We have heard way too much about this H1N1 flu.  The drug companies claim there is a shortage of shots.  These are the same drug companies spending BILLIONS in advertising, most of which is during the news hour.  I suspect these drug companies are threatening the media, telling them to create a scare so they can make more money.  If they create a shortage, they raise th

http://www.kirotv.com/money/20975936/detail.html

Talk about CONTROL, this is only the beginning.  After spending millions of dollars lobbying against any type of public health insurance plan, the same drug companies want the government to spent $18 BILLION dollars to publicly distribute the shot. 

http://www.lakelandtimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=9&SubSectionID=9&ArticleID=10046

Let's gauge the scare tactic.  How many people have died from the N1H1 virus this year?

4700 WORLD WIDE. 

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2009-10/17/content_8805678.htm

How many people have died in traffic accidents in the UNITED STATES? 

Over 40,000. 

http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/safety/articles/120006/article.html

How many people are killed by drunk drivers in a year in the United States?

Over 13,000

http://www.duiattorneyhome.com/DUI/Drunk-Driving-Statistics

If these drug companies were really concerned about our health, shouldn't they be spending money to loby against drunk driving?

Take precautions against the flu, but look at it in a realistic manner.

Wednesday October 28, 2009  5:00 - 9:00

Cost - $40 per person Reservations needed by Oct 19

North Hills Country Club
N73 W13430 Appleton Avenue

Come and taste some of the finest wines and beers in the area. Enjoy chef prepared
appetizers and desserts! The beautiful North Hills Country Club is our venue for this
fabulous fall event. Activities will spill outdoors weather permitting. Make your plans now and
share in a great fall evening with Rotary and many of the most influential people in the area.

Proceeds will go to benefit ARCh CAmp Pow Wow, a summer camp for those with learning
disabilities, cognitive challenges, mental health needs and physical health difficulties.
http://www.waukeshaarch.org/

See the Menomonee Falls Rotary Club Web page for additional details:
http://www.menomoneefallsrotary.org/Grapes_Hops.html

One of the things I do consistently is stay in contact with clients after a sale.  I feel a need to build more than a business relationship with people.  Last week I closed the first bank owned property of the year.  The first one out of many accepted offers.  I still have a few waiting for seller approval, the majority of buyers decided to drop the whole process after feeling they had been treated in a less than professional manner. 

I had put more than 400 hours into this one deal.  Everything that could go wrong did.  In one week this deal consumed the majority of my cell phone minutes.  We all know how much one makes on a 50k property.  But that one phone call changed everything.  I placed a call and left a message with  the buyer to see how things were going.  The buyer returned the call and left a message.  When I listened to the message all the bad aspects of the transaction disappeared.  The buyer explained how much they loved the house.  It was perfect for them.  They were so excited to paint all the walls and have new carpeting installed.  There were a few other minor repairs needing attention but he was not worried about getting them done.

It gave me the feeling, "why would I want to be in any other line of work?" 

If you have white streaks appearing on your copies on the Panasonic KX-MB781 four in one copier, printer, fax, scanner, there is an easy solution. 

Remove the drum assembly and check for toner in the narrow glass cover.  For some reason my drum leaked toner on this glass plate.  If you notice the bands of white getting wider, this may be the problem. 

Sorry, I have no clue how to fix blacks streaks which appear when the drum is getting old.  If you have a solution let me know.  Or if you figure out how to reset the drum counter, let me know. 

A Rent to Own Option may be perfect for Home Buyers who find themselves just one step away from realizing their dream of owning a home.  With today's prices you may never get another chance to own a home for the same cost of renting an apartment.  A Rent to Own Option may be the bridge you have been looking for.  

A Rent to Own Option works much like a loan.  To qualify you must meet the following criteria.

You must have a credit score of at least 550.

If your credit score is between 550 and 620 you will be required to enroll and participate in a credit counseling course. 

Includes a free credit repair consultation.

Down payments of 3 to 5% are required.

Call for more details and begin the qualification process.
Dennis Herman
Realty Executives
414-426-1784

Serving the Menomonee Falls and Greater Milwaukee Areas.

Most clients are able to refinance and buy out the Rent to Own Option in 3 to 6 months.

I know there are a lot of lenders on this site, if you agree, take this idea to those in charge. 

There seems to be a couple of bad boys on the block.  This is true in any business, just as it is true in any class room.  There is always a minority group who seems to think it is their place in life to ignore the rules, which make life miserable for everyone else.  This pretty much describes the lending industry.  A few bad apples are spoiling the whole barrel.  In this case the barrel turned out to be the world economy. 

What are these bad apples doing to turn the economy around?  Absolutely NOTHING!  Agents attempting to work with these companies can testify to this fact.  They are supposed to be selling these toxic assets, it seems they have decided to get a better deal by sticking the American tax payer with their bad investments. 

Correcting bad behavior has always been a challenge.  The government has already tried the reward system.  Any teacher will tell you, if you attempt to bribe students with candy, it will never work,  They will act out worse than before to get more candy.  This creates a viscous cycle.  When people are bad, they have a completely different mode of learning.  They will always perceive everything on a different level than rational human beings. 

One solution to this problem is to have the banks and other lending institutions police themselves.  If Real Estate Agents and the Nursing profession can do it, why not lenders?  Following is a list of details to consider.

Create a code of ethics. 

Create a method of enforcement.

Create a symbol identifying members. 

Advertise to educate the public.

Learn form a proven model, the NAR. 

I am sure the NAR will do everything they can to guide lenders and help them establish an institution which will help gain and maintain the trust of the public.  The vast majority of lenders are great, honest and helpful institutions.  It is a shame a small minority has received all the news and has been allowed to operate in such a manner as to cause such problems.  The question is, how to avoid this matter in the future.

Here we are, in the middle of September 2009 and I just about broke even in the stock market, compared to last year.  On Thursday I showed about a 1% gain, which of course was eaten up in a fall on Friday.  It's no wonder I am finding more investors getting back into the housing market.  Why not?  Where else can you get a 5-7% return on your funds with minimal risk.  Real estate is becoming an attractive investment once again?  It has been one matter, trying to guess the bottom of the stock market.  I have seen some stocks increase as high as 600% when I made my best guess at the market bottom.  But I also own a number of stocks which are off as much as 80%.  Hence, it all balances out to a zero percent gain.  I can see why investors are feeling more secure back in the housing market.  At least the investment is secured by real estate which is at the lowest price in years.  As a buyer's agent I negotiate the best price I can for the investors, which in this market is often an easy task.  Today there appears to be little risk of prices dropping much more in the housing market, which makes this an attractive investment. 

This helps me out in a number of ways.  It opens opportunities for rent to own options.  The investors share in a small portion of the profits from the closing costs, receive the interest during the rental period and receive the full sum of their money when the buyer is able to close on a new loan, usually in 3 to 6 months.  Banks have found a thousand ways to say no to many highly qualified buyers.  I am sure most of us have seen this happen.  After investing dozens of hundreds of hours into a purchase we find out the entire transaction is killed by reasons making little or no sense.  This has opened the field up to investors.  I hope the banks are paying attention.  There are plenty of smart investors making a good income from this situation.

If you are a first time home buyer eligible for the $8000 tax credit, time is running out.  If you are considering buying a bank owned foreclosure, it may be too late.  The closing must take place on or before November 30, 2009.  It usually takes about 30 days or more to close on a property with an accepted offer.  To be on the safe side you should have an accepted offer no later than the last week of October.  Expect delays, this may be the busiest time real estate has seen in years.  Keep in mind, with the recent down turn in home sales, there are fewer real estate agents, loan officers, appraisers and under writers available to complete the steps necessary to close on a property.

At this point in time I would suggest you avoid short sales.  These can tie you into a binding contract for months without receiving a response from the lender.  With a short sale you do not have an accepted offer until the lender approves the sale.  Because of the recent increase in the sale of bank owned properties there is already a tremendous back log of work these people have to contend with.  Any offers received will join a pile of offers with little hope of obtaining the proper authorization before October.

If you know of any first time home buyers, feel free to pass this information along to them.