University life, for many traditional students, is one of few bills and responsibilities. However, every spring, new graduates enter the real world of full-time careers, families and mortgages. The average traditional student will first encounter mortgages in their first attempt to buy a home, without prior knowledge of what mortgage brokers are looking for and what they need in order to be able to approve them.

Lenders require a copy of one’s driver’s license and social security card. If loan seekers have been renting, they must bring in the contact information of their landlord. They must also bring the most recent two months of bank statements for all accounts including stocks, checking, savings and money market accounts as well as tax information for the past two years and pay stubs for the past 30 days. It is wise to contact the loan agent prior to your meeting in order to make sure that there are not other requirements for that individual lender. Once the loan seekers have made their appointment with a lender and have gathered all of the information that is, necessary there are four things that lenders look at in order to approve loans: credit worthiness, cash on hand, income/job stability and debt ratios. (more…)

search for : mortgage, mortgage brokers, loan agent, loan seekers, credit worthiness, debt ratio

If you need a break from the everyday routine, let your mind escape to the thought of a trout-filled mountain stream cloaked in autumn color. And then take it one step further and get out there and fish! With more than 4,000 miles of trout streams and three species of trout, there is a trout fishing opportunity closer than you think - even in metro Atlanta.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) has made it even easier by designating a 1.3 mile section of the Toccoa River as a fifth delayed harvest stream. Georgia trout streams are designated as seasonal, year-round or delayed harvest and different streams offer varying populations of rainbow, brown and brook trout. Delayed harvest streams have special regulations from Nov. 1 - May 14, including catch-and-release only fishing and the use of artificial lures only.
(more…)

search for : Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Toccoa River, delayed harvest stream, Georgia trout streams

Everyone, no matter how rich or poor, enjoys saving money. For example, a few weeks ago a multimillionaire real estate investor friend took me to a lavish lunch, which must have cost him at least $100. As we were leaving the restaurant, he saw the city “meter maid” coming down the street. All of a sudden he sprinted to beat her to his Lexus with an expired parking meter so he wouldn’t get a $20 parking ticket.

A few years ago my insurance agent made a wise and profitable suggestion. He said I should cut my liability coverage on each of my properties to $300,000 and take out a $2 million “umbrella policy” to give me better coverage at lower cost. Don’t tell the insurer, but my $700 annual premium for $2 million excess liability coverage is a genuine bargain. If you have net worth over $1 million, you can probably save money by following the same strategy. Check with your current insurance agent, plus one or two others, to see if a similar tactic can save you insurance premium dollars and obtain better protection. Incidentally, my umbrella liability insurance policy not only provides excess coverage for insured property liability, but it also provides automobile liability coverage if I should be at fault in an auto accident. (more…)

search for : insurance agent, liability coverage, umbrella liability insurance policy

Because of rising fuel and other raw-material costs, consumers will likely face higher prices for furniture in the coming months. They will also see more offerings at the high end of the market, say participants who are convening this week in High Point, N.C., at High Point Market, a twice-yearly meeting of the nation’s home-furniture manufacturers, retailers and designers. That is because more U.S. companies are abandoning the lower and middle-tier to the likes of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Rooms To Go to focus on lucrative luxury customers — and the interior designers they hire.

The higher prices and bigger-ticket goods come as the U.S. furniture industry is facing tough times. U.S. retail sales of furniture and bedding rose 7.2% to $83.23 billion for the 12 months ended in June, according to a monthly furniture-industry report by investment bank Mann, Armistead & Epperson. But more of those goods are being made overseas, particularly by lower-cost manufacturers in Asia. Home Depot Inc. sources nearly 60% of its merchandise overseas. Overall, last year, 43.1% of all furniture sold in the U.S. was made overseas, compared with just 24.3% that was manufactured abroad 10 years ago. (more…)

search for : furniture, home-furniture manufacturers, Wal-Mart

Imagine back-road tours of scenic countryside, well-tended vineyards bursting with ripe grapes, delicious wine, charming tasting rooms, authentic regional cuisine and historic accommodations. That sounds like the travel brochure for a tour of French or Italian wine country, but all these things are available a short drive from Charlotte. The N.C. wine industry has grown in the last couple of years. If you haven’t discovered the pleasures of a winery visit, treat yourself on one of these beautiful fall afternoons.

Wine is not new to the Carolinas. Scuppernongs are North Carolina’s official state fruit. In fact, before Prohibition, North Carolina was the largest wine-producing state in the country. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that Westbend Vineyards in Lewisville planted the first vitis vinifera, grapes of European descent like chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, riesling, cabernet sauvignon and merlot. These European varieties do well in the central and western portions of the state, and produce a dry style of wine. While grapes will never replace the more traditional tobacco and soybean crops, many hope wine-making and its kissing cousin, tourism, will help replace lost textile and manufacturing jobs. (more…)

search for : vineyards, wine, N.C. wine industry

Until your home sells to a willing buyer and the sale is closed, nobody knows for sure how much your home is really worth. But there are three methods that will help guesstimate your home’s fair market value until you actually close the sale. Internet market-value estimates. Don’t laugh! In the last few years, computerized Internet market-value estimates for houses and condominiums have become remarkably accurate. My first experience with an Internet appraisal was three years ago when I obtained a home equity credit line secured by my vacation-home condo. I estimated it was worth $125,000 at the time. But Wells Fargo Bank used a computerized appraisal to determine the market value was $150,000 so they approved a $100,000 credit line without a formal appraisal.

Today, homeowners can obtain free Internet market-value estimates from several sources. The newest is at www.Zillow.com. This advertiser-driven Web site seems quite accurate, based on several properties I entered where I am familiar with their market values. However, Zillow doesn’t yet cover the entire nation so don’t be disappointed if your home isn’t included. What I found especially amazing is Zillow includes, in most situations, an aerial photo of the property and even the lot boundary lines! In another situation where I entered a condominium along with the value estimate, Zillow included a map showing the precise location. (more…)

search for : fair market value, computerized Internet market-value, home equity credit line, vacation-home condo, Wells Fargo Bank, www.Zillow.com

America is facing a crisis when it comes to electricity. But also a tremendous opportunity. The forces that put us here look grim. Energy prices are high, supplies are increasingly tight, and anxiety is growing about climate change. But that dark outlook is driving consumers, utilities and public officials to finally take advantage of innovations that could radically reshape the nation’s power consumption without lowering the standard of living.

Most urgent, of course, is the skyrocketing demand for electricity — and the tightening supply. Many parts of the country set new records for electricity use in July and August, which sent a warning signal to officials that they have little time to act. Conservation seems a much more feasible solution than quickly building dozens of new power plants to add generating capacity — especially if reducing emissions is a goal. The fact that the nation’s energy bill totaled $296 billion last year, up nearly 50% from 1993, also provides impetus. We’ve also gotten smarter about saving energy. New technology makes it possible to build more-efficient hardware without breaking the bank. And public officials now have much better data to draw on when they plan conservation efforts. They know what’s worked in the past and can build on that success. (more…)

search for : Energy prices, power consumption, standard of living