Ladd Air Force Base (Fairbanks, Alaska) was my birthplace but my earliest memories are on the family farm in Alberta, Canada. My start in this business was as a Realtor in 1976 and I began working as a mortgage loan officer in October 1978. At that time, interest rates were approaching 10% – little did I know we would see an 18.63% by October 1981. Many years later, I remember turning to another loan officer and remarking, "if rates ever get below 10% again, I'm going to kiss the ground". At that time, I never could have imagined we would see the interest rate lows we have seen this year. Probably my best "war story" happened in the boom period after rates finally stayed below 10%. I was out one Saturday morning and cold called a Realtor working a Builder model home. He, of course, was regularly working with another loan officer but did say he would give me a try. Later, I would discover that in one 12-month period, we had closed 99 transactions – some new, some homes that buyers were selling in order to get their new home.Most of my free time now is spent with family (21 grand-children) or, more quietly, doing family history and genealogical research. I would welcome the opportunity to meet and work with you. I don't know all of the answers but generally know where to find them.