Enjoy!
Epic Fail Tuesday 2/14/12 – Happy Valentine’s Day
Joaquin’s Triangle Weekend Guide – February 10-12, 2012
For more information, click on the links below.
February 10, 2012“Reckoning with the Civil War” Lecture “Why Paranormal is the New Normal” by journalist and author Steve Volk Ashley & The Awesome Owls Booch n’ Beer Break-Out Party Coffee Cupping Community Campfire Couple Aphrodisiac Cooking Class Harvey Dalton Arnold Band Matt Hill NC Dream Team Benefit Dance Party Shades of Blue The Duke Street Dawgs |
February 10 – 11, 2012“The Game” Play |
February 10 – 12, 2012“Black Mama Monologues” Play |
February 10 – 16, 2012Oscar-nominated Shorts Screening |
February 11, 2012“Celebration of Love” Luncheon for Seniors “Let’s Misbehave” Valentine’s Cabaret Art Market at Vega Metals: One HeArt Day! Author Dr. John Q. Williams Beltline Brew Tours Comedian Steve Harvey Drag Bingo – Black Hearts Bingo Duke vs. Maryland (Men’s Basketball) Durham Art Guild’s Sweet Arts Fundraiser Durham Farmers’ Market Fair Trade Chocolate Tasting Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana Garage Bar: Nick Moss Mathew Conklin Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas (Live Music) NCCU vs Savannah State University (Men’s Basketball) NCCU vs Savannah State University (Women’s Basketball) Photoshop for the Nature Photographer Course Begins Pipe Red and White Ball Shop for a Cause Sparkling Wine Tasting Swing at the Gardens! Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tour The Explorers Club The Fairlanes The Second City Viennese Ball |
February 11 – 12, 2012“Big Lebowski: The Musical” Performance |
February 12, 2012“A Chocolate Affaire” Benefit Event “To Free A Family” Lecture and Book Signing 8th Annual Valentine’s Day Jazz Concert Author Sarah Wendell Carolina Jaguars vs. Carolina Cougars (Men’s Basketball) Cynthia Wade and Jazz Mine Geezer Pleezer 4 Miler Sean K Preston Winter Hikes (Sundays) |
Courtesy of the Durham CVB. Visit them online at http://www.durham-nc.com/
Epic Fail Tuesday 2/7/12
Next time you see me, ask me why Epic Fail Wednesday is now on Tuesdays for the month of February.
For now, enjoy these great fails!
Joaquin’s Triangle Weekend Guide – February 3-5, 2012
For more information, click on the links below.
February 3, 2012Bill O’Reilly Carrington Middle School Zumbathon Coffee Cupping Drew Questell & The Express Durty Durham Presents: EDM Learn To Live Pain Free Mike Birbiglia Night Hike Ocie Davis Trio Pre-Dating.com Speed Dating The Infidels |
||
February 3 – 4, 2012Bull City Metal Fest |
||
February 4, 2012“Flamenco Alive! New Research in the Vital Art of Flamenco” Lecture, Panel and Master Class Annual Native American Powwow Art Market at Vega Metals – Saturday Market Beekeeping for Beginners Class Begins Build a Solar Oven from Scrap Materials Collage Workshop Durham Farmers’ Market Full Moon Om Meditation Henry’s Rifle Hip Hop in Heels How to Plant a “Premium” Rose Garden MLK/Black History Month Parade Soul Play Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tour The Bethesda Bluegrass Band The Morning After Wine Tasting Zumba Plus! Workshop
Courtesy of the Durham CVB. Visit them online at http://www.durham-nc.com/ |
Final Epic Fail Wednesday – Last one…until March, that is!
We are making a slight change to Epic Fail Wednesday. For the month of February only, we are moving this regularly scheduled program to Tuesdays. I apologize in advance for any inconveniences this may cause. We’ll be back on the regular schedule on March 7. Thanks!
Now, go and enjoy some good quality fails!
Joaquin’s Triangle Weekend Guide – January 27-29, 2012
For more information, click on the links below.
January 27, 2012Coffee Cupping Contra Dance Jon Shain Trio w/ Lizzy Ross Killer Filler NCTA Outlook for IT 2012 Sandy Hackett’s Rat Pack Show String Peddlers The Maya and 2012 with Latin American Scholar Robert Sitler Wig Out Dance Party |
| January 27 – 28, 2012 Claremont Trio  An illustrious two-decade chamber music institution that plays with a refined wit and poetic intensity worthy of its literary namesake. Tickets $30, $5 Duke students. January 27 – 28, 2012 8pm Nelson Music Room in Duke’s East Duke Bldg., Duke East Campus (919) 684-4444 |
| January 27 – 29, 2012 The Power of Meditation This retreat will bring each participant along on this contemplative journey of exploring the magnitude of mindfulness, and discover greater balance of mind, generosity of heart, and a stronger conviction for the practice of meditation. Lunch served each day. Cost $345. January 27 – 29, 2012 F 8:30am-5pm, Sa 9am-5pm. Su 9am-4pm Duke Center for Integrative Medicine, 3475 Erwin Rd. (919) 660-6826 |
January 28, 2012Art Market at Vega Metals – Saturday Market Central Park School for Children “Save Our Arts” Benefit Chamber Music Master Class with the Claremont Trio Chamber Music Master Class with Trio Jean Paul Duke vs. St. John’s (Men’s Basketball) Durham Farmers’ Market Hip-Hop in Heels Workshop Jason King Journal-Making Workshop MacLachlan Bower Overkill NCCU vs Delaware State University (Men’s Basketball) NCCU vs Delaware State University (Women’s Basketball) Shopping Experience, to benefit Parkwood Volunteer Fire Department Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tour The Sea Wolf Mutiny Tobacco Trail Trot 5K Two-Day Nature Photography Winter Workshop Begins |
January 29, 2012Angela Bingham Quartet Carolina Jaguars vs. Johnson City MadHatters (Men’s Basketball) Free Family Day at the Nasher Museum Jasme Kelly Organ Recital Sunday Tea with Judith C. Bell Winter Hikes (Sundays) Courtesy of the Durham CVB. Visit them online at http://www.durham-nc.com/ |
Mortgage Rate Alert – January 26, 2012
Here are today’s mortgage rates, courtesy of Debbie Owens with PrimeLending.
Conventional: 740 credit score; 80% LTV; w/escrow account
30 yr fx 3.75% w/ 1% origination
20 yr fx 3.75% w/ .50% origination
15 yr fx 3% w/ 1% origination
5/1 ARM 2.875% w/ 1% origination
7/1 ARM 3% w/ 1% origination
10/1 ARM 3.625% w/1% origination
FHA: 640 credit score 96.5% (call for quotes with scores between 600 – 639)
30 yr fx 3.75% w/ 0% origination
20 yr fx 3.75% w/ 0% origination
15 yr fx 3.5% w/ 0% origination
5/1 ARM 2.75% w/ 0% origination
For more information, contact Debbie Owens at PrimeLending.
919.854.4457 | dowens@primelending.com
Also, if you would like to prequalify online, visit https://lo.primelending.com/dowens
Freestyle Thursday – My Super Bowl Predictions. If you care.
Super Bowl XLVI (or Super Bowl 46 for those of us non-Romans) will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana on February 5, 2012. Kick off will be at approximately 6:30 pm EST. The two participants are the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. It will be televised on NBC. National Anthem singer is Kelly Clarkson. Halftime entertainer is Madonna. Those are the details.
Now, for you degenerate gamblers out there (myself included), here are my official Super Bowl 46 predictions:
– Final Score: New York Giants (27), New England Patriots (42)
– Super Bowl Winner: New England Patriots
– MVP: Tom Brady
– First Touchdown (non QB): Rob Gronkowski
– QB With The Most Passing Yards: Tom Brady (355)
– Coin Toss Winner: New York Giants
– First Commercial (after kick off): Bud Light
– Time it will take Kelly Clarkson to sing the National Anthem: 127 seconds
– Number of times announcers say the name ‘Tim Tebow’ during broadcast: 23
– Times the cameras will show an actor from an NBC sitcom: 12
Finally, I’ll close with a picture of something Sienna wore today. Sienna is my 4 year old daughter and, well, she has a style all her own. I will probably close a lot of these Freestyle Thursday posts with a picture of some crazy outfit she picked out, just because I love her style.
Thank you for tuning in. Until next week, follow your bliss.
JA
Epic Fail Wednesday – Photoshop Hack Jobs
Here’s a shocker. Sometimes on the internet, newspapers and in advertisements, things are not what they appear to be. And to facilitate this little trip from reality to the dream world, there is a quaint little software program called Photoshop which edits photos in just about every possible way imaginable. Sometimes, real professionals do a masterful job with subtle retouches. Other times, however….
Enjoy, and have a great week!
Newly Redesigned! Your thoughts…
Stuff You Need to Know: Credit Scores and how they affect mortgage fees.
Your FICO score has always influenced the mortgage rate for which you’re eligible. In 2008, though, it began to change your loan fees.
In response to major mortgage market losses, in April 2008, both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac introduced something called Loan-Level Pricing Adjustments (LLPA). Loan-level pricing adjustments are “discount points” added to a mortgage rate, based on a specific borrower’s risk to the lender.
A discount point is a loan fee, paid at the time of closing. 1 discount point is equal to 1 percent of your loan size.
Example : A $300,000 mortgage that’s assessed 1 discount point will have $3,000 in extra fees due at closing.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac know that low credit scores correlate to high default rates so, like an insurance policy, they assigned the highest costs to the highest-risk borrowers.
Assuming a 20% downpayment, look at how discount points change based on credit score. Fees get massive for FICOs under 700.
- 740+ FICO : There are no discount points required. This loan is “low risk”.
- 720-739 FICO : 0.250 discount points are charged to the borrower, or $250 per $100,000 borrowed
- 700-719 FICO : 0.750 discount points are charged to the borrower, or $750 per $100,000 borrowed
- 680-699 FICO : 1.500 discount points are charged to the borrower, or $1,500 per $100,000 borrowed
- 660-679 FICO : 2.500 discount points are charged to the borrower, or $2,500 per $100,000 borrowed
Now, not many new home buyers just have that kind of extra cash just laying around. Therefore, as an alternative to paying discount points with cash, many choose to “roll up” the fees into their respective mortgage rates. In general, 1.000 discount point can be “traded in” for a 0.250 increase to your mortgage rate.
Example : A consumer with a 680 FICO score is required to pay 1.500 discount points at closing, or can alternatively accept a mortgage rate increase of 0.375%.
This is why it’s important to keep your credit score high. There are real dollar costs for having scores under 740. Below is a chart of the components that make up a credit score.
If you would like some more information, please call me. I will be more than happy to clarify what is accepted and what isn’t in the state of North Carolina.
Joaquin Aguayo | 919.641.2253 | joaquin@gorealty.biz
Joaquin’s Triangle Weekend Guide – January 20-22, 2012
For more information and to order tickets, click on the links below.
January 20, 2012“Screened” Reception “The Wanderlust of Sed Miles” Gallery Talk Author/Comedian Bill Cosby CenterFest – Creative Community Focus Group Charity Dominoes Tournament Chirba Chirba Dumpling Truck Documentary Screening Coffee Cupping Concentrated Solar Thermal Energy?? Learn More! House of Dues Moonlight Paddle Paula Poundstone Peter Lamb and the Wolves Retrofantasma Film Series Rubber Soul Simone Dinnerstein, Piano Straight Up Jazz Band The Brand New Life Third Friday |
| January 20 – 22, 2012 “The Taming of the Shrew” Play Student production directed by Sadie Zimet. Tickets $4 minimum donation. January 20 – 22, 2012 F-Sa 7pm, Su 2pm Common Ground Theatre, 4815-B Hillsborough Rd. (919) 932-1852 |
January 21, 2012“Belly Dance: Basics and Beyond” Workshop Art Market at Vega Metals – Saturday Market Carolina Jaguars vs. Johnson City (TN) Mad Hatters (Men’s Basketball) Comedian Bill Cosby Duke vs. Florida State (Men’s Basketball) Durham Farmers’ Market Durham Public Schools Magnet Fair Encounters with the music of our time presents the Meehan/Perkins Percussion Duo Food Truck Mash-up and Concert Foreclosure Prevention Workshop Fundraiser Poker Tournament Homoground Anniversary Party Jambalaya Soul Slam Jason King Jonathan Byrd & Sally Spring Moss Gardens in a Dish Mostly Waltz Dance Pigs in the Library: “Donald” Sabina Barton Showroom: Luchadoras II Travis Tritt Women’s Voices Chorus Concert |
| January 21 – 22, 2012 Hunter Education Class Required a 6th grade learning level or higher. Must attend both days. Students must pass a written exam and a firearms handling proficiency test unassisted. FREE, but pre-registration required. January 21 – 22, 2012 9am-5pm Sa, 1-5pm Su Wake Co. Wildlife Club, 1313 Coley Rd. (919) 724-2798 |
January 22, 2012“Durham: Are We So Different?” Discussion “If Music Be the Food of Love” Concert Admissions Open House Capital Transit Carolina Jaguars vs. tbd (Men’s Basketball) Duke vs. Maryland (Women’s Basketball) Jasme Kelly Newhope Church 10th Anniversary Vision Day Slam Academy The Master Gardeners’ Extension Gardening Series: Gardening with Herbs Winter Hikes (Sundays) |
**NEW FEATURE** – Freestyle Thursday
In the spirit of keeping things fresh here at the OATB (Official A-Team Blog) and trying new things, I am starting a new feature called Freestyle Thursday. I think it will be a lot of fun. Let me give you the lowdown.
When I created this blog, my intention was to have a place where one could visit and receive valuable information. Better yet, I wanted it to be a resource. Whether you are looking for some timely real estate advice, local business and event information, or just want a quick laugh, I’ve always felt that this was a great place to get all of that. But there was something missing. Something personal.
Enter Freestyle Thursday.
This will be my platform. My soapbox, if you will. Whether it’s sports, politics, the arts, my family…anything goes. Whatever I am thinking or feeling at that particular moment will be what you get. No subject is safe and no topic is out of bounds. Heck, I may even have a guest blogger pop in and join in on the fun. Frankly, I have no clue what Thursdays will look like in this space. That’s part of the fun.
The purpose behind Freestyle Thursday is to give you a little piece of me. It’ll be a place where I can get weird. Where I can share my thoughts. My hopes. My dreams. My opinions. Things that make me laugh. Things that make me wonder if I am secretly starring in my own version of The Truman Show. It will all be here – and believe me, you won’t want to miss it because I have no idea what sort of content will be coming out of my weird little brain. So look for Freestyle Thursday next week.
Until then, follow your bliss. JA
Big News for Go Durham!
Well, we have BIG news at Go Durham…
Karen Roberts joins us as our new leader for the Go Durham office!
To give you a little about Karen, she brings eighteen years of experience to the position, all with Fonville Morisey Realty. She owns an outstanding reputation and carries a bunch of rock star credentials. Go Durham has been open less than a year, but it is already is one of leading offices in that segment of Triangle real estate. Karen comes on board to help us open a surprising office space in about 12 months and provide us with great leadership for Go Durham.
I knew Karen personally from my days at Fonville Morisey, and I can tell you she is a fantastic individual. As a new agent, I needed all the help and advice I could get, and often, she would go out of her way to help me with anything. She was always very patient with me, and I have always appreciated it.
Welcome to Go Durham, Karen. We’re glad you’re here!
You can follow her blog at http://www.gokarenroberts.com
Epic Fail Wednesday – Newspaper Headlines
Folks, I couldn’t make up this stuff even if I tried. These are real headlines. Enjoy, and have a great week!
Selling your home in 2012? Here are some tips to get ready…
Here are a few things you can and should start working on if you want to get your home sold – smoothly and for top dollar – in 2012.
GET CLEAR WITH YOUR INTENTIONS
Establish where your priorities lie: with speed or with dollars? Your goal might be to sell your house as quickly as possible so you can relocate your family by spring. Or, your goal may be to sell your house at the best possible price no matter how long it takes. Both are important, but as an agent, I employ very different strategies depending on which you choose.
Getting as clear as possible from the very beginning on your priorities will allow you to have the ability to quickly answer questions such as:
- which home improvement projects, if any, to complete before you sell;
- whether to accept a particular offer; and
- how aggressively to negotiate counter-offers, and on which points to push back against a buyer’s offer.
STUDY THE LOCAL MARKET
The most successful home sales are the listings that are priced right from day one. Even in the toughest markets, these listing sell quickly because the look to buyers like a very strong value.
In order to position yourself and your property at the point of pricing nirvana, you’ll need to do some leg work. You don’t need to pick an exact price this moment, unless you’re planning to list your home super soon, but you can get started on what I like to think of as the ‘thinking seller’s’ three-pronged approach to pricing:
- Visit open houses
- Study nearby listings
- Call me to process
Before the year is up, try to visit a handful of open houses in your neighborhood. This will help you get a sense of the types of homes that are on the market, what condition they’re in, and how they are priced. Keep in mind that no home is going to be exactly like yours, but if it’s similar in size, location and features, then buyers that see that property will probably be the same buyers that come to see yours – and they will be comparing list prices.
START GATHERING YOUR PAPERWORK
In planning for your sale next year, you can get a great head start by pulling together the necessary paperwork now. In general, you’ll need to have these ready:
- Disclosure documents: This includes any documentation of anything that might impact a buyer’s decision about your home, whether it be inspection reports, repair receipts or estimates for repairs you haven’t actually had done yet.
- Compliance certificates: If you have had any work done to your home, pull every bit of paperwork you can find, whether it is receipts, permits, etc. You’ll definitely need this when filling out disclosure forms.
- Mortgage statements: Before the property’s title can transfer to another owner, the escrow or title company will need your mortgage statements to order payoff demands from any mortgage holder who has to get paid before that can happen.
- Financials: If you’re planning on a short sale, you’ll have a lot more paperwork to gather in your process, including paycheck stubs, bank and investment account statements, and two years’ W-2 forms or tax returns – the bank will review these to determine whether they will authorize you to sell the home for less than what you owe.
GET A HEAD START ON YOUR ‘HOME’ WORK
How much prep work your home needs really depends on its current condition. A good starting point for many sellers is to order an inspection. Most buyers will get their own inspection before closing a deal, but getting ahead of them with your own will help you avoid any unwanted surprises later on in the transaction. An inspection will give you a reality check on your home’s condition, enabling you to decide upfront whether it’s worth it to fix something now or simply reduce the price in consideration thereof.
As always, I will be more than happy to clarify what is accepted and what isn’t in the state of North Carolina.
Joaquin Aguayo | 919.641.2253 | joaquin@gorealty.biz
Courtesy of http://www.trulia.com
Buying a home in 2012? Get organized with these 5 quick tips.
If you’re one of the millions who has an eye on 2012 as the year in which you’ll buy a home (first or not), here are five things you can do now to put yourself on the right path:
1. Check your credit
Take my word for it: there is no bad surprise worse than a bad credit surprise. Okay, maybe there is one thing worse – a credit surprise you receive while you’re in the midst of trying to close on a home!
Recent studies have revealed that a record high number of real estate transactions are falling out of escrow, and that credit “issues” are a leading cause of these dead deals. Your best chance at catching and correcting score-lowering errors and other derogatory items before they destroy your personal American Dream is to start checking and correcting while you still have time on your side. If you do have some credit challenges, call me. I have a team of experts that can put you on a path and can correct problems, sometimes in a matter of weeks!
2. Do your research
The more rapidly the real estate market changes, the more it behooves smart buyers to study up before they jump in. And now’s the time – you can start doing online and in-person research into topics ranging from:
- Target states, cities and neighborhoods. Whether you’re relocating or simply trying to narrow down the local districts to focus on during your 2012 house hunt, December is a great time to start your online research into decision-driving factors like tax rates, school districts, neighborhood character and even prices in various areas.
- Short sales and REOs. Distressed property sales are not for the unwary. If you want to target upside down or foreclosed homes, or are planning to house hunt in an area where many of the listings are described as short sales or foreclosures, get educated about what you can expect from a distressed property purchase transaction before you get your heart set on a short sale.
- What you get for the money. Online house hunting is a powerful tool. But there comes a point in your house hunt where you’ve got to just get out into the actual physical homes you’re seeing online in order to get a strong, accurate sense of what home features, aesthetics and location characteristics correlate with what price points.
- Mortgage musts. You can read a bunch of articles about mortgages and get yourself pretty far down the path toward qualifying for a home loan, but you can only get a personalized action plan for a smooth road ‘home’ by talking with a local mortgage broker and having them assess your basic financials. They might say you need to move funds around, pay a bill down or off or produce some sort of documentation from your employer. And the time to start all that is now.
3. Fluff up your cash cushion
So, you’ve saved up your 3.5 percent down payment. Perhaps you saved a little extra for closing costs. Or maybe you’re even one of those uber-aggressive 20-percent-down-ers. No matter how much you’ve saved, you’ll find that you could use more once you activate your home buying action plan. Mark my words – after closing, you’ll crave extra cash to do some repairs, upgrade a couple of things, buy appliances or even just to hold onto in order to minimize your anxiety about depleting your savings.
4. Shed some stuff
Sell it. Donate it. Give it to relatives who’ve always coveted it. Just get rid of it.
5. Sit very, very still
Sometimes, the best way to further our goals is to stop tripping ourselves up. In that vein, commit right now to refrain from making any major financial moves until you buy your home. Don’t quit your job to start that personal chef business (yet), don’t pull a bunch of cash out of your savings account (without getting clearance form your mortgage pro first), and don’t start buying cars and boats on credit.
As always, I will be more than happy to clarify what is accepted and what isn’t in the state of North Carolina.
Joaquin Aguayo | 919.641.2253 | joaquin@gorealty.biz
Epic WIN Wednesday. Yes, I said ‘win’.
I decided this week to be positive and post a bunch of wins instead of fails. Well, the last one could go either way. You decide.
Enjoy all of this awesomeness, and have a great week!
Joaquin’s Triangle Weekend Guide – January 6-8, 2012
For more information, click on the links below.
January 6, 2012“Release The Bats” Show “Ridin wit’ Joe Crack: The Awakening Has Begun!” Play Author Doc Hendley Garage Bar: Milagro Saints / Stray Dogs / Workshop Band Jo Gore & The Alternatives Ocie Davis Trio Rowdy Rowdy Square Dance Shine Band Yin Yoga Trial Class |
January 7, 2012“Bare But Beautiful” Hike “Stitched” Film Screening Durham Author Bruce Harvill Durham Community Concert Band Open Reading Session Durham Family Theatre Auditions Durham Farmers’ Market Jason King Pre-Anniversary Party Rosie the Riveter: A One-Woman Show Shipwrecker Showroom: Beautiful Freaks – Return to Winter Wonderland Stratocruiser The Get Write – A Unique Poetry and Jazz Experience Triangle Brewing Company Tour Youth Rap Forum Youth United’s Got Talent Showcase Zentangles Workshop Zora Neale Hurston Portrayal |
January 8, 2012“Blessed are the Cheesemakers!” Panel Discussion “No Place Called Home” Performance “Smart Commuting in the Triangle” Lecture “Stitched” Film Screening Concerts at St. Stephen’s – Nick Kitchen, violin, and Andrew Tyson, piano Duke vs. N.C. State (Women’s Basketball) Jasme Kelly Sawyer-Goldberg Jazz Band Vegan Brunch Willie Painter & Scott Laird Winter Hikes (Sundays) Youth Sunday Awareness Service |
New Real Estate Rules – Avoiding the Money Pit (Part 5)
Who out there in cyberspace can remember that awful 80’s movie about the couple who bought the crumbling house starring the guy from Forrest Gump and the chick from Cheers? I was 15 years old when it came out and remember thinking it was hilarious. Hopefully my sense of humor has evolved since then. Probably not, though.
As it turns out, buying a home that needs much more extensive (and expensive) repairs than originally thought is only funny in the movies. In real life, buying a money pit can nearly drive a new homeowner to lose their mind – and their shirt. Fortunately, there are a number of real-life strategies that real-world buyers can act on to prevent their own home-buying plot line from including an unfunny lemon of a home. In this five part series, I will share with you my personal favorite steps that will help you avoid buying a money pit.
This Week’s Tip: Ask for price reductions and credits instead of seller repairs.
For the most part, I feel that buyers will select their own materials and repair contractors with more care and are generally more deeply invested in ensuring that repairs are completed to their satisfaction than an outgoing seller. If you are negotiating with your home’s seller over repairs that need to happen, discuss with your agent whether it might make sense to ask for a price reduction or a closing cost credit to offset the cost of the repairs so you can have them completed to your standards, and with the materials and by the contractors of your choice, after closing.
As always, I will be more than happy to clarify what is accepted and what isn’t in the state of North Carolina.
Joaquin Aguayo | 919.641.2253 | joaquin@gorealty.biz
5 Quick Predictions for the 2012 Housing Market
Delinquencies will go down, but foreclosures will go up.
Fewer borrowers will fall behind on their payments next year, thanks to the strengthening economy and refinancings. The share of delinquent borrowers is already down more than a quarter from the peak a couple of years ago. But many borrowers who fell behind on their payments during the housing crisis are still in limbo: Last year’s robo-signing controversy threw a wrench in the gears of the foreclosure process. That means that some delinquent loans haven’t yet gone through the foreclosure process. Once a settlement is reached with banks over robo-signing, we’ll see a new wave of foreclosures and foreclosure sales.
Rents will rise – which is a bad thing.
With fewer people buying homes and more people losing their homes to foreclosures, rental demand is increasing. High rents will hold back economic growth if businesses can’t pay workers enough to have a roof over their heads. Squeezed city-dwellers won’t get relief until late 2012: That’s when a wave of new multi-unit construction projects that started late this year will be completed and available for rent. To tackle growth-killing high living costs in the priciest cities head on, local governments need to get rid of height restrictions and arduous permitting processes, which hold back urban construction and push development to the suburbs.
Mortgage rates will inch up – which will probably be a good thing.
A stronger economy will push Treasury bonds and mortgage rates up because inflation becomes more likely and investors demand higher rates to hold bonds. But lots of factors can push rates up or down. For the housing market, which direction rates go is less important than why. Gradual economic recovery is good news for the housing market even if it means higher mortgage rates – because higher mortgage rates should go hand-in-hand with greater housing demand.
Government will sit on its hands.
In election years, politicians don’t take risks: They’re more talk and less action, so don’t expect any bold housing policy reforms next year. What’s more, with the housing market now recovering, we’re not in enough of a crisis to force political opponents together. Instead, in 2012 we’ll see the effects of modest housing proposals from this year: Easier refinancing under the expanded HARP program, and more government-owned homes coming to market for sale or rent. But the bitter debate in Washington over the budget deficit and debt will continue.
Smart cities are hot.
In 2012, the local housing markets that will enjoy rising prices, new construction or both, are those that start the year with stronger job growth and fewer empty homes holding back the market. The top five cities that are mentioned repeatedly in this discussion are Austin TX, San Jose CA, Washington DC, and the Boston suburbs. The Triangle area in North Carolina (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill/Cary) is also at the top of these lists because, like the other cities, they have strong high-tech industries and high-skill workforces. During the housing boom, the go-to cities tended to be lower-skill, lower-education metros. But in 2012, smart is hot.
As always, I will be more than happy to clarify what is accepted and what isn’t in the state of North Carolina.
Joaquin Aguayo | 919.641.2253 | joaquin@gorealty.biz
Courtesy of Trulia.com
25 Clever Ideas in 25 Seconds.
Take a look at these clever ideas and tell me how many of the 25 you think you will use immediately. Forward it to your friends.
Also, I want to hear from you…are you using any ‘homemade’ remedies that have been passed down from grandma and grandpa? Send them to me. I would love to post them here.
Have a great holiday week!
(Courtesy of The Daily Buzz / www.thedailybuzz.com.au)
Hull strawberries easily using a straw.
Rubbing a walnut over scratches in your furniture will disguise dings and scrapes.
Remove crayon masterpieces from your TV or computer screen with WD40 (also works on walls).
Stop cut apples browning in your child’s lunch box by securing with a rubber band.
Overhaul your linen cupboard – store bedlinen sets inside one of their own pillowcases and there will be no more hunting through piles for a match.
Pump up the volume by placing your iPhone / iPod in a bowl – the concave shape amplifies the music.
Re-use a wet-wipes container to store plastic bags.
Add this item to your beach bag. Baby powder gets sand off your skin easily – who knew?!
Attach a velcro strip to the wall to store soft toys.
Look up! Use wire to make a space to store gift wrap rolls against the ceiling, rather than cluttering up the floor.
Gotcha! Find tiny lost items like earrings by putting a stocking over the vacuum hose.
Make an instant cupcake carrier by cutting crosses into a box lid.
For those who can’t stand the scrunching and bunching: how to perfectly fold a fitted sheet.
Forever losing your bathroom essentials? Use magnetic strips to store bobby pins (and tweezers and clippers) behind a vanity door
A tip for holiday packing. Store shoes inside shower caps to stop dirty soles rubbing on your clothes. And you can find them in just about every hotel!
A muffin pan becomes a craft caddy. Magnets hold the plastic cups down to make them tip-resistant.
Bread tags make the perfect-sized cord labels.
Bake cupcakes directly in ice-cream cones – so much more fun and easier for kids to eat. Definitely doing this!
Microwave your own popcorn in a plain brown paper bag. Much healthier and cheaper than the packet stuff.
Brilliant space-saver: install a tension rod to hang your spray bottles. Genius!
Win friends at breakfast with this heart-shaped egg tutorial. Aww shucks!
Turn your muffin pan upside down, bake cookie-dough over the top and voila – you have cookie bowls for fruit or ice-cream. Click here for recipe.
Freeze Aloe Vera in ice-cube trays for soothing sunburn relief.
Gutter garden: Create a window-box veggie patch using guttering.
Use egg cartons to separate and store your Christmas decorations.
Courtesy of The Daily Buzz
Epic Fail Wednesday – Santa Edition
Enjoy and have a great Christmas!
From my family to yours,
– Joaquin, Dona, David and Sienna
The Official A-Team Blog 