And then there was snow!



Photos taken January 26, 2011 in Frederick, MD



Rush hour on January 26^th 2011 was a evening many of us will remember for a long time to come. The National Weather Service called for 4-8” of snow to fall during rush hour and this time they were spot on.

The snow wreaked havoc on so many people trying to make it home ahead of the storm. People were stranded for over ten hours and others gave up and slept in their cars.

I played chicken with the storm and this time I won! Had I left a few minutes later from the office I would have been sleeping on the side of the road too, sphew!  Next time I won’t cut it so close because eventually my luck will run out!

I hope everyone who was stuck for hours has now made it home safe and sound. Now it’s time to go outside and make a snowman with my kids and enjoy the weather!

Domino Effect & the Mortgage Fiasco

It hardly requires a crystal ball to foretell that this sparkling New Year will soon be sullied by the ongoing mortgage mess. Joining last year's headline-grabbing robosogners and rocket dockets will be this year's new players: the title insurance companies.

As New York Times columnist Ron Lieber recently wrote, title insurance companies will likely be the next institution to have their mettle tested by the mortgage fiasco, which is feeling more like a chronic condition than a crisis by now.

When we think of title insurance, if we bother to think of it at all, it's as the largest fee on our home settlement statement at closing. Unless we're buying the home outright, our mortgage lender requires us to purchase title insurance in case someone should turn up claiming to be the rightful owner of the property. Warning: spoiler alert.

What a trip!

I have had a wonderful break from the hustle and bustle of the mortgage industry. We have been planning a trip to Park City, Utah for months now; today is our last day here, time flies when you are having fun! Although I have visited Park City before, this is the kid’s first time. We had been skiing as much as possible prior to our trip here and as luck would have it my oldest son broke his collar bone two days before we were to leave Maryland. Since we had booked the trip so far in advance and we were meeting many of our friends out here we couldn’t reschedule. Unfortunately, my wife and my son Brian had to stay back home, but with any luck next time we will all be healthy at the same time and be able to return together; I can’t wait!

Dump the Junk and Stop Unwanted Solicitations

"Stop Unwanted Communications from Marketers and Spammers"

Most of us already know about the Federal Trade Commission’s national 'Do Not Call List' which will help stop telemarketing calls, but there are other resources you can utilize to help dump the junk.

www.DoNotCall.gov

Federal Trade Commission’s Do Not Call List: Don’t forget to add your cell phone and fax numbers too.

www.DmaChoice.org

DMAchoice™ is an online tool developed by the Direct Marketing Association to help you manage your mail. Direct mail is divided into four categories: Credit Offers, Catalogs, Magazine Offers and Other Mail Offers. By visiting the DMAchoice™ website you can request to start or stop receiving mail from individual companies within each category—or from an entire category at once.

DMAchoice's™ email Preference Service (eMPS) can help you control the number of commercial emails you receive.  You can register with the eMPS removal file online and the registration is good for five years.

www.OptOutPrescreen.com

OptOutPrescreen.com is the official consumer credit reporting industry website which to accept and process requests from consumers to opt-in or opt-out of firm offers of credit or insurance.

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Consumer Credit Reporting Companies are permitted to include your name on lists used by creditors or insurers to make firm offers of credit or insurance which were not initiated by the consumer. The FCRA also provided you the right to “Opt-Out”, which prevents Consumer Credit Reporting Companies from providing your credit file information for Firm Offers. Through this website, you may request to Opt-Out from receiving Firm Offers for either 5 years or permanently.

D.C. Region Poised for Nation's Biggest Housing Gains

Homeowners in the Washington area can uncross their fingers -- 2011 is expected to be the best year for home prices the region has witnessed since the recession, with experts saying the area's market recovery will be tops in the nation.

                       

The region's relatively strong uptick in prices over the last year -- second in the nation -- gives analysts reason to believe the Washington market could see a 6.5 percent increase in home prices over the next 12 months, according to a new report by Clear Capital, which tracks real estate trends. It's the biggest increase the firm is predicting across the country.

"D.C. prices are already going up for all homeowners who have purchased a home in last two years," said Alex Villacorta, senior statistician at Clear Capital. "So they are likely to see positive equity in that purchase."