Raylene Lewis

I walked out behind my home in College Station this Sunday to find over 100 Buzzards behind my back yard with over 120 dead fish floating in the pond behind my house or scattered along the bank. See Blog All of the Fish in the pond Appear to Have Died Overnight! What the? And a big thank you to the Home Owner's Association for cleaning up the mess so quickly!

The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has concluded that the fish in the pond all died due to lack of oxygen. This is also sometimes referred to as the pond "turning over." My understanding is that this occured because: we had a long period with no rain, then lots of rain at once, with not a lot of natural vegetation in the pond, and a fountain that had recently broken. Apparently, once the amount of oxygen decreases to a certain level in a tank, it will kill the fish overnight. Now we have tons of algae in the tank and the whole thing looks nasty and green.

This brings me to my latest problem. I hand raised approximately 14 ducks and 2 geese last spring for the the Home Owner's Association and then released them into the lake. At this point, the lake is clearly less than desirable and the ducks have moved into my back yard.

My two and four year old think it is Easter with the eggs in my back yard! The Tree Walker coon hound See Meet Snoofy: A College Station Animal Rescue in Need of a Loving Home is definitely NOT a hunter and is no help at all!

And it has become such an issue in the last 2 days to get water, they are even brave enough to reside on the back porch and drink out of the dog bowl! They don't go to the South Lake, which is beautiful and in working order because another flock lives there. I am worried they are going to distroy my back porch and kill the grass. Any suggestions would be most appreciated! ;D

www.buyincollegestation.com

Original Article

Buying a home requires plenty of homework (no pun intended). There are new concepts to grasp, unfamiliar terminology to learn, and plenty of decisions to make along the way. The mortgage loan interest rate is one of the topics that confuse a lot of home buyers, especially the first-time buyers who are new to the process. So in this article, I'll explain how an interest rate gets applied to a home loan, and how it affects you as the borrower. 5 Things a Buyer Should Know · The rates offered by a lender will vary from one person to the next. It's largely based on a borrower's credit score. The higher your score, the better the rates you'll be offered when applying for a loan. This is why you see so much fine print on the advertisements of mortgage companies -- there's a lot of variance involved. So when they offer a "teaser rate" in their marketing materials, it may or may not apply to you. · The interest rate is one of four factors that will determine the size of your monthly mortgage payment. Collectively, these factors are referred to with the acronym PITI. The 'P' stands for the principal amount you borrow. The first 'I' stands for the interest you pay on the loan. The 'T' is for taxes on the home. Lastly, the final 'I' is for insurance (i.e., the homeowner's policy you are required to have before closing.) · In order to qualify for the best rates on a mortgage loan, borrowers need a higher credit score today than they needed just a few years ago (a 750 or higher in many cases). If you've been watching the news lately, you can probably guess why. The subprime mortgage mess of 2007 - 2008 has led to tougher restrictions on lenders. In turn, the lending institutions have tightened up on their loan criteria for qualification, rate assignments, etc. · Every buyer should study the key differences (and pros and cons) between adjustable and fixed-rate home loans. With an adjustable mortgage, or ARM, the interest rate will typically start out low for an introductory period. This period commonly lasts for three to five years, after which the loan will adjust or "reset" to a higher rate. In many cases, this increase can be significant and will therefore lead to a bigger mortgage payment each month. · For buyers who plan to remain in a house longer than three to five years, the fixed-rate mortgage is usually the best option. As the name suggests, this type of loan will carry the same level of interest for the entire time you're paying it (regardless of what the economy does). This offers a level of financial certainty, which for many borrowers is all the reason they need to choose this option over the ARM. Clearly there is much more to learn about interest rates, as they apply to buying a house. But I hope the points I've made above give you a better understanding of this subject. I recommend you learn more about each of the items covered above, particularly the pros and cons of adjustable versus fixed mortgages. Being an educated consumer is the first step toward success in the real estate world. About the Author: Brandon Cornett publishes a home buying blog that has offered house buying tips and advice since 2006. To learn more about this and related topics, visit the author's blog at: http://www.homebuyinginstitute.com/homebuyingtips

This article by Frank N. Darras, one of the nation's leading disability and Long-Term Care insurance lawyers explains show the new Housing and Recovery Act can affect seniors.

The Housing and Recovery Act of 2008 is going to affect more than first time home buyers, it will affect seniors too. When the President signed into law a $300 billion housing bill to help homeowners renegotiate their mortgages, reverse mortgage lenders reignited their marketing programs focusing on seniors.

Here is what Seniors need to know:

The increasingly popular reverse mortgage has been shopped by lenders and targeted at homeowners over 62. The intrigue of such mortgages has been that as you age, you can have "your house pay you." The convincing argument is that reverse mortgages can be used to pay for living expenses, prescription drugs, health care, or to pay off an existing mortgage.

Today's reverse mortgages are called Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs) and are insured by the Federal Housing Administration. HECMs allows folks to tap home equity and not have to make monthly payments. The HECM has been limited to the value reflected in a home's appraisal, the range and loan limits recently were between $200,160 and $362,790, depending on the location of the home.

That is going to change, according to Darras. The new bill is intended to significantly increase the amount a borrower can get and lenders are dangling a golden carrot with phrases like "Seniors may be able to borrow as much as $625K in home equity to use any way they please!" Keep in mind that the amount of your loan will depend on the home's value, location, interest rates and the age of the youngest borrower on the note.

"Be very careful," says Darras. "Rising costs on a fixed income can be a dangerous combination. Don't let fear and the lure of an easy solution drive your decision. The new legislation is promising to make it less expensive to borrow but it can cost you in the long run, if you are not careful."

At first glance, it sounds pretty terrific, says Darras. But remember, even though the loan will come due only when you die, sell or move away permanently, it will have to be repaid somehow. Are you setting up a financial disaster that could wipe out your life's savings, your estate and leave heirs with financial obligations they cannot meet?

Darras recommends that you get straight answers from a financial planner you trust. Most importantly, only deal with lenders and companies you recognize and do your due diligence. If you are not sure about taking out that reverse mortgage, wait until the new law comes into affect in October and more protections are in place to protect you.

These days, the rest of your life can be 30-40 years, so make your decisions carefully, regardless of great marketing, fancy brochures and short-term fixes.

October is Century 21 Open House Month! Are you ready?

Join us by touring open houses throughout Bryan and College Station, October 19th from 1-4pm.

Go to www.openhouse.com the week before October 19th to get a full list of properties being held open.

We look forward to seeing you at the open houses!

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