I was finishing the construction of the home when Bush changed the tax system and I and many people lost everything. The Savings and Loans went bankrupt and out of business and I too was faced with full blown Chapter 7 bankruptcy, ouch. I fought off the bankruptcy for almost two years until Jim Ryan sat me down and told me to file and start over. Jim was a friend and a mega millionaire who owned Ryland Homes and had built over 100,000 homes. Jim lived on his 1,000 acre Equestrian estate right down the street from me. He was a great man who went out of his way to talk with me for hours. So, under Jim's guidance I filed bankruptcy and got out of the construction business, because you can’t build houses if your credit is destroyed. I switched to the mortgage business, helping people refinance and helping Realtors and builders with their clients. The mortgage business was easy for me. I knew tons of Realtors and many real good builders, like Dan Ryan and several others. I wound up being the number two producer for Paine Webber Mortgage my second year in the business. I think part of my success was due to the fact that I always answer my phone, I never let it go to voice mail. Most sales people let their calls go to VM and when they call the client back the client doesn’t recognize your phone number and doesn’t answer your call. I always answer and would be on my way to an appointment while most of my associates were still playing phone tag. I am also a very good listener. I'd ask questions and when people told me what they were trying to accomplish I simply provided them with possible solutions to help them reach their goals. Within two years of my bankruptcy, I had repaired my credit
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