Lynn Finds Adventure With a Denver Vacation Rental!

Posted on 24th October 2011 in Vacation Rentals

The morning dawned before I woke up. I looked over to Lynn’s bed. She wasn’t there! I sprang up out of bed so fast I almost got dizzy. Where was Lynn? I looked all around our room, in the plush bathroom with the thick towels and variety of shampoos, body washes and soaps. No Lynn, I couldn’t find her! It was her idea to get a Denver vacation rental and go skiing and now I can’t even find her!

I got dressed, careful to put on pants with elastic at the top. I put the key in my purse and went out the door. This was a big hotel, how would I find her? I decided it would be impossible to find her; I went back inside our room. I pulled out my crocheting and got comfortable. The chair was by the window. I could see the mountains from the window. They looked farther away than I had thought at the airport. I had the crazy thought of climbing a mountain!

Lynn came bursting into our room. She had bags in her hands, bags of all colors: red, blue, yellow and purple. Her face was flushed and excited. She began pulling out new clothing from the bags, dresses, shoes and even a purse or two. I just couldn’t see how she had time to do all that shopping! I then looked at the clock, it was twelve noon.

We had to get out of the room. The hotel maids would want to clean our room, and make the beds. So Lynn put the newly purchased goodies into the closet. We went downstairs to the breakfast buffet. We had our choice of eggs, omelets, fruit and much more. Again we stuffed ourselves. After all, we need fuel for the busy day ahead.

I told Lynn about the distant mountain and how I thought of climbing it. Lynn’s face beamed at the thought. To her it was a suggestion, not just a thought. So we went back upstairs and changed our shoes into heavier shoes, shoes that could climb a mountain!

I could not believe I was going to do this. Surely the mountain could not be climbed in one day. It looked like a very big mountain. For some reason I kept on going, I didn’t opt out. Amazing what a trip and new surroundings can do to a person’s mind, and freedom!

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Did you see the debate last night?

Posted on 11th October 2011 in Politics

During one of the questions about the economy and the financial crisis, McCain dropped a bombshell!

When Tom Brokaw asked about what needs to be done to help the housing market, McCain suggested that Government should buy back all these defaulted loans and then give these people new loans at the current market value of the home. Hmmmm. Will this work? I think not. Why?

Well, let’s see how this would work…

  1. Joe Homeowner has a house that he bought for $500,000 with a loan from Fly-By-Night Subprime Lending, Inc.
  2. The house is now worth $400,000
  3. Joe, like everyone else, has lost a lot of equity in his home
  4. Unlike other Americans who are responsible and ARE paying their mortgage, Joe qualifies for the Government to buy back his subprime mortgage, because he’s NOT paying his mortgage.
  5. The Feds buy his mortgage for $500,000 and immediately give him a new mortgage at $400,000, which he may or may not be able to afford
  6. So now Joe is happy, but only until he can’t make his payments again…
  7. Good ole’ taxpayers absorb a $100,000 loss
  8. Multiply by millions of upside-down loans.

So let me ask one simple question – Does this make sense to you??  I suspect there will be a lot of responsible homeowners who are diligently paying their mortgage who will be awfully pissed off that they won’t be getting THEIR mortgage bought by Uncle Sam and reset to current market value.

Don’t get me wrong – I am not against McCain, and this isn’t about one presidential candidate or another.  I’m simply saying that this plan does not make sense.  However, I haven’t heard either candidate or anyone in congress or the treasury or the federal reserve or the private sector suggest something that might actually work to solve this mortgage mess.  Although today, Barack Obama rejected McCain’s plan, and his economic adviser said that McCain’s plan would cause the U.S. Government “to massively overpay for mortgages in a plan that would guarantee taxpayers lose money, and put them at risk of losing even more if home values don’t recover. The biggest beneficiaries of this plan will be the same financial institutions that got us into this mess, some of whom even committed fraud.”

Let’s hope that someone is smart enough to figure out how to use that $700,000,000,000 to get the housing market back on track.

In the meantime, I’m proceeding under the assumption that for the forseeable future, people will need to do a short sale and get their lender to take the loss.  So if you know of someone who is underwater and stuggling to keep up with their higher payments as their loan resets to a higher interest rate, tell them you know a foreclosure consultant who can help.  I’d be delighted to talk to them.

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New Magazine and Website Focusing Only on Land & Denver Apartments

Posted on 31st August 2011 in Housing

Carnival of Real EstateNext Monday, August 20th, the 55th edition of the Carnival of Real Estate will be hosted right here on www.TheLandJournal.com. We are honored to have the privilege of highlighting a handful of chosen real estate-related blog entries from across the country submitted to the Carnival of Real Estate this week. We’ve had a few entries submitted already and we’re excited to see what the topics will be for those entries submitted throughout the rest of this week.

To submit your own blog post for a chance to be highlighted on TheLandJournal.com click here for Denver Temporary Apartments.

You might get extra credit for keepin’ it rural! ;)

The Land ReportThere is a new publication that is starting to grab the interest of land owners all over the country. If you haven’t heard about it from the article, The Land Report 100 – A comprehensive look at the nation’s largest landowners, the Wall Street Journal picked up from them – the name of this publication is The Land Report. You can also see the online version and it’s wealth of information pertaining to land at www.TheLandReport.com.

As you read through their magazine or website you’ll find that their experienced team has researched and compiled numerous articles and information for land owners and those that are soon to be experiencing owning their own dirt. You can read about Harrison Ford’s ranching experiences; why Ted Turner has compiled over 2 million acres of raw land; how Tom Brokaw couldn’t find the 100 acres on a river he wanted; or just Ask the Expert what your unanswered questions are you need answered.

It’s really great to see a resource available that is thorough and focuses on the land we all love. Their website changes daily so make sure to stop by – www.TheLandReport.com.

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Corporate ProfileFRANKLIN BANK CORP. (NASDAQ – FBTX)

Posted on 29th August 2011 in Housing

History

In August 2001, Franklin Bank Corp. was founded as a new Texas-based savings and loan holding company for the purpose of creating a Texas based community bank that concentrates its activities outside the major metropolitan areas. On April 9, 2002, we acquired our first community bank, Franklin Bank S.S.B., in Austin, Texas. Franklin Bank, S.S.B. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Franklin Bank Corp. Franklin Bank Corp. began trading on the NASDAQ in December 2003 under the ticker symbol FBTX.

Management

Franklin Bank Corp.’s Chairman and senior management team have extensive experience building high quality, profitable financial services franchises in our niche products. Franklin Bank Corp.’s Chairman, Lewis S. Ranieri, and President and Chief Executive Officer, Anthony J. Nocella, are the former Chairman and Vice Chairman / Chief Financial Officer, respectively, of Bank United Corp., which successfully employed an asset strategy similar to Franklin Bank Corp.’s. Additionally, most of our executive management, including the heads of two of our three main product lines, and most of our senior employees, worked together at Bank United Corp. Prior to its acquisition by Washington Mutual, Inc. in 2001, Bank United Corp. was the largest publicly traded depository institution based in Texas.

Acquisitions

For additional information on prior acquisitions or mergers,
please click here Prior Acquisitions / Mergers.

Business

Franklin’s community banking philosophy focuses on a high growth commercial lending approach outside the major metropolitan cities in Central and East Texas. We also engage in lending nationwide through nine regional commercial lending offices in Houston, Dallas, Orlando, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Mid-West, Arizona, California, and Colorado .

Through its subsidiary, Franklin Bank S.S.B., Franklin offers a wide variety of commercial products that allow us to serve customers in our communities as well as on a national basis. Franklin Bank focuses on providing high-quality personalized service through its “trusted financial advisors” and strives to meet all of the financial needs of its customers. In addition to various deposit and loan products, Franklin Bank offers retail brokerage services through a third party.

Franklin Bank Corp. is currently included within the Russell 3000 Index, Russell 2000 Index, Russell Microcap Index, the American Community Bankers’ Index, and the Standard and Poor’s SmallCap 600 Index.

Franklin Bank is FDIC insured and an equal housing lender.

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Tips for Choosing the Right Lanyards

Posted on 14th August 2011 in Uncategorized

When you’re trying to choose lanyards, there are many things to consider. So many factors come into play, such as who you’re giving it to, why they’ll be using it, how often they’ll be using it, and so much more. Budget definitely comes into play as well, since you may have a certain price range that you need to consider when making your choice. Of course, deciding on your budget first is definitely a great idea. Then you know what you can spend and you can look for the best lanyard that will meet your needs and fit into your budget as well.

First, you definitely need to consider what the lanyards are going to be used for before you make your final decisions. Are you planning to use them as a promotion for your business or will they be used for safety measures? If they are a promotional option, you want to go with something that will show off your logo and your name. On the other hand, if you are concerned about safety, lanyards with a breakaway feature is going to be important for the protection of those wearing the lanyards.

You can also consider the look that you want when you are choosing lanyards. Sometimes fashion is definitely going to be a big consideration. After all, if you are giving lanyards to your employees, you want to go with options that look nice and professional. If they are given as gifts, you’ll want to choose fashionable options that really show the recipient that you thought about the gift and how it would look on them.

Durability is another thing to consider as you are choosing the right lanyards for your needs. Consider how often the lanyards will be worn when you are thinking about durability. If they only will be worn occasionally, then you don’t need to go with something expensive. Less expensive options will be fine and should hold up well. However, if you are purchasing lanyards that are going to be used on a daily basis, you need something tougher. Pay a bit more for a more durably option, such as flat woven lanyards. They cost more, but they definitely will last a lot longer if they are going to be used on a regular basis.

You’ll also want to consider the color that you want for the lanyards you are choosing. Do you want them to be all in one color or do you want to go with multiple colors. Going with one color will probably cost less money. However, there are circumstances when having multiple colors can be nice. For example, if you have different departments within your company, having a different color of lanyard for every department is a great idea. Also, if you are using them for promotional use, it may be nice to allow people to choose the color they want from several different colors so they get a color that they like and will use on a regular basis.

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Vanderbilt Country Club

Posted on 2nd June 2011 in Real Estate News

Looking for a golf community in Naples, Florida that offers country club membership with the purchase of your home? The Vanderbilt Country Club may have what you are looking for. The club is a bundled golf community, meaning members gain country club rights with the purchase of their homes.

And the golf at Vanderbilt Country Club can’t be beat. The 18 hole, par 72 course designed by Gordon Lewis ranges from 4,200 to 6,700 yards, depending on what tees are used, and features tree-lined fairways and undulating greens to test any skill level of golfer.

The community also features a pro shop, tennis courts and 24/7 fitness center that features state of the art equipment, including free weights, cardiovascular equipment and exercise machines. There is also Pilates, yoga, a swimming pool and water aerobics for all your fitness needs.

Vanderbilt County Club is set up over more than 320 acres of pines, nature preserves and palmettos. It features lakes and fairways near its wide variety of housing options, including single-family homes, villas, one- and two-car garage homes and condos with golf and lake views.

Vanderbilt Country Club allows its members the peace and serenity of living outside the city of Naples yet still the ability to get there with a short drive. There are an abundance of dining, shopping and entertainment options. Head west and residents of Vanderbilt Country Club will find some of the most stunningly beautiful beaches the Gulf of Mexico has to offer.

Homes at Vanderbilt County Club are priced from $145,000 to $638,750.

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Stoneybrook

Posted on 31st May 2011 in News, Real Estate News

Stoneybrook is a luxury residential community in Bonita Springs, Florida. It features a par 72 golf course that was designed by Gordon Lewis and Jed Azinger. It has seven sets of tees, which makes it one of the select few that offer you the opportunity to vary the length of the course to your taste, or skill level.

Complementing the golf course is a clubhouse with modern facilities of dining, swimming, sports, and aerobics. There is an in-line roller hockey rink along with a basketball court. Horseshoe pits, soccer fields, bocce courts, and baseball fields are also present in the clubhouse.

Also featured is a large fitness area with modern equipment, sauna, spa, and massage rooms. Tennis courts can enable you to hone your skills by participating in singles or doubles matches. An aqua driving range makes the community unique from other golfing developments.

There are many nature trails, preserves, lakes, and lagoons in the community. The popular Estero beach is a short drive away with its own range of entertainment options.

Real estate in Stoneybrook is available in the form of single family homes, condos, and attached villas. Single family homes remain the preferred type of accommodation and are available in multiple floor plans.

A two-bedroom single family home is available at an average price of $200,000. A three-bedroom single family home can be had for an average price of $275,000.

Buyers can also purchase a two-bedroom low rise condo for an average price of $175,000. A three-bedroom condo is available at an average price of $225,000.

For the quality of accommodation and facilities on offer, these prices are almost a steal. For the price of an average home elsewhere, buyers receive everything a popular community offers.

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Renting in Denver with Pets

Posted on 15th April 2011 in Real Estate News

The vast majority of renters in Denver don’t have animals, or don’t want them. Many city center renters don’t have time for them either. However, there comes a time in everyone’s life when we begin to settle down and think of pets and/or children.

Children aren’t so much of a problem because they aren’t prohibited in a lease agreement. Animals are different though. Even though a child often causes more damage, more noise and easily more mess, they aren’t viewed in quite the same way.

If you’re a tenant in Denver and want to have animals, you will need to check the lease agreement before getting one. If you have them already, it’s important to mention them early when dealing with agencies and landlords. By being up front you save time, and energy. Agencies will then restrict their search to pet-friendly accommodation and you can quickly discount any landlords who don’t permit them.

Many corporate apartments in Denver are accepting of small pets such as guinea pigs, fish or cats. Others don’t want animals of any kind in their property. It’s important to find out which your landlord falls into before buying anything. Renters with dogs will need specific permission that includes that animal type in the lease agreement.

Many landlords who accept animals will add criteria into the contract and require an extra damage deposit. Some Denver landlords also require a separate pet contract to be signed. This will probably include clauses about cleaning up after it, ensuring the neighbors have no cause for complaint and that you make good any damage the pet causes.

Unfortunately there is a misconception of pets that is prevalent amongst many landlords. From a few bad experiences, word has spread that all dogs and cats are destructive, disruptive and cause untold amounts of damage. Those of us who have pets know this isn’t true, but landlords are businessmen.

So if you’re already in an apartment that doesn’t permit animals and you have a burning desire for one, it’s often worth approaching the landlord to see if they will make an exception. If you’re on good terms, are a good tenant, and the animal in question isn’t scary to them you may get dispensation.

Most often you probably won’t. So then it’s time to reevaluate. Do you really want that animal or is it worth looking for somewhere else to live once your current lease is up? The rental market in Denver is picking up, and the inventory is slowly increasing.

There is enough green space around the city to make animal ownership a viable choice for those with the urge. There is also the choice of property arriving over time to enable tenants to be picky about where they live.

Looking for a pet friendly rental in Denver isn’t the trial it used to be. You will still face prejudice, and negative opinions on animals, but you should also see a gradual increase in acceptance.

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Denver Weather, More Sunshine Than Florida

Posted on 29th March 2011 in News, Real Estate News

Those who don’t live here imagine Denver to have the same weather patterns as the mountains. Colorado is a big state, and all has not been created equal. The mountains have a completely different weather cycle than we do in the city, and it’s a common misconception that it’s cold.

Just because there is 6 feet of snow in the mountains, doesn’t mean we get it too. More often than not, it’s dry as a bone here.

Looking at those temperatures shows that Denver is nothing like the mountains at all. It gets really hot in summer, hotter than many places on the Gulf of Mexico. Even at night, the temperature doesn’t always drop much unless you live next to a park or some water. On average, we get 300 days of sunshine per year, that’s more than Florida.

The only thing we do get in summer is thunderstorms. Almost every day in summer. They can be fun, especially if you’re in the east of the city. Those clouds come rolling in from the mountains and make a lot of noise overhead. They don’t always last very long, but they add a bit of spice to the day.

These weather patterns make Denver a popular place to live and work. Real estate prices buck the national trend and there are more temporary and corporate rentals now that there were five years ago. The rental market has increased significantly. The corporate rentals especially in the city center.

The weather here is predictable, warm, not very wet and ideal for planning outdoor events. That’s why there is always something going on around the city. It’s a great place to work, as long as your office has air conditioning!

Dry, sunny days make for happy people. That’s why Denver is a cool place to live. As long as you can cope with the heat, and don’t mind thunder, you could make a home here.

Of course, if you like snow, other parts of Colorado have the best skiing in the country. There are more mountains than you could walk in a lifetime. If you like being outdoors, this is a great place to be.

Snow is a factor nearer the mountains, but rarely troubles Denver. There are some parts of the state that are impassable until June because of the snow. The higher the altitude, the lower the temperatures. Denver sits at a little over 5000’ above sea level, while the ski resorts are nearer 10,000’.

So you see, the weather in Denver is quite different from that of the mountains. That makes it a great place to set up home.

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Everything you ever wanted to know about Denver

Posted on 16th March 2011 in Real Estate News

If you have been in Downtown Denver anytime between 5am and 10pm any given day of the week for about the last 25 years, I’ll bet you have seen a handful of people on bicycles.  Denver is extremely up and coming in the realm of sustainable living.  Eco friendly bicycles add to the recyclable lifestyle in LoDo.  There are a large handful of newer residential buildings in the Denver area that have adopted the “Green” lifestyle as a selling tool.  Solar panels and large windows that encourage natural sunlight aide in the use of natural energy.  Luxury high-rises such as The Spire boast environmentally friendly carpeting and low odor paint as well as low flow faucets and bonuses like a recycling chute.  Denver also offers a service called Denver B-Cycle, which is a municipal bike sharing system.  With Denver B-Cycle, you can pick up one of the signature red bikes at any B-Station, ride it, and then drop it off at any B-Station.  With the beautiful 65 degree weather we are seeing this week, riding your bike isn’t only the eco-friendly choice; it’s the only way to go!

This article was written by and for corporate apartments denver, the lleader in furnished and unfurnished corporate housing in Denver. For more info feel free to check out their website.

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