Steve's Blog

Today in Medieval History, December 3

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 07:39:08 -0600

Good Morning! It is Thursday December 3, 2009

Happy Birthday to...

   In 1368 Charles IV, King of France
   In 1596 Nicolo Amati, violin-maker

On this day...

   In 1154 Death of Pope Anastasius IV
   In 1469 Death of Piero de'Medici
   In 1557 Scots Protestants united by a National Covenant
   In 1564 Ivan IV, "the Terrible," and the
           Russian Royal family leave Moscow
   In 1592 Death of Alexander Farnese, the Duke of Parma
   In 1621 Galileo invents the telescope.
   In 1639 Bronx, New York, purchased from the Indians by Jonas Bronck

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

Today in Medieval History, December 1

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:45:03 -0600

Good Morning! It is Tuesday December 1, 2009

Happy Birthday to...

   In 1083 Princess Anna Commena of Byzantium

On this day...

   In 0066 Death of St. Eligius
   In 0659 Death of St. Eloi
   In 1135 Death of Henry I, King of England
   In 1170 Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury,
           returns to England from exile
   In 1372 Geoffrey Chaucer left England for Rome on a Royal mission
   In 1420 Henry V, King of England, and his new wife,
           Catherine of Valois, enter Paris
   In 1641 Charles I, King of England, receives the Grand Remonstrance

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

Today in Medieval History, November 30

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:39:49 -0600

Good Morning! It is Monday November 30, 2009

Happy Birthday to...

   In 0538 St. Gregory of Tours
   In 1667 Jonathan Swift

On this day...

   St. Andrew's Day
   In 0070 Death of St. Andrew the Apostle
   In 0722 Boniface invested as Bishop of Germany
   In 1016 Death of Edmund "Ironside," King of England
   In 1292 Coronation of John Baliol as King of Scotland
   In 1420 Marriage of Gilles de Rais to Catherine de Thonars
   In 1433 Council of Basle splits the Hussites
   In 1485 Coronation of Henry VII as King of England
   In 1521 Death of Pope Leo X
   In 1603 Death of Khwaja Muhammed Baqui Billah,
           Sufi mystic and missionary
   In 1608 Cardiff, Wales, granted a third annual Faire
   In 1616 "The Margaret," loaded with colonists,
           lands at Hampton, Virginia
   In 1633 Arrest of Father Urbain Grandier, for witchcraft

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

Today in Medieval History, November 29

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 08:50:38 -0600

Good Morning! It is Sunday November 29, 2009

Happy Birthday to...

   In 1489 Margaret, Wife of the King of Scotland
   In 1600 Peter Heylin
   In 1632 Jean-Baptiste Lully

On this day...

   In 0496 Death of St. Gelasius, Pope
   In 0741 Death of St. Gregory, Pope
   In 0799 Charlemagne returned Pope Leo III to Rome
   In 1198 Death of al Aziz, Caliph of Egypt
   In 1226 Coronation of Louis IX as King of France
   In 1268 Death of Pope Clement IV
   In 1314 Death of Philip "the Fair," King of France
   In 1348 A new Vicar is appointed at Shaftesbury, England, to replace
           one who had died of the plague
   In 1378 Death of Charles IV, King of Germany
   In 1484 Convention of Spanish Inquisitors held; Constitution of the
           Holy Office written, under Tomas de Torquemada
   In 1503 Imprisonment of Caesare Borgia
   In 1516 Death of Giovanni Bellini
   In 1519 Magellan sights South America
   In 1531 Death of Thomas Wolsey
   In 1543 Death of Hans Holbein "the Younger"
   In 1596 Philip II, King of Spain, admits his nation is bankrupt
   In 1612 English defeat Portugese over Swally, India
   In 1643 Death of Claudio Monteverdi, composer

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

Today in Medieval History, November 28

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 07:55:06 -0600

Good Morning! It is Saturday November 28, 2009

On this day...

   In 0749 Abu'l'Abbas declared Caliph
   In 0765 Death of St. Stephen the Younger
   In 1360 Outlaws almost stole the ransom for Rene, King of Provence
   In 1443 George Kastrioti, "Skanderbeg," declares Albania independent
   In 1476 Death of St. James of the March
   In 1494 End of the French occupation of Florence
   In 1520 Magellan enters the Pacific Ocean
   In 1572 Death of Agnolo di Cosimo (Bronzino), painter
   In 1582 Marriage of William Shakespeare to Anne Hathaway
   In 1633 Samuel Pepys spends the day reading

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

Today in Medieval History, November 27

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 05:30:44 -0600

Happy Birthday to...

   In 1635 Marquise de Mainteon, mistress and 2nd wife
           of Louis XIV, King of France

On this day...

   In 0450 Death of Galla Placida
   In 0511 Death of Clovis, King of the Salic Franks
   In 0602 Byzantine troops in the Balkans mutiny
   In 0784 Death of St. Fergil of Salzburg "the Geometer"
   In 1095 Urban calls for the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont:
           "God Wills It!"
   In 1198 Death of Constance, widow of Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor
   In 1237 CORTENUOVA (Fredrick of Hohenstaufen, Holy Roman Emperor,
           defeats Northern Italian city-states)
   In 1279 Statute of Mortmain of Edward I, King of England
   In 1308 Election of Henry VII as King of Germany
   In 1346 Death of St. Gregory of Sinai
   In 1382 ROOSEBEKE; Death of Philip van Artevelde
           (French defeat Flemings)
   In 1520 Magellan enters the Pacific Ocean
   In 1592 Death of John II, King of Sweden
   In 1633 Death of Sir John Elliot in the Tower of London
   In 1655 Cromwell issues an Edict against the Royalist clergy

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

Monty Python meets Star Trek

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:42:32 -0600

Okay, my birthday is this Thursday--allow me a bit of silliness.

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

Today in Medieval History, November 24

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:33:56 -0600

Good Morning! It is Tuesday November 24, 2009

Happy Birthday to...

   In 1632 Spinoza

On this day...

   In 0304 Martyrdom of St. Chrysogonus
   In 0851 Martyrdom of Sts. Flora and Mary
   In 1265 Death of Magnus, last King of the Isle of Man
   In 1332 Coronation of David II, King of Scots, at Scone
   In 1504 Death of Queen Isabella of Spain
   In 1572 Death of John Knox
   In 1586 Anna Hoyd burned for witchcraft
   In 1601 Juan de Onate returns to New Mexico after exploring in Kansas
   In 1642 Abel Tasman sights Tasmania
   In 1643 TUTTLINGEN (Holy Roman Empire victory over France)

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

Are You an Ant or a Grasshopper?

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:07:07 -0600

THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER

This one is a little different... . Two Different Versions.... .......... .... Two Different Morals

OLD VERSION

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away..

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.

The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!

MODERN VERSION

The ant works hard in the withering heat and the rain all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while he is cold and starving.

CBS, NBC , PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.

America is stunned by the sharp contrast.

How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and everybody cries when they sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green.'

ACORN stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, “We shall overcome.” Then Rev. Jeremiah Wright has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.

President Obama condemns the ant and blames President Bush, President Reagan, Christopher Columbus, and the Pope for the grasshopper's plight.

Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer.

The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the Government Green Czar and given to the grasshopper.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper and his free-loading friends finishing up the last bits of the ant’s food while the government house he is in, which, as you recall, just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around them because the grasshopper doesn't maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow, never to be seen again.

The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident, and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the ramshackle, once prosperous and once peaceful, neighborhood.

The entire Nation collapses bringing the rest of the free world with it.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful how you vote in 2010.

I’ve sent this to you because I believe that you are an ant – not a grasshopper! Make sure that you pass this on to other ants. Don’t bother sending it on to any grasshoppers because they wouldn’t understand it, anyway

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

Today in Medieval History, November 22

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:23:14 -0600

Good Morning! It is Sunday November 22, 2009

Happy Birthday to...

   In 1515 Mary of Guise, wife of James V, King of Scotland

On this day...

   In 0845 BALLON (Nomenoe of Brittany victor over Franks)
   In 1220 Coronation of Frederick II as Holy Roman Emperor
   In 1247 Death of Robin Hood (according to
           Winken de Ward, printer, 1n 1495)
   In 1316 Death of John I, King of France
   In 1542 New laws are passed in Burgos protecting
           Indians against enslavement
   In 1594 Death of Martin Frobisher, explorer
   In 1633 First settlers for Maryland sailed from England
   In 1641 The "Grand Remonstrance" of the "Long Parliament"

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

Today in Medieval History, November 21

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:11:16 -0600

Happy Birthday to...

   In 1643 Rene Robert, Cavalier de la Salle

On this day...

   In 0235 Coronation of St. Antheseus as Pope
   In 0496 Death of St. Gelasius I, Pope
   In 0615 Death of St. Columban
   In 1430 Joan of Arc sold to the English by the Burgundians
   In 1551 Francis Xavier leaves Japan for Goa, India
   In 1555 Death of Georg Agricola
   In 1620 "Mayflower Compact"
   In 1638 General Assembly of "the faithful" meets in Glascow, Scotland,
           without representation of the religious hierarchy

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

Obama's latest bow

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:23:47 -0600

As "Larry the Cable Guy" would say "That's funny, I don't care who you are".

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

Today in Medieval History, November 20

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:40:18 -0600

Happy Birthday to...

   In 1602 Otto von Guericke, invented the air pump
   In 1620 Perigrine White, first baby among the New England colonists

On this day...

   In 0869 Death of St. Edmund, King of the East Angles,
           killed by the Danes at Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England
   In 1022 Death of St. Bernward
   In 1292 John Baliol swears fealty as King of Scots to
           Edward I, King of England
   In 1376 Richard II invested as Prince of Wales
   In 1497 Vasco da Gama rounds Cape of Good Hope, thus
           discovering the water route to India
   In 1558 Queen Elizabeth I appoints William Cecil to
           the post of Secretary of State
   In 1559 Death of the Bishop of Rochester
   In 1564 Spanish expedition sets out to colonize the Philippines
   In 1578 36 persons executed as witches in Kilkenny, Ireland
   In 1601 Elizabeth I's "Golden Speech"
   In 1614 Louis XIII is declared "of age" as King of France
   In 1641 A stormy debate on the Grand Remonstrance in Parliament

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

Pass this along to your first-time buyers

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:04:28 -0600

BuildingOnline eUpdate News had a really good article yesterday with some info and stats that should be of interest to both realtors and to first-time buyers. According to the e-article:

First-time home buyers reached the highest market share on record during the past year, according to the latest consumer survey of home buyers and sellers, by the National Association of Realtors®

Included in the article are a number of tidbits, including:

1. The number of 1st time buyers rose to 47%, the highest on record dating back to 1981

2. The median age was 30 and the median income $61,600. The typical home cost $156,000, down from $165,000 in the 2008 study

3. 55% used FHA, while 8% used VA

There is a lot more good info in the article, not only for us but to reassure your new buyers and to better show them how "on top of the market" you are.

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

Today in Medieval History, November 18

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:46:01 -0600

In 0942 Death of St. Odo of Cluny
   In 1188 Richard,"the Lion Hearted," heir to England, does homage to
           Philip Augustus, King of France, for his French possessions
   In 1210 Excommunication of Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor
   In 1307 William Tell shoots the apple off his son's head
   In 1414 Coronation of Sigsimund as King of Germany
   In 1441 Roger Bolingbroke, astrologer, hanged, drawn and quartered
   In 1497 Vasco da Gama reaches the Cape of Good Hope
   In 1518 Cortez sets out from Cuba to conquer Mexico
   In 1557 John Hallingdale, William Sparrow and Richard Gibson
           tortured and executed for heresy
   In 1618 Sir George Yardley is appointed as Governor of Virgina
   In 1626 Consecration of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican

Also, from yesterday:

Today, Nov. 17th, marks the 451st anniversary of the ascension of Lady Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, to the throne of England upon the death of her step-sister, Mary I, whose mother was Catherine of Aragon. The relationship between Elizabeth, a Protestant, and Mary, a Catholic, was troublesome. Elizabeth had been imprisoned in the Tower of London during part of Mary's reign due to suspicion of complicity in a rebellion against her step-sister's efforts to restore the power of the Catholic Church in England. As Queen, Elizabeth created a permanent Protestant Church of England and repealed the laws enacted by Mary that favored Catholicism.

England became one of the world's great powers during the reign of Elizabeth - which ran parallel to the English Renaissance - through her foreign policies. She became known as the "Virgin Queen" because she refused to risk loss of her power though marriage. The American colony and later state of Virginia was named in her honor.

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

Happy William Tell Day; or Hitting Your Mark

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:37:21 -0600

Did you know that today is the 702 anniversary of William Tell shooting the apple from his son's head? According to Wikipedia:

William Tell, who originally hailed from Bürglen, was known as an expert marksman with the crossbow. At the time, the Habsburg Hermann Gessler, the newly appointed Austrian emperors of Austria were seeking to dominate Uri. Vogt of Altdorf, raised a pole in the village's central square, hung his hat on top of it, and demanded that all the local townsfolk bow before the hat. When Tell passed by the hat without bowing to it, he was arrested. He received the punishment of being forced to shoot an apple off the head of his son, Walter, or else both would be executed. Tell had been promised freedom if he successfully shot the apple.

On 18 November 1307, Tell split the fruit with a single bolt from his crossbow, without mishap. When Gessler queried him about the purpose of a second bolt in his quiver, Tell answered that if he had killed his son, he would have turned the crossbow on Gessler himself. Gessler became enraged at that comment, and had Tell bound and brought to his ship to be taken to his castle at Küssnacht. But when a storm broke on Lake Lucerne, Tell managed to escape. On land, he went to Küssnacht, and when Gessler arrived, Tell shot him with his crossbow.

Tell's defiance of Gessler sparked a rebellion, in which Tell himself acted out a leading part, leading to the formation of the Swiss Confederation.

Tell fought in the Battle of Morgarten in 1315. He died in 1354 while trying to save a child from drowning in the Schächenbach, an alpine river in Uri.^[1] A fresco in a chapel in Bürglen, which dates to 1582, depicts this scene.^[2]

So, aside from being an interesting bit of medieval trivia, what's the point? (See, I bet you already guessed this was going somewhere, huh?) We are now one week from Thanksgiving (and my 61st birthday; please send all gifts to.....oh, never mind.....). Christmas shopping is in full swing and we're all either making our plans for 2010 or, at least, thinking about them. I am one of the world's worst at goal-setting, etc., but, having gone this far, I feel an obligation to at least take a stab at offering some thoughts on it. I'll keep it short.

1. Plan to your strengths. If you're not comfortable cold calling, don't try to force yourself into it. If the hot-shot ace producer in your office tells you its the best way, ignore him. All of us have different talents and abilities, and to try to put on those that don't fit makes no more sense than trying to wear the wrong size shoes.

2. Review what has worked and what has not. We salespeople are the most self-destructive people in the world. We are constantly looking for the "next big thing". We have some success with something, then put it aside to try something new. Tired of your listing presentation? You dump it. Tired of your introduction letter? You dump it. Never forget that as tired as you may be of it, it is probably shiny-new to the next listing client you see.

and finally (See? I said I'd keep it short)....

3. Enjoy what you're doing. We've probably all had jobs in which we hate to see Sunday afternoon arrive because it means Monday is to follow. If you don't like your work find something else to do!!!! Live is simply too short to hate 1/3 of it.

Okay, that's all. Happy William Tell Day!

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

Advice for 1st Time Homebuyers, Part III

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:38:44 -0600

Okay, this one will be fairly short.

If you are a first-time buyer you've probably not paid a lot of attention to the real estate market over any period of time. You're probably fairly young with little-to-no past experience or, to be honest, interest in owning real estate. You may even be considering a home simply because someone told you its the "grown up" thing to do, or your apartment lease is about to expire, or you're getting married. You may have heard the gloom-and-doom about the housing market and think that now is a bad time to jump in.

FORGET ALL THIS!!!!!

It is entirely possible that never in your young life has the opportunity been better for buying your first home, and here's why: The market is literally flooded with homes and interest rates are, historically, still very low (about 6%). But never ever forget that you get no tax advantages with renting. So say you have a $150,000 mortgage at 6% for 30 years, and are at the 27% tax bracket. The 6% mortgage, plus an estimate of $1200/year in taxes and $800/year in insurance, would run about $1070/month. But when you take into account the tax advantage, that effectively cuts your interest rate down to 4.38%, giving you a real monthly payment of $916/month, probably about what you are paying in rent. And you still have the added value of an increase in your property's value.

But don't wait too long; over the next few months we will be seeing the surplus homes on the market start to dwindle as builders cut back due to inaction. Supply will start to meet demand, home sales will pick up, money will become more expensive, and you'll be saying "if only........"

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

Lebanon and Mt. Juliet, TN, Year-to-Date Closings, 2006-2009

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:46:50 -0600

I am getting a lot of people tell me that they keep reading and hearing that real estate sales are up. Here's how the closings look for the last 12 months, ending this October.

Lots of up-and-down. I suspect we will also see a jump in November '09 due to the tax credit which, of course, has now been extended.

It might also be informative to look at the year-to-date comparing the years of 2006-2009. As you can see, the last four years have shown a sharp decrease in closings.

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

More looniness from across the pond.

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:16:12 -0600

Can't some of you Brit ex-pats do something to return sanity to your homeland????? I know they don't have the benefit of the 2nd Amendment there, but your's is the country that gave the world the Magna Carta which at least inspired documents proclaiming the freedom of man (I know, I know...it only applied to titled men. Don't nit-pick!).

This item from the Spectator tells of a British citizen who discovered a discarded sawed-off shotgun, called the police station, took it there the next morning.......and was promptly arrested for bring a firearm into a police station!! He faces the possibility of 5 years in prison:

A former soldier who handed a discarded shotgun in to police faces at least five years imprisonment for "doing his duty".

Paul Clarke, 27, was found guilty of possessing a firearm at Guildford Crown Court on Tuesday – after finding the gun and handing it personally to police officers on March 20 this year.

I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Anglophile and medievalist. I hate to read this kind of stuff. What happened to the British spirit that resulted in Crecy, Poitiers, Agincourt, Trafalgar, Waterloo, El Alamein?

C'mon all you former Brit realtors--your homeland is being eaten alive! Or maybe that's why your "former"......

Ah, well........

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

Advice for 1st Time Homebuyers, Part II: Things I CAN'T Tell you

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:50:49 -0600

As a first-time buyer, I would hope that you are relying on the advice and information supplied by your REALTOR®. I also hope you have found yourself a REALTOR® who (1) you trust that you can confide in and (2) knows how to best use the information you give them. But you do need to be aware that there is some information your REALTOR® simply cannot provide. Well, not if they want to stay out of court.

REALTORS® are bound by very strict ethical rules pertaining to fair housing. We are not allowed to steer prospective buyers away from or toward certain neighborhoods. We are not allowed to comment on the ethnic, racial, etc., of a certain neighborhood or area, nor are we allowed to comment upon such things as crime rate in an area. This means you, as a sharp buyer, will have to do some homework. What your REALTOR® can and should do is direct you to resources to provide that information.

Let's look at five questions that often arise which I, as a REALTOR®, cannot directly answer:

1. "Are there any sex offenders in the neighborhood?": This has become a growing and valid concern among buyers; unfortunately, we REALTORS® are not allowed to address this. What you as a prospective buyer can do is check your area on the National Sex Offenders Registry.

2. "How are the schools in this area?" For this important question you'd think that would be an easy one, but unless your REALTOR® has all the information at hand, it's usually best to plan on doing some research on your own. You might consider starting at the National Center for Education Statistics for a rating of schools throughout the country.

3. "What are the demographics here?" This can be a very touchy point, especially if is construed that the REALTOR® is commenting upon the racial or ethnic make-up of an area. I've had buyers tell me "I don't want to look at any areas where there are ______ living". Hey, all I can do is take you to the homes; you have to decide if you want to live there. As for the demographics of areas, you might look for this information with the National Census.

4. "What is the crime level like in this neighborhood?" The best place to find this out is by asking the local police or sheriff's office. They will usually be more than happy to supply prospective residents with the low-down on a neighborhood.

5. Finally, if you are considering buying in a neighborhood, walk around it. Take a Saturday afternoon and walk its streets, talk to your potential neighbors; seems like there is always that one neighbor who will tell someone everything about what is going on in a neighorhood. But remember that they will also tell everything about you if you do decide to move in!

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

For all my new "virtual friends" on Active Rain

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:47:19 -0600

Okay, since I probably won't have the opportunity to do this in real life, I just want to virtually buy a round for all the wonderful bloggers, commenters and new unmet friends here on ActiveRain. I'm partial to Guinness, but you are invited to fill in with your own fave. And if you don't imbibe, feel free to substitute the virtual non-alcoholic beverage of your choice.

Oh, and the second round is on you!!

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

A sure sign of fall

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:35:50 -0600

As I was leaving my father's in-the-city-limits-but-on-30-acres house yesterday after the Tennessee Titans gave, I saw a deer right next to the driveway jump and run. I see deer out there a lot, but seldom bucks. After the first one jumped, this buck stood up and just stared me down. I got this picture on my phone. He just watch me for about 2 minutes before turning and slowly strolling off.

Sure sign of the approach of winter and mating season for whitetails!

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

Today in Medieval History, November 15

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:56:56 -0600

Good Morning! It is Sunday November 15, 2009

Happy Birthday to...

   In 2349 Methuselah (BCE)
   In 1316 John I, King of France

On this day...

   In 0309 Martyrdom of Sts. Shmona and Garia, the "Confessors of Edessa"
   In 0878 Death of St. Fintan of Rhienau
   In 1136 Death of St. Leopold, Prince of Austria
   In 1280 Death of St. Albertus Magnus
   In 1283 Guelfs and Ghibellines fight it out in Treviso, Italy,
           with victory going to the Ghibellines
   In 1315 MORGARTEN (Swiss defeat Hapsburgs)
   In 1380 Pogroms in Paris
   In 1492 Columbus makes the first recorded
           observation of the use of tobacco
   In 1533 Spaniards enter the Inca's holy city of Cuzco
   In 1591 Execution of Barnabe Brisson, President
           of the Parliament of Paris
   In 1626 The Plymouth Colony buys out its London investors
   In 1630 Death of Kepler
   In 1635 Death of Thomas Parr, of Alberbury,
           Shropshire, England, aged 152

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

Advice for 1st Time Homebuyers, Part I

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:32:31 -0600

If you do not currently own your own home and are renting, you may be missing out on the best opportunity in years to start building equity, tax benefits, pride of ownership—in other words, now is a fantastic time to be looking for a home. With the softening in the real estate market in most areas and the government’s recent attempts to bolster the market, interest rates have actually fallen and any renter in a stable job and credit situation should be considering jumping into their own home. Right now the market is flooded with available homes; a lot on new construction and a lot of existing homes sitting empty (over the last few weeks most of the existing homes I’ve been showing are vacant; talk about motivated sellers!!).
So how do you start? I’m going to begin a series of, oh, several posts on the steps you should consider when jumping into the housing market. Whether you are looking to buy your first home or have owned before, these steps can still apply. I hope you find this helpful.

Step 1: Lower or eliminate your debt

Its great to have a big down payment for a home, but its actually better to pay off your high-interest card debt, even if it means having less for a down payment. Don't have a clue how to start?
Credit card debt is expensive, with interest rates that easily double (and, in some cases, almost triple) the national average on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage. Additionally, having a lot of credit card debt can really mess with how much you can borrow for a new home, as most lenders will not allow debt service—payments for student loans, car loans, credit cards, as well as your home payment—to exceed about 40% of your gross income.
Finally, if you have old credit cards that you do not use, discontinue them. Maybe you have an open account with a Sears card or a Dillards card that you have not used in years; even if it has a zero balance and no activity, it will still be considered “potential” debt as long as you have the card. Contact the issuer of the card and return it to them; you’re not using it, so why keep it?

Step 2: How much can you afford?

Okay, now you have to do a bit of paperwork. You will need to decide how much home you can afford to consider. It’s a lot of fun riding around, dreaming about homes; but if you’re seriously planning to buy there is no point in wasting time looking at homes for which you cannot financially qualify.
I suggest starting with a calculator designed to give you an idea how much you can afford. Most lenders will want to keep this to about 28% of your gross income. This calculator is provided by Ginnie Mae (the Government National Mortgage Association); there are a lot of others available on the ‘net, but most will give you the same figures.

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090

Mortgage applicants drop to 9-year low

Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:16:23 -0600

"Mortgage applications to purchase homes in the U.S. plunged last week to the lowest level in almost nine years as Americans waited for the outcome of deliberations to extend a government tax credit", according to Bloomberg.com.

Rates for 30-year fixed dropped to 4.90, down from 4.97. "At the current 30-year rate, monthly borrowing costs for each $100,000 of a loan would be $530.73, or about $84 less than the same week a year earlier, when the rate was 6.24 percent."

This should be good news for our buyers. With a LOT of good deals out there home ownership is still well within grasp.

"Your Key to Real Estate"

Cumberland Real Estate & Auction

207 Legends Drive

Lebanon, TN 37090