Maggie's New Year's Resolutions

Well I suppose it's that time of year again where I need to look at improving my life. Personally, I think there isn't much, if any, room for improvement but I guess it would make a good blog post.

Before I begin, I must say that my letter to Santa was obviously lost in the mail because my mom went and bought me a Snuggie for dogs and made me wear it all day. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!? I think she has lost her mind (and so does my dad). 2010 better be better because I'm really getting sick of this 'dressing up' crap!

Okay, here I go.

2010 New Year's Resolutions from Maggie;

1) To cut back on treats (ha! yeah right but it looks good in writing)

2) Try not to rip the stuffing out of all of my babies as soon as I get them.

3) To go on more car trips with my mom.

4) Try with all my might to be nicer to all the 'kitty cats' in my neighborhood I see (i.e. squirrels, dogs, humans, birds, etc.) It might be easier to do if they would all just stop irritating me at all hours of the day and night!

5) I guess I could try and clean up my language a bit. My mom hates it when I say 'crap'. She would get a lot less lip from me if she would just quit dressing me up like some idiot! See there I go again with the mouth! ugh....this will be a hard one for me

6) Ugh....um.....give me a minute to think here......hmmm....

Alright, that's good enough. Like I said before I'm pretty perfect.

Well I hope you all have a safe and happy start to the new year! It's just hard to believe that it's going to be 2010....wow....how time flies!

God bless you all.

Love,

Maggie

Maggie's Letter to Santa

Dear Santa Claus,

I have been a very good girl this year...well except for the time I tried to kill our neighbor's two labs (they were teasing me about being short like my mom) and the time I snuck daddy's dinner off his plate (he shouldn't have tempted me with it)....oh, and the time I tinkled on Mommy's new Turkish rug (I think the rug is ugly anyway). Other than those tiny, minor things I've been an angel...promise!

I thought it would be a good idea to get my letter to you early so there would be no screw ups this year. Santa, I didn't appreciate the stupid jacket and sweater you got me last year. No more crap like that, ok?!?

Well here's my list. I made it short and sweet for you so there would be no confusion.

I appreciate it Santa! I'll leave you some cookies out (oh, don't worry, I won't leave any of mommy's cookies out as I know they make you sick).

Maggie's VERY important Christmas list;

1) I would like several boxes of my favorite treats.

2) As many 'babies' (stuffed animals) as you can fit in your bag. You know how I love to rip the heads off of them.

3) I would like the groomer to go away (I'm not sure if you can help me with this but these groomer appointments are VERY traumatic for me)

4) Lastly, I would like a brother or sister to play with. (Mommy said her and daddy are working on this but I wasn't sure if you could speed up the process for them. I don't care which one I get but I'd love someone to play with).

Thanks for everything Santa. Hope you get some sleep after your big day!

Love,

Maggie

Time to Give Thanks

In November my mom gave her clients an opportunity to show their thanks for people that have made a difference in their lives.

My mom then let the people know how they have affected the lives of others by thanking them with a gift certificate to a restaurant. Wow...there are some very special people out there! Here are two of the wonderful submissions.

"We moved here 1 1/2 years ago & I met Barb (Bandelow) at church. I had just been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemo. I went through chemo for a year. In that time, Barb faithfully took me to all of my chemo appointments, brought us meals, called to see how I was doing, came to visit, etc. Due to the side effects and only a 10 - 20% chance that the chemo would work, I chose to stop chemo six months ago. Since then, Barb continues to be there for me. We go out to eat, work on crafts together and go shopping. She knows my cancer is progressing and continues to support me in every way as a true friend would do." Roger and Ginger Erdman

"Jonathan and I would like to give thanks to our very special Butte des Morts neighbors, Mike and Mary Rebman.

We are thankful to Mike and Mary in many ways. After Tifani helped us purchase our second home in Butte des Morts, Mike and Mary "showed us the ropes". As Chicagoans, we really needed the fast track on where to boat, where to eat, where to shop and where to have fun in the Fox Valley (plus Mary is hysterically funny). Moreover, as part time neighbors, we always knew Mike and Mary kept an eye on things for us without ever asking. They even baby sit our dog!

Mike and Mary are very hard working people at many levels; truly, rolling up their shirt sleeves. They run Triumph Electric in Appleton and work very long hours. They give back to their community through charitable giving. Mike and Mary even mow the shared community park in their spare time!

Knowing people like Mike and Mary made our transition to a lifestyle on the water fantastic! We also developed a deep friendship. We are grateful for Mike and Mary this Thanksgiving as true examples of people who we should be thankful for every day of the year." Jonathan and Beverley Rohde

Maggie's first video ever!

Mommy's Making Cookies

Oh Lord.....I'm not sure what I should do. My mom's in the kitchen attempting to 'make' her favorite cookies at the moment, Unbaked Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies. She plans on delivering them to some of her clients this week. Now, my mom isn't known to be the best cook in town and, in fact, has ruined a lot of things she has tried to cook. It is sad but true.

I thought I'd better warn those who are getting the cookies to tread cautiously and I also thought it might be a good idea to put the actual recipe on here so, if by a small chance they actually turn out, you might want to make them yourself (they may taste better if you make them).

I'll be praying for all of you who are 'lucky' enough to get some cookies. Have a great weekend!

Love,

Maggie

UNBAKED CHOCOLATE OATMEAL COOKIES

1/2 c butter

1/2 c milk

2 c sugar

1/2 c peanut butter

3 c quick cooking oatmeal

5 tbl cocoa powder

Cook butter, milk and sugar in a pan and bring to a boil.

Add peanut butter, oatmeal and cocoa. Boil for 5 to 7 more minutes.

Spoon onto wax paper and cool.

Time to Give Thanks

November is the month we celebrate Thanksgiving. We give thanks for the people in our lives, the things we have, our health, family, friends and so much more.
This month Tifani wants to help you ‘give thanks’ to the special people in your life.

Nominate another family, couple, close friend or relative to receive a $50 gift certificate to enjoy a nice dinner at a restaurant in the Fox Valley. Tell Tifani why you are thankful for them.

The story that is picked will be posted in Tifani’s next e-newsletter and on Maggie’s Dog Blog located on Tifani’s website www.TifaniAndCompany.com.

The winning nominee will win a $50 gift certificate to a restaurant located in the Fox Valley.

All stories must be submitted by November 22nd to qualify. You can send all entries to Tifani@TifaniAndCompany.com.

Happy Thanksgiving all November from Tifani And Company!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone! Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour tonight.

Love, Maggie

A Historic Time to Buy

Young people just starting to invest and buying their first homes are potentially the winners in this recession.First-time homebuyers, most between the ages of 25 and 45, accounted for about 45 percent of home sales from January through July 2009, according to the National Association of REALTORS®"This is a historic time," says George Jaramillo, a 35-year-old business analyst in Atlanta, who recently bought three homes, two of them foreclosures. "It's a great opportunity to make some great gains in the future."A study by investment company T. Rowe Price points out that investing when prices are low can result in amazing gains. For instance, between 1970 and 1990, the annualized rate of return for the S&P 500 was 11.5 percent."We need to be shouting from the rooftops that this is not the time to get out of the market if you're young," says Christine Fahlund, a senior financial planner with T. Rowe Price. "This is the time to be in the market."Source: The Associated Press, Chip Cutter (10/05/2009)

Will the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Be Extended?

By Luke Mullins
As we mark the one-year anniversary of the financial meltdown's most gut-churning period—Uncle Sam's takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the downfall of Lehman Brothers, the hasty sale of Merrill Lynch—signs of optimism in the housing market are everywhere. Existing home sales rose in July for the forth time in as many months, something the market hasn't seen since 2004. Inventory totals are off their record levels of a year ago. And prices, while still declining sharply, are no longer in free fall. However, the looming expiration of a popular federal tax credit has some worried that the housing market may give back its recent gains, and the real estate and home building industries are pushing lawmakers to extend the incentive. Here's a look at the impact of the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit, and the political outlook for its extension:
1. The specs: In an effort to stimulate housing demand, President Barack Obama included a tax credit of up to $8,000 for certain first-time home buyers in the $787 billion economic stimulus package he signed in February. Only buyers of principal residences who make purchases before December 1 and have an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less (or $150,000 for married couples) are eligible for the full credit. "The thinking about this tax credit is that it helps to support sales when the job market is still a mess," says Mark Zandi, the chief economist of Moody's Economy.com.
2. Impact: The tax credit is one of a number of factors that have worked to bolster the housing market in recent months. Even more important than the government's incentive has been the increasing affordability of real estate, says Mike Larson of Weiss Research. Rates on 30-year fixed mortgages fell to just above 5 percent this week, according to Freddie Mac. Meanwhile, home prices at the national level have plummeted more than 30 percent from the second quarter of 2006. The first-time home buyer tax credit "is the icing on the cake, not the cake itself," Larson says. "Falling home prices have worked their magic. That's why we are where we are." Still, Larson believes that the tax credit has played a key psychological role in pushing buyers off the sidelines and that its expiration would take some of the wind out of the market's sales. For his part, Zandi estimates that the credit will add nearly 400,000 new and existing home sales by the time of its scheduled expiration.
3. Extension efforts: Although the credit's deadline isn't until the end of November, buyers may need to make an offer on a house by the end of September to take advantage of it, according to the National Association of Realtors. (That's because it's taking longer to complete transactions these days, the trade group says.) In the face of this looming deadline, housing and real estate interest groups have stepped up their efforts to convince lawmakers in Washington to extend the credit. Sen. Johnny Isakson, a Georgia Republican who worked in the real estate business before turning to politics, has been pushing for an expansion of the credit for some time. "December through February is historically the worst time for home sales anyway because of the winter months, so with the credit ending November 30, you have a double whammy" on the market, Isakson says. On Wednesday, he and several other lawmakers—including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat—introduced a bill that would extend the tax credit for an additional six months. (Isakson had previously introduced legislation to extend the credit by a year.)
4. Opposition: Supporters of an extension of the credit will have to overcome mounting concerns about budget deficits and rising government spending. "There is no doubt about it that, compared to when we were working on this last winter, people are asking questions about the cost, when before it was not as much of a factor," says Jerry Howard, the president of the National Association of Home Builders. Zandi estimates that it would cost between $15 billion and $17 billion to extend the tax credit for another six months, which he considers money well spent. "If you extended it to mid next year . . . by then the job market will be stable enough that we can allow the tax credit to expire and it won't totally submarine the housing market," he says.
5. Odds: Senator Isakson believes lawmakers will eventually move to extend the credit in one form or another. "I don't believe either this administration or the current leadership would look November 30 in the eye and let this thing die," he says. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said this week that the administration is evaluating the credit's impact and will make a recommendation to the president, the Associated Press reported. The outlook for an extension appears to have brightened. Scott Talbott, a top lobbyist at the Financial Services Roundtable, put the odds of its extension at 50-50 earlier this week, but he said that the chances improved to 75-25 after Reid endorsed the six-month extension. Still, as lawmakers remain consumed with other matters, such as healthcare reform, action on the tax credit is unlikely to take place until the expiration date nears, Talbott says. "Congress works best on deadlines and crisis," he says. "And we sort of will have both with this one."

REALTORS® Develop Wisconsin Foreclosure Assistance Web Site

Madison, WI - July 15, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — A new online resource developed by the Wisconsin REALTORS® Association can help consumers take steps to avoid foreclosure or navigate through the process for a better outcome.
The nation’s economic downturn has created financial challenges for many homeowners and experts say extended periods of unemployment, mounting debt and medical expenses brought on by a loss of insurance are contributing to today’s record wave of foreclosures. These factors, along with a decline in property values and predatory behavior by some lenders, have made it difficult for many homeowners to meet their financial obligations and stay current on their loans
“The possibility of going through foreclosure is the last thing consumers think about when they buy a home, but unfortunately it’s the situation thousands of Wisconsin homeowners are facing today,’’ says Bill Malkasian, President of the Wisconsin REALTORS® Association. “As a trusted source of advice and counsel, we created this resource to help homeowners achieve a better outcome when faced with difficult choices. The reality is that banks don’t want to have to go through the time and expense of the foreclosure process, so there is much more opportunity to negotiate new terms and hold on to your home.”
The Wisconsin Foreclosure Assistance Resource Center provides answers to frequently asked questions about Wisconsin’s foreclosure process and features a variety of credible resources, including expert advice and contact information for trusted advisers throughout the state.
The site’s three main sections – a survival kit, prevention kit and public information kit – include video clips with experts from the Wisconsin REALTORS® Association, Wisconsin Bankers Association, Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Milwaukee, the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority and more. In addition, the site explains the foreclosure timeline and provides a glossary of terms to help homeowners ask the right questions and get the answers they need.
Malkasian says one of the biggest mistakes homeowners make is to do nothing when confronted with a financial problem. Whether they are buoyed by a false sense of optimism that things will get better, or feel a sense of embarrassment or fear, many are reluctant to reach out and make contact with their mortgage provider.
“Often, stress and emotions are running high for homeowners in this situation,’’ Malkasian says. “The purpose of the online resource is to provide a ready source of credible help that takes emotion out of the equation and replaces fear with a clear course of action. Homeowners in this situation are particularly vulnerable to predatory schemes and we wanted to provide professional contacts – often at nonprofit agencies — who are trained to help.’’
The site includes a thorough discussion of what to do if you are unable to make a scheduled mortgage payment, when it might be time to sell your home and tips for avoiding foreclosure scams.
For more information, visit the Wisconsin Foreclosure Assistance Resource Center at http://www.wisconsinforeclosurekit.org/.

Results of Oshkosh Vision Survey

Oshkosh, Wis., residents recently took a vision survey designed to help chart a common community path for the years to come. The community survey elicited approximately 2,400 responses, a majority of which called for sustainability and a renewed focus on the city's downtown and riverfront. Consultant Tony Nelessen of A. Nelessen Associates, who conducted the survey, remarked, "The set of recommendations that came out of all that input probably creates one of the most visually interesting, greenly aesthetic futures for a town that I've ever seen." When Oshkosh initially embarked on the visioning process earlier this year, local officials had some grandiose plans in mind but lacked a cohesive vision. Thanks to the survey, City Manager Mark Rohloff stated, "Now we have some vision to go with the plans. Now we can marry those two and move forward." More than 90 percent of respondents stated that future development should be focused on downtown Oshkosh. Not a single respondent, meanwhile, advocated more development along the U.S. Highway 41 corridor. On the north side, respondents called for additional multifamily housing and mixed-use retail. Finally, the survey showed strong support for development south of the river that focuses on parks and green space.

Summer BBQ'ing Tips

Everything tastes better off the grill or barbeque pit, and nothing could be simpler, right? Well....... there is more to barbeque than tossing a steak or burger on a grill. Experience is a great teacher but it's always nice to learn from other's mistakes.

1. Wash everything after handling raw meat, and don't reuse the plate that you used for uncooked meat.
2. Have a spray bottle full of water nearby your grill in cause of flare-ups.

3. Using charcoal briquettes for your barbecue's heat? Then light the coals about 30 minutes before to cooking.

4. If you're a charcoal fan, first line the inside bottom of your cooker with a couple of sheets of aluminum foil before you put your briquettes in.

5. Cooking chicken? If you intend to eat the skin, rub the outside with a little butter or oil and then lightly season it.

6. Leaner steak cuts possess more flavor but will be a little tougher if cooked past medium.

7. Use these cooking times for grilled fish: Salmon fillets, 6 - 8 minutes per side; Salmon or halibut steaks, 5 minutes per side; Trout fillets, 4 minutes per side; Small whole fish, 7 minutes per side; and Large fish, 15 minutes per side. If your whole fish are stuffed, give it a few extra minutes per side.

8. Don't add any salt until the meat is cooked to prevent it from getting dry and tough.

TODAY IS MAGGIE'S BIRTHDAY

Today is my 9th birthday!!! My mom is taking me to Petco to get a treat and she's also baking me a cake later!

"Sellers Offer Incentives to Help Lure Homebuyers"

Home sellers, particularly those who do not need to pay off mortgages, are offering creative financing to attract buyers. REALTORS® say these sellers might offer lease-to-own agreements, or they could provide mortgages to cover the purchase. Sellers benefit from being able to secure higher asking prices and unload the properties faster while generating a monthly income without taking on a lot of risk. If the buyer defaults, the seller simply assumes ownership of the property and resells it. Meanwhile, agents say buyers benefit from being able to negotiate the interest rate and terms with the seller. Those who do not qualify for conventional financing have a better chance of becoming homeowners.

Pending home sales rise 6.7%

The number of U.S. homebuyers who agreed to purchase a previously occupied home in April posted the largest monthly jump in nearly eight years, a sign that sales are finally coming to life after a long and painful slump.
The National Association of Realtors said Tuesday its seasonally adjusted index of sales contracts signed in April surged 6.7 percent to 90.3, far exceeding analysts' forecasts. It was the biggest monthly jump since October 2001, when pending sales rose 9.2 percent.
Economists were encouraged by the report, and stock indexes advanced modestly.
"This is yet another positive indication that the bottoming process is forming," Jennifer Lee, an economist at BMO Capital Markets, wrote in a note to clients. "Now if only prices would stabilize."
Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected the index would edge up to 85 from a reading of 84.6 in March. Typically there is a one- to two-month lag between a contract and a done deal, so the index is a barometer for future existing home sales.
In early trading, the Dow Jones industrial average added about 20 points to 8,741, and at times traded above 8,776.39, its finish for 2008.
Still, some economists wonder whether rising mortgage rates will dampen home sales. Nationwide average rates for 30-year-fixed rate mortgages are around 5.3 percent this week compared with about 5 percent a week earlier, according to Bankrate.com.
And analysts cautioned prices will take longer to stabilize, because of the glut of unsold properties on the market.
"Even if sales volumes rebound, home prices will keep falling under the weight of the massive inventory overhang," wrote Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics.
The Realtors' index was 3.2 percent above last year's levels and has risen for three straight months after hitting a record low in January. A nearly 33 percent sales increase in the Northeast and a 9.8 percent jump in the Midwest led the overall surge. Sales contracts rose 1.8 percent in April from a month earlier in the West, but fell 0.2 percent in the South.
The big boost likely reflects the impact of a new $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers that was included in the economic stimulus bill signed by President Barack Obama in February. Since buyers need to finish their purchases by Nov. 30 to claim the credit, "we expect greater activity in the months ahead," Lawrence Yun, the Realtors' chief economist, said in a statement.
Still, Yun cautioned that the pending sales data is more volatile than in the past because many sellers need banks to agree to take less than the original mortgage -- a so-called "short sale." That process is often difficult, time-consuming and can wind up falling apart before the deal closes.
The Federal Housing Administration last week released details of a plan in which borrowers who use FHA loans can get advances from lenders that let them effectively receive the credit in advance, so they don't have to wait to get the money from the Internal Revenue Service.
Completed home sales rose 2.9 percent to an annual rate of 4.68 million in April from a downwardly revised pace of 4.55 million in March, the Realtors' group said last week.
Sales of inexpensive foreclosures and other distressed low-end properties have even sparked bidding wars in places like Las Vegas, Phoenix and Miami. But the market for high-end properties remains at a virtual standstill.
The national median sales price in April plunged more than 15 percent to $170,200, from $201,300 in the same month last year. That was the second largest yearly price drop on record, according to the Realtors' group.

Homebuyer Snapshot

Did you know???

That the average age of the first time homebuyer is 30?

That the average purchase price of a first time homebuyer is $165,000?

That the average age for a repeat buyer is 47?

That the average purchase price for a repeat buyer is $236,000?

That 57% of the population has never lived outside of their current state?

That 37% of the population has never left their hometown?

That 20% of the population has left their hometown but never lived in a different state?

People define home differently: 26% say it's where they were born or raised; 22% say it's where they live now; 18% say it's where they have lived the longest; 15% say it's where their family comes from; and 4% say it's where they went to high school.

Did you know that Maggie will be 9 years old on June 17th???

Anyone Tweet?

Want to get instant updates on the real estate market? You can now follow my mom on Twitter.

You can find her under

TifaniAndCo

As a reminder.....

Don't forget to set your clocks ahead tonight. It's time to 'Spring Forward'! Yay, now it will be lighter out longer!

First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit

My mom is getting asked tons of questions about this first-time home buyer tax credit. I decided to post a few of the top questions she gets asked.

Frequently Asked Questions
In 2008, Congress enacted a $7500 tax credit designed to be an incentive for first-time homebuyers to purchase a home. The credit was designed as a mechanism to decrease the over-supply of homes for sale.
For 2009, Congress has increased the credit to $8000 and made several additional improvements. This revised $8000 tax credit applies to purchases on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009.

Who is eligible?
Only first-time homebuyers are eligible. A person is considered a first-time buyer if he/she has not had any ownership interest in a home in the three years previous to the day of the 2009 purchase.

Do I have to repay the 2009 tax credit?
NO. There is no repayment for 2009 tax credits.
Do 2008 purchasers still have to repay their tax credit?
YES. The $7500 credit in 2008 was more like an interest-free loan. All eligible purchasers who claimed the 2008 credit will still be required to repay it over 15 years, starting with their 2010 tax return.

How do I apply for the credit?
There is no pre-purchase authorization, application or similar approval process. All eligible purchasers simply claim the credit on their IRS Form 1040 tax return. The credit will be reflected on a new Form 5405 that will be attached to the 1040. Form 5405 can be found at http://www.wra.org/Communications/107064/12372229/63067228.
So I can't use the credit amount as part of my downpayment?
No. Congress tried hard to devise a mechanism that would make the funds available for closing costs, but found that pre-funding would require cumbersome processes that would, in effect, bring the IRS into the purchase and settlement phase of the transaction.

In a world of bad news, here's a story to put a smile on your face.

Team's gesture supports grieving opponent
ESPN.com news services
Two missed free throws, ordinarily the cause of a coach's headache, became the symbol of sportsmanship in a Milwaukee boys' basketball game earlier this month.
Milwaukee Madison senior Johntell Franklin, who lost his mother, Carlitha, to cancer on Saturday, Feb. 7, decided he wanted to play in that night's game against DeKalb (Ill.) High School after previously indicating he would sit out.
He arrived at the gym in the second quarter, but Franklin's name was not in the scorebook because his coach, Aaron Womack Jr., didn't expect him to be there.
Rules dictated Womack would have to be assessed a technical, but he was prepared to put Franklin in the game anyway. DeKalb coach Dave Rohlman and his players knew of the situation, and told the referees they did not want the call.
The referees had no choice. But Rohlman did.
"I gathered my kids and said, 'Who wants to take these free throws?'" Rohlman said, recounting the game to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Darius McNeal put up his hand. I said, 'You realize you're going to miss, right?' He nodded his head."
McNeal, a senior point guard, went to the line. The Milwaukee Madison players stayed by their bench, waiting for the free throws. Instead of seeing the ball go through the net, they saw the ball on the court, rolling over the end line.
"I turned around and saw the ref pick up the ball and hand it back to the player," Womack said in the Journal Sentinel. "And then [McNeal] did the same thing again."
Said Rohlman: "Darius set up for a regular free throw, but he only shot it two or three feet in front of him. It bounced once or twice and just rolled past the basket."
"I did it for the guy who lost his mom," McNeal told the newspaper. "It was the right thing to do."
Womack, overwhelmed by DeKalb's gesture, wrote a letter to the DeKalb Daily Chronicle, which had first reported the story.
"As a principal, school, school district staff, and community you should all feel immense pride for the remarkable job that the coaching staff is doing in not only coaching these young men, but teaching them how to be leaders," Womack wrote.
DeKalb had traveled more than two hours for the game, and waited another two as Womack rushed from the hospital, where he had been with Franklin, to the school to gather his team.
"We were sympathetic to the circumstances and the events," Rohlman said in the Journal Sentinel. "We even told Coach Womack that it'd be OK to call off the game, but he said we had driven 2½ hours to get here and the kids wanted to play. So we said, 'Spend some time with your team and come out when you're ready.'"
The two schools had met twice previously, and this one ended with a Madison victory, but as in the other games, they also shared a pizza dinner, "four kids to a pizza, two Madison kids and two DeKalb kids," Womack told the Journal Sentinel.
"That letter became a big deal in DeKalb," Rohlman said in the paper. "We got lots of positive calls and e-mails because of it. Even though we lost the game, it was a true life lesson, and it's not one our kids are going to forget anytime soon."
Womack, in his letter to the DeKalb Daily Chronicle, added this at the end: "I'd like to recognize Darius who stepped up to miss the shot on purpose. He could have been selfish and cared only for his own stats [I hope Coach Rohlman doesn't make him run for missing the free throws]."

Winnebago Home Show

I wanted to let you know that the Winnebago Home Builders Association (WHBA) Home Show starts tomorrow and runs through Sunday. My mom will be working at the show in the Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group booth on Saturday, February 14th, from 10 a.m. to noon. Please come out and visit her and other members of the Pawlosky Team as well!

Admission is free if you bring a canned good. All donations are going to the Salvation Army Food Pantry which my mom is a big supporter of. You can also make a donation to the Habitat for Humanity to get in free of charge. For more information you can check out http://www.whba.net/.

I wish I could go with my mom but she said they don't let 4 legged people in. How unfair!

I Really Don't Get It!

What Are You Waiting For?
Houses on sale, interest rates still near all-time lows, and lenders no longer pushing mortgages that get you into trouble - this may be the best time to buy a house.
Not since the Great Depression has there been such a steep decline in the prices of homes. You can call it a crisis, or as the federal regulators say, a "correction," but it just as meaningful to call it a "sale," so yes, it's probably a good time to buy a house. Of course there is no guarantee that we have reached the bottom on prices, but at the very least you know you are paying substantially less than you would have a couple years ago.
What if you're a first time home buyer? Well, it makes sense to buy something when it's on sale - including a house. In addition, interest rates are still low (as of late 2008). And although it's tougher to get financing now, this isn't all bad. You can feel safer knowing that banks and other lenders are no longer allowing borrowers to get mortgages they can’t afford. Plus first time buyers can receive a credit of $7,500 to use as they would like (basically an interest-free 15 yr loan).
Now, if you have the financial means, you might want to buy the new home now without selling your existing house. You can rent out your current house and wait for better times when you might get more for it.
Buyers have more of a home selection than has ever been seen before. What are you waiting for? As they say, “You Snooze, You Lose”.

9 Housing-Market Head Winds for 2009 (from Yahoo real estate)

With home prices having dropped a painful 21 percent from their 2006 peaks, property owners everywhere could use a splash of good news in their New Year's Eve cocktails. But as a nasty recession is now part of the picture, the chances of an aggressive housing market rebound next year are dim. "A lasting recovery in the housing market?" says Mike Larson, a real estate analyst at Weiss Research. "I don't see it in the cards until the back end of the year—if that."
Here's a look at the factors that will be weighing down the housing market in 2009:

1. Recession: After months of speculation, the National Bureau of Economic Research made it official Monday, announcing that the U.S. economy entered into a recession in December 2007. The only question now is: How painful a recession will we have? In a November 21 report, economists at Goldman Sachs revised their previous forecast to reflect a more significant economic contraction and higher unemployment. "We now estimate that real GDP is falling at a 5 percent annual rate in the current quarter, and we expect this to be followed by declines of 3 percent and 1 percent in the next two quarters," the economists said. "This deepens and extends the expected recession, bringing the drop in GDP close to the decline seen in 1982 (2.3 percent in our forecast versus 2.7 percent then)." The recession will exert downward pressure on the housing market in a number of ways.
2. Higher Unemployment: The shrinking economy will result in additional layoffs, which will work to smother housing demand. The unemployment rate has already been climbing—it now stands at 6.5 percent—but many expect it to increase significantly in the coming year. Goldman Sachs projects the unemployment rate to hit 9 percent by the end of 2009. "This forecast, if correct, makes the current recession unequivocally the worst single downturn on record since World War II insofar as increases in joblessness are concerned," the economists said. Fewer jobs mean fewer home buyers, since an income stream is essential to obtaining a mortgage. "A job is necessary for a home," says Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com. "Without [a job] you can't get [a home]."
3. Consumer Confidence: If consumers are worried about the state of the economy and their jobs, they are much less likely to make the biggest financial investment of their lives: buying a house. With a leading survey showing that consumer confidence in the United States dropped to 28-year lows in November, downward pressure on this front will be working against the housing market as well. "You generally don't buy a home unless you feel pretty good about your economic situation," Zandi says. "No one feels good [today]."
4. The Underwater Effect: A recent Zillow report found that 1 in 7 American homeowners has negative equity—owing more on a home than it is worth. (For those who bought a home in the past five years, it's nearly 1 in 3.) Many homeowners in this situation will choose to simply walk away from their homes rather than continue to pay off a devaluing investment. And with home prices expected to fall further next year, the number of "underwater" mortgages will most likely increase. "The underwater phenomenon is going to be very bad in 2009," says Christopher Thornberg of Beacon Economics.
5. Tighter Credit: As banks face higher loan delinquencies, they've responded by jacking up their lending standards for even well-qualified borrowers. The Federal Reserve's most recent Senior Loan Officer Survey found that 70 percent of domestic banks had boosted their lending standards for prime mortgages. More stringent terms will prevent certain borrowers from obtaining mortgages, thereby limiting demand for housing.
6. Slowing Household Formation: At the same time, the pace of new household formation is slowing, which further chips away at housing demand. Richard Moody, chief economist at Mission Residential, says the development is linked to three factors: More singles are moving in with each other, young adults are returning to live with their parents, and fewer immigrants are entering the country. "For those three reasons, you are seeing a slowdown in the rate of household formation," Moody says. "And to the extent that the economy and the labor market remain weak this year—which I think they will—then that's going to continue."
7. Radioactive Effect: Despite lower real estate prices and cheaper mortgage rates, the pain inflicted by the housing bust will frighten many would-be buyers away from the market next year, Larson says. "Enough of your 'average Joes' have been burned very badly and will be burned by the time this is all over that investment money is not going to flood back into the market," Larson says. "Any recovery—in my opinion—will be gradual and is going to take time."
8. Foreclosure Sales: A huge problem for the housing market in 2008, foreclosures sales will continue weighing down the market next year. "There was a surge this year," Zandi says. "But next year [there] will be even more." While that will give buyers an opportunity to go bargain hunting, it's bad news for sellers. "It puts more homes out there for sale at a very deep discount," Zandi adds.
9. Subprime Mortgages: While resetting subprime mortgages may not be a leading factor behind the decline in home prices—as they were this year—such products will again be working against the housing market in 2009, Thornberg says. "There are still lots of subprime mortgages out there that are going to reset not just in 2009, but 2010 and 2011," he says. "And so that's going to be a consistent problem for a while, although it is probably reduced in magnitude [from 2008]."