WHAT IT MEANS TO BE IN AN IRISH FAMILY

..I came across this and I have to say... it has a lot of truth in it! Being from an Irish Family builds character !!!Happy St. Patricks Day and remember

"Everyone is Irish on St. Paddy's Day!"
 

What it means to be in an Irish Family...

You will never play professional basketball.
You swear very well.
At least one of your cousins is a fireman, cop, bar owner, funeral home owner or holds political office.
and you have at least one aunt who is a nun or uncle who's a priest...
You think you sing very well.
You have no idea how to make a long story short!
There isn't a big difference between you losing your temper or killing someone...

Many of your childhood meals were boiled. Instant potatoes were a mortal sin.

You have never hit your head on a ceiling...

You spent a good portion of your childhood kneeling in prayer.

You're strangely poetic after a few beers.

Some punches directed at you are from legacies of past generations.

Many of your sisters and/or cousins are named Mary, Catherine or Eileen and

there is at least one member of your family with the full name of Mary Catherine Eileen..

Someone in your family is very generous. It is more than likely you.

You may not know the words, but that doesn't stop you from singing...
You can't wait for the other guy to stop talking before you start talking.
You're not nearly as funny as you think you are ... but what you lack in talent, you make up for in frequency.

There wasn't a huge difference between your last wake and your last keg party.
You are, or know someone, named Murphy.
If you don’t know Murphy then you know Mac. If you don't know Murphy or Mac, then you know Sully... Then you probably know McMurphy.

You are genetically incapable of keeping a secret.

You have Irish Alzheimer's...you forget everything but the grudges!

'Irish Stew' is a euphemism for 'boiled leftovers.'

Your skin's ability to tan.... not so much. (Only in spots!)

Childhood remedies for the common cold often included some form of whiskey.

There's no leaving a family party without saying goodbye for at least 45 minutes.

At this very moment, you have at least two relatives who are not speaking
to each other. Not fighting, mind you, just not speaking to each other

ERIN GO BRAUGH!
      

The Cost of Waiting for Prices to Fall...YIKES

by The KCM Crew...

This is great information..Get on with life..I am here to help you! 

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Many purchasers have been sitting on the sidelines waiting for home prices to hit bottom. They want to guarantee that they are purchasing at the best possible price. Like them, we also believe that prices still have some room to fall in most markets. However, we disagree that waiting is a good financial decision. The buyer should not be concerned about housing prices. They should be concerned about cost.
The cost of a house is made up of the price AND THE INTEREST RATE they will be paying. Two different pieces of news released yesterday highlight this point.

PRICES

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) released their 4^th quarter housing research report. In the release, they reported that home sales rose 15.4% in the 4th quarter over the 3rd quarter. They also showed that prices remained stable during the year:

The national median existing single-family price was $170,600 in the fourth quarter, up 0.2 percent from $170,300 in the fourth quarter of 2009.

A buyer who delayed a purchase might find solace in the fact that prices have not increased. However, the other news released yesterday paints a different picture.

INTEREST RATES

The Primary Mortgage Market Survey was released by Freddie Mac which showed that the 30 year fixed rate mortgage was at 5.05%. Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist of Freddie Mac said:

“Long-term bond yields jumped on positive economic data reports, which placed upward pressure on mortgage rates this week…As a result, interest rates on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to the highest level since the last week in April 2010.”

So prices have remained stable but interest rates have risen dramatically in the last 90 days. What does that mean to a buyer looking to purchase a home this year?

The price is the same. It just costs more.

Let’s show you what the news means:
By sitting on the sidelines for the last 90 days a purchaser lost:

• $89.44 a month
• $1,073.28 a year
• $32,198.40 over the thirty year life of the mortgage

If you buy a $340,000 home, double all these numbers.

Bottom Line

Even if prices fall another 10% this year, the cost of a home will increase if interest rates go up more than 1%. Buyers should not worry where prices are going. They should be concerned where costs will be later in the year.

What are prices going to do this Spring?

Here is another great article from KCM crew...m-m-m..makes you think..doesn't it????

"We believe that things are usually as they seem. We are not the type of organization that believes in conspiracies. However, there is something interesting in some of the housing price studies we are seeing in our research. It seems that some of the groups making the predictions are the same ones that have the greatest power to affect the prices they are projecting.
Most housing analysts warn that the heaviest downward pressure on prices will be created by distressed properties and the speed at which they will be released to the market. Research shows that ‘short sales’ sell at a 20% discount and foreclosures sell at a whopping 40% discount. Obviously, when and how much discounted real estate enters the market will have a major impact on prices of surrounding properties.

Back to our research

We are now seeing that a certain segment of those projecting future pricing have two things in common:

1. They believe prices will fall rather dramatically in the first half of 2011
2. They have control of the flow of discounted properties to the market

Predictions for the first half of 2011 by firms that fall in the above category:

• Bank of America projects that prices will fall 3.7%
• Fannie Mae predicts that median prices will drop $12,500
• Wells Fargo reported that they feel home prices will drop 8%

Not a coincidence

"We are beginning to realize this is not a coincidence. The organizations which should best know when the surge of foreclosures will be released are saying house prices will be hit the hardest in the first half of the year. We are not asserting that there is anything devious in what we have found. We are just reporting that those who have control over the flow of distressed properties must think/know that inventory is about to be released. Why else would so many of them be predicting a sharp decline in home values in the next 120 days?

Bottom Line

If you currently have your house on the market and are hoping that you will see a better price after the snow melts or the temperature warms up (aka Spring), BE CAREFUL! Those in the know are warning you the best price might be attained TODAY!"
Call me today! I am here to help you!
Judy 
www.JudyGibbonsProperties.com