Christa Swartz

DuPont Tyler Middle holds Career Day

DuPont Tyler Middle School hosted its first Career Day on Friday, October 2. The theme of the day was, "Bulldogs Building a Better Future." The day was organized by the school counselors, Angel Zaffino and Maggie Nichols. The Career Day guests had individual kiosks set up in the small gym. After lunch, which was provided by Panera Bread, 7th and 8th graders came through, class-by-class, to visit the various professionals and learn about their industry. Guests were asked to bring items and materials to give the students an idea of what a typical work day looks like. Guests included:

• Drag Car Racer - Mike Fuqua

• Music Producer - Tony Harrell

• Financial Analyst - Christiane Davis

• Doctor/Scientist - Firas Wehbe

• Real Estate Agent - Christa Swartz

• Environmental Protection - Lee Sloan & Tim Martin

• Engineer - Evan Graves

• Singer/Recording Artist - Shanna Crooks

• Police Detective - Gerald McShepard

• Electrician - Sarver

• EMT's - Shane Baker & Richard Felts

• Nurse - Rebekah Cashin

• News Channel 5 Reporter - Lisa Chavarria

• Owner/Operator Zanies Comedy Club- Brian Dorfman

The counselors conducted classes with all the 7th and 8th graders prior to the day so the students would be prepared to ask a variety of questions. Many thanks to the guests for volunteering their time!

I am excited to throw this little bit of info in the pot. At every seminar and conference I go to for Realtors, I hear them saying that the Blackberry is the only kind of phone to have if you are serious about your business. I have wanted one, but my budget has insisted that can't be a priority investment right now.

My broker has "preferred vendor" relationships with so many cell phone service providers, I decided to do the homework to find out who was best and cheapest, etc. The deal I found has nothing to do with any kind of "preferred vendor" deal. This is a deal anyone can get.

Hands down, here in Middle Tennessee, Sprint rose to the position of unlikely winner! I have been with Sprint and hated their customer service and high prices for the last couple of years, but I guess the new CEO and "Simply Everything" plan has worked in their favor. They have made a 180 degree turn in customer service and pricing!

So here is the breakdown for you:

Blackberry 8330 (in dark cherry red!) : $49

Sprint "Simply Everything" plan : $99 per month!

The Blackberry 8330 has a retail price of something like $739, but Sprint has a deal going where it is only $99 right now. The only place I could find it cheaper was Best Buy. They charged me an $18 transfer fee to take all the info off my old phone and put it on the Blackberry, but NO ACTIVATION FEEor any other costs! (Perhaps a new customer to Sprint would have an activation fee. You might ask first.)

Sprint's "Simply Everything" plan is the ONLY plan out there that doesn't require any extra Blackberry service plan fee. It covers it! UNLIMITED TEXT, WEB, PIC MESSAGES, TALK, E-MAIL... everything is included!

I just thought if there are any other Realtors like me out there, who are on an incredibly tight budget, you might just be glad to hear about this deal.

P.s. I am not affiliated with Sprint. I have not reason to promote them. I just thought this was a great deal and wanted to pass the information along. If you find the Blackberry 8330 cheaper somewhere, I would love to hear about it!

I just found out about these two programs as I was in a desperate search for a buyer of mine. They have no money to bring to closing, but need a new home fast. If you haven't heard of these two programs, I encourage you to do your own research with a loan professional or go online at: www.thehouseingfund.org. Most of the information I have here came straight from them.

First, are the NOW Loans.... Check this out:

A Home Ownership NOW loan (NOW) offers low to moderate-income homebuyers in Middle Tennessee three Tiers of financial assistance depending upon the total household income. This is a second mortgage loan, available at very low interest rates and a low monthly payment of $50.

Eligibility:

*First mortgage lenders must be approved by FHA in Tennessee.

*Davidson County - The first mortgage loan must be an FHA, THDA, VA or conforming conventional loan offered by a FHA TN-approved lender.

*For all other MSA counties the first mortgage must be a conforming conventional loan.

*The home must be located in: Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson or Wilson counties.

*The home must be the buyer's primary residence.

Requirements:

*All NOW loans are secured by a Promissory Note and a Second Deed of Trust, subordinated only to a first mortgage
*All borrowers are required to complete homebuyer education classes before closing. These classes are offered by THDA approved counseling agencies. THF will assist the client in locating the most appropriate and convenient agency
*Borrower must contribute at least 1% of the sales price from their own funds to the purchase
*Borrower may not have more than the reserve maximum in liquid assets, call (615) 780-7000 for details
*All borrowers must be at or below the area median income (AMI)

Income Criteria:
(as of 02/13/2008)

Tier 1 (60% of area media income)Your household gross (before take-out) income is at or below:
1 person:................. $26,500
2 people:................. $30,300
3 people:................. $34,100
4 people:................. $37,900
5 people:................. $40,900
6 people:................. $44,000
7 people:................. $47,000
8 people:................. $50,000
Clients can borrow up to $8500 for Closing Costs, Prepaids, and Down Payment Assistance
The interest rate is 5%
Loan will include a variable recording fee and a processing fee of $350

Tier 2 (80% of area median income)
Your household gross (before take-out) income is at or below:
1 person:................. $35,400
2 people:................. $40,450
3 people:................. $45,500
4 people:................. $50,550
5 people:................. $54,600
6 people:................. $58,650
7 people:................. $62,700
8 people:................. $66,750
Clients can borrow up to $7000 for Closing Costs, Prepaids, and Down Payment Assistance
The interest rate is 7%
Loan will include a variable recording fee and a processing fee of $350.00

Tier 3 (100% of area median income)
Your household gross (before take-out) income is at or below:
1 person:................. $44,200
2 people:................. $50,600
3 people:................. $56,900
4 people:................. $63,200
5 people:................. $68,300
6 people:................. $73,300
7 people:................. $78,400
8 people:................. $83,400
Clients can borrow up to $5000 for Closing Costs, Prepaids, and Down Payment Assistance
The interest rate is 8%
Loan will include a variable recording fee and a processing fee of $350
Enrollment:

Interested borrowers should call THF at (615) 780-7000 to enroll in homebuyer education classes and for additional information or email mail@thehousingfund.org.

The second program is the ADDI, or at least that is what it used to be called. Now they are calling it the HDA:

(Keep in mind that this is just an overview and you will want to research getting all the information and facts. Other restrictions might apply and it seems all of this can change daily/weekly/...you understand.

HOME Downpayment Assistance (HDA)
(formerly called American Dream Downpayment Initiative or ADDI)
Assistance for Davidson County:

*A maximum of $10,000, no interest, due-on-sale or refinance, no monthly payment, 2nd mortgage loan for downpayment, closing and prepaid costs
*HDA may be used with THF Home Ownership NOW loans (NOW)

Eligibility:

*Household income is at or below 80% Area Median Income (Tier 2)
*Buyer is a first-time homebuyer
*House is the primary residence
*House must have a Housing Qualifications Standards inspection
*If house was built prior to 1978, a lead paint assessment is required
*First mortgage must be a FHA, THDA, VA or conforming conventional offered by a FHA TN-approved lender
*Buyer must also meet THF minimum lending requirements

Requirements:
*Completed THDA homebuyer education class (prior to purchase)
*This is a loan that must be repaid upon sale, refinance, or other transfer of title. It is not a grant or gift.
*Borrowers must contribute at least 1% of the sales price from their own funds to the purchase

Enrollment:

Interested borrowers should call THF at (615) 780-7000 to enroll in homebuyer education classes and for additional information. Outside Davidson County call THDA at (615) 815-2200 or The Housing Fund at (615) 780-7000.

These Programs have both been at least a small relief to the dissolution of Ameridream. I hope this helps you...at least here in Tennessee. I am confident other states have similar programs worth looking into.