<![CDATA[Nothing Would Be Finer Than To Be In Carolina - Blog]]>Sun, 20 May 2012 10:24:46 -0500Weebly<![CDATA[How Buyer Found Real Estate Agent]]>Sat, 05 May 2012 10:52:49 -0500http://larryx.weebly.com/1/post/2012/05/how-buyer-found-real-estate-agent.html
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SOURCE: National Association of REALTORS - Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers 2011
]]><![CDATA[Enjoy taking photos in my spare time]]>Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:37:18 -0500http://larryx.weebly.com/1/post/2012/04/enjoy-taking-photos-in-my-spare-time.htmlPicture
I enjoy taking photos in my spare time. I should have taken this  up years ago, but they say it is better late than never. Many of my photos  are in Waxhaw, NC, but Waxhaw is a small town so I have to go outside the area  sometimes. I take them when I go back to visit in my home town, or in the   mountains, the beach or anywhere I see something of interest. I really like to   take photos of old buildings and old homes. You can see architecture in those  buildings not seen in today’s homes. 

The building pictured above is the old Belk Building in downtown Waxhaw.  It is my understanding that many years ago it was part of the Belk's retail chain.  It is now home to the Waxhaw Womans Club. 
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The next  photo is of  a store the owner called his "Junk Store".  It actually was a pretty neat store, but someone finally came in and tore it down.   

I take the photos and convert them to sketches.
]]><![CDATA[National Flood Insurance Program is coming up for renewal.]]>Sat, 03 Sep 2011 12:54:14 -0500http://larryx.weebly.com/1/post/2011/09/national-flood-insurance-program-is-coming-up-for-renewal.htmlThis letter was sent to Senator Richard Burr, Senator Kay Hagen and Representative Sue Myrick of North Carolina regarding the National Flood Insurance Program which is due to be reauthorized by the end of September.

If you plan to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program, I urge you to do so only if the following points are included:
  1. If a home is in a flood plain and is destroyed, it must not be rebuilt in the flood area.  If it is rebuilt, the owner assumes full responsibility.  Nothing else will be paid from the federal taxpayers for flood insurance or disaster relief.                                                                                                                                                                                    
  2. Homeowners in the flood plain must pay premiums at whatever the competitive rates are.   No discounted rates just because it is from the federal government.
  3. If a property owner receives disaster aid, they are not eligible to receive any payments from NFIP and vice versa.
  4. Any increase or extension in the NFIP must be offset by a reduction in another federal (taxpayer paid) program.  It is past time  for Washington to live within its means.  No more bills where politicians buy votes with federal programs.  You were sent there to make hard decisions for all of the people, not just a few.  Sometimes the federal government cannot (nor should it) come to our rescue!
  5. NFIP is for owner occupied properties only.  No investors allowed.

As I stated above, the federal government must begin functioning within a budget.  If the points listed above cannot be incorporated, I ask that you NOT sign the extension.
 ]]><![CDATA[Taking a bite out of our wallets:]]>Sat, 30 Jul 2011 18:28:57 -0500http://larryx.weebly.com/1/post/2011/07/taking-a-bite-out-of-our-wallets.htmlPicture
Ever wonder where all your hard-earned money is going?  Think about this.  If you drive 15,000 miles per year, and your car averages 30 mpg, your fuel cost has increased about 102% since January, 2009.  To put it in numbers; regular gasoline averaged $1.84 a gallon according to Consumer Reports on January 26, 2009.  Today, July 30, 2011 it averages $3.71 according to AAA.  You can do the math.  I don’t know about you, but I could use that $935 elsewhere. 

If you have more than one car, you’re paying even more.

]]><![CDATA[Should the federal government be involved in the home rental business?]]>Sat, 23 Jul 2011 10:44:57 -0500http://larryx.weebly.com/1/post/2011/07/should-the-federal-government-be-involved-in-the-home-rental-business.htmlPicture
Here they go again, our federal government is thinking of renting out foreclosed homes.  Just what we need, the government getting into the landlord business.  What makes them think this will work when the tax credits and Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) did not?  Billions of taxpayer dollars were set aside for HARP. 

The eight-thousand dollar tax credit paid for by you and me did get some people buying, but once that program ended, sales dropped again.   Some say it only pushed sales into earlier months.  Then you have the cash for clunkers bailout.

Now our federal government wants to get into the landlord business.  What the federal government needs to do is leave it alone and let the market fix itself.  It will, only if they will quit meddling in it. 

I don’t know about all of the elected officials in Washington, but I do know many them have been there thirty or forty years.  How can they have any business experience at all if all they have ever done is spend other people’s money, and not very wisely, I might add?  They are passing so many regulations these days, how about passing one that limits their stay on a government job.
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On another note…...several months ago, in haste, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) came out with a new ruling.  The thought was good, but their planning was terrible.  

Here was their thought; some homeowners might look at alternative options to a foreclosure such as a short sale. To help protect these homeowners the FTC came up with the Mortgage Assistance Relief Services (MARS).

The rule’s intent was to help protect distressed homeowners from mortgage relief scams, but it was so broadly written, in their haste, that it required real estate agents, acting in their licensed capacity to comply when they negotiate with a lender on the terms of a short sale.

This rule went into effect in December, 2010.  Now, in July, 2011 the FTC has announced they will forbear from enforcing most provisions of MARS against real estate professionals when acting in their licensed capacity.

First, this is what happens in big government, they try to fix things and mess it up more.  Second, to my understanding, the law is still there.  They only said they would not enforce parts of it against real estate agents.  Should we TRUST them?

]]><![CDATA[Big Government]]>Sat, 09 Jul 2011 15:12:14 -0500http://larryx.weebly.com/1/post/2011/07/big-government.htmlI was not in favor of BIG GOVERNMENT stepping in and setting up a do not call list.  I think there are better ways of doing things instead of relying on the government as a do all.  That’s part of the problem in this country now, but that’s another story for another time.

There is a company who calls several times a week regarding credit card services.  I don’t know why they call me, because I would NEVER do business with someone like this over the phone.  It comes in as a recording and I have to press one to get a human on the line. 

Here’s where the “Do Not Call” comes in.  I have told them not to call.  I have taken their company name and phone number (when they didn’t just hang up) and reported it several times, but they continue to call. 

Is the “Do Not Call” just another example of how inefficient BIG GOVERNMENT” is?

 ]]><![CDATA[Do Economists Ever Look at These Numbers?]]>Sat, 09 Jul 2011 13:01:32 -0500http://larryx.weebly.com/1/post/2011/07/post-title-click-and-type-to-edit13.htmlRecent unemployment numbers and consumer price index from Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Home sales continue to decline.  Energy, food prices and unemployment continue to rise.
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]]><![CDATA[Turning Point for Real Estate?]]>Wed, 06 Jul 2011 16:38:37 -0500http://larryx.weebly.com/1/post/2011/07/turning-point-for-real-estate.html“Historic Turning Point for Real Estate” -  A group of economists and real estate experts were “polled” and they tend to agree that home prices will reach bottom this year. 

Seems like I heard that last year.  Now the are predicting home prices to start increasing.  I don’t recall seeing anything in their remarks about why people are not buying.  I don’t recall seeing anything about unemployment hitting and remaining at the highest level in years.  I have not heard anything about the plan to increase the down payment for buyers to 20%.  How do these factors affect the price of homes?  I think they will affect it in a big way.

Demand for a product is what drives the price.  Doesn’t matter if it is homes or widgets.  At this time, I don’t see a huge demand.  Partly because of unemployment and partly because home prices became outrageous.

We had a lot of economists and real estate experts in the early part of this decade.  A lot of them thought the market would continue the strong sales we were experiencing.  The were wrong then and I think they are wrong now. 

]]><![CDATA[Biking]]>Fri, 10 Jun 2011 10:40:38 -0500http://larryx.weebly.com/1/post/2011/06/biking.html
It's a great place to ride a bike.  From our house, it is four and one fifth mile round trip.  It’s quite and I can hear the doves cooing, the crows crowing and other birds singing.  You’ll also see rabbits, squirrels and deer.

Hearing the doves early in the morning reminds me of being at my grandmother’s house when I was a kid.  My brother and I would go outside to play in the wet morning dewy grass and I can remember the doves.

]]><![CDATA[D-Day June 6, 1944]]>Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:27:39 -0500http://larryx.weebly.com/1/post/2011/06/d-day-june-6-1944.html D-Day - It was only 67 years ago today, the invasion of Normandy.  Have we forgotten? ]]>