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Shocking statistics about books

08-06-07
Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (512-796-7653)
Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (512-796-7653): Real Estate Agent in Austin, TX
  • view my blog
  • Office: (512) 796-7653
  • Mobile: (512) 796-7653
  • Secondary: (512) 796-7653

1/3 of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives.
42 percent of college graduates never read another book after college.
80 percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year.
70 percent of U.S. adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
57 percent of new books are not read to completion.
70 percent of books published do not earn back their advance.
70 percent of the books published do not make a profit.
(Source: Jerold Jenkins, http://www.jenkinsgroupinc.com/)

I knew that not everyone was a book lover like my wife and I are, but WOW!

7 Comments
Blog_tag

Extra mortgage payments - best method?

08-05-07
Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (512-796-7653)
Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (512-796-7653): Real Estate Agent in Austin, TX
  • view my blog
  • Office: (512) 796-7653
  • Mobile: (512) 796-7653
  • Secondary: (512) 796-7653

I attended a closing a few days ago at an attorney's office (less frequent here in Austin, as we usually close at title companies). This particular guy has always been very good at explaining the closing process to the buyers and sellers, yet he is also quick. At any rate, he was telling my buyers that the best method for sending extra payments to the bank/mortgage company was to divide one payment by 12, then send 1/12 each month applied to principal. He said that this would remove four extra YEARS from the mortgage as opposed to simply sending one extra payment annually all at once.

I know that the other method (one full extra payment sent once a year) will knock off a good portion of the loan term (I think close to half), but I wasn't sure if this other method he recommended would actually whittle it down that much more. He claimed that it was because of how they amortize loans. I would be curious to hear comments either way.

1 Comment