Pottorf Hall, CiCo Park

(Kimball & Avery Avenues)

Saturday, February 25

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Sunday, February 26

Noon - 4:00 p.m. 

Flint Hills Area Transportation Agency and Kansas State Univ. partnered to create this new venture in campus accessibility and safety.

Blessings on your journey.

http://youtu.be/f7XAJ_zENFw

E-mail from Manhattan Association of REALTORS

Last night, a seller experienced something odd that you should be aware of.  A REALTOR had a scheduled showing at a listing and the seller came back home after the showing.  As the seller was getting home, a couple driving a champagne colored Tahoe with Michigan plates got out and told the seller their REALTOR was running late but they'd like to go in and see the house.  The seller left the property after letting the couple into his house. The sellers later called the listing agent to verify a second showing and there was nothing scheduled.  When the seller got back to the house, the couple was gone.

It appears that they were posing as buyers and didn't have a REALTOR but gained access to the home.  No word if anything is missing or not from the house.  If you recognize the description of the vehicle and you've worked with these "buyers", please contact the MAR office at 776-1203.  This listing is in Pottawatomie County 4 miles north of Wamego.

The main event begins at 6:45 P.M., but plenty of activities will be available through the afternoon and evening. For more information, go to www.symphonyintheflinthills.org.

Nearby communities also have plenty of weekend activities, such as art shows, food vendors, tour, a street dance (in Alta Vista) and a cowboy poetry contest (in Alma). Go to www.wabaunsee.com for more information.

Daily Real Estate News  |   February 14, 2011  

Bye-Bye Fannie, Freddie? What It Could Mean

The Obama administration announced on Friday plans to reform the housing finance market, including winding down government-controlled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and turning most of the market over to the private sector, as well as requiring larger down payments. The White House proposed three approaches to replacing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac rather than offering up one final plan.

The administration’s proposal is expected to reshape the way Americans buy and own homes.
Among the plans outlined in the administration’s “white paper”:

▪ Shrinking the size of the portfolio of mortgages held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by at least 10 percent a year.
▪ Creating an insurance fund for mortgages, supported by premiums paid by lenders.
▪ Winding down government subsidies of mortgages by raising the fees charged to cover the risk of default.
▪ Raising fees for borrowers and requiring larger down payments for home loans.

The administration also recommended measures to make government-backed mortgages more expensive in order to allow the private-sector to better compete in the mortgage market. For example, it called for reducing by this fall the size of mortgages Fannie and Freddie may purchase from $729,750 to $625,500.

Raising Rates?

Some critics of the proposal are concerned that the administration’s overall plan would raise mortgage rates.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said that mortgage costs likely will rise in the coming years, as government support is withdrawn and the private sector takes on a bigger role. Credit Suisse has estimated that rates on a 30-year fixed mortgage may rise as much as 2 percentage points if the government withdraws its backing of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Higher borrowing costs could be a thorn for a recovering housing market, since interest rates greatly affect how much buyers can afford, experts say.

“Reducing the government’s involvement in the mortgage finance market is necessary for a healthy market, but should not be done at the expense of the economy or home buyers,” NAR President Ron Phipps said in a public statement in response to the Obama administration's plan. “Any proposal for increasing fees and borrowing costs beyond actuarially sound levels will only make it harder for working, middle-class individuals to achieve home ownership, and only the wealthy will be able to achieve the American dream.”

NAR’s economists estimate that a retreat of capital from the housing market will negatively impact the economy too. For every 1,000 home sales, 500 jobs are created for the country, NAR notes.

Geithner estimates that reducing the government’s role in the mortgage market may take five to seven years for the transition.

“Most people in Congress understand that this is a very political, contentious issue,” says David Berson, a former Fannie Mae chief economist. “It’s going to be a very volatile ride as we move toward what ultimately will be the future of Fannie and Freddie. It’s hard to know what that’s going to be.”

Source: “NAR: Secondary Mortgage Market Needs Improvement," National Association of REALTORS® (Feb. 11, 2011); “Winners and Losers in the Obama Housing Plan,” Reuters News (Feb. 11, 2011); “White House Wants Fannie, Freddie to Go,” MSNBC (Feb. 11, 2011); and “Obama Report on Fannie, Freddie Plan May Boost Mortgage Rates,” Washington Post (Feb. 11, 2011)

Read more on NAR's position on GSE Reform and Banks, MID, and GSE Reform Covered in NAR’s First Virtual Town Hall

Having a solid credit score has been important for quite a while now, and it’s becoming more important as lending tightens up. Even someone who is confident their credit score is good should be making sure it stays that way. There are some relatively simple steps you can take to help yourself build up and maintain your credit score.

1. Get a Copy of Your Credit Report

Although you can’t get your exact credit score for free, you can get a free copy of your credit report from each of the three credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) once each year. To do so, visit AnnualCreditReport.com and request a report.

This is actually the only way to get your reports for free; the site was created in response to federal legislation requiring that the three national credit reporting companies inform consumers about their status. Companies like FreeCreditReport.com actually charge you for expenses related to obtaining your credit report.

2. Make Sure You’re Aware of Any Existing Accounts

Typically, your credit report will show any accounts you have open. It’s easy to forget about credit accounts that you don’t actually use, like credit cards you stopped using but chose not to close the account ‘just in case.’

These credit accounts can easily represent the most likely upcoming dings to your credit: card companies and other lenders have started closing inactive accounts in order to limit their liability. As the amount of credit a person has goes down, so does their credit score. Be aware of this so that if your accounts do close, you won’t be taken by surprise.

3. Set Up Automatic Payments

One of the easiest credit score factors you can control is how good you are about making payments on your current balances. Even if you don’t usually carry a balance, making a payment or two late can cause a preventable dip in your credit score. Automatic payments can be a simple way of avoiding even one late payment.

4. Get Serious About Your Balances

One of the factors in a good credit score is how much credit you have available. That means that reducing your current balances has a direct connection to helping your credit score. Even adding a few dollars to your minimum monthly payment is enough to at least get you started on an upwards trend. Moving around debt, say to a zero-interest credit card, doesn’t actually help with your overall credit score.

5. Keep Your Number of Cards Constant

While your available credit is a key factor in your credit score, opening a bunch of new credit cards just to increase the amount of credit you have available won’t really help. Instead, the system used to determine credit scores reads such a move as a need for more credit: if you open several cards in a short time span, credit reporting agencies assume that you plan to use that credit and might even be planning to get yourself into some trouble with it.

Since closing unused credit cards can also have a negative impact on your credit, keeping your number of cards constant is usually the best compromise between getting the best credit card options and maintaining your good credit score.

Sources:

  Lifehack March 12, 2009

Robinson Building Corporation

2900 NW BUTTON RD. 

Topeka, KS  66618

PROUD TO BE A WESTAR ENERGY SAVER BUILDER

ABOUT US

Robinson Building Corp. is a Kansas Corporation established in December of 1995 and specializes in commercial and residential construction. Terry Robinson, president and founder, has worked in the construction industry for over thirty years in Topeka and the surrounding areas. He presently holds licenses in Johnson County, Topeka and Manhattan, Kansas.  Terry presently serves on the board of directors of the Topeka Home Builders Association and is a member of the National Home Builder Association and the International Code Council.

Robinson Building Corp. is a builder of fine single family homes in the Topeka and Manhattan area. We also specialize in interior commercial remodeling projects for office and retail clients. Past and current clients include Hills Pet Nutrition, Maximus, and Ferguson Enterprises. Past and current regional clients include Papa John’s franchises, Associated Commercial Brokers, Berlin Wheeler and The Kansas Corporation Commission.

Quality craftsmanship and attention to detail by our staff and sub contractors is the emphasis of every project and we are fully insured and licensed for your protection and peace of mind.

OUR ENERGY POLICY

We believe the best way to help the environment is to conserve the energy and materials we already have. Robinson Building’s commitment to protecting the environment and reducing the carbon footprint of each home has led us to use the following materials and products:

• Energy efficient vinyl casement windows with Low-E glass
• R-13 Ultra-Fit, pressure applied fiberglass insulation
• R-38 blown in attic insulation
• Wind barrier house wrap
• 13-SEER Heat Pump with electric backup furnace including a two stage fan   
• Programmable thermostats
• Electric hot water heater   
• Electric fireplaces
• Energy efficient appliances

Future plans include:

·        Certification as an Energy Star Builder

·        NAHBA green builder certification

·        Development of a comprehensive material recycling program

Our commitment to our environment and community will always be a priority for us at Robinson Building Corp.

Terry Robinson, President

            I recently became a member of the Congressional Caucus on Human Trafficking after meeting with a group of students from the McPherson Church of the Brethren who were concerned about victims of modern-day slavery. The U.S. Department of State estimates that about 800,000 people are trafficked across borders each year, with even more people trafficked within countries. Most of these victims are women and children. The Congressional Caucus on Human Trafficking works to raise awareness about the issue and advance legislation to end this human rights violation.