Stacey-Ann's Blog

Today is my 35th birthday.  WOW!

Somehow for me 35 just sounds so much older than 30 (my younger husband gently reminded me that it IS older than 30).  I have never been one of those people who feared getting older because my mom always said that we only had two choices - get older or die.  This is definitely the better option for me.

For some reason though, 35 seems so grown up to me.  It feels like I have crossed into a new demographic and a new phase of development.  The things that you value in your twenties are not necessarily as important now.  The value now is on quality time with family and friends.  Now that my career(s) are a bit more established that doesn't stress me out anymore.  Now it's about managing it all (career, kids, marriage) well.

I think the reality of being grown up hit me when the doctor gave me an order for my first mammogram.  YIKES!!!!!

I learned that I share my birthday with Julia Roberts & Bill Gates (just the birthday none of the money).  More interestingly, I share my birthday with the other 2 professors who teach psychology with me.  There are 4 professors in the department, the three women have their birthday today and the one man had his birthday yesterday.  Strange huh!

So I'm off to enjoy my birthday - despite the rain!

For weeks I have been planning to attend the DC ReBar Camp that is going on today.  I rearranged my schedule so that it would be possible and made plans with a friend/neighbor to carpool.

The camp is actually being held in Herndon, VA not Washington, DC as advertised.  Herndon is well over an hour from my home.  I estimated in rush hour traffic it would have taken me about 2 hours to get there.  I was still ready to brave the commute.

This morning the phone rang early and it was my carpool buddy indicating that she had been looking at the traffic and she didn't think it was feasible for us to get there.  It had been raining all night and it was raining buckets at that point.  Those of you familiar with the DC area know that it is notorious for horrendous traffic.  The level of traffic difficulties at least triples when there is rain.  There were accidents all over the place and traffic was at a standstill on the beltway.  We figured it would have taken closer to 3 hours to get there and they were expecting more rain for the evening rush hour.

It just didn't seem to make sense to take on 5-6 hours worth of commuting time.  We would have gotten there very late and then had to leave very early just to make it work.

Instead, I am at my computer catching up on some website work and wishing that I was in Herndon becoming more tech savvy. 

I'll just have to sign up for the virtual camp instead and hope that the rainers who attend today will share some of what they learned.

I work with mostly first-time homebuyers who are not familiar with the process of buying a home and who may be confused about how much money they may need to be able to buy.

DOWN PAYMENT - The minimum down-payment is usually 3.5% of the purchase price.  However, this can range from as little as 0% to as much as 20% of the price depending on the type of loan.  There are some programs available that assist with down-payment.  The Down Payment on your DREAM program in PG County is an example of a down-payment assistance program for first-time home buyers purchasing a vacant foreclosure in the County.

CLOSING COSTS - Closing costs are the costs associated with purchasing the home, acquiring the mortgage, purchasing title insurance, as well as any state or city taxes involved.  These costs vary by location and depending on your mortgage arrangements but usually run between 3% and 6% of the purchase price.  Sometimes arrangements can be made to have the seller assist the buyer with some or all of the closing costs.

EARNEST MONEY DEPOSIT - This deposit is submitted with the offer.  The deposit is held in escrow and credited towards the buyer's down payment and/or closing costs.  However, this check is cashed following acceptance of the offer.  The seller may be entitled to the deposit if the buyer defaults on the contract.  This deposit is usually a minimum of 1% of the purchase price and the amount may need to be increased in competitive situations.

HOME INSPECTION - This is paid for by the buyer at the time of inspection.  The costs involved vary depending on the size and purchase price of the home but cost approximately $250-$500.

TERMITE INSPECTION - Many mortgages require a termite inspection.  This can either be billed to the closing company and paid at the settlement table or paid for up front.  The costs range from $35-$55.

OTHER INSPECTIONS - Any additional inspections that the buyer is interested in having done are paid for by the buyer.  These may include radon inspections which can cost between $125 and $200, mold inspections, well water tests, septic system evaluations, chimney inspections, and anything else the buyer is interested in investigating prior to committing to purchase the home.

APPRAISAL - A few lenders will have the appraisal paid for at closing.  However, many lenders will have the buyers pay for this up-front.  That way if something goes wrong with the contract the lender is not stuck with the cost of the appraisal.  This can vary in cost from approximately $350-$550.

If you are interested in learning more about purchasing a home  or for more information about the down-payment assistance programs available in Prince George's County, MD don't hesitate to contact me.

Whatever voted most annoying word in conversation in a Marist College Poll.  The next five most annoying words or phrases were:

•  "you know"
•  "it is what it is"
•  "anyway"
•  "at the end of the day".

Personally I find "you know" inserted after every other word to be way more annoying than "whatever".

What words or phrases annoy you?

All the talk on the news suggests that the H1N1 (Swine) flu vaccine is almost here.  Based on the information from the CDC, just about everyone should be vaccinated including pregnant women and young children.  There are also reports that there is widespread H1N1 activity in half of the country (including the DC area).  There was a recent report that a middle school student in Baltimore City died from the swine flu and that she had no underlying health concerns.

Why them am I so ambivalent about getting the vaccination?  Truthfully, I am skeptical about the true severity of this flu.  The regular flu kills upwards of 30,000 people each year in the US and I don't see anything so far to make me more worried about this flu than I am about the regular flu.

I have never received a seasonal flu vaccine but I have always made sure that my kids were vaccinated.  This time i'm not even sure about that.

One of my concerns is that because the vaccine is so new I am not convinced of its safety.  However, I am also afraid that I am going to be putting my kids at risk if they don't get it.  I feel that there are significant risks either way. 

I know I need to make a decision quickly.  For myself, I will probably pass and take my chances with the flu.  However, for my kids I just don't know what to do.

What are your thoughts?

Apparently, this will be my new blog series.  Every now and then I read or hear about current events that completely baffle me.  My first installment was in reference to the NFL and the way it sanctioned players who have committed a crime.

The latest news story to cause me to scratch my head is in reference to Roman Polanski.

At first when it was on the news that he was arrested I didn't know enough about the story to react either way.  Since then I have learned many details that have made me incredibly angry.

The facts:

• Roman Polanski drugged, raped, and sodomized a 13 year old girl in 1977
• Polanski has never denied these allegations and he plead guilty to unlawful sexual encounter with a minor
• He was evaluated in a mental hospital
• He fled the country prior to sentencing because he was afraid the judge would send him to jail instead of sentencing him to time served in the hospital
• He has been living in France ever since.

Polanski was arrested in Switzerland on Saturday where he was planning to attend the Zurich Film festival to receive an award.

Many in Hollywood are now supporting Polanski and calling for his immediate release.  This is the quote from a fellow film-maker "He's a brilliant guy, and he made a little mistake 32 years ago".  

What?  A Little Mistake?  Did I miss something?

This man drugged and raped a 13 year old girl.  That makes him a pedophile and a sexual offender.  Why should he be treated any differently.  The fact that he is a Hollywood insider does not in any way absolve him from his responsibility.

Would there be a different opinion if he was a regular guy?  Imagine if he was a minority or poor.  Things would have turned out differently:

1. A poor man would not have been able to afford a wonderful lawyer that helped arrange a plea bargain.
2. A poor man would not have been able to afford to flea the country.
3. If he did somehow manage to flea, no-one would be supporting him now following his arrest.

I am personally appalled by the double standard at play here.  The fact that many actors, directors, and other celebrities have come out in support of this man makes me sick.

What he did was wrong.  He potentially destroyed the life of this young girl and he needs to pay for this crime.  The only person in this story that deserves our support is the young victim who has turned into a well adjusted woman despite the trauma that she experienced.

The Annual Bowie International Festival will be held this Saturday, October 3, 2009 (rain date 10/4/09).

The Bowie International festival features performances of music and dance, food, and activities from all over the world.  It is a great activity for adults and children, alike.

The Bowie Intenational festival will be held at the Allen Pond Park, 3300 Northview Drive, Bowie and will run from 11am - 5pm.

Come out and celebrate the diversity that makes our community so special.

I have been blogging on Activerain for about 1.5 years.  Late last year I received my first referral from activerain.  After several attempts that buyer was finally able to find a home she loved and she closed on her new home in June 2009.

This Summer I decided that I had to re-dedicate my efforts to creating a strong online presence.  I participated in the hyper-local and local business blogs and upgraded my website.  I was amazed that within 10 minutes my hyper-local blogs were on the first page of google.  Within a week of doing this I received 3 credible leads that came in as a direct result of my blogging and website

1. One couple who wanted to buy a home in Upper Marlboro.  After much searching for the perfect home, we are UNDER CONTRACT!!!!!!
2. One lady has severe credit issues but is beginning to work with a mortgage broker to put herself in a position to hopefully buy a home next year.
3. One man who is interested in buying a home in Oak Creek (one of the communities I focused on in the hyper-local blogs).  He is not local and is making arrangements to fly in to the DC area to take a look at the community more closely.