Happy 4th of July Weekend

Happy 4th of July!!!!

Green Living Tips for The Week

Six Ways to Re-purpose Common Household Items


One of the greenest things you can do is purchase long-lasting products and then find ways to re-purpose them once they’ve served their usefulness. After re-purposing, there’s recycling. However, if you’re creative, you can first find new uses for almost anything before recycling. Here are ten ideas…



Re-purpose coffee cans: Use old larger cans to make amazingly lovely planters. See how! See even more Recycled Garden Containers at Mother Earth’s Garden.

Re-purpose that old spice rack: You know those sit-on-the-counter spinning spice racks? Most folks don’t want those anymore because they take up valuable kitchen real estate. I know that many folks have switched to in-cupboard or wall mounted spice storage which means there’s a ton of these spinning spice racks hanging around. You can re-purpose yours to hold beads, sewing odds and ends, stickers for the kiddos, rock collections, little kid hair supplies (barrettes, rubber bands), and more.

Re-purpose bubble wrap: Obviously, you can reuse bubble wrap to send new packages, but you can also use it in your fridge veggie and fruit drawers as a liner to prevent tossed in produce from becoming bruised.

Re-purpose a tablecloth: Vinyl or oilcloth tablecloths aren’t so eco-friendly, but if you’ve moved to cloth tablecloths, how do you re-purpose your old ones? By making a lunch bag of course. Or make three or four for the whole family - also makes a great gift.

Re-purpose a leaky old garden hose: Into a much better, more eco-friendly, soaker hose.

Re-purpose old bedsheets: I like the idea of making a body pillow, because they’re cozy, but you can also use them to save energy in the summer if you live in a humid area. Take your old sheet, dip the whole thing in water, wring out so it’s not drippy, and hang across your window in the early morning. The air coming through the cool, damp sheet will take the sting out of summer heat and maybe allow you to turn down the AC. See 20 more ways to use old bedsheets.

You also might like… How to reuse toilet paper tubes - handy reuse tips for kids, criminals, and more - not completely a household item, but I bet you’ve got lots.

Do you know what your MLS listing says about your home?

You probably don't, but you should ask your Realtor to email you a copy once a week so you know how your home is being portrayed to the real estate community. Remember, this is also what is "fed" to realtor.com. A quick glance at a few listings this morning and here is some of the descriptions I found:

1. Difficult to show-must call 48 hours in advance.
2. Brokers Open on 3/31 then can can be shown (uh, it is 6/24)
3. Big Dog in Garage may bite (I get this one).
4. A real beater! (owner still living at the home).
5. Ugly, but could be nice
6. Desperate


My point, make sure you agree with how your home is being portrayed and how your home looks in the photos. Remember what they say about first impressions!!!!

$500 American Express Gift Card? Yes!!!!!!!

Refer a buyer or seller to The Churchill Team between now and August 15, 2009 and receive a $500 American Express Gift Card upon a successful close of escrow!!!!

Green Home Tip of the Week: Summer Mowing From Ecologue.com

Ground-level Ozone, the main component of smog, hits peak levels in summer. Add that natural phenomenon to mowing, boating, vacation driving and other gas-guzzling, pollution-creating summer activities, and we’re creating a big old smoggy mess.

Why not take one step to clear the air? Switch to a push mower. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a traditional gas-powered lawn mower produces as much air pollution as driving 43 cars 12,000 miles. Trading that gas mower for a push mower can help reduce CO2 in the atmosphere by 80 pounds a year.

I’ve started looking into manual mowers for my family. Of course, I don’t do the mowing, so the switch wouldn’t be hard for me. But mowers have come a long way. This Earthwise Reel Mower is lightweight, easy to maneuver, simple to store and virtually maintenance-free. You might not want to spend $100 on a new mower, but think of the savings on gas (and gas prices are skyrocketing again), and no more worrying about spark plugs or waking up your neighbors at 8 a.m. on a Saturday.

Connect with me on Facebook!!!!!

Here is my url on facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/randy.churchill


Then just hit add me as a friend!

Weekly Average Mortgage Rates

These are just averages. I am sure our good friend Rick Olson over at Peregrine Mortgage could beat these with about 15 minutes of your time!

Mortgage Rates:

30 Year Fixed: 5.29%
15 Year Fixed: 4.79%
1 Year Adj: 4.81%

A Couple more photos of Shipping Container Housing

I find this to be a fascinating alternative use for these containers:

Is Honesty the best way on a For Sale sign?

Would Skywriting Sell Your Home?

Probably not, but in the current market conditions you want a listing agent that has a full marketing "toolbox" at his disposal. It is not going to be any one marketing piece that sells your home, but a cumulative effort. There is power in the number of potential bidders that walk thru your front door. The more potential, qualified buyers that walk into your home, the greater possibility you will have to getting an acceptable offer on your home. Who is at your open houses? Nobody knows your home better than your listing agent. When interviewing agents, ask about their "toolbox" and make sure they will market just about any where for you!

When will you know the Real Estate Market has hit bottom?

You will never know where the bottom is until we have started up the other side. So when people ask "are we at the bottom?". I reply with "we are close". Remember, somebody bought Yahoo shares at 456 a share. Not sure he or she knew that was the peak until the shares were down around 350.

Foreclosures Are Slowing Down. Good News

Foreclosures in May fall from April, rise from year ago

Foreclosure filings in May fell 6% from April, but rose 18% from May 2008, RealtyTrac reported on Thursday.

Foreclosure filings -- default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions -- were reported on nearly 321,500 properties in the month.

May was the third straight month in which filings exceeded 300,000.

One of every 398 U.S. housing units was the subject of a foreclosure filing in the month, the Irvine, Calif., consultant reported.
Hear the audio report on nearly 1 million foreclosure filings

RealtyTrac reported fewer defaults and auctions but a 2% increase in bank repossessions.

Nevada remained the state with the highest foreclosure rate, with 1 in 64 housing units the subject of a filing. California was second with 1 in every 144, and Florida was third with 1 in every 148.

The Pardigm has shifted a bit.

It used to be location, location, and more location. This has shifted to a better balance of price and location in unison. The first part of this decade we saw people pay any price for what they considered the perfect location. We now see a balance of price and location. The price had better be in harmony with the location. You are seeing homes that are just sitting on the market in Lamorinda because the sellers and the listing agents have not come to grips with the current market needs and wants. Sellers are also going to need take into consideration the new appraisal conditions, as there are lot of properties that would never appraise at their current list prices.
Investors are becoming very wary of prices and it had better be priced right on or below the comparables of 6 months ago in certain markets. It will be interesting to watch as the real state world is changing daily!

Top 10 Ways to tell you Realtor is on Performance Enhancing Drugs

10. Carries you thru the home during a showings!
9. Uses only his/her hands to open the lock box!
8. Uses black eye paint to see contracts better!
7. Showed 10 houses in under an hour and can't remember 1!
6. Wears muscle tees under his jacket!
5. Only shows you homes within walking distance to a Golds Gym!
4. Wonders why you care about school scores!
3. Body slams another realtor showing the same home!
2. Says he is showing Madonna homes later in the day!
..................
1. The head shot photo no longer fits on the side of his/her moving trucks!!!!

Shipping Container Housing

Here is a description of a new home in Redondo Beach made out of shipping containers.


De Maria Design Redondo Beach House

With its modern lines and appealing spaces, the award-winning Redondo Beach House by De Maria Design turns heads. The luxury beach-side showpiece was built from eight prefabricated, recycled steel shipping containers, along with some traditional building materials. According to the architects, the modified containers are "nearly indestructible," as well as resistant to mold, fire, and termites. Seventy percent of the building was efficiently assembled in a shop, saving time, money, and resources.

One of the containers can even sport a pool! The lessons learned from Redondo Beach House are being incorporated into a line of more affordable, accessible designs, soon available as Logical Homes.

Cool Websites I Came Across

View all your email accounts, facebook, twitter etc all on 1 screen. Very cool website.

www.zenbe.com

Three-dimensional images of streets and cities at eye level.

http://www.everyscape.com

Compares gas prices


http://www.gasbuddy.com

Happy St. Patricks Day!!!!

But what is St Patricks Day all about?

St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and the Irish. He was born about 389 A.D. in Northern Wales, which at that time may have been part of England or Scotland.

Saint Patrick had an adventurous life. He was captured by pirates at the age of 16. The Irish pirates brought him to Ireland to tend the flocks of a chieftain in Ulster. Six years of slavery made him a devoted Christian. He escaped to France and became a monk. In 432, a vision led him to return to Ireland as a missionary bishop. He brought Christianity to Ireland and taught there for 29 years. He used the shamrock, a 3 leaf clover, (Ireland's national flower) to explain the Blessed Trinity. St. Patrick founded 365 churches, baptized over 120,000 people and consecrated 450 bishops.

Many tales sprung up about this popular saint. One of the most popular legends was how he charmed all the snakes of Ireland down to the seashore to be drowned by the water. The only certain writings of St. Patrick's are his Confessions and a letter written to a man named Coroticus (See Tripartite Life of St. Patrick by Stokes and Lives by Todd, Healy, Bury and Lusack.). His Confessions are written in crude Latin.

According to some Irish writings, St. Patrick died on March 17, 461 A.D. The anniversary of his death is celebrated as St. Patrick's Day. It's interesting to note that the shamrock clover flowers around that time of year.

The first official celebration of St. Patrick's Day in the United States occurred in Morristown, New Jersey in 1780. It was authorized by George Washington. Today St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by the Irish as well as many Americans with parades, parties, wearing of green, Irish songs and jigs. People wear green on this day to represent the lushness of Ireland - The Emerald Isle.

Go Mobile! Search Homes from Your Phone!

At J. Rockcliff Realtors,
you get more than a better way to buy or sell your home. You get the best way. The best agents. The best service. The best technology. The best connections.

The Churchill Team is conveniently located at the Lafayette Office Their expert market knowledge,technical savvy and the support from the entire J. Rockcliff Realtors’ team will ensure that buying and selling your home will be smooth and worry-free.


Let the Churchill Team create an enjoyable home-buying and selling experience for you. You’ll delight in the impressive service, attention to detail and uncompromising integrity that J. Rockcliff Realtors offers you.

Go to www.rockcliff.com today to download our mobile homefinder!

A Great Editorial from Todays Lamorinda Sun

THE BIG PICTURE: Several good reasons to save Park Theater

I once took a college classmate to the movies. She was 19, blonde and pretty.
I was a dork, as evidenced by my choice of films — "The Boston Strangler." Seems movies about serial killers with shoe fetishes weren't first-date appropriate. Who knew?
Needless to say we didn't click. My date married someone else. So did I; today, my wife picks all the movies.
But I still remember that one evening at the theater. Now, if I could just remember which theater. It's of some significance as we fret about the fate of a lovable landmark.
Unless you've been housebound the past four years, you know that Lafayette's Park Theater closed in September 2005. Today it's dark and derelict. No one knows what to do with it.
Part of the lost generation of single-screen movie palaces that can't survive a 21st-century economy of scale, demolition could be its fate. I hope not.
For one thing, losing the Park would erase the last vestige of my bygone movie dream. I'm certain that we saw "The Strangler" there in 1968. Or it could have been at the Village Theater in Danville. I can't remember.
Both were small-town barns with shopworn charm. Both were inhabited by the ghosts of a simpler past.
Today the Village is long gone. Some day the Park may join it. If that happens, my only memory of a brush with unrequited love will be Tony Curtis searching a woman's closet for a black pump — size 8
Not enough reason to save the Park Theater? Try this one: The Park was the handiwork of William B. David.
The African American architect designed 18 distinctive movie palaces from Modesto to Klamath Falls in the 1930s and '40s. Half of them are closed. A few were demolished. The Park could be next.
It should be an historic landmark, says one devoted fan of the theater. After all, she asks, "How many black architects were there in the 1930s?"
To be honest, the Park wasn't a masterpiece on the order of say, Oakland's Paramount Theater. It seated 300 at most and the lobby was pedestrian. The neon marquis and old-fashioned ticket booth are its only prominent features.
But nostalgia and historic preservation aside, there's a practical reason to rescue the old place. It anchors what should be Lafayette's most important neighborhood.
Right now City Hall is drafting a new blueprint for downtown. In workshops, surveys and hearings, this is the vision they've created:
"A downtown that retains its small-town charm, is vibrant with pedestrian activity, is safe and comfortable, offers a variety of unique shopping and dining choices and has a unique combination of built form and landscape character."
I'm not sure what "built form" is, unless they mean Pamela Anderson. But here's a suggestion: Stand across Mt. Diablo Boulevard — Lafayette's main street — from the Park Theater. Now, look at the decaying relic.
What you'll see, with imagination, is Lafayette's vision. The bone structure of a small town square with charm and grace is there. It just needs someone to breathe life — and a few million dollars — into it.
The most prominent feature of the neighborhood is Downtown Plaza Park. It's a postage-stamp green bordered by wisteria-choked trellises.
When it was built — right on Lafayette's two busiest roads, it seemed ill-advised. Actually that's not accurate. It seemed dumber than pork sherbet.
But no longer. The welcoming little park now complements the row of one-level storefronts behind it. They have tall windows and a boardwalk in front. Next to them is the Park's neglected marquis. Together the elements form a simple, elegant, single-story skyline.
This is what Walt Disney envisioned on Main Street U.S.A. Just that here the shops are empty and the marquis is faded and broken.
What to do? Transform the neighborhood. Put restaurants in those shops with outdoor dining. Have musicians and strolling gelato machines in the park. Most importantly, reopen the Park Theater.
That last one won't be easy. It'll take a lot of money to wrest it from the current ownership, which is stymied by city regulations from developing the property. The rumors start at $1 million.
A skeptic asks, "If you love it so much, why don't you inject thousands of dollars into it?" I would, but my thousands are tied up in rock-solid investments — auto stocks, financial stocks, perpetual motion machines "...
Instead, we need someone who's managed to hold onto his capital during this recession. Preferably it would be someone who did it without a fraud conviction.
City Hall can help. Lafayette has shown an enlightened willingness lately to provide economic stimulus. Perhaps tax and fee incentives could be offered to investors.
After that, all they'd need is the vision to see our future in a little bit of the past. That, or we'd give them a free screening of "The Boston Strangler."

Best Home Improvements To Make In A Recession

From Forbes.com:

Installing energy-saving technologies is a great way to save money on homeowner costs.

The days of undertaking quick-fix remodels to sell a home more quickly and for more money are long gone. Now, with loans hard to come by and home sales slow, remodeling is all about projects that save you money in the long term and pay you cash up front.
Believe it or not, the federal government is more than willing to help--to the tune of thousands in tax credits. But this isn't about redoing your kitchen; it's about energy independence.

In a recession, there's nothing better than padding your wallet whenever you can, so reducing energy costs makes natural sense. A serious commitment to this idea does have significant upfront costs, but it can save thousands in the long run.
From Windows to Wind The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, passed in October, increased the size of energy-related tax credits for homeowners. In past years, $200 credits for energy-efficient windows or improvements to a roof were nothing exciting, but the new law added two particularly interesting technologies to the tax-credit rolls: wind turbines and geothermal heating systems, with credits of $4,000 and $2,000, respectively.

Granted, both are expensive investments--and that's assuming your neighborhood or homeowner association will let you put wind turbines on your property. They can run between $5,000 and $25,000. Still, these systems have the potential to reduce monthly energy costs to zero.
Geothermal heat pumps, which run between $3,000 and $10,000, won't reduce your water-heating bills to zero, but as they draw 70% of their energy directly from the earth, which is free, they can dramatically reduce hot-water costs.
Keep in mind: The old tax credits are still on the books, meaning you can still save if a wind turbine is currently outside your price range but energy-efficient windows are not. In fact, the 2008 law even featured some upgrades in tax-credit levels.

"Many of them are new in that they came out of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 or the Energy Independence Security Act of 2007 and were renewed," says Jonathan Cogan, a spokesman for the Department of Energy. "Some of those previously enacted tax incentives had a sunset date on them, and the more recent legislation extended the life of those."

The credit is now $500 for window and roof improvements, instead of the $200 offered last year.
The Bigger Picture While such incentives are good news for homeowners trying to save a buck, some suggest that the tax credits don't go far enough in stimulating private-sector investment or reducing greenhouse emissions.
While cars and factories contribute to greenhouse emissions, 48% of them come from buildings, according to Architecture 2030, a green architecture research group. Edward Mazria, president of Mazria, Inc., a Santa Fe, N.M., architecture firm, notes that homeowners behind on their mortgages are unlikely to make large up-front investments in technologies like fuel cells or solar arrays, which can cost $5,000 to $20,000, even if they do pay for themselves in the long run--some even can make money for a homeowner by feeding the power they generate back into the grid.

New Lafayette Library Drawing

Home prices fall hard in Phoenix, S.F.

From Inman.com:

An index measuring the price per square foot of homes in 25 U.S. metro areas declined in every location except Milwaukee in November 2008 compared to November 2007.
Several other price and sales reports reveal a pattern of record-low activity in some market metrics as the housing market crawls through one of the slowest periods since the Great Depression.

The RPX home-price index, released today by real estate data and analytics company Radar Logic Inc., shows that the price per square foot of homes dropped more than 20 percent in 10 of 25 markets, and fell 30 percent or more in five markets during a 28-day period in November 2008 compared to the same period a year earlier.

San Francisco had the highest decline, at 36.8 percent year-over-year during the November period, followed by Phoenix (down 34.6 percent) and Sacramento, Calif. (down 32.4 percent).
Milwaukee was the only market with a year-over-year increase in the price-per-square-foot index, up 2.4 percent.

The price-per-square-foot index increased in Philadelphia (4.6 percent) and Detroit (0.1 percent) in November 2008 compared to October 2008, and was flat in Seattle. The largest monthly decline in November was in Boston (down 7.7 percent), followed by Tampa, Fla. (down 6.6 percent), and San Francisco (down 6.4 percent).

Radar Logic also reported that Charlotte, Denver and San Jose had record monthly declines -- the company's data goes back to January 2000.

Total real estate transaction counts rose the most in Sacramento (87.6 percent) in November 2008 compared to November 2007, followed by San Diego (71 percent) and Los Angeles (69.4 percent), while dropping most in St. Louis (down 51 percent), Seattle (down 49.4 percent) and Charlotte, N.C. (down 42.6 percent).

Philadelphia was the only market out of 25 tracked with a gain in transaction count from October 2008 to November 2008 (up 37.8 percent). St. Louis had the largest monthly decline in transaction volume (down 42.6 percent), followed by Seattle (down 22.9 percent) and Charlotte (down 22.1 percent).

A separate measure of home-price changes -- the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-metro area price index -- had a record 18.2 percent drop in November 2008 compared to November 2007, with the index score dropping 20 percent or more for eight metro areas on that list.
The highest year-over-year index drop in the monthly S&P/Case-Shiller index was in Phoenix (down 32.9 percent), followed by Las Vegas (down 31.6 percent) and San Francisco (down 30.8 percent).

The lowest year-over-year index drops were in Dallas (down 3.3 percent) and Denver (down 4.3 percent).

From October 2008 to November 2008 the S&P/Case Shiller 20-metro area index slid 2.2 percent, with the largest drop in Phoenix (down 3.4 percent) and the slightest drop in Denver (down 1.1 percent).

Also this week, the National Association of Realtors reported that the median price of U.S. resale homes dipped 15.3 percent in December compared to the same month last year, with the pace of sales rising 6.5 percent.

The California Association of Realtors reported a huge surge in sales of single-family resale homes in December 2008 compared to the same month in the previous year -- an 84.9 percent rise. Meanwhile, median prices headed the other direction, down 41.5 percent.

The U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported Thursday that the median price of new single-family homes dropped 9.3 percent from December 2007 to December 2008, with sales plunging 44.8 percent to the lowest level on record (in over 40 years).

The seasonally adjusted annual pace for new-home sales was 331,000 in December -- this rate is a projection of a monthly sales total over a 12-month period, adjusted to account for seasonal fluctuations in sales activity.

Last week, Census and HUD reported that the pace of building-permit and housing starts activity fell to record lows in December 2008, having dropped more than 75 percent from market peaks in 2005.

Another measure of price change released earlier this month -- the Federal Housing Finance Agency's monthly House Price Index -- found that U.S. home prices dropped 8.7 percent from November 2007 to November 2008.

Commonwealth Club Presents Tom Campbell

Wednesday - February
11 - 6:30 pm - Bentley School
The Commonwealth Club presents Tom Campbell speaking on Budgeting the
Bailout for California and the Country. Mr. Campbell also charts a course for our
economic future. The event will take place on Wednesday, February 11 at 6:30 pm
at The Bentley School, 1000 Upper Happy Valley Road, Lafayette. Tickets cost $12
members, $18 non-members and $7 students (with valid ID). For reservations call
415-597-6705 or visit their website - www.commonwealthclub.org.

New Listing in Pleasant Hill!!!

2995 Hillsdale Dr

Pleasant Hill

This property is listed at $799,00 and is absolutely stunning. New landscaping in rear, gorgeous master suite, hardwood floors, remodeled hall bath, newer heating and air and much, much more!! Call now before it hits MLS in 2 weeks!!! 4 bedrooms + office and 2 full baths. RV parking.

49ers New Offensive Coordinator is a Past Client!!!

Jimmy Raye is a past Churchill Team client. We sold his home after his 2 year stint with the Raiders. Jimmy and his wide (Edweena) lived in Lafayette Pointe. Jimmy went to the New Jets after he left the Oakland Raiders. Good Job Jimmy!!!!

Federal Open Market Committee Statement

The Federal Open Market Committee decided today to keep its target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to 1/4 percent. The Committee continues to anticipate that economic conditions are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels of the federal funds rate for some time.
Information received since the Committee met in December suggests that the economy has weakened further. Industrial production, housing starts, and employment have continued to decline steeply, as consumers and businesses have cut back spending. Furthermore, global demand appears to be slowing significantly. Conditions in some financial markets have improved, in part reflecting government efforts to provide liquidity and strengthen financial institutions; nevertheless, credit conditions for households and firms remain extremely tight. The Committee anticipates that a gradual recovery in economic activity will begin later this year, but the downside risks to that outlook are significant.
In light of the declines in the prices of energy and other commodities in recent months and the prospects for considerable economic slack, the Committee expects that inflation pressures will remain subdued in coming quarters. Moreover, the Committee sees some risk that inflation could persist for a time below rates that best foster economic growth and price stability in the longer term.
The Federal Reserve will employ all available tools to promote the resumption of sustainable economic growth and to preserve price stability. The focus of the Committee's policy is to support the functioning of financial markets and stimulate the economy through open market operations and other measures that are likely to keep the size of the Federal Reserve's balance sheet at a high level. The Federal Reserve continues to purchase large quantities of agency debt and mortgage-backed securities to provide support to the mortgage and housing markets, and it stands ready to expand the quantity of such purchases and the duration of the purchase program as conditions warrant. The Committee also is prepared to purchase longer-term Treasury securities if evolving circumstances indicate that such transactions would be particularly effective in improving conditions in private credit markets. The Federal Reserve will be implementing the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility to facilitate the extension of credit to households and small businesses. The Committee will continue to monitor carefully the size and composition of the Federal Reserve's balance sheet in light of evolving financial market developments and to assess whether expansions of or modifications to lending facilities would serve to further support credit markets and economic activity and help to preserve price stability.
Voting for the FOMC monetary policy action were: Ben S. Bernanke, Chairman; William C. Dudley, Vice Chairman; Elizabeth A. Duke; Charles L. Evans; Donald L. Kohn; Dennis P. Lockhart; Kevin M. Warsh; and Janet L. Yellen. Voting against was Jeffrey M. Lacker, who preferred to expand the monetary base at this time by purchasing U.S. Treasury securities rather than through targeted credit programs.

New Listing-1027 Brown Ave Lafayette

Yes, it is the Fumble Fingers location on Brown Ave. Listed at $947,000. The front building is approx. 1100 sq ft and there is a back building with 2 roll up doors and a loft. This location has great visibility, as it is one of the main access points to Mt. Diablo Blvd. Zoning is C-1. SBA loans are available with some needing as little as 10% down and starting at approx 6.25%. Standard disclaimer, for those who qualify. Call or email today for a private showing.

Gung Hay Fat Choy

Chinese have a unique way of representing the New Year through animals. They have 12 different animals to represent each year of the 12 year -cycle and the order remains the same throughout with the year of the rat beginning the cycle and the year of the boar/ pig ending the same. As the Chinese year 2008 was signified as the year of the rat, the following year, 2009, is going to be the year of the ox. Chinese New Year of OX, 2009 will fall on January 26th and will mark the 15 day long festivities beginning on the said date and going on till the 9th February. Preparations for the Chinese New Year of Ox, 2009 will begin months in advance so that the celebrations be observed in the highest magnitude and splendor. As the different years of the 12 year cycle are characterized by different animals, people born on the different years also feature different traits and characters and most often then not, they are believed to be influenced and inspired by the animals of the particular year they are born in. With this article on Chinese New Year of Ox, 2009 we strive to hold forth the interesting characteristics and features of the Ox and how babies born in this year can be expected to display similar traits.
All years ending in an odd number are Yin and the ones with an even number ending are considered to be the Yang forms according to the Chinese methods of the calender cycle. Therefore the Ox year 2009 will have Yin forms along with the character of the Ox. Ox characterizes a dependable, patient, methodical and calm, hardworking, materialistic as well as an ambitious character. The Ox years so far have been 1901, 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997 and now 2009 followed by 2021 (according to the 12 year cycle).
People born in the Chinese New Year of Ox, 2009 will preponderantly have the below mentioned traits in their character: Leadership qualities, dependable, great organizers, loyal, patient as well as strong and responsible. They are also some of the best people one can have as colleagues in the work place as they are believed to posses strong work ethics and display their creative side as well, especially when it comes to decorating their home.
Since the people born in the Ox year are also trusted to be reliable and logical, people generally turn towards them for suggestions and guidance. Their honesty and eye for details also helps them to prove their worth both in the workplace as well as in their personal lives.
However there are a few negative traits associated with the character of the Ox that also is reflected through the people born in the ox years. Attributes like being narrow minded, stubborn, with low public relations skills and also very far from being emotional are generally associated with people born in this year.

Mortgage Workout Programs for Homeowners

This was copied from CAR.ORG for informational purposes:

The following information is intended for REALTORS® and homeowners seeking information on existing mortgage workout programs. In general, the loan modification programs on the chart (see link below) and consumer information sheets (see links below) are intended for primary residences only.

For an informational chart on existing mortgage workout programs, click here. The chart is a compilation of programs offered by the larger lenders and government entities. If a specific lender or loan servicer is not on the chart, homeowners may wish to contact the lender or loan servicer to determine if a workout program is available.

For consumer information sheets containing detailed information on specific programs that REALTORS® can share with their clients, please click on the appropriate link below.

. HOPE For Homeowners (H4H)
. Countrywide Financial (Bank of America)
. Citigroup, CitiMortgage
. JP Morgan Chase & Co.
. IndyMac Federal Bank, FDIC
. Federal Government Loan Modification (Participants include: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Federal Home Loan Banks, Hope Now participants, Department of the Treasury, Federal Housing Administration and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and Wells Fargo.)
Mortgage loan modifications typically are handled on a case-by-case basis. Homeowners having difficulty meeting their mortgage obligation or interested in finding out more about a loan modification program should start by contacting their lender. Prior to calling a lender or loan servicer, homeowners should have the following information available:
. Loan number
. Income information and documentation
. Most recent mortgage statement
. Bank statements
. Letter demonstrating financial hardship

Top Ten List for REO/Distressed Properties in Lamorinda

We have done all the previewing for you. Send us an email and we will send you the Top Ten list for the best distressed properties with the most "upside". We also have a Top Ten for properties under 300k in Central Contra Costa.