huge blessing to me and my family.

Not having had enough fun with cancer that day, I next met with my oncologist. In the lobby, there was an older woman who had recently lost her hair with her head down, a brace on her leg, and a walker close by. As I checked in, I was chatting with the receptionist about her week, when this woman looked at me and said, "I want to look like you...how come you feel so great. I feel horrible." Now it's obvious that we all know that I AM NOT going to be winning any beauty pageants here in the future, with my bald head, my chemo water weight gain and my slight "roid rage" that my husband says I have from all the steroids in the treatments. But I still thanked her and found out she was on the same treatment protocol as me.

After my appointment, I went over to her to say good-bye and good luck and we started talking. She was having a really tough time and several times struggled to hold back her emotion. She told me how she and her husband had just sold their home to start traveling and that both just landed great jobs which would allow them the flexibility and income to do just that, when she had a mammogram and was told she had breast cancer. They were technically "homeless" so they moved to Phoenix to stay with her daughter's family which included 5 young children. She contracted gout in her leg while seeing a different doctor and was receiving her third "red devil" treatment. As I listened to her story and her pain and her heartache of this cancer diagnosis, I had so much empathy for her as I knew exactly how she felt.

I would not be able to count how many days have I had to drag myself out of bed to not only be faced with stress and concern over my family and my customers, the economic morass of our country but also as the logistical cluster of appointments, treatments and insurance coverages. Every day, I also knew that my body would be making its own decisions as to the degree of cooperation that it would give me. But, as I looked back over the past 17 weeks, even with such sore hands and feet from neuropathy, the muscle and joint pain that makes me feel as if I am 9 months pregnant and the constant feeling of exhaustion...I still feel so lucky.

The blessings are so much easier to see when you look for them.This week I was able to take my 10 year old to her first day of 5th grade. I get to see my two year old run across the room to me with her cheesy grin to hug me and I spent a great weekend with PJ's kids preparing them for school. Everyday I get to wake up next to my best friend who loves and cares for me so much...and yes I am talking about PJ...haha. Both of our families have been so supportive of us. I can't imagine how I got so lucky to be born into an incredible family and then how I doubled my luck when I married into PJ's. I had the opportunity to team up with a great business partner who has jumped in with both feet to make sure our clients are well taken care of. I am blessed to be surrounded by incredible professionals in real estate who are inspirational with their continued success in one of the hardest hit and most difficult markets in the country. And I have these friends...some in the mortgage banking industry, some from church and some who I have known my whole life, who make me feel so loved. Oh how abundant my blessings have been.

Yet, as I looked into the eyes of this woman, I knew how hard it was going to be for her to get through this, but I wanted her to know that it would get better. I wanted her to know that this was just a bump in the road and even though it was hard, she didn't have to let it take over. She was so thankful to be able to talk to someone who had been through it and I was so grateful to give a little happiness back, because so much had been given to me.

I would venture to say that there is no one among us who hasn't faced some serious difficulties in the past few years. Many have suffered severe economic stresses including job or income losses, some may have lost the roof over their head. Others have had illness or death come into their homes. As difficult as all of these things may have been or may continue to be, you have two choices. You either let the difficulties become your roadblock, your reason to give up and be miserable or you start figuring out how you are going to make it over this hurdle and along the way open your eyes to the many blessings that you will receive from it. Believe me there will be days that you just want to sit down and stare at this mountain in front of you and wonder...why me? But remember this mountain will look a whole lot smaller from the other side, and getting to the other side takes effort, sometimes hard work, probably a little pain and sweat, but inevitably it will have been worth it.

I want to thank you for your continued support, your faith in entrusting your clients to me and your friendship. I hope you have a great week and are able to take the time to recognize the many blessings that you have been given.

Amy


Thank you again for your continued support and referrals!


How Low Can It Go? How Low Can It Go?
How funky is your monkey? How loose is your caboose?
How low is your interest rate...Refi now before it's too late!


By now you have heard that rates are ridiculously low. If you haven't...rates are ridiculously low. "Lows" like this WILL NOT be able to sustain themselves forever. You should consider the following when reviewing whether refinancing might be right for you OR your clients...

• Even if you don't have equity, there are some qualified programs that do not require an appraisal.

• It may be time to consider a 20 or even 15 year loan that may save you thousands in interest.

• You may want to review a "cash-in" refinance. By applying additional principal to your current "jumbo" loan to obtain a lower "conforming" loan interest rate.

• Mortgage insurance costs have dropped so even if you might not have the required equity to avoid mortgage insurance, refinancing still may make financial sense.

• The "Making Home Affordable" refinance program allows qualified loans up to 105% LTV on primary, secondary AND investment properties WITHOUT mortgage insurance IF the current loan does not have mortgage insurance.

A lower payment is not the only reason to consider a refinance with the low rates available today. Please contact us SOON if you are interested in finding out your options.

The Mortgage Act & Practices Rule - Advertising Final Rule, Applies to ALL
The ban of deceptive claims and practices that may occur with regard to mortgage advertising will apply to YOU!

On August 19, 2011, the FTC's Mortgage Acts and Practices ("MAP") - Advertising Final Rule, which bans deceptive claims and practices in mortgage advertising or other types of commercial communications, will go into effect. Without exception, anyone "covered" under the FTC's jurisdiction that advertise mortgages, will be liable under the Rule, including mortgage lenders, brokers, and servicers; real estate agents and brokers; advertising agencies; home builders; lead generators and title companies.

The Rule defines a "commercial communication" as:
"any written or oral statement, illustration, or depiction, whether in English or any other language, that is designed to effect or create interest in purchasing goods or services, whether it appears on or in a label, package, package insert, radio, television, cable television, brochure, newspaper, magazine, pamphlet, leaflet, circular, mailer, book insert, free standing insert, letter, catalogue, poster, chart, billboard, public transit card, point of purchase display, film, slide, audio program transmitted over a telephone system, telemarketing script, onhold script, upsell script, training materials provided to telemarketing firms, program-length commercial (''infomercial''), the Internet, cellular network, or any other medium. Promotional materials and items and Web pages are included in the term ''commercial communication''

The FTC also declined to exempt advertising agencies or real estate professionals from the Final Rule, stating: "These types of individuals and entities,...can make direct or indirect misrepresentations to consumers about mortgage credit products, causing consumers harm."

To provide clarity as to what constitutes "deceptive practices" the Rule gave a nonexclusive list of misrepresentations that would be violations. I have included some of the examples...

1) Any misrepresentations about the existence, nature, or amount of fees or costs associated with any mortgage credit product. This includes false or misleading claims that no fees are charged, for example, if the fees and costs in fact are incorporated in the loan amount or total amount due.

2) Any misrepresentations about the APR, simple annual rate, periodic rate, or any other rate, including, but not limited to, a payment rate.

3) Any misrepresentations about interest charged for the product, including, the amount of interest owed each month that is included in the consumer's payments, or loan amount.

4) Any misrepresentations pertaining to the variability of interest, payments, or other terms of mortgage credit products, including, using the term ''fixed'' when terms are, in fact, variable, total amount due; or the interest owed each month that is not included in the payments but is instead added to the total amount due.

5) Any misrepresentations relating to the taxes or insurance associated with a mortgage credit product, for example, claims about whether tax or insurance charges are included in the overall monthly payment or must be paid separately.

6) Any misleading comparisons between rates or payments. This provision also bars false or misleading comparisons between rates or payments available for different parts of the loan term, including, comparisons involving savings. It also is intended to cover false or misleading savings rate claims in financing promotions. For example, deceptive claims that consumers will save money (such as at a particular rate of savings) by accepting a credit offer.

The final Rule also requires any covered person or entity to keep copies of ANY mortgage related advertising for a period of 24 months.

Be aware...be honest...and...retain copies of your honesty. To review the final rule, CLICK HERE.

If you would like to learn more about regulatory changes that will impact our market become a fan at my facebook page Amy Swaney, CMB.

Ha Ha - In preparation of my 40th!
You know you are getting older when...
An all-nighter means not getting up to pee.
Conversations with people your own age often turn into dueling ailments.
Getting lucky means you find your car in the parking lot.
Happy hour is a nap.
Its tougher to lose weight because your body and your fat are really good friends now.
Older relatives feel comfortable telling sex jokes around you.
Sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt.
You actually eat breakfast food at breakfast time.
You answer a questions with "Because I said so!"
You go from hoping for a BMW to hoping for BM.
You have more patience...but actually it is just because you don't care anymore.