“When Irish eyes are smiling, Tis like a morn in spring.”

Paddy was driving down the street in a sweat because he had an important meeting and couldn’t find a parking place. Looking up to heaven he said, [read more…]

“Merry Christmas… y’all!”

I’m hearing it all over Myrtle Beach this year. It’s the greeting of choice here in the South… where folks take their religion and football seriously (Go Gators!).

Maybe it’s because of the Christmas Linebacker? You just never know when, or where, he might pop up.

Take a look… laugh out loud… and have a wonderful Christmas!

THINKING ABOUT REFINANCING your home or investment property? I certainly am, and I’m not alone. Many people are considering refinancing because of the lower interest rates currently being offered by lenders. But I don’t want to get my hopes up too high, since I may not qualify.

Refinancing applications increased by 208% over the Thanksgiving holidays according to the Mortgage Banker Association. The dramatic increase was prompted by the lower interest rates being made available since the Federal Reserve decided to get involved in the mortgage mess.

The average rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages decreased to 5.47 percent from 5.99 percent, and points decreased to 1.16 from 1.23 for 80 percent loan-to-value (LTV) ratio loans, the MBA reported. Some mortgage experts even predict that rates for conventional, conforming loans will go as low as 5 percent by the end of the year.

THE PROBLEM IS: many people won’t be able to take advantage of these low rates because of tightened underwriting standards. And the standards keep changing from week to week. People with borrowing power one week can lose it the next week because of these changes.

So let’s check it out. I own an investment property with a 5-year, fixed-rate, interest-only mortgage due March, 2011. I’d like to take advantage of the lower rates and convert the loan to a conventional 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage. I also want to lower my monthly payments. Hey… you don’t ask, you don’t get.

I’ll start calling lenders this week to see what they can do for me. It may take a while, since we are moving into the holiday season, but I’ll let you know what I find out. Stay tuned….

Resource: Inman News, Thursday, December 4, 2008.

WHAT’S THANKSGIVING LIKE AT YOUR HOUSE?

+ What are you thankful for?
+ What happens at your house on Thanksgiving Day?

These kindergarten kids looked at Thanksgiving from their perspective. It’s a kick… check it out.

WHAT AM I THANKFUL FOR? I’m thankful for life, health, a great family and a sense of humor… all gifts from God.

WHAT HAPPENS AT MY HOUSE? As I think about it… the kids’ descriptions pretty much peg it. How about at your house? Take a look.

WE’RE GOING THROUGH SOME TOUGH TIMES RIGHT NOW.

My head is spinning after the events of the last few weeks. I was just getting used to high gasoline prices and now I’m being asked to wrap my mind around a global economic crisis that has frozen credit markets and caused a precipitous drop in the stock market. If all the experts don’t know what to do, how are you and I expected to figure it all out?

People are starting to realize that what happens in distant financial markets affects them at home. Wall Street and Main Street are intimately entwined. People are worried about their jobs, their declining investments and falling real estate prices. And they have cause. These are tough times for all of us.

But these tough times won’t last forever… they never do.

Most financial advisors tell their clients to think long term when investing in real estate or the stock market… they recommend at least five years. That’s because patience pays off. Historically, investors have made money when they have held on to their investments for five years or more.

My investments in real estate and the stock market are worth less today than they were a year ago. But they are still worth more than they were five years ago. And five years from now, they’ll be worth a lot more. Patience will pay off long term.

These are tough times, but they won’t last forever.

Tough people make it through tough times… and are stronger for it.

The strength of our country is in its people… our faith, character, resourcefulness, ingenuity and hard work.

My parents lived through the scarcity of the Great Depression and World War II and built a prosperous life and legacy that they passed on to their children. And I’m old enough now to have lived through several world conflicts and economic roller coasters. Through them all, my husband and I built a great life and legacy that we passed on to our children as well.

My family is typical of millions of other families across this country. Tough times just make us stronger. We cope, make do, and work ourselves out of our difficulties… confident that a better day is coming.

Some traits of tough people.

Here’s what gets me and my family through tough times:

Faith based thinking - Researchers have linked faith based thinking to health, success, and happiness. You don’t have to be particularly religious, it just makes good sense. Faith based thinking frees you to look for and expect the best every day.

Face your fears – Don’t gloss over your problems, but don’t dwell on them either. Fear paralyzes you; it adds to life’s pain and robs you of life’s joy. Choose to think empowering thoughts that create a positive climate and help you accomplish your goals. Spread some joy and cheer to those around you.

Focus on solutions - Point out what is right, what is working. Choose to think solution oriented thoughts. The choice is always in your hands, hearts and minds. You can choose to make things better and better with the thoughts you think.

Tough times don’t last! Tough people do!

“Can we do it?” “Yes we can!” – Bob the Builder

As a Realtor® on the go in Myrtle Beach, I do a lot of driving… and it’s getting a lot more expensive these days. My PT Cruiser is a great car and fun to drive, but it doesn’t get the best mileage when I’m running around town. So I’m always on the lookout for cheap gas.

Here’s what I’ve discovered in Myrtle Beach. As a general rule, a WalMart with a gas station has the most competitive price. There’s one near my home in North Myrtle Beach. Sam’s Club and Costco are also competitive, but you have to be a member to use them… and I don’t live close to them.

So what happens when I’m on the road? If I know there won’t be a WalMart around, I plan ahead by going to the AAA Travel Planner website. This website has the location and latest prices of all the gas stations in the area. You can price shop for cheap gas online… anytime, anywhere. For example, my favorite WalMart is showing $4.00 / gallon and a Kangaroo close by is showing $3.98 / gallon. I’ll have to check that out.

Compare our Myrtle Beach gas prices with your gas prices at home. Or compare gas stations near you to find the cheapest gas. I’m not a gasoline expert, but my understanding is that they are all pretty much the same… except for Citgo (I won’t buy from Hugo Chavez).

And plan a driving vacation to Myrtle Beach. My kids did this summer in their new Escalade… all the way from Chicago. They discovered that - even with the lower mileage of an SUV and the increase in gas prices – it was a lot cheaper to bring the whole family by car than it was to fly and rent a car while they were here. Finding the cheapest gas along the way on the AAA Travel Planner website was an added bonus.