Durham, NC

We are very fortunate in Durham, NC to have the world-class DPAC that opened here in the Bull City November 30, 2008. Last year I wrote a blog which stated that in 2010 DPAC reached the top-10 list (number 9) of most attended performance venues in the United States. I wrote that with the schedule that we had for 2011, I was sure that ranking would rise for the upcoming year.

DPAC announced earlier this month that, in fact, the ranking did rise to number 4 in the U.S. for the 2011 attendance statistics accoring to Pollstar, a concert industry magazine. Last year, the most popular performances included "The Lion King" and "Radio City Christmas Spectacular." There were 68 sellout performances for the year.

This year the list of performers are both stellar and diverse: musicians Aretha Franklin, Diana Krall, Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt, The Moody Blues, and Elvis Costello will be gracing the stage; comedians Steve Harvey and Lewis Black will be yukking it up; and the plays "Wicked" and "West Side Story" will all be adding drama to the stage this year. The rest of the shows for the upcoming year can be found on their website.

Here is to a very successful 2012, DPAC! Y'all come and see a show, ya' hear.

We are lucky to have several venues in the Triangle to watch performing arts. One of which, the state of the art Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC), had the 4th highest theater attendance in the county!

http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2012/01/11/dpac-attendance-ranks-no-4-in-country.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_triangle+%28Triangle+Business+Journal%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo

Great entertainment is yet another reason why we love to live in the Triangle!

During the winter months is a great time to think ahead for your spring and summer plants!

Inventory

• Inventory the landscape plantings around your house during January. See if any plants have grown too large for the spot where they were planted and need to be moved. Also, determine if other plants need to be thinned, pruned, or even removed if they no longer fulfill their intended purpose in the landscape.

• Bare-rooted deciduous plants may be planted in January. These include fruit trees, nut trees, shade trees, and many shrubs and vines, including roses – in short, everything that loses its leaves in the fall.

• Plant balled-and-burlapped evergreen trees and shrubs during January. The top of the ball should be at ground level.

• If you are moving a plant this month, be sure to dig the soil ball large enough. The diameter of the ball should be 8 to 10 inches per inch of trunk diameter.

Pruning

• Prune back pampas grass to within 10 inches of the ground now that the leaves are dormant. Late pruning could injure new emerging leaves. Ornamental grasses can be divided now.

• Morning sunlight or bright, indirect light will prolong the period of enjoyment of those potted holiday gift plants you may have received. Thought the dryness of heated houses evaporates water quickly, do not over-water houseplants – keep the soil only slightly moist. Too much watering is probably the greatest cause of houseplant mortality.

Fall Leaves

• Fall leaves should have been picked up by now.

• Anti-desiccants, used to prevent cold damage to shrubs, also are useful in preventing the quick-drying of cut greens used in Christmas decorations. Any greens that are not used with their stems in water (such as wreaths, garlands, swags) will last longer if they are sprayed with an anti-desiccant.

• Whether you plan to use a living Christmas tree this season or a tree that has been cut, be careful that the plant does not become a fire hazard. Plants kept for long periods indoors dry rapidly in a hot, dry atmosphere. If you select a container-grown or balled-and burlapped evergreen tree for use as a living Christmas tree, soak the ball thoroughly before bringing the plant inside. Keep foliage sprayed with a mister to keep the leaves
healthy. Move the plant outdoors to a permanent location as soon as the holidays are over.

NOTE: Use only fireproof decorations on the tree and check strings of lights for
frayed wires. Be careful not to overload the electrical circuit. And do not leave the tree
lights burning overnight.

I know that at this time of year we need to focus on weight reduction (okay, maybe just me), but I must sing the praises of a great restaurant that opened earlier this year in downtown Durham, NC. I recently brought some out-of-town relatives there on a vist for a post-Thanksgiving meal, and they were duly impressed.

Bull City Burger and Brewery is located on Parrish Street, between Mangum and Roxboro Streets, in the rapidly developing downtown area of Durham. On my second visit, I had a group of seven eating there with me. This included some in-laws that I wished to impress with the cosmopolitan nature of Durham that has changed significantly since they lived nearby many years ago.

The biggest draw for this great new eatery is the grass-fed, North Carolina-bred beef that they serve. The hormone- and additive-free burgers are the most flavorful that I have ever tasted. In the past, the hightlight of my burgers seemingly has been the toppings that I choose to place on them. Here, the locally produced lettuce, onions, and pickles greatly complemented the flavor of the all-American sandwich. The meal was fantastic, and came with both types of French fries that they serve (I shared with my wife and my son). Please click on the link above to see the full menu, so that you might see the full range of food that they offer.

The on-site brewery is also a huge attraction. This is the third brewery located in downtown Durham (see also Fullsteam Brewery and Triangle Brewery Company), and the newest is the first with a full-service restaurant attached. On my first visit I had the Parrish Street Pale Ale, and it was hoppy and refreshing like a traditional pale ale, but tasted much fresher because it was only days old.

I was delighted to find my favorite style of beer on my second visit - an oatmeal stout. The Watts Oatmeal Stout had a wonderfully chocolaty and malty finish and had only finished brewing three days before I had my pint. Another experimental keg (which unfortunately had been consumed the night before) was the Watts Oatmeal Stout with both coffee and cinnamon added. I learned from this experience that I need to sign up for email alerts on the Bull City Burger and Brewery homepage so I know when new kegs come on tap!

It has been my experience that once clients are pre-qualified for a loan, they are often surprised by the amount of additional information required of them for the lender.

There are 6 pieces of information that are required to constitute a loan application for a mortgage lender, bank or mortgage broker.

They can be provided in person, via phone, fax or email:

1) Applicant name(s)

2) Applicant(s) monthly income

3) Applicant(s) social security number(s)

4) Property address for purchase

5) Estimated purchase price of the property

6) Approximate loan amount applicant is requesting

Once all this information is provided to a lender or broker, he/she should issue a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) or estimate worksheet for you.

How do you shop around with different lenders and fulfill your legal obligation on the real estate contract to make loan application?

You may make loan application with more than one lender and get an estimate of costs - either a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) or cost estimate worksheet from each lender. You can use those estimates to compare the closing costs and fees from each lender. The estimates can also be used to choose which loan program is best for you.

It is important not to delay in making a decision which lender to use once you have a signed contract on a home. Some states have a requirement that the loan application must be made within a certain period of time after the contract is signed.

Even if your state does not have a time frame on the contract to complete the loan application, delaying the loan process is undesirable because it could delay the settlement or closing on your home or could be interpreted as your failure to work in good faith which can cause problems with the home's seller.

Most lenders will do a credit check when you apply for a loan or get pre-qualified so you want to be knowledgeable how multiple credit inquiries can affect your credit score if you compare multiple lenders or banks. Once you make a decision on which lender or bank to use, there will be more papers to sign and you will be in contact with the lender on a regular basis as your loan goes through the final approval process.

The lender will require documentation before they can issue a final loan commitment and give you the loan.

Examples of required documentation are tax returns, pay stubs, bank statements, and a copy of the signed purchase agreement.

I hope this information eases some of the concerns with your mortgage application.