Middletown, NJ

YAY!!! For the Tax Credit program...........The government has stepped in to help the economy and the Real Estate market. Yes, I have been getting an influx of buyers trying to purchase and meet the deadline. I think this is what we all needed to stir things up in this never ending economic crises.

So NOW the government looks like they're trying to help.

BOO!! For the changes in FHA guidelines. So all young people wanting to better thier lives and become homeowners, are being turned down for mortgages. The government, last year, had raised the credit score limit to 620. They also raised the minimum down payment to 3.5% (where we use to be able to do 2.5 or 3% in some cases). The banks also decided that in the purchase of a "short sale" some will not allow more than 1% seller concessions for closing costs.

So tell me, why is the TAX CREDIT so exposed to make the government look like it's helping, but the changes in the guidelines are not?

And I don't want to hear..................."Well, if your buyer's can't meet those guidelines than they shouldn't be buying". Many of these young people have just been in their jobs for a little over 2 years (another guideline that's understandable), but their incomes are not REAL high. Their savings is good, but NOT enough to cover 3.5% down AND the outrageous closing costs that they have to also come up with. AND, there credit scores might be just a little under 620 BECAUSE they are young and haven't established ENOUGH credit (because they were smart not to get credit cards), or they have a bunch of Student Loans that may not equal a huge monthly debt BUT the number of them decreased their credit score. By old FHA guidelines MANY of the "new generation" buyers would be just fine!

SO, THE MORAL OF THIS STORY IS: Don't applaud the kingdom for helping.......until you've seen the proof! OR When something looks to good to be true.......it is! OR "read between the lines".

First of all I would like you to meet Doom!

This is a picture of one of my daughter's babies....as she calls them. Doom and his sister "Oni" became members of our family in March of 2007. Not to mention that we already had a cat and a dog. They quickly fit right in and became family members. Each pet with their own personality. Doom, however, was the most mischievious and independent. But at the same time he was also the most lovable. My daughter (21) insisted that her cats be "outdoor" cats. She felt that keeping them cooped up inside was not healthy for them. I'm sure many people would disagree with that, as I did. So every day we would let them out and they would come in to eat and sleep, and then cry at the door to be let out again.

Sister and Brother........Doom and Oni!

Well, approximately 5 months ago, we called for Doom but he didn't come home. After a day had passed, everyone kept saying, he'll be back. But in our hearts we knew something was wrong. After a week, we started to get "real" depressed. We went to all the animal hospitals, called all the kennels, visited the SPCA, and posted all over the Internet sites. We made up fliers and posted them day after day.

In a 4 week span, we received at least 5 phone calls...........One said they saw him on the nearby trail, so we spent a day walking the trail, only to finally find a cat that looked similiar to Doom, but wasn't Doom.

One call was from the SPCA saying that a cat just came in fitting the description............but it wasn't Doom.

After the second month had passed we basically tried to accept what had happened. Doom's sister "oni" seemed depressed. As you can see in the picture above she was very attached to him.

I received a call from a friend telling me that her mother thinks she saw Doom on the side of a road near a shopping center (on a highway). BUT it was not alive. I had to go and check it out. I didn't tell my daughter though. I was horrified at the site. And the color and size of the cat was almost identical to Doom. The only thing that puzzled me was that the legs were dark and Doom's legs were white. However, my friend had reminded me that Doom had been missing so long maybe his white legs got dirty. I just couldn't be sure. (Oh, and if your wondering if there was a collar, Doom had been through 6 collars. Somehow he'd come home and his collars were always gone......fallen off. So the day he went missing, NO he was without a collar).

Now 5 months had passed and we had resolved ourselves that Doom was gone for good. It's the not knowing though, that eats at you. Last week, I was driving from work, listening to Christmas music and I kept thinking about what had happened to Doom. I kept re-thinking whether the cat I had gone to examine on the road was Doom or not. I felt terrible. I never told my daughter. I just kept telling her that maybe he was living with another family somewhere. I started talking to myself in the car and although I'm not a religious person I decided to say "God, I don't know if Doom is alive, or is the cat I had seen on the road, But my daughter has been severely depressed lately and I know this is like asking for a miracle, but .......it would truly be the most wonderful Christmas miracle if he were to show up after all this time"................then I laughed out loud and thought "how ridiculous".

Well, last Monday I came home from work and pressed the button on the answering machine while I took off my coat. I heard a woman say "This is the Fanwood animal hospital, we have your cat".

I actually laughed and went about some chores before returning the call. You see, we had gotten so many of these calls, and there was NO WAY after 5 months OUR cat would be way up in Fanwood NJ. It's about an hour away.

Anyway, I called them back and the woman said "yeah we have your cat". I asked her what color it was, and she said Grey and White. I asked her why she believes it's ours, and how did she get our number. She said that a woman brought the cat in today and told them that her boyfriend found the cat roaming around on the runway at Newark Airport.........which is nowhere near where we live. The animal hospital used a device to scan the cats neck to see if it had a chip in it, and it did. However, when my daughter bought the kittens she didn't pay for the chip because of the cost (she didn't know that the chips were already in place). So the hospital located the store and the store gave them my daughters name and number.

Suddenly I started to shake and freak out. I started saying OH MY GOD!!! about a hundred times. As the tears started, the woman on the other end of the phone started crying. She said she didn't realize the length of time and the trouble we've gone through for all those months.

Then I went in the back of the house and looked at my daughter and said "I have the best Christmas present you could EVER dream of". And you know how kids are, she wouldn't even look up from what she was doing, and said, "What now"? Then when she looked up and saw the tears in my eyes she jumped up and said "what's the matter mom, are you OK? And all I could say was "Doom"!! Her eyes widened and I explained what happened and she burst into tears and we just hugged and cried.

Well, we jumped in the car and drove an hour to Fanwood Animal hospital..............they brought Doom out and OMG he was huge. He had grown so big. Pam (my daughter) was so afraid that he wouldn't remember us. It was a bit strange at first. Then when we brought him home he acted very scared and hissed at everyone and everything. However, the hospital said that it could be because they had given him shots..............as well as the confusion of what had happened to him over the past 5 months.

TODAY DOOM IS BACK TO HIS OLD SELF.............PLAYING WITH US, CUDDLING WITH US, LOVING HIS SISTER AND HEALTHY AND HAPPY.

Every time I look at him I think "If only he could talk, and tell us what happened to him during that 5 month period".

I spoke to the wonderful girl that had taken him to the animal hospital. She was actually going to keep him (she had even given him a name). She said that her boyfriend and his co workers at the airport were feeding him and letting him sit in what they called a security shack. But the weather was getting cold and he felt bad leaving him there at night so he brought him home.

I asked for this Christmas miracle and that's exactly what I got!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If anything could make me a "believer" this did!!

"Always believe that miracles can come true"!!!

Q: I recently sold my house in Toms River and am looking in Middletown, NJ, for a 3 Bed, 2 Bath under $420,000 single family home. I drove around this past Sunday to Open Houses and found myself in some not so desirable areas around Route 36. How do I weed out good from bad when searching in Middletown?

Tom, Home Buyer
Toms River, NJ

A: It's not surprising if you feel a bit overwhelmed at understanding Middletown. Monmouth County's Middletown is about 40 square miles and encompasses many smaller neighborhoods, each with their own character. It's a huge area and frequently a challenge for buyers from outside the area. An illustration in point: there are currently 378 homes (wow!) available for sale in Middletown ranging from about $125,000 to almost $17 million!

In getting to know Middletown, you'll learn it has historic neighborhoods like Locust, the Village and Navesink; bayshore towns like Belford & Leonardo with histories that include commercial fishing & summer bungalows; communities that were developed in the 1980's housing boom, and many more. Middletown caters to all ranges of the economic spectrum so there's definitely neighborhoods that are likely to fit your budget.

What's interesting is, like other towns, Middletown has experienced many changes over the past 10 years and housing options have changed considerably; for instance, because of the high speed commuter ferries to Manhattan, we've seen some very upscale new construction in neighborhoods that previously did not offer it.

Some buyers will use school reports to help guide them, others will examine zoning, and still others will consider proximity to major roadways, public transportation, flood maps, shopping or recreational opportunities (in some parts of Middletown you can ride your bike to the beach!)

My advice: seek out a knowledgeable realtor who services Middletown and is familiar with all of it. Get what I call "the nickel tour" that will give you a clear picture of the town, the pros & cons of each neighborhood, and the relative house values of each. I'd also advise being clear with your realtor about what your needs & wants are: don't presume there's one best neighborhood for everyone's needs.

Lastly, I would encourage your consideration of other surrounding towns. All are smaller in size and each has their individual merits.

I hope that helps.... I'm glad to be of assistance.

Thomas McCormack

Public Works Director Lawrence Werger reports one employee was who operates a front-end loader operator who experiencing increased hunger due to a new aroma in the public works yard.

As part of the township's Green Initiative, Werger has launched a pilot program to reduce the township's fossil fuel consumption by mixing used cooking oil with diesel fuel to operate one of the department's eight front-end loaders. The use of cooking oil as a fuel supplement has reduced petroleum usage by 50% in the test equipment with a projected annual cost savings of $5,500 for the one machine.

"In 1892, Rudolph Diesel introduced a compression ignition engine specifically designed to operate on vegetable oil. A fossil fuel substitution was more economical at the time, but times have changed. As the cost of petroleum continues to rise, we find ourselves returning to Mr. Diesel's original concept." Werger said.

Middletown is one of the first municipalities in New Jersey to use biofuel as a way to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Public Works has arranged the donation of used cooking oil with several local commercial vendors. The actual collection is conducted by the department's recycling personnel during their daily routine. Werger expects to expand the program in the future by involving more commercial vendors and pieces of municipal equipment.

"This program has the potential to save the township tens and perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars in the coming years as it is expanded to other machinery. Innovative techniques like this will have a direct impact on our budget by decreasing the amount of tax dollars needed for fuel, which will help ease the pressure on local property taxes caused by spiraling energy costs," said Deputy Mayor Pamela M. Brightbill.

Implementation of the biofuel pilot program is the latest development in the Middletown Township Green Initiative. The initiative, spearheaded by Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger, represents the township's commitment to find and implement ways to decrease money spent on energy, curb pollution and reduce reliance on foreign energy producers. Other recent green projects include introduction of the free Dock and Roll Shuttle last spring and restoration of native grasses at the Poricy Park Conservancy this summer. Meanwhile, the township continues to explore the possibility of retrofitting existing buildings with solar power, including solar energy in municipal building renovations, and introducing hybrid vehicles into the municipal fleet of vehicles.