Who are you seeking advice from?

I've been talking with several folks recently all of whom are asking for advice? Should we pay off our debt? If we could pay off our mortgage would that be wise? I have good credit but my lender won't let me do a rate reduction to lower my payment unless I'm a few months late on my mortgage payments. Should I just not pay my mortgage? These are just a few of the questions I receive pretty regularly.

Who are you seeking advice from? If your answer is God, then you've answered correctly. It is not only the best advice you'll ever get, but there is no substitute for the wisdom God can provide you. God is much wiser than any man!

If you're advisor is one who seeks the Lord for wisdom and counsel, then that is who I'd recommend. The bible tells us to seek the kingdom of God first and His righteousness, and all things will be added unto you. Matthew 6:33. How do you know if your advisor is someone who follows God's Word? Ask? Find out what organizations they belong to? Find out where they've got their training?

One of the organizations I belong to and have become a qualified member of is Kingdom Advisors. (www.kingdomadvisors.org) Kingdom Advisors is an organization that equips the finacial professional with ongoing education to walk out biblical financial stewardship in our own lives as well as helping our customers make sound decisions.

Crown Ministries (www.crown.org) is a ministry whose purpose is to also teach and equip the believer to understand money God's way. One main thing I've learned through their ministry and study groups is that God owns it all! Money is not really yours. God owns it and has ultimate control over it (whether you realize it or not). God provides our every need (Phil 4:19). Once we learn to surrender to this realization, a weight comes off our shoulders. A pressing need to worry about our finances is lifted. That's why I highly recommend you work with an advisor that has this background!

There are many I can discuss and share with you but these are just a couple I am fond of. When we seek advice, we should first go to God for His infinite and timeless wisdom. "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked."

If you are looking for a professional who can help you with sound financial wisdom, God's way, please email me and I will make the connection for you!

Blessings abundant to you and your family this Christmas Season!

Michele "MAC". A. Cole
Business Development
The InSight Team
michele@wantinsight.com

If you are looking to refinance or purchase a home, please let the InSight Team lend insight in your home financing needs!

Economic Troubles - There is a way to turn this around!

Do you believe that you can change the country's economic situation? Galatians 6:7 says: "God is not mocked, whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap".

If a corn farmer sows seeds in his field he expects to reap a harvest of corn, what he has planted, right? I would find it odd if he sowed seeds of corn and the harvest came up tomatoes? Wouldn't you?

Just as the farmer sows seed, our country and us consumers have been sowing into materialism, paying for things on credit and buying bigger homes. Check out this article written by Margot Adler with NPR dated 11/20/09. "The average American house size has more than doubled since the 1950s; it now stands at 2,349 square feet. The move toward large homes has been accelerating for years.

Consider: Back in the 1950s and '60s, people thought it was normal for a family to have one bathroom, or for two or three growing boys to share a bedroom. Well-off people summered in tiny beach cottages on Cape Cod or off the coast of California. Now, many of those cottages have been replaced with bigger houses. Six-room apartments in cities like New York or Chicago have been combined, because upper-middle-class people now think a six-room apartment is too small".

When our countries leaders are adding to the nation's debt, why would we do any differently? A dog trainer I once knew said that "intelligence runs down the leash". So we are prone to follow our country's leadership.

However, YOU can make a difference. You can start sowing good seeds and begin to stop spending and start working on paying off debt and downsizing your home. Jesus said it like this, "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them" (Matthew 7:17-20).

If we are hoping for change in this country, we need to examine our own lives first and start planting a seed for change without compromise.

If you don't know where to begin or you just would like additional guidance, please feel free to email me. I have several connections depending on your situation that can help you start this process! It's never too late!

Let the InSight Team, lend insight into your home financing needs.
Jewel Callahan - jewel@wantinsight.com
or Michele Cole - michele@wantinsight.com

Blessings to you!
Michele "MAC" A. Cole
Business Development Rep
The InSight Team
Mid-America Mortgage

Great News!! Tax Credit Extended and Expanded!!

President Obama signed into law legislation extending and expanding the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit. This a victory for consumers and the housing industry.

Under the legislation, home buyers will qualify for the tax credit until April 30, 2010* (as long as they have entered a binding contract), and have an additional 2 months (until June 30, 2010*) to close the transaction. Borrower income limits have also been increased to $125,000 for individuals and $225,000 for couples (up from $75,000 and $150,000 respectively under the current program). The legislation also includes a tax credit not exceeding $6,500 for move up buyers who have owned their current homes for at least 5 years.

If you are considering a move and buying a new home, NOW is the time to act. Not only for first time buyers but for buyers wanting to downsize, or up size who have owned their homes for 5 years or more, you qualify for some credit as well!

Interest rates have been staying stable and are still at record lows!!! There are still no downpayment loans available thru VA or USDA loans. Contact us to see how you may qualify!

You probably know someone who has been hurt greatly by the economic times. The InSight Team's heart is to help point you towards the right product for your home financing. One that even with economic uncertainity, you can have peace.

Pleaes feel free to give us a call at 816-510-1399 or visit us at www.wantinsight.com

Michele "MAC". A Cole
Business Development
Jewel Callahan
Mortgage Consultant
www.wantinsight.com

What are you thankful for?

This weekend at church, my pastor taught on how to be content. Phil 4 - says that we are to be content in all circumstances. What does that really mean? My pastor shared a story of a lady who was ready to commit suicide because she had lost all hope. Her husband had lost his job, they had kids and wasn't sure how they could pay their mortgage and it seemed very doom and gloom for her and she felt there was no way out. The husband had called their pastor to come over and pray for her. When her pastor got there, he told her to start listing 100 things that she was thankful for. Her immediate reply was - I have nothing to be thankful for. The pastor then replied and said, what about your kids? She said yes, I'm thankful for my kids... and the story continued, she was thankful for her husband, her parents, her church,the rest of her family, her friends, the house she lives in, the food that they have to eat each day.... and so on and so on. With that, she came out of the closet and didn't feel hopeless anymore.

The Lord has been showing me how to be thankful and content in all circumstances. I am very thankful for many things. I sat down and just started giving thanks for everything I'm thankful for and wow the things I take for granted amazed me... such as how beautiful the sky was yesterday, the warm weather, the beautiful fall foliage, my dogs, the house I live in, the wonderful husband I have, the fact we have running water, hot too for showers, the ability to wash our clothes, makeup we get to wear, the hairdryer I use each day, shampoo and soap. The fact is we have so much more than folks in other countries and we are still wanting more more more!

I saw a quote by Zig Ziglar not long ago. He said this "The more you recognize and express gratitude for the things you have, the more things you will have to express gratitude for."

So, how does this relate to being content? Give gratitude and thanks to God for all you do have. Focus on what you have and not on what you don't. As you do, you will see it's very easy to be content. What are you thankful for?

If you are hurting or in need of prayer, please email me.

Michele "MAC" A. Cole
michele@wantinsight.com
The InSight Team

www.wantinsight.com - for more information on home loans

Tax Credit Extended??

The current first time homebuyer tax credit is set to expire on December 1, 2009. However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says that the governement may extend it and expand it.

There is consideration that they may increase the tax credit from $8000 to $15,000 and possibly include all purchases or purchases involving new home construction!

This would be a huge benefit to the housing market as well as to the economy as a whole. The National Association of Realtors has asked Congress to extend the credit due the estimated 350,000 buyers who would not of bought homes without the credit. They also indicate that it brough 1.2 million new buyers into the market! Wow!!!!

At least, lawmakers are requesting a 6 month extension on the original first time tax buyer credit. Even if you are not a first time buyer, the tax credit may still benefit you. Please give us a call or email us and we will be happy to answer any further questions you might have!

The InSight Team is here to help you make choices you can live with today....and in the future.

Blessings

Michele "MAC" A. Cole
Business Development Rep
www.wantinsight.com

Tax Credit Deadline Coming Quickly

The First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit deadline is near! If you are out looking for a home and haven't owned a home at all or haven't owned one in the last three years, this tax credit could be advantageous for you. For all the details and how it could benefit you please visit http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/2009/index.html.

The InSight Team will work with you efficiently to help you get your financing in place and your home loan closed prior to the December 1st deadline. Please visit our website at www.wantinsight.com for information on how to contact us. We offer first time buyer financing loans as well as many other options, and have some of the better interest rates available in the area.

Let The InSight Team lend insight into your home financing needs.

Blessings
Michele Cole
www.wantinsight.com
michele@wantinsight.com

Help for Trying Times

What do you do when you experience "trying times"? Many folks are feeling the pressures as the economy seems to be ever changing. I know almost daily I get a call from someone who is hurting financially and is need of some advice on what to do. The bible tells us to seek counsel and sound wisdom and to seek a multitude of counselors, but the ultimate counselor is God himself. There are many folks who are suffering the consequences of poor choices, whether there own or of someone else. Don't dwell on how you got there but how to get out of it!

If you believe in God there are three things we can do to help us through these difficult times.

1. Seek His face! Matthew 6:33 says, Seek ye the Kingdom of God first and His righteousness and ALL things will be added unto you. This is Good News! This means that if we seek God and we do what He ask of us, He will take care of us. What does it mean to seek Him and His righteousness. To me it means, getting into the Word of God and learning who He is. It means following His commandments for us. They aren't a bunch of rules that keep us from having fun. They are guidelines to help us live the life He wants us to live. They keep us from harm and they actually help us become a better person to ourselves and to others!! Psalm 34:4 I sought the Lord and He heard me and He delivered me from all my fears. Jeremiah 29:13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

2. Claim God's Promises! The bible is a wonderful resource of God's promises for those who believe in Him. These promises cover our spiritual needs as well as our physical and emotional needs as well. My favorite verse is Phil 4:19 which says, And this same God will supply ALL your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus! Jesus will provide ALL of our needs. We have to come to Him with a pure heart and be sure our character is free from the love of money (possessions, greed etc). He will never leave us nor forsake us!

3. Enjoy God's Provision! Just as we accept Jesus by faith, we can accept and receive God's promises of provision in faith. The only way to please God is through Faith - Hebrews 11:6. God can provide in ways we can't even think or imagine! Recently I went to the doctor's office to find that someone (anonymously) had sent a check on my behalf to cover the expenses there! That is God in action! There have been times that God has asked me to do things for folks to help them in their time of need. And as we give, it is given back to us. God loves a cheerful giver! Try it sometime. When you see someone in need, help them out and just watch how God will bless you back.

If you aren't a believer or follower of Jesus, you too can have this relationship. You just need to ask Jesus to come into your heart, ask Him to cleanse you from your past sins (mistakes). We all sin. Ask him to forgive you and help you turn from the ways of the world. He will wipe the slate clean and give you a fresh new start! Believe He died on the cross and rose again for YOU. Then receive His love by faith. And if you do this, let me know. I'd love to help you get connected to folks who will help you walk out your new relationship with Jesus!!!

Michele@wantinsight.com
The InSight Team

Hanging on in Trying Times

Do you know someone is who feeling the impact of the ever changing economy? Is someone you know experiencing a financial crisis? Bankruptcy? Foreclosure? Job loss? I sure have. Being in the mortgage industry, this is something I see or hear about every day. It's very sad. Some folks are experiencing these things because of the poor choices of others or because of their own poor choices. We all do this from time to time. Unfortunately, it's a fact of life. When we spend money on things such as nice homes, sports cars and other pleasures of life and if we do so without having the ability to pay cash for it, we can be setting ourselves up for financial destruction. We reap what we sow! Our national debt is a number too large for me to even fathom. The bible says, that just as the rich rule the poor, so is the borrower servant to the lender. When we take on debt that we cannot pay off, it puts us in a position of "bondage".

But there's hope! I know many people who can help you and offer you solutions. Sometimes refinancing is an option and sometimes it's not. Interest rates are still very good but now is the time to act. With the ever changing economy, the only way we can survive as a country is through inflation, which means interest rates go up.

For an honest approach - free consultation on what options you have, please give us a call or email. We care and we want to see you freed from bondage!

Blessings from The InSight Team
Michele "MAC" A. Cole
Business Development Rep
michele@wantinisght.com

Jewel Callahan
Mortgage Consultant
jewel@wantinsight.com
816-510-1399

LIfestyle Desires vs Family Needs

Yesterday I was at the monthly meeting for Kingdom Advisors, www.kingdomadvisors.org, an organization that equips the financial professional to walk out and teach about biblical stewardship. Yesterday's topic was very timely about our lifestyle desires vs our family needs. Have you ever sat down with your family and discuss needs vs desires? People are losing jobs and when finding new employment, accepting positions with companies at much less income than they ever made before. As I currently am in transition into a new position with no real predictable income. I am reevaluating my spending decisions. I was convicted in my spirit recently about my latte habit. I have many appointments outside my office in a local coffee shop for convenience. I love a good latte when I am there. I realized that a latte is a desire not a need for me. I chose to have a glass of water instead so that I could save a few bucks. I'm not here to make you feel guilty about what you do or don't do or what you have or don't have. I just believe now is the time to look inward, to discern the true nature of your lifestyle and see if there are any areas you could cut back on so that you could avoid unseen financial circumstances later.

We have to be proactive to avoid future calamity We can't bet on our future, we can't assume we will be employed tomorrow, we can't assume that we will always be in good health. Reality is that only God knows what our future holds. We need to press into Him, we need to abide in Him, we need to spend time in His Word. It is a light for our path. We need to look to Him for provision and trust that He will take care of us. Pray and ask the Lord to come into your heart and meet your needs. See what His Word has to say: Matthew 6:25-33:
25Therefore I tell you, stop being [a]perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink; or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life greater [in quality] than food, and the body [far above and more excellent] than clothing?

26Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they?

27And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure (cubit) to his stature or to the [b]span of his life?(A)

28And why should you be anxious about clothes? Consider the lilies of the field and [c]learn thoroughly how they grow; they neither toil nor spin.

29Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his [d]magnificence (excellence, dignity, and grace) was not arrayed like one of these. [I Kings 10:4-7.]

30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and green and tomorrow is tossed into the furnace, will He not much more surely clothe you, O you of little faith?

31Therefore do not worry and be anxious, saying, What are we going to have to eat? or, What are we going to have to drink? or, What are we going to have to wear?

32For the Gentiles (heathen) wish for and crave and diligently seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need them all.

33But seek ([e]aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness ([f]His way of doing and being right), and then all these things [g]taken together will be given you besides.

As we continue to see the media portray doom and gloom, we can turn to our Heavenly Father. He will provide you peace through difficult times!

Bless you this day!

BUSINESS CHANGES

It is with mixed emotions that I share the following important news with clients, friends, and family.

As you have seen in the financial news through the variety of media and as I’ve discussed in several of my blogs, the mortgage business is changing on a daily basis. Some of it is positive and will help borrowers get affordable loan products. But many of the new regulations appear to be pushing the mortgage brokers out of business.

Conventional loans have been a mainstay of our business, but these days you need to have 20% down, a perfect credit file, and a perfect property with quality comparables for the appraisal. And we know how tough that is in today’s financial market. There is good news for first time buyers with the tax credit and some grant programs. FHA/VA seems to be the 2 most popular products right now - still allowing folks to get into homes.

After much praying and with God’s guidance, I made the decision to close down InSight Mortgage Group. BUT, there will an InSight Team! I am teaming up with Jewel Callahan at Mid America Mortgage. Jewel and I have been friends and business colleagues for several years, and she is the loan consultant to whom I have been referring all my FHA loans. Jewel and I have the same core values and strong work ethic and are working together to help you make good sound choices with your home financing needs. And we have a wide variety of loan products to offer you.

There will be more to come as we get this new venture rolled out. Please continue to visit our blog at http://wantinsight.blogspot.com and watch for the new website with the same address www.wantinsight.com .

If you are looking to purchase or refinance, please contact us:

Michele “MAC” Cole,
Business Development Representative
Mid America Mortgage
michele@wantinsight.com

Jewel Callahan
Mortgage Consultant
Mid America Mortgage
851 NW 45th St, Suite 200
Kansas City, MO 64116
816.510.1399 cell
816.455.7770 office
816.455.1232 fax
jcallahan@mamsikc.com

I value your support and continued business. Please remember that I am available if you have any questions. Feel free to contact me via email at michele@wantinsight.com.

Blessings

More Encouraging News

Hidden underneath all the headlines and stories on the proposed government health plan, there are signs of encouraging news that the recession may be easing.

The first full week of August saw some positive results in economic activity, but the news of the declining unemployment rate made investors optimistic. For the first time in the past 17 months fewer job losses were posted and we saw an improved unemployment rate. July saw the lowest number of job losses all year, and the number came in much lower than anticipated. The stock market climbed upward as well. The Dow is now up almost 7% for the year.

This isn’t to say the recovery is in full swing yet, but don’t we all deserve some good news!

And, we saw another positive housing report too. Pending home sales jumped an unexpected 3.6%, when a 0.7% increase was predicted by the experts. We’ve now seen 5 consecutive months of gains in pending contracts. That’s the first time since July 2003 we’ve seen that happen! Affordable home prices and low interest rates have been driving the market upwards. Construction spending was up slightly as well, much better than the drop that was expected.

The 28 major markets the real estate experts watch saw a drop in inventory of 2.5% from June. (The average drop over the last 25 years from June to July is 1%) AND, compared with the inventory in July 2008, there was a big drop of 27%!

Mortgage interest rates are still holding at low levels as well.

At InSight Mortgage Group we’re available to answer your questions regarding new home purchase loans or refinancing your current loan. Call us, 913-642-3334 or email us at michele@wantinsight.com or dickw@wantinsight.com. Look to us for integrity and ethical handling of your financial transactions. Blessings.