Disqus - Latest Comments for Shaliesh Ghimire

Re: Social Media, Who is Responsible for the ROI?

Shaliesh Ghimire — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 14:21:24 -0000

I think social media belongs with sales (every sales peson should be out there participating - if it makes sense to them), and within PR. Not sure about the marketing and IT department gettting involved.

Re: Zillow Mortgage Launches - How do you rate?

Shaliesh Ghimire — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 12:54:04 -0000

This could work for some but not all. I think "mortgage as commodity" is the wrong mindset. I get anyonomys calls from people who just want a rate quote. I ask a few questions and let them know the rate. I never hear back. I don' t ask for them names or their intentions. Honestly, I don't win rate quotes. I have a borrower who is at a 5.75% ARM that doesn't adjust for 4 more years. He's always asking for rates - sends me the Bankrate averge ever few weeks - as his benchmark. First of all he has no equity in his house - second of all what good does it to do refinance a mortgage for 0.125% less of a rate... not in his case at least. So, anyways, bottom line is I don't see this as something that will increase my business - becuase these are not my customers. Maybe for some it will work wonders.

Re: Free ClickEquations Paid Search Management Platform - Win Via Twitter

Shaliesh Ghimire — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:57:04 -0000

Looking forward to winning!!! :-)

I just followed you!

@shailesh

Re: Contact

Shaliesh Ghimire — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:09:49 -0000

You asked for our thoughts on "140 Health Care Uses for Twitter" but the comments box is not visible on that post.... just thought I'd let you know.

Re: Please, Sir, May I Have Some More (Budget)?

Shaliesh Ghimire — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:23:16 -0000

Scott,

The perception seems to be that social media is cheap with no real cost. Which can be true in the sense that it costs nothing to set up a Twitter account. However, as you correctly point out the labor cost is where the investment comes in. I know there is a chart floating around on Flickr which gives an approximate estimate of how much time one needs to spend to have a good Social presence and to receive the results you desire. In some cases you're looking at upwards of 20 hours/week!

Re: Top 12 Women Real Estate Bloggers - 2008 Edition

Shaliesh Ghimire — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:02:15 -0000

Congrats.

Re: Photrade Makes Photography Contests Easy

Shaliesh Ghimire — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:07:02 -0000

Thanks for this information. I'll be using it for sure. For one thing Flickr has become too "corporate" - I can't get a response back from them on any questions I ask and it's counterproductive in my mind that they don't allow photo contests. YouTube wants you to go at it like crazy and Flickr is snotty about it - I don't get it.

So, for the clients I'm working with who want to do photo contests Photrade will be my recommendation.

Re: New Book On Blogging Pushing Ethical Standards For Bloggers

Shaliesh Ghimire — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:01:48 -0000

I think it's completely fair that someone who doesn't blog give bloggers some constructive criticism. While I will refrain from saying anything until I read the book - if I do that is - I do tire of the folks who say "today's media would hammer never allow us to produce another Lincoln" or something of that sort. First of all I go back to Harry Truman's comment "if you can't handle the heat get out of the kitchen". Second of all if you demonstrate competence, straightforwardness and a sincere desire to be a public servant - I just can't imagine how any blogger could ever derail your plans. Seriously.

Re: How to Be in the Right 50% of Social Media Marketing Campaigns

Shaliesh Ghimire — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:11:26 -0000

Fantastic post. The issue is also with the fact that companies seem to understand the "media" part but not the "social" part. People talk to people,interact with people. No one wants to have a conversation with a PR peice - for the same reason people don't like 800 numbers with 10 options!

Re: Social Media For Small Business

Shaliesh Ghimire — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:15:29 -0000

Jason,

Hope your presentation went well. I just got done doing a similar presentation here in Phoenix. I used three case studies to make the point of what a good social media strategy looks like. I'd be interested in sharing some of the case studies. I'll email you my ideas and see what you think.

Re: Seven Signs You Need a Social Media Sabbatical | Social Media Explorer

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:31:49 -0000

Great post. It's funny because its true. I've gone through phases of wanting to do very little with social media to now finally coming back again. Its a matter of balance - like anything else.

Re: Coke Ignites the Brazilian Blogosphere with its Social Media Strategy

Shaliesh Ghimire — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:30:09 -0000

Lisa,

Full disclosure is probably the way to go in this case - after all Tiger Woods will promote Nike (it's an endorsement isn't it?) A better example maybe talk radio hosts who lend their voices to promoting a certain product. And with bloggers becoming more and more influential then of course it would be natural for companies to try to leverage their influence. I would think that most .

I think the mode in which Coke went about this can be construed as being underhanded, however, almost like a bribe. But, it is a laudable effort which shows you that bloggers are players in the media market.

Re: Download the Follow Me Social Media Profile Plugin - Follow Me Wordpress Plugin

Shaliesh Ghimire — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:39:51 -0000

This is a great plug in. It works well on my site. Not to be picky, but the graphics need to be improved a bit. Looks kind of clunky in my opinion. Functionally, it's fantastic.

Re: Social Media Marketing Example #2: Best Western

Shaliesh Ghimire — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:20:09 -0000

Well, you can't fault them - they're trying and attempting to gain some traction. Not all venues are going to work, but I commend them for giving it a shot.

Shailesh Ghimire's last blog post..Where Exactly Does Social Media Belong?

Re: Social Media Marketing Example #3: Clorox

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:46:26 -0000

Hi Lisa,

Great stuff here. My only concern, which I presume most marketers would have as well, is regarding the metrics used to determine the success of these types of programs.

Widgets can be a great way to connect with your custoemrs, but I can't imagine a great value for them unless they're attached to some kind of offline reward. For example the Southwest Ding widget is valuable becuase you can actually save money on flights by using it. So, my question is, are clorox customers gaining anything by doing this (in real life) - how about Clorox itself? Are you privy to any numbers? Analytics perhaps.

For Blogs, I can see the value of being a Q&A section - taking the burden off of your customer support staff. Your suggestions are very insightful by the way.

It seems like Clorox is trying to do something, and it appears to be catching on.

As I said,any follow up on this with lots of numbers to support value would be great!

Shailesh Ghimire's last blog post..Relevant Social Media News and Articles

Re: Venture Capitalists Love Sex Because Sex Sells

Shaliesh Ghimire — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:19:21 -0000

As the reiging champ of creating boring powerpoint slides - I specialize in them - I must say I really enjoyed your view here. The problem is it takes so much time getting it right - that it almost feels like you should be focusing on the content. I think it helps to do the design only after you're done with the content part.

Re: 123 Social Media - 100 Days Later.

Shaliesh Ghimire — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:48:30 -0000

Congratulations guys. I am a regular reader - mostly on an aggregator - but I love your content.

Here's to many more 100 days!

Re: Corporate Social Media with Wordpress

Shaliesh Ghimire — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:21:49 -0000

Wordpress is a fantastic solution for any blogger - for the reasons you outline above. It has traditionally struggled on the "user friendly" part - and Typepad has been hammering them on it, but with the improvements they've made recently Wordpress is defiantly better.

I like Wordpress for reasons #4 and #5 above. The vibrant user community makes it easy to solve problems on your own if you have some basic knowledge of HTML and PHP (like myself) and the unlimited customization feature means you can make any changes you'd like and not have to rely on template limitations etc. You can be you on Wordpress.

Re: I’m going to Newteevee

Shaliesh Ghimire — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:58:08 -0000

Enjoy the conference. Looking forward to the responses you get and the questions people ask!

Re: Which ones should I get?

Shaliesh Ghimire — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:06:23 -0000

D and E seem like the best fit - I like D. For no other reason but the fact it looks like my glasses and appears to be lighter. I don't like heavy glasses.

Re: 7 random facts about me

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:24:09 -0000

My mom was fanatical about Kabhi Kabhi & Silsila back in the day. As little kids we heard those songs in our house - it seemed every day. Sometimes I'll hear one of these songs in a restaurant and will literally freeze - thinking about my mom! :-) What to say about Amitabh Bachchan the heros of these movies?????? I personally think Amitabh Bacchan is the best actor ever - in any category, across any country. One little fact, my sister is named after his wife - since my dear mother also loved them both in Abimaan! :-)

Re: My Punjabi Mela

Shaliesh Ghimire — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:00:46 -0000

Wow a very moving video in many respects. Thanks for openly sharing such a special moment in your life. And you're right the vastness of the trip makes it impossible to really convey the place it has in your heart. Can't wait for the next in the series! Love your video work by the way.

Re: Desi Auntie wanted: Casting Call

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:23:12 -0000

Have you had a response to this yet?

Re: When fat doctors talk to obese patients

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:34:20 -0000

When it comes to obesity I've learned to withhold judgment at every level. Everyone has a story and it's not always a clear cut issue. I think it's fine when a fat doctor speaks about obesity with a patient. It's not hypocrisy if that is what you're driving at - everyone has their struggles.

Re: 2008/07/18/google-lively-another-what-if/

Shaliesh Ghimire — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:39:04 -0000

Sometimes in the middle of worshiping Google we forget some of the missed opportunities. You've done a great job pointing these out.

Gmail is indeed a very cool service. Why they kept it as invitation only is a mystery. I would think that most of the users came on due to the large space they offered - once that gap closed there was really no reason to jump. For a lot of people switching e-mail after a few years is hard to do. I still maintain my hotmail account - which many many of my contacts still use to contact me.

I tested out Lively and thought it was pretty lame to be honest with you. It's so clunky and hard to use - you can tell it's in alpha stages. Why they released it now before more advances I have no idea.

Re: The “Big Idea” Syndrome & Analysis Paralysis

Shaliesh Ghimire — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:15:33 -0000

Clate,

This is a very good point. It applies to anyone trying to get something real done. I'm a founding member of a non profit. The past year the leader of our group has been proposing one "hot" idea after another, yet our organization hasn't really seen much growth. finally, at our 2008 planning meeting I had to really bring the issue to the forefront and make a case that our weakness has been in the execution. You have to make it happen. Absolutely have to, otherwise ideas are like supernova's - look great in a picture but really don't mean much to you in any other respect.

Re: Greetings!

Shaliesh Ghimire — Sun, 04 May 2008 22:39:37 -0000

Great job Jay.

So many blogs..... so little time....

Looking forward to it!

Re: Meetup #3 Rocked!

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:31:07 -0000

Jay,

Sorry to have missed the session. I'll certainly be there for the next one. Thanks for posting your presentation.

Re: The 25 Basic Styles of Blogging

Shaliesh Ghimire — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:38:42 -0000

Interesting slideshow. I think the struggle for me has been to find the right style which suits my personality and goals. Sometimes I'm wanting to blog a certain way when that really doesn't suit me.

Re: Letter From God

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:41:50 -0000

Very cool presentation. I always am amused by people who seem to blame God when things go wrong, but never give Him praise when things go right. There are also a lot of things which are right in this world.

The theology of the video is certainly questionable, but its more becuase we don't fully understand the relationship between "free will" and God's "plan". One of those things you can't ever really understand I guess.

Re: A few up and coming Mortgage Blogs

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 12:49:36 -0000

Todd,

Thanks for the mention. You missed an "e" on the spelling of last name.

Re: Zillow Mortgages to give loan originators “absolutely free and unlimited access to consumers looking for a mortgage”

Shaliesh Ghimire — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:02:11 -0000

Todd,

I'm actually not sure where I stand on this. I certainly don't bemoan them and I guess you can put me in the category of those trying to take advantage of their services.

If it's just Internet referrals for a $25 flat one time fee, it may be worth it. Even if you close one deal you've paid for it over and over. The flip side is if the same referral is going to five other LO's in the market then that's a lot of pressure and work and invariably "cold" leads like this seem to always degenerate into a rate game. Which means you will lose more times than win.

So, I guess I'm willing to try it out for a time and carefully measure the performance of the relationship. Plus I feel I need to know a bit more.

Re: Should You Start a Blog?

Shaliesh Ghimire — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:14:49 -0000

Wade,

Good article. Well put together. I agree that blogging is not for everyone, but blogging can be a good mix in a loan officers marketing piece. The beauty of blogging is that you define your own success.

I think reading your article I'd be overwhelmed as a first time blogger trying to see if it makes sense to blog. There is certainly a lot to learn. But no one is asking you to be an expert over night. You can learn all that stuff as you go along. Plus a lot of that changes over time too, so its not like you need to know it all before you start.

One point I would certainly disagree with is that you need to make nice to big time bloggers - that could help, but it's not a requirement. Again the egalitarian nature of the Internet world means the power of many less powerful bloggers is greater than the power of one powerful blogger. It doesn't hurt to get a linkn from a big blogger, but not a necessity. I guess Todd is making the same point.

I'd also like to add that most blogging systems are pretty intuitive. If you can do e-mail you can blog. The more time you spend on your system the better you get and you'll be very proficient in a few weeks.

The two areas where I certainly agree with is that you do need to enjoy writing. If you enjoy writing your thoughts and are good at putting together some coherent posts then you're good to go. You correctly point out that not everyone has that skill or inclination. Also, I agree with Ling that real world experience is very important to a successful blog.

The second area is that it certainly takes a lot of effort to get started and have a good blog in place. That though is a business decision. If you decide door knocking is for you then that too takes a lot of time and effort you don't get any results until you've done it for a while with a certain degree of consistency. Same goes for any other marketing campaign you decide to execute. Again goes back to your marketing mix and how you want to get leads and referrals.

Great post Wade. This is probably the longed comment I've every left on anyone’s post. Thanks!

Re: Understanding the Personal Savings Rate

Shaliesh Ghimire — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:11:44 -0000

Wade,

Great analysis. However, despite the revisions the trend is still not positive. Also factoring in the recent declines in home prices I'd say folks are really stretched and it appears quite a few are living pay check to pay check. Not a healthy sign for long term growth in my opinion.

Re: Blogging Pitfalls: STEALING other people’s photos.

Shaliesh Ghimire — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:13:51 -0000

This was a big topic at yesterdays Arizona Bloggers Network meeting. I wish I had seen it yesterday. I would have definitely directly more people here.

Thanks for sharing this information. It can get confusing but something everyone needs to pay attention to.

Re: Blogosphere Grows, Posting Slows

Shaliesh Ghimire — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:47:01 -0000

Blogging is like joining the gym - I know so many people who have started blogs becuase they liked the concept. Then they abandon the effort because they lose interest. A lot of the people in my circle who started blogs did so to share personal stories, pictures, videos and links. Now all of that is possible on a social networking site like Facebook. I see the very same people more active there - they write stuff about things they're thinking (blog post) and post videos, share picture etc.

So, in essence, I think blogging will see a decline among the masses. It will shift to become more of a domain subject matter experts, category enthusiasts and such folks. The vast majority who joined do the same thing but on social networking sites - much easier to do and you have a ready audience - your friends.

Re: TechCrunch Among First to Adopt Facebook Connect

Shaliesh Ghimire — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:18:38 -0000

I have to agree with you here. I went on a facebook friend frenzy - and then started to realize that I didn't want to open my life up to some of the "friends" I had made. I decided then that LinkedIn would be the place for professional contacts and Facebook would be for friends/family types - those I hang out with and have fun with etc. It's made it a whole lot more interesting for me that way.

So, I'm not sure Facebook Connect is something I want for myself. It could work for others who use Facebook differently.

Shailesh Ghimire's last blog post..Finding Your Way

Re: What’s In Your Feed Reader?

Shaliesh Ghimire — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 20:22:59 -0000

Jay,

I use Google Reader. It seems to have the same features you mention that Blogliness has. GR allows creation of folders by topic. I like that.

Like you the only reason I use GR is because that was the first one I tried out and it just stuck. Plus it does everything I want it to do.

Thanks,
Shailesh

Re: Blogs of the Week: Two More Arizona Real Estate Blogs

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 14 May 2007 01:11:34 -0000

Jay,

Thanks for the mention and the links!

The blog bug hit hard early this year. I had been "blogging" for almost two years but never gave it much attention until YOUR wife and my wife kept talking about YOUR wonderful work. So, I had to start looking into it more.

Shailesh

Re: Seth Godin: The Dip: Live In Tempe: Win the Book!

Shaliesh Ghimire — Tue, 29 May 2007 12:48:17 -0000

Jay,

Seth's picture really caught my attention. At first I thought it was Dr. Evil (from Austin Powers), but o my, my terrible brain was confused.

Thanks for the review. This sounds like a cool book. I've experienced The Dip in my life several times and its not always easy.

Shailesh

Re: Win The Dip! Time’s a Wastin’!

Shaliesh Ghimire — Tue, 29 May 2007 19:27:56 -0000

I want the book, pick me, pick me, pick me.

O by the way great blog!

Shailesh

Re: Buying a Higher FICO Score?!?

Shaliesh Ghimire — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 10:57:29 -0000

I arrived at this post a bit too late - another thing in the blog world - minutes are days, days are months and months are years! Anyway I had posted on this topic on my blog yesterday and didn't make much of it. This is a loop hole that a rep from a credit scoring company told me about a few years ago. I was glad that Fair Isaac finally changed their scoring model.

When I heard about this I likened it to all the different tax breaks and deductions the IRS offers and how some companies re-locate to offshore destinations to avoid paying taxes. Is this fraud? It's a loophole and I put the onus on the rule maker to change the loophole.

I think fraud is certainly a stronger word than necessary in this situation - as Morgan said earlier and Jay agreed to in a subsequent post. Gaming the system is a better term. I bet that on this issue lawyers would take a position based on who they are representing.

The one instance where I did see it being used involved a woman helping her father re-establish some credit. He became an authorized user on one or two of her accounts and as a result his score improved. She told me he wasn't planning on buying a home, he already had a home free and clear, he was more interested in getting back into the system so he could do things down the road. He wanted a credit card and some flexibility with creditors.

I guess in a situation like that the daughter used a loophole in the system to help family - she certainly used her smarts, but I don't think there was any harm intended. Did she commit fraud? Does a credit improvement company have to do this on a mass scale to make it fraud?

Besides this isn't the only loophole in the credit rating system. Credit improvement companies repeated take advantage of the legally required 30-day response period from creditors to boost their clients credit score. I think this is also gaming! In short when people say they can improve your credit score in less than 60 day's they are gaming the system. This is because the only true way to be worthy of your credit score is to pay your bills on time.

Re: Buying a Higher FICO Score?!?

Shaliesh Ghimire — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 13:07:00 -0000

David,

To answer your questions:

1. This tactic does not affect the good credit score. This is because the shared good account goes to the bad credit score. None of the bad accounts get included back.

2. Lenders want to see a few accounts in good standing - depending on the lender it could be 1 account or as many as 5 accounts. Sometimes they like to see a combination. So, 1 good for 36 months or 3 good for 12 months etc.

The score is still the primary driver. If the score is 720+ then one or two good standing accounts is sufficient.

Thanks,
Shailesh

Re: Choosing a Realtor… From a Lenders Perspective

Shaliesh Ghimire — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 13:10:33 -0000

Jonathan: Just for saying that I may ask you... he he... :-)

ARW: Thanks for reading my posts. I really like your blog too..

BR: In fact all the items I highlighted could be applied to the Mortgage Broker as well. You're very correct.

April: I love the word "tenacity" - I try to use it as often as I can.

Thanks,
Shailesh

Re: Review: A Complete Guide to FHA Loans

Shaliesh Ghimire — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 23:52:56 -0000

This is good stuff Jay.

The only thing I find in doing loans is that sometimes mere guidelines isn't enough. The underwriter also plays a role in interpreting the rules, I guess like in all other aspects of life. However, this guide is certainly a very good start for most folks!

Shailesh

Re: Arizona Republic: Mainstream Media at its Finest.

Shaliesh Ghimire — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 18:04:58 -0000

Jay,

It's a shame that the article didn't do a better job with the local blogs. Thanks for the mention by the way. Its an honor to be listed with the "big dogs".

Thanks,
Shailesh

Re: I Don’t Like TV Cameras…

Shaliesh Ghimire — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:25:38 -0000

Jay,

Great appearance.

Shailesh

Re: Arizona First Time Buyer Help AND FICO Score Goodies

Shaliesh Ghimire — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 12:10:28 -0000

Jay,

Thanks for the links. I've just been talking to a lot of first time buyers for some reason and they ask very similar questions.

Thanks,
Shailesh

Re: Advice for Nice People Facing Financial Disaster

Shaliesh Ghimire — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 12:09:13 -0000

Great story. Cathy is the kind of agent I want.

A lot of people don't know but many lenders are willing to work with the borrower and see if a beneficial situation can be created.

I'm glad to hear how this ended.

Thanks,
Shailesh

Re: Paris Hilton: “I definitely want to get more into real estate”

Shaliesh Ghimire — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 19:52:27 -0000

Jay,

My respect for this blog space just fell a notch.

:-)

Please do not degrade yourself again. You've been warned!

Thanks,
Shailesh

Re: Arizona Home Appreciation - Historical Chart

Shaliesh Ghimire — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 10:17:24 -0000

Great graphs Jay. I especially loved the equation you put up there. Brought back some warm memories from back in the day. :-)

The OFHEO is a great website. I've always seen them referenced by various mortgage newsletter, I had visited a few times but never really dug around to get some really good information. Looks like is a gold mine of relevant information.

Re: Phoenix Real Estate in the News

Shaliesh Ghimire — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 00:23:40 -0000

This is great. It was almost like Real Estate according to Jay Thompson. Good job.

Plus: Aimee said you look good on T.V.

Re: Playing with Plugins

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:17:13 -0000

Jay,

This is why you're a local blogging legend. When I saw your Facebook status saying something about how Wordpress was driving you crazy I was hoping for your sanity. Well, society benefits from your struggles, keep on.

Re: RealEstateMindSet.Info Steals Blog Content

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:43:48 -0000

Jay,

I'm battling thickrealestate.com - and I think Dalton has too. I wrote to Google AdSense but they gave me the same response of showing the proof. Why don't they just click on the link and look for it themselves? Do a few comparisons and pull the plug?

I've read of plug-ins that try to counter these guys, but they counter right back.

Re: What Happens When You Don’t Open Your RSS Feed Reader for Three Days?

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 12:15:42 -0000

Jay,

Welcome back. Hope you can catch up becuase the posts just keep coming! It can be hard to catch up.

Re: Joining the Trulia Voices Picket Line

Shaliesh Ghimire — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 19:34:09 -0000

I think a points model based on quantity is flawed. Why not ask the person who asked rate the answer. Make this harsh too. If your answer got a one star (give the person answering negative points) or something like that. That's a much better way to build quality. But there isn't money in quality is there? You need quantity - such and such many people are on such and such site etc....

That is why I'm starting to get a feeling that these type of sites are not interested in quality. They want to ride the social networking wave and cash in by selling to a big shot. Think AR-Move.Com or Microsoft-Facebook.

Re: Real Estate Blogging Seminar in Scottsdale

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:14:00 -0000

Jay,

Thanks for the plug. Seats are really filling up fast. Plus I hope people plan on attending the social hour afterwards as well.

See you then!

Re: Missing Phoenix Real Estate Blogger Spotted!

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 12:23:28 -0000

Well, with my family contacts in Nepal I was able to confirm that Christoph was indeed not in Nepal. He has made a reservation to attend my Blogging Seminar on the 30th so I hope to file a report once I see him.

In the mean time the Yeti is still at large.....

Re: Testing SketchCast…

Shaliesh Ghimire — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 16:10:51 -0000

Thank Jay. What is next, the paint drying YouTube Video?

Re: Senate Approves Mortgage Cancellation Relief Act

Shaliesh Ghimire — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:29:36 -0000

Jay,

Great summary. Thanks for the ping - I was asleep at the keyboard there :-)

Re: Phoenix Real Estate Guy Gets a Face Lift

Shaliesh Ghimire — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 21:14:11 -0000

Great theme. Nice. Clean. Easy to use. I'd been meaning to tell you about your old theme taking way to long to load. I guess you were already aware of it.

Re: Tag, I’m It… Meme’d Again

Shaliesh Ghimire — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:55:01 -0000

You need to keep track of what you had for lunch if you're going to get back to a 28 waist... :-)

Re: The Fed Dropped Rates, Why Aren’t Mortgage Rates Dropping?

Shaliesh Ghimire — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:41:37 -0000

Jay,

Brilliant analysis. It's amazing how mortgage rates rose "astronomically" on Wednesday (the day after the 0.75% Fed cut). Mortgage rates rose further on Thursday. Today (Friday) its been stablizing and tending downwards.

So, the past week has provided a very good example of the point you're making.

Re: On Buyers Suing Agents

Shaliesh Ghimire — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 12:20:58 -0000

To piggyback on Athol, I had posted an article in AR last fall regarding a potential borrower who had contacted me to refinance or seek advice on whether to sell his house if he couldn't lower his payment. He was very upset that his house was losing value and he felt the agent involved in the transaction didn't help him understand everything he wanted to know. He said he felt rushed when he bought in June of 2006. In my AR post I simply wrote what this borrower had said to me and asked pretty much the same thing Athol did "what do agents mean when they say to their buyers that its a good time to buy, do they back up the statement with significant factual points or just repeat what they are told?" I felt it was a legitimate question for any professional to be able to answer in their own words - so to speak.

My post was lynched by agents all across the country. I was called an "agent hater" and they couldn't beleive "why any agent would ever do business with me". I'm not much of a person for that kind of public slaying so I deleted my post and haven't posted a relevant article in AR since.

Watching the video on MSNBC (Jay has a more recent post with a video link), I was reminded of the borrower who contacted me back in August last year. Marty Ummel is pretty much saying most of what this potential borrower was saying back then.

So, in short, this is a real concern amongst homeowners and simply blowing it off as a "nut case" will not help. Sure lawyers will try to take advantage of the situation, but the industy does have some answering to do in this case. I hope this case comes to a managable resolution for all parties, but don't be surprised if more people take a crack at this in the coming months.

Re: Presidential Candidates’ Plans to Fix the “Subprime Crisis”

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 12:30:36 -0000

Jay,

Two ways to fix the subprime mess:

1. Do away with STATED income loans for everyone other than self-employed borrowers with greater than 680 credit scores
2. Strictly enforce 30/40 DTI rule

Problem solved. No need for government oversight or extra regulation.

Re: Greatest real estate agent in the world

Shaliesh Ghimire — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:59:23 -0000

Are you sure there aren't any other real estate agents in other parts of the universe??? :-)

I agree Francy is a great real estate agent. Smart, knowledgeable and most important (in my mind) customer-centric!

Re: #2 on Google for Phoenix Real Estate?!?

Shaliesh Ghimire — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 14:44:37 -0000

Jay,

Wow. Congrats.

Also, you're showing at #2 for "Nepalese lender in phoenix". As far as I know I'm the only one in the valley that could even possibly be seeking to be found that way and you beat me on that one too... not only are you not a lender but you're not even Nepalese from what I know...

Congrats!

Re: Blog Wars and Other Such Nonsense.

Shaliesh Ghimire — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 14:30:06 -0000

Jay,

I've learned a lot from quietly watching the war unfold. The battles, the he-says, she-says. The *meaning* where there is no meaning. The hurts, the pains. Wow. All that drama.

It all made me realize why I blog. I blog for the consumer, to increase my business and in the process meet some wonderful industry colleagues in the process. The blog wars showed me, very clearly, how easy it is to lose sight of this fundamental goal.

I applaud you for the integrity and character you have displayed in the process and also in moving forward with the positives!

Onwards and upwards!!!! Now lets sell some houses and get some loans!

Re: New FHA Loan Limits for Maricopa and Pinal Counties Released

Shaliesh Ghimire — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:32:19 -0000

Thanks for the compliments Jay. It seems like the only borrowers I talk to these days are FHA. How the times have changed.

Re: AZMortgageGuru to Host Mortgage Seminar for Phoenix Real Estate Agents

Shaliesh Ghimire — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:02:09 -0000

Jay,

Thanks for spreading the word on this. Considering the type of borrowers and buyers who will be in the market this spring and fall it should be a very relevant seminar. Agents will not be disappointed!

Re: Financing Options for Canadians Buying US Property

Shaliesh Ghimire — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:05:02 -0000

Tim,

We can do either a refinance or purchase loan for Canadian citizens. I'm not sure if you already have a mortgage which you are seeking to replace with a new one or are you seeking to purchase?

Thanks,

Shailesh

Re: What is Wrong with These People??

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:26:19 -0000

Jay,

Sorry to hear. Those punks make me sick! Hope you feel better soon.

How is your typing? I'm impressed.

Re: The Home Buying Process - Part 1

Shaliesh Ghimire — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:11:40 -0000

Finally! I'm going to have to show Aimee this - she's just not into writing posts - even though she'll send over an article to me and recommend I blog about that topic. I've told her I can set up an account and she can just write herself, but she won't do it!

Great post Francy - you hit the nail on the head. If I may, the suggestion about the next door neighbor not being the rigth agent for you also applies for a lender. You just have to make sure you choose a professional who is good at what they do - saves a lot of headache.

Re: The Home Buying Process - Part 1

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:06:44 -0000

Well, your system ate up my last comment. So, I'm commenting again.

Good post Francy. I enjoyed reading this and will be sure to show it to Aimee. I've been wanting her to blog but she won't do it. She will however send me articles and suggest I blog about it, but she won't do it herself. :-)

Re: AZ Real Estate Blogging Network: First Meet Up

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:56:05 -0000

Jay -

Thanks for spreading the word. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone!

Re: The Most Asinine Real Estate Blog Post Ever

Shaliesh Ghimire — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:42:11 -0000

Wow. Asinine is too weak a word for this. Professionals need to be professionals - no wonder the industry has a reputation problem. I'm glad Glenn apologized for Redfin.

Re: World’s First Billion Dollar Home

Shaliesh Ghimire — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:24:57 -0000

With $200 M down - we can arrange for a 90% Interest Only jumbo at 7.25%. Monthly payment of $10,875,000.00. I am sure this is very manageable for you and I can issue an approval within a short time period.

Do Mr. and Mrs. Ambani give me call and we can arrange a time to go over the initial loan disclosures.

---- That would be last loan I ever wrote ----

Re: Happy 3rd Birthday Phoenix Real Estate Guy!

Shaliesh Ghimire — Thu, 08 May 2008 12:16:24 -0000

Congrats on reaching this milestone!

This is the best Real Estate Blog on the planet and I know many many who take their cues from what is done here. Kind of like what the Time was for old media!

Keep up the good work.....

... as if I needed to say that.

Re: Thompson’s Realty Welcomes The Butterworth Group!

Shaliesh Ghimire — Fri, 30 May 2008 11:15:21 -0000

Wow. Congrats. I admire both groups very much and for them to be under the same roof. It's just awesome!

Re: Heather Barr Joins The Butterworth Group at Thompson’s Realty

Shaliesh Ghimire — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:23:50 -0000

Wow - looks like every RE blogger I admire in the Phoenix are is heading yoru way. I wonder if I should get a realty license just so I can hang it at Thompson realty - like all the other cool kids! :-)

Re: Open Letter to ePerks.com

Shaliesh Ghimire — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:24:24 -0000

Jay,

Yeah I've read about these guys. I guess they missed the common sense part of running a business: "Don't piss people off".

Re: Financing Options for Canadians Buying US Property

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:51:16 -0000

Terry - You can still do a purchase if there is no bank involved. Make sure you're working with an experienced agent - and title company.

Only banks ask you to declare the purpose of your purchase. Since you're purchasing with cash then you can do whatever you wish - rent it, use it as a vacation home etc.

Arthur - I am not a tax expert and this question is beyond me. I suggest contacting a tax expert. Sorry.

Re: Financing Options for Canadians Buying US Property

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:59:52 -0000

Just to add to Jay's point earlier. CPA's are not as expensive. In fact I know a very good CPA in Scottsdale, who also happens to be Canadian. I would be more than happy to connect you if you so desire.

Re: Financing Options for Canadians Buying US Property

Shaliesh Ghimire — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:51:21 -0000

Arthur,

Can you send me your e-mail. I'd rather not post the number and information of my CPA on a public forum.

Thanks,

Re: In a Dallas Suburb Lies a School…

Shaliesh Ghimire — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:42:05 -0000

Jay,

There might be a time when there might be a "Phoenix Real Estate Guy School of Blogging at ASU" :-)

Re: Thompson’s Realty Welcomes Michele Guss!

Shaliesh Ghimire — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:27:32 -0000

Congrats Michele. You're with a fantastic group of agents. You're going to absolutely love Jay and Francy - and of course the rest of their awesome team!

Re: One Phone Call a Parent Never Wants to Get

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:28:48 -0000

So glad to hear that young James is okay.

That drive up to Payson is very tricky. We were up there two weekends ago and I tell ya some of the folks who drive that way seem to not care about ANYTHING.

Re: Fighting the Comment Spammers

Shaliesh Ghimire — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 23:41:10 -0000

It as after differential equations that I really started to question my commitment to a graduate degree in Physics. Instead I went to B. School. Much better. :-)

Re: Thompson’s Realty Welcomes Jamie Geiger!

Shaliesh Ghimire — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:07:25 -0000

Great addition.

It seems like all the quality agents I know in the valley are starting to congregate under your roof there!

Re: Thompson’s Realty Welcomes Jamie Geiger!

Shaliesh Ghimire — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:30:36 -0000

Francy & Jay,

I agree wholeheartedly. It would be a pleasure. We're out next week on vacation. There are some changes coming in Mid - August - maybe after that would be a great time! I'll keep you guys posted!

Re: Canadian Dollar Falling: Time to Pull the Trigger?

Shaliesh Ghimire — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:52:33 -0000

A few days ago the WSJ has a great article on the strengthening US dollar. I guess what goes up must come down. The only thing that leaves me wondering is the strength of this trend and where it might stabilize in the near future. Because with inflation making some noise, the dollar could end up getting weak all over again. Only time will tell.

Re: Blog Posts on a Map

Shaliesh Ghimire — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:06:50 -0000

Jay,

Thanks for this great information. Obviously there are great applications for this outside of real estate - but regardless of which industry uses this tool, the benefit for the user is great, becuase a lot of times we're searching for local stuff. From restaurants to the place to buy the best water heater etc. so tagging sites based on geographical location is a great way to achieve this. I'm definitely going to check this out.

<abbr>Shailesh Ghimires last blog post..GM Shares its Blogging Mistakes</abbr>

Re: PodCamp AZ 2008 - A “Relevant Media Unconference”

Shaliesh Ghimire — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:14:27 -0000

Jay,

I'm going to plan on being there! Looking forward to it! Thanks for the heads up.

<abbr>Shailesh Ghimires last blog post..Why You Shouldn’t Blog</abbr>

Re: $700 Billion Dollars

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:04:34 -0000

Jay,

My personal favorite is this one:

There are 31,536,000 seconds in one year.

So to pay off the $700 billion even if you paid off $1/second it would take you 22,197 years to pay if off!

But then again.. no one in Washington seems to be worried about paying anything off.. so. It's a moot point!

Re: And Now for Something Completely Different

Shaliesh Ghimire — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:12:14 -0000

I hear ya Jay. I too have faced these issues. In fact - like Dru - I wish I was able to write more - it seems like I do have ideas but the act of actually writing it down creates a block sometimes.

However, I do think Francy may have a point - walking away for a day or so and allowing your mind to clear would probably help. But then again like Heather said above - if you're writing about this stuff you don't have writers block! Just sayin'

Re: Phoenix Real Estate Guy Does Podcasting

Shaliesh Ghimire — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:29:22 -0000

Jay,

I poked around Audacity a while back and making audio files, but it was hard to get into. I'm not much into "note to self" type recording your own voice thing. But I think interviewing someone or recording some interesting conversations would be a way to go. Check out Wiggly Wigglers - a UK company which sells Compost Worm Boxes - she has a great podcast. Now if you can do that for worms. I'm sure you can do it for Real Estate. You just have to enjoy it I think!

<abbr></abbr><abbr>Shailesh Ghimire´s last blog post..Maximizing RSS Feeds</abbr>

Re: Fannie Mae to End Tenant Evictions in Foreclosures

Shaliesh Ghimire — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 13:51:37 -0000

Guruette - I like the word! Nice.

<abbr></abbr><abbr>Shailesh Ghimire´s last blog post..Winter is Here in Gilbert, Arizona</abbr>

Re: Our First Birthday! Thompson’s Realty is One Year Old Today

Shaliesh Ghimire — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 10:47:57 -0000

Jay & Francy,

Happy Birthday. It's been a great ride I'm sure.

I think it calls for a Happy Hour get together to celebrate.

Re: I got a job as a Social Media MGPE!

Shaliesh Ghimire — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:52:21 -0000

Good one! Well a very awesome congratulations to you sir. You deserve it.

<abbr></abbr><abbr>Shailesh Ghimire´s last blog post..Leading Priorities for Marketers in 2009</abbr>

Re: It’s Phoenix Real Estate Guy’s Fourth Birthday!

Shaliesh Ghimire — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:35:04 -0000

Four more years
Four more years
Four more years
Can't wait! :-)

<abbr></abbr><abbr>Shailesh Ghimire´s last blog post..BBB of Greater Arizona Gets Social</abbr>

Re: No Readers, No Comments: My Blog Must Suck!

Shaliesh Ghimire — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 12:12:43 -0000

Jay,

I agree. I visit many blogs on a daily basis and I only leave one or two comments here and there. Mainly the article has to hit me in some way to generate a response. Sometimes if the writer hasn't looked at a certain point or if the topic is a bit off (in my opinion of course) or if it's controversial.

I hope you don't mind me using some of these ideas in the RE Blogging Seminar this week. I will cite this post of course.

Thanks,
Shailesh