Happy Holidays to you and yours. I’ll be taking a vacation from blogging - to enjoy this extraordinary season with my family and friends - until January 2, 2008. May your holiday season be merry and bright and your New Year filled with joy and peace. ~ Alicia Lanier
Archive for December, 2007
Try Opt-Out Sites for Holiday Catalog Glut
Published December 6, 2007 Favorites , Homeowner Help Leave a CommentBy Alicia Lanier, REALTOR
Would you like to eliminate – or at least lessen – the glut of holiday catalogs and “junk mail” which, at this time of the year, arrive in disturbing numbers? Different organizations keep their own marketing lists, but these Web sites encompass the major ones that allow you to opt out and help save at least a tree or two …
• www.dmachoice.org – Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service
• www.catalogchoice.org – Coalition of environmental groups
• www.abacusoptout.com – Covers most catalogs
• www.optoutprescreen.com – Prescreened credit card offers
I suggest that you do not follow the lead of the Texas senior citizen who was frustrated by the amount of unsolicited mail he was receiving. He thought it might help to mark each catalog “Return to Sender” and then drop off a sack full at his local post office. However, a few days later he opened his front door and found a U.S. Postal Service bin with his catalog-stuffed grocery sacks, delivered right back to him!
This story sounds a bit funny, until we realize that about 53 million trees are used for catalogs every single year. Wonder what the tree cost is of all the junk mail that ends up, unread, in the trash or recycle bins?
Alicia Lanier is a REALTOR and member of the Coldwell Banker Diamond Society – Top 8% of Agents Internationally www.AliciaLanier.com 408-491-1634
New Plan and Hotline for Homeowners in Mortgage Distress, Facing Potential Loss of Their Homes
Published December 6, 2007 Homeowner Help , Politics Leave a CommentBy Alicia Lanier, REALTOR
It has been a “good news” week for homeowners in distress with the announcement of a plan to help homeowners refinance or even receive ”a freeze” on interest rates that are scheduled to rise in the coming months.
In addition, HOPE NOW Alliance – an alliance of lenders, investors, and credit counselors - has established a consumer hotline for homeowners. The hotline provides free, independent, bilingual, HUD-approved counseling and advice 24 hours a day for homeowners who have questions about their mortgage loans, and may be in danger of losing their homes.
The HOPE NOW Alliance was organized at the urging of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, who also led negotiations with the mortgage industry about the new plan, and members from the U.S. Dept. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in November. The hotline number is 1-888-995-HOPE.
About 1.2 million people could be eligible for help. Only a fraction will be subject to the rate freeze. Others would get assistance in refinancing with their lenders and moving into loans secured by the Federal Housing Administration.
The highest-profile part of the plan would freeze introductory “teaser” rates on certain subprime mortgages, preventing from rates from jumping up for five years. This offer would apply only to people living in their homes and who have not missed any payments at the lower rate. It also only would apply to loans taken out between 2005 and this past July 30 and scheduled to rise to higher rates in 2008 and 2009.
Despite its promise of relief for some homeowners, the plan has attracted criticism from many sides, including from those who have fallen several months behind on their loan payments.
Alicia Lanier is a REALTOR and member of the Coldwell Banker Diamond Society – Top 8% of Agents Internationally www.AliciaLanier.com 408-491-1634
By Alicia Lanier, REALTOR
My favorite Muppet moment will always be Kermit the Frog singing It’s Not That Easy Being Green. For the youth of the 1970s and beyond, Kermit’s lament is an anthem to knowing and being true to oneself. I love this simple little Sesame Street song – and its message.
But, today, I frequently hum this little tune when I am reminding myself to enjoy a lifestyle that does not waste our planet’s resources. In our beautiful Bay Area where temperatures are mostly mild, it’s relatively easy to keep my heat and AC thermostats in check, or even turned off. And, I have driven only 4-cylinder, high-mpg sedans now for well over a decade. And, after 30 years of doing so, it is virtually impossible for me to not recycle my paper, plastic, glass, aluminum, etc. - and I’m grateful the City of Campbell makes this so easy. Lastly, who wouldn’t enjoy shopping our weekend Farmer’s Market where I can buy locally grown and produced fruits, veggies, even cheeses, and other foodstuffs and items.
But it’s not that easy being green without constantly being conscious of every consuming pattern. Especially during the holiday season, which for most of us is the single most conspicuous consumption period of the year.
So I was delighted to find online the California Department of Conservation’s Green Gift Guide. From simple tips on how to shop for creative, environmentally conscious gifts to decorating green/living tips, it is a virtual one-stop shopping site to help all of us ”be green” during the holiday season and the rest of the year.
Enjoy!
Alicia Lanier is a REALTOR and member of the Coldwell Banker Diamond Society – Top 8% of Agents Internationally www.AliciaLanier.com 408-491-1634
