Sandy Ogburn Sandlin - Fine Baton Rouge area homes

Sandy Ogburn-Sandlin Team #1 in Louisiana!!

Owners, Brokers, and Agents from across Louisiana gathered recently at the RE/MAX Dixie Region Annual Awards Celebration in Baton Rouge. The awards honored top teams and sales associates in the state.

Sandy Ogburn-Sandlin, Broker / Owner of RE/MAX Excellent Properties, was once again honored for being the #1 team in Louisiana. This is the sixteenth year Sandlin has been recognized as #1 in the state. Sandy was also recognized for being the #1 top associate in Louisiana with the highest number of transactions. Her office was third in the state for average number of transactions per agent.

Brandy Helms of Sandy's Team was awarded Most Cooperative Spirit.
Although the market has been ever changing, Sandlin credits her great team and loyal clients for her continued success.

With recent emphasis on the Saints' Superbowl victory, Mardi Gras - the national holiday of Louisiana - will be even livelier this year. Parades, which began last weekend will continue until Fat Tuesday, will keep the party going in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and of course, Ascension Parish, as revelers eat and drink their way through the next week.

One holiday favorite to be found at many festivities will be King Cake, a decorated filled ring of twisted bread. The delectable pastry originated in western Europe in honor of the Three Kings who made their way to Bethlehem to honor the Baby Jesus on January 6, the 12th day after Christmas. French and Spanish settlers brought the cake to the New Orleans, where it became a favorite.

Though the recipe varies for the cake, it always contains a trinket, most often a plastic baby. Whoever finds the trinket in their piece is supposed to gain good fortune- and the honor or buying the cake next time.

In Ascension Parish, one of the biggest suppliers of King Cake is Ralph's Market in Gonzales. Located at the intersection of Hwy 44 and Hwy 931, Ralph's makes over 1, 000 cakes per day during Mardi Gras season. The enterprise keeps seven or eight employees busy rolling and stuffing the dough with fillings and the precious baby, and then baking and icing the finished product. This year, the crew has worked night and day to meet the demand of local shoppers who line up at the door to buy them up for their own celebrations and to ship out of town. Of course, this year, the store has also been extra busy preparing Who Dat cakes and Valentine's Day cakes.

Ralph's isn't sharing their recipe for the king cake, but here is a tasty variation from Chef Emeril Lagasse

King Cake

2 envelopes active dry yeast

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1-1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, melted

1 cup warm milk (about 110°F)

5 large egg yolks, at room temperature

4 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature

4 cups confectioner's sugar

1 plastic king cake baby or a pecan half

5 tablespoons milk, at room temperature

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Purple-, green-, and gold-tinted sugar sprinkles

Combine the yeast and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the melted butter and warm milk. Beat at low speed for 1 minute. With the mixer running, add the egg yolks, then beat for 1 minute at medium-low speed. Add the flour, salt, nutmeg, and lemon zest and beat until everything is incorporated. Increase the speed to high and beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, forms a ball, and starts to climb up the dough hook. (If the dough is uncooperative in coming together, add a bit of warm water (110 degrees), a tablespoon at a time, until it does.)

Remove the dough from the bowl. Using your hands, form the dough into a smooth ball. Lightly oil a bowl with the vegetable oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn it to oil all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Meanwhile, make the filling. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and 1 cup of the confectioner's sugar. Blend by hand or with an electric mixer on low speed. Set aside.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using your fingers, pat it out into a rectangle about 30 inches long and 6 inches wide.

Spread the filling lengthwise over the bottom half of the dough, then flip the top half of the dough over the filling. Seal the edges, pinching the dough together. Shape the dough into a cylinder and place it on the prepared baking sheet seam side down. Shape the dough into a ring and pinch the ends together so there isn't a seam. Insert the king cake baby or pecan half into the ring from the bottom so that it is completely hidden by the dough.

Cover the ring with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm, draft-free place. Let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Brush the top of the risen cake with 2 tablespoons of the milk. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the icing. Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons milk, the lemon juice, and the remaining 3 cups confectioner's sugar in medium-size mixing bowl. Stir to blend well. With a rubber spatula, spread the icing evenly over the top of the cake. Sprinkle with the traditional purple, green, and gold sugar crystals, alternating colors around the cake.

The cake is traditionally cut into 2-inch-thick slices with all the guests in attendance.

YIELD: 20 to 22 servings

Ralph's all sold out? Also try these local suppliers of King Cakes.

Need a house with a gourmet kitchen where you can make your next king cake? Sandy and her team can find you the perfect place to call home in the Greater Baton Rouge area, including Baton Rouge, Prairieville, Gonzales, Denham Springs, Watson, Walker, Central, Greenwell Springs, Zachary, Baker, Port Allen, Brusly, Geismar, and St Amant. We can also you answer any questions you might have about the home buyer's tax credit - $8,000 for first time buyers or $6,500 for repeat buyers.

Prairieville buyers have plenty of reasons to buy a great house in Ascension Parish or anywhere in the Greater Baton Rouge areas. After all, homes are plentiful and well priced, the interest rates are low, and of course, the home buyer's tax credit is in effect through April 30. Yesterday, the FHA made an announcement that impacts anyone who buys after the tax credit has expired. The best advice to potential home buyers is to buy now, if you can can to beat the FHA clock.

FHA has always been a good financing option if you less downpayment in hand and if your credit score was a bit lower than what some banks liked. Over the last few years, FHA has written almost 30% of the loans (up from 3% back in 2006) and has suffered from rising delinquencies. The agency now must build its reserves and keep FHA-insured financing alive and well for homeowners. HUD Secretary wants borrowers to "have more skin in the game" as a way to reduce future defaults.

Some of the new rules apply to lenders who must now increase their reserves and practice more responsible lending practices. These are effective immediately. So what are the new rules that affect buyers?

Mortgage Insurance Payment (MIIP) will increase from 1.75% to 2.25% of the one and be added to the balance at closing. This will go into effect April 5, 2010.

Credits scores must now be at least 580 if you want to qualify for a 3.5% down payment. If your credit score is lower, you must come up with 10%.

Sellers will only be able to contribute 3% to the closing costs, as compared to 6% now.

These changes are reasonable, but they will cost new buyers more. All three changes will be effective by late spring-early summer which means those who buy before April 30 will reap some benefits of the tax credit and be able to go by the old rules (except for the MIP increase effective 4/5/10.) Currently, interest rates are low but expected to rise by late spring, so buyers will benefit from that as well. After that, if your credit score is low, you may have to save longer to get your downpayment in order, while all FHA borrowers will pay more MIP and closing costs.

If you are ready to buy a home, call Sandy's Team to discuss your home buying plans. Sandy and her team can find you the perfect place to call home in the new year in Greater Baton Rouge area, including Baton Rouge, Prairieville, Gonzales, Denham Springs, Watson, Walker, Central, Greenwell Springs, Zachary, Baker, Port Allen, Brusly, Geismar, and St Amant. We can also you answer any questions you might have about the home buyer's tax credit - $8,000 for first time buyers or $6,500 for repeat buyers.

When you become a homeowner who just made one of the most expensive purchases in your life, you are starting out on an exciting new adventure. You just bought a great home in Baton Rouge, Prairieville, or a nearby city and you are now surprised to realize that you are pretty much on your own in learning to be a homeowner. If a major system goes wrong, you may have recourse, especially if you have a homeowner's warranty, but that's only one of the challenges. Here are some tips to keep in mind to help you make the transition.

When you rented, whether there was a leak in the room or window didn't open, you called the landlord. (You may have even mumbled aloud that the problem wouldn't have happened if he had only done some preventative maintenance.) Now, you need to fix what's broke and plan ahead. Aside from anticipating possible repairs, you need to schedule time to mow the lawn, fix, and clean the gutters. If you don't have the time, money, or interest to do these things or hire them out, then perhaps a condo would have been a better choice for you.

If you are like most new homeowners, you will want to make a million changes in your new home to make it yours. These projects range from painting to adding an addition and everything in between. If you are qualified to do these things, great, you can save some money. If not, depending on how much is involved, you can learn to do many projects. For major projects involving plumbing, electrical, or major remodels, you are better off hiring a licensed contractor. It's safer, often cheaper, and more likely to increase resale later in comparison to an amateur job.

When you got your mortgage you probably had to get homeowner's insurance, to protect the bank's interest, but buying a home is a good time to reassess all of your insurance. The coverage on the home itself and on your possessions should include replacement value if you can get it, and should have high liability limits that can cover you if some litigation-happy person slips on your walk or is bitten by your dog. You should also consider whether you have enough life and disability insurance to protect your partner and children in case of your death or illness or an accident that could limit your ability to work. Even your car insurance deserves a look - minimum state limits won't protect you enough if you are sued.

When you buy a home, your days of the form 1040EZ are probably over. There are many deductions you can take as a homeowner, especially the first year; for other things, like improvements, there is no deduction until you sell. Even if you usually do your taxes yourself, you might want to use a professional tax preparer the first year to make sure you take the deductions you are entitled to without over doing it. Make sure to keep all your receipts on anything you do in the house so you can take the proper credit later.

Buying a home can be daunting experience but at RE/Max Excellent Properties, Sandy Ogburn-Sandlin and her team will prepare you for home ownership and follow up afterwards, as our testimonials attest. Sandy's Team can show you new and resale homes in homes in the Greater Baton Rouge area that offer great values for first time buyers and repeat buyers available under the home buyer's tax credit. AND that are right for you and your situation.

As 2009 winds down, Sandy Ogburn Sandlin and her team are busily selling the merits of living in the Greater Baton Rouge area and in the process, selling houses. At the moment, according to Realtor.com, there are 8,201 home for sale in Baton Rouge, Lousiana. That breaks down to 3,321 in East Baton Rouge Parish, 1,528 in Ascension, 2,317 in Livingston Parish,and and 150-250 in East Feliciana Iberville, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana.

Greater Baton Rouge offers a lot of home for the money. The cities and specific neighborhoods where home are available each have their own unique flavor. Sandy's Team are specialists in helping you find the place in a neigborhood that not only fits your pocketbook but your lifestyle as well. Whether you want a home near work or want a more rural property, Sandy will help you find it.

If you want to see examples of the home in a specific area or if you want to get an idea of exactly what your home-buying dollars will get you, Sandy will deliver a list of homes that meet your requirements right to your inbox. To get this handy service started, just enter your preference and your contact information right here. Sandy's Team is always available to answer any questions you might have about the neighborhod, the home itself, or how to get started with buying a home.

With the home buyers tax credit in full force, Sandy can help you claim the credit as a first time buyer or a move-up buyer!