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We were driving around PTown and looking at some really monster homes...Then you see this one....With a tiny smart car in the drive way. They must have been able to buy it because they saved all that money on gas.
Monday, March 30, 2009
IMG00052-20090329-1728.jpg
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We were driving around PTown and looking at some really monster homes...Then you see this one....With a tiny smart car in the drive way. They must have been able to buy it because they saved all that money on gas.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Monday, September 08, 2008
MTV VMA
I only watched because my wife was interested. Hopefully last night terrible display means we wont have to watch next year.
This was just about the worst event to be on TV. I am all for off color humor and offending people but the choice of Russell Brand was terrible...This is the guy that thought it would be funny to dress up like Osama Bin Laden on 9/12/01 and parade around town triumphantly.
I am also for funny cracks about the Pres. but if you are not from here calling him a retard should get you booed off stage...Over 50% of the people in this country approved of him both times he was elected. I guess free speech is why we allow foreigner here to bash us.
Lil' Wayne was terrible as a performer. Pink was good....The awards are pointless because MTV doesn't show music videos anymore.
Just a few thoughts.
This was just about the worst event to be on TV. I am all for off color humor and offending people but the choice of Russell Brand was terrible...This is the guy that thought it would be funny to dress up like Osama Bin Laden on 9/12/01 and parade around town triumphantly.
I am also for funny cracks about the Pres. but if you are not from here calling him a retard should get you booed off stage...Over 50% of the people in this country approved of him both times he was elected. I guess free speech is why we allow foreigner here to bash us.
Lil' Wayne was terrible as a performer. Pink was good....The awards are pointless because MTV doesn't show music videos anymore.
Just a few thoughts.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
An inside cat.
I was never much of an inside cat...I played video games for sure, but when it came time to do some real playing my time was spent outside. I remember games of manhunt until the wee hours of the morning (it seemed like the wee hours but it was more like midnght).
Or summer spent swimming, camping, fishing, exploring, or any other thing you could do outside...Even though I was chubby I ran my ass off and kept on playing. After college when Melissa and I were dating I got a bit more sedentary. Not that I didn't move or workout, but Melissa was more of an in door cat and so I became too.
This weekend I got an opprotunity to get outside again and I took it. Welcome to the first annual Tap the Universe Celebration Report.
The trip got underway a little later then I had anticipated. Everyone worked and then had to get to the house, but once we were all there, the car loaded the straight up tapping of the universe commenced.
The first night we drove in the rain to Argyle, NY and spent the night in a cabin. Then up early for the drive out to Buck Pond Campground. It is North West of Saranac. We set up camp made sure we had ice, and firewood and then set out on our journey to reconnect to nature. From the back of our site was a trail through the pine forest to a lake. Pete (my cousin) has the picture of the alcove we were in. It was stunning! Mountains in the back ground, an island in the middle of the lake and the sounds, and silences of nature.
I must have swam for at least an hour just hanging out in the silence. Joe (friend) caught a fish. I showed him how to clean and cut the fish, and for reason only known to him he wanted to eat the heart and liver....He said "it has the most nutrients". I promised the chicken parm, and the steaks I brought to cook on the fire would be all he needed but he was compeled.
Sleeping out by the fire the sky was clear, and you could hear the coyotes or wolves howling in the distance...Awesome.
The next day after I was hoping for an early start we went for a hike. Pete and I through some conditioning for the UA and just being single and active on the weekends were the only ones really ready for the hike. However, Joe & Bill kicked ass, and for a big guy Shannon really did a great job. He hiked the first 4 miles to the WhiteFace leanto, and we continued on to the peak from there....Or should I say hell...
There was a lot of vertical to overcome along with lots of wet rocks. We made it with only a little bit of complaining from me...I complained that I was too fat for this, and that we were way late in the woods and we would get stuck there in the dark.
It was 4PM or a later when we left the peak and set back into the woods. Joe and Billy(cousin) were able to run basicaly out of there. Leaving me and Pete to stroll, converse, take pictures, and argue our way out. We didnt have a light and had really run low on water. We found some guy that was staying at the leanto he said we could drink the water from the river....At that point the 29 years of outdoor knowledge went out the window and on the advice of a perfect stranger we drank our weight in water.
Pete and I didnt get out of the woods until after 9PM and were using our hearing to hear that we were walking on the sandy trail out for the last 2 miles...We were also using gravity to show us our way to the ground, and where our ankles were with the constant tripping...
I am sure the humor of the trip is lost on this post because there really is no way to express the halarity of having 2 city kids hanging in the woods, creeped out by old movies, and animals scurrying right out side their tents...I cant wait to go again.
Or summer spent swimming, camping, fishing, exploring, or any other thing you could do outside...Even though I was chubby I ran my ass off and kept on playing. After college when Melissa and I were dating I got a bit more sedentary. Not that I didn't move or workout, but Melissa was more of an in door cat and so I became too.
This weekend I got an opprotunity to get outside again and I took it. Welcome to the first annual Tap the Universe Celebration Report.
The trip got underway a little later then I had anticipated. Everyone worked and then had to get to the house, but once we were all there, the car loaded the straight up tapping of the universe commenced.
The first night we drove in the rain to Argyle, NY and spent the night in a cabin. Then up early for the drive out to Buck Pond Campground. It is North West of Saranac. We set up camp made sure we had ice, and firewood and then set out on our journey to reconnect to nature. From the back of our site was a trail through the pine forest to a lake. Pete (my cousin) has the picture of the alcove we were in. It was stunning! Mountains in the back ground, an island in the middle of the lake and the sounds, and silences of nature.
I must have swam for at least an hour just hanging out in the silence. Joe (friend) caught a fish. I showed him how to clean and cut the fish, and for reason only known to him he wanted to eat the heart and liver....He said "it has the most nutrients". I promised the chicken parm, and the steaks I brought to cook on the fire would be all he needed but he was compeled.
Sleeping out by the fire the sky was clear, and you could hear the coyotes or wolves howling in the distance...Awesome.
The next day after I was hoping for an early start we went for a hike. Pete and I through some conditioning for the UA and just being single and active on the weekends were the only ones really ready for the hike. However, Joe & Bill kicked ass, and for a big guy Shannon really did a great job. He hiked the first 4 miles to the WhiteFace leanto, and we continued on to the peak from there....Or should I say hell...
There was a lot of vertical to overcome along with lots of wet rocks. We made it with only a little bit of complaining from me...I complained that I was too fat for this, and that we were way late in the woods and we would get stuck there in the dark.
It was 4PM or a later when we left the peak and set back into the woods. Joe and Billy(cousin) were able to run basicaly out of there. Leaving me and Pete to stroll, converse, take pictures, and argue our way out. We didnt have a light and had really run low on water. We found some guy that was staying at the leanto he said we could drink the water from the river....At that point the 29 years of outdoor knowledge went out the window and on the advice of a perfect stranger we drank our weight in water.
Pete and I didnt get out of the woods until after 9PM and were using our hearing to hear that we were walking on the sandy trail out for the last 2 miles...We were also using gravity to show us our way to the ground, and where our ankles were with the constant tripping...
I am sure the humor of the trip is lost on this post because there really is no way to express the halarity of having 2 city kids hanging in the woods, creeped out by old movies, and animals scurrying right out side their tents...I cant wait to go again.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Olympics
Well, I guess I am glad they are over, at least regular TV will be back...I think that the olympics really empasizes the diversity we have in this country. If you looked at Russia, or China, or Kenya all the athelets look the same. When you looked at the U.S. you see what a melting pot we have. All different colors, races and people kicking ass. I like it.
I have been looking for a picture to reiterate my point and show the face of America but haven't been able to find it...I am also pretty sure that I am not the only one that has come to this conclusion.
I have been looking for a picture to reiterate my point and show the face of America but haven't been able to find it...I am also pretty sure that I am not the only one that has come to this conclusion.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Dreaming Tree
My neighbor died a few months back after a battle with cancer. We were pretty friendly. He was my parents age and when Melissa and I moved in they kinda took to us as their kids.
Two nights ago I had a dream that he had come through my back door and said "Hey, where have I been, I knew you guys are usually home so I figured you would be easy to find". I said "Hey Lou, what up how did you get here". He didnt know he just said that he had been lost and wanted to see his wife. He said he didnt know how he got from home to where ever he was. He also said his stomach was hurting.
I told him that he had been sick, and went to the hospital and died. He was pretty upset and asked me to say a prayer with him. We prayed that his pain would go away. My hands started to glow red and I put them on his stomach and he felt better. He asked me to take care of his wife, and make sure that she was okay. Said he loves her.
Then he said "Well John, it looks like I have to go", it was super bright outside the sliding glass door. I said "see you later man take care. Then I woke up...
Whatever power I had in the dream that made him feel better I wished I could take with me into the real world so I could heal others.
Two nights ago I had a dream that he had come through my back door and said "Hey, where have I been, I knew you guys are usually home so I figured you would be easy to find". I said "Hey Lou, what up how did you get here". He didnt know he just said that he had been lost and wanted to see his wife. He said he didnt know how he got from home to where ever he was. He also said his stomach was hurting.
I told him that he had been sick, and went to the hospital and died. He was pretty upset and asked me to say a prayer with him. We prayed that his pain would go away. My hands started to glow red and I put them on his stomach and he felt better. He asked me to take care of his wife, and make sure that she was okay. Said he loves her.
Then he said "Well John, it looks like I have to go", it was super bright outside the sliding glass door. I said "see you later man take care. Then I woke up...
Whatever power I had in the dream that made him feel better I wished I could take with me into the real world so I could heal others.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
A pro. post- The short sale- Nightmare.
I thought I would take a moment and talk a little bit about a nightmare that we as Real Estate pros. are running into out there. As one of the more popular workout strategies in the banks bag of tricks is the time consuming short sale. Short does not referr to the time it takes to get one of these things done. I have taken part in a few of these and I have become quite adept at securing an offer on these properties submitting the short sale package, and closing. I have done two in the last 3 months as a matter of fact, and am just starting a new one.
For those of you who don’t know short sale is a procedure where the bank allows a seller to sell for less then they owe, Typically you also try to get their expenses covered too,. For instance a seller owes 100,000.00 but market conditions dictate that the most they could get for their home is 90K. You would present that offer less your commission, taxes, and attorneys fees to the bank. You also have to submit a hardship letter stating why the seller is having a hard time paying their bills as well as a wealth of financial info.
This is where it gets difficult because each lender has different and specific requirement and it is usually at least 25 pages of material. Once that is complete you fax it to the bank they have 60 days in which to approve the offer, and it seems to take at least the full 60. At which point you can then sign contracts. The trick is they usually give approval for 2 weeks at a time. You then have to request extensions until the actual closing date. Which we know in NY can be 45-60 days away from the contract date.
If it goes through your seller client will be happy that this burden has been removed from their shoulders (check with your accountant because I think there is a special tax break on the forgiven portion of the debt). Your buyer client might have gotten a great deal on a home. You as the Realtor might be the only one who gets beat.
How you get paid:
The commissions are pre-approved by the bank however if there is not enough money to pay you because of fees or fines the attorneys at the closing will start to look for money to pay the rest of the bills. Title insurance, title closer, agents, attorney and so on. Beware that the first pocket they dip into will be yours because you are getting the largest pay out at the table. We all know how much work we do to get them there and it stings even worse when you have spent hours dealing with a faceless bank that has employees all around the world.
You should have a plan of action to protect yourself already worked out with your client. Will they cover the shortage, will you and the other agent split the difference, will you split the shortage proportionally or equally around the table.
You should also notate your listing that the commission, and sale price are subject to 3rd party approval.
For those of you who don’t know short sale is a procedure where the bank allows a seller to sell for less then they owe, Typically you also try to get their expenses covered too,. For instance a seller owes 100,000.00 but market conditions dictate that the most they could get for their home is 90K. You would present that offer less your commission, taxes, and attorneys fees to the bank. You also have to submit a hardship letter stating why the seller is having a hard time paying their bills as well as a wealth of financial info.
This is where it gets difficult because each lender has different and specific requirement and it is usually at least 25 pages of material. Once that is complete you fax it to the bank they have 60 days in which to approve the offer, and it seems to take at least the full 60. At which point you can then sign contracts. The trick is they usually give approval for 2 weeks at a time. You then have to request extensions until the actual closing date. Which we know in NY can be 45-60 days away from the contract date.
If it goes through your seller client will be happy that this burden has been removed from their shoulders (check with your accountant because I think there is a special tax break on the forgiven portion of the debt). Your buyer client might have gotten a great deal on a home. You as the Realtor might be the only one who gets beat.
How you get paid:
The commissions are pre-approved by the bank however if there is not enough money to pay you because of fees or fines the attorneys at the closing will start to look for money to pay the rest of the bills. Title insurance, title closer, agents, attorney and so on. Beware that the first pocket they dip into will be yours because you are getting the largest pay out at the table. We all know how much work we do to get them there and it stings even worse when you have spent hours dealing with a faceless bank that has employees all around the world.
You should have a plan of action to protect yourself already worked out with your client. Will they cover the shortage, will you and the other agent split the difference, will you split the shortage proportionally or equally around the table.
You should also notate your listing that the commission, and sale price are subject to 3rd party approval.
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