Quote of the Day!

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." - John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Quote of the Day!

"What we anticipate seldom occurs, what we least expected generally happens." - Benjamin Disraeli

4 steps to your first mortgage.

Getting a first mortgage may not be as stressful as it's often portrayed.

Many homebuyers have heard an earful about how stressful it can be to get a first mortgage. But getting a first mortgage doesn't have to be quite the horror story that it's so often portrayed as.
With that in mind, here are four ways to make getting a mortgage easier:

1. Know your limit
A reputable mortgage broker or loan officer can help you determine the maximum amount you can borrow to buy a home. That doesn't mean that you must stretch your finances that far, however.
Consider your other monthly expenses and the other costs of homeownership, such as property taxes, homeowners insurance, repairs and maintenance. Set a budget and stick to it.

2. Beef up your down payment
While it's possible to purchase a home with a down payment of as little as 3.5% of the sale price, it's safer to make a larger commitment, if you can. The fatter your down payment is, the less you must borrow to buy the home and the more easily you'll qualify for a loan. Put down 20% or more and you can avoid the cost of mortgage insurance, which protects the lender but which the borrower pays.

3. Know your ratios
Lenders traditionally use two debt-to-income ratios to qualify borrowers. The "front end" ratio advises that your house payment shouldn't be more than approximately 28% of your monthly income. The "back end" ratio suggests that your house payment plus the minimum payments on your other debts shouldn't exceed about 36% of your income. If you have a hefty down payment and a high credit score, you may get more flexibility. But again, that doesn't mean you have to borrow a lot.

4. Know your closing costs
Most borrowers focus on the monthly payment. But getting a first mortgage involves other costs, as well.
Typical expenses include an appraisal, home inspection, prepaid interest and title insurance, among other items. Review your good-faith estimate and discuss the costs with your loan officer so you'll know much money you'll need to have at closing.

Article from MSN.

Quote of the Day!

"Accomplishment is socially judged by ill defined criteria so that one has to rely on others to find out how one is doing." - Albert Bandura

Mortgage Rates

Rates as of 2/21/2011.

United Commerce
30 year fixed - 5.00%
15 year fixed - 4.25%

Quote of the Day!

"Tolerate, change or be grateful." - Unknown

Quote of the Day!

"Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some." - Robert Fulghum

Quote of the Day!

"And what does the lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God." - Micah 6:8

Recipe of the week!

Enjoy this nice weather and Grill a burger!
 
WHAT YOU NEED

1 medium each green and red pepper, cut into strips

1 small  onion, sliced

1 large sheet heavy-duty aluminum foil (20x12 inch)

1/2 cup  A.1. Original Steak Sauce, divided

1 lb. ground beef

4   kaiser rolls, split

PREHEAT grill to medium heat. Meanwhile, place peppers and onions in center of sheet of foil; drizzle with 1/4 cup of the steak sauce. Bring up foil sides, then double fold top and ends to seal packet, leaving room for air to circulate inside. Set packets aside. Mix meat and 2 Tbsp. of the remaining steak sauce; shape into 4 patties.
GRILL packets 2 minutes. Add meat patties; continue grilling 8 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and burgers are cooked through, turning burgers over after 4 minutes and brushing with the remaining 2 Tbsp. steak sauce.
PLACE burgers on bottom halves of rolls; top evenly with vegetable mixture. Cover with tops of rolls.

Recipe from Kraft Foods

Quote of the Day!

"Adaptability: A wise man adapts himself to circumstances as water shapes itself to the vessel that contains it." - Unknown

Quote of the Day!

"A man has happiness in the palms of his hands if he can fill his days with real work and his nights with real rest." - Unknown

Your home's spring tuneup essentials

With this nice weather, you may be motivated to start your spring cleaning. Check out this article from MSN "Your home's spring tuneup essentials" for some great ideas!

Quote of the Day!

"Everyone chases after happiness, not noticing that happiness is right at their heels." - Bertolt Brecht

Quote of the Day!

"All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts." - James Allen

Mortgage Rates

Mortgage rates as of February 14, 2011.

United Commerce
30 year - 5.000%
15 year - 4.375%

German American
30 year - 5.000%
15 year - 4.375%

Monroe Bank
30 year - 5.000%
15 year - 4.375%

Quote of the Day!

"The greatest works are done by the ones. The hundreds do not often do much, the companies never; it is the units, the single individuals, that are the power and the might." - Charles H. Spurgeon

Happy Birthday Jimmie Dean!

Happy Birthday to an awesome boss, dad, husband, friend, Realtor, auctioneer and businessman. Thanks for all you do! Hope you have a GREAT Birthday!

Quote of the Day!

"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." - John Lennon 

Enjoy spending time with your loved ones this valentines day and tell them how much you love them today and every day! Happy Valentines Day to all our friends and clients! 

Make something sweet for your sweet this Valentines Day!

Easy Red Velvet Cake

1 box White Cake Mix
1 small box Instant Chocolate Pudding
2 c. Milk
2 Eggs
1 (1 oz.) bottle Red Food Coloring
1/4 c. Cooking Oil
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 T. Vinegar

Icing
1 stick Butter, softened
1 (8 oz.) Pkg. Cream Cheese, softened
1 (1 lb.) box Powdered Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 350. Combine cake mix, pudding, milk, eggs, food coloring and cooking oil, mix well. Dissolve baking soda in vinegar. Add baking soda mixture to batter and mix well. Pour batter into 3 prepared round cake pans. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until cake tests done. Remove from pans and cool completely.
ICING: Cream butter and cream cheese in a bowl until fluffy. Add powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Add vanilla. Spread between layers, over top and sides of cooled cake. Store in refrigerator.

Quote of the Day!

"And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." ~Ephesians 4:32~

Quote of the Day

"The only way to find the limits of the possible is by going beyond them to the impossible." -Arthur C. Clark

Quote of the Day!

"We all have a few failures under our belt. It's what makes us ready for the successes." - Randy K. Milholland

Quote of the Day!

"I never had a policy; I have just tried to do my very best each and every day. " - Abraham Lincoln

How to Analyze a Neighborhood Before You Buy

Five years ago, it was easy to tell a good neighborhood from a bad one. All you had to do was conduct a quick check on nearby schools and keep an eye out for hopelessly abandoned properties. If the schools were good and the homes well-kept, the neighborhood, and your future home, were keepers.
Today, though, determining whether a neighborhood is good and will hold its value isn't so easy. The suburbs, once the Mecca of homebuyers with kids, now outrank urban city centers in terms of poverty. And that sparkly McMansion on the corner might actually be in foreclosure.
So how can you tell if you're buying into a neighborhood you'll like and, just as importantly, will likely hold its value until you're ready to sell? Below are some tips you can use to find the perfect neighborhood and new home for you and your family. Neighborhood is a big factor that should be considered when buying and investing in real estate.
1. Create Your Dream Neighborhood: Most people know what they'd like their dream home to be like, but they give little thought to the neighborhood. Start by defining what your dream neighborhood is like. Can you walk to the downtown area? Do you want to live in a historic neighborhood? Do you want to be in an exciting college town or in a more sedate, family-oriented environment? Write out your list of wants so you know what to look for.
2. Look at Public Services: With property taxes falling, many towns and cities are having to cut back on the public services they offer. Parks, libraries and police often get the ax first. Drive through a potential neighborhood, and then through the town, and look carefully for clues that the city is having financial trouble. Are the streets clean? Are the parks in good condition? Is the grass cut? Check the library as well. Have they had to cut their hours? You could also ask the librarians about the neighborhood and town as well. They're often a gold mine of information.
3. Look at Schools: If you have kids, then the quality of local schools is a huge issue. Even if you don't have children or plan on teaching a homeschool curriculum, schools still matter simply because when it comes time to sell, your buyers will likely have kids. Research the local schools using sites like GreatSchools.org. It can also be helpful to attend a PTA meeting to talk with local parents. They'll tell you candidly how well (or badly) the schools are doing, and if they're having budget troubles as well.
4. Examine Clues: Do you see a lot of For Sale signs? Does your potential neighborhood have a lot of cheap apartments for rent? Are the businesses downtown shutting down? These are signs that things might be on the decline. Also, picture yourself in the neighborhood. Go through your daily routine to make sure you'll still have the same quality of life. For instance, if you run every morning, are the roads safe enough for your morning jog? If you bike to work, are there bike lanes for you to use? If you love grabbing a cup of coffee, is there a neighborhood barrista for you to enjoy? Don't forget to listen. Can you hear noise from the highway or airport? Is there a club or bar nearby that might get annoying at 2 a.m.? These are all important things to consider.
5. Talk to People: Talk to your potential neighbors. You'll be living next to these people, perhaps for years. Having great neighbors can make or break a neighborhood, so find out how they like living there and what they're like. Remember, you can always make home improvements to your house if there's something you don't like. But changing your neighborhood? It's not so easy. It's worth the time and effort to do some research and legwork early on - you'll be glad you did. What are some things you consider when moving into a new neighborhood? Did you ever find anything unexpected after moving in?
Heather Levin is a personal finance contributor for MoneyCrashers.com and also promotes green living on the blog, The Greenest Dollar.

From - Yahoo!

Quote of the Day!

"An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made, in a narrow field." ~   Niels Bohr

Quote of the Day!

"There is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day." ~   Alexander Woollcott

Mortgage Rates

Mortgage rates as of February 7, 2011

United Commerce
30 year - 5.00%
15 year - 4.25%

German American
30 year - 4.875%
15 year - 4.25%

People's State Bank
30 year - 5.25%
15 year - 4.375%

Quote of the Day

"Football is like life -- it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority." - Vince Lombardi

Everyone enjoy the Superbowl!

Bloomington, Indiana a Great Place to Live

Did you know that Bloomington's cost of living is 12.49% lower than the national average? Providing so much culture and diversity, Bloomington has so much to offer. With renowned musical talent, the largest lake in Indiana and excellent educational opportunities; it's a great place to call home.

Quote of the Day!

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence." - Helen Keller

Hope everyone is Staying Warm!

Hope everyone is staying warm and starting to recover from the blizzard. We are thankful to all who are working hard to get the roads cleared, power back on and taking care of people whether it be policemen, EMT s, firefighters, or hospital personnel. Thanks to all who are out in the weather to take care of others!

Quote of the Day!

"Use what talents you have; the woods would have little music if no birds sang their song except those who sang the best." - Reverent Oliver G. Wilson

Weekly Mortgage Rates

United Commerce
30 year    4.750%
15 year   4.125%

Fifth Third
30 year    4.750%
15 year   4.125%

People's State Bank
30 year    5.000%
15 year   4.125%

Quote of the Day!

"Some people dream of success... while others wake up and work hard at it." - Anon.