Thursday, December 8, 2016

Conforming Loan Limits Set To Increase For 2017

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has announced that it is increasing the maximum conforming loan limits for mortgage loans beginning in 2017.  A mortgage loan is considered “conforming” when it is eligible to be acquired by Fannie Mae and/or Freddie Mac. (Mortgages are often sold to Fannie or Freddie so that a lender has the liquidity/money available …

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Thursday, November 17, 2016

Celebrating Our Veterans

Benchmark is thankful for all United States veterans and the sacrifices they’ve made for our country. We asked some of our own veterans here at Benchmark to share what makes them proud to have served our great nation. I am proud to have served in the US Navy. Volunteering four years of my life seems …

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Tuesday, November 15, 2016

5 Ways to Adjust To Your New City

Whether you are striking out to your first job after college, or moving your whole family for a job relocation; moving is hard. Here are a few helpful tips to successfully begin adjusting to your new surroundings. Plan Your New Commute Think ahead, and plan the routes you’ll eventually need to follow. Knowing the quickest …

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Thursday, November 3, 2016

Buying Still Cheaper Than Renting

Even in light of rising home prices, Trulia‘s October 2016 “Rent vs. Buy Report” successfully argues that owning your home with a conventional 30-year fixed rate mortgage costs less than renting in major US metros, even in high priced areas like Honolulu, HI (which sees 17.4% cost reduction over renting). The highest difference was 53.2% in Miami, FL …

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Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Why Rising Home Prices Are Good News!

Most agree that home prices have risen, and are still on the rise. We have written about why this is not like the housing bubble that we saw nearly ten years ago. In some areas, there are not enough homes for sale to meet the demands of home buyers, and prices are driven up organically. see – Low …

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Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Leaves and Trends Change Colors Every Fall: Pantone’s Fall Colors for 2016

Fall brings changes the colors outdoors, but it doesn’t stop there. Pantone releases their fall colors annually. According to Pantone, this year’s fall color palette represents “a unity of strength, confidence and complexity.” The colors, inspired by “the desire for tranquility, strength and optimism” are led by the Blue family. Each of the individual colors …

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Monday, October 10, 2016

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Appraisal Shortage Causing Delays In Home Sales

CNBC published an article on their Real Estate blog entitled, “‘Massive’ shortage of appraisers causing home sales delays” Below are a few quotes that summarize the story quickly, in case you don’t have the time or patience to read the article yourself. “The appraisal shortage is massive. You’re seeing significant delays, you’re seeing cost increases, …

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Wednesday, September 28, 2016

5 Easy Tips for Fall Decorations

Think Outside The Pumpkin Make your fall pumpkin stand out by decorating the OUTSIDE, rather than gutting it. Not only does this broaden the possibilities to glitter, paint, melting crayons, and more, but it could also prolong the life of your beautiful gourd.   Warm Hues + Neutrals = Autumn Environment Bring the autumn indoors by …

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Friday, September 2, 2016

A New School Year Means New Opportunities

As we are in early September, and most school districts have been in session for at least a week, it’s a good time to pause and reflect. Every year, students begin afresh in a new grade, families return to a routine anchored in a schedule created by the school(s) their children attend, friends are reunited while …

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Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Jump in New Home Sales Highest Since 2008

According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau, new single family home sales in June grew by 3.5%* over May, and 25.4%** over June 2015. The seasonally adjusted annual rate was 592,000 in June, and 572,000 was the revised rate in May. The rate in June …

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Friday, June 24, 2016

The EU Referendum, Brexit, and US Mortgage Rates

“The sudden stop in employment growth rules out any chance of a rate hike from the Fed at next week’s FOMC meeting, particularly now that the UK vote on whether to leave the European Union appears to be going down to the wire,” said Capital Economics Chief Economist Paul Ashworth.  (source: Housingwire.com) Britain’s exit from the …

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Thursday, June 16, 2016

Is More Housing Inventory On The Horizon?

There has been a lot of talk about the rising value of houses in recent years. While some have expressed concern over another 2008 style housing bubble forming, we have dispelled this notion. While economics is a bit more complicated, most moves are the direct result of what you may have learned in school: supply and …

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Thursday, June 2, 2016

Benchmark Loan Officer Competes on American Ninja Warrior

Meet Grant Clinton. Grant Clinton is a Loan Originator and Branch Manager in our awesome branch in Houston, TX! We are proud to announce that Grant will be competing as an American Ninja Warrior in the Oklahoma City Qualifier on June 20th!     THE OVERCOMER With an outstanding history as a gymnast, Grant Clinton was …

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Monday, April 18, 2016

DIY Self-Draining Bath Toy Storage

This post is inspired by: http://ift.tt/1Pfe0zD If you have a small child (or small children), you probably have “too many” bath toys, and would benefit from an easy-access storage system. Better yet, an easy-access storage system that drains automatically. Well, you’ve come to the right place. DIY Bath Toy Organizer This set up is great! Your …

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Build A Decorative Mug Plaque!

This post is inspired by: http://ift.tt/1wkcikQ If you rely on a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, you probably don’t keep it a secret. Let’s turn your favorite dish in the cupboard (the noble mug) into a centerpiece of pride! Have you ever wanted to show off your stunning collection of unique mugs? Do you …

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Build A Stylish Dog Food Station

This post is inspired by: http://ift.tt/1PLTQP3 While this may be a project for big dogs, you can certainly adapt the concept to fit your own adorable fur ball! This dog food station nests the food and water bowls into the top, so there is no chance of them being knocked around, or knocked over. Are you …

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Make Your Own Decorative Key Holder!

This post is inspired by: http://ift.tt/WquEoZ Do you love whimsical decorations? What about decorations that are also useful? If you have ever misplaced your keys, you may have tried to assign a place for them. The plan, anyway, is to always know where they are (at least when you’re home). Did it work? The best way to actually …

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Thursday, March 31, 2016

Low Housing Inventory Driving Values Up

Many people may have been watching home values steadily rise over the past year, and notice that it isn’t slowing down. Another Housing Bubble? Is this the aftershocks of 2008? Has sub-prime lending made a comeback as the Federal Reserve has hesitated to raise interest rates? Are new homeowners soon to be upside down on …

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Tuesday, March 29, 2016

We Are A Top Mortgage Company In America!

Mortgage Executive Magazine named Benchmark Mortgage among the Top 100 Mortgage Companies in America in their Spring 2016 issue. We are honored and proud to be recognized!

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Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Benchmark Cares: Achievement Center of Texas

CORPORATE CHAMPIONS WHO CARE AWARD

2009-CORPORATE-CHAMPIONS-WHO-CARE-AWARD_optimized

The 2009 Corporate recipient of this prestigious award( is Benchmark Mortgage and their co-founders Bryan Harlan and Stewart Hunter. Two years ago, they created what is known as the Benchmark Loving Cup Fund which assists families and their special needs individuals to remain at the Achievement Center during hard economic times. This fund is based on one dollar contributed for every successful Benchmark transaction nationwide. Former Dallas Cowboy great, and FOX sports announcer, Daryl Johnston presented the award. Johnston received the first individual Champions Who Care Award in 2007 and is a true supporter of the Achievement Center of Texas.

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While we do a lot of work to support our nation’s veterans, we also give to other philanthropic causes.

We have a fund called the “Benchmark Loving Cup Fund” for the Achievement Center of Texas. Marilynne Serie, Executive Director of the Achievement Center of Texas, recently gave us an idea of the reach of our fund in a letter thanking Benchmark for our support. Below is a sampling of the letter to show what it is that the Achievement Center of Texas does, and how the Benchmark Loving Cup Fund helps to support their cause.

“We served 6 students with funds from the Loving Cup which greatly helped them to afford the services here at the Achievement Center. Among the programs that we offered are functional living skills, personal health and hygiene, gardening, sensory motor training, arts exploration (both visual and performing arts), robotics (utilizing our newly acquired robot “Milo” who teaches children with autism). Researchers have found children with autism relate better to the robot than to a human. Our community inclusion program is designed to get students out into their community to experience a world of adventure. As part of this program, students participated recently in World Habitat Day where hey planted seeds, played challenging games, and had lunch with the people of Habitat for Humanity. This year they will visit the Heard museum to see the animals, they will visit a ranch, visit Springcreek Forest Preserve, and will see many new things that they never dreamed of seeing or experiencing…

..

..While we cannot give the names of the students due to strict confidentiality regulation, I am pleased to tell you that you have ben a godsend to these families. It is heart wrenching to tell a parent that we can’t take their child when they depend  on us so heavily for our services which allows them to work to provide the high cost of care for their disabled family member. We hope that Benchmark will continue to help our families each year. It is a wonderful thing that you do.”

Marilynne Serie
Executive Director

To learn more about the Achievement Center of Texas, we have included a few snippets from their website, or you can visit their website by clicking the Achievement Center of Texas logo, or by clicking the URL below.

Achievement Center of Texas Logo

The Achievement Center of Texas is a licensed non-profit day care and day habilitation center for children and adults with special needs. Every effort is made to offer families their choices in services and to support those choices wherever possible. In providing a wide range of services in the least restrictive environment, students at the Achievement Center can grow and develop physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially working toward greater independence and more satisfying way of life.

 Our goal is to teach individuals the skills they need to be able to participate in the life of the community and to enjoy the same opportunities available to their non-disabled peers and family members.

Q. Are scholarships available to low income families who do not have HCS or other agency support?
A. Yes. We have the Garland Community Development Block Grant Funds and Benchmark Loving Cup Fund. Each one has special restrictions and these funds are allocated quickly.

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Monday, January 4, 2016

15 New Years Resolutions And the Secret to Keeping Them

Happy New Year!

The fresh start of a new year is always nice. The ups and downs of 2015 are left behind, and a bright new canvas lies ahead.

What are your hopes and dreams for this New Year? Maybe amidst all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, you haven’t had a chance to make your resolutions. If that sounds familiar, here are a few ideas for inspiration.

15 New Year’s Resolution Ideas for Procrastinators

  1. Of course, the most popular one of all…get in shape!
  2. Read more.
  3. Spend more time with your loved ones.
  4. Get a promotion.
  5. Save money.
  6. Take a class in something that interests you.
  7. Volunteer.
  8. Start a new hobby.
  9. Mend a relationship.
  10. Travel.
  11. Make new friends.
  12. Start a journal.
  13. Learn a new language.
  14. Get more sleep.
  15. Be more thankful.

Making Them Stick

Even more important than making your resolution, is to have an actionable plan to be successful in reaching your goals.

  1. It is also important that you set a realistic goal.
  2. Keep yourself accountable.
  3. Automate when possible.
  4. Eliminate temptation.
  5. Most importantly, be motivated. Without motivation, it will be next to impossible to change your habits. This is also why it is so important that your goal be realistic. Success boosts your confidence to keep going.

Example: If you are want to get in shape, find a work out partner. You are much more likely to get out of bed and get to the gym at 5:30 am (or whatever time you schedule.. which is important.. schedule it!) if you have someone relying on you to be there for them.

Example: If you want to save money, open a savings account, write out a budget plan, and set up an automatic transfer with your bank. If the money isn’t in your spending account, you won’t be tempted to spend it.

A tip to keep yourself accountable without a partner: Post your resolutions in a place it will catch your attention often, and share them with your family and friends who can help you achieve your goals.

A Resolution for Everyone

Last but not least, let’s all make more mistakes this year. You will absolutely love this quote from Neil Gaiman:

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re doing something.

So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.”

So Here’s to 2016!

Let’s make it a great one full of fun, happiness, and love!

 

C-Gomez
C. Gomez
C. Gomez works at our corporate office as an administrative assistant. She recently welcomed a new addition into her family as she became a new mom! She contributed the foundation for this article. Thank you!

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