I was born into the housing industry. My Mother was a real estate agent, and then moved into mortgages while I was still a child. I worked for her during summer breaks during high school, started originating in 1992, moved to wholesale in 1998, then went off to California to sell mortgage websites for Myers Internet. In 2002 I returned to wholesale lending, working as an Account Rep for Commonwealth United Mortgage, a division of National City.
Needless to say, I have a divergent resume of experience to draw from. In January of 2005, I harnessed that experience to launch lenderama. This is the FIRST blog to cover the mortgage industry.
Originally created to serve my client base, lenderama is now read nationally. My efforts have lead to book interviews, news quotes, and the opportunity to contribute to the Inman News Blog. Lenderama has also taken on contributors of it’s own. Each with a divergent perspective on the industry.
The goal of lenderama is to promote training, products, and news that help mortgage professionals work more effectively. I also like to joke around a bit. I hope you enjoy your stay and come back soon. Don’t forget, you can always subscribe to my RSS feed
Welcome to lenderama!
Todd Carpenter
todd@mariah.com
Mortgage Industry Professionals. Like what you see?
SUBSCRIBE for free by RSS or email, and never miss a post!
8 responses so far ↓
1 Rick Cyngier // Oct 5, 2007 at 2:48 pm
Hey Todd, nice blog and congratulations on the Inman award. I have been in the helping people finance their dreams for 17 years, and just got into blogging. Nice blog. I want to be like you when I grow up. Any useful hints in this unbelievable market is always a help.
2 Money-Rx // Nov 13, 2007 at 9:03 am
Nice blog, Todd. Maybe needs quicker updates and more posting everyday, but definitely one of the better blogs dealing with real estate investments and mortgages.
3 Mortgage Website Design // Nov 26, 2007 at 2:12 pm
Geat job Todd. I’m playing around with rembex a bit and was checking out how you import data from your delicious tags… specifically in your directory …..very interesting.
Looking forward to any furthur HR3915 views or coverage.
4 Chris Johnson // Nov 29, 2007 at 11:55 am
Mister Todd-
I am very interested and capable of contributing. I’ve written on blown mortgage lately, and have 130 topics that I want to write about in queue. I could write 1-2 posts a week here. On blown, 2 of my first 3 posts were picked up semi nationally (motley fool, etc). I’d require a one line byline, and my bias is to think things are bad, getting worse, but the transparent elite will survive.
chris@tendayteam.com if you’re interested.
5 Andy // Jan 4, 2008 at 8:59 am
Todd,
Your blog is very informative. I wrote this article for you to post on your blog. I hope it helps.
Buying International Real Estate
Andrew C. Weitnauer
1-2-2008
Have you ever thought about buying a second home in a foreign country? Most of us have spent a few minutes online drooling over some of these properties. However, most of us quickly let the dream fade away when we realize how complicated and risky this venture can be.
The hardest part about buying property abroad is that every country, state, and city has different rules and conventions. So to be smart about it we usually start by researching foreign ownership restrictions, tax ramifications, currency issues, etc. This can be very time consuming, costly, and may even lead to out dated and incorrect answers. Along with this, doubt usually sets in; what if the property is over priced and I’m the only idiot in the world who doesn’t know it?
The best way to purchase real estate in foreign places is to contact a trustworthy, local, real estate professional. A local real estate agent will be familiar with the market value of properties in the area you are searching, and they understand the local laws. Your next question is probably; how do I find a trustworthy local real estate agent?
There is a website called UniFersal.com. You can find properties, look at property pictures, and even chat, call, or message a pre-screened, local real estate professional who speaks your language and specializes in the particular city you are searching in.
UniFersal.com does a background check on all of the real estate professionals that would love to help you buy real estate in their city. They confirm the professional’s real estate expertise in that city, and even ask for references.
If you are serious about buying a property in a foreign country, don’t try to do it alone. Use the internet to drool over properties, then get serious and contact a local professional.
6 RogerV // Jan 17, 2008 at 10:24 am
Andy - great tip - you might want to mention Buy-To-Let i.e. buying vacation rentals in a foreign country… also, if you know about this, I’d love to hear more about taxes in countries with popular or beneficial buy to let markets. I know France rebates the 17% VAT off new construction - and I’d love a 2nd home in Paris - but I’m intimidated by the taxes.
7 Neekam // Jan 17, 2008 at 2:09 pm
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Individuals utilize the Internet to find a mortgage broker but one can only be “found” if one is ranked. Almost all property professionals have an agent website; it’s a maze out there. People all over the nation are searching for things like ‘bad credit mortgage loans’, and places to find quick information about low fee mortgages. Arizona brokers all have tens of thousands of Results. How to differentiate your mortgage brokerage business? A Neekam Blog Marketing Package is one of the most valuable realtor SEO tools out there.
You may wonder, how does my small company compete with the big guys like Nationwide Home Mortgage Loan Company? It’s simple. Our technique allows private businesses to compete with the big businesses with a minimal investment. Find out by signing up for the FREE contest here:
8 Matt // Mar 2, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Todd,
Your site is very informative. I enjoy the opportunity to read it. I especially like the training portion. It is an ingenious idea. Chad’s realistic article was great. However, I feel that all gimmicks and tradition aside the real story in today’s market is knowing what is available. You cannot rely on the Reps for this. You have to do your own research and then deliver the information to professionals such as the Realtors you work with. They appreciate the information. You have to be ahead if the game in this market and have a realistic appraoach to sales while at the same time offer and instill the confidence that Chad spoke about. You have to tight rope on setting a realistic expectation that can be delivered. Anyways, enough of the rant, I really enjoyed you blog site.
http://makenmortgage.blogspot.com
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