The new look of Credit Scores

With three children in college and them being inundated with credit card offers John and I have had to pull out some stops and try and make them understand how the choices they make now will effect them once they graduate. It drives me crazy the credit card companies target college age children, (Don't they know they are living off their parents?) Of course they do which is why they target them.

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In my industry credit plays such an important role and since the collapse of the economy it has become paramount to have not just good credit but great credit. I remember a time several years ago when Lenders would come by the office looking to get us to do business with them and our standard line would be "What is the lowest credit score you can do?" Well those days are gone and the new song being sung is "How's your credit?" In past years first time home buyers had no clue what their credit scores were but now every buyer knows exactly what is on their report. I personally think that is a great thing.

In 2010 4th quarter 58% had a credit score of at least 720 verses in 2007 only 19.5% had that credit score. It is now the new norm of what we think of a good credit score.

So I guess I could say if you do not know what your current score is even if you are not buying a home then you should maybe try and pull your free credit report. In this new era of home buying it is more important then ever to have a credit score and a good past credit history.

If you need help on figuring out how to do this give us a call and we will be more then happy to direct you to someone who can help you.

Have a great weekend I know I'm heading home to tear up credit apps sent to my 18 year old son.

How Risky is the FHA’s Low Down Payment Program?

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

How Risky is the FHA’s Low Down Payment Program?

View more presentations from NAR Research.

Extended Tax Credit for Military

Now that the holidays are over and we are all back into the swing of work. We hope you  have packed away the Christmas decorations and you have I hope taken down the Christmas lights, (note that my outside lights just came down on Sunday) I was thinking about all the gift cards we received for the holidays, We got them to Outback, Carrabas, Shell and Amazon (my fav.)  Guess gift cards are the one thing you can get someone when you have no clue what to get them. I confess I gave a lot of them out this year.

Well Loretta and I were talking about gift cards and saying that the extended tax credit is a lot like a gift card to the activity duty military.

For members of the military, Intelligence and Foreign Service who have served outside of the U.S. for at least 90 days between January 1, 2009 and May 1, 2010. Uncle Sam is giving you a gift card  worth $6,500 to $8,000.
If you qualify you have until April 30, 2011 to get a completed sales contract and then, must close it by June 30, 2011.  The bonus that comes with this gift card is that the recapture of the tax credit doesn't apply if the qualified service member receives government orders to move prior to the three year residency period completion. What this means for you is that if you purchase a home and then Uncle Sam gives you orders before your 3 year recapture period is over you are exempt from having to pay the money back.  If you would like more information go to  additional information, go to IRS.gov.

When your ready to find the perfect home call the perfect team to help you find that home of your dreams. We will hook you up with a local lender who will walk you step by step through the buying process.

Have a great week! Use those Gift cards!

Warner Robins voted best Military community and best place to buy a home!

We did it again! I always knew I lived in a great community but it is always nice when the nation as a whole gets to see what we already know.




10 Best Places to Buy a Home in 2011


Diane Wedner

Dec 31st 2010 at 9:00AMText SizeAAAPrint this page
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Filed under: Real Estate



Last decade's bipolar housing market is over. The ups, the downs, the thrills, the spills -- largely behind us. Yes, prices and sales are stuck in neutral in large swaths of the country.



But let's ring in the new decade optimistically, with Walletpop's Top 10 List of the Best Places to Buy a Home in 2011. This mostly unscientific and partially-biased list is based on a grab-bag of lifestyle priorities and, yes, thorough reporting.



Here we go, in no particular order:



1. Austin, Texas: Best All-Around City

Population: 799,267

Median home price: $119,788

Why here: Texas' capital and a great college town, Austin is beautiful and the 12th-most-affordable American metro area. Job growth from 2000 to 2010 was 14.1%, according to Trulia; unemployment currently is 7.1%, compared with 9.8% nationwide. The city's population is growing too. These positive indicators are expected to continue in the coming decade. Fortune 500 companies abound here; it's home to more than 2,000 tech companies. Home prices are reasonable for the $73,747 median family income and let's face it, nobody does BBQ better than Texas.



2. Deerfield Beach, Florida: Most Affordable Town With a View

Population: 74,584

Median home price: $89,400

Why here: There may be cities with lower median prices (not many), but I'm guessing you need a down coat to live there. This burg comes complete with year-round warm weather and beachfront properties that not too long ago cost a bundle ($400,000+). It's close to Fort Lauderdale and Miami, where residents can go for professional sports and cultural events.



3. Broomfield County, Colorado: Best Jobs

Population: 55,000

Median home price: $239,000

Why here: Jobs! It also doesn't hurt that the county is tucked between Denver and Boulder, so the scenery is nice too. Job growth in this area exploded 50% during the last decade. High-tech giants Oracle, Ball Corporation and VMware employ lots of folks, and IBM and Avaya are nearby. If you're college-educated, you're in good company: About 38% of the county's residents hold a bachelor's or higher degree, according to the Broomfield Economic Development Corporation. If you ski and hike, we're talkin' bliss!



4. Durham, NC: Best City to Retire In

Population: 223,284

Median home price: $178,700

Why here: Since we're talking about retiring, first on the list of pluses is Duke University's renowned medical center. Also, Duke's popular senior learning program offers 100 courses every term, on campus. So if golf's not your game, but mathematics is, there you go. If, however, golf is your game -- you've got that too. Plus Broadway hit shows, concerts and lots of places to hike. Home prices are a steal for what you get.



5. Woodbury, Minnesota: Best Place to Raise Kids

Population: 58,515

Median home price: $240,100

Median home price: There are so many great places to raise kids, but this suburb 10 miles from St. Paul has a lot going for it. Yes, winters are cold (not a small thing), but it's Minnesota -- we're talking thousands of lakes. Woodbury has 100 miles of trails for hiking and biking, and is a stone's throw from thousands of acres of parkland. The schools are great, including the Math & Science charter school. 3M employs multitudes, as does state government. What's not to like? OK, the winters. Deal with it.





6. Warner Robins, Georgia: Best Military Town For the Buck

Population: 53, 629

Median home price: $110,400

Why here: Located midway between Atlanta and Savannah, Warner Robins' housing affordability is the big draw. The median price of a home is $110,000, while the median family income is about $63,000. That leaves some extra dough to hit the local aviation museum, motor speedway and golf club. The city's main employer is the military (home of Robins Air Force Base), bringing engineers and employees from around the globe, so the population is eclectic. The city fared well during the recession.



7. Madison, Wisconsin: Best College Town

Population: 562,000

Median home price: $209,400

Why here: A gem of a city located between two lakes, Madison is where it's happening in the Midwest. Home of the state's capital, it's got a top-rated, Big 10 university (with all the sports and cultural events that come with it); affordable housing; tons of eateries and shopping; smart people; friendly atmosphere. You don't have to be a student or the parent of one to buy a home here. A never-ending supply of renters keeps your investment solid. You may end up living here yourself.



8. Pocono Mountains, Pennnsylvania: Best Vacation-Home Location For the Price

Population: 340,000 for the whole region

Median home price: $110,000 for Pocono Lake; prices vary throughout the region

Why here: Year-round playground, with skiing in winter, equestrian activities in spring, summertime sailing and hiking in autumn. You can get a two-bedroom home with 1,256 square feet for $99,999 in Mount Pocono; a three-bedroom cottage in 1,255 square feet is listed for $139,000 in Pocono Pines, according to HomeAwayRealEstate.com.



9. Portland, Oregon: Best City For Gen-Y

Population: 551,302

Median monthly rent: $1,200

Why here: It's green (literally and figuratively) and it's gorgeous. Rents are a bit higher, but some big companies pay well, such as Intel, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Legacy Health System, Fred Meyer Stores. The attitude is way-laid back and there are tons of venues for merry-making: music clubs, coffee shops and art galleries. When it's not raining, you can bike through the city, hike Mt. Hood and hit the zillions of hiking trails nearby.



10. San Francisco: Best City, Period, Price Be Damned

Population: 815,358

Median home price: $628,000

Why here: If you have to ask ... The Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, the Bay, the hills, the views, the museums, street cars, cable cars, clubs, nightlife, architecture, coffee houses, bookstores for bibliophiles (City Lights, anyone?), hiking and biking everywhere, Tony Bennett (OK, just in your head), famous hotels and restaurants. Yes, it's foggy in summer, but who cares?



Sources, median home prices: trulia.com and zillow.com

Did you Vote today?

Today is Voting day and I hope you choose to exercise your right to vote and make a difference. My father always said if you don't Vote you have no right to bitch. So go out and exercise the right that so many Americans have given their life for so that you have a voice in the direction our country is heading.


Halloween is over and a fun time was had by all. It amazes me that it is just as fun now with my kids as adults as it was when they were younger, actually it might be more fun since I don't have to do the costumes. Let's see Jessica went as Lindsey Lohan and she rocked it all the way down to the nail polish. She took one of the dog collars for the electric fence and wore it on her ankle was very cute.

Jaime and Shawn went as arrested UGA football players since all of the news about UGA lately has been about all the misdoings of their football team, they took UGA jerserys and had labels made that had all the infractions on them and they pasted those on the jerseys and they had handcuffs on. very orginial and very funny since her younger sister is a UGA grad.

Joel and his girlfriend Ashton went as Austin Powers and Felicity Shagwell for the famous Austin Powers movies and since Joel knows every line to every movie it was great.

Now John and I, I think had the most original costumes we went as Bedbugs. The pillows and blankets only lasted about 20 min into the party and we were done, they were discarded until I cleaned up on Sunday.

We had Huge from the Hangover, pumpkins, the Jolly Green giant, housewives and so much more in attendance. It is fun when you can relax and enjoy the company.

Our food was limited due to Saturday morning while John was in the midst of his famous pancakes for breakfast our propane ran out. Needless to say trying to throw a party with no oven or stove is so creative, We had 2 crock pots and a toaster oven. But you know what it was all good.
The funny thing about the LP gas is that for the last 3 weeks we have had a horrible smell in the kitchen you noticed it as soon as you walked in the door, we have emptied the ice maker both the wine cooler and the mini fridge. we have lysoled the entire kitchen cleaned the oven cleaned the vent hood still a horrible smell. so when the LP died we had our good friend Jim tell us that the smell we could not get rid of was the LP getting weak and leaking, so now we know. Would have been wonderful to know that a month ago but I will know next time.

So for my 30 days of November I am going to post something I am thankful for each day, yesterday was my family kids, spouse, siblings, parents and extended included.

Today in light of voting I am thankful for my freedom to voice my opinion. So please exercise that freedom today and vote.



Til later Keep the Faith

Small things excite me

So it begins! We have finally got our firepit started, So excited. I found a picture in an off the wall magazine a few months back, showed the picture to a friend and he stated how great it would look in my backyard.

So of course the planning then started, being the firebugs we are we started stockpiling the extra brick from the subdivision as my adoring husband and two grown or almost grown sons kept telling me I had enough and I would never use that many. But alas I will and I still need more.

I would like to thank Eduardo and his crew for having vision and great ideals to make what was a thought into a fully usable amazing firepit.

Stay tuned as the progress continues. Gonna love love love this one. Just in time for fall.

Warner Robins Fire Department celebrates 50 years give them a hand!

A little bit of trivia for you today. Started in 1959 the Warner Robins Fire Department began with just 10 men now for our growing city we are protected by 110 firefighter both men and women. This month celebrates their 50th anniversary and I think we should thank and applaude all the firefighters that give of themselves to protect our families and homes.

I have known Chief Singletary since my son Jonathan and his son Ethan played together in 1st grade now those boys are sophomores in college. My how time flies.

I know the firefighters are not highlhy paid like many of our public officials and they do what they do out of a love for the job. Many firefighters do side jobs on thier days off anything from building, or handyman jobs to cutting firewood.

If you see a member of the fire department thank them for all they do. Daily they put their life on the line for our safety.