James K Barath, CMPS - Serving Northwest Indiana

It's that time again for the annual Duneland YMCA Womanless Beauty Pageant! You heard that right, the Womanless Beauty Pageant! Although there will be plenty of laughs to go around, this is a serious fundraiser to raise the necessary funds to support the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign.

With a population a little more than 10,000 people, this event is one of the biggest fundraisers for our community YMCA. It also happens to be one of the most theatrical fundraisers that includes local business men competing in evening gowns and swim wear for the titles of Miss-ter Congeniality and Miss-ter YMCA.

Every year this event seems to grow bigger and more lavish. Besides the competition, there is a silent auction that is part of the gala to raise funds. The unique part of the auction is that the men who participate in the contest are responsible for gathering the charity auction items.

Last year, the event raised nearly $27,000 for the YMCA. It truly is amazing what can be achieved when humility is left at the door. Come join us on Saturday, November 6th, for the Duneland Family YMCA Womanless Beauty Pageant...You Won't Regret It!

The week ahead has several economic reports that could provide direction for mortgage rates for several weeks to come. In addition to the monthly economic reports scheduled to be released this week, the Federal Open Market Committee will also be meeting.

The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) will post their manufacturing index on late Monday morning. This index is important as it provides a gauge on manufacturing strength.

The second report of the week will come on Tuesday when September Factory Orders will be released. The outcome of the news is not as significant as the ISM Index.

Although the FOMC will begin their meeting on Tuesday, it will not adjourn until Wednesday afternoon at 2:15 PM, EST. The key will be the exact verbiage of their statement. So keep your eyes and ears open on Wednesday afternoon.

The fourth report of the week will come on Thursday, with the reading of 3rd Quarter Productivity. This report is the least significant for the week and will have moderate impact on the markets.

The final and most impacting report for the entire month will come on Friday as many expect the Employment Report to show a rise in unemployment to 9.9% with a loss of of roughly 175,000 jobs.

Home loan shoppers and retirement funds will continue their battle for investment dollars from abroad and here in the US. As-is the par for the course, good economic news will favor the stock market and take money away from mortgage bonds which will result in higher mortgage rates. Conversely, bad economic news will drive investors into the safety of bonds which will help home buyers with lower mortgage rates.

Want to see what other economic reports might impact home buyers in the coming week? Stop by and check out the Financial Market Update Provided to You Exclusively by The Barath Group.

This Is The Week Ahead for November 1st.

As I am writing this post, I have my HP Mini 2140 charging up and downloading any updates that it may need in preparation for Real Estate BarCamp Indianapolis tomorrow. I also have my iPhone plugged into iTunes to see if there are any apps that I might need updated and/or downloaded in preparation to endure this day long event.

I have had many individuals ask why I would subject myself to waking up at 4 AM, CST to make the 2-1/2 hour drive from my home in Chesterton Indiana all the way to Fishers Indiana where the event is to take place. That's a good question.

First of all, what is Real Estate BarCamp (aka. REBarCamp)? According to Andy Kaufman, the founder, RE BarCamp is...

"an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. It is an intense event with discussions, demos, and interaction from attendees."

Nobody is paid to speak and all of the events are coordinated by volunteers and paid by sponsors. Consequently, people gravitate for the purposes of sharing what really works and not just the theory of what should work. I was fortunate to witness one of the larger RE BarCamp events when it was hosted in Chicago by the National Association of Realtors.

This leads me to my second and primary purpose of attending this event. Since the original concept of this event evolved from a technology gathering, most of what is discussed is the proper methods to integrate technology into the human experience of real estate.

In other words, how can we enhance the law of attraction through all things digital. Want to know more? Come join us on Monday, November 2nd, from 9 AM - 5 PM, EST. Can't make the event in person, follow the ongoing conversation on twitter.com with the search hash tag of #rebcindy.

Are You Ready for Real Estate BarCamp Indianapolis?

It's that time of the year again; time to set our clocks back an hour, return to standard time, and "gain" an extra hour. That means this Sunday, November 1 at 2:00 am, Daylight Saving Time officially ends until its return on the second Sunday in March, 2010.

Since 2007, Daylight Saving Time has actually been four weeks longer, thanks to the passage of the Energy Policy Act in 2005. The Act extended Daylight Saving Time by four weeks in an attempt to save 10,000 barrels of oil each day through reduced use of power by businesses during daylight hours. Unfortunately, the Department of Energy (DOE) says that it's difficult to determine actual energy savings, if any, as a result of Daylight Saving Time. But, there are definitely some easy steps you can take to save significantly on your household energy bills.

Did you know that water heating can account for 14%-25% of the energy consumed in your home, especially in the coming months? According to the DOE, it's true. With this in mind, we thought we'd share with you a few of the DOE's energy-efficient water heating strategies to help you save throughout the holiday season.

• Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.
• Lower the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120° F.
• Repair leaky faucets promptly; a leaky faucet wastes gallons of water in a short period of time.
• Install aerating, low-flow faucets and showerheads. Select a shower head with a flow rate of less than 2.5 gpm (gallons per minute) for maximum water efficiency.
• Consider natural-gas on-demand or tankless water heaters. Researchers have found savings can be up to 30% compared with a standard natural-gas storage tank water heater.
• Consider installing a drain water waste heat recovery system. A recent DOE study showed energy savings of 25% to about 30% for water heating using such a system.
• Install heat traps on the hot and cold pipes at the water heater to prevent heat loss. Some new water heaters have built-in heat traps.
• Insulate the first 6 feet of the hot and cold water pipes connected to the water heater.

Have a safe and happy Halloween - and enjoy your "extra hour" of standard time. And don't hesitate to give us a call if you'd like to invest that extra hour reviewing your mortgage options. A lot has changed in the industry recently, and You May Be Able to Save Even More Time and Money.

With the election of Barack Obama into the presidential office last fall, the message was clear that the "Time is Now!" For many citizens this was a historic moment that reached a pinnacle during the inauguration.

At last, a man of color had earned the highest elected office in the United States. And so the winds of change have been firmly set into motion.

This historic event also stirred the pot of racists and bigots who had been lurking in the shadow of our communities. Slowly, these individuals have been lashing out against integration and diversity at the outer edges of society.

For all the progress that has been made, people within communities were starting to create bold lines in the sand that were based on race and not just on politics.

It is an honor to say that my good friend, Christine Hisick, wanted to do something about this negativity that was beginning to plague our local communities. Her vision has come to life with an initiative called Hands Around the Square. This is a candle light vigil with a mission...

"To create a visible collaboration of those in our city who support unity in diversity. To bring together the greater collective of those in our city who support these values in the same place, at the same time. To bring this greater collective into prayer and/or meditation for the healing of our city from hate, discrimination, exclusion and the like-to pray and/or meditate for the peace, harmony, and unity in diversity that we desire in Valparaiso, IN. To join hands to take our stand for these values."

For those near Valparaiso Indiana on Monday, November 2nd, come join us in this community vigil. For those who are else where, consider creating your own vigil for unity.

United We Stand, Divided We FAIL!