Joelle van den Berg

Exciting news from the marketing department at Beverly-Hanks!

Beverly-Hanks & Associates, the oldest and largest real estate agency in western North Carolina, has just implemented new mobile phone technology designed to help WNC visitors interested in real estate get a really fast response to any question they have about any property of interest.

It is a simple as it gets. You are see a real estate sign and want to know more about the property. Simply remain on the site and text 59559 (59 with a 5 then 59 again). The system will contact you back immediately. If you have a phone with GPS technology, click the link at KWICKLY.COM to get your information. GPS will tell the system where you are and what property is listed for sale at your location. If you do not have the GPS technology, you will need to give the system the property address, and it will immediately reply with the information about the property.

Want to see the house? Simply reply YES, I need more help to the system inquiry and Beverly-Hanks agent will call you and arrange a showing.

The system works for all properties, whether a Beverly-Hanks listing or not.

Wow! That Was Easy!!

For more information about Lake Lure NC and the western North Carolina towns surrounding the Asheville Blue Ridge visit: http://www.DiscoverLakeLure.com

Dan Buettner has written a NY Times best seller The Blue Zones: Lessons For Living Longer From The People Who've Lived The longest. He researched four places in the world where people not only live to be old but stay fit and active deep into old age: Okinawa Japan, Costa Rica, Sardinia Italy, and Loma Linda California. The book looks at their culture, and daily routines. From interviews, Buettner distills what he calls "The Power Nine", a guide to living longer and healthier.

There is no miracle pill or single recommendation. It's all plain old common sense about good habits that keep you healthy.

•1. Move. Recommended? Not fitness training designed to put you in marathon condition but maintaining an active lifestyle of walking, working, gardening, etc. Just get off the couch.

•2. Know your purpose. Volunteer, learn something new, tackle a project... find a reason to get up in the morning.

•3. Chill Out. Work has its place but so does relaxing with friends and family. Stress hurts you.

•4. 80% Rule. Eat but don't gorge. Stop when you feel 80% full.

•5. Eat wisely. Make your diet heavy on plants and light on meat.

•6. Antioxidants. Eat colorful foods full of antioxidants. Moderate wine consumption is also a staple of most Blue Zones. Put blueberries on your cereal.

•7. Belong. Socialize, make friends, have a social support network (an extension of #2)

•8. Beliefs. Most Blue Zone populations participate in some kind of spiritual or religious belief or meditation.

•9. Tribe. We all need people. Family culture is important in the Blue Zones. (A revisit of #7 and #3.)

It's not complicated. To stay healthy, stay active, work but not too much, eat sensibly, and take time out to enjoy friends and family.

Learn more about Lake Lure NC and the western NC Blue Ridge at http://www.DiscoverLakeLure.com

It's no secret that fewer people are playing golf. More golf courses are closing than opening. Opinions for the downturn vary from "it's the economy" to a simple change in demographics. But some are wondering if the rules of the game are part of the problem. Enter Flogton (not golf spelled backwards).

Flogtonites argue that the game needs an overhaul to increase its appeal to younger players used to fast-paced video games, those with less than stellar athletic abilities, and an aging population of golfers who can't quite hit the ball as hard as they used to. They argue that alternative golf formats will bring more players onto the courses.

You can hear the purists grinding their teeth. Have no fear. There would still be rules. Different rules. The goal is not to replace PGA golf but to expand the golf possibilities. Flogtonites point out that skiing traditionalist resisted the addition of snowboarding to their sport. They think most flogtonites would eventually become regular golf game players as their skills improved. Besides, everyone knows that out in the real world, golfers have been known to modify the game's rules just a little bit......

One proposed change would have players follow USGA rules of play but allow souped-up balls and clubs. More radical proposals would change the rules thoroughly, legalizing one mulligan per hole, allowing 6-foot bumps to evade trees and other obstacles, and requiring a second shot from a bunker to be thrown. Totally revamped golf would be aimed at beginners to make the game easier for those just learning to play. Social changes would include loosening up of dress codes and allowing trash-talking.

Most interesting is the possibility of allowing Super Golf balls capable of correcting player shortcomings. Polora Golf is about to introduce a non-conforming ball later in 2011 that it claims will self-correct up to 90% of a slice or hook. The AGA thinks technology could add a 25% increase to the average golfer's drive and double the amount of backspin on wedge shots hit into greens. Of course, if everyone has access to the same new technology, the playing field will level off again....

For more about Project Flogton see http://www.flogton.com/

Learn more about Western NC and the Lake Lure area at http://www.DiscoverLakeLure.com

Reform of the mortgage markets is coming. It has been mandated by the Dodd-Frank Law. But how to meet the challenge of avoiding another financial market meltdown while making sure Americans will be able to get a mortgage is not simple. The recently made public Obama Administration report offered three possible scenarios. Even among the top economic experts, there is no clear consensus about how to fix the problem

Many want Fannie and Freddie, the two government-backed mortgage giants who have required a huge taxpayer bailout to disappear. They argue that government is interfering in what should be private market functions. The problem is that the thirty-year fixed rate mortgage with its no penalty pre-payment option is incompatible with the goal of replacing Fannie and Freddie with private investment.

It's no surprise that 30 year fixed rate mortgages are popular. Borrowers are locked in at known interest rates and if these drop, they can refinance at a lower rate. But that's exactly why these mortgages are a problem for investors. Absent any kind of government guarantee to protect them against credit losses, private investors will demand a higher yield to compensate for their risk. That means higher interest rates for home buyers.

One possible plan offered replaces Fannie and Freddie with another government backstop through a form of insurance, much like the FDIC guarantees bank deposits. Again, that would add extra costs to mortgages.

The Treasury Dept. acknowledges the problem and notes that with less government backing, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage option becomes less feasible. It also notes that there would be a reward. With less money going into housing, there would be more capital available to flow elsewhere, potentially leading to more long-term growth for the economy. Plus fewer mortgages made would mean less demand for housing and would keep home prices from going up, reducing inflationary pressures. Loans would cost more but homes would be less expensive.

Learn more about Lake Lure and the mountain lake area of the NC Blue Ridge at http:///www.DiscoverLakeLure.com

The Dodd-Frank law has legally mandated a makeover for mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Fannie and Freddie, along the FHA (another government- backed agency), are behind nearly 90% of US mortgages. The goal of reform is to make sure we do not ever see another financial meltdown requiring a $150 billion dollars taxpayer bailout.

The question: how much should the U.S. government be involved in mortgage availability?

The challenge: making sure home buyers can get affordable mortgages.

Will Fannie and Freddie disappear completely? No one knows yet but what is become clear is that the government's role in mortgage markets is likely to become a lot smaller. At stake is a 10.6 trillion dollar mortgage market.

There is no consensus on how to best meet the challenge and no single proposal has been made to overhaul the system. With last week's issuance of a long-awaited Obama Administration report, three plans representing three possible futures are now on the table. With real estate described as "fragile", change will be implemented slowly and carefully and is likely to take at least five to seven years. But the first changes are coming and are meant to attract private capital into the mortgage market and to lessen the influence of Fannie and Freddie. As of October 1, 2011, both mortgage giants' ability to make mortgages is going to be decreased by lowering their maximum loan limits to $625,500 and by requiring higher down payments of at least 10%. Insurance payments on loans backed by FHA could also go up.

The Three Proposals:

Option #1 would almost totally privatize housing finance. That proposal is similar to the one offered last year by Texas Representative Jeb Hensarling. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would disappear; lenders would originate their mortgages and then securitize them (sell mortgages to private investment) without any government backing. Only the FHA, currently backing about 20% of mortgages, would remain in place, financing low and middle income borrowers, theoretically higher-risk and less appealing to investors.

Option #2 is a modification of option #1 leaving the mortgage markets in the hands of private investors but adding a government backstop mechanism which would either buy or guarantee loans, an option to be activated only if private lenders decided to withdraw from mortgage markets during periods of financial crisis.

Option #3 would create new privately owned companies whose role would be to buy mortgages from banks and sell them as securities. Those financial instruments would be explicitly guaranteed by the U.S. government but would have to meet certain minimum criteria. The government would collect fees for that guarantee much as the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corp) now guarantees bank deposits.

While there is much support for a decrease in government intervention in mortgage markets, levels of trust in the Wall Street banks and investors who helped create the recent meltdown is not high. Their mortgage portfolios have performed much worse than Fannie and Freddie's. There is also fear that rising costs will threaten access to mortgages. Debate is certain to be fierce.

What is all this likely do to consumers? What should you do now? If you are interested in buying a new house, relocating, or want a second vacation home, housing prices are now as low as they have been in several years and inventory is high. It's a buyers' market. Interest rates have already jumped up - signals that the time to put off buying is over. Even if prices fall a bit more, any gain is likely to be offset by higher interest rates and more fees.

Learn more about Lake Lure and the Western North Carolina Blue Ridge mountain lake region at http://www.DiscoverLakeLure.com