Nov. 11, 2009 - Honoring our soldiers

THANK YOU!

Oct. 31, 2009 - Take action now to extend the homebuyers credit

Tax Credit "Cloture" Vote in Senate Expected Monday

You can join with REALTORS^® to save the Tax Credit by contaction your Senator and asking him/her to support the coulture motion and to vote yes on the bill. To find our New Jersey Senators, click Here

REALTORS^® are leading the charge to save the homebuyers Tax Credit. Although the Senate was not able to reach a procedural agreement to schedule a vote on the Unemployment Insurance extension, the Dodd-Lieberman-Isakson Amendment to extend and expand the Tax Credit is contained in the bill. The Senate is expected to vote Monday evening for a "Motion to Invoke Cloture." If 60 Senators vote yes on the cloture motion, the Senate will then be able to schedule a vote on the bill that contains the Dodd-Lieberman-Isakson Amendment. Once the Senate acts, the tax credit must still go to the House of Representatives for action. 

Please continue to take action and ask members of congress to support the tax credit extension.  REALTORS^® can also call their United States Senators and ask them to "vote yes on the motion to invoke cloture on the Unemployment Insurance Extension.”  This will keep the legislative process moving.

Source: Realtor.org

Sep. 10, 2009 - In Rememberence on September 11th

Honoring our Heroes

We will Never Forget

United Airlines Flight 175 and Flight 93 Crews

American Airlines Flight 11 and Flight 77

The Pentagon

Jul. 27, 2009 - Answers get the Thumbs Up

Questions answered on Truila

One of the ways I reach out to prospective homebuyers and home sellers is to answer questions submitted to Trulia Voices.  The questions might be about a specific property, a community or be generalized.  

I always try to provide responses that are concise and to the point. Where appropriate, I will direct the wriiter to additional resources  that might help to provide a solution to the query. Should you have a question regarding the purchase or sale of a central New Jersey home, you can always send it directly here to this site or as Stepanie and K have already done; post your question on Trulia.com.  I will do my best to respond quickly with a helpful and accurate reply.

how do i find a good realtor to help sell my home in somerset, nj? - Trulia Voices http://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_S... Find answers to this and many other questions on Trulia Voices, a community for you to find and share local information.

 http://www.trulia.com/voices/profile/Real_Estate_Pro-Somerset_NJ-12230/

Jul. 4, 2009 - Happy July 4th

Happy 4th of July

Jun. 21, 2009 - Happy Father's Day

When I turned forty he was a genius

"When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years." - Mark Twain

May. 23, 2009 - Memorial Day 2009

A Trubute to our fallen soldiers

Click Here

Thank You

Apr. 8, 2009 - Happy Holidays

Wishing my Franklin Township neighbors

and friends everywhere 

A Healthy and Happy

Passover and Easter Season

Mar. 24, 2009 - It won't happen without you

Fully restore the NJ Property Tax Deduction

Jan. 20, 2009 - One amazing day

The dawn of a new era has begun

Today, January 20, 2009 has been one amazing day.  The world has witnessed the potential only available in America; that a young boy of inconsequential means could grow to become the most powerful individual on the planet, President of the United States of America.

In President Obama's Inaugural Address he spoke to the problems of American jobs and homes lost and went on to say,  "Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter..."  President Obam's campaign centered on determination and hope for our future.

I know many of us are being tested. But President Obama challenged us as a people and a nation to become more responsible. We will eventually get through this housing and credit crisis. And in the end we will be stronger for it.  Re-learning to use credit wisely, ending the greed of corporate America and expanding middle-class jobs at home is the answer. That is part of the hope, determination and promise the Inauguration of Barak Obama has brought to the world.

What a day this has been.  Change has come.

Dec. 19, 2008 - Smarter than the ave-r-age bear

Telemarketing and what you should know

Sitting at home while the snow fell this afternoon, I received an unexpected telephone call.  Red flags went up as soon as the woman on the line called me by name in a questionable voice. She identified herself and stated who she worked for. She asked had I heard of them. I hadn't.  After several leading questions, my gut told me whatever she was selling, I didn't want.

She was making what is known as a "cold call" to solicit a sale.  What was she selling, you ask?  She claimed to offer a business to business lead generating service for JUST $249 a month.  The "offer" was to provide to me prospective home buyers and sellers who were ready to work with a Realtor, here in Somerset. You know, there is something to be said for getting money the old fashion way....earning it.

To make a long story short, I didn't take the bait and told the woman, I would contact her, after researching the company, if I were still interested.  I did a quick online search at the Better Business Bureau and the Ripoff Report.   The results were not good and the general advice was to run, not walk,  away from this business.

Be like Yogi, and be smarter than the "ave-r-rage" bear.  Times are tough for many folks. There are people who will attempt to capitalize on that fact and offer what usually seems to be too go to be true.  A pretty good rule is NEVER purchase anything from anyone who made the intial contact without doing your homework. 

Here are a few useful links to help protect yourself: 

• FBI  Federal Bureau of Investigation
• FTC Federal Trade Commission
• Lectric Law Library

Dec. 9, 2008 - Change Clock

Inauguration Day Countdown

Obama Countdown
created by James Miller

Nov. 11, 2008 - Because of you, we are free

We Honor You

Do you confuse Veterans Day with Memorial Day? Both holidays celebrate our veterans service, but with one significant difference. Learn the history of Veterans Day.

To all who served in conflicts including: WWl, WWll, the Koren War, Vietnam, Lebananon, Grenada, Libya, Panama, Persian Gulf, Somalia, Haiti, former Yugoslavia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq; we salute you.

Most Americans don't know that more than 1.2 million African Americans served during World War II.  Gen. George S. Patton's bold armored advance across France in 1944 is credited historically as a significant contribution to the Allied victory in Europe in World War II, including Normandy. Nearly 75 percent of all Red Ball Express drivers were African American.  Thanks dad.

Photo: Geoffrey S. Adams, Jr.                                                                                                                                    Source: U.S. Department of Defense

Oct. 7, 2008 - Today was the day that was

A rollercoaster of a ride today

I started my day by attending a Century 21 sponsored seminar by motivational speaker, Mike Lipkin.  His message was not neccessarily designed for REALTORs, but inspirational, nonetheless.  One of his messages was keeping your eye on the prize.  And, his style and delivery was, somewhat, unique in that Mike's perspective is a world perspective.  You see, he is a South African living in Canada. While not emersing himself into our presidential politics, he informed the audience of perceptions outside our borders of the race for the White House.

Mike spoke of preparedness, being present, being generous, thinking big, listenening magnetically and energizing yourself; among other topics.  Now, all of this is not new to me, but it has helped me to refocus and recharge.  We all get distracted at times, right?

With the stock market tanking another day, I realized this evening how strongly I absorbed his message.  Yesterday morning I called my 401K administrator and made an appointment to make changes to my plan today.  I went into the meeting intent upon cutting my loses.  I wanted to protect my assests, as best I could. However, I did retain an open mind to what the expert had to say.  She was honest enough to say nobody knows how far this market will swing.  She did make it clear that she would do whatever I instructed her to do and I didn't need to make a decision today.

At at the end of the day, with mind over emotion, I remained in the game.  I had taken Mike's message to heart.  Unknowingly, at the time,I recognized the prize, for me and my family, is a more secure retirement that unfortunately will come now later rather than sooner.

As I write this, looking back over the last twenty-four hours, I went from two emotional highs; learning a nephew became a father for the first time and getting pumped by a motivational speaker to learning the market plunged 500 points, to making modest, not radical, changes to investments.  On top of it all, the evening was capped with the presidential debate without a stated plan, by either party, to get us out of this economic mess. Coney Island's Cyclone was never as wild a ride as my emotions have run today.  I think I will sleep well tonight knowing tomorrow I'll renwew my commitment to raise the level of my service to my clients and customers.

Sep. 29, 2008 - The wild ride ain't over yet

Congress rejects the bailout

We woke this morning to learn another bank has fallen.  Wachovia, has been bought by Citigroup.  As I write this, it's being reported that Congress voted down the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.  It seems that the members of Congress don't see this as much of an emergency as the media told us over the last ten days.  House Speaker, Pelosi will take the heat for the comment, "We sent a message to Wall Street - the party is over."  I do believe, that comment was disingenuous or stupid, at best; setting-up this bill up for failure. 

Why? Well, many Americans wanted a pound of flesh for excessive executive compensation for poor corporate performance and this bill falled to address that head-on.  Under the proposed plan, current CEO's with valid contracts would not even be affected by the new law, had it passed.  Homeowners felt left out of the cleansing of bad loans. Not only has Wall Street been spining out of control, so have American household bugets.  A successful bailout must address both. In reaction to the public's outcry congress, republicans and dems alike, voted to save their congressional seats and partisan politics raised it's ugly head...again. 

So, now what?  Will we see the world stop turning, as promised by President Bush, Secretary Paulson, Chairman Bernanke and the leaders of Congress because this deal wan't quickly done?  I seriously doubt it. Congress and the president's advisors will be forced to go back to work and draft a plan that is more acceptable to middle-class America.

But, in the meantime, I suspect that the FDIC will foster more mergers, the stock market will drop, mortgage rates will continue to rise and credit will tighten for prospective homeowners. The political blame game will go on, as usual.

On a positive note: with the threat of a larger recession, one benefit we could see is a drop in oil prices.  Maybe, just maybe, Americans have moved-on from the motivation of the politics of fear.  Every incumbent should be very afraid on election day.

Sep. 25, 2008 - A crisis twenty years in the making

Wall Street revisited

Honestly, I do not fully understand all that the current Wall Street meltdown/crisis entails.   But, what I do know and understand is that greed is clearly at the center.  Not just greed on the part of Wall Street bankers, corporations, politicians, but greed on the part of some mortgage brokers who pushed through unqualified borrowers, borrowers who knew they could not afford the homes being purchased and, yes, some lousy real estate agents hungry for another fat commission check.

Greed has been a cornerstone of a rabid culture that permeated American business and politics for more than twenty years.  Golden parachutes became a standard for senior managements that ensured their personal wealth whether or not companies performed well or even survived. It was "justified", in part, as a trickle down theory that said the wealth would well; trickle down from the top to the bottom.  Fictional character, Gordon Gekko, told the world in the movie Wall Street, "Greed is good." Greed is never “good” and is seen throughout the world as one of the seven deadly sins. Sadly, some of us believed him.

Watch Scene from "Wall Street"

Sep. 10, 2008 - Remembering our Heroes

On the eve of another anniversary of the attacks on America, we honor those who lost their lives September 11, 2001. 

We Will Never Forget

A Special Tribute to the Airline Crews of UA 93, 175 and AA 11, 77

You are missed.  Rest in Peace

http://www.unitedafa.org/res/o/911/memoriam.asp

http://www.unitedafa.org/res/o/911/memorial/services_2008.htm  

http://www.legacy.com/Sept11/Home.aspx 

Aug. 31, 2008 - Happy Labor Day

The Origins

The origins of Labor Day in the United States are not well known.  It is generally believed that this “last summer holiday”, as we now know it, began more than 100 years ago n New York City. 

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.

We might pay homage, as a memorial, to the men and women of the l9th century who gave us the economic base our working men and women enjoy today. 

For more on Labor Day visit the U.S Department of Labor online.

Aug. 16, 2008 - Getting beyond the cover

10 things you probably didn’t know about me

1. I’ve stood on the Great Wall of China and in the alleys of a Moroccan Casbah.
2. True to my astrological sign, I’ve always been a “homebody” and consider my home to be a sanctuary from the world.
3. My Franklin Township home is located approximately 60 miles from my childhood hometown, where my family has had the same neighbors for more than 50 years.
4. I still keep in touch with childhood friends.  In fact, we get together in our hometown every year. The next reunion is only weeks away.
5. Some people don’t get past my hard shell to find a soft heart.
6. Two passions of mine are music (from classical to R&B)  and art. Favorite artist are: Salvador Dali, Jacob Lawrence and Picasso.
7. I hope to travel to Dubai, United Arab Emirates within the next 6 months.
8. It’s the creative marketing of real estate, new technologies and problem solving that really excites me about this business.
9. I’ve owned at least one pet for most of my life.  My last two pets, cats named Kidd and Pharaoh lived for 16 and 22 years, respectively.
10. One of my great pleasures in life is helping others in need which is what lead me to a carreer in real estate.  

Aug. 7, 2008 - Living the DREAM

A visit to Caberete's DREAM Project 

Last month I posted that my family had undertaken a fund raiser for the DREAM Project, an organization that provides a quality education for disavantaged youth, in the Dominican Republic.  This was in conjunction with our family reunion located in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. A visit to the DREAM Project was also planned.

Along with nine other family and friends, I saw firsthand, the work being accomplished with our donations to this worthy cause.  Thanks to the generosity of my family and friends, together we trippled our fund raising goal.  While at the school, we learned that not only do these kids get a quality education, they also receive breakfast and lunch. The day we visited was next to the last day of summer camp where learning is disguised as fun. You will notice the kids learning math while playing UNO.

Below is a short video created from photos of our visit to the DREAM Project, located in nearby Caberete.  

Click to view

For more information on how you can help go to: http://www.dominicandream.org/ or contact them at: P.O. Box 4136, Ithaca, NY 14852, Tel: (607) 257-1981.  Their 5-year report can be downloaded at: http://www.dominicandream.org/documents/fiveyearreport.pdf