central florida real estate: My Bank Wants to Give Me An ARM - I Guess They Want A Leg!
- 11/25/07 06:53 AM
This is amazing with all that's gone on within the mortgage industry. I was just going through some mail that I'd put aside and there was a letter in there from a lender on one of my rental properties. They wanted to offer to lower my monthly payment a little over $300. The rate was going from 7.375% to a 6.746% APR. OK, so what's the catch. Well it appears that the actual rate is 5.875% and they wanted 1.605% points. Right here I'm going to myself - OK, so they're charging points looking to make some quick cash. Everyone knows … (17 comments)
central florida real estate: Giving Back – Free or Relatively Cheap Property Submission Sites
- 11/22/07 01:49 AM
Today, being Thanksgiving, I wanted to give something back to the community. I've learned so much here and many of you have shared sites that I've felt have beneficial to myself. So, with that said... This is a list of many sites that I've found over the years and currently utilize for online property submissions. Most are free of charge. Some do not appear to get much traffic, while I consistently get responses from some others. There are also many that I've used and no longer utilize because of the lack of responses. I won't deny that the initial work on some … (17 comments)
central florida real estate: Are You Courteous in Real Estate and Life?
- 11/21/07 12:36 AM
What happened to good old fashioned common courtesy? Even if we are in a fast paced environment with so much so readily available, why should that have been the one simple thing to be thrown out - something that takes almost no time at all? The definition of courtesy according to the Random House Unabridged Dictionary is the "excellence of manners or social conduct; polite behavior; respectful or considerate act or expression; help or generosity." We are in a social atmosphere and a social discipline. What else can real estate be considered? Unless you are totally isolated, then you will have interactions … (8 comments)
central florida real estate: Thanksgiving Funny
- 11/20/07 07:07 AM
I had to laugh when I read this comic this morning! But, there was another comic 'Mutts' which was about Thanksgiving with a simple Estonian proverb stating "Who does not thank for little, will not thank for much." You can't get any truer than that. HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!! … (14 comments)
central florida real estate: Pecan Pie
- 11/17/07 07:32 AM
PECAN PIE 1 cup Karo light or dark corn syrup 3 eggs, slightly beaten 1 cup sugar 2 tbsp butter, melted 1 tsp vanilla 2¾ cups pecans 1 - 9" unbaked or frozen deep dish pie crust
Preheat oven to 350º F. In a medium bowl beat eggs slightly with fork. Add sugar, Karo corn syrup, butter and vanilla. Stir until blended. Stir in pecans. Pour into pie crust. Bake 50 - 55 min or until knife inserted halfway between the center & edge comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Chocolate Pecan Pie - Add 4 oz. semi-sweet or 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted into the sugar & Karo … (25 comments)
central florida real estate: Marc's Cornbread
- 11/17/07 07:25 AM
Now I know that many, especially in the South, will think this is sacrilege not baking a Cornbread in a cast-iron skillet, but... Marc's Cornbread 1½ cups yellow cornmeal ½ cup all-purpose flour 1 tbsp sugar 2 tsp double-acting baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 2 large eggs 1½ cups buttermilk ½ stick unsalted butter, softened 1 cup fresh corn kernels including the pulp scraped from the cobs (about 1½ ears of corn) 1½ cups grated sharp Cheddar 3 scallions, sliced thin
Preheat the oven to 425º F. Grease a 13 x 9" or similar casserole dish. Into a small bowl sift together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. … (4 comments)
Butter a 9 or 10" springform pan. Dust completely with flour. Tap out excess flour. Preheat oven to 375º F. Beat eggs, sugar and lemon juice until light. Add the cream cheese (but not all at once) and beat thoroughly (not too lumpy). Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix well. Pour into pan and bake at least 30 minutes. Top should be slightly golden brown and when … (7 comments)
Marc's Macaroni & Cheese 6 tbsp unsalted butter + some for a prepared baking dish 5½ cups milk ½ cup flour 2 tsp salt ¼ tsp ground white pepper ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional) 4½ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (approx. 18 oz.) 2 cups Gruyere cheese (approx. 8 oz.) 1 lb elbow macaroni Bread crumbs - either seasoned or plain
Heat the oven to 375º F. Butter a 13 x 9 or similar dish. Cook the pasta according to the manufacturer's directions less … (8 comments)
central florida real estate: Active Rain Friendships - A Personal Note
- 11/10/07 12:26 PM
Yes, Active Rain is absolutely wonderful. Not only do we have a place to network, educate ourselves & others, and sell ourselves & our listings, but you meet lovely, warm, generous people and form friendships. Who can think of a better win, win situation? I never anticipated this when I joined a year ago. Honestly, at that time it was just another avenue to submit my blog. (Sorry, but I'm not going to lie.) I never utilized AR to its full potential, but am learning to do so. It's not only a great tool, but a GREAT Community. I have to thank everyone past & … (16 comments)
central florida real estate: You Are What You Wear - The Psychology of Color in Dress
- 11/09/07 01:56 AM
We've read much talk about the psychology of color in staging and decorating a home. But there is much to be said about our dress & what the colors evoke in others. Colors affect us both physically and emotionally depending on their use. It has to be noted that color psychology differs from color symbolism, which in itself differs greatly between societies, cultures and religions. Colors are basically broken down into two main categories - Warm Colors - which are those on the red side of the spectrum including orange & yellow. Cool Colors - those on the blue side of the … (11 comments)
central florida real estate: Wealth & Social Disparity and Real Estate - A Social Commentary
- 11/07/07 02:54 AM
It's the old story of the rich getting richer & the poor getting poorer. Even though the average living standards have increased considerably in recent times, the distribution of wealth has become more skewed. One percent of the richest people own 40% of the world's wealth, while the bottom 50% of the world's adult population own barely 1% of the wealth. In the U. S. alone, the top 1 percent earn as much as the bottom 33%, which is equivalent to over 100 million people. While the U. S. economy has grown approximately 160% over the last 30+ years, the top 1% … (3 comments)
central florida real estate: SUMMARY OF MY LAST YEAR ON THE COMPUTER
- 11/01/07 10:15 AM
Someone just sent this to me & I thought some of you might enjoy. Of course, some may have seen this already. Enjoy!! I have to scrub the top of every can I open. I don't have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time. In fact I don't have any money at all, but that will change once Ireceive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program. I don't have to worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and … (5 comments)
central florida real estate: Florida’s Property Tax Fiasco, Like the Energizer Bunny, Goes On & On….
- 10/31/07 08:02 AM
Unbelievable! After all of these months of wrangling, town hall meetings, etc, this is the best that they could come up with. The major points of the proposed property tax amendment, which the citizens of Florida will vote on 1/29/08 are as follows: The homestead exemption will be increased from $25K to $40 or 50K depending on who you speak to. According to the Orlando Sentinel it will be $40K, but a news report on TV and an email from Governor Charlie Crist both refer to "doubling the homestead exemption." There will be some portability of the Save Our Homes, whether you are … (5 comments)
central florida real estate: Real Estate – Still One of the Best Investments Around – Do You Believe It?
- 10/30/07 10:23 AM
You should! Yes, we've read and heard about the all the doom & gloom in the real estate and mortgage industries. And there is a lot of truth to this. But at the same time we need to look at the larger picture. I know that for some that may have gotten caught up in the fiascos of late, that this will be next to if not impossible to do; and, I can greatly understand that. The long and short of it is this - Real Estate was never meant to be a short-term investment and as a long-term investment, it … (4 comments)
central florida real estate: Let’s Remember to be “Thankful”
- 09/29/07 01:35 AM
Lately, I've been back and forth between home & Memphis & have not had the time to blog. The following is an article from my newsletter that I sent out about one month ago & just wanted to share it with others. Originally, I had planned to write an article that was real estate related and might be useful to you. But, then I came to experience a set of events and wanted to write on a more personal level and more to the point about time, life, awareness and being thankful. Forgive me if I tend to ramble for there are … (10 comments)
central florida real estate: Uh Oh - I Must Be Getting Old!
- 09/13/07 04:14 AM
On this date in history... NY City became the 1st capital of the US in 1788.1st loan to the US Government was from NYC banks in 1789.US Gen. Winfield Scott captured Mexico City during the American-Mexican war in 1847.1st naval battle of Civil War - Union frigate "Colorado" sank privateer "Judah" off Pensacola, FL in 1861.Xavier University, the 1st US University for Blacks opened in New Orleans in 1925.Margaret Chase Smith (R-Me) elected senator in 1948. She was the 1st woman to serve in both houses of Congress.11 guards & 31 prisoners died in a take over at Attica State Prison … (2 comments)
This blog is an avenue to relate information and sites that may be of interest to you in regard to real estate. There will be miscellaneous meanderings about me and opinions in regard to Central Florida and Orlando homes for sale and real estate in particular.
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This is amazing with all that's gone on within the mortgage industry. I was just going through some mail that I'd put aside and there was a letter in there from a lender on one of my rental properties. They wanted to offer to lower my monthly payment a little over $300. The rate was going from 7.375% to a 6.746% APR. OK, so what's the catch. Well it appears that the actual rate is 5.875% and they wanted 1.605% points. Right here I'm going to myself - OK, so they're charging points looking to make some quick cash. Everyone knows … (17 comments)
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