Obama Outlines New Housing Refinance Plan

By Mary Bruce @marykbruce

President Obama today announced his latest plan to revive the housing market, outlining a proposal intended to help homeowners take advantage of historically low mortgage interest rates, even if they owe more than their homes are worth.
“This housing crisis struck right at the heart of what it means to be middle-class in America: our home,” the president said in a speech at a community center in Falls Church, Va. “It’s personal. It affects so much of how people feel about their lives, about their communities, about the country, about the economy. We need to do everything in our power to repair the damage and make responsible families whole again.”
Following up on a proposal outlined in his State of the Union address, the president has asked Congress for a tax on large banks to help “responsible homeowners” who are current on their payments refinance at today’s low rates.
“No more red tape. No more runaround from the banks. And a small fee on the largest financial institutions will make sure that it doesn’t add to our deficit,” the president said, predicting that his plan would save the average borrower roughly $3,000 a year.
While the proposal faces an uphill battle in Congress, Obama said he is not waiting to take action. Announcing a new homeowners’ Bill of Rights and streamlined mortgage form, the president explained that he understands what it’s like to be stumped by all the paperwork.
“I remember when Michelle and I bought our first condo, and we were both lawyers. And we’re looking through the forms, and we’re kind of holding it out reading it again: What does this phrase mean? And that’s, you know, for two trained lawyers,” he said.
“The forms, the confusion, the potential for abuse is too great, just because the forms were too complicated. So this is what a mortgage form should look like,” he said brandishing the new one.
Calling the housing challenge “massive in size and in scope,” the president admitted his previous efforts to boost the housing market have not lived up to his expectations. “I’ll be honest. The programs that we put forward haven’t worked at the scale we hoped,” he said.
The president’s latest proposal comes as the Republican presidential candidates head to Nevada, the state with the highest foreclosure rate in the country. “After promising to help millions, we continue to see the same proposals from President Obama and getting the same results, a deepening housing crisis,” Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski said in response to the president’s speech. “Americans are tired of talking in circles on housing, tired of the rhetoric, they want results and in November they’re going to elect someone who can deliver.”

Tips to be more energy wise at home

There are many good reasons to become more energy conscious at home including saving money, making your home healthier and more comfortable, decreasing the impact on Ontario’s natural resources and even potentially increasing your home’s value. To help you make your home more energy efficient, the Ontario Real Estate Association and your local Realtor offer the following tips.
Finding ways to reduce your use of water, gas or electricity can be as simple and inexpensive as switching to energy efficient lightbulbs. For example, a 15-watt compact fluorescent light gives as much light as a 60- watt incandescent bulb and can last 10 times as long.
Install a programmable thermostat
When properly set, a thermostat can reduce heating and cooling costs by up to 10 per cent. Turning down your thermostat to about 15C when you go out or at night when you sleep can save you 10 – 15% on your total energy bill. Also, change your furnace filter monthly and have your furnace serviced by a professional every year to ensure it is running at maximum efficiency.
Weatherproof
Install weatherstripping around doors, fireplace dampers, attic hatches and air conditioners. Reducing drafts can save up to 30 per cent a year on heating costs. Block heat from entering unused areas of your house, like a storage room or crawlspace, by closing doors.
Go off-peak
Take advantage of lower energy prices during off-peak hours. Run your dishwasher, washer and dryer early in the morning, in the evening or on weekends when electricity rates are lowest. Be sure to unplug electronic items not in use. Devices like computers, TVs, and cell phone chargers continue to consume small amounts of electricity unless they are unplugged. If you plug them into a power bar that you can switch off, you’ll not only save money on energy use, but you won’t need to reprogram your equipment when you turn it back on.
Be water wise
Make an effort to quickly repair leaky faucets. Even a small drip can waste litres of water per month and add to your water heating costs. In your home the toilet uses the most water — accounting for approximately 30 per cent of indoor water use. But, water efficient toilets use up to 80 percent less water than regular toilets. You can save even more by installing a dual flush toilet thatprovidesanoptionfora3litreor6litre flush depending on need. Switch from having baths to taking showers and use about half the amount of water. Installing low-flow showerheads can also reduce water consumption by as much as 65 per cent while still providing a forceful spray.
Washing your clothes in cold water will save you loads of money over time since up to 80 per cent of the energy you use to wash clothes comes from heating the wash water. Also, if you are in the market for a new washing machine, consider buying an Energy Star model which uses 35-50 per cent less water and at least 50 per cent less energy per load.
Throughout your home, choose Energy Star appliances and equipment (your furnace for example). The Energy Star symbol means the product has met or exceeded technical specifications that ensure they are among the most energy efficient on the market.
Small changes, big results
When you think energy conscious, even small changes can have big results. As concerns about our environment continue to grow, more homebuyers will demand energy saving features in a home. If you are planning on updating your home to sell. Be sure to speak to a Realtor. He or she can advise you on the types of improvements you can make to enhance your home’s “saleability.” If you are buying a home, talk to a Realtor about what features you should look for that will help save you money on energy costs.
This article is provided by the Orangeville & District Real Estate Board for the benefit of consumers in the real estate market.
Source http://www.citizen.on.ca 

For Home Safe, a will but not yet a way

By Katie Klingsporn
Regional officials discuss the future of free transit program
Home Safe, the popular transportation service that had long offered free late-night rides home to locals and visitors on weekends, was swiftly discontinued following the tragic accident on Jan. 15 that killed local man Patrick Morris.
Now, the future of a transit service that gave roughly 26,000 people rides home since 2003 is in limbo. The operator, Telluride Express, has stated that it isn’t interested in continuing Home Safe due to the liability issues. Regional officials aren’t sure of the best route to take to get it back up and running.
But while no plan has been mapped out, the will to return Home Safe to the regional transit picture is strong.
That was the message that came out of a work session Tuesday during the Telluride Town Council meeting. The work session was designed to begin ploting the return of Home Safe, which has been carting people from downtown Telluride to their homes in Mountain Village and parts of San Miguel County late on weekends since 2003.
 The program was funded by the Town of Telluride, Mountain Village and San Miguel County, but was administered by a contract held between the Telluride Rotary Club and Telluride Express. Telluride Express operated the program with a 28-person “people mover” and a large van. Home Safe offered rides home on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights at 12:45 or 2:15 a.m. from the San Miguel County Courthouse (though drivers would occasionally offer three rides a night if the demand was high).

The service was halted following a fatal accident Jan. 15. According to authorities, 52-year-old Morris was killed after he lay down in front of a Home Safe van for unknown reasons and was run over. The driver did not see him.
Everyone at the meeting agreed that Home Safe provided an extremely valuable service — it kept drunk drivers off the road, got people safely home after the gondola closed and offered a late-night ride for many workers. While the accident was tragic, they said, it should not spell the end of Home Safe.
“What I have heard is that is has been extremely important to the community,” said Mayor Stu Fraser. “I would hope that [the accident] would not cause us to walk away from the importance of this program.”
Council member Chris Myers said the end of Home Safe has created a void in the community.
“We as a town government … we need to respond. There are going to be consequences with the absence of this program,” he said.
“I am in full support of Home Safe,” said San Miguel County Commissioner Elaine Fischer. “I hope you will join me in making sure it can continue to operate.” (County officials joined in on the work session.)
Where uncertainty crept into the conversation was in the how of bringing it back.
Sue Rovito, general manager of Telluride Express, told those assembled that she is not interested in continuing the service.
Telluride Express has been for some time having issues with the behavior of some intoxicated riders — which can become abusive, she said. It has also run into a recurring problem of too many people showing up for the 2:15 a.m. ride home.
“The drivers, out of the goodness of their own hearts, sometimes go back and give another ride,” she said. She added that they should charge for a third ride, but riders would be upset. “That’s where we get stuck.”
The liability issues of running Home Safe are just too large, she added. And it doesn’t make much sense financially for the company.
“It really doesn’t work anymore,” Rovito said. “If there’s some way you can tie it all together locally, that would truly be the best I feel.”
She added that her company has been sending three taxi vehicles out during the weekends. Mountain Limo is also offering taxi services.
Many participants were in favor of the town or regional governments grabbing the reins.
“I’d like to see us take this on,” said council member Brian Werner. “How can the town make this work?”
And County Commissioner Joan May said it makes sense to look at the Home Safe issue from a regional transit perspective.
Jason White, Telluride’s transit manager, estimated that it would cost at least $40,000 to run the service using the town’s transportation vehicles.
That begged the question: Where would that money come from? The three governments were paying $23,000 a year under the old system.
“It looks like if we are moving forward with this, the only alternative we have is to do it with our transit program,” said council member Thom Carnevale. “I think that we do need a transit system that does allow people who are inebriated to get home at night. I think $40,000 is a great deal of money. That’s the integral part of this thing. How it is going to be financed.”
In the end, the town decided to put together a committee that will explore the issue.
“I think we should and need to be concentrating on the need for late night public transportation,” said Jerry Greene. “Let’s see if we can make it a reliable public service.”
And Travis Julia, who owns the Vaudeville Bar in the Sheridan Opera House, said it’s definitely a worthy program.
“Absolutely there’s demand for more of it,” he said. “Unfortunately there was a tragedy here, but I definitely think that it needs to carry on.”

Top 7 Things You Can Do to Improve the Value of Your Home

By Guest Author
In today’s market, a lot of people are underwater. If you need to sell your home in a hurry, here are a few suggestions to help you improve your home’s value for less money.

Home value - courtesy © Fantasista - Fotolia.com

The first thing that you should do is to change out light bulbs in your home. Lighting makes a huge difference. If there is more light in your home, it appears to be bigger. Lighting can make a huge difference to the buyer. And changing a light bulb, is a lot easier than trying to install an extra window.
The second thing that you can do to help improve the value of your home, is to change the light fixtures throughout your house. This is an easy way to update a house. Old light fixtures make a house look aged. By installing new light fixtures throughout your house, the whole place will look newer.
The third thing that you can do it doesn’t cost a lot of money is to clean your house. Having a clean house, gives people the impression that the house is well cared for. Make sure to do deep cleaning. One of the most important things that a lot of people don’t do is to clean their windows. By cleaning your windows, you will allow a lot more light into the home, and you will make the home worth a lot more.
The fourth thing that you can do is to paint your house. Most of the time, if you do the work yourself, you can paint the interior of your house for under $500. The best time to hire a painter, is during the winter. The reason is because there are a lot of exterior painters that are out of a job during the winter. They will be more than happy to come in and paint your house for you at a reduced rate.
The fifth thing that you can do is to put your junk and a lot of of your furniture in storage. I know that this sounds kind of like a big hassle, but it isn’t very expensive to do, and with most of your furniture gone and out of the way, the house will look bigger. The last thing you want to do is have a house that looks small and cluttered. By putting extra items and extra furniture in storage, you can really make the house look nice.
The sixth thing that you can do is to make sure that your kitchen and bathroom are spotless. This is one area of the home that people like to have clean. That usually means you have to do some pretty deep cleaning. This means cleaning the things that you don’t normally do like cleaning the oven, the fridge, and the tile grout.
The last thing that you need to do is to have a nice looking lawn. It is pretty cheap to put fertilizer on your lawn and improve the way it looks. Also, for less than $40, you can usually rent a lawn aerator and aerate your lawn. When you aerate and fertilizer lawn at the same time, it can make a huge difference. Even small things like fertilizing, aerating, and mowing can do a lot to improve the overall beauty of your landscaping. According to a lot of realtors, having nice landscaping you can add as much as 15% of the value of your home when you go to sell it. Longest that are beautiful and well maintained signify to the potential buyer that the house has also been well maintained. The curb appeal goes a long way. Even without walking through the front door, a buyer can usually tell what condition the house will be in based on the condition of the lawn.
It you would like to learn more about grout cleaning, or how to use a lawn aerator, please check out these fun sites!

Working at home: New law eliminates need for outside showroom

When the Texas Cottage Food Law went into effect last September, home cooks and amateur bakers rejoiced.
It's the law that allows individuals to produce and sell select baked and canned goods from their home. For Aquarius Benoit-Franks, it's the law that allows her to jokingly refer to her home as the Peachy Sweets Headquarters.
Benoit-Franks is a local mother stationed at Dyess Air Force Base — and Peachy Sweets is the name of her cake company. Started about a year ago, she bakes and sells elaborate cake creations from her home kitchen in her spare time.
Her interest in cakes started with the desire to bake a special cake for her son's first birthday. She was living in Germany at the time, where the over-the-top cake designs popular in the U.S. do not exist, she said.
She desperately wanted to learn to make the elaborate cakes shown on American television shows like "Cake Boss" and "Ace of Cakes."
"They don't make cakes like that in Germany," she said. "They're just not there yet. Cakes that are made to resemble other things, that's not caught on there yet."
The lack of presence of elaborate cakes also means very few products are sold for that kind of cooking.
Determined to learn to bake before her son's first birthday, she and her husband dove right in with an attempt to make homemade fondant.
"It was a total failure," she said, laughing at her recollection of the experience. "Cake is so temperamental, but I've gotten a lot better."
Her first experience was a lesson she still carries with her, claiming trial and error is the only way to improve in the kitchen.
Last week, for example, she spent two hours searching for a recipe for buttercream meringue only to have it turn out horribly.
"I'll try it again and again and again until it turns out right," she said with a smile. "You have to practice until it's perfect."
In the military four years, she moved from Germany to Abilene in October. The move to a state with a cottage food law allowed her to start her cake business from home.
Senate Bill 81, more commonly known as the cottage food law, allows the production and sale of baked goods, canned jam and jelly and dried herb or herb mix from home kitchens. Before the law went into effect, people who wished to make money from these types of goods had to prepare them in kitchens certified by the health department.
Martha Alice Spraberry, Taylor County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Science, attended a training with Health Department officials in San Antonio in the months following the introduction of the new law. She said she believes locals will become increasingly interested in what they can bake and sell from home following the law.
"The purpose is to try to help people maybe start a business without creating the hardship of licensing and permits," she said of the bill.
Over the years, people have been very interested in baking and selling goods from home, she said, but she always directed their inquiries to the health department. Now, she said she gladly informs them of the new law and directs them to the regulations detailed in Senate Bill 81.
Although not required, she said she recommends home cooks take a basic food handling course at the local extension agency. The $20 course offers some simple safety training, she said.
Benoit-Franks has listed her baking business on Facebook and Craigslist, she said, where she gets a variety of orders. Her hobby still in its infancy, Benoit-Franks admitted that even when she's not baking for business, she likes to try out new shapes and methods.
While most home pantries might be stocked with everyday items like cereal and rice, Benoit-Franks prefers hers to be stocked with cake paint and piping gel.
Not one to cook, she said her family knows she only steps into the kitchen to bake.
"I never make dinner," she said, "we just eat cake all the time."
Teaching herself to bake and decorate wasn't easy, she said, and admits she still has a lot to learn. A member of baking website cakecentral.com, she said she spends most of her spare time researching new methods and ideas.
For example, considering fondant is a major component of most of her cakes and a source of complaint for many sweets-eaters, she has worked to perfect a recipe she feels many people like.
"A lot of people don't like fondant," she said. "I just explain to them it's like a banana. You just have to peel off the outside to get to the best part."
If people are willing to give the fondant a try, she said, she whips up a homemade version with marshmallows, sugar and water she said tastes better than the store-bought variety.
While her son was her inspiration to get into baking, he is now 15 months old and never got that cake for his first birthday she said. Citing her busy schedule, she said she already has a cake in mind for his second birthday. Considering he is "obsessed" with children's television show "Yo Gabba Gabba," she said it will be a giant cake fitting the theme of the show.
To order a cake from Benoit-Franks, visit facebook.com/PeachySweetsCakes.
Source http://www.reporternews.com

Home loss shock as Mikey fights cancer

By Cornish Guardian

THE FAMILY of a boy who has been battling cancer since Christmas now face losing their home.
Little Mikey Wells from Par was rushed by ambulance to a Bristol hospital the day before Christmas Eve when doctors began to worry he had a brain tumour.

The seven-year-old arrived at the Frenchay Hospital where he was diagnosed with pilocytic astrocytoma.
The 1cm by 3cm cancer had attached itself to Mikey's brain stem and had blocked fluid from leaving.
On Christmas Eve Mikey had his first operation, which lasted five hours, to remove the fluid and save his life.
On Christmas Day he awoke in a hospital bed with his family keeping a vigil.
Since then Mikey, of Old Roselyon Road, has had a further 12-hour operation to remove part, but not all, of the tumour.
Mum, Donna Wells and dad, Daniel Harvey have been told the entire cancer cannot be removed because the risks are too great.
Instead sports mad Mikey must use every bit of strength he has to fight the disease with the help of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
And in a double blow his family must leave their rented house after falling into rent arrears while trying to deal with the news.
While care home worker Donna, 29, keeps a 24-hour watch over her son in Bristol and Daniel juggles looking after their 19-month-old son, Rhys, and a 40-hour shift job, they cannot pay the rent.
So they have sold most of their possessions and agreed to move out and will live with Daniel's mum.
Moved by the family's plight, Donna's friends, Lisa Prior and Bekki Steward, decided to launch Well Wishers Fundraising. Donna said: "Mikey had been poorly for a long-time. Eventually, after numerous visits to Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, doctors said something was wrong."
The hospital said it could not comment.
News of Mikey's cancer was "like something you read in Take A Break magazine – I never, ever thought it would happen to us", said Donna.
"On Christmas Day Mikey was in a high dependency unit, unable to talk or move out of bed."
With the help of a wheelchair Mikey, is recovering well.
"He is starting to be that cheeky little boy again but the treatment he will have soon is going to take that away again," she said.
Mikey's dad said: "It has been very stressful but we have coped as well as we can.
"Mikey always has this great big smile on his face. He is always laughing and playing and it takes a lot to pull him down but this has really knocked it out of him.
"It's a lot for anyone to take but especially for a kid; he has been incredibly brave. Don't ever take your kids for granted because life can change at the blink of an eye."
Fundraising
The family's main priority is that Mikey has a roof over his head when he leaves hospital.
And when he does he will need visibility aids and a wheelchair.
This week Miss Prior and Miss Steward, 28, whose children Ebem, and Roman, both 7, are best friends with the Biscovey Academy pupil, launched the fundraising.
Miss Prior, 29, said: "They are really upset their best friend is so ill. Donna is a close friend. When she told us about Mikey we were just devastated for them."
They want to raise as much money as possible, and maybe even make Mikey's wish to go to Butlins come true.
A hair shave and leg wax event will be held at the Welcome Home Inn, Par on Saturday, February 25 from 7pm.
Mr Harvey said: "We are enormously grateful for everything everyone is doing; it's touching that people care so much." The family hope to celebrate a "simple but nice" Christmas when Mikey returns home. To support Well Wishers Fundraising call 07800 975663 or 07608 61818, or visit the Facebook page.

3 Ways Apps Make Money

In just a short span of two decades, the Internet has changed the way we live and how we go about carrying out our business. In the early '90s, the Web started as a read-only place where people could just browse and get widely scattered information. One example is the early version of Yahoo, which used to be a directory of various links on the Internet.

After the dot-com bust in 2000, the Web went through a serious transformation when a few Internet companies were able to establish successful business models around their offerings. For example, Google incorporated a simple, keyword-based advertising model for its search engine, eBay pioneered online auctions and Amazon became the successful online department store.
By now the Web had transformed itself into an interactive platform, popularly known as the Web 2.0, where you use the Web not just to receive information, but as an interactive medium where you can both read and write. A whole new era of Web services had begun. People took to blogging and many even started conducting their own business and personal activities on the Internet.
Imagine you wanted to go to a movie. In the past, you would have to go to a movie theater to book the tickets. Now, with Web 2.0, you can search the Internet to find the movies playing in the theaters near you, book and print the tickets from the convenience of your home. That's the new Internet for you, and a variety of Web applications are making our lives easier and making us more efficient at conducting business.
There's an App for ThatIt seems like there is a Web app for almost anything you want to do. Facebook is changing the way we socialize; twitter is growing as a communication platform; Dropbox and Box have made sharing files a breeze; Google apps are reducing our dependence on desktop applications; Groupon gets us the best deals; QuickBooks has revolutionized the way we manage our accounts and so on. Every day new apps are launched, adding newer capabilities to the Web.
Let's look at some of the business models used by these web apps.
Advertising and SponsorshipsThis is, so far, the most popular business model used across the Web. In this model, instead of charging the users for content or services, the apps place advertisements to earn money. The advertisers are usually charged on the basis of cost per click (CPC), or cost per thousand (CPM). Many large sites, such as Google and Yahoo, have found great success in this model. The model became very popular when Google came up with AdWords, the self-service advertising platform that allows advertisers to widen their reach by placing their ads next to the search results. Such advertising saw great success, as it was highly targeted based on the keywords being searched by the users. Google then launched the AdSense program, which allows even small publishers to start displaying ads in their blogs or sites; they then benefit from Google's huge reach and ad inventory. Today, many apps use advertisements as their only source of income.
Paid Products and ServicesIn this model, the app charges its users a fixed or a periodic fee for using their product or service. Most apps follow a freemium model, where a basic level of product or service is provided free to the user, but to use the full product they will have to pay. Some apps even support their free version with advertisements and offer an ad-free version with additional features at a premium. Examples of companies following this model are Dropbox and Quick Books Online. Even gaming companies like Zynga make money in this way. Both of them have a free basic version and charge their customers to use the full product.
E-commerceThis is another popular business model where companies set up online shops to sell physical and digital products. For physical goods, the companies maintain warehouses with inventory of their products, while customers go to the online shops and make purchases. Even the payments are collected online, via electronic payment gateways. On receipt of the order and payment, the products are then shipped to the customer. The company makes money from each sale, like a traditional brick-and-mortar business; however, without maintaining a number of actual stores, overhead is significantly lower. Profit margins, therefore, will depend largely on how efficiently they run their businesses. The most popular companies following this business model are Amazon and eBay.
Even services are being sold online. For example, elance.com is a freelance network that connects buyers of services to the sellers, and provides them with a platform to work on projects. Elance earns by charging a commission on each of the projects completed over its platform.
The Bottom LineThese are the three most widely used methods for Web apps to make money. The Internet continues to evolve and we will see a lot more activity in the future. Web gurus are already talking about the Web 3.0 revolution, where the focus of applications is going to shift to data and personalization. In the future, the apps will make finding and acting on information easier than it is now; such advancements will bring along even more business opportunities.
Original story - 3 Ways Apps Make Money

Source http://www.sfgate.com