I got a call yesterday from my 6 year old granddaughter. She is the apple of her Grandfather's eye and knows how to make this gruff (sometimes) old man melt. I took her and her little brother to Disney World just after New Year's and am their favorite grandparent.

Now, I don't know if Disney World earned me the title or it is just because I am so warm and cuddly, but whatever the reason, I like it.

She called because she has to write about her favorite grandparent for a school assignment and needed to interview me for the assignment. She needed to know my favorite hobby (I said grandchildren but it is probably fishing with grandchildren), my favorite book, The Walking Drum by Louis L'Amour and my favorite food, chicken.

Then I thought about this song and hoped that the time would come that she would ask me the questions that Naomi was covering in it. I can remember asking my grandmother questions, but never enough to really know what it was like growing up in the 1800s. I did talk to my dad about what it was like to travel places in a horse and wagon. But my grandkids can never imagine what it was like growning up without a bathroom in the house. I was 7 before we got one.

I remember what it was like to watch TV that only came in black and white in a dark room (that was the day you did it back then.) I remember walking to school (1.8 miles) until I started High School, because our elementary school didn't have busses. Besides that, the school only had 4 rooms for 8 grades, plus a cafeteria and a gym.

Now, I have difficulty walking but love strolling with my girl. I would not like being a parent in today's environment. There are too many things that can hurt your kids out there, so I love and worry about my grandkids all the time. May they have the best of life, I think they may just earn it. BTW, she called because they live in Kentucky, a whole country away. I miss them and I miss my other grandchildren in Salem and Idaho. Family!

To all the other grandparents out there, Happy Grandparents Day!

I just received my link to the Summer newsletter from the Community Development Department of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. You can access the entire newsletter, "Community Investments" by clicking here.

This issue is their Green Issue. In this issue, they ask what does it mean to go green? "But for many developers-nonprofit and for-profit alike-greening is a new concept, and assistance is needed in determining which types of designs, materials, and technologies truly contribute to the kinds of outcomes noted above. Is it enough to offer recycling bins? Or to use non-toxic paints?"

Discussion of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), a green certification program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, follows. Overall, it is a good read for information about green building.

I was especially interested in the study by New Ecology, Inc., about the "premium" for green building. The newsletter ends with an article on Triple-Bottom Line Investing: Balancing financial, social and environmental returns.

"The social and environmental impacts of investment decisions have historically been considered ‘externalities,' superfluous to the investment decision equation."

Overall, a good few minutes of reading for anyone interested in Greening up the planet, one house at a time. Enjoy! To access the website, follow this link. Also, remember, FHA has an energy efficient mortgage that can be used in conjunction with a purchase or a refinance.

This is the original intellectual product of Fred Chamberlin and not to be construed as the position or endorsement by Alpine Mortgage Planning. Opinions expressed herein are those of the author. All content, including text, original art, photographs and images, is the exclusive property of Fred Chamberlin, and may not be used without the expressed written permission of same. All information is believed to be accurate but is not warranted, Copyright 2003-2008.

Hendricks Bridge Park is located just a short distance from Thurston (Springfield) Oregon on the banks of the McKenzie River. The park is 17 acres just 9 miles from downtown Springfield.

As you can see, the park is open from dawn to dusk and there is a user fee of $3 per vehicle. It is located on Highway 126 just after crossing the McKenzie going east.

The park is located where there has been a river crossing since the days of horse drawn wagons and buggies. There is even a map of the McKenzie River showing the drainage system into the Willamette River.

There is a wading area at the park and although it was a cool afternoon during the week, there were still kids playing in the water. This weekend, the weather should be warmer and you will need to bring your own rock to stand on, it is a very popular place.

Lane County officials constantly warn about the dangers of getting into the river proper. Every year people lose their lives because they think the McKenzie is just a calm little stream. What they don't realize is that the McKenzie is hardly ever calm. So be sure and wear the proper safety devices.

There is a pavilion on site for those special occasions when you want your friends and family together for a special occasion. You can make reservations for this here.

There is also a boat ramp at the park with parking for your vehicle and trailer. This is a day use park and has a $3 per vehicle fee.

So, enjoy and be careful. There are several other county parks that I will try to highlight in future blogs.

I know there are Realtors out there that remember the bad old days of FHA financing. I still remember having to have and FHA certified inspector check over the house and make the sellers sweep up the basement or clean a spot on the carpet. Anyone remember the VC sheet (that hasn't been that long ago)?

Well, that isn't the case anymore. FHA loans are nearly the same as conventional loans, except in some (many) cases better. Take a look at these common myths about FHA:

1. Myth: Takes more time processing.
   Truth:
   • Takes no more time than a conventional loan.
   • Adds no additional or special requirements.
   • Uses TOTAL Scorecard/AUS approval allowing you to complete a loan in the amount of time it takes to get the appraisal.
   
   
2. Myth: More paperwork is involved.
   Truth: Requires only one additional document signed by the borrower.
   
   
3. Myth: Higher costs are inevitable.
   Truth:
   • Rates are competitive with the best in the industry.
   • Lender insurance programs eliminate shipping and reshipping costs.
   • Streamlined loan process.
   
   
4. Myth: The borrower can't pay certain loan costs or fees.
   Truth:
   • FHA eliminated non-allowable closing cost fee schedule (ML 06-04, 06-07) .
   • The borrower, or any interested party to the loan, may pay all reasonable and customary charges.
   
   
5. Myth: FHA is too restrictive.
   Truth:
   • FHA provides guidelines for underwriting; same as industry investors.
   • FHA allows for manual underwriting for all loan programs; some in the industry will not approve a mortgage loan without an automated approval.
   • Automated Underwriting Systems approval is not required - allows for hands-on, common sense judgments.

So, if you remember the bad old days when it took an act of God to get an FHA loan funded, welcome to the good new days. At Alpine, we have in-house FHA certified underwriters. We don't require any additional inspections and we draw our own documents and fund our own loans. What more could you ask for?

Additionally, if you are purchasing a manufactured home/land loans with less than 20% down, in nearly every case, FHA is better, easier and more cost effective. No more restrictive than a conventional loan on foundation and tiedowns, FHA loans are the preferred method of financing factory built units.

FHA is the new mortgage option. There are even ways to get through the downpayment requirements with a little help from your family, credit union or 401k. Call me so we can discuss your options and marketing strategies.

Yesterday I got this e-mail from Countrywide:

Effective on Friday, August 29, 2008, Countrywide will no longer accept Seller-Funded Grant Programs on FHA transactions, sometimes described by HUD as Seller-Financed Downpayment Assistance Programs.

The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, which was formally passed into law Wednesday, July 30, 2008, prohibits any portion of the required down payment to be provided by the seller or any other person or entity that financially benefits from the transaction or any third party or entity that is reimbursed, directly or indirectly, by the seller.

Impact to Pipeline:

· Loans with applications for Seller-Funded Grant programs for all or part of the down payment must be received on or before Friday, August 29, 2008, and must be approved by the Direct Endorsement (DE) Underwriter on or before September 2, 2008. This means that the initial Mortgage Credit Analysis Worksheet (MCAW) must be dated by the DE Underwriter on or before September 2, 2008.

• All loans must fund by Wednesday, October 1, 2008.

Now, I know that Countrywide has been in the news a lot, but they are still one of the biggest lenders out there and they have put an absolute deadline on the DPA program. I expect to see the same sort of thing from the other lenders in the very near future.

DPAs as we know them appear to be dead in the water. Although there is a bill in Congress to bring them back, I don't see it happening. Another casualty of the Housing Act of 2008.

What do we do in the meantime? Well, first we council our clients to start saving money. We talk to them about gifts. We discuss the advisablity of using their 401k and paying the money back once they get the $7,500 tax rebate. We show them how to borrow money on another asset. We develop employee gift programs with local employers. We don't give up! WE DO OUR JOB!

Welcome to the Morgage Business!