Bend In The River Blog

Today I kinda-sorta joined the ranks of the "Internet Wizards"!  Wow!  What a heady feeling!  I set up a "My Space" page.  I could just feel all the information enter my brain and make it swell to amazing proportions.

Then I logged on to one of the sites that has themes (don't know if I'm supposed to name names, but I'm sure you'll see it if you log onto my page).  I stopped at page 97 just looking through the stuff you could have on your background!  With help, I found the themes and found a wonderful beach scene.  Two hours had passed and I hadn't eaten lunch!  Hmmm.  Maybe too much swelling of the brain.

For all the other people out there like me who had never been on "My Space" or done anything with it.  I have had fun so far and am looking forward to meeting new people and learning from them.

THREE VERY IMPORTANT THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

BE SURE THAT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ESPECIALLY CHILDREN AND/OR GRANDCHILDREN ARE AWARE THAT NOT EVERYONE ON THE INTERNET IS A GOOD OR HONEST PERSON!

BEWARE!  IT CAN BE ADDICTIVE!

MAKE SURETHAT WHATEVER YOU PUT ON THE PAGE, YOU DON'T CARE IF THE WHOLE WORLD KNOWS IT!

FINALLY, IF YOU ARE GOING TO BECOME AN INTERNET WIZARD . . . . ENJOY, ENJOY, ENJOY!

Let's talk about the real estate market.

With all the stuff on TV lately about how horrible things are, I'd like to give a Realtor's point of view.  Yes, I'm sure it will be somewhat biased, but it will also be more about the market area I'm in and how things have affected home sales in southern Indiana.

Today's real estate market is entirely different than it was even a year ago.  There are many reasons for the change, but the largest is the demise of the secondary lending institutions.  I, for one, think it is a good thing.  One of the most enjoyable things I do is go "shopping" with my clients to find just the right home for them.  This gives me the opportunity to get to know them and their families and learn what their "dream home" really is.  By the time the process is over, I consider them friends/family.  The last thing I want for one of my friends/family is to lose the home they've put work, time and love into.

Since the market has changed so drastically, there are more houses for sale and fewer buyers who can afford them.  Although it is hardly ideal, the great thing about the situation is that the people who can buy a home now are much more qualified, can really afford it, and have a lot less chance of losing it to foreclosure.

There's also good news for people who are having problems making their house payments (yes, I'm serious). Because there are a record number of foreclosures, lending institutions can't do business the way they used to.  Borrowers have alternatives now.

Here they are:  Short term payment reduction plan; repayment plan for delinquency; loan modifications; short term forbearance agreement; mortgage assumptions; deed in lieu of foreclosure; and short sale.  What all these things have in common is they give you a chance to at least talk to your lender (or a lawyer if you choose) and see if any of the options willl work for you, which might save your home from foreclosure.

When you talk to your lender (or lawyer), they should help you decide what is best for you.  Remember that whatever you do, it is usually only a short term fix.  If you find there is no way you can keep your home, call me and I'll let you know what I can do to help.

I was standing in line at my favorite department store a couple of days ago buying gifts for the grand children, when I realized that I was frowning and grinding my teeth. This couldn’t be me! I am disgustingly cheerful (description of me by my friends). So what could be the problem?

In a word (two actually) holiday stress. Why do we do that to ourselves? Why do we hurry around trying to find the perfect gift, making sure we don’t leave anyone out, huffing and puffing and scurrying around like the three blind mice? We worry about getting the right sizes, about making sure we don’t offend anyone, about running out of time, running out of money, and ultimately about how we are going to pay for everything we bought! We always over eat, over do, over spend, over indulge.

Believe it or not, we do it because of love. We love our family and friends and we think we need to give them gifts at Christmas. If we don’t they’ll be disappointed in us, they won’t think as highly of us, and we’ll feel guilty. Bah Humbug! No wonder some people don’t enjoy the holiday season!

Since I had some time to think (it was a looonnng line), I began to review the things in my life that I really enjoy doing. Like spending time with my family, my guy, my job, and my friends and just being healthy. These are all things that not everyone has.

How many people do you know who have lost loved ones this year and will really be missing those people at family/friend get-togethers? How many people are in poor health? How many people do you know that could use a helping hand right now?

I realized that I shouldn’t be frowning and grinding my teeth, I should be smiling! (Well, I did tell you I was disgustingly cheerful!)

So . . . The moral of the story is when you are feeling stress during the holidays, stop and take the time to remember what you have been blessed with. If you do, you won’t be tempted to frown.

Better yet, take the time during the year to spend more time with your family and friends, and reach out to someone in need, even if it’s just offer them comfort, a shoulder to cry on, or someone to talk to.

Oh, and one final thing. HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!