"We'd like to use this store as our Bridal Registry."
Monday, October 31, 2011
Senior wedding
Friday, October 28, 2011
The Most Valuable Action Figures
A Fix for Every Season - 10/28 Money Pit e-Newsletter
Home Remodeling Repair & Improve Ideas & Solutions Radio & Podcasts Contact Us Community 
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If you haven't figured it out by now, home ownership is mostly a joy that is accompanied by a year-round list of projects. Every season seems to bring a new list of things to do. It can seem overwhelming, but it really boils down to the right tools and a little time. You can do-it-yourself, but you don't have to do it alone.
The Welcome Mat
A Fix for Every Season
The Arrow Fastener Company, a leading manufacturer of top-quality fastening tools for DIYers and pros alike, asked Tom and Leslie to be your guides for a series of useful year-round home improvement projects. Step-by-step instructions, material lists and photos for dozens of projects are included in this guide, a FREE bonus chapter of their popular book, "My Home, My Money Pit: Your Guide to Every Home Improvement Adventure." Inside you will find tips and tools to help you take on dozens of projects that will make your home more functional and inviting. read more
How to Hide Electric Cables
As we get more high tech with our entertainment and home media, we have more wiring to deal with! Use the right tools and techniques to hide all of those electrical cables for a neat and tidy look. read more
How to Winterize Your Home
Fall is the best time to tackle home improvement projects that can winterize your home by making it more comfortable and energy efficient for the winter season. read more
Ask Tom & Leslie: Storing Emergency Food
"I live on the West Coast in earthquake country. I want to put together an earthquake kit filled with canned goods and water. I want to store these items in a shed in the back yard. I live in Riverside and it gets very hot in the summer. Is there a problem storing canned food and bottled water in temperatures up to 115 degrees?" read more
ON THE AIR: Prevent Break-ins
Learn how to prevent breaks-ins and keep your home secure. Find out how to seal air leaks and save on your energy bill. Learn how to transform an old door into a decorative work of art. Plus get answers to your home improvement questions about painting a foundation, icicles, driveway repair, pruning trees, paint options, crawl space moisture, insulation, and venting a dryer. read more
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Thursday, October 27, 2011
Pending home sales up 6% from last year
Pending home sales up 6% from last year
by JON PRIORThursday, October 27th, 2011, 10:05 amPending home sales based on contract signings in September increased 6% from the year before, according to theNational Association of Realtors.The index is based on signed sales of existing single-family homes, condos and co-ops. The transactions have yet to close, making it a forward-looking projection from the trade group.Pending home sales were down 4.6% from the month before, but that is a typical seasonal drop. NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun blamed a combination of weaker consumer confidence and tighter requirements from banks.The index showed the highest increase from last year in the Midwest, with pending sales there 12.3% higher than they were last year. The area, however, showed the sharpest monthly decrease at 6.2%.Pending sales in the Northeast were 4% above the year before, the smallest increase.
Mortgage refinancing to get easier under revised U.S. program
Mortgage refinancing to get easier under revised U.S. program
The plan could help 1 million to 2 million people get significantly lower monthly payments in hopes of stabilizing the real estate market.
By Jim Puzzanghera, Don Lee and Alejandro LazoLos Angeles Times Staff Writers
The Obama administration is launching yet another high-profile campaign to shore up the housing market -- and with it, the economy -- by making it easier for some struggling homeowners to refinance underwater mortgage loans at today's ultra-low interest rates.
The federal government's new rules will encourage borrowers to secure new loans no matter how much value their homes have lost during the nation's housing crisis, with the hitch that they can't have missed any mortgage payments for the last six months.
The plan could help 1 million to 2 million people get significantly lower monthly payments in hopes of stabilizing the real estate market. On top of that, it would boost the economy by putting about $2,500 more in a typical homeowner's pocket each year, administration officials said.
But given the huge problems that continue to plague the real estate market, the plan is less a solution to the foreclosure crisis than a firebreak to try to prevent things from getting worse, analysts said. In particular, the program won't help the 3.5 million borrowers who are seriously delinquent on their loans or are already in default.
"It's a step forward, but what we need is a leap forward," saidJohn Taylor, president of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, an association of organizations that promote access to affordable housing.
The Obama administration has struggled to find a fix for the housing crisis. A program to lure banks to permanently modify mortgages has fallen so far short of its goals thatRepublicans have pushed to kill it. And the refinancing program, designed to help millions of homeowners, has been revised several times in hopes of making it more effective.
Separately, Federal Reserve officials have hinted in recent days that they could launch another program to buy up mortgage-backed bonds in an effort to pull home loan rates lower.
"They keep trying to find something that's going to work and so far they haven't found the silver bullet. Arguably there's no silver bullet," Bert Ely, an independent banking analyst, said of the Obama administration's attempts to help the housing market.
"More moderate approaches haven't worked, so now they're trying something that frankly is more radical," he said.
The plan could help borrowers such as James Perry, 36, an editor for a television show who owns two properties that are underwater, meaning he owes more on the mortgages than the homes are worth.
Perry bought a condominium in Santa Monica in 2005, near the height of the market, and rented it out after he couldn't sell it. Its value has dropped about 6%, he said. He owns a larger home in Tarzana for his growing family, and its value has plunged nearly 20%.
Refinancing both properties could save him about $400 a month, Perry said. "I am not a rich guy, so $400 a month will help," he said. "I have two kids. I would like to put that toward some college savings, and it would just make for a little more breathing room. We are not in any sort of trouble, but an extra $400 a month will obviously make us happier."
Perry said he tried refinancing the Santa Monica home about a year ago, paying about $500 for the appraisal, but the home's value didn't allow him to qualify for a low rate. Given that experience, he didn't bother trying to refinance the Tarzana home.
The plan announced Monday amounts to a sweeping overhaul of the 2½-year-old Home Affordable Refinance Program, easing rules and reducing fees to allow many more homeowners potentially to take advantage of historically low mortgage rates. Through August, the program had helped 894,000 homeowners refinance.
The revisions include lifting a ceiling that barred participation by borrowers who owed more than 125% of the value of their homes, and using a controversial modeling method to replace costly appraisals that are among the fees that have kept some homeowners from refinancing.
"These are important steps that will help more homeowners refinance at lower rates, save consumers money and help get folks spending again," President Obama said in touting the changes during an appearance in Las Vegas on Monday.
Nevada, California and Florida are among the states hit hardest by the subprime housing bubble crash.
About 14.6 million mortgages nationwide were underwater at the end of the first quarter, about 29% of the nearly 51 million residential mortgages nationwide, according to Moody's Analytics andEquifax. The rate was higher in California, where about 2.1 million mortgages are underwater, a third of the state's 6.3 million mortgages.
Perry's refinancing problems were typical, mortgage experts said. Even though HARP allows underwater homes to qualify, banks usually won't refinance a loan in which the borrower owed more than 105% of the value.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Simple Style Makeovers - 10/21 Money Pit e-Newsletter
Home Remodeling Repair & Improve Ideas & Solutions Radio & Podcasts Contact Us Community
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Getting ready for the holidays can be really stressful. Between planning elaborate feasts and cleaning your home to prepare for guests, who has the time to worry about decorating? You do! Our how-to's will show you that sprucing up your decor can be as quick and easy as updating a lampshade or whipping up a table runner. You can do-it-yourself, but you don't have to do it alone.
Simple Style Makeovers with Your Hot Melt Glue Gun
Creating a beautifully designed room is all in the details. It's the little thoughtful touches that truly create a memorable space, but those special moments that happen in the decor of a room don't have to be budget busters. With a glue gun, all of your design dreams are possible; it is such an amazing go-to tool that can quickly transform a ho-hum accessory into a standout feature in any space. read moreHow to Fix a Leaking Toilet
Toilet repairs are one of the most common plumbing problems. A leaky toilet can waste 78,000 gallons of water in one year! All that wasted water is bad for the environment—and your wallet, too. A new product that can stop toilet leaks, saving you both water and money, is the HydroRight Drop-In Dual Flush Converter. read moreHalloween Safety Tips
A Halloween safety plan helps to protect your home as well as the honest trick-or-treaters who visit looking for treats. There's nothing quite like waking up on November 1 to find that your home has been the target of mischief. Take the following safety precautions to put any Halloween tricksters right out of business before damage is done. read moreAsk Tom & Leslie: Heating an Apartment
"I've just moved to a colder area of the state, and am wondering what I can do to keep my apartment's heating costs down while staying warm this winter. Got any tips?" read moreON THE AIR: Halloween Decorating Ideas
Find out how to attach Halloween decor to your house firmly. Learn how to keep warm and save energy by caulking your windows. Learn why fall is the time to start thinking about your Spring garden. Plus get answers to your home improvement questions about painting a basement floor, installing tile, eliminating odors, refurbishing a porch, heating a home, and decorating a laundry room. read moreShare This Information With A Friend!
Simply forward this Email. And invite friends to register to receive this E-newsletter each week. If you would like to unsubscribe from our weekly newsletter, please refer to the unsubscribe directions at the bottom of this newsletter.
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