Christian Real Estate Professionals

Several readers of my blog have expressed an interest in me posting serious business related content, and so to pacify some of you...here goes...

Before I launch my tirade, I must say that since mid 2005 the economic climate in the real estate industry has certainly put a damper on posts depicting successful entrepreneurs and their climb to financial independence...

That, however, is a topic for another day...

In this post I would like to set the record straight as regards my Title Insurance business and the facts surrounding its success and ability to remain afloat throughout these trying times...

First off, about 60 to 70% of our competition has either folded or been merged into other entities...WE'RE STILL STANDING...

Controlled businesses and affiliations are falling like flies...WE'RE STILL STANDING...

Where title insurance rates in Pennsylvania have actually declined over the past 6 years, and more discounts have been mandated for those refinancing, thus cutting into any profits or new hiring...WE'RE STILL STANDING...

To be even more specific and blunt...WE ARE PATRIOT LAND TRANSFER, INC...just remember that a second...and WE'RE STILL STANDING...

There is another entity benefiting by our good name that is located in New Jersey...IT IS PATRIOT LAND TRANSFER LLC...AND...

WE ARE NOT AFFILIATED NOR CONNECTED IN ANY WAY WITH IT...

PATRIOT LAND TRANSFER, INC...IS LOCATED IN LIMERICK, PENNSYLVANIA...WHERE WE MAINTAIN OUR ONLY OFFICE...

Of course, we are licensed in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and provide country wide title services throughout the US through our network and Underwriter...AND...WE'RE STILL STANDING...

If you are searching for the services of a reputable, reliable, knowledgeable, and efficient Title Company...call us at 610-495-9855, fax us at 610-495-9071, visit us on the internet at http://www.patriotlandtransfer.com/ or EMAIL us at patriotland@msn.com

All other attempts to reach us may end up in New Jersey...WHERE...

THOSE OTHER GUYS are located...

REMEMBER, there is only one God, and there is only one PATRIOT LAND TRANSFER, INC...and...WE'RE STILL STANDING...!!!

Have a great weekend...!!!

Fran's Friday Forum...The Truth About Absolute Truth...!!!

Is there such a thing as ABSOLUTE TRUTH or is TRUTH different for each person...???

A recent conversation I had with a teenage special education student could shed some light on this question...

We were talking about who we were pulling for to win the Super Bowl this Sunday...

Of course I like The Steelers, and she picked The Packers...When I asked her why she liked Green Bay she indicated that they were the underdogs and The Steelers had won too many Super Bowls already...

So like many other typically American people I know she was rooting for THE UNDERDOG...

This got me to thinking...

Why is it that our Country seems so evenly divided politically and even morally...

My conclusion, and I emphasize that this is merely my opinion, is that each one of us, me included, evolves into a certain pattern of behavior, a certain lifestyle if you will...The longer we live, the more likely we are to be ‘fixed' in our ways...conversely...the younger we are, the less likely we are to have formed ‘fixed' opinions and therefore the less likely we are to have ‘ABSOLUTE' notions...

In other words, we live our lives with a certain degree of RELATIVITY until we discover a TRUTH which we feel is immutable...then we adopt that truth absolutely...

If I am correct in my thinking, then a PROPERLY FORMED CONSCIENCE is imperative to successful living...

Now, I am no philosopher, but I do consider myself an astute observer of behavior and life...

Stated more simply, and applied more generally to our entire population, what I am suggesting is that each one of us adopts a particular lifestyle and then we look to whatever means possible to defend and justify that lifestyle...

I am not so sure that is the way we ought to be forming our consciences...

Another alternative would be to self examine our behavior as we go...using the Ten Commandments, The Two Great Commandments that Jesus gave us, The Beatitudes, The Golden Rule, The Natural Law and the example of ‘good people' around us...then adjusting our conduct to comply with those standards, thus more sensibly and correctly FORMING OUR CONSCIENCES...

This technique seems a lot more in keeping with The Creator's Plan than trying to justify our behavior AFTER we've fallen into sinful patterns that ALL seem to find...

ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and ALL need to be redeemed...

That, in a nutshell seems to be ABSOLUTELY TRUE...

Have a great weekend, and don't forget to search for ABSOLUTE TRUTH...!!! See ***hint*** below...

***HINT***TRUTH is not a 'THING', it is a PERSON...!!!

Fran's Friday Forum...111th Congress...A Real Crap House...???  

In bowling, before electronic scorekeeping, when any frame had the score '111', it was not unusual to see the scorekeeper build a sort of 'CRAP HOUSE' using the numbers '111' as a foundation...  

And so it was with the 111th Congress, the one whose term just ended, headed by ex-Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi...A real Crap House of a House of Representatives...  

Completely forgetting whose House it really is...THE PEOPLE'S HOUSE, not a gathering of POWER MONGERS...  

I easily draw a CRAP HOUSE around their accomplishments...a true ABUSE OF POWER...at times bordering on treason...  

Not only did they throw no strikes, but they could have 'SPARED" us the embarrassment of enduring 2 years of 'POLITICAL BULLYING' and 'BUTT KISSING'...  

Disappointed both in Mrs. Pelosi's examples of her Italian Heritage as well as the practice of her Catholic Faith, I'm glad to see that THE PEOPLE have once again taken back their house...  

Let us hope and pray that the 112th Congress will restore order and decency as well as accountability to the political scene in Washington and score a perfect 300 game for their constituents...!!!  

Have a great weekend...!!!

You probably heard this week that TIME MAGAZINE named its 'man' of the year for 2010...!!!  

Among the mentioned prospects were that Julian Assange guy, informant and Wikileaks founder, who is being held under house arrest in England...after leaking top secret American classified documents...For the record...he is an anti-American radical socialist disguised as a legitimate journalist...  

Some other notable candidates mentioned were Lady Gaga, Glenn Beck, Barack Obama, Steve Jobs and The Tea Party...  

Pretty far down the list was the one whom I would have chosen if I understood Time's criteria correctly...  

I understood the criteria as selecting one who would be easily recognizable world wide, for good OR bad, one who has had and will continue to have a large impact on society in general, past and present...and one whose face would need no caption...  

The one TIME selected was Mark Zuckerberg, founder of FACEBOOK and an entrepreneur in his late twenties...an inspiring young fellow...  

I'll wager that before his name was mentioned as the 2010 MAN OF THE YEAR, nary a soul could describe him or even picture what he looked like in their mind...  

Yes, FACEBOOK is a world recognized and internationally used MEDIUM, but not because of its founder...because of the number of subscribers and the number of hours spent using this medium...ten percent of the world population are purported to use or subscribe to FACEBOOK...BUT...  

MY PICK for 'Man Of The Year', using Time's criteria.......SARAH PALIN...  

WHY.......???  

She is readily recognizable world wide...even though she came upon the world wide scene in 2008 when she was selected running mate vice president by John McCain...she has had a significant impact on politics ever since...she promises to have an impact on future politics...she is as equally hated by the left as she is loved by the right...  

AND SHE IS LITERALLY THE FACE OF THE TEA PARTY...  

Which remains the only legitimate movement that has real answers to our real problems...!!!  

Have a great weekend...!!!

With all the trappings of the Christmas season upon us, a world in chaos, and my annual weekend MEN OF MALVERN retreat quickly approaching, I thought it appropriate to present this observation made by Mark Shea, a contributor of The National Catholic Register, which puts everything in a rather concise, clear, and inspired perspective...:

 

"A culture of death is a culture of fear.  And as long as it is impenitent, it will persist in attempting to stick more and ever more band-aids on the thousand open and running sores instead of repenting being a culture of death.  That's why we are so rapidly morphing into a security state.  We hope that technology, regulation, and force will save us.  The narrative of this world is that trusting God is pollyanna nonsense.  As long as we embrace that folly and keep trusting in money, sex, and power we will continue to sink into fear. 

This Advent: repent!  It's the only way."  

 

I'll surely be doing that this weekend...and a lot of praying...!!! 

Have a great weekend...!!!

For a few years now, we have been driving a 2006 Buick Terraza crossover...With 5 kids and two adults the 7 passenger seating and the rear seat entertainment package sealed the deal to buy this vehicle...!!!

Of course with the economy being what it is, and the high prices of new cars, we opted to buy this 18,000 mile certified pre-owned which came with a warranty extending the original factory warranty of 3 years/36,000 to somewhere over 50,000 miles...!!!

Shortly after the purchase, at approx. 27,000 miles a problem developed in the audio system...I use the term audio system because in today's cars you no longer have a ‘radio'...you have an in the dash module which controls all audio, including radio, time, other information, rear video, etc.

The problem manifested itself by fuses blowing causing the entire audio/video system to shut down...You could tell that there was a ‘short' somewhere in the system because repeated fuse replacement would result in anywhere from a month's continuous use, to a week, to a day, and even blowing fuses instantly upon insertion...

The dealer made several attempts to diagnose and find the problem, but to no avail...initially while the car remained under warranty, at no out of pocket expense to us, but more recently, now that the car has over 68,000 miles, ...at some expense to us...even suggesting we use higher amperage fuses to decrease the likelihood of re-occurrence (we went through dozens of these)...

Simply stated, about 75% of the time we have owned the vehicle we have not had use of the audio or video system...

When I was the primary driver of the car, I ignored the problem and put up with the inconvenience, but now that my wife is the primary driver, she constantly complained at having to forgo the convenience and need for a radio, clock, and rear seat entertainment for our antsy kids...SO...

We asked the dealer if they could make one more last ditch effort to ‘FIX THE PROBLEM' once and for all...We even agreed to spend $200.00 dollars of our own money to resolve the issue...even though the problem originated long before either warranty expired...

Long story short, after an additional two whole days in the shop, they were finally able to locate the source of the problem...It appeared that there were two wires behind the driver's seat which were bare and which would occasionally cause a short and fuses to blow...

At long last, we would finally have full use of the audio/video system for which we purchased the vehicle. The repair was relatively simple, but we were charged an additional  $100.00 for labor to correct the defective wires...

This is what sent me over the top and precipitated my call to Buick Customer Service...

I don't want to bore you with details, but after the initial Buick representative I spoke to suggested we put in for a reimbursement of $370.00, our request was flat out turned down by Buick Regional...which insisted that the situation was no longer under warranty...

So friends, if you're considering buying a GM car, you too may be victimized by ‘PASS THE BUCK' consumer service...

Even The Buick Rep who denied the claim agreed that he would have taken the same course of action as we did...BUT STILL REFUSED TO REIMBURSE US...

No common sense, no customer service, no golden rule here...only lip service and passing the buck...!!!

Have a great weekend...!!!

We arrived home late Thursday night from a well deserved, well earned, and long needed four day getaway vacation...

Traveling with seven makes for some challenging decisions while vacationing...

You want to enjoy everything, not miss much, and eat well...but budget considerations play a big role in all of this...

Well, the vacation was quite simple...but we all had a great time...Oh, don't get me wrong, there were the usual back seat(s) bickering, whining, and arguing...but nevertheless, they did not put a damper on our enjoyment...

We began our trip with a stop at Cooperstown, N.Y., site of the Baseball Hall Of Fame...Being a ‘baseball family', this did not disappoint...even brought a few tears...

Even though we had to leave early Monday morning, Cooperstown was definitely a worthwhile place to visit...I would highly recommend a visit there even for non-baseball lovers...great shopping, great food, and great hospitality abound, besides excellent baseball stuff...!!!

Late afternoon we headed for our next destination...Plymouth, Massachusetts...

Besides being the place where the early pilgrims landed in 1620 while sailing on the Mayflower, as evidenced by the ‘rock' called ‘Plymouth', this New England harbor town is a microcosm of New England life and leisure...

‘Whale Watching' is what attracted us, but there are so many other things to see and do...such as deep sea fishing, beach swimming, excellent sea food eateries, exploring the early settlements of our forefathers, and experiencing the gentle cool breezes of summer by the ocean in New England...

Boston and Cape Cod are within easy driving distance from Plymouth, MA, but we enjoy ‘off the beaten path' rather than ‘smash mouth' vacationing...

Even a traffic congested return home didn't take away the enjoyment we derived from our short but pleasant getaway...

Missed blogging, but not that much...!!!

Have a great weekend...!!!

For over three years I have experienced, or I should say a couple of my sons have experienced, what it takes to be a great little league coach...

Before I extol the virtues and talents of this coach, let me state a few facts which have a bearing on what I am about to say, and prove that this coach is human and not perfect...

This coach has an attitude about him...

This coach is somewhat disliked by some of his peers...

This coach sometimes argues with umpires over questionable calls...

This coach is way too hard on his own son...

This coach, like all of us, is not perfect...

Sounds like a rant so far, doesn't it...BUT...

Now let me list a few reasons why this coach is great for little league baseball...

Under this coach:

  All kids get a fair amount of playing time and more than a sufficient amount of baseball instruction...

  Every kid plays multiple positions, but never where the kid feels uncomfortable...

  Winning is a virtue instilled and stressed, but not at all costs...I have heard other coaches criticize this coach for putting players in positions which cause his team to lose or at least become too exposed or vulnerable...

  Each kid is taught the fundamentals of the game and markedly improves with practice and coaching...

  A kid is called out for improper technique, but patted on the back when he masters a skill...

  FUN is paramount at all practices and games...

  Baseball becomes very competitive, but not because of ‘stacking' or ‘drafting'...

I've seen this coach take kids no one else wants on their team...and turn them into decent baseball players... 

************ 

And the final proof that this coach deserves credit for knowing how to coach little leaguers...Each year this coach (and his saintly wife) set up a post season get together at the Reading Phillies at which most all parents and players are in attendance...

If your kid played for this coach, you would respect him...If your kid didn't play for this coach you may detest him...

I'm not going to reveal this coach's name in this post...He knows who he is and so do most everyone who has played for him...

But I do want to thank him here for his influence on my kids and their baseball skills...

As for me and my kids, he can coach us anytime...!!!

Who is at the center of YOUR Universe...???

It's a shame that modern technology in electronics has eliminated most all STATIC from our airwaves...else, we may be able to easily comprehend what it's like when we are not communicating on the right wavelength.......noise, static, chaos, miscommunication, and anarchy, instead of unity...

As I've written many times before about priorities, balance, juggling, moderation, and the like, many still don't get it...!!!

Focus, is the key...and awareness is the door through which we must walk...

Simply put, if we don't know God or have a relationship with Him...Upon Whom do we focus...

And therein lie all the problems of society, politics, family, spirituality, business, etc...

Unless The Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it...

Our focus must always be on Him or we are lost...

Lost in ourselves, our egos, our ambitions, our circumstances, our problems, our worries, and all the other DISTRACTIONS around us...

It's not easy, but, nevertheless, that is the challenge of life...to keep Christ and His Holy Spirit at the center of all that we are and all that we do...

Take His hand and walk with Him each day...!!!

Then, and only then, are we truly on the right WAVELENGTH, the right CHANNEL, the right PATH...!!!

Just getting off another weekend of tournament baseball...my main laptop computer is still out of commission...and I need a small window of opportunity between thunderstorms and baseball to get the lawn mowed...!!!

That's the extent of my apologies for not posting regularly lately...

Hoping to get my computer back on line and have some free time between the end of July and the beginning of Midget Football and Fall Baseball...

Last Sunday we celebrated my Aunt Catherine's 90th birthday. It was a great affair...she seemed surprised by it all and was overwhelmed by the large number of guests, including her only daughter Betty Ann who arranged the whole affair...

As my oldest living relative, Aunt Catherine is still in pretty good health...Over 60 people attended, and many old memories and ethnic recipes were shared...Good food, good company, and good stories...!!!

My father's ancestors came from Marche Province in Northeastern Italy...and those with this heritage are referred to as Marchegiani...The name of the town in Italy where they resided was called Ascoli Piceno...

It's amazing how many people and stories and recipes survive to preserve this heritage...

I'm hoping my children will be as proud of their heritage as were their ancestors, and I hope they learn to appreciate the freedoms we have in America and the real value of family and roots...!!!

Thanks to my loyal readers for hanging in there with me...!!!