Want to donate canned soup to local food pantries AND 10% of your lunch or dinner bill? Just take two cans or soup to The Cheesecake Factory on September 30th and they'll give 10% off your check to local food banks. I just read about it (and it's not just in the Allen, TX Location):
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The Cheesecake Factory has partnered with Feeding America for the "Drive Out Hunger" Tour. Throughout the month of September, we've been touring 30 cities in 30 days collecting cans of soup to benefit local food banks. So far, we've donated 65,383 cans of soup, but we still need your help to reach our goal of 100,000!
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So, help them reach their goal by taking two cans of soup (heck take three or four). It's for a great cause and you need to eat anyway (why not help others do the same)!

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

Just got this late-breaking press release:

ALLEN EVENT CENTER WILL HOST A JOB FAIR WITH 200 POSITIONS RANGING FROM USHERS, TICKET TAKING, AND SECURITY, TO COACHING AND MANAGEMENT

WHAT:     The City of Allen’s newest sports and entertainment venue, the Allen Event Center, will host a job fair in preparation for its November 2009 grand opening. The job fair will take place Friday, Sept. 11 and Saturday, Sept. 12 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Allen.

More than 200 positions are available in a variety of departments including:
Box Office Sellers, Stand Supervisors, Concession Workers, Warehouse Runners, Warehouse Manager, Cooks, Dishwashers, Suite Level Supervisor, Club Supervisor, Suite Attendants, Loge Servers, Food Runners, Bartenders, Head Cashier, Cashiers, Merchandise Sellers, Audio/Visual Positions, Event Conversion Crew, Electrician, HVAC, Maintenance, Production, PBX Operator, Premium Seat Coordinator, Housekeeping, Security , Guest Services, Ushers, Ticket Takers, Game Operations, Head Figure Skating Coach, Head Hockey Coach, Figure Skating Coach, Hockey Coach, House League Coach, Off Ice Training Specialist, Customer Service Representative, Ice Technician, Equipment Sales, Skate Sharpen and Repair Staff, DJ and Entertainment Coordinator, Birthday Party Hostess, and more… *Job fair attendees should come dressed professionally and be prepared to do on-site interviews. For a complete list of available positions, visit www.alleneventcenter.com.

WHO:       Doug Waugh, General Manager, Allen Event Center
Kristen Keeler, Human Resource Manager, Global Entertainment

WHEN:     Friday, Sept. 11: 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday, Sept 12: 9 a.m. – 5p.m.

WHERE:   Hilton Garden Inn in Allen
705 Central Expressway South
Allen, Texas 75013
*From U.S. 75, take Bethany Drive exit

BACKGROUND:
The $52.6 million Allen Event Center is a joint venture between Global Entertainment Corp., the City of Allen, and The MGHerring Group. Upon its grand opening in November, the event center will feature 6,135 fixed seats (with capacity for 8,100 seats), 24 suites, 5 hospitality suites, and two ice rinks. The Allen Event Center will host approximately 100+ events each year, including concerts, top touring shows, family entertainment and professional sports and is home to the Allen Americans Central Hockey League team. The event center, which broke ground in July 2008, is located within The Village at Allen at U.S. 75 and Stacy Road in Allen, Texas.
JOB FAIR CONTACT:
For questions regarding the job fair, the public may contact Sheila Alexander at    salexander@globalentertainment2000.com or 972-678-4646  
MEDIA CONTACT:
Flo Torres, Events and Marketing, ftorres@globalentertainment2000.com or 972-678-4646
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I hope this helps some Allen residents who are looking for work! 

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

The Allen Event Center just issued a press release with their fall/winter lineup! Check it out:
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The Allen Event Center, a 8,100-seat sports and entertainment venue opening in November 2009, has announced its initial entertainment lineup with six show dates for the fall/winter season. Country superstar Reba McEntire will headline the grand opening concert on Friday, November 6. Saturday, September 19 at 9 a.m. Tickets can be purchased online at www.gettix.net or on the phone by dialing 1-866-I-GET-TIX (1-866-443-8849) or at the Allen Event Center Box Office in The Grove at The Village at Allen at 190 E. Stacy Road.
Box office hours are Monday through Friday - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Charge by phone hours (CST) are Monday through Friday - 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday - 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reba McEntire – Friday, November 6
• AMP Tour – Friday, November 13 to Sunday, November 15
• Styx and REO Speedwagon (with Night Ranger) – Tuesday, November 17
• Tech N9ne – Friday, November 20
• Charlie Daniels Band – Saturday, December 19
• Extreme Ice Racing – Friday, February 12 to Saturday, February 13
• Plus Allen Americans Single Season Game Tickets
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I hope to see you at some shows! 

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

A Buyer just asked me a great question about a home with a price that looked "too good to be true". Here's a generalized version of my response:
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The home you asked about is a short sale... Often you would have no way to know this without asking me to check it out a little. However, if you ever see something in the description like "Subject to lender's approval" (as this one has) it means that the Seller can't make the final decision. At the current price, the Seller will not net enough money to pay-off their mortgage. So, any offer will be "Subject to lender's approval". Basically, the Seller is going to ask their lender's permission to take less than they are owed on the mortgage. Why? A short sale is usually better than a foreclosure on your credit, and most short sales are headed towards foreclosure. That's one of the reasons it takes so long to get an approval on these... the banks don't want to lose money and often don't move very to quickly to approve them. However, if they see that foreclosure is the only other option, they may (eventually) approve the short sale. "Normal" approval time to get a bank's blessing is 30-90 days (though it can take longer) before you can start the 30-40 day closing process. Communication is also poor (at best) from most banks, so you often won't hear anything about your offer for weeks at a time. The worst part is that, even if you offer full list price, there is no guarantee that the bank will take it. The real estate agent typically decides the list price, not the bank (and they're being asked to take a loss). If you do finally get an approval, short sales can be an ok deal and save you a little money. However, these deals are very dependent on the Listing Agent, the Seller and their bank. If any one of these parties doesn't know what they are doing, or decides not to cooperate, you'll just have wasted a lot of time. So, most Buyers who have a specific timeline (i.e. want to be in a home by a certain date) tend to stay away from short sales. Also, there aren't any hard-and-fast rules about how multiple offers are handled. It completely depends on the Listing Agent and the Bank. So, you may put in an offer, wait for several months, only to have a higher offer submitted just before your approval is issued. It can be very frustrating. So, you also need to have no emotional tie to any home (because you will likely go through a couple of them before you get one). The best candidates for short sales are Investor-Buyers with no particular timeline and no emotional attachment to any home. Traditional Buyers, looking to buy a home to live in, tend to get frustrated with the short sale process and end up moving on to traditional or foreclosure sales (where response times, and communication, are generally much better).
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I hope that helps! Not to say that I can't/won't help traditional Buyers with short sales... I just want them to know what they are in for before they get started down that long and winding road.

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