THE Mortgage Coach~Recovery is at our doorstep! Life, Health & Home


SANTA ROSA, CA. ~ I have good news!


Improved home


sales are paving the way to a sustainable recov- ery.


is no twelve step recovery!


Now, this This is


a rebound that is a foundation to buoy- ant housing market poised for a stable growth.


After five


years of declining home values we have reached a bot- tom that has lev- eled off to what I would call flat.


The fundamentals are in place and all indicators point to a growing housing market. Prices are on the rise.


Let me point out the indica- tors leading me to this conclu- sion.


Inventories are down.


The supply side of the market is putting pressure on prices to go up. Right now the inventory, homes actively on the market for sale, is down by 43% from the end of last year.


multiple offers and go into con- tract above list price. If you are considering listing your home for sale, now is a good time.


After the foreclo- sure debacle, banks have slowed down their foreclosing activities.


turned out, sloppy foreclosure proce- dures led to cost- ly law suits.


number of fore- closed properties


entering the market has dropped significantly from its peak in the 3rd quarter of 2010. Banks are proceeding more cautiously on foreclosing properties and have come to realize “short sell- ing” a property is much more beneficial than hanging on to a “non performing” mortgage. Distressed properties are


In real


estate they measure inventory by Months Supply of Inventory (MSI), which is the number of months they estimate for listed home to sell. Currently we have a 1.6 month supply. Four to six months’ supply is considered a balanced market. With limited inventory the laws of supply and demand are only going to pressure prices up. Most prop- erties on the market now have


that have been fore- closed or short sold for less than what was owed on them. Distressed properties still dom- inate the market representing almost half of the homes sold in Sonoma County in the first quarter of 2012. But from that group of distressed properties, more are short sales than fore- closed properties.


homes The banks


have figured out how to work with the homeowners to close the short sales.


Demand is the other half of the equation and affordability


Look deep into nature, and then you


will understand everything better. Albert Einstein


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20 • May 2012 • UPBEAT TIMES As it The


is moving that right into place. Rents are on the rise and inter- est rates are at historic lows. The cost to finance a home is at about the same as you would pay in rent. The cost to get into a home is more realistic with low down payment programs like FHA, VA and USDA. Even with conventional financing you can get into a home with as little as 5% down payment.


If you


want to stop the flow of rising rents and establish a foundation to build for your future, buying a home is good start. With rents on the rise, you


also have investors that are able to purchase investment proper- ties that will allow cash flow. This makes perfect sense for a long term investment.


UPBEAT TIMES • May 2012 • 20 MAY


Horoscopes 2012


By Yerevan -


YerevanReadings@gmail.com www.ReadingsByYerevan.com


Aries (March 21st - April 20th) This May, especially the first couple of weeks are optimal for gathering some of your finan- cial resources and aiming them toward a specific cause. Throughout the month you may find that financial negotiations, invest- ments, and business communications are at an all-time peak. Buying and selling property is favored, as well as making adjustments to your home that support overall health and wellbeing. Gardening and tree hugging revives you.


If your


rents can sustain their mortgage coupled with the tax benefits of owning an investment property, appreciation and paying down your balance can add up to a substantial nest egg for your future.


The roller coaster ride


of the stock market leaves me feeling a little uneasy and prop- erty make me feel stable. With inventories of homes


for sale down and interest rates at historic lows, now is a great time to buy or sell a home.


Whether you are a first time home buyer, move up buyer or seasoned investor, it’s time act. I welcome and questions or comments at


barryo@stearns.com


Taurus (April 21st – May 20th) You are truly blessed by the solar energy that transits your sign until the 21st. This is likely to be an easy month to appreciate yourself for all the wonderful things that you do, and all of the wonderful things that you are! Although your moods and energy levels may seem to fluctuate a lot, you’re taking care of a long list of things that have been on your to-do list for quite some time, leading to a great sense of both inner and outer fulfillment.


Gemini (May 21st – June 20th) This month a powerful eclipse occurs in your sign, and the planet Venus goes backward in your sign. I’d be really surprised if you weren’t at least partially curious about what the heck is going on and seeking for some answers, perhaps even about your own identity. It may be time to adopt a new play name - one that represents some deeply mysterious part of your soul. Introduce yourself to this part of yourself as if you’re meeting for the first time.


Cancer(June 21st–July 22nd) You might appear to be a pushover at times, but those who know you well know better. This month you may need to let some people know you a little bit better. Either it’s high time to stand up for yourself, or to share yourself – or both! When you allow yourself to shine, you inspire others. As a result of new confidence, your relationships are shifting It’s possible that a long-term enemy might even transform and approach you as a friend.


Leo (July 23rd – August 22nd) This month your focus may be on broadening your horizons in some way, and you would especially benefit from travel and contact with teachers and guides. It’s also a great time to network and spend time with friends, offering them your support and receiving theirs in return. Your parents, legal guardians or other authority figures may have a prominent influ- ence on you this month, and you are encour- aged to settle your accounts with them.


Virgo (August 23rd – September 22nd) As though a huge weight has been lifted, you’re moving forward full speed ahead again with ease and agility, after a period of repro- cessing and realigning things since January. Dance for joy! Your relationships with women are especially favorable at this time, but be careful not to place unrealistic expectations onto them. Someone in your family or work- place may lend you a hand in accomplishing a major goal that raises your status.


...CONTINUED NEXT PAGE JOKES & Humor # 9


Joey and his classmates had just finished a tour of the local fire hall. Before each student could leave, the fire chief quizzed him. He asked little Joey, "What do you do if your clothes catch on fire?"


Joey replied promptly, "I don't put them on." _______


An lady walked into the admitting office of a hospital and walked up to one of the clerks. She was handed some forms to fill out and told to return when she was done.


After completing the forms, she returned to the clerk. The clerk typed the information into the com- puter, and then asked her the reason for her coming to the hospital.


"Just to visit a friend," the lady said, "but this has taken so long, I'm not sure I have time now."


Weird Facts & Trivia -8


Ray-finned fishes are the most diverse of the three groups of fishes. The group includes more than 23,000 species such as salmon, trout, lanternfish, cavefish, cods, anglerfish, tarpon, herrings, electric eels and many others. In contrast to cartilaginous fishes, the skeletons of ray-finned fishes are composed of true bone.


Lobe-finned fishes are a group of bony fishes that have paired fins that are at their base fleshy lobes. Ancient lobe-finned fishes are thought to be the ancestors of the first four-legged land vertebrates or tetrapods. Modern lobe-finned fishes include lungfish and coelacanths.


The earliest known fishes were the ostracoderms, a now-extinct group of jawless fishes that appeared in the Cambrian Period, about 510 million years ago. These primitive fishes had a notochord but no jaw bones or teeth. Other early fish-like animals include the conodonts and the agnan- thans (the hagfish and the lamprey).


Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. ~Lao Tzu


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