Obama's Ideas on Key Real Estate Issues

Obama's Ideas on Key Real Estate Issues To find out where president-elect Barack Obama stands on issues vital to real estate practitioners, REALTOR® Magazine went straight to the source.
This fall, when the presidential campaign was in full force, Obama responded to the magazine's pressing questions about the mortgage crisis, sustainable development, housing affordability and other topics. Here's what he said: What’s the most important action the federal government can take to ease the mortgage crisis and prevent a recurrence?Obama: For the short term, the housing relief legislation [signed by Pres. George W. Bush July 30] authorizing the FHA to refinance the mortgages of struggling homeowners is the right approach. I’ve also called for the creation of a $10 billion foreclosure prevention fund that works in tandem with state, local, and community nonprofit efforts to help households facing foreclosure renegotiate with lenders or put their homes on the market. We also need to expand the mortgage revenue bond program to give state housing agencies $10 billion in new resources to help struggling homeowners. For the long term, the Stop Fraud Act that I introduced two years ago would create criminal penalties for mortgage professionals found guilty of fraud and increase funding for federal and state enforcement of antifraud programs. I also want to see a simplified, standardized metric for calculating the costs of a home mortgage, similar to the annual percentage rate used by banks to identify the effective interest rate a borrower ends up paying on a loan.What role should the federal government play in reducing gridlock and carbon emission and in promoting livable communities?Obama: Our long-term competitiveness depends on the development of new transportation networks that reflect our increasingly mobile society. That’s why a strengthened transportation system is a priority for me. We must renew the federal government’s commitment to high-speed rail and take steps at the front end of planning processes for many transportation options. For example, I support a measure by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) to require states and metropolitan planning organizations to adopt policies that incentivize bicycle and pedestrian use of roads. I’ll double the federal Jobs Access and Reverse Commute program to ensure that additional federal public transportation dollars flow to the highest-need communities and that urban planning initiatives take this aspect of transportation policy into account.Even though prices have been easing for the last two years, housing affordability remains a challenge for many people. What can the federal government do to improve this situation?Obama: I’ve proposed a universal mortgage interest tax credit for families that aren’t benefiting from the mortgage interest deduction. They would get an average credit of $500 a year. And I worked to pass the bipartisan homeownership tax credit. That’s a strong incentive because it gives developers a credit to bridge the gap between the cost of building a house and a sale price that’s affordable to low- and moderate-income households.How should the federal government help millions of small-business owners and the self-employed obtain affordable health insurance?Obama: Let’s build on our existing private health care system by allowing small employers and independent contractors to participate in a “national health insurance exchange” so they can purchase affordable health coverage similar to the plans available to federal employees. Individuals who need help paying for premiums will receive tax credits to ensure they can afford coverage. Employers that do not make a meaningful contribution to the cost of quality health coverage for their employees will be required to contribute a percentage of payroll toward the costs of the national plan. Small employers that meet certain revenue thresholds will be exempt. The plan will reimburse employer health plans for a portion of the catastrophic costs they incur above a threshold if they guarantee these savings are used to reduce workers’ premiums.What’s the federal government’s role in promoting energy efficiency in commercial properties?Obama: I’ll establish a goal of making all new buildings carbon-neutral by 2030 and work to improve new building efficiency by 50 percent and existing building efficiency by 25 percent over the next decade. To achieve that, I’ll seek to make federal buildings zero-emission by 2025, starting with a goal to make them 40 percent more efficient in five years. I’ll create a competitive grant program to recognize states and localities that take the first steps in implementing new building codes that prioritize energy efficiency. I’ll also seek to provide a federal match for states with public benefits funds that support energy-efficiency retrofits of existing buildings. In addition, I’ll invest in green-collar job training programs and create a “Green Jobs Corps” to connect disadvantaged youth with job skills in high-growth clean-energy industries.What IRS code changes are needed to spur growth while ensuring tax burdens are spread evenly?Obama: We need to reform our tax code so that it’s simple and fair and advances opportunity rather than loopholes for special interests. I’ll end tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas and reward companies that create good jobs here. I’ll encourage innovation and entrepreneurship by extending the research and development and renewable energy production tax credits and eliminating capital gains taxes for small and start-up businesses. And I’ll provide broad middle class tax relief—a “Making Work Pay” $500 tax credit, among other things—to help working families struggling with stagnant wages and skyrocketing energy and health costs.—Robert Freedman

http://www.realtor.org/RMODaily.nsf/pages/News2008110601?OpenDocument

5 Common First Time Buyer Mistakes

5 Common First Time Home Buyer Mistakes


1. They don’t ask enough questions of their lender and end up missing out on the best deal.
2. They don’t act quickly enough to make a decision and someone else buys the house.
3. They don’t find the right agent who’s willing to help them through the homebuying process.
4. They don’t do enough to make their offer look appealing to a seller.
5. They don’t think about resale before they buy. The average first-time buyer only stays in a home for four years.

George Street Playhouse

The SeafarerNov 18, 2008 - Dec 14, 2008


The Seafarerby Conor McPhersondirected by Anders Cato
Hailed by The New York Times as “a thinking-person’s alternative to “It’s a Wonderful Life”, Conor McPherson’s Olivier Award-Winning and Tony-nominated play The Seafarer promises to be a funny and haunting alternative to traditional holiday fare. It’s going to be a devil of a Christmas in Baldoyle, a coastal settlement just north of Dublin City. The fog is dense and a group of friends have gathered for what seems to be a simple game of poker, until a mysterious stranger joins the game and raises the stakes damningly high.
Named “The Best New Play of the Year” by the Wall Street Journal, The Seafarer is an unforgettable Irish tale of old friends and holiday spirits - where the whisky bottle is hidden under the couch and everyone lays their cards on the table. Anders Cato, who directed last season’s critically acclaimed production of John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt, will return to helm The Seafarer


http://www.georgestplayhouse.org/calendar/events.php?nID=253

Grounds for Sculpture

Saturday, October 25thMercer County Arts Showcase
Time: 11am - 3pm. Free with park admission. Rescheduled from May 17, 2008.Come out and see what Mercer County Art Organizations have to offer! Participating groups will be displaying information about their organizations as well as answering questions and, in the case of performance groups, presenting selections from their current or up-coming seasons. Co-sponsored by Mercer County. Free with admission.

http://www.groundsforsculpture.org/calendar.php

Computer tips

HANDY computer TIPS & TRICKS gleaned from the link at the bottom of this email....
In Browser:
When typing web addresses:
.com = Ctrl + Enter key (Hold down CTRL while hitting Enter) Don't have to type ".com"
http://www. - Eliminate it - you can go to most websites without it (!!!)Enter key = same as clicking "OK" or "Next" with mouse (real time-saver)
Ctrl+T = opens new tab
Ctrl+W closes the active tab
Ctrl+click on a link opens the link in a new tab
Ctrl & + key = ENLARGE all TEXT on page (Ctrl & - to go back)
Ctrl while turning mouse wheel will ENLARGE entire web pg
When searching Google, put quotes around phrases ("electric curtains" will return only pages where that exact phrase occurs)
F11 = maximize OR minimize web browser
Alt + left arrow = “Back”
Ctrl+ T = open new tab in browser
Backspace key = Browser Back button
Alt + F4 = close active window
F6 = lets you edit address bar without using mouse to click in address bar
Double-click on a word = Draging with mouse to select a word
Double-double click to select entire sentence
Triple click to select entire line
F5 = Refreshes page
Windows key + D = Hide all windows (repeat to return)
Ctrl + A = select all
Ctrl + X = Cut
Ctrl + C = copy
Ctrl + V = paste
Ctrl + s = Save
Ctrl+ P = Print
Alt + F4 = close all programs. Do it again to shut down computer…or.
Ctrl + U = closes all open programs and turns off computer
Double-click windows title bar to toggle between maximize & restore
Highlight first item, hold down shift & highlight last item (selects all between them)
PrintScreen key copies screen to clipboard; Ctrl+V will then paste it into Word
Windows key + E = opens Int Explorer
Copy items from one folder to another by holding down Alt key while dragging item
In drop-down lists, type first letter of your selection to jump right to it
To save something to print later, go to Print/MS Office Doc. Image Writer” & save
Shift + Delete = Totally deleted (NOT in recycle bin)
In phone messages, press * to go directly to beep without hearing their message


http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/tech-tips-for-the-basic-computer-user/?em

SOLD PRICES

732-649-1846
908-616-9665 cell



I now offer a Real Estate website that you can search Sold Prices and Listings anywhere in the country. This is unique to any other Real Estate Website on the internet because SOLD prices are shared, satellite pictures and mapping in the same place.

It is easy to use and the information you can access far exceeds any site you have visited before. This is a free service that you will need log in codes for. You can cancel at any time if you do not find it informative. Even my competitors have asked to be members to get the nationwide information.

To get your codes I will need
Name, address, e-mail address, and a phone number is helpful but not required.

Once you get your log in codes you can modify your searches to anywhere in the United States that you choose

I hope you enjoy this amazing new website use it to watch pricing in your neighborhood or for a future move .

Mary McKiernan

" I love my job and my clients say it shows"

NEW REAL ESTATE WEBSITE: GREAT MAPPING

I can enroll you at no charge in this site whenever you would like. You can search for homes AND SOLD PRICES...anywhere in the country. This is a unique feature to get sold prices. Also the mapping and satellite features are easy to use and very helpful. Let me know if you would like to use this site. Of course you can still check out my New Jersey personal website at REMAX.com

Mary McKiernan
RE/MAX Masters