What follows is a true story. In fact it really only just ended today and I am lucky because it could have taken months to even know there was a problem.

So what I am about to tell you is in regards to my own personal CREDIT CRISIS and how I resolved it and what you can do to ensure it does not happen to you.

First you need to know some things about me. I have excellent credit - my score being north of 800. This does not happen by accident. It takes years of faithfully paying on time and NOT taking out too much debt.

One of the things this helped me to receive is a no limit credit card from a very reputable international supplier. So there I was on Monday, minding my own business when i get a letter from this esteemed organization which essentially said the following.

"Your no limit account now has a limit. We reached this decision after careful review of your account including an assessment of information obtained from consumer reporting agencies."

WHAT? Are you kidding me??

I was mad at first. I called them and asked for an explanation, but they would not give me one. I went through that really terrible escalation process to reach someone with at least three brain cells who then told me "Experian are telling us really bad stuff about you."

WHAT?? (again!!).

They could not tell me what the bad stuff was, merely that it was bad. I thought my ID had been stolen. I immediately called a mortgage broker buddy of mine and asked him to pull my credit. Very quickly I received an e-mail with the subject line "Something is DEFINITELY wrong..." he too thought my ID had been stolen.

I called the FBI - they weren't working because it was a national holiday (I swear that really scary answer is what I was given!) and so I called the non emergency line of my local Sheriff's office. And a deputy arrived within ten minutes. I was impressed! He himself had been the victim of ID theft and having spent ten minutes looking at my newly acquired credit report while my pet Lab was licking his bare knees (this is Florida people - our Deputies wear shorts!), he then told me that he did NOT think my ID had been stolen, but that Experian had made a huge data input error.

Now the FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT THING TO DO when you find yourself in this or a similar situation is to call ALL THREE of the credit reporting companies (names and phone numbers at the bottom of this blog). There you will find an automated system where you can put a fraud alert on your credit. This means no one can pull your credit or open a new account in your name without you knowing about it. Each one will tell you (automatically) that they will tell the other two, but I did not trust that and so took the time to report to all three.

The next thing to do is to try and find a human being to talk to at Experian. NOT EASY!! First you have to BUY (really, I'm not joking) your credit report from them. The fact that you have one in your hand is not relevant - you have to purchase their version. Once you have that, you are given another phone number which is not available any other way, and you can call that. Again it is automated but by dialing ZERO repeatedly, you will eventually be put through to someone.

Once you tell that person your story, you will be transferred to the "special agent" section - and there I spent 45 minutes with this delightful woman who asked me a whole bunch of questions and then wen t about putting everything right.

FIFTY TWO Simon L Conways had been aded to my account. SEVEN social security numbers (I have no idea how that is even possible) and then a judgment and around 75 accounts in collections - all now deleted.

The thing is - I was lucky.

I was lucky that my credit card company is one of the best in the world and contacted me so quickly. I was lucky that I am in fact the first male member of my family BORN with the last name CONWAY (my dad changed his name back in the 1940s). I am lucky I don't have a whole bunch of siblings. I am lucky I have daughters and that there are no "juniors" or later editions of me. Apparently if all those other things had been there, this could have taken months to sort out.

ONE TIP that I found very useful. When filling out forms you should use your whole name - not just middle initial, but your middle name whenever possible. This reduces the risk of you going through what I just had to.

And then finally, don't forget the final piece of the jigsaw. I am now working with my credit card company to remove the red flag. You see even though I have a perfect "never late" record with them, there is now a red flag. They will report that red flag back to the credit agencies and that will bring my credit score down.

YOU MUST STAY ON TOP OF THIS. I don't have much credit. Last time I asked for any was this April. It could be years before I will need more which means I would never have known. More on how to protect yourself in future blogs, in the meantime here are the contact numbers for the credit reporting agencies if you wish to place fraud alerts on your credit.

Image courtesy of blogging.com

Equifax Information Services LLC - 800-685-1111

Experian - 888-397-3742

TransUnion LLC - 866-887-2673

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(Copyright © 2008 By Simon L Conway All Rights Reserved.)

Please give me a call if you have questions about the Central Florida real estate market. You can reach me on 407 876 8200. Also visit my web site at www.simonconway.net or www.move2orlando.net

Where is the leader?

Our nation is in crisis and in less than 40 days we will be voting for a new President. Whichever one of the two you think you are supporting, surely there must be one thing we all agree on. We need a leader!

But we have a situation right now that almost defies belief.We have Obama saying "you want a President that can do more than one thing at a time", but right now we have the financial equivalent of missiles flying over the polar ice caps. Guess what Senator? When the missiles are flying I want your 100% focus on that ONE issue!

Then we have McCain who is trying to negotiate across party lines. Right now all I can say about him is at least he's doing something!

What neither one of them is doing is LEADING! Take a STAND! Tell us what you mean and what you think and ORDER your party members to follow. If you cannot lead, then get out of the way and we the people will find someone who can.

The debate tonight is supposed to be about foreign policy. We will not suffer if it is delayed by a few days. So cut the crap and show us leadership.

I don't care if I disagree with your position. Stand up and be counted. You are not doing so because you are afraid that if the deal that is ultimately done (and don't mistake that a deal will be done) is not the solution you propose, then you will look stupid.

WE DON'T CARE. We want a LEADER who will put the country first and their own ambitions second.

NOW GO TO WORK!

For years now there have been problems in the Orlando area with "ugly" signs. Those small temporary signs you find at intersections offering everything from granite, to pool screen enclosures, to homes for sale and f course, Open houses.

Now while I personally think Open Houses are a complete waste of time and are in fact unfair to the sellers of property - exposing them to theft, liability and danger while having almost no chance of selling their homes (less than 1% of all home sales come through open house activity), I do understand that some Realtors like them because they can get new clients from them.

Right now putting out those signs without permission will help you fall foul of the authorities and some - like Orange County in Florida - actually have trucks running around picking up the signs and removing them.

Well now it seems there is a change of heart happening. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Oviedo City Council members are preparing to pass an ordinance that would allow businesses to use temporary signs to advertise sales and specials. The Oviedo-Winter Springs Regional Chamber of Commerce wants Winter Springs to consider less-strict sign regulations as well.

So this "sign of the times" as businesses figure out how to deal with the current economy has others watching and waiting.

Again, the Orlando Sentinel: Officials in Winter Garden in Orange County, who have heard from Realtors and other businesses, plan to look at Oviedo's proposal. "We're going to try to accommodate them, without blanketing the city in signs," said Winter Garden City Manager Mike Bollhoefer.

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(Copyright © 2008 By Simon L Conway All Rights Reserved.)

Please give me a call if you have questions about the Central Florida real estate market. You can reach me on 407 876 8200. Also visit my web site at www.simonconway.net or www.move2orlando.net

The Buter Chain of Lakes in the Dr Phillips/Windermere areas of South West Orlando, is perhaps the finest chain of lakes in all of central Florida. Apart from your celebrity nighbors such as Shaq and Tiger, the lakes take you back in time to REAL Florida.

Every now and then an opportunity arises that you should really pay attention to. Rarely is it possible to find vacant land on the Butler Chain of Lakes in the Dr Phillips and Windermere area. And yet rarer still is to find three side by side lots all with frontage for sale all at the same time.

This is just such an opportunity and my clients are custom builders who have put together some incredible plans.

This is a TRULY AMAZING OPPORTUNITY to acquire a custom built home on more than a one acre home site on the Butler Chain of Lakes.

This beautiful Estate's incredible features include exquisite beautiful tropical landscaping with lighting. We have DIRECT LAKE FRONTAGE on Lake Sheen for this incredible home.

Patterned brick pavers; 3 Car Garage; Faux Paint and Iron Work Detail; Dominating Mediterranean Themed Stone Work and Wraught Iron Balconies.

Inside we have all main flooring with Crema Marfil Marble Chiseled French Versailles Pattern; Foyer area with intricate detailed Glass Mosaics; Dining area with exotic Marble flooring with border & glass mosaics inserts. Beautiful detailed ceiling effect in Foyer, Living, Kitchen, Family Room & Master Bedrooms. Extensive use of crown molding in all areas. 10 inch baseboard throughout the house. Solid core wooden doors with raised moldings.

BATHROOMS: Powder Bath has hand carved furniture piece with marble top. All bathrooms include furniture cabinetry with marble tops. Showers all have stone, porcelain & glass designs. Unique free form pool with beach area. Beautiful use of glass tile borders along pool. Underground in ground pool speaker system. Five water jets elegantly shoot from the pool border into the pool. The same builder is building three side by side homes all of similar standard.

This one is almost 7,000 square feet of incredible luxury. It has six bedrooms and seven and a half bathrooms and can be yours for $3,390,000. If you want to buy all three, then a substantial discount would be available.

CALL TODAY and turn that dream into reality. 407 876 8200.

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(Copyright © 2008 By Simon L Conway All Rights Reserved.)

Please give me a call if you have questions about the Central Florida real estate market. You can reach me on 407 876 8200. Also visit my web site at www.simonconway.net or www.move2orlando.net

As regular readers of my blog will know, I recently completed a seven year journey to citizenship of this great nation. Now this week has seen two further milestones!

My United States passport arrived in the mail yesterday, and today I went and voted for the first time in my new home. Yes that's me outside the polling place at lunchtime today after I had cast my vote to throw out the incumbents!

The importance of exercising your democratic rights have perhaps never been more important than they are today.

We have the incredible men and women of our military right now as I write this, trying to ensure those same rights to people who have been living under one of the most brutal dictatorships the world has ever known. The first time they were given the opportunity - and risking their own lives to do so - the Iraqi people came out in their millions and dipped their fingers in purple ink to show the world they had cast their votes.

Of course it is equally your right to not go and vote although personally I believe that means you give up your right to complain. Before you don't go, I urge you to think of the sacrifice so many have made to enable you to make that choice.

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(Copyright © 2008 By Simon L Conway All Rights Reserved.)

Please give me a call if you have questions about the Central Florida real estate market. You can reach me on 407 876 8200. Also visit my web site at www.simonconway.net or www.move2orlando.net