It's National Chocolate Souffle Day

Not just any old souffle, chocolate souffle.  I don't think the odds are great that you'll be able to find one at the local market, so be bold, find a recipe and give it a whirl.  Sure, they have a temperamental reputation for collapsing, but even if that happens, it'll probably still taste great.

Stuck for a recipe?   Try this one from Betty Crocker.  OK, it's a chocolate souffle cake, but it'll be less temperamental.

photo courtesy of phasinphoto/freedigitalphotos.net

Wifi Enabled Twin Tub Washer From LG

At last month’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, LG introduced a twin tub washing machine.  The front loader has a bigger capacity than the smaller pull-out tub at the bottom.  This means you can wash your larger load of say, towels, in the top and maybe those pesky reds and pinks in the smaller bottom tub – simultaneously, if you like.

Ergonomically designed to decrease bending, a Turbo Wash system for better cleaning, and a wifi link that lets you upload custom cycles and monitor cycle status are a few of it's features.  You can get the complete story and specs here.

Image courtesy of LG.

Real Estate Closings To Change August 1, 2015

As parts of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act continue to be phased in, changes are on the horizon.  If you anticipate a real estate closing after August 1^st of 2015 you’ll want to read this.

UPDATE: THIS HAS BEEN PUSHED BACK TO OCTOBER 3, 2015

First, up front, the Good Faith Estimate and the Truth In Lending Disclosures that you currently get from your lender will be replaced with a new Loan Estimate form that combines the two.  The good news?  Five pages on two forms is replaced with three pages on one form.  The example form I’ve seen is very easy to read, so this looks like a win, to me.

The next part is what happens at closing.  Currently, the final Truth In Lending (TIL) disclosure is signed and there is a three page HUD-1 Settlement sheet.  This is replaced with a new Closing Disclosure that combines the two, and is still five pages long.  Again, it looks easier to read, and hopefully to understand.

The other part of this process is that all parties MUST have 3 days to review the Closing Disclosure.  No more last minute changes. In fact, if there are changes over a certain amount (I’ve heard $100), then the 3 day period is reset.  This means that the underwriting department at the lender and the title companies will have to be talking a lot more to make sure that a simple pro-ration mistake doesn’t cause a 3 day reset. 

It also puts more pressure on the real estate agents to make sure that things are as they should be for things like local tax assessments, transaction fees, and home owner/condo  association dues prorations.  Frankly, some agents don’t do a very good job with this, relying entirely on the lender and the title company to capture the correct data and catch errors. That has the potential to cause delays.

Until we see how this actually works out, I will be advising my clients (buyers and sellers) to expect an additional 15 days to close.  Right now, a ‘clean’ deal with a 30 yr conventional mortgage can get closed in about 30-35 days, so it’ll likely be 45-50 after 8/1/15.

How To Appeal Your Property Tax Assessment

Yes, it's that time of year again.  Residents are getting their assessments and some won't be happy - so unhappy that they'll want to appeal.  If that's you and you're in Michigan, State Senator Joe Hune has a very nice guide on effectively appealing your property tax assessment.  You can find it at:

http://www.senatorjoehune.com/

In the last couple of years, I know of residents that were actually able to prevail with a reduction because of this guide and through the helpful services of a friendly REALTOR that ran really great comps for them.

Which Is The Most Productive Day Of The Week?

Hmm.  According to the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) - it's Tuesday.  That's right, the day before hump day.    See their post at:  http://www.pcmaconvene.com/?p=5800.

Their data comes from Accountemps.  The hours of 10am - noon are the highest productivity, Fridays are the worst days for productivity, overall.  Wonder why?

February 15th, National What Day?

Yes, February 15^th is National Gumdrop Day.  Who knew?  Gumdrops have been around since the early 1800’s but the origins of this national day of recognition are obscure. That means I couldn’t track it down.

Gumdrops were a prominent feature in the board game ’Candy Land’ and they are still widely available. It seems to me that they are used for cake and cookie decorations a lot, too.

If you’re tired of all the Valentine’s Day chocolate but still have a sweet tooth, today you have a free pass to enjoy all of the gum drops that your heart desires.

Today Is - National Eat Ice Cream For Breakfast Day!

No lie.  According to the only documentation I could find, this day was created out of sheer winter boredom sometime in the 1960s. A Rochester, NY mother decided it was time to give her kids something to look forward to other than another dreary winter day. So, she came up with this idea to liven things up.  (Almost) first hand reports say you can build excitement by telling the kids about it in advance.

Photo courtesy rakratchada torsap/freedigitalphotos.net