Key West

Las Salinas Condominium
3930 S. Roosevelt Blvd., 305W, Key West, FL  33040
MLS 108919
Virtual Tour http://www.visualtour.com/shownp.asp?T=1619660
3 bedrooms 2 baths. 
Professional landscaping, pool, elevators. Relaxing condo living in a prime location. Walnut veneer cabinets, GE appliances, Mexican tile flows out to a 5' X 15' terrace. Tropical breezes, Sangria and red-gold sunsets. Sunrise and sunset strolls along the Atlantic Ocean promenade. Smathers Beach 1 mi. New Trane central A/C with programmable capabilities and Power Saver Mode, 5 ceiling fans, new aluminum shutters, new roof with 20 year warranty, $433 condo fee includes cable, building insurance, pool maintenance, common area maintenance. Landscape lighting and irrigation system, plenty of parking, close to shopping, movies and restaurants.  Grocery, deli and Spa on site. Public transportation. Night security patrol and cameras. Poured concrete roof, walls and floors. Pets maximum of 20 pounds at maturity. 

This property is offered at a Purchase Price that is less than the amounts due to satisfy the mortgages on the property.  Offers are contingent on the lenders holding mortgages on the property agreeing to the terms of an offer ("short sale"). 

You can find me in the Florida Keys and Key West at (305) 522-1398 or e-mail me at MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com.

Maya M. Thomas
REALTOR®
(305) 522-1398
MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com
www.ShowcasePortfolioProperties.com
www.myspace.com/topkeysrealtor

The Federal Reserve approved HOEPA which amends Regulation Z Truth in Lending requirements.  The new rules take effect on October 1, 2009, except for the escrow requirement, which will take effect in 2010.  Regulation Z has protects people from unfair and deceptive predatory lending, but NEW to the mix are the advertising and disclosure requirements for a principal residence. 

The Board will continue to explore options to address unfair practices associated with originator compensation arrangements such as Yield Spread Premiums.  The Board will continue to have discussions with HUD to improve mortgage disclosures.  The new rules for apply ALL mortgage lenders not just those that answer to the Federal Reserve.

The first 4 rules apply only to "higher-priced loans."  The rules prohibit a lender from structuring a loan as a "closed-end mortgage" if it is really an "open-ended mortgage" to evade the new rules which do not apply to "open-ended mortgages."  Unfair practices will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

1. Prepayment penalties are banned on loans if the payment can change in the initial four years.  Prepayment penalties are banned for 2 years on "higher-priced loans."  The Federal Reserve Board will publish an "Average Prime Offer Rate" established by Freddie Mac.  A "higher-priced mortgage loan" is a first mortgage that has an annual percentage rate (APR) that is 1.5 percentage points or more above the index, or 3.5 percentage points above the index if it is a subordinate mortgage.  Prepayment penalties may be included as a provision under certain conditions.
   
   
2. A lender can only make a loan if they know the borrower's income and assets will allow repayment of the highest scheduled payment during the first 7 years of the loan.  
   
   
3. A lender must verify the income and assets of a borrower.
   
   
4. All first-lien mortgage loans must have an escrow account for property taxes and homeowner's insurance.  Borrowers may cancel or opt out of the account after 12 months.
   
   
5. Lenders and mortgage brokers may not coerce a real estate appraiser to falsely state the value of a home.
   
   
6. Mortgage loans servicing companies are prohibited "pyramiding" late fees.  Mortgage loan servicing companies must credit loan payments to an account on the day they are received and provide a payoff statement within a "reasonable time period."  The Board withdrew a proposal that would require a lender to provide a fee schedule to consumers that requested one.  The Board also withdrew a proposal that would prohibit a lender from paying a mortgage broker more than the consumer had agreed to in advance.
   
    
7. A lender may NOT charge a mortgage applicant any fee, other than a credit report fee, until after the applicant has received the mortgage disclosures no later than 3 days after a customer applies for a loan.  The lender or mortgage broker must provide a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) of the loan costs and a schedule of payments no later than 3 days after the customer applies for a loan.  The fee must be "reasonable" or bear a reasonable relationship to the actual charge incurred by the creditor.  The fee must be a "bona fide" and reasonable amount.
   
   
8. Rates, monthly payments, and loan information must be printed in a "clear and conspicuous manner" on all mortgage advertising.  No deceptive or misleading advertising is permitted.  Advertising must be accurate and "balanced."  The Board banned these deceptive advertising practices:
    
   1.  
      1. Advertising that a rate is "fixed" when it is not.
      2. Advertising an "example" payment unless the ad states that the terms will apply during the life of the loan.
      3. Advertisements that say they are endorsed or sponsored by the state or federal government if they are not.
      4. Advertisements that have the name of the consumers loan company unless it specifies that it is not from that company.
      5. Bans advertising that a service is "debt elimination" if the service replaces one debt with another debt.
      6. Advertisements that a lender is a "counselor" for a consumer.
      7. Disclosing some information in a foreign language and some required information in English in an advertisement.  

You can find me in the Florida Keys and Key West at (305) 522-1398 or e-mail me at MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com.

Maya M. Thomas
REALTOR®
(305) 522-1398
MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com
www.ShowcasePortfolioProperties.com
www.myspace.com/topkeysrealtor

The Florida Supreme Court has four openings and the Governor makes the final decision.  Charlie Christ has shaken up Florida politics since he was elected and will shape the future with his bold initiatives.  Governor Christ has strong opinions about global warming, drilling for oil on the Florida coast, the "certificate of need" process to allow free-market deregulation of health care and hospitals, expansion of the state's CAT fund (hurricane insurance) and maybe most surprising for a Republican giving some felons their right to vote again. 

Although we don't know exactly what to expect we can rest assured that strong moral values about right and wrong will guide his choices.  To his credit and our benefit integrity has never been an issue.  Be prepared for the unexpected!

You can find me in the Florida Keys and Key West at (305) 522-1398 or e-mail me at MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com.

Maya M. Thomas
REALTOR®
(305) 522-1398
MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com
www.ShowcasePortfolioProperties.com
www.myspace.com/topkeysrealtor

Who would ever think about the Keys and cotton farming in the same thought?  According to the November 21, 1935 Key West Citizen the Keys had a cotton crop that needed harvesting.  In the 1930's, as a part of the "New Deal" Franklin Roosevelt gave people jobs in the Keys working on building the bridges and roads, working on parks and harvesting wild cotton. 

The Keys are a perfect place to grow cotton because of our frost-free weather.  Wild Keys cotton grew as high as 12 feet.  The President found it important to harvest the cotton to control the boll weevil which threatened in neighboring states cotton crops.    

Cotton harvesting in the Keys was closer to pulling weeds.  Wild cotton does not have the quality that we all know today.  Wild cotton can not be spun so it's fairly useless for manufacturing. 

You can find me in the Florida Keys and Key West at (305) 522-1398 or e-mail me at MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com.

Maya M. Thomas
REALTOR®
(305) 522-1398
MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com
www.ShowcasePortfolioProperties.com
www.myspace.com/topkeysrealtor

Why aren't there CARTORS® to help you buy a car when we've got REALTORS® to help us buy houses???  Buying a car is worse than having all of my finger nails and toe nails ripped off with pliers.  As I sit in the finance office after 5 horrible hours with someone you wish would burst into flames I really would prefer that my fingers and toes were bleeding and throbbing rather than sitting there.  You KNOW you've just gotten ripped off and you already HATE your salesman.  You haven't even driven your new car off the lot yet. 

Right up there with buying cars is reading book-length mortgage documents.  My grandmother always told me to read EVERYTHING before you sign it.  You would think that reading would give you comfort.  It makes my buyers (and me!) feel as comfortable as the TV drug commercials that say the possible side effects are death, coma, cancer, your intestines and bowels falling out, blindness, loss of taste and hearing and on and on...

THANK GOODNESS HUD is forcing some changes to the good faith estimate (GFE) and fees.  If it's hard for me when I get a another mortgage I cringe for my buyer as I remember how horrible the mortgage shopping experience was my first time.

What a blessing that mortgage broker pricing is going to be more transparent.  It's only fair. What I get paid is right there on the HUD and on the Listing Agreement before we ever get a buyer.  There's no trick math and I can't get a couple extra percent here and there no matter how hard I work.

The YSP or Yield Spread Premium is like a bad word in a church.  Nobody is going to say it or talk about it even though our buyers are all asking us about it (even though they don't know the term "YSP.") Embedding the YSP in the interest rate is sneaky.  When I got my first mortgage I didn't care if the broker got paid $3,000 or $6,000 but I HATED feeling like I was getting jerked around.  It's the secretiveness that is upsetting.  Everybody deserves to make a good living so they should get paid what they charge.  Just tell me straight out how much it is.

The YSP can add up big.  A $400,000 mortgage is pretty standard in the Keys for a starter home.  When my buyer talks to brokers he gets all confused when one quotes him 6%, no points, the other quotes him 6.25% and 1.5 points and the last one quotes him 5.75% with 2 points.  Buyers assume points are the commission so let's just make it uniform.  Just say, "I get $6,000 to get you this money at this great rate."  If it is a good deal people pay it without complaint. 

Deceptions make our industry look bad which makes my job harder than it has to be.  Let's all just do business above board and the right way.  I don't want to be lumped in with car salesmen when I tell people I'm a REALTOR®

I'm happy the Federal Reserve Board will require that a broker and borrower agree in advance to compensation.  This will be good for everyone in the business.  HUD's new rules say that YSP must be a line item on the new GFE under the heading "Our Service Charge."  Points are a separate line item.  "Your Adjusted Origination Charge" is the "Our Service Charge" plus other charges and credits.  It's pretty simple and I think buyers are going to like it.  The good mortgage brokers who are upfront and ethical should have no issues with the new rules.  Let's end mortgage broker deception for good!

You can find me in the Florida Keys and Key West at (305) 522-1398 or e-mail me at MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com.

Maya M. Thomas
REALTOR®
(305) 522-1398
MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com
www.ShowcasePortfolioProperties.com
www.myspace.com/topkeysrealtor

$625,000 is the new Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac limit!  That's good news for markets like Key West Florida where the bulk of homes cost at least that much.  GSE (Government Sponsored Enterprises) such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will now refinance homes so people don't loose them.  The sky is not falling contrary to Wall Street's screams of agony and socialism.

The delicious icing on the cake is the housing tax credit.  A first time home buyer gets up to $7,500 if they buy between April 9, 2008 and July 1, 2009.  This is a real benefit for buyers so be sure to let them know about it!

The highlight is that there is an old Sheriff in town and it's the Treasury Department stepping out of the shadows and claiming center stage.  The Treasury Department will take over running the show through 2009.  They've got the "green light" to buy as many shares as needed to keep Fannie and Freddie solvent and running smoothly and keep people trading on the NYSE.

A big deal to me is the moratorium on the implementation of Risk-Based Premiums.  Depending on your credit you'll need to fork up extra money upfront, annually and in the interest rate you pay.  The good news is that if you've always paid your bills on time you'll reap the rewards of the seeds you've sewn.  The moratorium lasts for 12 months so we've got to gear up and get ready for the tougher and tighter standards.

To help the estimated 400,000 homeowners in desperate need get a new FHA mortgage the lenders are going to need to take a loss to erase the equity that has disappeared in the last 2 years.  This is going to be very sticky.  We'll have to see what really happens.

The post-counseling portion of the bill is THE big deal.  The criteria to qualify are a significant reduction in income due to divorce or death, or a significant increase in expenses of a family member, medical expenses, divorce, significant damage to the property not covered by insurance and a significant increase in property taxes.

Pre-purchase counseling is also a quirky new twist that will probably be good in the long run.  This starts from enactment of the bill and lasts for 3 years.  The Secretary of HUD is supposed to create and manage a "demonstration" program to test the "effectiveness" of pre-purchase homeownership counseling.  HUD will be responsible for the counseling.  The training can be by phone, in person, on the web, through a class or other formats approved in the future by the Secretary of HUD.  NAR might come up with an approved certification that we can use to help our buyers and increase our value to buyers.  This is a potential opportunity REALTORS® can start thinking about. 

HUD is considering incentives to get people to go through the counseling.  One possible incentive mentioned is a reduction in insurance premium charges.  I can't imagine how they'll get insurance companies to go along with that!  There is (what seems like) an arbitrary limit of 3,000 people who can get counseling. 

HR 3221 counseling is for first time homebuyers.  The LTV must be between 97% and 98.5%.  HUD will answer to the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives annually and keep track of the data for 5 years.  They are going to be tracking payment history and delinquency rates of people who participate in the program to test its effectiveness.

The next interesting part of the bill is Sec 146 about Manufactured Housing and lots eligible to place a Manufactured Home on them.  In Monroe County Florida they are zoned URM (Urban Residential Mobile Home).  This won't apply to most of the country, but certainly does in Monroe County Florida.  The section states that a borrower must make a single premium payment in an amount "not to exceed 2.25% of the original insured principal obligation."  In addition the borrower will pay an amount not to exceed 1% of the remaining insured principal balance.

You can find me in the Florida Keys and Key West at (305) 522-1398 or e-mail me at MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com.

Maya M. Thomas
REALTOR®
(305) 522-1398
MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com
www.ShowcasePortfolioProperties.com
www.myspace.com/topkeysrealtor

22958 Port Royal Lane, Cudjoe Key, FL  33042
MLS 108945
Visual Tour
http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?T=1602794
2 Bedrooms, 1 Bath
$1,875 per month F/L/S

Energy efficient "green home" on 1.5 lots totaling 9,000 sf of canal front with open ocean access through Cudjoe Bay. Minutes to Little Palm Island and the Looe Key reef. Plantation Shutters. Accordion hurricane shutters. Wrap around custom cable railing. Built in surround sound in living room. Pre-wired ADT security system. Granite and Jenn Aire stainless steel appliances all energy efficient. Wine cooler. Custom glass closets built in Italy. Recessed lighting all with dimmers. Stainless steel ceiling fans with remote. Stainless steel shower enclosure, Danze faucets with glass tiles, glass vessel sink and water conserving Porcher lavatory. Energy efficient washer & dryer. Open floor plan. Stucco finish with metal roof. Owner/Realtor.

You can find me in the Florida Keys and Key West at (305) 522-1398 or e-mail me at MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com.

Maya M. Thomas
REALTOR®
(305) 522-1398
MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com
www.ShowcasePortfolioProperties.com
www.myspace.com/topkeysrealtor

Hi Friends!
I'm sure you heard that IndyMac Bank's assets were taken over by FDIC.  Thank goodness for FDIC!  It's good to live in the United States.  We are blessed to have so many safety nets.

My clients and customers never stop telling me how horrible their lenders are.  Each person feels victimized.  People I talk with are over joyed that Countrywide failed.  It's real life drama about an evil dictator. 

For those of you also having trouble getting your lender to do a simple thing like take off late payments that they posted after a disaster read on.  Lenders in disaster areas were not supposed to report late payments.  If they posted them or did something else that is horrible you do have somewhere to turn when the lender slams the door in your face.

To take action make sure you've documented all of your communication.  In addition to phone calls try to write letters so you've got something in writing confirming the torture you're going through.  Send the letters certified return receipt. 

Before you pick up the phone pick up a notebook dedicated to that lender.  Write the day, date and time.  Document the name of every person you speak to as they transfer you for the 9th time.  Write notes about what they said and what you said.  If they say something horrible to you, yell at you or hang up on you document it.

When all else fails try to go up the chain of command.  Ask for a supervisor and then keep going up as high as you can.  You'll have to do some research because no one at the company is going to tell you who the top person is.  Go on the internet and search for the annual report of the comany or other financial filings.  

Try to keep your letter short.  Get to the point.  Be polite and couteous.  Be clear about what happend and clear about what you think should happen but don't make demands.  If this doesn't work sit down with your notebook and all of your letters and get ready to make complaints.  Write all of your letters on the same day and mail them out.  All of the agencies have different time tables and methods of handling the complaint.  It is much easier to write all of your letters on one day.  Don't make one complaint one day and wait and when you don't hear anything write another agency.  

1)  Search for the State Attorney General on the internet.  The National Association of Attorneys General www.naag.org may be useful.

2)  Go to your states official web site.  Search for the agencies that regulate banking in your state.  

3)  Federal Trade Commission www.ftc.gov  Your issue may or may not be a consumer issue that they investigate so don't be disappointed if they can't do anything.  Atleast you made an effort and aren't a victim.

4)  The Better Business Bureau is a wonderful resource www..bbb.org.  They are FANTASTIC!  

5)  Buy Pre-Paid Legal so that you can call an attorney and it won't cost you anything other than your normal monthly payment.  This is the best investment you'll ever make.  You can check out lawyers at the American Bar Association at www.abanet.org or look for a good lawyer in your community that is highly rated by the people you know.

When you are done with those letters write the agency who regulates your lender:

Federal Credit Union
National Credit Union Administration www.ncua.gov

Federal Savings and Loan
Office of Thrift Supervision www.ots.treas.gov

National Banks
Comptroller of the Currency www.helpwithmybank.gov

State Bank
Federal Reserve www.FederalReserve.gov

State Bank (NOT reporting to the Federal Reserve)
Federal Deposit Insurance Corp www.fdic.gov

State Credit Union
Your State governing agency. 

Don't forget to write the credit reporting agencies if your problem is late payments being posted after a disaster.  Good luck! 

You can find me in the Florida Keys and Key West at (305) 522-1398 or e-mail me at MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com.

Maya M. Thomas
REALTOR®
(305) 522-1398
MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com
www.ShowcasePortfolioProperties.com
www.myspace.com/topkeysrealtor

For those of you who love Key West it's you'll love this!  Key West will be on HGTV's "National Open House" on Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at 9:30 pm on HGTV.  This is our first appearance on the show.  We are all excited about the national exposure for Key West.  If your are in Key West you can see it on Comcast channel 61. 

This show will compare homes in Key West with those in  Las Vegas and Virginia Beach.  Local homeowners show off their homes in different areas of town and (of course!) different price ranges.  A houseboat will be on the show!

The episodes were filmed last year with local Key Westers at local landmarks including the Old Town Historic District, the Oldest House on Duval Street, the Southernmost Point and many other Key West landmarks.  

You can find me in the Florida Keys and Key West at (305) 522-1398 or e-mail me at MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com.

Maya M. Thomas
REALTOR®
(305) 522-1398
MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com
www.ShowcasePortfolioProperties.com
www.myspace.com/topkeysrealtor

When an airline bumps you from your flight they now have to pay you $400 if they get you on a new plane within 2 hours.  If it takes longer the airline must give you up to $800.  The new rule took effect in May 2008.  The old rules applied to flights with more than 60 passengers.  Now a flight that carries 30 passengers are subject to the update by the U. S. Department of Transportation.  Hope this eases your pain after being bumped just a little.

You can find me in the Florida Keys and Key West at (305) 522-1398 or e-mail me at MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com.

Maya M. Thomas
REALTOR®
(305) 522-1398
MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com
www.ShowcasePortfolioProperties.com
www.myspace.com/topkeysrealtor

There is nothing like being with one of your kids and having someone stop mid-sentence to compliment you about how perfect your kid's manners are.  WHOO HOO!

A buyers agent had called the night before at 10pm to schedule 2 homes for a showing the next day.  She called me the next morning at 8am.  None of that was a problem.  I called both of my sellers at 9am and made arrangements to show 2 homes in that neighborhood from 1 pm and 2 pm.  

I drove an hour to the homes.  One seller was going to walk her dog and kids during the showing.  As I walked into her beautiful home with all the lights on and the candles burning the buyer's agent called and cancelled.  Then my phone rang with another showing!  We had 20 minutes to talk before she had to leave so I got my son from the air conditioned car and told him to leave his PSP.

Because I'm a tough mom I had my son at the office with me reading a book since he lost his privilege for the day to be a 14 year old on his bike at the beach with his friends.  He looked me in the eye and said, "May I have a Tootsie Roll?" after her boys offered him one.  "Yes dear" I said.  Then he looked me in the eye respectfully and said, "May I have a Sprite?"  "Yes dear" I said.  Then he asked, "May I play XBOX?"  "Yes dear" I said.  At that the point my seller starts to freak out.  "HOW did you do THAT!?" 

I explained that I keep things simple.  I have 5 simple rules for behavior and 5 simple rules in the house.  The life ones are don't lie, cheat, steel, sneak or shirk.  The house ones are easy too.   When you get up, after we go run or work out, take a shower and get dressed, brush your teeth, make your bed and straighten your room, and be nice to your family which means talk nice and show respect.  Usually the kids remember the rules.

My seller asked if she could send her kids to Boot Camp and if there was any hope for her kids who were running around like wild animals.  I said, "Yes!  Consistency is the key.  It's a lot of work but if you've got a rule you have to take action every time they don't follow the rule."  The different kids have different personalities.  Their punishment when they were little was one minute of time out per year of life.  Now we take away privileges and make them do push ups.  And it works! 

The happy ending:  The seller left for a walk with all of the kids.  The 2nd buyer's agent showed up as promised with her lovely couple and their beautiful baby twin boys and wrote an offer. 

You can find me in the Florida Keys and Key West at (305) 522-1398 or e-mail me at MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com.

Maya M. Thomas
REALTOR®
(305) 522-1398
MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com
www.ShowcasePortfolioProperties.com
www.myspace.com/topkeysrealtor

A personal standard of excellence is more important than the size of a brokerage whether you are an agent or a customer looking for a real estate company to take care of you.

Over the years I've tried Large, Medium and Small.  The Large spent a lot of time telling me how great they were.  Medium and Small ignored the ego and the broker and agents just worked.  At the Large I blindly accepted the brokers word as gospel which turned into Escrow Disputes, failed offers, lost sellers and buyers.  At the Large we were CEASAR! 

I've always gone to every educational opportunity.  At Medium and Small a desire to keep going and dig deeper helped me to learn so much more to help my clients.  I also learned to use the REALTORS® Legal Hotline and I developed more relationships with real estate attorneys.

If I lost my legs and could no longer be a real estate agent I would definitely hire an agent from a smaller brokerage.  At a Large the pressure was on to just close the deal whether the deal is good or bad.  I realized that smaller brokerages may be in a position to give better service. 

At the Large everything is provided.  All the signs and sign posts are faded, battered, scratched or rusty.  The company presentation was boring and generic.  Now I keep my signs and posts in the very best condition since I own them.  I replace them when they are worn.  I'm more creative with my marketing.

The personalities are different too.  At the Small there was a patient and methodical temperament.  We check the details and accuracy is non-negotiable.  We know every seller, and every buyer when they walk in the door.  We want everyone's deal to happen.  We share information about how to provide better service or deal with an issue that comes up.  At the Large an agent told me, "Maybe your buyer doesn't need to buy this house!" and this happened after the buying frenzy.  My buyer had a question about something and the agent was ready to throw away the deal. 

At the Large, Medium and Small everyone is fairly informed.  There will always be the top and the bottom, as there is in everything.  It's the agent not the broker that sells the property. 

At the Large there was a general arrogant and egotistical cheerleading camp touting how great our company was.  I prefer to cheerlead about how hard I'll work for my client or how available I'll be for my client and my willingness to help.  The focus is on how I'll help stage a home that I will take early and late calls and work nights and weekends to see a deal through.  I show homes on weekends and after hours. 

It really is all about the agent's dedication to their profession, their personal standard of excellence and desire to help their client.  I carry my phone during showings in case an agent I have an appointment with later that day needs to talk to me.  My availability helps me serve my buyer.  I adapt our schedule so that it's most efficient and effective. 

The real question when you are looking for an agent is "How much does the agent care about me?"  Does the agent give me respect by showing up on time, prepared, well dressed and groomed?  Is she prepared for the presentation?

The brokerage size really doesn't help a buyer or seller.  It helps if the agent's office is comfortable and nice to work in and if the people are friendly and help each other.  At the Large the broker manager was rude, disorganized, over burdened (she said), stressed out and angry which hurt morale.  The Medium and Small companies were calm, relaxed, accessible and experienced so the environment was more comfortable and it was easier to work.  Size doesn't matter.  People matter.

You can find me in the Florida Keys and Key West at (305) 522-1398 or e-mail me at MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com.

Maya M. Thomas
REALTOR®
(305) 522-1398
MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com
www.ShowcasePortfolioProperties.com
www.myspace.com/topkeysrealtor

There have been a lot of disasters lately so here are some numbers to help.  Take pictures of your home TODAY BEFORE disaster strikes.  Especially if you've added a brand new railing on your deck or anything expensive that you think your insurance would cover.  Call your insurance agent and update her on any changes or improvements you've made.  Make sure your policy is up to date.  To prepare for disaster you need more than a gallon of water per person per day.  Your camera is important.  Keep your camera safe and have batteries.  If disaster strikes take PICTURES before you clean up or pick up ANYTHING! 

Then call your flood, wind and homeowners insurance agent immediately!  My insurance agent was my grandmother's insurance agent.  Who would have thought Rebecca H., with Atlantic Pacific Insurance would do bad things to me?  Don't take it for granted that your agent cares about you, your money or a disaster that may strike your family.

Don't help your insurance company squirm out something they owe you and deny your claim.  Don't let your lack of a phone call and PICTURES to back up what you say cost you a lot of money.

Call your lender next.  Many lenders offer grace periods and postpone foreclosure actions if there is a national or regional disaster.

A borrower who lives in a zip code published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a federal disaster area will not be charged late fees or have late payments reported to credit agencies during the grace period. 

Call your lender to confirm the length of the grace period.  Ask about a long term solution to deal with the late payments. 

If your lender does charge you late fees or report late payments to your credit call your lender.  You may hit a Brick Wall so have plenty of time when you call.  I put my phone on speaker phone and do other things when I'm on hold so that I don't spontaneously burst into flames from the frustration.  Prepare your mind so you are prepared for the time and indifference you may encounter to decrease anxiety and anger.  You may be put on the "Hold Transfer Hold Treadmill."  You may or may not get anywhere with your lender. 

If you don't get help try 3 times anyway.  Document the day and date of your call, the exact minute that you placed your call and track every single person you were transferred to.  As you are transferred around like a pin ball keep track of the time and write every name down of every person that you talk to and write down the time as you hang up the phone. 

Now that you have made 3 attempts make a complaint to the Better Business Bureau, State Attorney General, Office of Thrift Supervision and Department of Financial Services.  If you have problems with your insurance company contact the Office of Insurance Regulation (Dept. of Financial Services) in your state.  Nothing will happen unless a lot of other people make complaints so follow through if you don't get the service that you should.  You'll feel better because you did something.

10 or 15 years ago New South put an incorrect late payment on my credit report.  I contacted the Office of Thrift Supervision and they straightened out the matter when New South would not correct the information.

Office of Thrift Supervision (regulates Federal savings & loans & Federal savings banks)
Complaince Policy
1700 G Street NW
Washington, DC  20552
(202) 906-6000
(800) 842-6929
www.ots.treas.gov

Here are some lender numbers to call after a disaster:

ABN AMRO
Customer Service (800) 783-8900

Aurora Loan Services
Customer Service Department (800) 550-0508
Insurance Claims Center (800) 723-6578

Chase Home Finance
Customer Service (800) 848-9136 (mortgage)
Customer Service (800) 836-5656 (home equity)

Chevy Chase Bank, FSB
Customer Service (800) 933-8467

Citicorp Trust Bank
Customer Service (800) 997-8467

Citifinancial Mortgage
Customer Service (800) 753-3673

Citimortgage, Inc.
Customer Service (800) 283-7918

Colonial Savings, F. A.
Customer Service (800) 937-6002

Countrywide Home Loans
Customer Service (800) 669-6607

EMC Mortgage
Customer Service (800) 723-3004

GMAC Mortgage
Customer Service (800) 766-4622

IndyMac Bank
Customer Service (800) 781-7399
Insurance Processing Center / Loss Draft Dept. (888) 680-6808

New South Federal Savings Bank
Customer Service (800) 504-7110

Regions Mortgage
Customer Service (800) 986-2462

SunTrust
Customer Service (800) 634-7928

Wells Fargo Corporation
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage (888) 818-9147

You can find me in the Florida Keys and Key West at (305) 522-1398 or e-mail me at MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com.

Maya M. Thomas
REALTOR®
(305) 522-1398
MayaMarieThomas@Hotmail.com.com
www.ShowcasePortfolioProperties.com
www.myspace.com/topkeysrealtor