With the admittance of yet another steroid/human growth hormone user today in Major League Baseball, it got me to thinking about the History of America's Past Time and how it is looked at or maybe how it should be looked at.
Today Bud Selig released a statement saying that the "Steroid Era" of baseball is pretty much closed. I agree. The "Steroid Era" has been closed for about 7 or 8 years. Now we are in the "HGH Era" as steroids are an outdated way of getting a head of the game. And, as soon as there is a HGH test that is reliable, baseball players will move onto something else that is undetectable.
My point I guess, is that baseball always seems to have something like this going on. Look back at history. Maybe it is not always cheating, although that is the main constant through the years. It's interesting, that putting vaseline on a pitched ball or scuffing a ball or stealing signs all seem to be acceptable when put in the light of doing performance enhancing drugs. What's it matter. It's all cheating. But it seems that if it comes down to drugs or gambling, those are the 2 big taboo's for baseball that seem to be unforgivable. There are actually players in the Hall that have killed someone else.
How about telling a whole race of people that they cannot participate in the game. To me, that's worse. But during those years, when baseball refused to allow black players to play with the white players, are the records and statistics that baseball "purists" seem to worship the most. Seems to me, if you do not allow all of the best players to play the game, then those stats are no more valid then todays meaningless stats when everyone is built like superman.
And how did baseball make up for not allowing people of color play with the white players? They give them their own wing of the Hall Of Fame.......away from all of the rest of the players. Still seperated. Ironic, isn't it.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Potential Fraud Scam in Southwestern Michigan
The following is a warning message that I received from my Michigan MLS Board of Realtors. I thought that I would pass this on to you as well, in case you run into this scam.
The Association was recently made aware of a failed fraud scam that happened in Southwestern Michigan over the past 45 days. The scam started with a purported Doctor from the United Kingdom contacting a local Brokerage about his desire to purchase a home in a private lake front community that he had seen on the internet. Because of the situation with a foreign buyer who was not going to be present for the closing the Brokerage assisted the Buyer with finding them legal representation. A Buy and Sell Agreement was negotiated and then finally signed after the Attorney had received an official check drawn on a U.S. bank from the Buyer through a private courier service for over $600,000. The check was deposited in the a trust account established specifically for the transaction by the attorney and the items needed to completed for a closing were scheduled to be accomplished. At this time everything seemed normal to the attorney and Broker, until a few days after depositing the check, the attorney and Broker both received calls from the Buyer demanding they wire half of the deposited money to a Chinese Bank account so the Buyer could take care of other financial obligations. When asked how he was going to pay the balance on the house he said he has now decided to be at the closing and will bring the additional funds to close the transaction at that time. This demand for the wire of half of the funds deposited for the transaction sent up warning flags and the attorney checked with the FBI and lender regarding the situation. The local bank’s fraud unit got involved and determined that the check presented and going through the banking system was fraudulent. Needless to say the sale of the home failed and the potential fraud was stopped.
Due to the different schemes and scams being used throughout the world today, all Members should use their best judgment and be prudent in evaluating the information being provided by the potential Buyer prior to negotiating the Buy and Sell Agreement.
The Association was recently made aware of a failed fraud scam that happened in Southwestern Michigan over the past 45 days. The scam started with a purported Doctor from the United Kingdom contacting a local Brokerage about his desire to purchase a home in a private lake front community that he had seen on the internet. Because of the situation with a foreign buyer who was not going to be present for the closing the Brokerage assisted the Buyer with finding them legal representation. A Buy and Sell Agreement was negotiated and then finally signed after the Attorney had received an official check drawn on a U.S. bank from the Buyer through a private courier service for over $600,000. The check was deposited in the a trust account established specifically for the transaction by the attorney and the items needed to completed for a closing were scheduled to be accomplished. At this time everything seemed normal to the attorney and Broker, until a few days after depositing the check, the attorney and Broker both received calls from the Buyer demanding they wire half of the deposited money to a Chinese Bank account so the Buyer could take care of other financial obligations. When asked how he was going to pay the balance on the house he said he has now decided to be at the closing and will bring the additional funds to close the transaction at that time. This demand for the wire of half of the funds deposited for the transaction sent up warning flags and the attorney checked with the FBI and lender regarding the situation. The local bank’s fraud unit got involved and determined that the check presented and going through the banking system was fraudulent. Needless to say the sale of the home failed and the potential fraud was stopped.
Due to the different schemes and scams being used throughout the world today, all Members should use their best judgment and be prudent in evaluating the information being provided by the potential Buyer prior to negotiating the Buy and Sell Agreement.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Hall Of Fame Rant
Every year, my best friend Dave and I talk about Major League Baseball's Hall Of Fame. Every year, we come up with players who should be in, but are not. So, this year I decided I would put my part of our rant into print for you all to enjoy.
In case you did not know, players can be inducted or voted into the Hall Of Fame after they have been out of baseball as a player for 5 years and then receive 75% of the vote. How does the vote work? You might ask. Well, a bunch of writers gather and cast their ballots. Mind you, most of these writers have never played a day of professional.....anything, not for a day in their lives. Sometimes they vote because they like the person, sometimes they do not vote because they dislike a person. It is really a poor process that, the best that I can determine, exists to make people that should not be a part of the game to be a part of the game. So lets throw my, just as meaningless, opinion in on that mess of a process as well.
Anyway, here is my short list of players who once again were short changed by these writers and why they should be in the HOF.
I will start with Jack Morris and by trying to prove his worthiness, it will prove Bert Blyleven's worthiness as well killing 2 birds with one stone..... so to speak.
Out of all of the players to have ever played, which is tens of thousands, Jack Morris is #43 in career wins at 254 over 18 seasons. Of the 42 players ahead of him, all but 13 are in the hall of fame. Of those 13, 6 of them are not eligible to be voted in yet because they have recently retired. Of the remaining 7, 4 of them pitched in the 1800's. The other 3 are Jim Kaat who is ranked #31 on the wins list at 283 and took 25 years to get there, Tommy John who took 26 years to get to #26 with 288 wins and is more famous for the surgery named after him and Bert Blyleven at #27 with 287 wins. The knock on both Morris and Blyleven, seem to be that they both gave up a lot of home runs, which is true. But so did Nolan Ryan and he is in the hall. Morris also would have a higher ERA then the others at 3.90, but so what! Morris was THE dominate pitcher of the 1980's and into the early 90's. He won a World Series with the Tigers, Twins and Blue Jays. Who can forget that 10 inning game he pitched for the Twins in 91? To this day, one of the best pitched games in World Series history. He also threw a no-hitter in 84 for the Tigers. Blyleven won World Series rings in 79 with the Pirates and again in 1987 for the Twins. The next 4 players below Morris in career wins are all in the Hall of Fame, one of which is Bob Gibson. Blyleven, had 15 1-0 wins, more then any pitcher in the last 50 years and had a career total of 60 shutouts which is more then the ENTIRE American League has had combined over the last 18 years! If you are not convinced that these 2 belong in, then I do not know what can convince you!
Next on the List is Roberto Alomar. Alomar missed out on getting elected today by only 5 votes! I can't help but to think that the reason he did not get those 5 extra votes was because of the "Spitting Incident." If the umpire that he spat on can not only forgive him, but become friends with him, then I think the writers need to look past it as well. Alomar was a 12 time All-Star, 10 time Gold Glove Award winner that had a career .300 batting average. Over his 17 year career, he compiled 2,724 Hits and was an incredible fielder. He also won back to back World Series rings with the Blue Jays in 92 & 93. This guy should have been a first ballot Hall of Famer!
The last 2 on my list I will also knock out together. Why? Because they are basically the same player. It has been said that Barry Larkin was the Derek Jeter before Derek Jeter. If that is true, and I feel that it is, then Alan Trammell was the Barry Larkin before Barry Larkin! There are 21 Shortstops currently in the Hall of Fame and nobody disputes that Ozzie Smith should be in the Hall. If you throw Trammell and Larkin into the mix, Smith would rank #9 in Hits (2,460), Trammell #10 (2,365) and Larkin #11 (2,340). In RBI, Trammell #10 (1,003), Larkin #11 (960) and Smith #17 (793). Runs scored Larkin #8 (1,329), Smith #11 (1,257) and Trammell #14 (1,231). Stolen Bases Smith #3 (580), Larkin #6 (379) and Trammell #11 (236). You might be saying, "Those are all offensive numbers, what about defense?". I am glad you asked! Ozzie Smith has a career fielding percentage of .978, Trammell's was .977 and Larkin's was .975. What about fielding range you might ask? Smith does have an edge, but when you look further, the gap narrows. Trammell played 7 of his seasons with less then 400 at bats due to various injuries. Larkin played 8 seasons with less then 400 at bats due to injury. Smith only had 3 and they were the last 3 seasons that he played. The final #'s were that Smith had 12,905 chances with 281 errors, Trammell 9,948 chances with 235 errors and Larkin had 9,251 chances with 235 errors. Smith definately has an edge, but injury shortened seasons lessened the numbers of Trammell and Larkin by probably about 500-700 chances each. Trammell only moved to 3rd Base at the end of his career in an attempt to keep him healthy, not because of the limited range that other Shortstops displayed late in their career (see Cal Ripken). Larkin won a MVP (95), Trammell should have (87). Larkin won 3 Gold Gloves, mostly because Ozzie Smith was winning them. Trammell won 4 Gold Gloves, mostly because Cal Ripken was winning them. Darrell Evans, former Tiger First Baseman, used to say "Every throw that Trammell made was perfect to catch!" And yesterday Peter Gammons wrote after voting for Trammell "There are times when you have to have seen a player, and Trammell was one of them."
In case you did not know, players can be inducted or voted into the Hall Of Fame after they have been out of baseball as a player for 5 years and then receive 75% of the vote. How does the vote work? You might ask. Well, a bunch of writers gather and cast their ballots. Mind you, most of these writers have never played a day of professional.....anything, not for a day in their lives. Sometimes they vote because they like the person, sometimes they do not vote because they dislike a person. It is really a poor process that, the best that I can determine, exists to make people that should not be a part of the game to be a part of the game. So lets throw my, just as meaningless, opinion in on that mess of a process as well.
Anyway, here is my short list of players who once again were short changed by these writers and why they should be in the HOF.
I will start with Jack Morris and by trying to prove his worthiness, it will prove Bert Blyleven's worthiness as well killing 2 birds with one stone..... so to speak.
Out of all of the players to have ever played, which is tens of thousands, Jack Morris is #43 in career wins at 254 over 18 seasons. Of the 42 players ahead of him, all but 13 are in the hall of fame. Of those 13, 6 of them are not eligible to be voted in yet because they have recently retired. Of the remaining 7, 4 of them pitched in the 1800's. The other 3 are Jim Kaat who is ranked #31 on the wins list at 283 and took 25 years to get there, Tommy John who took 26 years to get to #26 with 288 wins and is more famous for the surgery named after him and Bert Blyleven at #27 with 287 wins. The knock on both Morris and Blyleven, seem to be that they both gave up a lot of home runs, which is true. But so did Nolan Ryan and he is in the hall. Morris also would have a higher ERA then the others at 3.90, but so what! Morris was THE dominate pitcher of the 1980's and into the early 90's. He won a World Series with the Tigers, Twins and Blue Jays. Who can forget that 10 inning game he pitched for the Twins in 91? To this day, one of the best pitched games in World Series history. He also threw a no-hitter in 84 for the Tigers. Blyleven won World Series rings in 79 with the Pirates and again in 1987 for the Twins. The next 4 players below Morris in career wins are all in the Hall of Fame, one of which is Bob Gibson. Blyleven, had 15 1-0 wins, more then any pitcher in the last 50 years and had a career total of 60 shutouts which is more then the ENTIRE American League has had combined over the last 18 years! If you are not convinced that these 2 belong in, then I do not know what can convince you!
Next on the List is Roberto Alomar. Alomar missed out on getting elected today by only 5 votes! I can't help but to think that the reason he did not get those 5 extra votes was because of the "Spitting Incident." If the umpire that he spat on can not only forgive him, but become friends with him, then I think the writers need to look past it as well. Alomar was a 12 time All-Star, 10 time Gold Glove Award winner that had a career .300 batting average. Over his 17 year career, he compiled 2,724 Hits and was an incredible fielder. He also won back to back World Series rings with the Blue Jays in 92 & 93. This guy should have been a first ballot Hall of Famer!
The last 2 on my list I will also knock out together. Why? Because they are basically the same player. It has been said that Barry Larkin was the Derek Jeter before Derek Jeter. If that is true, and I feel that it is, then Alan Trammell was the Barry Larkin before Barry Larkin! There are 21 Shortstops currently in the Hall of Fame and nobody disputes that Ozzie Smith should be in the Hall. If you throw Trammell and Larkin into the mix, Smith would rank #9 in Hits (2,460), Trammell #10 (2,365) and Larkin #11 (2,340). In RBI, Trammell #10 (1,003), Larkin #11 (960) and Smith #17 (793). Runs scored Larkin #8 (1,329), Smith #11 (1,257) and Trammell #14 (1,231). Stolen Bases Smith #3 (580), Larkin #6 (379) and Trammell #11 (236). You might be saying, "Those are all offensive numbers, what about defense?". I am glad you asked! Ozzie Smith has a career fielding percentage of .978, Trammell's was .977 and Larkin's was .975. What about fielding range you might ask? Smith does have an edge, but when you look further, the gap narrows. Trammell played 7 of his seasons with less then 400 at bats due to various injuries. Larkin played 8 seasons with less then 400 at bats due to injury. Smith only had 3 and they were the last 3 seasons that he played. The final #'s were that Smith had 12,905 chances with 281 errors, Trammell 9,948 chances with 235 errors and Larkin had 9,251 chances with 235 errors. Smith definately has an edge, but injury shortened seasons lessened the numbers of Trammell and Larkin by probably about 500-700 chances each. Trammell only moved to 3rd Base at the end of his career in an attempt to keep him healthy, not because of the limited range that other Shortstops displayed late in their career (see Cal Ripken). Larkin won a MVP (95), Trammell should have (87). Larkin won 3 Gold Gloves, mostly because Ozzie Smith was winning them. Trammell won 4 Gold Gloves, mostly because Cal Ripken was winning them. Darrell Evans, former Tiger First Baseman, used to say "Every throw that Trammell made was perfect to catch!" And yesterday Peter Gammons wrote after voting for Trammell "There are times when you have to have seen a player, and Trammell was one of them."
Friday, January 1, 2010
My 09 Year In Review
At this time each year, it is popular for everyone to look back at the year we just finished and take a look at what happened. So, I will drink the kool-aid as well and do a "year in review" post as well. Here is what I can remember off of the top of my head:
In January, I remember us still feeling the effects of an economy in shambles and the "Hope" that a newly elected president brings us. I also remember the governor of Illinois getting taken out of office for trying to sell a senate seat. Then, my wife had sunny 101.5 pull a birthday prank phone call on me claiming to be someone named "Rod" who was looking for a house and was recently unemployed because he lost his job as governor of Illinois.
In February, President Obama passed a housing recovery act that banks have only started to use in the past 2-3 months. I also remember that it was very cold and that the Steelers beat the Cardinals in the Super Bowl. We refinanced our house.
In March, the $8,000 first time buyer tax credit was passed. I won a few awards from Prudential at our awards lunch one of which was "Listing Agent Of The Year" for the 2nd year in a row.
April had a lot going on! On the news that ND was having President Obama speak on campus for graduation that was coming in May, there were a lot people that started protesting around the campus. New Spring Church in South Carolina played "Highway To Hell" during their Easter service, which I thought was pretty cool. Cooler still was when snipers took out pirates that had hijacked a US ship. April was also when the first reports of "Swine Flu" broke out and had everyone in a panic.
In May, I was part of a large group of people that was able to help raise over $15,000 for local kids with cancer called "The Sunshine Kids". Obama spoke at the ND commencement, again lots of protesting going on. And, Fannie Mae needed more bailout money from our government.
June was a tough month for me as someone that I was trying to help committed suicide. Elkhart county still had unemployment around 18%.
In July, an article that included me, was on the front page of the South Bend Tribune which discussed the great deals that there were out there in real estate. The house that I had listed that was featured in the article just closed the last week of December for $177,400.
In August, I was once again part of an article that was on the front page of the South Bend Tribune. This time it was an article about a persons options when facing foreclosure. Taylor Bean and Whitaker was dropped as a FHA lender which was big news in the mortgage industry. Bank of America and Wells Fargo were both verbally abused by our government for not offering more loan modifications to troubled home owners.
September brought me to a U2 concert at Soldier Field in Chicago. My Detroit Lions beat the Redskins which was there first win in more then a season. It was announced that long time Tiger broadcaster Ernie Harwell was diagnosed with inopperable cancer.
October, Kimberly and I celbrated our 16th wedding anniversary. President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize and we bombed the moon on the same day. I had my first meeting as part of the Indiana Leadership Academy for Realtors.
In November, Kimberly and I flew out to LA and hopped a cruise ship down to Mexico for a short vacation. The Lions actually won a 2nd game, this time against the Browns.
In December, I met Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels.
I probably left some stuff out, but that was what my year looked liked in short.
In January, I remember us still feeling the effects of an economy in shambles and the "Hope" that a newly elected president brings us. I also remember the governor of Illinois getting taken out of office for trying to sell a senate seat. Then, my wife had sunny 101.5 pull a birthday prank phone call on me claiming to be someone named "Rod" who was looking for a house and was recently unemployed because he lost his job as governor of Illinois.
In February, President Obama passed a housing recovery act that banks have only started to use in the past 2-3 months. I also remember that it was very cold and that the Steelers beat the Cardinals in the Super Bowl. We refinanced our house.
In March, the $8,000 first time buyer tax credit was passed. I won a few awards from Prudential at our awards lunch one of which was "Listing Agent Of The Year" for the 2nd year in a row.
April had a lot going on! On the news that ND was having President Obama speak on campus for graduation that was coming in May, there were a lot people that started protesting around the campus. New Spring Church in South Carolina played "Highway To Hell" during their Easter service, which I thought was pretty cool. Cooler still was when snipers took out pirates that had hijacked a US ship. April was also when the first reports of "Swine Flu" broke out and had everyone in a panic.
In May, I was part of a large group of people that was able to help raise over $15,000 for local kids with cancer called "The Sunshine Kids". Obama spoke at the ND commencement, again lots of protesting going on. And, Fannie Mae needed more bailout money from our government.
June was a tough month for me as someone that I was trying to help committed suicide. Elkhart county still had unemployment around 18%.
In July, an article that included me, was on the front page of the South Bend Tribune which discussed the great deals that there were out there in real estate. The house that I had listed that was featured in the article just closed the last week of December for $177,400.
In August, I was once again part of an article that was on the front page of the South Bend Tribune. This time it was an article about a persons options when facing foreclosure. Taylor Bean and Whitaker was dropped as a FHA lender which was big news in the mortgage industry. Bank of America and Wells Fargo were both verbally abused by our government for not offering more loan modifications to troubled home owners.
September brought me to a U2 concert at Soldier Field in Chicago. My Detroit Lions beat the Redskins which was there first win in more then a season. It was announced that long time Tiger broadcaster Ernie Harwell was diagnosed with inopperable cancer.
October, Kimberly and I celbrated our 16th wedding anniversary. President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize and we bombed the moon on the same day. I had my first meeting as part of the Indiana Leadership Academy for Realtors.
In November, Kimberly and I flew out to LA and hopped a cruise ship down to Mexico for a short vacation. The Lions actually won a 2nd game, this time against the Browns.
In December, I met Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels.
I probably left some stuff out, but that was what my year looked liked in short.
Monday, December 21, 2009
RESPA, Why Is This Good For You?
Starting with the New Year, RESPA has been completely changed. What is RESPA you may ask?
RESPA is The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA).
Why should you care?
Because RESPA is what looks out for you, the consumer.
RESPA has kind of taken it on the chin a little bit over the past few years because consumers, like you, have complained that there was nobody looking out for them. And, to some degree, that was a correct assessment.
But, in January, all of that changes. RESPA had an overhaul. This overhaul has many lenders and title companies upset, it struck a nerve. That is how you can tell that this appears to be good legislation.
The changes all revolve around full up front disclosure. Nice huh?! How do they do this?
To start with, there is a massive over haul with the closing statement. Or what we REALTORs call a HUD-1. This new HUD-1 will now look the same no matter what bank, title company or closing agency is closing the transaction. By changing the HUD-1 closing statement and making it uniform, it will help on the full disclosure part.
The big changes though come on that full disclosure, which starts all of the way back at the "Good Faith Estimate". You see, this has been a problem for a while now. There was no accountability for a lender when giving you that first initial estimate of what it is going to cost you to get the loan for the house you are buying.
This initial Good Faith Estimate can only vary at closing by 10% or less. Now that may sound like a lot, but it really is not. A typical closing may have closing costs in the area of $4,800 which means a variance of only $480. This is where the new HUD-1 comes into play.
The new HUD-1 will show side by side what your good faith estimate was and what your actual amounts are. It also has to spell out everything that the title company is charging, which cannot vary in price either, which is causing some title companies to go to a flat fee per transaction charge. The new HUD-1 goes into way more detail that will even show you the yield spread that a mortgae broker is getting in profit from your transaction. Now that is disclosure!
Also, right on the new HUD-1, you will see what your monthly payment is and your interest rate. It will state whether or not you have an adjustable rate mortgage or a balloon payment or a pre-payment penalty. And, as usual, it will show what the REALOTRs are charging.
The only real variance of significance that can effect your closing costs are costs that you will be in control of, like inspection costs. Those are allowed to not be disclosed on the initial good faith estimate simply because there is no way to determine how much those are going to be until later in the process.
RESPA is The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA).
Why should you care?
Because RESPA is what looks out for you, the consumer.
RESPA has kind of taken it on the chin a little bit over the past few years because consumers, like you, have complained that there was nobody looking out for them. And, to some degree, that was a correct assessment.
But, in January, all of that changes. RESPA had an overhaul. This overhaul has many lenders and title companies upset, it struck a nerve. That is how you can tell that this appears to be good legislation.
The changes all revolve around full up front disclosure. Nice huh?! How do they do this?
To start with, there is a massive over haul with the closing statement. Or what we REALTORs call a HUD-1. This new HUD-1 will now look the same no matter what bank, title company or closing agency is closing the transaction. By changing the HUD-1 closing statement and making it uniform, it will help on the full disclosure part.
The big changes though come on that full disclosure, which starts all of the way back at the "Good Faith Estimate". You see, this has been a problem for a while now. There was no accountability for a lender when giving you that first initial estimate of what it is going to cost you to get the loan for the house you are buying.
This initial Good Faith Estimate can only vary at closing by 10% or less. Now that may sound like a lot, but it really is not. A typical closing may have closing costs in the area of $4,800 which means a variance of only $480. This is where the new HUD-1 comes into play.
The new HUD-1 will show side by side what your good faith estimate was and what your actual amounts are. It also has to spell out everything that the title company is charging, which cannot vary in price either, which is causing some title companies to go to a flat fee per transaction charge. The new HUD-1 goes into way more detail that will even show you the yield spread that a mortgae broker is getting in profit from your transaction. Now that is disclosure!
Also, right on the new HUD-1, you will see what your monthly payment is and your interest rate. It will state whether or not you have an adjustable rate mortgage or a balloon payment or a pre-payment penalty. And, as usual, it will show what the REALOTRs are charging.
The only real variance of significance that can effect your closing costs are costs that you will be in control of, like inspection costs. Those are allowed to not be disclosed on the initial good faith estimate simply because there is no way to determine how much those are going to be until later in the process.
Monday, December 7, 2009
God Complex
I was watching this movie called Malice about a week ago, and instantly knew that I was going to use a scene from it in a blog post. The question was, how am I going to use it? I am still not sure even as I am writing this post, I just know that it is an incredible scene from a pretty good movie that was made in 1993 starring Alec Baldwin and Nicole Kidman. It is a movie that I have watched several times, and has some really good performances by some really good actors.
The scene is about a Doctor who is so good at what he does, that he has a "God Complex."
Can you imagine being so good at something that you think you are God? So good at something that the people around you worship you in a way, and just want to be around you? What a power trip that must be.
Would you want to be that good at something? I know I would like to say that I would not, but I would probably be lying.
I guess my point is, no matter whether you are a Doctor, a Pastor or simply a Realtor. We can all get caught up in thinking that we are more then what we actually are. It is important to stay humble and in awe of the actual God.
Enjoy the clip!
The scene is about a Doctor who is so good at what he does, that he has a "God Complex."
Can you imagine being so good at something that you think you are God? So good at something that the people around you worship you in a way, and just want to be around you? What a power trip that must be.
Would you want to be that good at something? I know I would like to say that I would not, but I would probably be lying.
I guess my point is, no matter whether you are a Doctor, a Pastor or simply a Realtor. We can all get caught up in thinking that we are more then what we actually are. It is important to stay humble and in awe of the actual God.
Enjoy the clip!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Parents Should Consider Homes As Gifts
Parents who are looking for a gift to give their kids this holiday season should consider a house.
With prices in the cellar, this could be a terrific year to give a down payment or even the whole home.
The Internal Revenue Service says a married couple can each give gifts of $13,000 of money or property without triggering taxes for the gift givers or the recipients. That means a married couple can give another married couple a total of $52,000 a year. To maximize that they can give $52,000 in December and another $52,000 in January for a total of $104,000 to be used on a property before the federal tax credit expires.
This would buy a house in some parts of the country and be sufficient for a down payment in most others.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, June Fletcher (11/27/2009)
With prices in the cellar, this could be a terrific year to give a down payment or even the whole home.
The Internal Revenue Service says a married couple can each give gifts of $13,000 of money or property without triggering taxes for the gift givers or the recipients. That means a married couple can give another married couple a total of $52,000 a year. To maximize that they can give $52,000 in December and another $52,000 in January for a total of $104,000 to be used on a property before the federal tax credit expires.
This would buy a house in some parts of the country and be sufficient for a down payment in most others.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, June Fletcher (11/27/2009)
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