Avoiding FSBOs? You shouldn’t
August 03, 2004
You don't like to answer a lot of very elementary questions. You don't want Joe Homeowner telling you how to do your job (it's bad enough when mortgage brokers and REALTORs® do). You don't want payment headaches from a lot of different, individual clients who aren't going to need your services again and so might be less inclined to pay your invoices. But there are a ton of reasons to embrace marketing your services to owners selling their homes themselves — FSBOs.
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a la mode celebrates 19 years in the business of serving real estate professionals
July 30, 2004
a la mode, inc., the nation's leading software and technology developer for real estate professionals, celebrated its 19th anniversary this month. Begun in 1985 with the simple idea that real estate appraisers could use new "personal computer" technolgy to more quickly and efficiently complete appraisal reports, today the company serves more than 50,000 appraisers, as well as thousands of real estate agents, mortgage professionals and home inspectors. Click to read more
“Greedy sellers” hit a nerve
July 27, 2004
Occasionally we ask you to write us with your thoughts or experiences on an issue. Every now and then, a lot of you will write us in response to an article we've run even if we don't ask. It's then that we know the subject has hit a particular nerve. Click to read more
Lenders accountable for FHA appraisal fraud
July 27, 2004
Real estate trade groups applauded last week when HUD revised its final rule for lender accountability for fraudulent appraisals. In 2003, HUD had proposed harsher regulatory language about, and stiffer penalties for, lenders who submit fraudulent appraisals with their FHA loan paperwork. (HUD said it was merely codifying what had been its practice all along.) Concern in the mortgage lobby led to a toned-down final rule in which lenders are answerable only for fraud about which they knew or should have known. Click to read more
WaMu to undertake “complete overhaul” of mortgage operations, cut more mortgage jobs
July 27, 2004
Last week, Washington Mutual, still among the top three mortgage originators even after a precipitous fall from the top spot, said it had cut 2,400 jobs at the end of the second quarter and planned to lay off another 2,500 by year's end, all from its mortgage operations. The nation's largest thrift continues to perform well in all areas but mortgage, which dragged the megabank's earnings down in the second quarter. Click to read more
Bigger is better when it comes to monitors
July 20, 2004
Last week we talked about Windows XP and how it's an absolute must to move away from the older, slower operating systems, like Windows 98. You can also avoid headaches — literally and figuratively — with a larger monitor, many of you told us. Click to read more
Hey Nineteen! Live Aid wasn’t the only thing happening in the summer of ‘85
July 20, 2004
This month, in fact, is the 19th anniversary of the founding of a la mode. We're celebrating, and getting a kick out of how long 19 years is in this business (or anywhere else). Click to read more
Monitor size matters
July 13, 2004
In our next edition, we'll be talking about monitor size issues ("matters," if you prefer — really, that's what we meant above), and explaining why screen size and resolution are important. We'd like to hear from our customers what their monitor thoughts are. Write the editor and let us know! Click to read more
All the fundamentals of appraisal report preparation on your PC in two days
July 13, 2004
One of the many things that sets a la mode apart is our Hands On Training (HOT) sessions, held here in our Oklahoma City headquarters. We have a training room built with HOT in mind: 28 workstations with Dell Pentium 1.7 GHz PCs with XP Professional face a whiteboard/projection screen. Coffee, soda, water, lunch and a take-home 101-page outline are provided. WinTOTAL users to a man and woman will tell you they're the most valuable two day investments they've ever made in their careers. Click to read more
Save time, aggravation, possible security issues: Upgrade to Windows XP
July 13, 2004
Are you still reading this e-newsletter on a Windows 95 or 98 machine? No need to rummage around for your installation CD, if you've forgotten: How long did it take for your computer to boot up this morning? If it took longer than about 10 seconds, you haven't yet upgraded to Windows XP. And you should. Click to read more
