River Country Journal – TR City Commission to meet Tuesday evening
The commission dealt with the same issue during its July 21st meeting, but the motion to accept a promissory note and quit-claim deed for property owned by Southern Michigan Bank & Trust (SMB & T) failed on a 3-to-3 tie vote. …  read more…

Michigan Messenger » Both sides put positive spin on Michigan …
The class action was first filed in 2003 and involves property owners in the Saginaw County portion of the 100-year floodplain of the Tittabawassee River, a tributary of the Saginaw River. David Parker, who filed an amicus brief in the …  read more…

Michigan Messenger » Mich. Supreme Court expected to rule on Dow …
Center Road passes over the Tittabawassee River near Saginaw (Michigan.gov photo). This week, six years after those landowners filed a class action case against Dow [NYSE:DOW] seeking compensation for property damage, the Michigan …  read more…

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Chicago is an Exciting Family Destination
Chicago is one of the best family vacation destinations in America. The “Windy City” or “Chi-Town” as Chicago is sometimes referred to has everything a famil…  read more…

Detroit Michigan: the best and worst place to invest in real estate.
Detroit, Mi hate it or love it. Its heavily segregated, a vast majority of the residents have poor credit, the city is plagued with crime, the local government is too corrupt, the school system needs …  read more…

Mysterious Gleaming Gold
Since prehistoric man first stumbled upon a nugget, raw gold with its radiant sun yellow coloration and metallic luster has captivated and fascinated mankind. The unique gleam of gold attracts the eye…  read more…

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Resolved Question: What US cities are crime safe, populated, warm, hurricane safe?
Used to live in frigid and boring Michigan and planing on returning to the states permanently – what cities meet my following criteria:

1/ Homicide Index of 12 or less per 100,000
2/ Population density 3000+ per sq mi
3/ Winter 40+ f
4/ Hurricane Safe
5/ Median house age 60s or newer

I would like a waterfront or view property, bay or river preferably – but water not a must – ocean too hurricane dangerous!

Seattle, Portland, South Aurora CO, Paradise NV are curent considerations – ANY OTHERS?

Thanks a million and a half!!

  read more…

Resolved Question: Michigan ‘Joker’ sentenced to 1 day in jail???
“CENTREVILLE, Mich. – A man accused of trying to steal a large Batman movie poster from a cinema lobby while dressed as the Joker has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of malicious destruction of property.

Twenty-year-old Spencer Taylor entered the plea Wednesday in St. Joseph County District Court.

A judge ordered him to serve one day in jail, perform 16 hours of community service and pay $685 in fines.

Charges of attempted larceny in a building and using a mask to conceal his identity during the commission of a crime were dismissed as part of Taylor’s plea agreement.

Three Rivers police say he was wearing a purple suit, green wig and face paint when they arrested him on July 27.”

what do u guys think?

his photo
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Police-Department-police-officers-Three-Rivers2C-Mich-Batman/photo//080728/480/a3b842e7294844579da5f34ac136dad0//s:/ap/20080814/ap_on_fe_st/odd_joker_arrested;_ylt=AtGN1d9MeIjJ_UJQWg2syb8uQE4F

  read more…

Resolved Question: Too much or too little for someone that was too stupid?
Michigan ‘Joker’ Sentenced To 1 Day In Jail

CENTREVILLE, Mich. – A man accused of trying to steal a large Batman movie poster from a cinema lobby while dressed as the Joker has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of malicious destruction of property.

Twenty-year-old Spencer Taylor entered the plea Wednesday in St. Joseph County District Court.

A judge ordered him to serve one day in jail, perform 16 hours of community service and pay $685 in fines.

Charges of attempted larceny in a building and using a mask to conceal his identity during the commission of a crime were dismissed as part of Taylor’s plea agreement.

Three Rivers police say he was wearing a purple suit, green wig and face paint when they arrested him on July 27.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080814/ap_on_re_us/odd_joker_arrested;_ylt=AtoY6hrIaehCUWoPFiRAnHADW7oF

  read more…

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When we talk about a bond, we are talking about a debt security. This, in essence, is a formal contract agreeing to repay borrowed money. It is repaid with interest, at fixed intervals. So really, a bond is much like a loan. Bonds can provide a borrower with outside funds, and these can be used for long-term investments. Bonds are issued by a credit institution, and most commonly through underwriting. As for underwriting, that is when a large financial institution goes through a specific process to determine a consumer’s eligibility to receive their services.

The time needed for processing and completion of this process, really depends on the type of bond or loan you apply for. Also, different kinds of loans will necessitate presenting different types of paperwork. The paperwork for bonds and loans can be mind-boggling, but there are some basic documents which you know will be required, before processing an application.

It all starts with verification of income. You will need earnings statements, which would be your W-2 forms, pay stubs and tax returns. For those who are self-employed, make sure to have profit and loss statements and tax returns. If you have additional income, for example, social security, bonuses, commissions, interest and such, have that documentation available as well.

Checking and savings account numbers, along with your bank contact information and statements will need to be supplied. In addition, provide documentation for any savings bonds, stocks or investments, and make copies of titles you may have on any vehicles that have been paid off. A copy of the ratified purchase contract for the property in question, will need to be supplied, along with your cancelled check for the down payment.

You will need records of your debts, too. Credit card bills, car loans, student loans and the like, must all be made available, along with the appropriate creditor contact information. Don’t forget child support and alimony documentation, if it applies.

Your credit history will need to be verified. Supply the lender with canceled checks for things like rent and utilities. This shows you have a payment history, and it also gives the lender an idea of your revolving debt.

When all the proper documentation is in order, it goes to a processor. The processor’s job is to verify and validate all this information. Verification requests are going to be sent to your employers, mortgage holder or landlord, and lending institutions.

Whether or not you get a bond will depend on your credit report. Before they step out on a limb and extend credit, lenders want to know what the risk involved. Make sure you know what is in your credit report before you apply for a loan or bond. If there is a mistake, get it fixed before you apply.

If there is an error, take the needed steps to correct it. Almost 50% of all credit reports have errors that are important enough to cause a loan or bond to be denied. When all the information is collected, and verified your file is sent to an underwriter.

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If you’re looking for strategies to make money without needing to punch a time clock or be a slave to your business, residual earnings are the way to go. With residual earnings you put in some work setting up a business system which can run without your day to day guidance and chill out and watch the checks roll in.

Most folks in this world rely on a salary and boss to get by. In order to stop being a wage slave, you’ll have to set up your own business. The problem is that many entrepreneurs trade one kind of slavery for another, as they end up spending each waking minute working on their business. That’s’s not freedom!

Think of residual earnings like an actor’s, writer’s or musician’s royalties. They create a piece of work, get paid for it and whenever it gets sold in the future they get a taste of the profits. Many an one-hit-wonder is living just fine off their royalties.

For those among us who are not insanely good looking or talented in the arts the trick is to set up an enterprise that can run on its own, with help from outsourced workers or minimal guidance from you.

The drop-shipping industry is based on the power of residual earnings. People find a wholesaler of a product, advertise that product and then sell it for a profit. They send their orders to the supplier who then ships directly to the buyer. Correctly set up with the right outsourced staff, all the business owner has to do is get the business set up and check in periodically.

The web also allows you to make this type of living. By simply building a website and monetizing it through sales or advertising you’ll continue to earn money as long as you own the site.

The strongest way to insure residual earnings for life is thru real estate investment. For a nominal investment in the property and performing any rehab that must be done, you can lease out residential or commercial real estate as long as you live. Barring a natural disaster or nuclear war your building will be standing long after you are gone. Not merely will you receive income for the rest of your life, but so will your heirs.

For those that do not feel like working with renters there is a entire host of professional management corporations that will oversee the property and ensure you get your money. Of course you will have to be prepared to accept a touch less revenue in this scenario but it frees you from needing to deal with your renters.

It’s everyone’s dream to live the good life. We would like to be ready to spend time with our friends and family and pursue our hobbies and interests all while being financially secure. The power of real estate investing and other hands off businesses offers you the ability to have it all through residual earnings.

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In a down real estate market, finding foreclosed homes is easy. However to make your search easier, here is the list of the places where you can find foreclosures.

Auctions

Auction companies hold a inventory of properties, sometimes selling as much as 100 homes or more in just a single day. The bidding is relatively quick and houses can be sold in a matter of seconds, prices of real estate can go over the board but you can find really good properties in their inventory.

Some Large Bank Websites

Most major banks maintain a list of foreclosed properties that they now own. Visit bank web sites and check out the foreclosed properties listing. More often then not this is a great method to find good solid investment property…just be warned…banks take FOREVER to move on a sale if your offering below what they feels is “Fair market value”.

Online foreclosure companies

There are a few companies online that specialize in selling foreclosed homes. A small,one-time membership fee is charged to anyone who wishes to access the list of foreclosed properties. Once you join you will normally have access to a list of property from across the nation.

Good Real Estate agents (Buyers Agents)

These agents are either maintaining personal web sites or deal directly with real estate companies that sell foreclosed properties. You can search them online. Major cities have real estate offices where you can inquire into possibility of acquiring foreclosures.

Real Estate Signs

You don’t need to look anywhere else because you can find foreclosure signs around your neighborhood.These signs contain address and contact information of the agents you can visit or call. The best thing about considering homes with real estate signs is that you can actually check the condition of the house on-site. Nothing is stoping you from walking the property to take a look to see if it is worth looking into. And with one phone call, you can arrange with the agent the date when you want to see the interior of the house.

Government Agencies

Department of the Treasury and other government agencies have a list of real estate properties for sale. Usually, when buying a house from these agencies, you are required to acquire the services of a real estate broker or personally submit an offer. Go to any of the government agencies web sites for more information.

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Have you been told that preforeclosure numbers are still going up? Many of the bigger second chance lending businesses in the US and all over the globe are seeing such a challenge. Listen to this, BA, Wells Fargo, USB, and other smaller banks have noticed an increase in homeowners going into preforeclosure. That large amount is worrisome for several reasons. Yet, as someone facing foreclosure, one may want to take into consideration how the process works and to fully know where one can jump into it and sell, save from preforeclosure, or buy a house.

Previously the process of lending business foreclosure, for example, was longer than one might know. The procedure starts when the property owner fails to make one of their regular payments on their loan. With a delinquent payment, the bank will start to contact you to learn what the challenge is at the moment. Your banker may put together a solution for getting paid up at this time. They hopefully will subsequently work with the mortgage holder any way they possibly. When the note holder continues to forego bank payments, the foreclosure procedure really gets under way, which perhaps you know that for the the lenders it begins with the attorneys being informed.

For a Wells Fargo foreclosure, Bank of America foreclosure, or any other financial situation to go through, generally the other person must show in court that the home owners have failed to make financial amends or to somehow make progress on the mortgage (sometimes lowering your loan can do some good, for example.) A procedure includes public announcement in the nearby law court and in addition a notification in home town newspapers of the failure to pay. From here, a institution must work through the local laws regarding taking over of a property. At some point, the court will transfer the title to the bank’s ownings.

Then, when BA foreclosure or any other kind of preforeclosure is happening, can an investor now come in and be of assistance? When they would like to take a look at the property, a good place to start is coming in touch with the property owner that is caught up in foreclosure. The investor can buy their loan from them or take over their mortgage loan. In either case, there most certainly will be some risk, but the capital investor then helps avoid the complete preforeclosure process, which can help everyone involved to get into a better position.

With Wells Fargo and similar foreclosures, the lender is supposed to do their best with the person in foreclosure. During such a procedure they find the cheapest, manageable loan that is available to them. The banks do what they can to assist them in getting caught up. Keep in mind, there are rules that must be followed. If a person is looking at preforeclosure, look for a company with integrity to assist you or try to deal directly with the bank. Make certain you take care of things right away and don’t put it off.

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Banks advertise their mortgage interest rates all the time. It goes without saying that they want to advertise the lowest rate possible, but that does not mean that you will qualify for that low rate. So, picture that you understand the difference between the actual rate their advertised rates.

Banks advertiser rates all over the TV, radio, and Internet. Many times they will advertise what is called a buydown rate versus what the actual rate is. I buydown rate typically includes the borrower to bring in thousands of dollars to buy down the rate.

When you look all over the Internet you going to see that there is a huge range of what companies market as their interest rate. Keep in mind that the mortgage interest rates come from the same place for every bank across the country. Some companies may be more aggressive with that rate they are given, but it should be very unusual for one bank to be more than one half point higher than another bank with all things being equal.

What kind of fees are you going to be charged? This is one question that you need ask up front. If the fees are going to outweigh the savings, then it goes to reason that refinancing your mortgage is probably not advantageous at this time. Typically these closing costs should be able to be recouped within 2 to 3 years of refinancing.

Make sure you know your credit scores. Your credit score is very important in determining what type of interest rate you are going to get with your mortgage. This will also determine whether you can go with conventional financing or you may have to go with an FHA loan.

The next thing you need to discover is whether you want a fixed rate, or an adjustable-rate loan. Most people these days are opting for a fixed rate because rates are very favorable, but there are several situations where an adjustable rate makes more sense. It just depends on your situation. Make sure that you’re working with someone who provides you with both options, and shows you the pros and cons of each.

Is there a prepayment penalty on this loan? Makes you ask this question even though prepayment on these are not very common these days.

The number one thing that you need to do before you settle on your mortgage is to make sure that you’re working with someone that is knowledgeable in the industry and someone that you want to work with long-term. The reason being, is that in the future you’re going to have questions on your mortgage, anyone have someone that you can go to that you know like and trust. If you settle for just anyone, you want to find yourself very disappointed in the long run.

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Income based housing are subsidized housing where HUD helps pay part of the rent for qualified people. The qualified people allowed to live in income based housing are low income families, students, and seniors. These people usually cannot afford a place to live on their current income.

If you visit HUDs website, you can find out the measures for qualification. Income is the top factor for determining if you can live in income based housing.

HUD provides income based housing by giving money to landlords. Landlords would then collect from tenants the remaining rent that HUD does not pay. So in this case tenants can afford housing at a cheaper price.

Go online to find income based housing. There are many websites you can use to find income based housing. You just need to know where you want to live, how big of a house you want to live in, and whether or not the landlord accepts section 8.

When you visit the income based housing, do not forget to bring something to keep notes of the income based housing that you visit. Take notes on each house including the pros and cons. Later, you can use this information to help you make an informed decision.

Find out from the resident of the income based housing what they think of the place. Some answers you might want to find out are, how does the landlord treat the tenant? Does the landlord take care of issues quickly or is he more of an absentee landlord. You can generally get a good idea of how well the landlord takes care of the house by looking at the exterior and interior.

Walk through the income based housing and mark off things that need fixing or cleaning. The landlord should have all this taken care of before you move in.

It might be a good idea to buy renters insurance. Renters insurance can save you a bundle of money if your things were stolen and the insurance is not expensive.

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There are some technical formations where the false breakouts are more likely to occur in the currency price charts. You should be able to identify likely false breakouts in order to employ the breakout fading strategy. You need to apply a lot of common sense in identifying a false breakout.

Head and Shoulders Pattern: This chart pattern is the hardest for new traders to identify. The head and shoulder pattern consists of three points of rallies. The middle rally is the highest with the left and right being smaller. The pattern resembles the head and shoulder pattern of a human. Dont confuse it with a shampoo. A neckline can be drawn connecting the lows of the left and right shoulders.

The head and shoulder pattern is usually found in the middle or end of an uptrend. An inverted head and shoulder pattern can also be found in the middle or end of a downtrend. If the head and shoulder pattern is found at the end of an uptrend, it signals a bearish reversal or a consolidation period before the uptrend is continued.

Head and shoulder patterns are famous for precipitating a false breakout. Many traders who have identified the head and shoulder pattern place their stop loss orders below the neckline if they are buying up the rallies from the support level.

Similarly, if traders are shorting the decline from the resistance level, they place their stop loss orders above the neckline of the inverted head and shoulder pattern. Traders can also place numerous entry stop orders below the neckline. Traders can also place entry stop orders above the inverse neckline in anticipation of a breakout besides the stop loss orders.

Most of the time, false breakouts are triggered by the market makers to shake out the positions of small traders. The prices will usually rebound and there maybe explosive price movements off the neckline in the pre breakout zone.

It is always best to assume that the first break of a head and shoulder pattern tends to be false. You may choose to place a stop loss slightly below the high of the second shoulder or slightly above the low of the second shoulder. You may fade the breakout with a limit of market entry order a few pips above the neckline or a few pips below the inverse neckline.

Double Top & Double Bottom Chart Pattern: The problem with this currency chart pattern is also this that it is used by novice and inexperienced traders as a signal for a possible breakout of the support or resistance level. A double top formation consists of two rally peaks separated by a valley and the two peaks need not be of the same height. A double bottom is simply an inverted image of a double top.

Using this chart pattern as an indication for a likely breakout makes these traders easy bait for the big players. Fading breakout is more effective in range bound markets. The breakout fading strategy usually does not work well when the market is in a strong trending phase.

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You want to look around to find the best rate. Have your credit pulled more than 3 times, you may have problems. And that is one of the risks of shopping around for the best rate.

If you credit is pulled to much, it looks like you are not getting qualified for a loan. This in turn will lower your credit score at any time.

If you do not qualify for the loan , you will not get into the house. Be a big problem down the road. You do not want your credit pulled to many times. You will be thankful for it in the long run and it will save you money.

So what if you do have your credit score pulled to much, now what? Colorado Home Mortgage Loans Well you can wait some time and the credit scores will come back up.

The usually wait time is about 3 months before you will see a improvement in your credit score again. This might be worth it. You may not qualify for a home loan now.

If you plan on getting a home loan, will have to wait that long anyway. But what if that is not the case? It may save you one hundred dollars a month if you wait.

The total cost on this if you have the same rate for the life of the loan is about $36,000. It can add up over some time. If you do not waiting for your credit score to come back it can cost you $12,000.

Over some time It can add up. If you do not waiting for your credit score to come back it can cost you $12,000. You will need to look around for the best rate. You still will want to be careful with the credit score.

Do not have your credit pulled more than 3 times. If you only have it pulled 3 times you will not have a problem. You could see a drop in your score. You will be thankful and save a lot of money in the long run.

Or a drop in score. You will be thankful and save a lot of money in the long run. When you find out what the score is you can all ways just tell the loan officer.

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If you dream about escaping the cubicle nine-to-five prison, then passive income ideas are the keys to your cell. Working for someone else can make you well off financially, but you may potentially never actually be made. Owning your business is the way to go if you’re trying to find true finance freedom.

Yet many entrepreneurs find themselves working more hours and dealing with added headaches than theydid while running after the cheese in the rat race. If you would like to be freed from bosses, headaches and sitting pretty financially passive income is the way to go.

Instead of hitting a clock or working a mad quantity of hours passive income ideas permit you the ability to do the work up front and chill out and collect checks for what’s left of your life. While there are millions of way to make your own way in this world, one of the best and hands off is property investing.

For example, by setting aside some money each paycheck you might easily put cash down on a house. These days there are tons of houses for sale, either thru standard means, foreclosures or bank owned properties. Benefit from the slow market and get a house below it’s true value. After putting in some work fixing up the place, hire it out. The renters pay the mortgage and whatever extra is yours.

Repeat the strategy and your monthly cash would keep growing as you put in almost no work keeping up your properties. If you out source management of the properties your passive revenue becomes really easy. The better part is your renters are paying the mortgage and you’re keeping the overages. If you ever need a massive inflow of money for your youngster’s college, a new vehicle or any other reason you can simply sell a property and collect all of that superb equity!

Take this basic idea and use it on other passive income ideas, like making an investment in commercial property. Commercial property is valued differently than home, in that commercial property is valued by the money it produces not what similar properties are selling for.

This is one of the great passive income ideas because with little improvements you’ll consistently increase the value of your property as well as your monthly passive income checks. You also spread the danger out amongst many renters, and are not only contingent on one individual to promise your money.

With a tiny planning and a little investment you can build an estate empire which will give you earnings for the rest of your life. .

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