Roger Schlesinger, originator of the nationally-renowned Mortgage Minute, has been helping educate his clients to meet their real estate financing needs for over 25 years. Roger's "Mortgage Minute" is heard daily on over 400 stations across the nation and has become the driving force in Roger's consumer-oriented, "mortgage education" approach to residential lending. http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger http://media.townhall.com/TownHall/icons/TH-feed-icon-128x128.gif http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger TownHall.com, Where your opinion counts. 128 Copyright (c) 2012 Townhall.com, A Salem Communications Web. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED jim.dearras@townhall.com (Jim De Arras) Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:16:28 GMT Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:16:28 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ As we reach the end of another year we realize that many things we had planned to do remain as they were when we added them to the list, and in some cases the time to accomplish this task has passed. If you were going... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/12/21/time_has_not_run_out! 5a3f605f-ed0f-4cdf-8fc3-27fdf71c7072 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:16:28 GMT If you're out of work or your hours have been drastically reduced, then I don't have to tell you about the recession. Likewise, if you've lost your home, you know we're far from out of the woods. But if you're among the... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/12/11/the_recession_is_over de97b0b9-c2eb-4411-a6d0-a4a6951f20da Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:44:12 GMT When the Framers of the Constitution determined that elected representatives should be allowed to serve consecutive terms in office, they couldn't have foreseen anything like the multi-year, multi-million dollar... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/11/19/consecutive_term_i_think_not! 59ebcfaa-2ff2-4825-8fcc-ca57118d7ca8 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:14:59 GMT Crowd psychology is interesting, especially when it comes to investors, who generally move in the opposite direction from the one in which they're being led. When an action is taken to try and change market behavior,... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/10/22/could_you_get_trampeled b9c82e96-bc51-4be9-80df-d2d6e97cda1b Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:45:00 GMT I remember as a high school student, once in a while, actually more than once in a while, waiting until the night before an exam to begin studying. By that time, it was too late to read the book, so I used Cliff Notes http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/10/16/will_they_read_the_bill 3c415aeb-6918-49eb-b33b-a5aaac4cb5fb Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:17:33 GMT Like the icebergs that sunk the Titanic, hidden dangers lurk in the murky depths of the American economy. They are as difficult for our economists to see as they were for the captain of the Titanic. Our economy is... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/10/13/icebergs_are_everywhere 62ff9b93-91bb-470b-92d4-5b6032310acb Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:35:00 GMT Applying for and obtaining a mortgage loan used to be a routine matter. Not any more. The politicians have chimed in and turned the process into something akin to the struggle between good and evil. Now you need a guide... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/10/08/navigating_through_the_mortgage_morass e8aa3bed-bf2f-4e7c-adef-049e7b7756fb Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:40:00 GMT When I was a young man graduating from college, more years ago than I choose to admit, I interviewed with various prospective employers. I remember the International Business Machine (IBM) recruiter telling me that the... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/09/29/taking_time_to_get_it_right 6df3b314-fba1-4a40-9632-dc98ac1812ba Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:30:09 GMT Now that I have your attention.. In a normal economy, most people who sell their houses (with the exception of those relocating for lifestyle or career reasons) plan to move up to bigger, better, or more... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/09/21/from_out_of_the_wilderness_come 76a41fcb-51f0-4969-b3d2-7c64f7002153 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:05:00 GMT On May 11th of this year, I wrote a column "The Real Estate Market Has...", stating I believed that the bottom had been reached in some areas of the country for residential real estate and suggested that you begin... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/08/26/its_time_to_make_the_move f2db55c6-c6bf-4785-bb19-c850f1b5e37f Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:33:49 GMT Now that we have seen "amateur night at the Bijou," starring the President and the Congress, maybe we can realize that knowledge of a subject should be somewhat of a prerequisite to running anything: ice cream truck, http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/08/21/if_you_dont_know_it,_dont_try_and_run_it 58f76a60-f22b-4d15-8cd8-351949d7bc1e Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:11:34 GMT An answer is what every question needs, a result is what every experiment needs. So why aren't we concerned with results? The only thing that seems to be interesting to the general public is a quick blush of results... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/08/12/are_we_afraid_of_results 89b8d339-2849-4a35-9aae-3f0e60300db1 Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:09:35 GMT As strange as it might be, it has come to my attention that the government has, on occasion, over promised and under delivered. Freely translated: they overestimated results and underestimated costs. It's really a... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/08/06/government_mistakes_are_our_problem 37a1d95d-8217-4dfe-ad1a-f619eaa6f33f Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:20:13 GMT I was struggling with the answer to the question of state unity, and the only clue I have that stopped me from saying "no" unequivocally is the fact that we can travel from state to state without a passport... for... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/08/03/our_fifty_states_really_united c2d430a6-a362-4b8f-8ce7-b33a86d685f2 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:12:07 GMT This title might suggest this is a militaristic column or worse, as in terrorism of some sort. So let me put your mind at ease and confess this is only about the mortgage industry, which in reality makes the first two... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/07/24/trying_to_hit_a_moving_target 341884e3-6b97-4a97-87df-9f0f957b6ed8 Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:18:50 GMT The recession is either over, coming to an end, bottoming out or about to start anew. Take your pick and realize that if you study the proposition long enough, you will start having funny thoughts. One of those come http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/07/22/what_in_the_world_is_going_on c694adf0-5056-4c3a-a4e2-4fd8b6086c05 Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:01:00 GMT The premise is wonderful, the execution is easy, but understanding the problem is not so easy. Waste in America defies imagination. The waste I am referring to isn't the by-product of some manufactured or naturally... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/07/13/balancing_the_budget_without_effort 96166aeb-aebd-40b3-b8a1-61f88e23f5d3 Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:46:38 GMT I am just as big a critic of the U.S. Government's massive spending for questionable projects as anybody, and yet over my years on this earth, I have seen so many people either not using or not having common sense, that... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/07/09/are_we_guilty_of_suspending_logic d6f4be68-b573-4c99-a618-6dc40eec5e40 Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:33:25 GMT How come the public, you and perhaps me, (in my case it is generally tall tales about my golf ) seems to consider the truth as an optional choice in their communications with the masses? Is an innuendo considered fact... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/07/08/bull 7c1c32de-df05-4ed7-ba9a-fd438eda6732 Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:39:42 GMT If the government took over other industries, as it is trying to do with the health insurance industry, with an entity that will be run by the government without profit, how much money the government could save the peop http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/06/25/did_you_ever_stop_to_think_that 91483053-6f64-495f-8545-d05bfe7a4252 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:37:58 GMT As we flounder at the bottom (?) of a nasty recession, I am astounded by the message that seems to permeate from Washington: everything can be accomplished, and except for a few Americans who make excessive amounts of... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/06/19/whos_kidding_who 1d82b326-c268-4675-830d-afe87ebeb336 Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:47:35 GMT To me an A.P.R. means Another Problem for Roger. It is the government's attempt to have the mortgage industry explain their entire operational slate in one simple manner. This is impossible and thus helps render this... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/06/16/what_is_apr 79480852-a3fa-430c-8077-6181756fbd7d Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:08:54 GMT I stopped my subscription of over 30 years to The Los Angeles Times about four years ago. I look forward, with much anticipation, to buying seven copies of the last edition to give to my grandchildren so they will be... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/06/11/the_total_disappearance_of_the_mainstream_media 07422e3e-8251-41b1-8c4c-881783c25c1b Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:51:17 GMT Since the President announced his health plan where we add half the free world to our list of those who will have health coverage, and announced that we will save money doing it, I know something is "rotten in Denmark".... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/06/10/government_math_doesnt_add_up f9324cd3-655e-43dc-81f7-715350339545 Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:42:25 GMT The possibilities are endless when you're out to rescue that which is important to this nation. I am only sorry we didn't have this national philosophy when there were some important, historic concepts that could have... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/06/03/saving_the_buggy_whip_industry 2b6afc93-7bc2-4f4a-bc37-4b8c6ee30a92 Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:20:53 GMT How many people do you know who have gone into the stock market and bought one security, other than the company they work for, and never considered buying another share of another company? How many stamp... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/05/28/when_one_is_not_enough 495369d4-2021-487d-9335-2693611c2898 Thu, 28 May 2009 17:29:24 GMT How many times can you claim that what has happened is an unintended consequence before it appears that it's actually an intended consequence? This is a question that I have been pondering and was brought to a... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/05/27/unintended_consequences f638c67a-8808-4ea7-8dd1-0b80cbf5093e Wed, 27 May 2009 20:13:45 GMT Before I conclude the above statement, I must stress the situation that confounds real estate experts throughout the country: the problem with the analysis of real estate and the lack of understanding by consumers... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/05/11/the_residential_real_estate_market_has 15e17ea6-0d43-448c-9914-b9af6a5c53a9 Mon, 11 May 2009 18:39:08 GMT It isn't anything more than a loan, period. Unfortunately, our society tends to make this particular financial instrument many other things that tend to blur its prescribed purpose and gives borrowers a false sense of... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/05/05/what_a_mortgage_loan_is_not c5f0de15-8306-45ad-b43c-91dd5c4c3fc9 Tue, 05 May 2009 16:07:04 GMT The President has divided the country into two camps not by political parties or ideology but by those who could need help and those who should be helping. It sounds biblical on the surface but doesn't exactly flow... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/04/28/who_is_going_to_help_the_helpers 37d24e4f-7767-4287-9936-fef41e1fc65e Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:42:50 GMT I have listened for as long as I can without speaking out and realize that two simple solutions are the answer on the economy. The solutions are simple, but implementation is hard. When I was young, someone impressed... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/04/15/turning_the_economy_two_solutions! a9c3a259-50ea-4198-bb56-a064e9cb60fd Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:27:13 GMT I wish to start this essay with two points that are the pillars of the article: The country would like to see the real estate industry begin to improve, for the good of the nation; and lenders who hold loans at higher... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/04/09/is_doing_the_right_thing_wrong 75822e44-9797-46e3-abca-f0290ccf7986 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:42:49 GMT On April 1, 2009, we lost a lender in the mortgage industry that shouldn't have failed. They didn't offer sub-prime loans, option arms or any of the other gimmicks that haunted and hurt both the mortgage industry and... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/04/08/the_smell_has_returned! 99d4c12b-49c9-4876-b146-fc94378a7c81 Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:08:46 GMT In case you hadn't noticed, real estate is either at the low, going slightly lower, or starting to turn around. Add to this piece of information the fact that mortgage rates are either at their all time lows or just... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/03/31/what_more_can_i_tell_you f1334489-bb2f-4afc-bc38-aa388dfb94b3 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:18:11 GMT Sometimes I get the feeling that the world has turned upside down. Especially lately. I feel that either I don't get it or maybe bad is good and good is bad. When I first found something that was peculiar, I thought... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/03/26/who_knew bff35a68-24aa-4156-9779-a545316e64e2 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 20:43:11 GMT The best news about the $160 million business bonuses is the chance we have to see our government in action. You would have thought that somebody got into Fort Knox and seized the keys to the vaults the way... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/03/20/the_scary_$160_million_bonus_problem e5ee3ae2-eec9-4784-9672-ace3bfde5ff2 Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:25:41 GMT For those old enough to remember, there once was a song "What a Difference a Day Makes" whose next line was "24 little hours". Oh how I wish we could have created a parody to that song and this financial nightmare... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/03/17/what_a_difference_a_crisis_makes 4b811046-8ad8-4eab-a403-9dfea9460cc3 Tue, 17 Mar 2009 04:01:00 GMT I never read the Los Angeles Times, for a myriad of reasons. However, I was out of town and thought it would be an interesting way to fill up some time before my wife awoke. In no time, my blood was boiling and I... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/03/10/milton,_you_have_got_to_be_kidding! b67f66f4-8fd2-4876-b127-056197911fec Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:28:03 GMT The best way to cure a sick economy is to tax those who create the jobs. Really! Cutting taxes costs the government money. Really! Deficits are reduced in a high tax environment. Really! Now that you have an idea... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/03/04/the_only_thing_you_can_say_is,_really! 86007227-4873-4e0b-98ca-4aa4f40a9b99 Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:49:53 GMT There is so much talk about trillions of dollars that I thought it was only fair that those who are destined to pay all of this money back should understand what it is. A trillion is 1,000 billion. That was easy! ... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/02/20/what_is_a_trillion_dollars 59f4eefa-5c28-4045-85ae-9aa259d5b50d Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:30:57 GMT The worst thing I faced in both college and graduate school, studying economics, business finance and real estate, was the endless amount of dull reading I had to force our way through. My professors, who probably felt... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/02/16/now_we_can_all_get_an_a 72964472-2fbf-4b6e-ac34-fcc85c6aa30f Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:23:46 GMT I realize, more than people know, how weary the American public has become from the constant barrage of verbiage coming from all types of government officials. We have the executive branch and the legislative branch of... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/02/06/government_speak_words_without_meaning 86c8a588-cc16-4796-8d95-ba12e2d04ef6 Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:23:24 GMT We are in the middle of a very serious financial crisis in this country and around the world, yet a real solution is being missed. Let me take it a step further: Intervention by the powers that be are making a real... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/02/02/what_cant_they_understand e352184a-342a-400a-af51-94e39ecd05c2 Mon, 02 Feb 2009 20:23:22 GMT In olden days, about a year or so ago, mortgage rates were a reflection of the economy. They were set by lenders who reacted to the market for mortgage backed securities which of course was influenced by the... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/01/27/is_there_more_about_mortgage_rates_than_meets_the_eye ed672922-b498-46b9-814b-8a77f70890df Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:23:45 GMT You don't have to check the calendar, the television, or the weather to see how things have changed. You only need to apply for a mortgage loan and VOILA, it will hit you smack in the face. Someone said pre-warned is... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/01/20/what_you_dont_know_can_cost_you cdd32938-ed8e-42be-a2d1-438748ed42a5 Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:50:18 GMT We all know that thousands of people are losing their houses, and while many already have lost them an even bigger housing problem exists that really hasn't been addressed. What do you do if your house is worth less... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/01/13/questions_but_not_answers 5d2aa769-c462-4683-8941-88c294773dff Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:42:13 GMT So much is going on that offends any moral person in all areas of our country that I am shocked that nobody seems to stand up and ask, "what the heck is going on?" Among a number of bizarre events, including a Wall... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/01/08/where_is_the_outrage 45ac83a0-2f1f-4402-902e-7c210e43683e Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:26:40 GMT We start the New Year with a continuation of the last days of the old year: stock market rise and bond market sell off. The stock market has apparently priced in all the bad news, the bond market has priced in all of... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RogerSchlesinger/2009/01/06/whats_happening_now 98c6e1e9-1781-4dff-9363-3f4f5f8f9901 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:19:40 GMT