the ELEMENT age Lending in Mortg
2 0 2 0 Q U A R T E R LY E D I T I O N
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: MORTGAGE REVIEW SAVES
THOUSANDS...
HEALTH in the NEWS
Healthier Heart
The key to having a more
PRODUCTIVE DAY A man revealed Start the year off with a
CLEAN SLATE
A DIVISION OF PRIMARY RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE INC
EXCELLENCE AWARD Rookie of the Year
A CHAMPION of Children
Element Funding’s EXCELLENCE AWARD EXCELLENCE AWARD nal and Awarded for Exceptional Inter nd Element Expectations
External Service Above and Beyo
Founded 2007
Tammy Jo Blakey Loan Officer | NMLS# 1465931 Cell: 772-324-0646 Office: 772-288-5251 | Fax: 772-286-6861 tblakey@sterlingms.com www.SterlingMS.com 100 SW Albany Ave. STE. 300 Stuart, FL 34994
Tammy Blakey Awarded December 2019
Congratulations!
The key to having a more productive day There is an antidote for all of you who dread Mondays or the start of any other workday—reattachment. New research suggests that the act of reattaching oneself to work every morning plays a crucial role in our motivation and engagement, much the same way detaching from work in the evenings leads to more work/life balance. To reattach to work, start by simply reflecting on a few key areas of your professional life: Significance. The work you do has meaning, and so does the position you hold in your organization. Know this and believe it. Then remind yourself of the reasons why and how the work you do is valuable. Write them down if you must. Allow these positive thoughts to set the
tone for the next eight hours. Network. Who are your mentors, cheerleaders, advocates, and peers? These are the people you turn to for guidance and support in challenging times. Recall a situation when one of these people came through for you and how fortunate you are to have them on your side. Is there someone you might be overlooking? Always 2 | www.elementfunding.com
remember that you’re not in this alone. Daily goals. Determine what your main focus should be this day, and visualize yourself accomplishing it. Don’t see yourself overwhelmed by this project, but rather poised and engaged and completing the day’s objectives successfully. Use your imagination as a precursor to the future, and make it a reality.
TALK TOWN OF THE
@ELEMENT FUNDING
Talk of the Town is Element’s latest monthly circular that highlight comments shared by fellow colleagues about other members of the organization who continuously make a positive contribution to the workplace through areas such as productivity or quality gains.
Ray Evans: He is a great leader and truly cares for our clients.
Brad Roche: In just a couple of brief conversations, he has elevated my idea of value.
Ashley Campbell: Ashley has some of the hardest files yet she always seems to make it happen. She goes the extra mile.
Marlene Pena: She is so helpful with everything.
You all are true difference makers....every day.....thank you all!!!
2019 Element Funding Rookie of the Year
AJ Pasquale AJ chose to follow the footsteps of his parents Gus & Betty who have been in the Real Estate industry for over 38 years combined. Gus is a Division Principle with Element Funding and has been in the mortgage industry for over 28 years. Betty a top producing real estate agent for Keller Williams Wellington for over 10 years. AJ was born into and raised around “the business” and has a deep understanding of both sides of the industry.
captain and recipient of the prestigious Lion Heart Award for his leadership on and off the field. AJ then attended and graduated from Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina where he continued his football and academic career. AJ is excited to bring his “Lion Heart” to serve the Element Funding Team and all the clients they touch in the scope of their service in making homeownership a dream come true.
AJ is a South Florida native, residing in Palm Beach County his whole life. A King’s Academy graduate, he was a two year starting quarterback for the varsity football team, team
Outside of work he enjoys fishing, golfing, attending sporting events, and being around family and friends.
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A. J. Pasquale Loan Officer | NMLS# 1618808 Direct: 561.906.1160 Office: 561.253.0143 Fax 1.561.899.0386 apasquale@elementfunding.com www.elementfunding.com/apasquale 701 Northpoint Parkway, Suite 405 West Palm Beach, FL 33407
Mortgage Review Saves
thousands…
Mortgage Review
M
ost homeowners miss the benefit of the lender who doesn’t provide a yearly service called an Annual Review. Let me explain, we visit the dentist every 6 months for a cleaning and a checkup. We take our car in for an oil change every 4-6 months….why wouldn’t our biggest investment have a similar check up? Well, that is simple! Most lenders are focused on the purchase and only that. While we have learned things change, expenses change, and goals change for most homeowners. So, at Element Funding we have designed a program that not only takes care of you on the purchase of a home but manages the debt on your home year after year.
Each year, on the mortgage anniversary we want to review the mortgage and goals. Our clients simply provide our team the most recent mortgage statement on the home. It also doesn’t matter where you are making your payment (they are called the servicer) we are still your Lender for Life. Once we receive the mortgage statement we have a quick checklist to complete. We discuss any monthly cash flow changes, upcoming expenses, investments into the home since the last review and some other factors. We then review the potential equity position you were at a year ago and what you are at today. Next, we look to better the terms of the financing. Sometimes we can make it better but other
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times we are able to save in other areas like home insurance or PMI (private mortgage insurance). These and other factors such as the loan to value ratio (CLTV) and credit score ratings. If all is good, we roll on and check back again next year…but if we can save or assist in additional services we complete a comparison for your review before and after. Please also be aware that some loans when you return for your purchase can be obtained with no closing costs. If you would like your review completed ahead of schedule please just let us know, we would be happy to assist. Furthermore, because most lenders don’t offer this important checkup, we would be happy to extend the service to any friend or family member.
Mediterranean Breakfast Tostadas Apparently, this is the week where people start to loose traction with their New Year’s resolutions. Is that you? Well, if you are feeling your will power slipping on your vow to eat better, this healthy breakfast tostada is the perfect thing to get you back on track. We all know the importance of eating breakfast, and if you make it this delicious, you won’t feel like you are sacrificing anything!
Ingredients
4 tostadas 1/2 cup roasted red pepper hummus 1/2 cup red pepper diced 1/2 cup green onions chopped 8 eggs beaten 1/2 cup skim milk 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1/2 tsp. oregano 1/2 cup cucumber seeded and chopped 1/2 cup tomatoes diced 1/4 cup feta crumbled
Directions In a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, add the red peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the eggs, milk, garlic powder, oregano and green onions to the skillet, constantly stirring until egg whites are no longer translucent (about 2 minutes). Top each tostada with hummus, eggs mixture, cucumber, tomatoes & feta. Serve immediately.
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Health in the News Simple tips for a healthier heart Close to 2,200 people die each day in the United States because of cardiovascular problems. That’s one every 40 seconds. Here’s some advice from the WMC Action News website on how to keep your heart healthy: Laugh a lot. Laughter dilates your blood vessels, increases blood flow, and lowers your blood pressure. Snuggle. Hugging releases oxytocin, a hormone that relieves stress and can reduce blood pressure. Get a pet. A University of Maryland study found that survivors of a heart attack who had a dog were eight times more likely to be alive a year after their attack. Get the right amount of sleep. Both oversleeping and getting less than six hours of sleep a night raises your heart attack risk. Aim for about eight hours every night. Drink coffee. Studies suggest that caffeine can stabilize your heart rhythm if you have an abnormal heart rate. Check with your doctor. Move around. Standing and moving around one hour per day can reduce cardiovascular disease risk in women by 25%, according to a University of California, San Diego, study.
Curb your diet just a little to help your heart Cutting a modest number of calories from your daily diet could have a significant impact on the health of your heart, according to an article on the NPR website. In a two-year study, 218 people 21– 50 years old who were of normal weight or slightly overweight were placed on different diets. Some were on a diet that reduced their calorie intake by 25%, while others were assigned a normal diet. For four weeks they ate at a clinical center and were counseled on how to cut calories. After that, they adopted an eating plan based on their personal preferences. Although at first most stuck to their diets and reduced calories by about 20%, by the end of the study that figure had dropped to about 12%—just 300 fewer calories per day. Still, even this modest reduction led to an average weight loss of 16.5 pounds, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, improved insulin resistance and metabolic rates, and other factors associated with heart health.
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Health benefits of the avocado Avocado toast is a thing, but whether you think it’s an overhyped millennial trend or not, research suggests that it’s good for you— the avocado part, at least. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition and reported in an article on the Bicycling website found that eating one avocado a day is associated with significantly lower levels of types of LDL— the bad cholesterol—in adults who are overweight or obese. In addition, avocado also improves levels of lutein, an antioxidant associated with heart health, by more than 68%, and one avocado supplies about half of the dietary fiber that fights heart disease you need every day. So, go ahead—have another slice of avocado toast.
A Champion of Children Swedish author Astrid Lindgren penned 41 picture books and 34 chapter books. Her most wellknown character is the beloved Pippi Longstocking. In 1978 she was awarded the German booksellers’ Peace Prize. During her acceptance speech Lindgren shared this story to illustrate what she hoped would become a new norm in parenting: A young mother who didn’t buy into the theory of corporal punishment had a change of heart. Her son had committed some transgression, and she felt the need to “give him a good hiding.” She ordered him out of the family
home and told him to find a switch for her to use for his punishment. The boy was away for some time before he returned with tears staining his cheeks. He had not been able to find a suitable stick for her to beat him with, so he offered her a stone. Upon seeing the stone, the mother burst into tears. She grabbed her son and held him in her arms as they both sobbed. She realized how her son must have felt at that moment when she sent him away. All the child knew was that his mother wanted to inflict pain upon him, and that a stone would
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accomplish that objective. The mother did not raise her hand to the boy that day or any day thereafter. However, she did keep the stone on a kitchen shelf to serve as a reminder to never inflict violence upon her child. Lindgren often wondered about the effect of our behavior toward our children, how they process cruelty and violence, and the resulting impact on world peace. She ended her speech by saying, “Perhaps it would be a good idea for us all to have a little stone on a shelf as a reminder for ourselves and our children: never violence!”
Start the year off with a clean slate Because of the snow and cold weather, some of us will be spending a significant amount of time indoors. What better time to focus your energy on cleaning up your computer, and maybe your smartphone, too? Though this might sound like a daunting task, it’s totally worth the effort. Here’s what you should do:
• Delete any duplicates, items you no longer need, and apps you are no longer using. • Store some things on the cloud to free up space on your hard drive.
• Make sure your operating systems are updated and that you are using the most recent versions of your internet browser and virus protection.
• Get a handle on your email by unsubscribing from junk mail, saving important items in folders, and deleting the rest. (This could easily take a weekend.)
• Organize documents and photos into folders.
• Back everything up on an external drive or disk.
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A man revealed
During his lifetime he was arrested roughly 20 times. His work provoked violent reactions, including the bombing of the home he shared with his wife and family, as well as numerous physical assaults. Ultimately, his life would end in tragedy resulting from a sniper’s bullet.
Though parts of his bio may sound like a description of a public enemy, Martin Luther King Jr. was the exact opposite. A tireless crusader against injustice and inequality, King championed nonviolence as a way to combat hatred and oppression. He held a B.A. from Morehouse University, a B.D. from Crozer Theological Seminary, and a doctorate from Boston University.
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Four years before his death he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work during the civil rights movement. Had he survived, Jan. 15 would have been his 91st birthday. Because he is no longer with us, the third Monday of January is held in observance of King’s life
A DIVISION OF PRIMARY RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE INC
A HIGH POWERED MORTGAGE COMPANY
with a hometown feel
www.ElementFunding.com Primary Residential Mortgage, Inc., DBA Element Funding, NMLS #3094. PRMI is an Equal Housing Lender. Some products and services may not be available in all states. Credit and collateral are subject to approval. Terms and conditions apply. Programs, rates, terms and conditions are subject to change and are subject to borrower(s) qualification. This is not a commitment to lend. Georgia Department of Banking and Finance 6521.