| How to avoid foreclosure in a state that's leading the pack
Despite rumors that dozens of homes in the development have been foreclosed on, Banet said she has only had those two homes up for auction.There is currently a $500,000 Main Street home for sale, she said, adding that the most expensive home she's seen at auction was a $650,000 home on Phillip Schmidt Road.In a typical month, Banet auctions 25 to 30 homes, most of which are in the $70,000 to $100,000 range, she said.Hawkins and Banet agree that most of the auctions are because of people being approved for more money than they could afford."Last summer, I refinanced my house. Well, they called me back and said they'd approve me up to $400,000 and I said, 'well, that's great, but there's no way I can afford that,'" Hawkins said."To me, it looks like (mortgage lenders) are just lending too much credit."In fact, Banet said, one banker told her, "We tell them they can afford it, what we don't tell them is that taxes have gone up."Increased taxes have upped many local homeowners' mortgage payments $100 a month or more.Banet's own mortgage payment jumped 55 percent — from $600 to $1,150 — because of higher taxes, she said.
Navigating the deluge of credit cards
In a country from which there are hundreds of credit cards to choose, picking one that best suits your financial needs and lifestyle is no easy task. There are cards that offer rewards, cards that tout low interest rates and cards that have no annual fees. Many of these credit card offers have been dropping into mailboxes recently. January is a busy month when it comes to applications sent out by credit card issuers. That's not surprising, given that many people who used their credit cards heavily in December for holiday shopping may be in the market for a new one. "We've heard that from card issuers, and we've seen that in our business," said Bill Hardekopf, chief executive officer of Lowcards.com, a Web site that helps consumers compare credit cards.
McLeish hails Hampden heroics
The Scots took a massive step closer to qualifying for next summer's Euro 2008 finals with goals from Kenny Miller, Lee McCulloch and James McFadden at Hampden Park. But the win came at a cost to McLeish, as McCulloch and substitute Garry O'Connor picked up bookings which will mean them missing Wednesday's match in Tbilisi. With Paul Hartley and Gary Caldwell injured, the Scotland squad will be stretched to the limit. Darren Fletcher, who has not played since he injured his knee in the 1-0 win over France in Paris last month, will return - but McLeish could be forced in to calling up extra players. He said: "It was the best game we have played at Hampden since I've been here. "It is a massive step towards qualifying - but I have mixed feelings because we have some walking wounded and we have suspensions.
Say No To The Vocoder
No matter who becomes President, this election year is sure to bring change in Washington. Both parties are presenting candidates who want to learn from the mistakes of the Bush years and regain America's standing throughout the world. Today, the Hip-Hop community represents an ever expanding range of backgrounds, ethnicities and experiences, so we have a responsibility to combine our vast resources to correct what may be the biggest tragedy of the last several years: the resurgence of the Vocoder. To be fair, the worst offenders actually use variations on the device like the Sonovox and Autotuner, but all of them are children of this mighty beast. Once an innocent vocal effect to help sing a song of love between a boy and his computer, the Vocoder family has since become a studio trick to cover up the fact that many of today's Pop singers can't actually sing (like, at all).
In L.A., Obama courts homeowners
Ric Francis / Associated Press Illinois Sen. Barack Obama prepares to meet with San Fernando Valley residents, from left, Gustavo Lizarde, Mimi Vitello, Carlos Garcia and Kerry Bryant on Wednesday in the backyard of Vitello's Van Nuys home. Obama outlined a $10 billion program to help as many as 10 million hard-pressed homeowners, including 850,000 in California. .
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