Tips For Saving Money At Home</h1> <article> <h1>Tips For Saving Money At Home</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 01:26:00 GMT</p> <p class="slug">Great Ways to Save</p><h1>Cut Costs at Home</h1><div id="articleText"><div class="parsys"><div class="section parbase textimage"><div class="textImage" id="aarp_main_n_textimage"><p>Millions are looking for ways to shave dollars and dimes from their daily expenses. To share your own tips, send us an e-mail telling us <a href="http://www.aarp.org/money/budgeting-saving/money_saving_tips_form/">how you save</a>. You can <a href="http://www.aarp.org/money/budgeting-saving/aarp_save_money/">save money on everything</a>, but here's how you can get started around your home.<br /></p><p><strong>Use up to 60 percent less</strong> <strong>energy</strong> by boiling water in a microwave rather than on an electric stovetop. When you do use the stovetop, make sure pots and pans fully cover the heating element. A 6-inch pan on an 8-inch element translates to an energy waste of more than 40 percent.<br /><br /><strong>Improve freezer efficiency</strong> by keeping the thing as full as possible—with bags of ice, for instance. But keep a 1-inch open space on each side of the interior for better air exchange.<br /><br /><strong>Lower your thermostat</strong> in the winter. For each degree that you drop, you cut your heating bill by 3 percent. To feel more comfortable at lower temperatures, place pans of water near heating outlets or radiators. Water-filled air retains heat better, and the added humidity reduces itching and dry skin.<br /><br /><strong>Mix your own <a href="http://www.aarp.org/money/budgeting-saving/info-07-2010/save_money_in_garden.html">garden dirt</a></strong>. Those “enriched” bags of soil boost flower and vegetable growth—at about $8 a bag. Instead, for each one part of dirt or topsoil mix in about two parts of compost—shredded from leaves and branches and available for free at many municipal recycling centers.<br /><br /><strong>Save on a flush</strong> in an old toilet by putting a plastic bottle full of water, weighted with pebbles, in your tank.<br /><br /><strong><a href="http://www.aarp.org/money/budgeting-saving/info-07-2010/save_money_in_garden.html">Get a rain barrel</a></strong>. Connected to your home’s storm gutters, it will collect water for later use on your lawn, vegetable garden or car.<br /><br /><strong>Stop that dripping faucet</strong>. Sixty drips a minute will waste about 6,428 gallons of water per year, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.<br /><br /><strong>Shower quickly and save</strong>. A 15-minute shower a day costs about $310 a year, even with a low-flow shower head. Cutting the time by a third will save about $100 annually.<br /><strong><br /><a href="http://www.aarp.org/money/budgeting-saving/info-07-2010/save_money_in_garden.html">Buy torn bags of mulch</a></strong>. Home centers usually set these torn bags aside, then sell the day’s mishaps at a big discount. Your best chance to get these deals is at the end of a weekend shopping day. Bring duct tape to close them, and a tarp to keep your car trunk clean.<br /><br /><strong>Rent that extra room</strong> or space in your garage, basement, backyard. Visit <a href="http://www.sparefoot.com/">sparefoot.com</a> or <a href="http://storeatmyhouse.com/">storeatmyhouse.com</a> to list its availability and your asking price for free. SpareFoot gets a transaction fee equal to half the first month’s paid rent (a spare bedroom can fetch $150 a month). The site also sells legally vetted lease agreements for $19.<br /><br /><strong>Save on printer ink</strong> by using the Century Gothic font, which a recent study showed consumes about a third less ink than industry-standard Arial. That saves about $20 a year for a home user printing 25 pages a week.<br /><br /><strong>Do it yourself </strong>or hire someone? You can get estimates of the difference in cost for a <a href="http://www.aarp.org/home-garden/home-improvement/">home improvement</a> project at <a href="http://www.diyornot.com/">diyornot.com,</a> as well as advice on whether you should go it alone.<br /><br /><strong>Get your castoffs picked up</strong> for free by more than 60 nonprofit furniture banks nationwide. (Your items generally need to be in good condition.) Find one near you at <a href="http://www.nationalfurniturebank.com/">nationalfurniturebank.com</a>.<br /><br /><strong>Boost your knowledge</strong> with free online college courses. (You may need to buy books or download special software.) Yale, MIT and Stanford are among dozens of universities offering no-cost knowledge. Visit <a href="http://education-portal.com/">education-portal.com</a> and click on “OpenCourseWare” for a list of offerings by topic.<br /><br /><strong>Sell your junk</strong>, but first get an idea of what it’s really worth by going to <a href="http://www.itaggit.com/">itaggit.com</a>, an online “blue book” for pack rats and collectors. The site analyzes recent sales at online markets.<br /><br /><strong>Free photo editing</strong> online is available at <a href="http://www.citrify.com/">citrify.com</a>, where your uploaded photos can be tweaked with nifty effects like teeth-whitening and wrinkle-removing. <a href="http://pixorial.com/">Pixorial.com</a> provides free video online editing and up to 10 gigabytes of free storage.<br /><br /><strong>Sell your books</strong>. At <a href="http://cash4books.net/">cash4books.net</a> or <a href="http://sellbackyourbook.com/">sellbackyourbook.com</a>, you type in an unwanted book’s ISBN number to get an offer. If you like what you see, fill out a prepaid mailing label, box the books and send them off. Payment comes by check or as a credit to your PayPal account.<br /><br /><strong>Volunteer techies</strong> give free advice on common <a href="http://www.aarp.org/technology/">computer problems</a> at <a href="http://fixya.com/">fixya.com</a>.<br /><br /><strong>Don’t dump</strong>, <strong>recycle</strong>. Join the local bulletin board at <a href="http://freecycle.org/">freecycle.org</a> and post what you want to give away or something you’re looking for. No money changes hands, and your unwanted stuff won’t add to a landfill. If there’s no group in your area, the website tells how to set one up.</p><div class="clearer"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="clearer"><span>Experts</span> <p class="moreLink top"><a href="http://www.aarp.org/experts/">See All Experts <span class="arrow">»</span></a></p><div class="contentSource"><h3 style="margin-right:185px;"><a href="http://www.aarp.org/money/budgeting-saving/info-05-2010/leap-to-cheap.html">The Leap to Cheap</a></h3><p style="margin-right:185px;">Why the nation's thriftiest people are also the happiest. <a class="actionLink" href="http://www.aarp.org/money/budgeting-saving/info-05-2010/leap-to-cheap.html">read</a></p><p class="expertLinks" style="margin-right:185px;"><a href="http://www.aarp.org/money/experts/jeff_yeager/">More From Jeff</a></p><p class="byline">Jeff Yeager | <em>Savings Expert</em></p></div></div> //Most Popular Info AARP.hitTracker.name = "Cut Costs at Home"; AARP.hitTracker.authorName = "AARP Bulletin"; AARP.hitTracker.url = AARP.page.protocol + "://" + AARP.page.host + AARP.page.path + "/" + AARP.page.file; var cat = AARP.page.pathc_effective; var cat1 = cat[0]; var cat2 = (cat[1] != "") ? "/"+cat[1] : ""; AARP.hitTracker.category = "/" + cat1 + cat2; AARP.hitTracker.hit(); </article> <article> <h1>Fannie Mae gets tough on strategic defaulters</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:16:00 GMT</p> <p> Borrowers who walk away from mortgages they can afford to pay – making “strategic defaults” – are running increasing risks that they’ll be penalized for doing so.<br /><br />Starting in October, Fannie Mae says, strategic defaulters will be disqualified for new Fannie Mae-backed loans for seven years after their foreclosures. Fannie also says it will go to court where it can to recoup outstanding mortgage debt from borrowers who strategically default.<br /><br />Under a bill that’s passed the House and awaits Senate action, the Federal Housing Administration would be barred from insuring mortgages for those who previously ditched a mortgage they had the ability to pay.<br /><br />Get-tough policies are forming at the same time that about a quarter of mortgage borrowers owe more than their homes are worth.<br /><br />Fannie Mae buys about 40 percent of all mortgages and packages them for resale to investors. The FHA insures about 30 percent of home mortgages.<br /><br />Freddie Mac, which also buys mortgages, says it is examining Fannie Mae’s policy.<br /><br />To determine if a borrower is in default, Fannie examines whether the homeowner still has access to credit and is paying that debt and others.<br /><br />Cracking down on strategic defaulters is controversial. Some lenders say it is necessary to stem the tide of homeowners shirking their obligations.<br /><br />“We need to start treating bad behavior with serious and measureable consequences so that we can get this nation back on its feet,” says Daniel Smith, vice president of mortgage banking at First Place Bank in Livonia, Mich. “Washington needs to come up with a uniform law on this issue.”<br /><br />Others say homeowners who may appear guilty of strategically defaulting really can’t afford to make mortgage payments.<br /><br />“It seems like an overreaction,” says Howard Banker, a founder of Fair Mortgage Collaborative, a consumer education non-profit in New York. “If you do default, it goes into foreclosure, and that’s already very damaging to your credit.”<br /><br />Other policies may be more effective than penalizing strategic defaulters, says Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics. Changing bankruptcy laws to allow bankruptcy judges to reduce debtors’ mortgages is an example, he says.<br /><br />“I’m not a big fan of using the stick to get people to stay in their homes. There are instances where it makes no financial sense for them to stay in their homes,” Zandi says. “And how do you know, really, if someone is strategically defaulting?”<br /><br />Two out of five homeowners say they would consider walking away from their mortgages if their homes were worth less than what they owed, according to a survey by Trulia and RealtyTrac.</p><p>WASHINGTON – July 19, 2010 –<br /><br />© Copyright 2010 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc., Stephanie Armour.<br /><br /></p> </article> <article> <h1>Viral email raises real estate tax fears</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:27:00 GMT</p> <p>WASHINGTON – July 26, 2010 – A viral email that keeps circulating seems to die out but then returns with a vengeance. Florida Realtors and the National Association of Realtors have received numerous calls from concerned members.<br /><br />The email incorrectly states that “all real estate transactions will be subject to a 3.8% sales tax.” It then goes on to blame Democrats for inserting the language at the last minute into the recent health care package. To back up the email’s message, it includes an attachment that looks like a newspaper article from the Spokesman-Review, a Spokane, Wash., publication.<br /><br />Part of the email is true: There is a new real estate tax that will help pay for Medicare, but it impacts a very small number of people. It applies only to sellers making more than $200,000 per year or $250,000 for couples.<br /><br />The email fails to include information on the article, however, which is actually an editorial opinion of an outside writer and not a news piece. It was written by a representative of The Washington Policy Center (<a id="CPNEWWIN:NewWindow^top=10,left=10,width=500,height=400,toolbar=1,location=1,directories=0,status=1,menubar=1,scrollbars=1,resizable=1@http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/Centers/healthcare/index.html|">http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/Centers/healthcare/index.html</a>), which includes a link on its website outlining the group’s stance on health care reform.<br /><br />The National Association of Realtors has created a page explaining the new law that includes rebuttals of the false email. <a id="CPNEWWIN:NewWindow^top=10,left=10,width=500,height=400,toolbar=1,location=1,directories=0,status=1,menubar=1,scrollbars=1,resizable=1@http://www.realtor.org/small_business_health_coverage.nsf/pages/health_ref_faq_med_tax?opendocument|">It can be found here.</a><br /><br />A Washington Post article created a fictional couple with a joint income of $300,000 (over the $250,000 limit) that made a $600,000 profit on a home sale. In the example, the couple could pay a new real estate tax equal to about $1,900. <a id="CPNEWWIN:NewWindow^top=10,left=10,width=500,height=400,toolbar=1,location=1,directories=0,status=1,menubar=1,scrollbars=1,resizable=1@http://www.realtor.org/small_business_health_coverage.nsf/pages/health_ref_faq_med_tax?opendocument|">Read more about the Washington Post example</a>.<br /><br />© 2010 Florida Realtors®<br /></p> </article> <article> <h1>Viral email raises real estate tax fears</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:25:00 GMT</p> <p>WASHINGTON – July 26, 2010 – A viral email that keeps circulating seems to die out but then returns with a vengeance. Florida Realtors and the National Association of Realtors have received numerous calls from concerned members.<br /><br />The email incorrectly states that “all real estate transactions will be subject to a 3.8% sales tax.” It then goes on to blame Democrats for inserting the language at the last minute into the recent health care package. To back up the email’s message, it includes an attachment that looks like a newspaper article from the Spokesman-Review, a Spokane, Wash., publication.<br /><br />Part of the email is true: There is a new real estate tax that will help pay for Medicare, but it impacts a very small number of people. It applies only to sellers making more than $200,000 per year or $250,000 for couples.<br /><br />The email fails to include information on the article, however, which is actually an editorial opinion of an outside writer and not a news piece. It was written by a representative of The Washington Policy Center (<a id="CPNEWWIN:NewWindow^top=10,left=10,width=500,height=400,toolbar=1,location=1,directories=0,status=1,menubar=1,scrollbars=1,resizable=1@http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/Centers/healthcare/index.html|">http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/Centers/healthcare/index.html</a>), which includes a link on its website outlining the group’s stance on health care reform.<br /><br />The National Association of Realtors has created a page explaining the new law that includes rebuttals of the false email. <a id="CPNEWWIN:NewWindow^top=10,left=10,width=500,height=400,toolbar=1,location=1,directories=0,status=1,menubar=1,scrollbars=1,resizable=1@http://www.realtor.org/small_business_health_coverage.nsf/pages/health_ref_faq_med_tax?opendocument|">It can be found here.</a><br /><br />A Washington Post article created a fictional couple with a joint income of $300,000 (over the $250,000 limit) that made a $600,000 profit on a home sale. In the example, the couple could pay a new real estate tax equal to about $1,900. <a id="CPNEWWIN:NewWindow^top=10,left=10,width=500,height=400,toolbar=1,location=1,directories=0,status=1,menubar=1,scrollbars=1,resizable=1@http://www.realtor.org/small_business_health_coverage.nsf/pages/health_ref_faq_med_tax?opendocument|">Read more about the Washington Post example</a>.<br /><br />© 2010 Florida Realtors®<br /></p> </article> <article> <h1>New law shifts association fees from homeowner to renter</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 01:12:00 GMT</p> PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – July 19, 2010 – Under a new Florida law, homeowner association boards can go after renters for association fees when the homeowners fail to pay up.<br /><br />The law has been attracting attention in Ponte Vedra Beach and elsewhere in the Beaches area because so many housing developments have homeowner associations.<br /><br />“Associations are hemorrhaging,” said real estate attorney Barry Ansbacher, who represents the Marsh Landing homeowner association in Ponte Vedra Beach. “It’s not an isolated case anymore; there’s nobody that hasn’t been touched by this.”<br /><br />Property owners are traditionally responsible for paying the fees, usually collected monthly or quarterly, to the associations. The fees are typically used to pay for common area maintenance in a residential development, legal and safety issues and enforcement of the covenants, conditions and restrictions set by the developer.<br /><br />The law, which took effect July 1, says homeowner associations must notify renters that their payments should be paid directly to the association, not to a landlord who has failed to pay the organization.<br /><br />Homeowners associations govern a subdivision, condominium or planned community. Some associations have lost thousands of dollars because of non-payment. That negatively impacts the upkeep of the community and future home values, said Anna Marks, president of May Management Services, a property management company in Ponte Vedra Beach.<br /><br />“Their [associations’] job is to protect the asset of the community; if they can’t do this, then property values go down,” she said. “The associations need to be prepared for when the economy turns.”<br /><br />Joe Ankiewicz, a senior client accounting manager for May Management, said the issue has been ongoing for about two years.<br /><br />“There are some communities struggling to pay their bills on a week-to-week basis,” he said. “It’s gotten to the point where the Legislature had to come up with a statute.”<br /><br />If the tenant is ordered to make a payment to the association, it counts as rent credit. The tenant pays the remaining balance to the landlord. For example, if a lease agreement calls for the renter to pay $600 a month including $100 association fees, traditionally they would have paid the whole amount to the landlord. Now, under the law, the tenant would pay the landlord $500 and the association $100.<br /><br />When a renter is required to pay the association directly, they should keep a copy of the notice from the association seeking payment, as well as cancelled checks and/or receipts. If the landlord demands the entire $600, the tenant should send them copies of the documents and receipts showing their payments to the association.<br /><br />“If the landlord files an eviction, it’s very important that the tenant doesn’t sit back and assume the payment to the association will protect them; they need to answer the eviction lawsuit,” Ansbacher said.<br /><br />Typically, landlords who are not paying their mortgage are also not paying their association dues, officials said. Before people rent from a homeowner, they should seek documents showing that they are up to date on their mortgage payments and association dues.<br /><br />“A prudent tenant raises the question whether the mortgage and association dues are current before signing the lease,” Ansbacher said.<br /><br />Janice O’Connell, president of Amelia Mortgage in Nassau County, said delinquent owners can also affect bank financing for future owners looking to buy into the community.<br /><br />“If the delinquency is more than 15 percent in [association] dues, then you can’t get a loan on the project no matter how great your credit score is,” she said. “This just happened to one of my clients two days ago.”<br /><br />How much people pay monthly or quarterly depends on the community’s size and amenities, Marks said.<br /><br />“It’s all over the board,” she said. “It could be low to extremely high.”<br /><br />Also under the law, a tenant is not required to pay the association more than what they pay in rent. The law helps the tenant if they are doing what they’re supposed to do while the landlord isn’t, officials said.<br /><br />“This cuts both ways, to avoid the association from having to foreclose the unit if the tenant is in place they can pay,” Ansbacher said.<br /><br />Ponte Vedra Beaches Coalition member Clara Cowan said it’s about time the Legislature helped struggling associations by giving them some tools to work with. The coalition is a group of homeowner associations.<br /><br />“Everybody’s struggling right now and that includes [associations],” she said. “Associations have bills to pay. When people don’t pay their bills, they are left in a lurch.”<br /><br />Many questions about the bill remain unanswered, including whether associations can charge for the notice they issue to tenants and what their rights are if the owner files for bankruptcy, Ansbacher said.<br /><br />“Any time you have a new law, you have people getting a feel for it,” he said.<br /><br />If an association isn’t paid, they can file a lien on the house and foreclose on the property.<br /><br />The bill doesn’t address mortgages, which means that a tenant can still be evicted if the homeowner fails to pay the mortgage holder.<br /><br />Copyright © 2010 The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville, Shakaya Andres. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.<br /> </article> <article> <h1>Seniors July Newsletter</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 10:38:00 GMT</p> <div class="Section1"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse:collapse;border:medium none;"><tr><td colspan="2" style="border-right:#f0f0f0;padding-right:5.4pt;border-top:#f0f0f0;padding-left:5.4pt;padding-bottom:0in;border-left:#f0f0f0;width:6.65in;padding-top:0in;border-bottom:windowtext 4.5pt double;background-color:transparent;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;text-align:center;"><span></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right:#f0f0f0;padding-right:5.4pt;border-top:#f0f0f0;padding-left:5.4pt;background:silver;padding-bottom:0in;border-left:#f0f0f0;width:261.9pt;padding-top:0in;border-bottom:windowtext 4.5pt double;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;text-align:justify;"><strong><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial;">Monthly Newsletter – July, 2010</span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong></p></td><td style="border-right:#f0f0f0;padding-right:5.4pt;border-top:#f0f0f0;padding-left:5.4pt;background:silver;padding-bottom:0in;border-left:#f0f0f0;width:216.9pt;padding-top:0in;border-bottom:windowtext 4.5pt double;"><p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;text-align:right;"><a href="http://www.seniorsrealestate.com/"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">www.seniorsrealestate.com</font></span></a><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong></p></td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right:5.4pt;padding-left:5.4pt;padding-bottom:0in;width:261.9pt;padding-top:0in;background-color:transparent;border:#f0f0f0;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;text-align:justify;"><strong><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial;"></span></strong></p></td><td style="padding-right:5.4pt;padding-left:5.4pt;padding-bottom:0in;width:216.9pt;padding-top:0in;background-color:transparent;border:#f0f0f0;"><p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;text-align:right;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p></td></tr></table></div><strong><span style="font-size:11pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;"><br style="page-break-before:auto;" /></span></strong><div class="Section2"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-size:18pt;color:black;line-height:115%;font-family:'Century Gothic';">Happy Intergenerational Households </span></strong><span style="font-size:18pt;color:black;line-height:115%;font-family:'Century Gothic';"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;">By Elyse Umlauf-Garneau<br /><br /></span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Gail Niermeyer recently sold a house to a three-generation family that included a grandmother, a daughter, a granddaughter, and a married son with twins. And four dogs. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">It's becoming more common to see multiple generations of people living under one roof, according to Niermeyer, a salesperson with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Naperville, Ill. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">And statistics point to a rise in such living arrangements. A January 2010 Coldwell Banker Real Estate study found that in the prior 12 months,<span> </span>37 percent of sales professionals who responded to the survey had seen an increase in homebuyers seeking property to house more than one generation of their family. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Almost 70 percent of respondents believe that economic conditions may cause greater demand for such homes over the next year.</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">And after a significant drop in multigenerational living arrangements between 1940 and 1980, the Pew Research Center (http://pewsocialtrends.org/assets/pdf/752-multi-generational-families.pdf) is seeing a trend reversal.</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">In 2008, an estimated 49 million Americans (16 percent of the total U.S. population) lived in a family household that contained at least two adult generations or a grandparent and at least one other generation. In 1980, this figure was just 28 million, or 12 percent of the population, according to Pew.</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">A tough economy, more elderly parents needing care, a larger immigrant population and a rise in the first-time marriage age all are contributing to the change.<span> </span></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">For some, it just comes down to family bonds. "Many want their children to know their grandparents and have a sense of family," observes Niermeyer. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">If you're thinking of such an arrangement for your family, here are some real estate considerations: </font></span></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;text-indent:-0.25in;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">One-floor ranch homes with separate entrances make it easier for elderly residents to get in and out of the house, and a separate entrance offers them some privacy. Properties later can be modified with ramps to accommodate aging in place.</font></span></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;text-indent:-0.25in;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Multilevel properties retrofitted with elevators can transform a multi-story house into an accessible option for seniors.<span> </span></font></span></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;text-indent:-0.25in;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Lower levels that can be converted to living areas with kitchenettes deliver privacy and autonomy for younger and older family members. </font></span></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;text-indent:-0.25in;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Opening walls between bedrooms can accommodate a suite with sitting and sleeping areas for seniors. </font></span></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;text-indent:-0.25in;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Coach houses are ideal both for boomerang college students or seniors. They also can house caretakers. </font></span></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt 0.5in;text-indent:-0.25in;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Renting a house for a senior in a child's neighborhood has become an appealing option for some, says Niermeyer.</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt 0.2in;"><font size="3"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;">Observers do warn that such living arrangements can be rife with conflict.<span> </span>"Practicing effective communication principles and utilizing a family meeting format, the three Rs--rules, roles and resources--need to be ironed out before the blending of generations occur," comments Richard Horowitz, a New Jersey family and relationship coach (www.GrowingGreatRelationships.com), who gives </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">seminars on effective intergenerational households. <span style="color:black;"></span></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">His rules of thumb include: </font></span></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;text-indent:-0.25in;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Rules--How will we handle disciplining kids, chores, and the use of computers and other media devices?</font></span></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;text-indent:-0.25in;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Roles--How are decisions made?<span> </span>Who's in charge of what? How are chores assigned and carried out?<span> </span></font></span></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt 0.5in;text-indent:-0.25in;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Resources--Who pays and how much?<span> </span>What else non-monetarily can individuals contribute? </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Niermeyer notes that it can be wonderful to have an entire family living together. "For the senior, it can be a source of pride that they've raised a loving caring family that wants to be together. You just have to make a pledge that it's going to work."<span> </span></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;margin:0in 0in 10pt;line-height:120%;"><strong><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Oil spill scams</font></span></strong><font size="3"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"> <br /></span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;">The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued<span> </span>a warning (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt058.shtm )about scam artists who may be angling to take advantage of consumers affected by the oil spill in Louisiana. </span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;margin:12pt 0in;line-height:120%;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">The FTC says scammers likely will use multiple forms of contact, including e-mail, phone, websites, and in-person visits, to solicit money, pose as insurance adjusters, or offer phony services. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;margin:12pt 0in;line-height:120%;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">"Some may claim they’re raising money for environmental causes or offer fraudulent services – like remediation services – related to the oil spill. Others may claim they can expedite loss claims for a fee. Still others may knock on your door and talk about placing booms or checking for oil on your property," says the alert. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;margin:12pt 0in;line-height:120%;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Some FTC guidelines: </font></span></p><ul style="margin-top:0in;"><li class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;margin:6pt 0in;color:black;line-height:120%;tab-stops:list .5in;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">ESIS, BP’s authorized claims administrator, doesn't charge fees to process claims, nor will the government and authorized adjusters ask for fees to expedite services. If you make a claim, you're<span> </span>assigned a claims number through the BP hotline (800-440-0858), and an authorized ESIS adjuster will contact you to verify and process claims. </font></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;margin:6pt 0in;color:black;line-height:120%;tab-stops:list .5in;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Get proper legal and financial advice before signing any waivers of liability. </font></span></li></ul><ul style="margin-top:0in;"><li class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;margin:6pt 0in;color:black;line-height:120%;tab-stops:list .5in;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Don't hire contractors asking for up-front payments. <span></span></font></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;margin:6pt 0in;color:black;line-height:120%;tab-stops:list .5in;"><font size="3"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Before donating to charities, check a charity's legitimacy at </span><span style="color:windowtext;"><a href="http://www.bbb.org/us/charity"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none;">www.bbb.org/us/charity</span></a></span><span style="font-family:Arial;">, the Better Business Bureau's website. For information on the warning signs of a charity scam, see </span><span style="color:windowtext;"><a href="http://www.ftc.gov/charityfraud/"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none;">www.ftc.gov/charityfraud</span></a></span><span style="font-family:Arial;">. </span></font></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;margin:6pt 0in;color:black;line-height:120%;tab-stops:list .5in;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Avoid job or volunteer positions requiring you to pay a fee before the job begins.</font></span></li></ul><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;margin:12pt 0in;line-height:120%;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">For oil spill updates, search for "Gulf Oil Spill" at </font></span><a href="http://www.usa.gov/"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none;"><font size="3">usa.gov</font></span></a><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">. If you suspect that someone is committing fraud related to the oil spill, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud at 866-720-5721. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Distracted driving dangers<br /></font></span></strong><font size="3"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;">Ever had a near-miss on the road? You're not alone. <br />Accidents due to distracted drivers have spiked, and teens aren't the only culprits. A study (http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Cell-Phone-Distractions.aspx?r=1 )by Pew Internet & American Life Project found that </span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;">47 percent of texting adults say they have sent or read a text message while driving.<span></span></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">If you're tempted to text, talk on cell phones or apply makeup while driving, consider this sobering statistic. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">The National High Traffic Safety Administration estimates that in 2008, 5,870 people lost their lives and another 515,000 were injured in police-reported crashes in which one form of distraction was noted on the crash report. <br /></font></span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><br /><font size="3">If you're still tempted to text and drive or you want to convince someone to stop driving distractedly, there's no shortage of data.<span> </span></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">For safety information see: <br />-www.distraction.gov<br />-</font></span><font size="3"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;">www.oprah.com/packages/no-phone-zone.html<br />-www.nhtsa.gov/Distracted</span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"></span></font></p></div><span style="font-size:11pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;"><br style="page-break-before:auto;" /></span><table align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="margin:auto 6.75pt;border-collapse:collapse;"><tr style="height:94.3pt;"><td style="padding-right:5.4pt;padding-left:5.4pt;padding-bottom:0in;width:239.4pt;padding-top:0in;height:94.3pt;background-color:transparent;border:#f0f0f0;"><h6 style="line-height:normal;"><strong><span style="color:windowtext;font-style:normal;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Real Estate Matters: News & Issues for the Mature Market</font></span></strong></h6><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;punctuation-wrap:simple;"><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Angie Shull, SRES,CDPE,FSP,SFR,GRI</font></span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;punctuation-wrap:simple;"><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">REMAX Property Centre</font></span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;punctuation-wrap:simple;"><font size="3"><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">1134 W Granada Blvd</span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;punctuation-wrap:simple;"><font size="3"><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">Ormond Beach</span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">, FL<span> </span>32174</span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;punctuation-wrap:simple;"><font face="Calibri" size="3"></font></p></td><td style="padding-right:5.4pt;padding-left:5.4pt;padding-bottom:0in;width:239.4pt;padding-top:0in;height:94.3pt;background-color:transparent;border:#f0f0f0;"><p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;text-align:right;tab-stops:169.8pt;"><span><font face="Calibri" size="3"></font></span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:53.8pt;"><td colspan="2" style="padding-right:5.4pt;padding-left:5.4pt;background:#d9d9d9;padding-bottom:0in;width:6.65in;padding-top:0in;height:53.8pt;border:#f0f0f0;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;text-align:center;"><span><font face="Calibri" size="3"></font></span></p></td></tr></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><font face="Calibri" size="3"></font></p> </article> <article> <h1>Tips On Saving Around the House</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:29:00 GMT</p> <div id="articleText"><div class="parsys"><div class="section parbase textimage"><div class="textImage" id="aarp_main_n_textimage"><p>Millions are looking for ways to shave dollars and dimes from their daily expenses. To share your own tips, send us an e-mail telling us <a href="http://www.aarp.org/money/budgeting-saving/money_saving_tips_form/">how you save</a>. You can <a href="http://www.aarp.org/money/budgeting-saving/aarp_save_money/">save money on everything</a>, but here's how you can get started around your home.<br /></p><p><strong>Use up to 60 percent less</strong> <strong>energy</strong> by boiling water in a microwave rather than on an electric stovetop. When you do use the stovetop, make sure pots and pans fully cover the heating element. A 6-inch pan on an 8-inch element translates to an energy waste of more than 40 percent.<br /><br /><strong>Improve freezer efficiency</strong> by keeping the thing as full as possible—with bags of ice, for instance. But keep a 1-inch open space on each side of the interior for better air exchange.<br /><br /><strong>Lower your thermostat</strong> in the winter. For each degree that you drop, you cut your heating bill by 3 percent. To feel more comfortable at lower temperatures, place pans of water near heating outlets or radiators. Water-filled air retains heat better, and the added humidity reduces itching and dry skin.<br /><br /><strong>Mix your own <a href="http://www.aarp.org/money/budgeting-saving/info-07-2010/save_money_in_garden.html">garden dirt</a></strong>. Those “enriched” bags of soil boost flower and vegetable growth—at about $8 a bag. Instead, for each one part of dirt or topsoil mix in about two parts of compost—shredded from leaves and branches and available for free at many municipal recycling centers.<br /><br /><strong>Save on a flush</strong> in an old toilet by putting a plastic bottle full of water, weighted with pebbles, in your tank.<br /><br /><strong><a href="http://www.aarp.org/money/budgeting-saving/info-07-2010/save_money_in_garden.html">Get a rain barrel</a></strong>. Connected to your home’s storm gutters, it will collect water for later use on your lawn, vegetable garden or car.<br /><br /><strong>Stop that dripping faucet</strong>. Sixty drips a minute will waste about 6,428 gallons of water per year, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.<br /><br /><strong>Shower quickly and save</strong>. A 15-minute shower a day costs about $310 a year, even with a low-flow shower head. Cutting the time by a third will save about $100 annually.<br /><strong><br /><a href="http://www.aarp.org/money/budgeting-saving/info-07-2010/save_money_in_garden.html">Buy torn bags of mulch</a></strong>. Home centers usually set these torn bags aside, then sell the day’s mishaps at a big discount. Your best chance to get these deals is at the end of a weekend shopping day. Bring duct tape to close them, and a tarp to keep your car trunk clean.<br /><br /><strong>Rent that extra room</strong> or space in your garage, basement, backyard. Visit <a href="http://www.sparefoot.com/">sparefoot.com</a> or <a href="http://storeatmyhouse.com/">storeatmyhouse.com</a> to list its availability and your asking price for free. SpareFoot gets a transaction fee equal to half the first month’s paid rent (a spare bedroom can fetch $150 a month). The site also sells legally vetted lease agreements for $19.<br /><br /><strong>Save on printer ink</strong> by using the Century Gothic font, which a recent study showed consumes about a third less ink than industry-standard Arial. That saves about $20 a year for a home user printing 25 pages a week.<br /><br /><strong>Do it yourself </strong>or hire someone? You can get estimates of the difference in cost for a <a href="http://www.aarp.org/home-garden/home-improvement/">home improvement</a> project at <a href="http://www.diyornot.com/">diyornot.com,</a> as well as advice on whether you should go it alone.<br /><br /><strong>Get your castoffs picked up</strong> for free by more than 60 nonprofit furniture banks nationwide. (Your items generally need to be in good condition.) Find one near you at <a href="http://www.nationalfurniturebank.com/">nationalfurniturebank.com</a>.<br /><br /><strong>Boost your knowledge</strong> with free online college courses. (You may need to buy books or download special software.) Yale, MIT and Stanford are among dozens of universities offering no-cost knowledge. Visit <a href="http://education-portal.com/">education-portal.com</a> and click on “OpenCourseWare” for a list of offerings by topic.<br /><br /><strong>Sell your junk</strong>, but first get an idea of what it’s really worth by going to <a href="http://www.itaggit.com/">itaggit.com</a>, an online “blue book” for pack rats and collectors. The site analyzes recent sales at online markets.<br /><br /><strong>Free photo editing</strong> online is available at <a href="http://www.citrify.com/">citrify.com</a>, where your uploaded photos can be tweaked with nifty effects like teeth-whitening and wrinkle-removing. <a href="http://pixorial.com/">Pixorial.com</a> provides free video online editing and up to 10 gigabytes of free storage.<br /><br /><strong>Sell your books</strong>. At <a href="http://cash4books.net/">cash4books.net</a> or <a href="http://sellbackyourbook.com/">sellbackyourbook.com</a>, you type in an unwanted book’s ISBN number to get an offer. If you like what you see, fill out a prepaid mailing label, box the books and send them off. Payment comes by check or as a credit to your PayPal account.<br /><br /><strong>Volunteer techies</strong> give free advice on common <a href="http://www.aarp.org/technology/">computer problems</a> at <a href="http://fixya.com/">fixya.com</a>.<br /><br /><strong>Don’t dump</strong>, <strong>recycle</strong>. Join the local bulletin board at <a href="http://freecycle.org/">freecycle.org</a> and post what you want to give away or something you’re looking for. No money changes hands, and your unwanted stuff won’t add to a landfill. If there’s no group in your area, the website tells how to set one up.</p><div class="clearer"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="clearer"></div> //Most Popular Info AARP.hitTracker.name = "Cut Costs at Home"; AARP.hitTracker.authorName = "AARP Bulletin"; AARP.hitTracker.url = AARP.page.protocol + "://" + AARP.page.host + AARP.page.path + "/" + AARP.page.file; var cat = AARP.page.pathc_effective; var cat1 = cat[0]; var cat2 = (cat[1] != "") ? "/"+cat[1] : ""; AARP.hitTracker.category = "/" + cat1 + cat2; AARP.hitTracker.hit();<div class="section tools parbase"><div id="generalStatus" style="display:none;"></div><ul class="articleShareTools "><li class="social"><span id="sharethis_1"><a class="stbutton stico_default" title="ShareThis via email, AIM, social bookmarking and networking sites, etc."><span class="stbuttontext">ShareThis</span></a></span></li><li class="print"><a href="http://www.aarp.org/money/budgeting-saving/info-06-2010/home_saving_tips.html">Print</a> </li><li class="translations"></li></ul> AARP.articleTools.enabled = true;</div><div class="section expertInsights parbase"><div class="contentWrapper section"><h2>From The<br /><span>Experts</span></h2><p class="moreLink top"><a href="http://www.aarp.org/experts/">See All Experts <span class="arrow">»</span></a></p><div class="contentSource"><h3 style="margin-right:185px;"><a href="http://www.aarp.org/money/budgeting-saving/info-05-2010/leap-to-cheap.html">The Leap to Cheap</a></h3><p style="margin-right:185px;">Why the nation's thriftiest people are also the happiest. <a class="actionLink" href="http://www.aarp.org/money/budgeting-saving/info-05-2010/leap-to-cheap.html">read</a></p><p class="expertLinks" style="margin-right:185px;"><a href="http://www.aarp.org/money/experts/jeff_yeager/">More From Jeff</a></p><p class="byline">Jeff Yeager | <em>Savings Expert</em></p><p class="byline"><em>From AARP online</em></p></div></div></div> </article> <article> <h1>New Weekly Article - Exchanging Spaces</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 09:37:00 GMT</p> http://www.yourhomeandlifestyle.com/pages/article/YHL_JUL_10_03/40033/index.html <br /> </article> <article> <h1>Seniors June Newsletter</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:35:00 GMT</p> <div class="Section1"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse:collapse;border:medium none;"><tr><td colspan="2" style="border-right:#f0f0f0;padding-right:5.4pt;border-top:#f0f0f0;padding-left:5.4pt;padding-bottom:0in;border-left:#f0f0f0;width:6.65in;padding-top:0in;border-bottom:windowtext 4.5pt double;background-color:transparent;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;text-align:center;"><span></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right:#f0f0f0;padding-right:5.4pt;border-top:#f0f0f0;padding-left:5.4pt;background:silver;padding-bottom:0in;border-left:#f0f0f0;width:261.9pt;padding-top:0in;border-bottom:windowtext 4.5pt double;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;text-align:justify;"><strong><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial;">Monthly Newsletter – June, 2010</span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong></p></td><td style="border-right:#f0f0f0;padding-right:5.4pt;border-top:#f0f0f0;padding-left:5.4pt;background:silver;padding-bottom:0in;border-left:#f0f0f0;width:216.9pt;padding-top:0in;border-bottom:windowtext 4.5pt double;"><p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;text-align:right;"><a href="http://www.seniorsrealestate.com/"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">www.seniorsrealestate.com</font></span></a><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong></p></td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right:5.4pt;padding-left:5.4pt;padding-bottom:0in;width:261.9pt;padding-top:0in;background-color:transparent;border:#f0f0f0;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;text-align:justify;"><strong><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial;"></span></strong></p></td><td style="padding-right:5.4pt;padding-left:5.4pt;padding-bottom:0in;width:216.9pt;padding-top:0in;background-color:transparent;border:#f0f0f0;"><p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;text-align:right;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p></td></tr></table></div><strong><span style="font-size:11pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;"><br style="page-break-before:auto;" /></span></strong><div class="Section2"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;line-height:normal;"><strong><span style="font-size:18pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;">Health Savings Accounts Come Up Short</span></strong><strong><span style="font-size:18pt;font-family:Arial;"><br /></span></strong><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;">By Elyse Umlauf-Garneau<br /><br /></span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">The Washington, D.C.-based Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) has a bit of sobering news for those intending to rely heavily on a Health Savings Account (HSA) to fund medical costs in retirement. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">HSAs<span> </span>(<em>for more about HSAs, see,</em> http://treas.gov/offices/public-affairs/hsa) were designed to allow people to save in a tax-advantaged way for health costs. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Such accounts require participants to be covered by a high-deductible health insurance policy. They then can direct money to an HSA and use the funds to pay for both current and future medical costs. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">EBRI assessed how effectively HSAs can generate the necessary funds to pay for health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses for health care during retirement. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">The April 2010 report (http://www.ebri.org/pdf/notespdf/EBRI_Notes_04-Apr10.HSAs-TaxExpends1.pdf) found that contribution limits and low interest rates limit the ability of HSAs to grow large enough to cover retiree health expenses. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">One example the research offers: </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Based on current interest rates, if a 55-year-old in 2009 contributed $3,000 to an HSA and the $1,000 catch-up contribution each year for 10 years, a total of $48,300 would be in the account after 10 years at a 2 percent interest rate. At an interest rate of 5 percent, $55,100 would be accumulated at the end of 10 years.</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Yet that 55-year-old man, who would reach age 65 in 2019, would need between $144,000 and $290,000 in 2019 to (depending upon his use of prescription drugs in retirement) to have a 50 percent chance of being able to</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">cover premiums and out-of-pocket expenses for Medigap and Medicare Part D.</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">“One of the difficulties in using an HSA to save money for premiums and out-of-pocket expenses during retirement is that contributions to the HSA are limited by law,” said Paul Fronstin of EBRI, author of the report. “As a result, the <span>savings needed </span>for retiree health care far exceed the <span>savings potential<em> </em></span>of an HSA.”</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Retirement readiness</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Making the transition between work and retirement is the focus of a new MetLife Mature Market Institute study and workbook. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Though financial preparedness is important, a smooth transition to retirement entails more than just dollars and cents, according to the study (http://www.metlife.com/mmi/research/retirement-readiness-index.html#findings) <em>MetLife Retirement Readiness Index: Are Americans Prepared for the Transition?</em></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">It asked respondents to determine their progress on several key issues, such as when they'll retire and if they'll work part-time in retirement and how they'll balance leisure and work in retirement. Additional topics included how retirement would affect relationships and the amount of money they have and would need. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">One takeaway for pre-retirees is the importance of advance planning. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">After all, the study found that only a third (35 percent) of<span> </span>45- to 49-year-old respondents felt prepared for retirement, while 64 percent of the 60- to 64- year-olds and 81 percent of 65- to 70-year-olds felt prepared. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">It also found that more than half (52 percent) of respondents were behind in their savings goals, and<span> </span>25 percent who were<span> </span><span>significantly </span>behind. Only 28 percent were confident that they were on track or had reached their goals. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Yet only a third of people who say they would like to do some type of work when they retire have explored alternate careers, and still fewer, 10 percent, have focused on their employment prospects, according to Sandra Timmermann, director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">"A third have not created a contingency plan in case of a financial setback. The financial risks surrounding retirement have increased dramatically because of longevity, low interest rates, the volatile stock market, business performance and employment conditions, among other issues, and everyone should further consider the fact that illness and other unanticipated issues can have an impact on any plans,” said Timmerman. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">For pre-retirees, the accompanying workbook, <em>Retirement Readiness</em></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><font size="3"><em><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;">Workbook (http://www.metlife.com/assets/cao/mmi/publications/studies/2010/mmi-retirement-readiness-workbook-.pdf),</span></em><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"> could prove beneficial because it identifies what people need to consider before retiring. </span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Those topics are categorized and the workbook includes a scorecard to help users measure progress in each category. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">The categories are: </font></span></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Work</font></span></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Leisure and activity</font></span></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Relationships</font></span></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Income and benefits</font></span></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Planning</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">“Deciding to retire without having substantially completed specific tasks can put a successful transition and satisfying retirement at risk. This type of planning can be complex and lengthy, so it’s important that people start preparing as early as</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">possible, even as early as their 20s, to ensure a more fulfilling and enjoyable retirement," added Timmerman.</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><strong><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Gay seniors' housing hurdles </font></span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><font size="3"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;">***, gay, bisexuals, and transgender (LGBT)</span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"> seniors face all the worries normally associated with aging, such as care-giving, long-term care and financial stability. But they also contend with additional concerns about discrimination and finding housing where they can live openly and comfortably and in an environment of respect. </span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Several non-profit organizations and developers, both in the United States and Canada, have recognized the challenges facing this niche and have emerged with resources and LBGT-specific housing options. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">If you're exploring LGBT housing options or need more information about LGBT-related aging issues, see: </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">-Gay and *** Elder Housing, http://gleh.org</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">-Gay and *** Association of Retiring Persons, Inc. (GLARP) <em>www.gaylesbianretiring.org/index.html</em></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">- LGBT Aging Issues Network (LAIN): <em>www.asaging.org/networks/index.cfm?cg=LAIN</em></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><font size="3"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;">-MetLife Mature Market Institute: </span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span> </span><em><span style="color:black;">www.metlife.com/assets/cao/mmi/publications/studies/2010/mmi-lgbt-planning-tips.pdf</span></em></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><font size="3"><em><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;">-</span></em><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;">Palms of Manasota:<em> www.palmsofmanasota.com/site/index.php</em></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">-Rainbow Vision: <em><span> </span>www.rainbowvisionprop.com/index.html</em></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">-Services and Advocacy for Gay, ***, Bisexual & Transgender Elders (SAGE): www.sageusa.org/index.cfm</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">-Urban Home: http://urban-home.ca/home.html</font></span></p></div><span style="font-size:11pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;"><br style="page-break-before:auto;" /></span><table align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="margin:auto 6.75pt;border-collapse:collapse;"><tr style="height:94.3pt;"><td style="padding-right:5.4pt;padding-left:5.4pt;padding-bottom:0in;width:239.4pt;padding-top:0in;height:94.3pt;background-color:transparent;border:#f0f0f0;"><h6 style="line-height:normal;"><strong><span style="color:windowtext;font-style:normal;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Real Estate Matters: News & Issues for the Mature Market</font></span></strong></h6><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;punctuation-wrap:simple;"><span style="font-family:Pegasus;"><font size="3">Angie Shull</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;punctuation-wrap:simple;"><span style="font-family:Pegasus;"><font size="3">REMAX Property Centre</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;punctuation-wrap:simple;"><font size="3"><span style="font-family:Pegasus;">1134 W Granada Blvd</span><span style="font-family:Pegasus;"></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;punctuation-wrap:simple;"><font size="3"><span style="font-family:Pegasus;">Ormond Beach</span><span style="font-family:Pegasus;">, FL<span> </span>32174</span><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></strong></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;punctuation-wrap:simple;"><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">386-295-9605</font></span></strong></p></td><td style="padding-right:5.4pt;padding-left:5.4pt;padding-bottom:0in;width:239.4pt;padding-top:0in;height:94.3pt;background-color:transparent;border:#f0f0f0;"><p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;text-align:right;tab-stops:169.8pt;"><span><font size="3"></font></span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:53.8pt;"><td colspan="2" style="padding-right:5.4pt;padding-left:5.4pt;background:#d9d9d9;padding-bottom:0in;width:6.65in;padding-top:0in;height:53.8pt;border:#f0f0f0;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;text-align:center;"><span><font size="3"></font></span></p></td></tr></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><font face="Calibri" size="3"></font></p> </article> <article> <h1>Some banks lower appraisals, killing sales</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:26:00 GMT</p> WASHINGTON – July 13, 2010 – It’s a common Realtor complaint: A property going to contract appraises for less than expected. The buyer cannot put more down; the seller will not lower the price; the sale falls apart.<br /><br />In some cases, however, the appraiser is not the cause. Banks – fearful of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac policies that mete out punishment if a house is over-valued – err on the side of caution by shaving value off the appraisal. If guilty of price inflation, they could be forced by Fannie Mae to buy back the mortgage at a substantial cost. By dropping the appraisal value, they hope to avoid any suggestion that they inflated the numbers.<br /><br />Frank K. Gregoire of St. Petersburg, vice chairman of the National Association of Realtors’ Appraisal Committee, calls the problem widespread. Many sales are “sabotaged by lenders and underwriters arbitrarily reducing the (appraiser’s) value estimate.”<br /><br />According to Gregoire, many lenders try to double-check an appraiser’s work by ordering a low-cost electronic valuation. The electronic version uses only readily available public records and no on-site inspection, making it less reliable than a true appraisal. However, banks many times get scared if the electronic version is lower than the physical version, and they downgrade the true appraisal value to protect themselves. At other times, they ask the appraiser to explain the price difference, which can also delay closing.<br /><br /><strong>The rules are about to change</strong><br /><br />Recognizing a problem, Fannie Mae instituted a new rule that becomes effective on Sept. 1. After that date, banks selling their loans to Fannie Mae can no longer simply drop the appraisal value. In guidance issued June 30, Fannie Mae told its participating lenders that they must contact the appraiser to “resolve” disagreements. If that fails, banks must order a second appraisal. In either case, lenders cannot simply drop the original value that supports a sales contract.<br /><br />A number of appraisers hailed the change as great news.<br /><br />Pat Turner, an appraiser in Richmond, Va., said that electronic appraisals don’t consider property condition and “are often inaccurate.” According to Turner, he once did a physical appraisal of a property that a California-based firm also did electronically. Afterward, the lender’s review company asked Turner why he did not use one of the comps the electronic firm used. Turner investigated and said he found out that one “comp” was actually a vacant lot, and worth far less than the property being sold.<br /><br />Fannie Mae’s rule change also attempts to deal with other appraiser complaints, such as the use of inexperienced appraisers who travel to unfamiliar territory by clarifying “appraiser selection” standards.<br /><br />Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac back about half of all U.S. mortgages, and Freddie Mac officials, when asked about Fannie Mae’s announced rules, said they’re “looking at it.”<br /><br />Source: Kenneth R. Harney<br /><br />© 2010 Florida Realtors®<br /> </article> <article> <h1>Some banks lower appraisals, killing sales</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:24:00 GMT</p> WASHINGTON – July 13, 2010 – It’s a common Realtor complaint: A property going to contract appraises for less than expected. The buyer cannot put more down; the seller will not lower the price; the sale falls apart.<br /><br />In some cases, however, the appraiser is not the cause. Banks – fearful of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac policies that mete out punishment if a house is over-valued – err on the side of caution by shaving value off the appraisal. If guilty of price inflation, they could be forced by Fannie Mae to buy back the mortgage at a substantial cost. By dropping the appraisal value, they hope to avoid any suggestion that they inflated the numbers.<br /><br />Frank K. Gregoire of St. Petersburg, vice chairman of the National Association of Realtors’ Appraisal Committee, calls the problem widespread. Many sales are “sabotaged by lenders and underwriters arbitrarily reducing the (appraiser’s) value estimate.”<br /><br />According to Gregoire, many lenders try to double-check an appraiser’s work by ordering a low-cost electronic valuation. The electronic version uses only readily available public records and no on-site inspection, making it less reliable than a true appraisal. However, banks many times get scared if the electronic version is lower than the physical version, and they downgrade the true appraisal value to protect themselves. At other times, they ask the appraiser to explain the price difference, which can also delay closing.<br /><br /><strong>The rules are about to change</strong><br /><br />Recognizing a problem, Fannie Mae instituted a new rule that becomes effective on Sept. 1. After that date, banks selling their loans to Fannie Mae can no longer simply drop the appraisal value. In guidance issued June 30, Fannie Mae told its participating lenders that they must contact the appraiser to “resolve” disagreements. If that fails, banks must order a second appraisal. In either case, lenders cannot simply drop the original value that supports a sales contract.<br /><br />A number of appraisers hailed the change as great news.<br /><br />Pat Turner, an appraiser in Richmond, Va., said that electronic appraisals don’t consider property condition and “are often inaccurate.” According to Turner, he once did a physical appraisal of a property that a California-based firm also did electronically. Afterward, the lender’s review company asked Turner why he did not use one of the comps the electronic firm used. Turner investigated and said he found out that one “comp” was actually a vacant lot, and worth far less than the property being sold.<br /><br />Fannie Mae’s rule change also attempts to deal with other appraiser complaints, such as the use of inexperienced appraisers who travel to unfamiliar territory by clarifying “appraiser selection” standards.<br /><br />Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac back about half of all U.S. mortgages, and Freddie Mac officials, when asked about Fannie Mae’s announced rules, said they’re “looking at it.”<br /><br />Source: Kenneth R. Harney<br /><br />© 2010 Florida Realtors®<br /> </article> <article> <h1>Home & Lifestyle Weekly Article</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:05:00 GMT</p> <span><p><a href="http://www.yourhomeandlifestyle.com/pages/article/YHL_JUL_10_02/40033/index.html"><u><font color="#0000ff"><span>http://www.yourhomeandlifestyle.com/pages/article/YHL_JUL_10_02/40033/index.html</span></font></u></a> </p></span> </article> <article> <h1>Home & Lifestyle Weekly Article</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:03:00 GMT</p> <span><p><a href="http://www.yourhomeandlifestyle.com/pages/article/YHL_JUL_10_02/40033/index.html"><u><font color="#0000ff"><span>http://www.yourhomeandlifestyle.com/pages/article/YHL_JUL_10_02/40033/index.html</span></font></u></a> </p></span> </article> <article> <h1>AP analysis: Economic stress is easing more slowly</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:51:00 GMT</p> <p>WASHINGTON (AP) – July 6, 2010 – Two-thirds of U.S. counties became economically healthier in May, thanks to more manufacturing jobs in the Midwest and fewer home foreclosures in the Sun Belt, according to The Associated Press’ monthly analysis of conditions around the country.<br /><br />Yet the improvement appeared to slow in May compared with April, the AP’s Economic Stress Index shows. And concerns are arising that the nation’s recovery is losing momentum.<br /><br />Economic stress declined month to month in 33 states in May, aided by lower unemployment. In April, by contrast, stress had eased in every state except two — and in 90 percent of the nation’s 3,141 counties.<br /><br />Bankruptcy rates around the nation also inched up in May.<br /><br />“As the government’s stimulus winds down and as long as the labor market remains weak, an acceleration in the economy is probably not in the cards,” said David Huether, chief economist at the National Association of Manufacturers. “If I were a betting man, I’d bet the economy won’t double dip into recession, but it will grow at a much slower pace.”<br /><br />Still, conditions did improve in most of the nation in May. Just under 40 percent of counties were deemed economically stressed in May, compared with 42 percent in April. Job gains in manufacturing, farming and hotels and restaurants helped some of the counties where stress declined the most, according to the AP’s analysis.<br /><br />The AP’s Economic Stress Index calculates a score for each county and state from 1 to 100 based on unemployment, foreclosure and bankruptcy rates. A higher score indicates more economic stress. Under a rough rule of thumb, a county is considered stressed when its score exceeds 11.<br /><br />The AP’s index found the average county’s Stress score in May was 10.3, down from 10.6 in April. It was the lowest score since November’s 10.2.<br /><br />For the first time since the AP began the stress index in May 2009, the four states that have shown the most stress each month — Nevada (21.75 in May), Michigan (16.22), California (16.14) and Florida (15.26) — improved from the prior month. These states benefited from declining unemployment and foreclosure rates.<br /><br />Arizona rounded out the list of the five worst-performing states in May with a Stress score of 15.04. That was a slight increase from April.<br /><br />The best-performing states in May were North Dakota (4.03), South Dakota (5.21), Nebraska (5.83), Vermont (6.49) and Iowa (7.5).<br /><br />Despite better conditions in May, analysts say the economy’s rebound might be stalling as it enters the second half of this year, when the benefit of federal stimulus spending will start to fade.<br /><br />A growing number of economists are scaling back their growth forecasts. Michael Feroli, an economist at JPMorgan Chase, for instance, thinks the economy will grow at a 3.2 percent annual pace in the July-to-September quarter, down from a previous 4 percent estimate.<br /><br />The improvement in May occurred before renewed concerns about the economy emerged last month. Consumer confidence, for instance, tanked in June, and stock prices have sunk. Businesses remain wary of ramping up hiring.<br /><br />Still, the economy’s bright spots — namely manufacturing — were evident in May.<br /><br />Among the states, Michigan, Vermont, Idaho (11.3), Illinois (13.7) and Iowa saw the biggest month-to-month decreases in stress. Economists pointed to gains in manufacturing jobs, which helped reduce unemployment in those states. Counties in the Midwest led the nation in improvement for a second straight month.<br /><br />Louisiana (8.63), Oklahoma (8.61), Pennsylvania (10.49), Mississippi (12.58) and Arizona (15.04) suffered the biggest month-to-month increases in economic stress. Higher unemployment was the main reason.<br /><br />Economic stress was higher in May than a year ago in 35 states, particularly in the West. Over the past year, stress has grown the most in Idaho, Montana (7.89), Nevada, New Mexico (9.48) and Utah (10.81).<br /><br />In Utah’s case, the state experienced the housing boom about a year and a half behind the Sun Belt states of Arizona, California, Florida and Nevada. That explains why the housing bust and foreclosure crisis hit Utah later than it did others, said James Wood, director of the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Utah.<br /> Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press, Jeannine Aversa, Mike Schneider. All rights reserved.<br /><br /></p> </article> <article> <h1>Short Sales not Immune to Debt Collectors</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:48:00 GMT</p> ORLANDO, Fla. – July 6, 2010 – With more than half of the Central Florida’s homeowners owing more for their homes than the properties are worth, the question for some has become: How do I get out of this?<br /><br />Of all the existing-home sales reported by Realtors in the core Orlando market in May, 23 percent were short sales. They are called “short” sales because the sales price come up “short” of, or less than, the amount owed on the mortgage.<br /><br />What these homeowners, whose loans are “underwater,” may not realize is that they could successfully complete a short sale of their house but then face a lawsuit from their lender for not paying off the entire loan, a shortfall known as a “deficiency.”<br /><br />At particular risk of being hit with such a debt judgment are owners of second homes and investment properties, homeowners who haven’t faced any kind of financial hardship, and owners who have a second mortgage.<br /><br />“That’s going to be a huge problem moving forward in the next few years,” said Orlando lawyer Matt Englett, who specializes in home foreclosures. “These people who use Realtors to advise them on the transactions can end up facing deficiencies, and the deficiency notes will go to third-party collections agencies, and they will start suing and progressively pursuing those people.”<br /><br />Homeowners have several options if they wish to avoid getting calls and lawsuits from debt collectors.<br /><br />In a mortgage document called the “payoff letter,” a lender may include a blanket provision stating that it reserves the right to sue the seller at any time for unpaid mortgage debt. At the very least, Englett said, sellers need to make sure they do not give lenders that right.<br /><br />Some lenders, particularly smaller ones, have been willing to state just the opposite -- that they will not pursue any mortgage debt from the seller, he added.<br /><br />Simply asking the lenders to cooperate by removing any wording about collections isn’t enough, Englett said. The seller is usually faced with building a case that details errors and omissions made by the lender in its mortgage documents, to gain leverage and force the lender to forgive the debt.<br /><br />A new option that emerged in June is a federal program that calls on banks to forgive some of the mortgage debt of certain, qualified short-sale sellers. To qualify, sellers must:<br /><br />Meet the criteria of the federal government’s Home Affordable Modification Program.<br /><br />Have the house as their primary residence.<br /><br />Face a financial hardship, and their mortgage payment must be more than 31 percent of their gross income.<br /><br />The new program makes short sales a good option for homeowners facing a financial hardship, though it’s not meant for homeowners who can afford their mortgage but want to walk away from an upside-down loan, said Frank Rubino, vice president of the Chase Homeownership Center in Orlando.<br /><br />“It’s not right. It’s not moral. It’s not the right thing to do,” Rubino said. “Why should customers look to the bank to substantiate a loss for the house they bought? ... If they bought the house and sold it for $100,000 more than they paid, they wouldn’t share those profits with the bank.”<br /><br />The decision of whether to pursue a former homeowner for outstanding debt varies from mortgage servicer to mortgage servicer, Rubino said, and can hinge on such things as whether the customer mismanaged his or her finances, Rubino said.<br /><br />Sellers with a second mortgage face particular challenges if they try to walk away from a short sale without any remaining debt.<br /><br />Jennifer Davis, a real estate agent for Lifestyles Home Sales Inc. of St. Cloud, said she recently almost lost a sale because of outstanding debt the seller owed on the house. Fortunately, she said, the buyer wanted the house badly enough to cover the outstanding note.<br /><br />Banks usually have four years in which to file a deficiency judgment, but they can sell it to a third-party collection agency -- “and the collection firms can chase you down for 20 years,” Davis said.<br /><br />In cases where the seller has a second mortgage or can’t qualify for the federal programs, Davis said, she usually directs them to a real estate lawyer and a tax adviser.<br /><br />Copyright © 2010, The Orlando Sentinel, Fla., Mary Shanklin, Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.<br /> </article> <article> <h1>Ormond Set to Push Progress</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:36:00 GMT</p> <div class="byline-section">By CLAYTON PARK, Staff writer <a href="mailto:clayton.park@news-jrnl.com"><font color="#54719b"> </font></a></div><div class="asset-meta"><span class="byline"><a class="edit-link" href="http://www.news-journalonline.com/mt/mt.cgi?__mode=view&_type=entry&id=16617&blog_id=34"> </a> June 29, 2010 12:05 AM </span><div class="entry-categories">Posted in: <ul class="entry-categories-list"><li class="entry-category"><a href="http://www.news-journalonline.com/business/local-business/archive.html" rel="tag" title="Local business news from The Daytona Beach News-Journal, your hometown newspaper."><font color="#54719b">Local Business</font></a> </li></ul></div><div class="entry-tags"><h4 class="entry-tags-header"><font size="2">Tagged<span class="delimiter">:</span></font></h4><ul class="entry-tags-list"><li class="entry-tag"><a rel="tag"><font color="#54719b">economic recovery </font></a></li></ul></div></div><div class="asset-content entry-content"><div class="asset-body"><p>Efforts to attract and retain businesses in Ormond Beach continue to produce tangible results, even in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, the city's head economic-development official said. </p><p>In the past three years, the city's economic-development efforts have resulted in the creation and/or retention of 850 jobs with 138,000 square feet of new commercial construction and $18 million in capital investments by area businesses for industrial-plant improvements and/or expansions. </p><p>But as communities across the state and country ratchet up business recruitment, the city needs help from as many partners as it can get to stay competitive in the game of "economic hunting," Joe Mannarino, the city's director of economic development, told a business gathering Monday. </p><p>Mannarino said the city's development goals for the coming year include working with Tomoka Holdings on its plans to create a massive 3,000-acre, mixed-use development called Ormond Crossings along North U.S. 1, with more than 2,900 homes and nearly 4.9 million square feet of industrial and commercial space, selecting an aviation firm to master-plan and develop the southwest quadrant of the city's Airport Business Park and working with Realtors and hospital-management officials to facilitate reuse of the former Florida Hospital Memorial building on Sterthaus Drive. </p><p>The Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce, which hosted the breakfast at Halifax Plantation Country Club, pledged to step up its support by forming a business-recruitment team to assist the city. Details regarding the plans have yet to be worked out. </p><p>Kent Jones, the chamber's 2010 board president, and Patrick Opalewski, the chamber's president-elect, said the proposed recruitment team would be a pool of area business leaders who would make themselves available to work with the city in pitching the merits of Ormond Beach as a place to do business to companies considering relocating or expanding here. </p><p>The team would include commercial real-estate brokers and agents, business owners and/or executives from a wide range of industries and officials from a number of organizations, such as the Center for Business Excellence, the Small Business Development Center at Daytona State College, Volusia County's Department of Economic Development and the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE). </p><p>If the concept sounds familiar, it should. Mannarino acknowledged the chamber's Ormond Beach Business Recruitment Team, in some ways, will be a more localized version of the Team Volusia Economic Development Corp., the new public/private partnership being formed to coordinate efforts throughout the county to recruit and retain businesses. Mannarino said Team Volusia should be a welcome complement to but not a replacement for his own department. </p><p>"We look at Team Volusia as an additional resource ... mainly to help us with business recruitment," said Mannarino, who added it will still be up to each city to make a pitch, separate from Team Volusia, as to why their community would be the best home for that business. </p><p>George Mirabal, president and CEO of Team Volusia, said his organization applauds efforts by the city and Ormond Beach chamber. </p><p>"We're thrilled that any city or chamber continues to view economic development as critical and important," said Mirabal. "Team Volusia's intent has never been to replace" those efforts, he said. </p><p>"Partnerships ... are what it's all about," said Mirabal. "We keep saying economic development is a team sport."</p></div></div><div class="legal">Copyright © 2010 The Daytona Beach News-Journal</div> </article> <article> <h1>Ormond set to push progress</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 19:40:00 GMT</p> <div class="byline-section">By CLAYTON PARK, Staff writer <a href="mailto:clayton.park@news-jrnl.com"><font color="#54719b"> </font></a></div><div class="asset-meta"><span class="byline"><a class="edit-link" href="http://www.news-journalonline.com/mt/mt.cgi?__mode=view&_type=entry&id=16617&blog_id=34"> </a> June 29, 2010 12:05 AM </span><div class="entry-categories">Posted in: <ul class="entry-categories-list"><li class="entry-category"><a href="http://www.news-journalonline.com/business/local-business/archive.html" rel="tag" title="Local business news from The Daytona Beach News-Journal, your hometown newspaper."><font color="#54719b">Local Business</font></a> </li></ul></div><div class="entry-tags"><h4 class="entry-tags-header"><font size="2">Tagged<span class="delimiter">:</span></font></h4><ul class="entry-tags-list"><li class="entry-tag"><a rel="tag"><font color="#54719b">economic recovery </font></a></li></ul></div></div><div class="asset-content entry-content"><div class="asset-body"><p>Efforts to attract and retain businesses in Ormond Beach continue to produce tangible results, even in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, the city's head economic-development official said. </p><p>In the past three years, the city's economic-development efforts have resulted in the creation and/or retention of 850 jobs with 138,000 square feet of new commercial construction and $18 million in capital investments by area businesses for industrial-plant improvements and/or expansions. </p><p>But as communities across the state and country ratchet up business recruitment, the city needs help from as many partners as it can get to stay competitive in the game of "economic hunting," Joe Mannarino, the city's director of economic development, told a business gathering Monday. </p><p>Mannarino said the city's development goals for the coming year include working with Tomoka Holdings on its plans to create a massive 3,000-acre, mixed-use development called Ormond Crossings along North U.S. 1, with more than 2,900 homes and nearly 4.9 million square feet of industrial and commercial space, selecting an aviation firm to master-plan and develop the southwest quadrant of the city's Airport Business Park and working with Realtors and hospital-management officials to facilitate reuse of the former Florida Hospital Memorial building on Sterthaus Drive. </p><p>The Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce, which hosted the breakfast at Halifax Plantation Country Club, pledged to step up its support by forming a business-recruitment team to assist the city. Details regarding the plans have yet to be worked out. </p><p>Kent Jones, the chamber's 2010 board president, and Patrick Opalewski, the chamber's president-elect, said the proposed recruitment team would be a pool of area business leaders who would make themselves available to work with the city in pitching the merits of Ormond Beach as a place to do business to companies considering relocating or expanding here. </p><p>The team would include commercial real-estate brokers and agents, business owners and/or executives from a wide range of industries and officials from a number of organizations, such as the Center for Business Excellence, the Small Business Development Center at Daytona State College, Volusia County's Department of Economic Development and the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE). </p><p>If the concept sounds familiar, it should. Mannarino acknowledged the chamber's Ormond Beach Business Recruitment Team, in some ways, will be a more localized version of the Team Volusia Economic Development Corp., the new public/private partnership being formed to coordinate efforts throughout the county to recruit and retain businesses. Mannarino said Team Volusia should be a welcome complement to but not a replacement for his own department. </p><p>"We look at Team Volusia as an additional resource ... mainly to help us with business recruitment," said Mannarino, who added it will still be up to each city to make a pitch, separate from Team Volusia, as to why their community would be the best home for that business. </p><p>George Mirabal, president and CEO of Team Volusia, said his organization applauds efforts by the city and Ormond Beach chamber. </p><p>"We're thrilled that any city or chamber continues to view economic development as critical and important," said Mirabal. "Team Volusia's intent has never been to replace" those efforts, he said. </p><p>"Partnerships ... are what it's all about," said Mirabal. "We keep saying economic development is a team sport."</p></div></div><div class="legal">Copyright © 2010 The Daytona Beach News-Journal</div> </article> <article> <h1>Florida beach program OK says US Supreme Court</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:44:00 GMT</p> TALLAHASEE, Fla. – June 18, 2010 – Florida’s efforts to renourish eroded beaches does not violate the rights of nearby property owners, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a case brought by Walton County landowners following 1995’s Hurricane Opal.<br /><br />In a 15-page ruling, the nation’s highest court agreed with the state that beachfront owners are not severely harmed when renourishment efforts extend the distance their properties lie from the shoreline by, in essence, expanding the shoreline seaward.<br /><br />The case stems from recovery efforts following Hurricane Opal, when Destin and Walton County began a process of pumping sand onto beaches, establishing a boundary line between public and private land to control future erosion.<br /><br />Stop the Beach Renourishment, a not-for-profit group of six landowners, argued before the Supreme Court that these augmented beaches deprived them of direct beachfront access and should be considered a taking of their land. The First District Court of Appeal (DCA) agreed.<br /><br />But the nation’s high court upheld the 2008 state Supreme Court opinion that overturned the earlier DCA decision. The state has a “constitutional duty to protect Florida’s beaches,” according to the Florida Supreme Court, and was within its rights by moving forward with renourishment.<br /><br />Landowners’ rights were not violated, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, even if the extra sand increased the distance between the landowners’ property lines and the water.<br /><br />“Regardless of whether an … event exposes land previously submerged or submerges land previously exposed, the boundary between (private) property and sovereign land does not change,” Justice Antonin Scalia wrote for the majority. “It remains (ordinarily) what was the mean high-water line before the event.”<br /><br />Attorneys for the landowners said Thursday they we disappointed in the ruling, saying it further diminishes private property protections guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution.<br /><br />“Private property rights are a legacy forged in the American Revolution by our Founding Fathers and passed on to us through the generations,” attorneys Kent Safriet and Richard Brightman of Hopping, Green & Sams wrote in a joint statement following the high court ruling. “They are a cornerstone of our society’s prosperity and freedom. Today’s ruling weakens those rights to the detriment of private property owners everywhere.”<br /><br />Source: News Service of Florida, Michael Peltier </article> <article> <h1>Congress gives homebuyers more time to close for tax credit</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 19:35:00 GMT</p> <p>WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – July 2, 2010 – An estimated 14,830 Florida home buyers missed Wednesday’s deadline to receive an up to $8,000 tax credit on their purchase.<br /><br />Good thing for them Congress extended the cut off date late Wednesday to Sept. 30. The bill now goes to President Obama.<br /><br />Homebuyers still had to sign contracts for their purchase by April 30, but now have an additional three months to close the deal.<br /><br />Nationally, the extension is expected to give about 180,000 homebuyers who signed by April 30 a chance to earn the federal stimulus.<br /><br />Short sale purchases, which can take several months to close, were hampering many closings.<br /><br />Buyers “didn’t know when they signed the contract it was going to take the bank four months to close the deal,” said John Sebree, vice president of public policy for the Florida Realtors.<br /><br />Another problem was the failure of Congress to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program, which put the brakes on lender approvals for some loans. That program was also temporarily extended late Wednesday until Sept. 30.<br /><br />Realtors are lobbying Congress to approve another bill extending the program for five years.<br /><br />“It’s really not good for the real estate market to have such uncertainty,” Sebree said.<br /><br />“All day there was anxiety as to whether or not numerous buyers that did the right thing signing a contract by April 30th would lose out on $8,000 due to slow short sale approvals or delays in financing that were no fault of their own,” said Realtor Shannon Brink, with RE/MAX Prestige Realty in West Palm Beach. “If the tax credit disappeared, there was a significant risk that many buyers would walk away from transactions because they may try and find a better deal.”<br /><br />Some buyers grew frustrated and have already walked away, said Bob Goldstein, past president of the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches and a vice president of the state organization.<br /><br />The tax credit was initially for new homebuyers only and expired Nov. 30. It was extended to the April 30 and June 30 deadlines, and also expanded so that some current homeowners could earn up to a $6,500 credit.<br /><br />Copyright © 2010, The Palm Beach Post, Fla., Laura Green and Kimberly Miller. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.<br /><br /></p> </article> <article> <h1>Congress gives homebuyers more time to close for tax credit</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:42:00 GMT</p> <p>WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – July 2, 2010 – An estimated 14,830 Florida home buyers missed Wednesday’s deadline to receive an up to $8,000 tax credit on their purchase.<br /><br />Good thing for them Congress extended the cut off date late Wednesday to Sept. 30. The bill now goes to President Obama.<br /><br />Homebuyers still had to sign contracts for their purchase by April 30, but now have an additional three months to close the deal.<br /><br />Nationally, the extension is expected to give about 180,000 homebuyers who signed by April 30 a chance to earn the federal stimulus.<br /><br />Short sale purchases, which can take several months to close, were hampering many closings.<br /><br />Buyers “didn’t know when they signed the contract it was going to take the bank four months to close the deal,” said John Sebree, vice president of public policy for the Florida Realtors.<br /><br />Another problem was the failure of Congress to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program, which put the brakes on lender approvals for some loans. That program was also temporarily extended late Wednesday until Sept. 30.<br /><br />Realtors are lobbying Congress to approve another bill extending the program for five years.<br /><br />“It’s really not good for the real estate market to have such uncertainty,” Sebree said.<br /><br />“All day there was anxiety as to whether or not numerous buyers that did the right thing signing a contract by April 30th would lose out on $8,000 due to slow short sale approvals or delays in financing that were no fault of their own,” said Realtor Shannon Brink, with RE/MAX Prestige Realty in West Palm Beach. “If the tax credit disappeared, there was a significant risk that many buyers would walk away from transactions because they may try and find a better deal.”<br /><br />Some buyers grew frustrated and have already walked away, said Bob Goldstein, past president of the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches and a vice president of the state organization.<br /><br />The tax credit was initially for new homebuyers only and expired Nov. 30. It was extended to the April 30 and June 30 deadlines, and also expanded so that some current homeowners could earn up to a $6,500 credit.<br /><br />Copyright © 2010, The Palm Beach Post, Fla., Laura Green and Kimberly Miller. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.<br /><br /></p> </article> <article> <h1>Obama Signs Extension</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:32:00 GMT</p> <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Times;">Obama signs extension bills</span> <p class="white_TXT"></p><p class="MsoNormal">On July 2, Pres. Obama signed into law HR 5623, the Homebuyers Assistance and Improvement Act of 2010, which extends the homebuyer tax credit closing date to Sept. 30, 2010, for qualified buyers with a purchase contract that was signed by April 30, 2010. He also signed HR 5569, <span>which retroactively reauthorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to enter into new contracts for flood insurance under the National Flood Insurance Program through Sept. 30, 2010.</span></p> </article> <article> <h1>IRS tax credit rejections</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:39:00 GMT</p> WASHINGTON – June 18, 2010 – The IRS has been rejecting first-time homebuyer claims from anyone who shows a Form 1098 Mortgage Interest Expense in their prior year files.<br /><br />In many cases, the applicants are entitled to the credit because their previous mortgage interest deduction is for a timeshare, mobile home, boat or other recreational property.<br /><br />If you have a client in this unfortunate position, here is some advice from Enrolled Agent Eva Rosenberg, who authors the Web site TaxMama.com.<br /><br />• Respond to the IRS immediately and tell them why their rejection is wrong. Be prepared to prove that the mortgage the IRS is seeing isn’t on a personal residence. First-time homebuyers are entitled to own other types of real estate and still get the homebuyers credit, so provide proof that the previous mortgage was on something else.<br /><br />• Send a letter explaining the situation and providing proof of a previous rental or other non-ownership living situation, including copies of rental contracts for the last three years, an old driver’s license showing that address, utility bills, etc.<br /><br />• Homebuyers who believe the IRS may view their situation in this way should be proactive, providing proof that they are a first-time buyer when they initially file for the credit.<br /><br />• Anyone who is rejected after two attempts to explain the problem to the IRS should call the Taxpayers Advocate Service toll-free, <span class="skype_pnh_print_container">(877) 777-4778</span><span class="skype_pnh_container"><span class="skype_pnh_mark"> begin_of_the_skype_highlighting</span> <span class="skype_pnh_highlighting_inactive_common"><span class="skype_pnh_left_span"> </span><span class="skype_pnh_dropart_span"><span class="skype_pnh_dropart_flag_span" style="background-position:-4499px 1px;"> </span> </span><span class="skype_pnh_textarea_span"><span class="skype_pnh_text_span"> (877) 777-4778</span></span><span class="skype_pnh_right_span"> </span></span> <span class="skype_pnh_mark">end_of_the_skype_highlighting</span></span>, their Congressman, and their Senator, Rosenberg advises.<br /><br />Source: TaxMama.com, Eva Rosenberg, EA (06/16/2010)<br /><br />© Copyright 2010 INFORMATION, INC. Bethesda, MD <span class="skype_pnh_print_container">(301) 215-4688</span><span class="skype_pnh_container"><span class="skype_pnh_mark"> begin_of_the_skype_highlighting</span> <span class="skype_pnh_highlighting_active_common"><span class="skype_pnh_left_span"> </span><span class="skype_pnh_dropart_span"><span class="skype_pnh_dropart_flag_span" style="background-position:-4499px 1px;"> </span> </span><span class="skype_pnh_textarea_span"><span class="skype_pnh_text_span"> (301) 215-4688</span></span><span class="skype_pnh_right_span"> </span></span></span> </article> <article> <h1>Universal Home Designs</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:57:00 GMT</p> <div class="Section1"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse:collapse;border:medium none;"><tr><td colspan="2" style="border-right:#f0f0f0;padding-right:5.4pt;border-top:#f0f0f0;padding-left:5.4pt;padding-bottom:0in;border-left:#f0f0f0;width:6.65in;padding-top:0in;border-bottom:windowtext 4.5pt double;background-color:transparent;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;text-align:center;"><span></span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right:#f0f0f0;padding-right:5.4pt;border-top:#f0f0f0;padding-left:5.4pt;background:silver;padding-bottom:0in;border-left:#f0f0f0;width:261.9pt;padding-top:0in;border-bottom:windowtext 4.5pt double;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;text-align:justify;"><strong><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial;">Monthly Newsletter – April, 2010</span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong></p></td><td style="border-right:#f0f0f0;padding-right:5.4pt;border-top:#f0f0f0;padding-left:5.4pt;background:silver;padding-bottom:0in;border-left:#f0f0f0;width:216.9pt;padding-top:0in;border-bottom:windowtext 4.5pt double;"><p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;text-align:right;"><a href="http://www.seniorsrealestate.com/"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">www.seniorsrealestate.com</font></span></a><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong></p></td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right:5.4pt;padding-left:5.4pt;padding-bottom:0in;width:261.9pt;padding-top:0in;background-color:transparent;border:#f0f0f0;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;text-align:justify;"><strong><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial;"> </span></strong></p></td><td style="padding-right:5.4pt;padding-left:5.4pt;padding-bottom:0in;width:216.9pt;padding-top:0in;background-color:transparent;border:#f0f0f0;"><p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;text-align:right;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"> </font></span></p></td></tr></table></div><strong><span style="font-size:11pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;"><br style="page-break-before:auto;" /></span></strong><div class="Section2"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-size:16pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;">Universally Designed, Universally Appealing</span></strong><strong><span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;"><br /></span></strong><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;">By Elyse Umlauf-Garneau<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Sleek, chic and stylish. Those are rarely adjectives applied to products or properties that cater to an aging population. But universal design has evolved in ways that allow residential environments to be universally functional and universally appealing. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">For just one example of how slick universal design can be, see the kitchen options at http://www.snaidero-usa.com/italian-modern-kitchens/skyline-lab-modern-italian-kitchen__kc-11.html. The designs are a far cry from an institutional aesthetic, yet they're tailored to serve those with physical limitations.</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Leslie Shankman-Cohn <sup>ASID,</sup> <sup>CAPS</sup>, an interior designer and partner with JHID Jill Hertz Interior Design, Memphis,<span> </span>Tenn., calls universal design, "Design for all ages and abilities. It's thinking and planning for the future."<span> </span>Moreover, she points out that it can also be a good selling point and broaden a property's appeal when it's time to sell. "It says, 'This house is ready for anyone who wants to move in.' An older person can age in place. And because universal design tends to have an open, modern style, it's also pleasing to a younger crowd."<span> </span></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">So whether you're renovating a parent's home, building a new one, or making modifications to accommodate multigenerational living, consider incorporating universal design principles. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">"A lot is just common sense," points out Shankman-Cohn, who outlines a few design basics, including: </font></span></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;text-indent:-0.25in;"><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><font size="3"><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">One no-step, accessible entrance:</span></strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"> Providing one barrier-free access point to a house is important for all, from seniors trying to get into a house with a bag of groceries and boomers pulling luggage into the house after a vacation to 30-somethings<span> </span>with a baby stroller or a teenager with a broken a leg. "It's one solution that serves different reasons," Shankman-Cohn points out.<strong></strong></span></font></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;text-indent:-0.25in;"><span style="color:#404040;font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><font size="3"><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">First-floor bedroom and bathroom</span></strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">: A room on the first floor can serve as a study or a home office, but can be quickly transformed if residents can no longer climb stairs because of age-related challenges or if they're temporarily side-lined by a broken ankle.<span style="color:#404040;"> </span></span></font></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;text-indent:-0.25in;"><span style="color:#404040;font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><font size="3"><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">Wide doors and hallways</span></strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">: Aim for doors and hallways that are 48 inches wide. Wider doors and halls benefit those in wheelchairs or those who need an aide to assist them with walking. "A mother with a toddler walking beside her also benefits from such width, so it works for both ends of the spectrum," notes Shankman-Cohn.<span style="color:#404040;"></span></span></font></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;text-indent:-0.25in;"><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><font size="3"><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">Curbless showers</span></strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">: For younger clients, a no-step shower delivers an appealing contemporary look, and it's practical for older residents who find stepping up or down to access a shower troublesome. For a person in a wheelchair, the approach allows wheel-in access.<span> </span>Also incorporate a seat, grab bars and a handheld shower. </span></font></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt 0.25in;text-indent:-0.25in;"><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><font size="3"><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">Kitchens</span></strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">: Installing multiple levels of counters can make kitchen space universally accessible. Opt for counters at heights ranging from 28 inches to 48 inches, or install adjustable ones. And instead of high sit-at bars, Shankman-Cohn opts for table heights for such bars. "Someone in a wheelchair can roll up and someone older doesn't feel uncomfortable teetering on a bar stool." </span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Shankman-Cohn also points to a handful of dangers that can lurk in any house. They are: </font></span></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;text-indent:-0.25in;"><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><font size="3"><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">Clutter</span></strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">: Newspapers, bags, books and other items piled up in corners and elsewhere can be hazardous for an elderly person with physical limitations, for a baby boomer rushing to leave for work or for small children charging down a hall.<span> </span></span></font></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;text-indent:-0.25in;"><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><font size="3"><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">Flooring</span></strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">: Cushy carpeting may feel great, but it's a huge impediment for someone trying to maneuver a walker or wheelchair. An elderly person gets around better on bare floors, points out Shankman- Cohn. If carpet is an absolute must, she recommends choosing one with a short pile and padding that isn't thick. Area rugs also are tripping hazards. And a gleaming marble floor in a bathroom may look terrific in shelter magazines, but for anyone using the shower, that slick surface turns the room into a potentially dangerous skating rink, observes Shankman-Cohn. Eliminate thresholds to create barrier-free transitions between rooms. And bamboo or cork kitchen floors are gentler on the joints and they're green options for those concerned about the environment. </span></font></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt 0.25in;text-indent:-0.25in;"><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><font size="3"><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">Kitchen hazards</span></strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">:<span> </span>Placing a microwave above a range seems like a terrific way to use empty space. But how practical or safe is it for anyone to be reaching over a hot stove and maneuvering scorching liquids above their heads? That's why Shankman-Cohn suggests locating<span> </span>microwaves at the level of the counter or lower, no matter the age of the user. </span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">For more on universal design principles, see "Additional Resources." And before planning for universal design, it's beneficial to consult with someone familiar with aging challenges. Professionals with the National Association of Homebuilders' Certified Aging In Place (CAPS) designation, for example, are trained to address design topics associated with successfully aging in place. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Shankman-Cohn says it not only teaches CAPS designees about the physical requirements for effective design, but also touts a team approach, allowing them to work effectively with doctors, occupational therapists, and remodelers to assess clients' needs and deliver suitable environments. "It gives you training on basics and the nuances of what goes in to making a home appropriate," she says.<span> </span></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"> </font></span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"> </font></span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3"> </font></span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Additional resources </font></span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Here are sources for more on universal design principles and a way to locate CAPS experts. </font></span></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;text-indent:-0.25in;tab-stops:.25in;"><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span><font size="3">·</font><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span class="bodyheader1"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;"><strong>American Association of Retired Persons, </strong></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">www.aarp.org/families/home_design</font></span></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;text-indent:-0.25in;tab-stops:.25in;"><span class="bodyheader1"><span style="font-weight:normal;font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="bodyheader1"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;"><strong>American Society of Interior Designers, </strong></span></span><span class="bodyheader1"><span style="font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;">www.asid.org/designknowledge/aa/inplace/</span></span><strong><span class="bodyheader1"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;"> </span></span><span class="bodyheader1"><span style="font-weight:normal;font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;"></span></span></strong></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt 0.25in;text-indent:-0.25in;tab-stops:.25in;"><span class="bodyheader1"><span style="font-weight:normal;font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span></span><span class="bodyheader1"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;"><strong>National Association of Homebuilders Certified Aging In Place--Locate a CAPS professional at </strong></span></span><span class="bodyheader1"><span style="font-weight:normal;font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;">http://www.nahb.org/directory.aspx?sectionID=1391&directoryID=1415</span></span><span class="bodyheader1"><span style="font-weight:normal;font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-family:Cambria;"><font size="3"> </font></span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-family:Cambria;"><font size="3"> </font></span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-family:Cambria;"><font size="3"> </font></span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-family:Cambria;"><font size="3"> </font></span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-family:Cambria;"><font size="3"> </font></span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-family:Cambria;"><font size="3"> </font></span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-family:Cambria;"><font size="3"> </font></span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-family:Cambria;"><font size="3"> </font></span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;">Seasonal Scams </span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">The tax season and the U.S. Census may bring out scam artists. Beware. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><font size="3"><strong><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;">Tax refund Scam</span></strong><strong><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;">s</span></strong><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;">--Watch out for phony e-mail saying you're eligible for a refund. According the IRS, the scam asks consumers to open an attachment or click on a link to a claim form. The form requires personal and financial information. Taxpayers do not need to complete a special form to obtain their federal tax refund, according to the IRS. Refunds are triggered by the tax return you submitted to the IRS.</span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;margin:0in 0in 7.5pt;line-height:normal;"><font size="3"><strong><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;">U.S.</span></strong><strong><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"> Census</span></strong><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;">: Scam artists may get in touch via phone, e-mail or in person in an effort to steal confidential information. A legitimate representative from the Census Bureau will never: </span></font></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background:white;margin:0in 0in 3.75pt 0.25in;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;tab-stops:list .25in;"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Ask for your full social security number </font></span></p><p class="ListParagraphCxSpLast" style="background:white;margin:0in 0in 3.75pt 0.25in;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;tab-stops:list .25in;"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Ask for money or a donation </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;margin:0in 0in 3.75pt 0.25in;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;tab-stops:list .25in;"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Send requests on behalf of a political party </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;margin:0in 0in 10pt 0.25in;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;tab-stops:list .25in;"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Request PIN codes, passwords or similar access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts. </font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;margin:0in 0in 7.5pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">The Census Bureau also doesn't conduct the Census via the Internet or sends e-mails. <strong></strong></font></span></p></div><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial;"><br style="page-break-before:auto;" /></span><table align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="margin:auto 6.75pt;border-collapse:collapse;"><tr style="height:94.3pt;"><td style="padding-right:5.4pt;padding-left:5.4pt;padding-bottom:0in;width:239.4pt;padding-top:0in;height:94.3pt;background-color:transparent;border:#f0f0f0;"><h6 style="line-height:normal;"><strong><span style="color:windowtext;font-style:normal;font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Real Estate Matters: News & Issues for the Mature Market</font></span></strong></h6><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;punctuation-wrap:simple;"><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">Angie Shull, SRES,FSP,CDPE,GRI</font></span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;punctuation-wrap:simple;"><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"><font size="3">REMAX Property Centre</font></span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;punctuation-wrap:simple;"><font size="3"><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">1134 W Granada Blvd.</span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;punctuation-wrap:simple;"><font size="3"><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">Ormond Beach</span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">, FL 32174</span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;punctuation-wrap:simple;"><font face="Calibri" size="3"> </font></p></td><td style="padding-right:5.4pt;padding-left:5.4pt;padding-bottom:0in;width:239.4pt;padding-top:0in;height:94.3pt;background-color:transparent;border:#f0f0f0;"><p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;text-align:right;tab-stops:169.8pt;"><span><font face="Calibri" size="3"></font></span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:53.8pt;"><td colspan="2" style="padding-right:5.4pt;padding-left:5.4pt;background:#d9d9d9;padding-bottom:0in;width:6.65in;padding-top:0in;height:53.8pt;border:#f0f0f0;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;line-height:normal;text-align:center;"><span><font face="Calibri" size="3"></font></span></p></td></tr></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;"><font face="Calibri" size="3"> </font></p> </article> <article> <h1>Builders see returning Florida Market</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:34:00 GMT</p> <p>Florida, viewed by economists as a hot spot of the country's housing and mortgage meltdown, is having a pickup in builder interest and activity.</p><p>Sensing a pending recovery in some of the state's markets – including Orlando, Jacksonville, and Tampa – builders are amassing land at bargain prices and passing the savings on to buyers by developing subdivisions of smaller and less expensive houses. The trend sets home builders up to compete with banks that are trying to unload foreclosed properties.</p><p>While analysts previously believed that Florida would generate little new demand for housing for years, and that buyers would instead buy foreclosures at deep discounts, property agents note that purchasing real-estate-owned units from a bank has proven to be complicated, time-consuming, and more expensive than anticipated.</p><p>ORLANDO, Fla. – June 17, 2010 – </p><p>Source: Wall Street Journal (06/15/10) P. B6; Whelan, Robbie</p> </article> <article> <h1>Foreclosure court filings down in 1Q</h1> <p>Angie Shull — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:35:00 GMT</p> <p>The number of foreclosure filings for the first quarter of the year is down significantly compared to the past two years.</p><p>According to the Office of State Courts Administrator, the number of foreclosure filings for January through April stand at 105,149. During that same period in 2009, there had been 143,936 filings and in 2008 there were 111,337.</p><p>"Is it where it could be?" asked Miami-Dade Judge Jennifer Bailey, who chaired a Florida Supreme Court task force on the foreclosure crisis. "No. Is it getting better? Yeah."</p><p>The crush of foreclosure cases has been an ongoing problem for the state court system as the state budget tightened and they had fewer people to handle the massive amount of paperwork associated with foreclosures.</p><p>The result was a painful process for homeowners and lenders.</p><p>The number of cases created a huge backlog in courtrooms, with cases that once took three months getting dragged out to six months. In 2007, the court recorded 182,044 foreclosure filings. In 2008, that number jumped to 368,742 and increased again in 2009 to 399,120 filings.</p><p>Bailey said the numbers in Miami-Dade follow the statewide trend, though there is still an immense caseload compared to several years ago when the housing market was booming.</p><p>At the order of the Florida Supreme Court, local court systems have created foreclosure mediation programs over the past several months to ease the process by bringing all the parties together before it heads to court.</p><p>Sometimes it works and the parties settle. Other times it doesn't.</p><p>"I believe we're seeing a whole lot more 'work-outs' than we were before," Bailey said.</p><p>It's still too early to tell though if the mediation programs will have the desired impact overall, Bailey said. Some judicial circuits created their programs recently, and even in Miami-Dade, which established a program before the Supreme Court ordered it, there are still a few hiccups.</p><p>Getting borrowers to the table has also been difficult sometimes because phone landlines have been disconnected and other contact information has not been provided. But for the cases where all sides can get to the table, it has been working out, Bailey added.</p><p>"For those institutions that have realized what an opportunity this is to keep their costs down, those cases are settling," she said.</p><p>TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – June 16, 2010 – </p><p>Source: News Service of Florida, Kathleen Haughney.</p> </article> </main></body></html>