This is the time of year when all the news programs go back over the previous year and look at the good and the bad. While I believe we must look at the past so we can learn from our successes and failures, I don’t believe we should dwell on either. Living in the past never makes our present any better or worse then it currently is. It also doesn’t guarantee that our future will be better or worse. This year, decide to live in the moment that you have today; live for now, not for yesterday or tomorrow.
I am currently spending the last few days of 2008 with one of my daughters and granddaughter. I’m not thinking about anything else except spending time with the two of then and enjoying every minute of it. I can’t do anything about the time I haven’t spent with them or the fact that we live so far apart. The only thing I can do is give them my all, right now; attention, patience and understanding.
There is enough waiting for me tomorrow that I don’t need to worry about it today. If I have learned one thing as time marches on, it is if I spend time worrying about yesterday and fretting about tomorrow, I miss what is beautiful today. My wish for you in the coming year is, that no matter what you hear, see or experience, you will find the beauty in everyday. It is a New Year but today is all you may have, so enjoy it.
It’s true, home prices continued to fall during the month of November though the main areas hit hardest are still out west; California, Arizona; and in Florida. These are the areas that had the huge increases in prices and they are now suffering through the largest decreases in home values.
Though we have seen home prices fall in the Middle Tennessee areas, they have not fallen here like they have in other areas of the country. So what does it mean to you when home prices fall? The answer to that question is dependent upon where you sit in the market. Are you currently selling a house or want to sell a house? If so, falling prices will either be viewed as a negative; you may not get what you need out of the sale of your current home or positively; I can be competitive in the market and need to either slash my prices or give seller concessions for a quicker sale.
If you are currently purchasing or thinking about purchasing a home, then you will also either find this a negative; I can’t buy now because my house may continue to loose value; or positively; this is the perfect time to buy because I will get a great price and some seller concessions along with a great interest rate.
The markets will always be what you make of them, and either way, I will be here ready to help you sell or buy your next home.
I am just so fortunate to be able to spend a part of my holiday season with all the kids and grandchildren, even though it is at different times over the period of a week. Our family, like most families today, are spread out across the U. S. and abroad and it’s easy to get caught up in missing everybody not around instead of enjoying everybody who is. My wish for you this Christmas is to remember all your family and friends who cannot be with you and to enjoy the company of all the ones who are.
If you are traveling, my prayer is that you will be safe no matter where you go or how far you travel. If you are spending your Christmas alone, my prayer is that you will know you are never truly alone in this world and you can always reach out to those around you, if only with a smile. If you are in the company of older generations, my prayer is that you will enjoy them as never before as this could be the last Christmas they are with you. If you are in the company of the young, my prayer is that you will rejoice with them, right where they are and if you are with someone you love this year, tell them again and again so that neither you nor they ever forget they are loved.
May You and Your Family Have a Very Merry Christmas this Year!
Just about everybody has seen the TV commercials letting everybody know about the switch to all digital TV on February 17, 2009. If you are not aware of this change, you need to know now what is going on so you can be ready.
Congress approved the switch to free up bandwidth for police, fire and other emergency personnel. This also will open the door to many other wireless opportunities for additional services for consumers. The digital signals that you will now be receiving should give you an improved TV picture and sound quality. What you need to know is you have three choices to change over to a digital signal.
- Connect to a converter box
- Sign up for cable or satellite service
- Purchase a TV with a built in digital tuner
So how do you know if you need to do one of the above? Well, if you are still receiving your TV signal via rabbit ears or a rooftop antenna, you will need to do one of the three things above. If you are hooked up to a cable or satellite signal then you are already receiving a digital signal and have nothing to do.
In a surprise move on Tuesday the Fed’s cut was 75 basis points or .75% down to a level never seen before in our history. In a statement put out by the Fed it included the following; “The Federal Reserve will employ all available tools to promote the resumption of sustainable economic growth and to preserve price stability. In particular, the Committee anticipates that weak economic conditions are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels of the federal funds rate for some time.”
There are rumors of rates falling into the 4.5% range in the near future and remaining low throughout 2009. However, as always, there were rumors not 6 months ago that we would be paying $5.00 a gallon gas by Christmas this year. I filled up yesterday and paid $1.42 a gallon. If you are interested in purchasing a home in the near future and can qualify, it is a great time to buy a home.
CRS stands for Certified Residential Specialist and only the top 4% of all Realtors in the country have this designation. If you see the CRS what you are looking at is a Realtor who has achieved a high volume of transactions and advanced training in areas like business planning, real estate investing, marketing, ethics and technology. In other words, this is a Realtor who performs for their clients whether they are buying a home or selling a home.
So you now know why you should want to work with an agent that has a CRS certification to purchase your first or next home. After all, purchasing a home is one of the biggest and most emotional decisions you will make in your lifetime and it is important that you get it right the first time! You will need a person who gives you good accurate information and can provide you sound advice and a steady, guiding hand if you need it. There is no better person to do this than a CRS agent.
For those who frequently get their hair cut or nails done, you may want to give that person a little something extra this holiday season. One of the best things to give is a little bit better tip than normal. This will, of course, depend on the service you receive as well as your financial situation. If you just don’t have anything monetary left over to give, a heartfelt note of appreciation is always appropriate.
The following are guidelines put out by the Emily Post Institute for holiday tipping. You can use these to help you decide what to give this year.
- Babysitter – one evening’s pay, plus a small gift from your child
- Barber/Hair Stylist – cost of one haircut or gift
- Child’s Teacher – if the school allows, a small gift of appreciation, not cash
- Day Care Providers – $25 to $70 each, plus a small gift from your child to direct care providers
- Dog Walker – one week’s pay or gift
- Personal Fitness Trainer – up to the cost of one session
- Housekeeper/Maid Service – up to one week’s pay or gift
- Doorman – $15 to $80
- Garage Attendant – $10 to $30 each
- Letter Carrier – gift up to $20, no cash as per postal regulations
- Massage Therapist – up to one session’s fee or a gift
- Handyman Service – $15 to $40
What a terrible thought this is and yet, according to the U. S. Fire Administration, fires that occur during the holiday season claim the lives of more than 400 people, injure over 1,650 people and cause over $990 million dollars in damages every year! Now that we know the facts, let’s do everything we can to prevent a fire in our home and those we visit over the holiday season.
You must select a fresh tree. Check out the post right before this one for detailed instructions on how to do this. You also must inspect your holiday lights from season to season. They need to be checked for any type of breaks in the wires, frayed wires or bulbs that are burned out. If the wires are damaged, throw that string of lights away or have them repaired. Replace any burned out bulbs before you place the string on the tree and don’t link more than 3 strings of lights together.
You also need to be aware of your extension cords. Make sure they don’t have cuts or breaks in the wire and always plug the string of lights into the extension cord before you plug the cord into a wall socket. Make sure you don’t overload the electrical outlets and, once lights are on, do not leave them on when you leave the house.
It is always best to use decorations that are nonflammable. However, whether your holiday decor is nonflammable or not, all decorations need to be kept clear of heat sources, including fireplaces and heat vents. Recycle your wrapping paper and other items that can be recycled and avoid burning them in your fireplace. Sparks from these items can ignite quickly if thrown outside the firewall and it just leads to more carbon output, which adds to the overall carbon footprint.
Candles are one of the most dangerous items during the holidays. Please be cognoscente of the open flame and keep candles away from anything that could burn. Also, never leave candles unattended or burning in a room that you are not in. They can easily be knocked over by cats or kids when you are not looking. If at all possible, just avoid using candles over the holidays.
More than anything else, I wish to you and your family a safe holiday season.
Over the next few weeks I am going to be posing a series of safety tips to help you through the Christmas Holiday Season and am starting with Tree Trimming Safety Tips.
- If you have or are purchasing an artificial tree, make sure it has a statement specifying that it is fire resistant. You won’t want to buy any other kind for your home.
- If you are purchasing a fresh tree, remember a fresh tree will stay green longer and be less of a fire hazard than one that is dry.
- Make sure your tree is fresh by checking to make sure your tree passes all the following “tests”:
Is the tree nice and green
Are the needles falling off the tree (not good) or are they hard to pull off the branches (good tree)
Do the needles break when bent (not good) or are they flexible (good tree)
Do you find some sticky resin where the tree has been cut (good tree)
The last test – when you bounce the tree on the ground do the needles fall to the ground (not good) or stay were they are (good tree)
Once you get your tree home there are a few things that will need to be taken care of before you decorate,
- Make sure you look around and place your tree at least 5 feet away from fireplaces, radiators and other heat sources; including heat vents. Heated rooms dry trees out rapidly, creating fire hazards.
- Cut off at least two inches off the trunk to expose fresh wood for better water absorption.
- Trim away branches as necessary to set tree trunk in the base of a sturdy, water-holding stand with wide spread feet and keep the stand filled with water while the tree is indoors.
- Place the tree out of the way of traffic and do not block doorways. Use thin guy-wires to secure larger trees to walls or ceilings. These wires are almost invisible so make sure you put them where no one could get hurt running into them.
Now it’s up to you to decorate and enjoy!
If you were wishing that rates would come down again; your wish has come true! Rates went down substantially at the end of last week with the announcement that the government is picking up some of the more toxic mortgage backed securities that are held by the largest of banks.
Though no one knows if this move will help maintain these rates, we do know that it looks like, at least for the short term, these rates will help more people qualify for home loans. You really do need to get qualified with a lender before you start looking for a home to buy. Don’t get your hopes up just to have them dashed once you find out you don’t qualify. I’ve seen how hard this is on people and it just makes since to get qualified first. It makes the process for everyone easier.
