Mack's Blog

Mortgage rates rose to 5.08 percent last week from 4.99 percent a week earlier, pushing the average interest rate offered on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages to its highest level since the first week of 2010, according to Freddie Mac. The increase in mortgage rates occurred as long-term interest rates rose higher due to concerns about inflation as the economy improves, and as the Federal Reserve ended its program to buy $1.25 trillion in mortgage-backed bonds issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and other government-sponsored agencies. Also, the 15-year fixed mortgage rose to 4.39 percent from 4.34 percent, while 5-year hybrid mortgages fell to 4.10 percent from 4.14 percent.

[SOURCES: Information, Inc.; Freddie Mac]

>                             LOVE this!!!    Have a great Laugh!!!  
>                                 Observations on Growing Older  
>
>                                 ~Your kids are becoming like you…  
>                                 …but your grandchildren are perfect!  
>                                 ~Going out is good.  
>                                 Coming home is better!  
>                                 ~When people say you look “Great”…  
>                                 they add “for your age!”  
>                                 ~When you needed the discount, you paid full price.  
>                                 Now you get discounts on everything…  
>                                 movies, hotels, flights, but you’re too tired to use them.  
>                                 ~You forget names … but it’s OK  
>                                 because other people forgot  
>                                 they even knew you!!!  
>                                 ~The 5 pounds you wanted to lose  
>                                 is now 15 and you have a better chance  
>                                 of losing your keys than the 15 pounds.  
>                                 ~You realize you’re never going  
>                                 to be really good at anything …. especially golf.  
>                                 ~Your spouse is counting on you  
>                                 to remember things you don’t remember.  
>                                 ~The things you used to care to do,  
>                                 you no longer care to do,  
>                                 but you really do care that you  
>                                 don’t care to do them anymore.  
>                                 ~Your husband sleeps better on a lounge chair  
>                                 with the TV blaring than he does in bed.  
>                                 It’s called his “pre-sleep”.  
>                                 ~Remember when your mother said,  
>                                 “Wear clean underwear in case you GET in an accident”?  
>                                 Now you bring clean underwear in case you HAVE an accident!  
>                                 ~You used to say,  
>                                 “I hope my kids GET married…  
>                                 Now, “I hope they STAY married!”  
>                                 ~You miss the days when everything worked  
>                                 with just an “ON” and “OFF” switch..  
>                                 ~When GOOGLE, ipod, email, modem ….  
>                                 were unheard of, and a mouse was something  
>                                 that made you climb on a table.  
>                                 ~You used to use more 4 letter words ….  
>                                 “what?”…”when?”…  ???  
>                                 ~Now that you can afford  
>                                 expensive jewelry, it’s not safe to wear it anywhere.  
>                                 ~Your husband has a night out with the guys,  
>                                 but he’s home by 9:00 P.M.  Next week it will be 8:30 P.M.  
>                                 ~You read 100 pages into a book before you realize you’ve read it.  
>                                 ~Notice everything they sell in stores is “sleeveless”?!!!  
>                                 ~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.  
>                                 ~Everybody whispers.  
>                                              ~Now that your husband has retired …  
>                                 you’d give anything if he’d find a job!  
>                                 ~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet …  
>                                 2 of which you will never wear.  
>                                 ~~~~But old is good in some things:  
>                                 old songs,  
>                                 old movies,  
>                                 And best of all, OLD FRIENDS!!  
>
>                                 Love you, “OLD FRIEND!”  
>                                 Send this on to other “Old Friends!” and  
>                                 let them laugh in AGREEMENT

Freddie Mac reported slightly higher mortgage rates last week, with the average interest on a 30-year fixed loan topping off at 4.99 percent from the previous week’s 4.96 percent and from 4.85 percent a year ago. Rates on 15-year fixed loans, meanwhile, bumped up to 4.34 percent from 4.33 percent a week earlier but remained down from 4.58 percent a year ago. Five-year adjustable-rate mortgages averaged 4.14 percent, climbing from 4.09 percent a week earlier but declining from 4.98 percent a year earlier. One-year ARMs were 4.2 percent versus 4.12 percent and 4.85 percent, respectively.

Meanwhile, existing-home sales declined slightly in February, with modest gains in the Northeast and Midwest offset by softer sales in the South and West, according to the National Association of REALTORS.

[SOURCES: Information, Inc.; Freddie Mac; NAR]

Lease Options

A lease option is an arrangement between you and a seller to exercise the option to buy a house after you have rented it for a specific period. A portion of your rent would be applied toward the purchase if the option is applied. This is referred to as rent credit, which most institutional lenders will accept as part of the down payment if rental payments exceed the market rent and if a valid lease-purchase agreement is in effect, a copy of which must be attached to the loan application. Read any lease option arrangement carefully for details on transferring the option and other important concerns. For information on lease options, contact your real estate agent (some even specialize in such transactions) or read up on lease options at the public library or on the internet. If you have a real estate attorney, ask if he or she has any prepared information you can review.

I visited here today and thought that you would enjoy it too! – check this out at: http://wandascountryhome.com/pinetrees/

    DIOT  SIGHTING

    When  my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up our car, we were  told the keys had been locked in it.  We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driver side door. As I  watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked.  ‘Hey,’ I announced to the technician,  ‘it’s open!’  His reply: ‘I know.  I already got that  side.’ 

    This  was at the Ford dealership in Canton, MS

    IDIOT SIGHTING:
    We had to have the garage door repaired. The Sears repairman told us that one of our problems was that we did not have a ‘large’ enough motor on the  opener. I thought for a minute, and said that we had the largest one Sears made at that time, a 1/2 horsepower. He shook his head and said, ‘Lady, you need a  1/4 horsepower.’ I responded that 1/2 was larger than 1/4. He said, ‘NO, it’s  not.’ Four is larger than two.’       

    We  haven’t used Sears repair since.

    IDIOT  SIGHTING:

    ;My  daughter and I went through the McDonald’s take-out window and I gave the clerk  a $5 bill. Our total was $4.25, so I also handed her a quarter..   She said, ‘you  gave me too much money.’ I said, ‘Yes I know,  but this way you can just give me a dollar bill back.  She sighed and went  to get the manager, who asked me to repeat my request. I did so, and he handed me  back the quarter, and said ‘We’re sorry but we could not do that kind of  thing.’ The clerk then proceeded to give me back $1 and 75 cents in  change. 
    
    Do  not confuse the clerks at McD’s.  (Obviously the management isn’t too much better!!!)

    IDIOT  SIGHTING  :
    I live in a semi rural area. We recently had a new neighbor call the local  township administrative office to request the removal of the DEER CROSSING sign on our road. The reason: ‘Too many deer are being hit by cars out here! I don’t  think this is a good place for  them to be crossing anymore.’

    From Kingman , KS

    IDIOT  SIGHTING IN FOOD SERVICE  :
    My daughter went to a local Taco Bell and ordered a taco. She asked the  person behind
    the counter for ‘minimal lettuce.’   He said he was sorry,  but they only had iceburg lettuce..
    — From Kansas City 

    IDIOT  SIGHTING:
    I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee  asked, ‘Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?’ To  which I replied, ‘If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?’ He smiled  knowingly and nodded,    ‘That’s why we ask.’

    Happened in Birmingham ,   Ala. 

     IDIOT  SIGHTING  :
    The stoplight on the corner buzzes when it’s safe to cross the street. I was  crossing with an intellectually challenged coworker of mine.. She asked if I knew what the buzzer was for. I explained that it signals blind people when the light  is red. Appalled, she responded, ‘What on earth are blind people doing  driving?!’

    She  was a probation officer inWichita , KS 

    
    IDIOT SIGHTING :
    At a good-bye luncheon for an old and dear coworker who was leaving the  company due to ‘downsizing,’ our manager commented cheerfully, ‘This is fun. We  should do this more often.’ Not another word was spoken. We all just looked at  each other with that deer-in-the-headlights stare..

    This was a lunch at   Texas Instruments. 

      
    IDIOT SIGHTING : 
    I work with an individual who plugged her power strip back into itself and  for the sake of her life, couldn’t understand why her system would not turn on.

    A deputy with the Dallas   County Sheriffs office, no  less. 

    How would you pronounce this child’s name?     “Le-a” 

    Leah??                NO
    Lee – A??            NOPE
    Lay – a??             NO
    Lei??                   Guess Again.

    This child attends a school in Kansas City , Mo. Her mother is irate because everyone is getting her name wrong. It’s pronounced “Ledasha”, When the Mother was asked about the pronunciation of the name, she said, “the dash don’t be silent.” 

    SO, if you see something come across your desk like this please remember to pronounce the dash. If dey axe you why, tell dem de dash don’t be silent.                             

    STAY ALERT!

    They walk among  us …. and they  VOTE and REPRODUCE!

    
     [email supplied]

Before deciding which house to buy, think about your lifestyle, your current and anticipated housing needs, and your budget. It’s a good idea to create a prioritized list of features you want in your next home – you’ll soon discover finding the right house involves striking a balance between your “must-haves” and your “nice-to-haves.” To start, consider your lifestyle. If you love to cook, you’ll want a well-equipped kitchen. If you’re into gardening, you’ll want a yard. If you’re planning your office at home, you may want a room for a separate library or work space. If you have several cars, you may require a larger garage. Use this list as your search guide. Next, think about what you might need in the future. As you consider your housing needs, it’s important to consider how long you may live in your home. If you’re newly married, you might not be concerned with a school district right now, but you could be in a few years. If you have aging parents, you may want to look at homes that offer living arrangements for them as well as you. It’s important to think about your new home’s location just as carefully as you do about a house’s features. Location is a huge part of any move. In addition to considering the distance to work, you need to evaluate the availability of shopping, police and fire protection, medical facilities, school and day-care, traffic and parking, trash and garbage collection, even recreational facilities. Perhaps the most important decision is deciding on the type of home you want. Do you want a condominium or a co-op? A town house or a detached single-family home? Do you want brick, stone, stucco, wood, vinyl siding, or something else? Do you prefer a new home or an older one? Through all of this, make sure to talk to your real estate professional about where you want to live. While more buyers now use the Internet to gain access to listings, or available properties for sale, it is still a good idea to use an agent. The agent brings value to the entire process: he or she is available to analyze data, answer questions, share their professional expertise, and handle all the paperwork and legwork that is involved in the real estate transaction. CENTURY 21 professionals have the expertise to help their clients narrow down their choices by sharing market trends and local information.