New Home or Resale

New Home or Resale
A resale home is for you if you…· like developed landscaping and lush natural surroundings and don’t want to have to have to establish it, a resale home may be the right choice for you.
· want to know the character and history of the potential neighborhood and want to
associate yourself with its identity, then you may want to choose a resale home in a
location that allows you to do that.
· want to know your potential neighbors before you move in and not expect surprises
like a shopping mall or restaurant next to your new home, a resale home may be the
right one for you.
· wish to spend a little less
· desire more land or space

A brand new home is for you if you…· like the experience of a fresh start, and enjoy fostering relationships with other new
home builders. Families, who buy a new home in a particular area, are at a common
level, facing similar challenges and life-changing situations, which draw them
together into a community.
· are concerned about the electricity consumption and want a more energy-efficient
home. New homes have technological improvements to heating and cooling systems,
insulation, construction technology, etc.
· consider technology access critical. This includes pre-wiring for high speed internet
connection or multiple phone lines.
· love decorating the home from scratch like picking your own colors.

Who Was Saint Patrick?

Who Was Saint Patrick?

Even though Saint Patrick the patron saint of Ireland and one of the most celebrated religious figures around the world, the factual information about his life and times is quite vague. Most information about St. Patrick has been twisted, embellished, or simply made up over centuries by storytellers, causing much ambiguity about the real life of St. Patrick. However, there are a some elements of his story about which most scholars accept to be true.

According to Coilin Owens, Irish literature expert and Professor Emeritus of English at George Mason University, Saint Patrick is traditionally thought to have lived "between 432-461 A.D., but more recent scholarship moves the dates up a bit." At the age of sixteen he was kidnapped from his native land of the Roman British Isles by a band pirates, and sold into slavery in Ireland. Saint Patrick worked as a shepherd and turned to religion for solace. After six years of slavery he escaped to the Irish coast and fled home to Britain.

While back in his homeland, Patrick decided to become a priest and then decided to return to Ireland after dreaming that the voices of the Irish people were calling him to convert them to Christianity.
After studying and preparing for several years, Patrick traveled back to Ireland as a Christian missionary. Although there were already some Christians living in Ireland, St. Patrick was able to bring upon a massive religious shift to Christianity by converting people of power. Says Prof. Owens, "[St. Patrick] is credited with converting the nobles; who set an example which the people followed."
But Patrick's desire to spread of Christianity was not met without mighty opposition. Prof. Owens explains, "Patrick ran into trouble with the local pagan priesthood, the druids: and there are many stories about his arguments with them as well as his survival of plots against them." He laid the groundwork for the establishment of hundreds of monasteries and churches that eventually popped up across the Irish country to promote Christianity.

Saint Patrick is also credited with bringing written word to Ireland through the promotion of the study of legal texts and the Bible, says Prof. Owens. Previous to Patrick, storytelling and history were reliant on memory and orally passing down stories.

Patrick's mission in Ireland is said to have lasted for thirty years. It is believe he died in the 5th century on March 17, which is the day St. Patrick's Day is commemorated each year.

The first year St. Patrick's Day was celebrated in America in 1737 in Boston, Massachusetts. The first official St. Patrick's Day parade was held in New York City in 1766. As the saying goes, on this day "everybody is Irish!" Over 100 U.S. cities now hold Saint Patrick's Day parades.

Century 21 will be showing a comercial during the 3rd quarter of the Superbowl

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Lender Checklist: What You Need for a Mortgage

Lender Checklist: What You Need for a Mortgage

 

1.  W-2 forms — or business tax return forms if you're self-employed — for the last two or three years for every person signing the loan.

 

2.  Copies of at least one pay stub for each person signing the loan.

 

3.  Account numbers of all your credit cards and the amounts for any outstanding balances.

 

4.  Copies of two to four months of bank or credit union statements for both checking and savings accounts.

 

5.  Lender, loan number, and amount owed on other installment loans, such as student loans and car loans.
 

6.  Addresses where you’ve lived for the last five to seven years, with names of landlords if appropriate.

 

7.  Copies of brokerage account statements for two to four months, as well as a list of any other major assets of value, such as a boat, RV, or stocks or bonds not held in a brokerage account.

 

8.  Copies of your most recent 401(k) or other retirement account statement.

 

9.  Documentation to verify additional income, such as child support or a pension.

 

10.  Copies of personal tax forms for the last two to three years.

Stronger, fresher, longer

Stored food

1) Never pour room temperature milk or cream back into the original container.

2) Add a rib of celery to your bread bag to keep bread fresher, longer.

3) Place ½ apple in the cake box to keep cakes fresher, longer.

4) Cookies stay fresher if you place a crumpled tissue paper in the bottom of your cookie jar.

Household Tips - BATHROOMS

1. If your showerhead is covered with mineral deposits,  remove and soak it in a 50/50 solution of humidifier cleaner and water. (Buy the cleaner at a hardware store.) Soak for a couple of hours.
2. Clean shower doors quickly. Wipe with a used, DRY,  dryer sheet (IE: Bounce).
3. Lime-Away is said to be the best commercially available toilet and tub cleaner.

WHAT’S YOUR STYLE? A guide to America’s Most common Home Styles

Styles of houses vary across the country.  From the New England Cape Cod to the Victorians of San Francisco, the choices are almost endless.  Knowing which style you prefer is one of the basic elements in your hunt for the perfect home.
Following is a quick guide to help you recognize and use the professional terms for many of the most prevalent house styles:
•Ranch:  these long, low houses rank among the most popular types in the country.  The ranch, which developed from early homes in the West and Southwest, is one-story with a low pitched room.  The raised ranch, which is also common is the U.S.. has two levels, each accessible from the home’s entry foyer, which features staircases to both upper and lower levels.
•Cape Cod:  this compact story-and-a-half house is small and symmetrical with a central entrance and a step, gable roof.  Brick, wood or aluminum siding are the materials most commonly seen.
•Georgian:  Popular in New England, the Georgian has a very formal appearance with tow or three stories and classic lines. Usually built of red brick, the rectangular house has thin columns alongside the entry, and multi-paned windows above the door and throughout the house.  Two large chimneys rise high above the roof at each end.
•Tudor:   modeled after the English country cottage.  Tudor styling features trademark dark-wood timbering set against light-colored stucco that highlights the top half of the house and frames the numerous windows.  The bottom half of the house is often made of brick.
•Queen Anne/Victorian:  Developed from styles originated in Great Britain, these homes are usually two-story frame with large rooms, high ceilings and porches along the front and sometimes sides of the house.  Peaked roofs and ornamental wood trim, many times referred to as “gingerbread,” decorate these elaborate homes.
•Pueblo/Santa Fe Style – Popular in the Southwest, these homes are either frame or adobe brick with a stucco exterior.  The flat rood has protruding, rounded beams called vigas.  One or two story, the homes feature covered/enclosed patios and an abundance of tile.
•Dutch Colonial – the Dutch Colonial has two or tow-and-one-half stories covered by a gambrel roof (having two lopes on each side, with the lower slope steeper than the upper, flatter slope) and eaves that flare outward.  This style is traditionally make of brick or shingles.
•New England Colonial – This two-and-one-half story early American style is box like with a gable roof.  The traditional material is narrow clapboard siding and a shingle roof.  The small-pane, double-hung windows usually have working wood shutters.
•Southern Colonial –this large, two-to-three-story frame house is world famous for its large front columns and wide porches.
•Split-levels: Split-level houses have one living level about half a floor above the other living level.  When this type of home is built on three different levels, it is called a tri-level.

These are just a few of the many styles of homes available across the country – some are more prominent in different areas than others.  Knowing home style terms will help you zero in on the type of house that will fill your needs and suit your taste.