Economics is not my bag, man. But…tell me if I’m wrong. This is a great time to get a mortgage, right?
I’m looking at the rates and it’s in the mid 4%’s for a 30 year fixed and in the 3′s for a 15 year! I want to know why everybody isn’t running out and buying or refinancing. Is it because the banks aren’t loaning money?
I did the math on my own house. I wouldn’t be saving enough to refinance at 30 years, but if I paid the mortgage down and did a 15 year, I’d be rich, bitch! Too bad the only way to get the bucks to pay it down is to sell the other house.
So, I’m watching the rates and hoping that they stay low until someone realizes it’s a great time to buy my house. And then I can refinance!
So, the Beacon house has been on the market for nearly four months now and we are freaking out, man! We’ve decided to give it one more month (maybe two) since the summer was sort of a dead zone and then we’ll have to think about renting it out until the market picks up again. That being said, just when we’re about to give up, it looks as if we may have a few interested parties. Fingers crossed!
The plan over the weekend was to go up to Beacon and ready the exterior for winter, should we end up keeping it or should the new owner take over during the cold months. The front of the house was painted when the new porch was put in, but the rest of the house is screaming for a paint job. (BTW, what ever happened to people who think it’s romantic to work on an old home? Are we the only ones left?) No, the two of us didn’t repaint our entire house over the weekend. We did scrape and touch up the worst bits. Now it just looks patchy but maintained, instead of neglected. At least this way, if it doesn’t get painted until next Spring, the clapboard isn’t rotting away.
The garage face lift was just that. Like an aged has-been getting her face pulled tight when her neck remains wrinkled and saggy, the garage now looks better at first glance. We’re not trying to fool anyone. The structure needs complete rehabilitation at best or needs to be torn down and rebuilt. The waste of half a day and the leftover paint was decided upon when we realized that this is the first thing people see when they pull into the driveway. So, now at least it looks like a charming dilapidated shed instead of a total eyesore. Smoke and mirrors. Curb appeal. Whatev.
August 28th marks the 47th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. I’m sure you’ve heard about Glenn Beck’s (aka Howard Beale) rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. I won’t even dignify that by going on a rant, but I do have a couple of side notes. 1. Money is being collected “for the troops”, but the fine print states that it’s only the money left over AFTER the event has been paid for. 2. Um, I think God told him to do this and may make an appearance. Something along those lines. Let us all pray for The Rapture this Saturday.
A couple of anti-hate rallies:
Al Sharpton’s National Action Network is holding their own rally tomorrow to commemorate the King speech. No need to drive to D.C. Bus service is available and listed on their site.
Celebrate the Dream is holding a ceremony on the National Mall to dedicate a 4 story high people’s memorial to Dr. King.
If you can’t make it to Washington this weekend, please feel free to share the video of the speech on Facebook, Twitter and anywhere you can think of. Spread the love. Not the hate.
I’ve been catching up on Bravo’s Flipping Out with interior designer/house flipper Jeff Lewis. Ok, so I’m kind of hooked on the guy’s bitchiness. He’s awful to his employees, like really mean, but I think I love him anyway.
The realty series had me at hello. A gal like me who restores her own shacks? What’s not to love about a renovation show? I get off on watching the contractor ordeals and how they meet their deadlines in spite of it all.
And the pets! I wish I had a staff to take care of my own brood. Lewis’ dog pees on his assistant’s head and he thinks it’s funny. It IS f*in’ funny! It’s hilarious!
So, love him or hate him? I vote that I love him, but I could never in a million years work for that a-hole
Last Sunday we got to visit the Ben and Jerry’s factory in Waterbury, VT since we totally got rained out from doing any outdoor activities.
The first place I hit was the restroom. There I noticed a poem on the wall of the stall that had something to do with the “blue loo”. If I understood correctly, the waste water in the toilet was being composted and recycled. Sorry, I should have taken a snappy with my iphone, but I was in there to do my business if ya know what I mean. There’s something on their website about waste, but it’s not the kind that I’m talking about.
Next, whilst sampling the latest flavor (something with vanilla ice cream and dark chocolate cows) I spotted the “cleaner greener freezer” over in the corner. The new hydrocarbon technology supposedly has zero impact on ozone depletion.
Yes, it’s true that Ben and Jerry’s was acquired by Unilever, so they’re not the same 2 guys from Long Island we’ve grown to love. But they ain’t Walmart either. Check out some of their other environmental causes.
Consider this sort of a linkorama with a sprinkling of snarky comments from the editor. Lots going on lately and I’m sharing my opinion whether you like it or not.
The Empire State Building sharing the skyline? Hmm, I can see both sides. Surely, this building IS the NYC skyline. Of course we want it to remain #1, especially since we lost #2 a few years back. The other point of view is that the skyline is constantly changing, so deal. Well, this is true too! Here’s my thinking….The ESB is an historic landmark. There are many landmarked districts in Manhattan. Why shouldn’t this building fit in with this historic neighborhood? So, build a tower that compliments the Empire State Building. No, that piece of shit in the photo doesn’t cut it. Back to work.
So, the Ground Zero mosque. 1. It is not located AT Ground Zero. The site was a Burlington Coat Factory a few blocks away. 2. It is not a big fat mosque but rather a community center with a prayer room. 3. There are already mosques in the neighborhood, at least one that predates the towers. 4. Would you prefer a Victoria’s Secret? Really? 5. If you answered yes to #4, let’s just agree to disagree because you probably have some racist tendencies.
Habana Outpost is sooo green. Oh, really? Just your buildings but not your food? Too bad there’s not much on your menu for a vegetarian to eat. Never been, because the menu is so meaty. That’s fine, but I don’t really equate dead animals with environmentalism. I’ll assume the meat is organic free range, but I don’t see where it says that. You’re doing a good thing for the community, so thumbs up on that.
Ok, I vented. Feeling better now.
We’re off to Stowe, Vermont for a (hopefully) relaxing weekend. Staying at this place, which looks quite nice. If you know of any summer festivities in that area, let us know! Flea markets? Thrift shops? Wonderful veg-friendly restaurants? Good dog hikes?
Happy Monday….MY BIRTHDAY!!!
This Hello Kitty house was making the blog rounds a year ago, but I just discovered it when someone posted a link on a Brownstoner convo.
I. AM. IN. LOVE.
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i’d jump on a refinance if i could be sure my home will appraise for the right amount. i think that may be holding a lot of people back. we bought at pretty much the exact wrong time and our house’s value has slumped, presumably. we’re thinking about getting an appraiser to come out and then decide if we can pull it off.
Comment by Jimmy Legs — August 31, 2010 @ 2:22 pm
Oh right…I forgot about the appraisals. Most people are probably in that boat whether it be purchase or refi.
We put a lot down on this house since we had just sold another house. Don’t know if that’s a good thing or bad thing. Good for refi I guess, bad because it ties up all of our much-needed bucks.
Comment by RH — August 31, 2010 @ 3:08 pm