Levi Shultz

Writer & Editor

I am a graduate of the University of North Texas, with a BA in English: Creative Writing. My primary academic focus had been on short fiction and poetry with some experience in journalism and non-fiction writing.

More recently, I was an academic advisor for Pearson Education for a little over three years, providing research support and proposals for students interested in pursuing a degree at various colleges.

I've had two writing/editing internships, one at Square 205, a creative branding and marketing company in Denton, Texas, and the other at HousingWire, a B2B publication regarding housing, real estate, lending, etc.

In addition, I wrote a few blog posts while employed at Lumerit Education (now a part of Pearson Education).

I currently reside in San Antonio with my wife, Jessica, and our two dogs, Sookie and Tito.

You can contact me at [email protected].

Portfolio
Pearsonaccelerated
What I Wish I Knew as a Creative Writing Major

I thought I'd make a career out of writing. That's what I went to college for. I majored in English: Creative Writing because I loved it. I enjoyed sitting in the classroom, talking to my peers about short stories and poetry... until my senior year rolled around. What was after college?

Housingwire
11/19/2014
Reuters: DOJ collects $24.7 billion in settlements in 2014

Earlier today, the Federal Housing Finance Agency's eighth seminannual report stated that $353 million in criminal fines and restitution orders have been collected due to the OIG's investigative efforts. Simultaneously, Reuters reported an accumulated $24.7 billion in penalties from fraud and other cases collected by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Housingwire
10/30/2014
Borrowers find refuge in nonbank mortgage loans

Nonbank lending is growing as homebuyers rejected by big banks turn toward non-QM loan options. "Approximately 20% of the loans we close every month are referred by banks that won't close the loan for one reason or another," said Michael Stowers, branch manager of the San Diego imortgage office.

Housingwire
09/29/2014
Nationstar recovers from neutral to buy

Nationstar Mortgage was upgraded from "neutral" to "buy" by Sterne Agee with a price target of $42.00. According to Nationstar's spokesman, John Hoffman, the company became one of the largest mortgage servicers in the U.S., boasting a portfolio of $28.9 billion UPB as of March 31, 2014.

Housingwire
09/16/2014
California man found guilty in $5.8 million mortgage fraud scheme

Alan David Tikal, 46, of Brentwood, California, was convicted yesterday on 11 counts of mail fraud and one count of money laundering in a mortgage fraud scheme through which he stole $5.8 million in fees and monthly payments from struggling homeowners.

Housingwire
09/10/2014
WATCH: Heart-warming home improvement video with surprise ending

Hornbach, a German home improvement store, released a new "back-to-school" commercial two weeks ago that has already gained 2.3 million views on YouTube, adding it into the viral video club. The video shows a day in the life of a bullied goth teen. However, it's actually an ad for do-it-yourself projects on your home.

Housingwire
08/26/2014
Architect plans to 3D-print the first two-story house

Minnesota-based Andrey Rudenko completed the world's first 3D-printed, large-scale model of a castle. Now he aspires to construct a two-story house with his self-designed printer. Similar attempts at affordable, quick housing have already been made. In Amsterdam, the 3D Canal House project is currently underway, and in April a Chinese company buillt 10 3D houses in a 24-hour period.

Housingwire
08/06/2014
Century 21 sweeps J.D. Power real estate awards

Century 21 placed first in all four categories of J.D. Power's 2014 Home Buyer/Seller Satisfaction Study, which ranks top real estate firms by customer satifcation. "Satisfying first-time buyers is critical for real estate firms to differentiate themselves," said Christina Cooley, director in the diversified services industries practice at J.D. Power.

Housingwire
07/31/2014
Only 1 mortgage company makes Black Enterprise 100 list

For 2014, there is still only 1 mortgage company that made the Black Enterprise 100 list Every year Black Enterprise Magazine releases their BE 100 list, which ranks the top black-owned businesses in the U.S. Urban Lending Solutions, which provides a suits of mortgage-related services, the company was listed at number 19 on the list, down from 16 the year before.

Square 205
09/10/2013
DIY Websites vs Professional Web Design - Square 205

Today's businesses market themselves through the internet. The goal is to make a unique, stand-out website that draws people to their products and/or services. One can use either a Do-It-Yourself web design company like Wix or 1&1, or a custom design company such as Square 205 or NoFavorite.