Do you enjoy reading about about recycling? Heading out in your hybrid? Studying solar power? Then you won't want to miss the Live Green Expo 2008. This event will have all kinds of "green" exhibits and presentations. Plus there will be live entertainment, children's activites, hands-on demonstrations and even prizes being given away! Come see how much fun "living green" can be. Besides saving the planet, you might just find that some "green" solutions can actually help you save some green (i.e. cash). The event is FREE at the Plano Center on April 12, 2008 from 9am-5pm and centers on nine core values:

Transportation - Yard & Garden - Food & Agriculture - Lifestyle & Recreation
Green Building & Remodeling - Energy - Indoor Air Quality - Waste Reduction - Water

For more details check here:
http://www.plano.gov/Departments/Environmental+Services/livegreenexpo/

Allen, TX sure is growing up. Lowes & Home Depot, Chilis and P.F. Changs, and in one week we will have our own gourmet grocer... Market Street will officially open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. on Friday, February 29.

Among Market Street's listed features are:
- A full-service meat-seafood counter
- An extensive array of fresh produce (including a large organic complement)
- A whole-health center stocked with natural, organic and bulk foods, as well as the leading supplement brands
- Full-service floral department
- An extensive array of wine and beer selections from around the world
- Dish Kitchen Store
- Fresh sushi bar
- Peet's Coffee and Tea shop
- Frozen drink/smoothie bar
- A large bakery emphasizing made-from-scratch pastries, desserts and artisan breads
- Drive-thru pharmacy
- A wide variety of great foods from several in-store restaurants available for dine-in or take-out, with seating to accommodate more than 125 people for in-store dining

There are all kinds of restaurants and retailers that will be opening in Watters Creek this year. Several are scheduled to open in April, making Watters Creek the commercial center of the Montgomery Farm development.

That's right, it's time to celebrate train robbery... or at least commemorate one very famous train robbery in particular. The city of Allen has a few different "claims to fame" like being the home of Olympic gold medalist Carly Patterson and being home to the very first successful train robbery in Texas.

The latter involves a heist which went down 130 years ago in Allen, TX (February 22, 1878) and was perpetrated by the infamous Sam Bass and his gang. Back then Allen was little more than a water stop for refilling steam engines on the Houston and Texas Central Railroad (H&TC). However, times have changed and Allen has come a long way in the past 130 years. On Saturday, February 23, 2008 from 10am to 2pm the Allen Heritage Guild is commemorating the infamous event with a live re-enactment of the Sam Bass Gang Robbery by Allen H.S. Drama Students and family activities at the Allen Heritage Center (train depot). From 2pm to 4pm there will be a presentation of "Holdup at Allen Station" by Rick Miller, County Attorney of Bell County, TX and author of the book "Sam Bass & Gang." A reception and book signing will follow the presentation.

So, come out and enjoy celebrating, or at least commemorating, one of Allen, Texas' most interesting "claims to fame." It should be a great time for the whole family... just don't tell the kids they're actually learning history.

What else will Allen, Texas have in common with the neighboring cities of Frisco and Dallas? 2008 is now slated to bring another major restaurant chain to Allen, The Cheesecake Factory! The famous restaurant chain is one of 15 new tenants announced for Montgomery Farm; the "52-acre urban retail resort which is scheduled to open phase 1 in April." The complete list of newly announce tenants includes:

• Cheesecake Factory
• Bath & Body Works
• DSW
• Le Creuset
• Gymboree
• New York & Company
• Sample House
• Victoria’s Secret
• Strasburg Children
• The Boardroom Salon for Men
• Celebrity Bakery and Café
• Paciugo
• Woodlands Grill and Gathering Place
• Potbelly
• Patsy Grimaldi’s Pizza

These are in addition to 21 other tenants already committed to the development including the P.F. Chang's China Bistro that is already open and the Market Street supermarket that is scheduled to open on Feb. 29th. I can tell you that P.F Chang's is fantastic and I'm excited about Market Street as well. The supermarket is described as "a world-class food concept store, a unique market that combines the everyday groceries and great prices guests need, with all the specialty items, whole health and gourmet products they want." It is a United Supermarkets brand store, a "smaller" chain of grocery stores built around customer service. I'm reading "Built To Serve" presently, a book about United Supermarkets and how they have a culture of driving their bottom line with people-first practices. Check it out here: http://www.danjsanders.com/. Market Street  should be a great addition to a fantastic development (Montgomery Farm)  here in Allen, TX. See the development picture below...

Many thanks to my friend and neighbor Tracey who always helps keep me updated on the latest developments in Allen.

Ryan Cave, The "Caveman"
Truth, Honor & Personal Integrity
214-789-9366
www.CaveRealty.com

Montgomery Farm Development

There are many reasons why people get behind in their mortgage payments. Some of the most common have always included the loss of a job, bills associated with severe illness or injury, the death of a spouse or divorce. However, more recently we have seen a growing number of homeowners missing payments due to their adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) simply doing what they should have been expected to to: adjusting. If these homeowners were properly educated during the buying process, and had good representation from a caring, professional Real Estate Agent and/or Mortgage Loan Officer, many would not have financed with ARMs in the first place... and of those that did, most would not be in a financial bind as they would have known what to expect. In actuality, many Americans bought homes with ARMs because these were the only loans that would allow them to qualify to purchase a home in the price range in which they were looking. In other words, in the last several years ARMs allowed many people to buy homes that they really couldn't afford with "normal" fixed loan rates. So, can you guess what happened when those ARMs started adjusting to rates at or above the fixed rates?

The idea of an ARM is simple enough. Your mortgage interest rate is fixed for a set period of time (i.e.  one year, six months, five years, three years, etc.). This "introductory rate" (or "teaser rate") is typically nice and low and expected to adjust, often upwards (unless mortgage rates are unusually high to begin with), hence the name "Adjustable Rate Mortgage". So, after the introductory period, the rate adjusts based on the terms of your ARM. How often it adjusts, and how much, are all determined by the terms of your loan/ARM and, typically, tied to an index like the LIBOR. The Federal Reserve has compiled good info. on ARMs here. There is nothing wrong with an ARM, as long as you know what you're getting into. For someone who wants a lower payment initially, but fully expects to be able to afford the home, even after adjustment, ARMs can work well. Situations calling for ARMs might include someone who plans to sell or refinance in just a few years, or a couple with one spouse raising the kids for the next few years then going back to work. However, things change and you really need to be able to afford the adjusted payment in case you can't refinance or sell (or that spouse can't find work).

The only real problem with ARMs was that, for the past several years, mortgage lenders were qualifying people based on the introductory rate, not what the rate would be after the loan started adjusting. Combine that with the housing boom in this country which saw a surge of new, uneducated/inexperienced Loan Officers and Real Estate Agents. Many of these newbies (and some not-so-new predators) only saw $$$ and didn't look out for what was best for their clients. That has since changed as lenders have been forced to qualify buyers on the ARMs post-adjustment rate and as home buyers, Real Estate Agents and Mortgage Loan Officers have become more educated about ARMs. A side note: hundreds of thousands of Real Estate Agents and Mortgage Loan Officers are predicted to leave the business this year. The exodus began as soon as as the red-hot housing market started to cool off. Back to our topic at hand though: ARMs still have their place, and can still prove valuable for some Buyers. Thankfully, gone are the days of unscrupulous salespeople just barely squeezing someone (financially) into a home with no regard for what would happen once their Adjustable Rate Mortgage started adjusting. Of course, life is cyclical and those days will certainly return for a whole new group of buyers. You can probably expect this in a decade or two, once the housing market is again flying too high and lending practices are again too relaxed.

Ryan Cave, The "Caveman"
Truth, Honor & Personal Integrity
214-789-9366
www.CaveRealty.com