6/24/07 Newsletter

In BOICE MAIL this week...

"Pic" of the week:



This picture can be found at various internet sites. I haven’t been able to determine its original source, but it does play with your mind, doesn’t it?
http://refwd.ourmemorybox.com/2005/08/re_fwd_pictures_that_play_with_your_mind_o.html

Headline Mortgage News:

Reuters: Housing starts down, but permits rise:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2007-06-19-housing-starts_N.htm

Subprime lending “fell off a cliff in the first quarter”. Housingwire article:
http://www.housingwire.com/2007/06/22/survey-subprime-lending-volume-clobbered/

Top foreclosure zip codes; The “F” word (Foreclosure) migrates from Rust Belt to Sun Belt. Read about it in this CNN News article:
http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/18/real_estate/foreclosures_hardest_hit_zips/index.htm?postversion=2007061915

Looking for the positive spin? NAR predicts “Gradual Upturn”:
http://www.realtor.org/press_room/news_releases/2007/home_sales_projected_to_fluctuate.html

“All work and no play” does what? In this RIS Media article, Ty Freyvogle, an outstanding entrepreneur, suggests some ways to balance work and “mental health” time:
http://www.rismedia.com/wp/2007-06-04/six-summer-suggestions-for-entrepreneurs-to-help-balance-work-and-life/


Thought for the Week:

“Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our manners”
Laurence Sterne

If you think you’re too “slow” to play in the big leagues, you’ll like this photo.

How to keep more of your own paycheck

The cheapest gas prices in town. Try the link below. MSN updates this information every night. Just enter your zip code and get a display of the cheapest and most expensive gas stations in the area.
http://autos.msn.com/everyday/gasstations.aspx?zip=&src=Netx

Cheap to free International calls. JaJah and Rebtel are two communications companies that are changing the international communications game. They are both offering cheap to free international calling. You can go to their websites at Jajah.com and Rebtel.com to see exactly how they work. They are easy to use and can save you tons so check them out.


And now, for this week's fun freebies!

Summer movies for the kids

F*R*E*E movies for 9 week on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10:00 AM
http://www.uatc.com/freefamilyflicks/index2.jsp
http://www.edwardscinemas.com/freefamilyflicks/index2.jsp

10 weeks of movies for kids on weekday mornings. Tickets for all 10 movies can be purchased in advance for $5 or can be purchased individually at the box office for $1 each. http://www.cinemark.com/summermovieclubhouse/index.htm


And finally, Appraise That!


Ever dreamed of living on a boat?
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tips/getAttraction.php?tip_AttractionNo==10204
Built in the 1920’s by Miles Kellogg in Encinitas, CA, the SS Moon and SS Encinitas are a couple blocks from the beach. Assisted by his young son who helped every day after school, Mr. Kellogg built these apartments from scrap lumber that was too short for standard ceiling heights. A popular “drive-by” site, these may be the most photographed buildings in this beach town today.

Brought to you by:

885 Woodstock Road, Suite 430-305
Roswell, GA 30075
Office# 770-926-5284
Fax# 866-870-0930
order at: http://www.hotlynk.net/
http://www.highspeedhighstandards.com/

Love our new "Boice Mail" more than life itself? Ask to be added to our weekly distribution list at tom.boice@gmail.com

6/6/07 Newsletter

In BOICE MAIL this week...

"Pic" of the week:


Sometimes you need to read the fine print
http://signsoftheweek.blogspot.com/2006/05/caution-this-sign-has-sharp-edges.html
Want to create your own “Caution” sign? Go to http://www.caution-road.signgenerator.net/


Headline Mortgage News:

“US house sales soar on dive-bombing prices” …”The worst is clearly behind us”
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/article1837088.ece

Is there any strong segment in the real estate market? Sure…foreclosures. Click here for a recent article from RealtyTrac: http://www.realtytrac.com/ContentManagement/pressrelease.aspx?ChannelID=9&ItemID=2445&accnt=64847

0.5% decrease in the U.S. Leading Indicator is due primarily to a decrease in building permits. See details in this article from the Conference Board:
http://www.conference-board.org/economics/bci/pressRelease_output.cfm?cid=1

Housing affordability – The percentage of households who can afford an entry-level home in California is 25% according to this CAR article: http://www.car.org/index.php?id=Mzc0MjA=

New technology could hammer the spammers; Preliminary approval has been given to a “promising antispam technique” according to this C/Net News article:
http://news.com.com/Promising+antispam+technique+gets+nod/2100-1029_3-6185904.html?tag=nefd.top

Contruction spending continues it 13 month slowdown. This link will take you to a US Census Bureau report:
http://www.census.gov/const/C30/release.pdf

How can you tell when the homeowner designed the home himself?
Appraisers call this "functional obsolescense".

Thought for the Week:

Albert Einstein’s formula for success:
“If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut.”

How to keep more of your own paycheck:

Do you ever listen to Clark Howard on the radio? He’s really great and knows how to help us average Joe’s save our hard-earned money. Here is what he had to say last week:

Have you heard of airfare envy? It’s when you buy a ticket and find the same itinerary for less money afterward. The good news is that there are a handful of airlines that will give you a voucher for the difference if you ask. They are Alaska, Southwest, United, USAir and JetBlue. So how do you know if the fare goes down on your particular flight? There is now a site that e-mails you when your flight goes down in price. It's called yapta.com and you must register to get the alerts. Then, you must jump on the deal immediately. Of course, it will take a little while to figure out if it’s worth it. But for now, it’s a great way to save money on flights. On the other hand, keep in mind that some airlines charge outrageous fees if a cheaper flight comes along and you want to buy it. American and Continental charge $100. Delta charges $50, Frontier charges $35 and Northwest charges $25. Shame on those airlines, says Clark.

For more of Clark Howard’s consumer tips, go to http://clarkhoward.com/


And now, for this week's fun freebies!

Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0 - $0.00 (after rebates)
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=202693413&adid=17654&dcaid=17654

Hundreds of Free Magazines to choose from
http://tinyurl.com/fayvz

Free USB Drive When You Order a Catalog
http://www.sunusb.com/cataloguerequest.html

Thousands of free "How To" Videos. Categories include Automotive, Beauty, Hobbies, Crafts, Food & Drink, Lots More
http://tinyurl.com/yoespg


And finally, Appraise That!

The “Kettle House” is located in Galveston, Texas. Originally constructed by a man who built storage tanks for oil companies, the top apparently began to rust and was replaced with a wood frame roof. If you are interested, it doesn’t look currently occupied…
http://www.agilitynut.com/vessels/7a.html

Brought to you by:

885 Woodstock Road, Suite 430-305
Roswell, GA 30075
Office# 770-926-5284
Fax# 866-870-0930
order at: http://www.hotlynk.net/
http://www.highspeedhighstandards.com/

Love our new "Boice Mail" more than life itself? Sign up on the weekly distribution list by writing to tom.boice@gmail.com

More pictures of the Kettle House

Trina

In BOICE MAIL this week...

"Pic" of the week:


This image captivated viewers when it began circulating on the Internet in August 2004.
Snopes has been unable to find information about the origins of this picture. www.snopes.com/photo/arts/footprint.asp

Headline Mortgage News:

Where does your state rank in Mortgage Fraud? MARI Releases its “Ninth Periodic Case Report” to the MBA. See this report in the Mortgage Fraud Blog: http://www.mortgagefraudblog.com/index.php/weblog/permalink/maris_ninth_periodic_report/

Florida took the top position, followed by California and Michigan. Georgia, the perennial #1 state in mortgage fraud has slipped to a distant fourth. For a PDF of the 23 page report, click here: http://www.mortgagefraudblog.com/images/uploads/MBA9thCaseRpt.pdf

“The Upside of Subprime” With all the bad news, economist Susan Lee reminds us there’s a good side to subprime lending. American Public Media article: http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2007/05/15/PM200705156.html

Too much inventory – Number of listings continues to rise a the sagging housing market tries to find its footing. CNN Money article looks at what a difference a year makes: http://money.cnn.com/2007/05/16/real_estate/home_inventory_growing/index.htm?postversion=2007051718

Is anyone’s home going up in value? Yes, there are still some markets where prices are expected to rise. This CNN Money articles tells you the top 5 and bottom 5 of our nation’s 100 biggest markets: http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/real_estate/0704/gallery.fastest_and_slowest_growers/10.html

Thought for the Week:

“Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” John Watson

This is a rare photograph of a Freddie Mac investigator questioning a loan officer on some suspected flip transactions he obtained financing for (see the above link to the MARI "9th Periodic Case Report")

How to keep more of your own paycheck

Years ago my wife created a big spreadsheet for all the grocery stores around town, trying to decide which store was the least expensive. Of course, the price of items changed from week to week, making one store the better deal one week and a different store less expensive the next, depending on sales. One thing she noticed was that some of the best deals to be had consistently were found at the big warehouse clubs. Her favorite is Costco. A study by the Economic Research Service at the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture shows that you save a substantial amount of money shopping at warehouse clubs and Wal-Mart Supercenters. Hey, anywhere you can buy tires and cool whip is quite a store.

The study was done over a five-year period, and, on the same quantity of an item, you will save from 5 to 20 percent. As a result, those stores represent about a third of grocery store spending these days. Costo even pays cash back at the end of the year up to 2% of purchases. Alternatively, regular supermarkets use "high-low" pricing, where some items are extremely cheap and others are marked up significantly. The supermarkets tout the low, sale items in advertisements to lure you in, but they hope you'll buy the higher-priced ones when you're there. The only bad thing about the big clubhouses is you have to be able to resist some of that great stuff and be able to control impulse buying.

And now, for this week's fun freebies!

Coolmax 2.5” USB Hard Drive Enclosure - $0.00 after Rebate
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=204317207&adid=17654&dcaid=17654

Kasperskey Internet Security 6.0 – free after rebate at Buy.com go to: http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=202693446&adid=17653&dcaid=17653


We have several birthdays coming up in our family soon and found this great web site that lists all of the restaurants in your area that will give you a free meal or dessert on your birthday. Check out http://tinyurl.com/3po8s

Bluebell Ice Cream company will also give you a free half gallon of ice cream on your birthday by going to www.bluebell.com/Registration.aspx

Free Wedding Songs CD when You Registerhttp://www.theknot.com/may_locations.html

Free One Year Subscription to Marriage Todayhttp://www.marriagetoday.org/site/PageServerpagename=magazine_subscribe

Create a Free Wedding Websitehttp://www.mywedding.com/main/couple_sites.html



And finally, Appraise That!

This is actually a bed and breakfast located on the big island, Hawaii above Waiohinu Village, close to Volcanoes National Park and Kailua and Hilo. Unique architecture, indeed. See the view from this deck in the addtional photo below. http://unusuallife.com/2006/04/02/hawaii-honeymoon-hobbit-house/

Brought to you by:

885 Woodstock Road, Suite 430-305
Roswell, GA 30075
Office# 770-926-5284
Fax# 866-870-0930
order at: http://www.hotlynk.net/
http://www.highspeedhighstandards.com/

Love our new "Boice Mail" more than life itself? Be added to our weekly distribution list by writing to tom.boice@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from YOU!