Archive for April, 2009

Companies contribute to house by Habitat

Shaw AREVA MOX Services LLC (MOX Services) and subcontractor, Baker Concrete, have given contributions totaling $6,000 to the local Aiken County Habitat for Humanity and a new house for Debra McDonald and her sons, Darren and Donald Adams.

Jamie Piazza, MOX Services construction site manager, and Mike Gullion, project manager for Baker, will participate in the groundbreaking ceremony for the build on Tuesday 28th April at 10 a.m. at 217 Scott Simmons Circle.

In addition to the monetary contributions, MOX Services and Baker Concrete will also be donating supplies for construction such as concrete and volunteers. Skilled volunteers, such as licensed electricians and plumbers, as well as those who simply have the desire to help, have agreed to work on the build.

Construction of the house will require approximately four months on a Friday and Saturday schedule.

“MOX Services is proud to support the local Aiken County Habitat for Humanity,” said David Stinson, president of MOX Services. “We look forward to contributing and working toward providing housing opportunities to those who would otherwise not be able to meet the expense of home ownership.”

MOX Services and Baker Concrete will be sponsoring this house along with the First Baptist Church of Aiken, the Rotary Club of Aiken and First Presbyterian of Aiken.

MOX Services is a joint venture between Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure Inc., a subsidiary the Shaw Group Inc., and AREVA. The consortium has a contract with the National Nuclear Security Administration to design, build and operate a facility to convert surplus weapon grade plutonium into reactor grade fuel for use in commercial nuclear power plants. The facility is being built at the Savannah River Site.

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Jackson to launch its first farmers’ market on Friday

Jackson is holding its first Farmers’ Market on Friday.

The market will feature locally grown fruits, vegetables, canned goods, homemade crafts, baked goods and more.

The idea for the Farmers’ Market grew from need. The residents of Jackson have been left without a grocery store since the shuttering of both the Jackson Super Market and Brinkley’s Red and White, which were on Main Street.

Mayor Todd Etheredge said residents must travel more than 10 miles to do their grocery shopping.

There is the Dollar General on Atomic Road, but it has only canned goods and paper products.

So Etheredge hopes the Farmers’ Market will meet in part the need in Jackson for fresh produce.

The town hopes for success so it can host the market every Friday.

The market will be held in the pavilion and cement area before the Jackson Municipal Complex, 104 Main St., from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Electrical outlets are available.

The covered pavilion spaces are issued on a first-come, first-served basis.

Vendors must furnish their own tables.

Restrooms are available as are water faucets and ample parking.

Overnight parking is unavailable.

For more information or to participate, call Town Hall at 471-2228.

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Crawling crustaceans to bring Aikenites together.

The excitement of racing returns to the streets of Aiken as Maine lobsters prepare to compete and Aikenites reunite.

The 25th annual Lobster Race will be held on Friday in the heart of downtown Aiken. Event planners are making it bigger and better than ever. Entertainment for the evening includes live music, vendors, foods from a variety of local restaurants, children’s activities and rides.

“We have expanded the rides for children and added more food vendors. We are doing what we can to help avoid long lines so everyone can have a fun family evening,” said Kara Flanders, event coordinator. “It’s the biggest reunion in Aiken, an enjoyable family event.”

This year, 15 heats of lobsters are set to race; races one through eight start at 7 p.m., and the rest will follow at 8:30 p.m. The race track offers optimal viewing and great conditions for the racing lobsters.

In order to make a lobster crawl, water temperatures and saline content must be exact. Each lobster is placed in its own lane with a staggered starting and finishing line. They must race to the end of their lane, turn around and return to their starting point. The winner of each heat advances to the finals.

Five stages will offer a variety of entertainment. The beach music band The Catalinas is headlining, and up-and-coming country band “Love and Theft” will perform on the Kicks 99 stage.

Typically anywhere between 8,000 to 10,000 people attend. All proceeds benefit local charities. Tickets will be sold at the gate or admission is free if you wear a 2009 Lobster Race T-shirt.

Additionally, you may purchase a Lobster Mania all-access pass for the rides for just $20; ride bands will be $30 the night of the event. Discounted ride bands are available until April 30.

Ride bands and T-shirts are available at the following locations: Atlantic Broadband, All Star Rents, Ingate Pharmacy, Hitchcock Healthcare, Lionel Smith and Screenprint Factory.

A supplement will appear in the April 29 edition of the Aiken Standard containing the layout and schedule of bands for the Lobster Races. Additional information may be found on the Lobster Race’s Facebook page or by calling 215-2003.

Contact Rachel Johnson at rjohnson@aikenstandard.com.

Want to Go?

What? Lobster Race

Where? Downtown Aiken

When? May 1 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Live Entertainment on 5 stages:

The Catalina’s

Eddie G – DJ

Loose the Goose with Tripp G

The Purps

Anybody’s Guess

Love and Theft

Merging Traffic

Rezon 8

Lo Down Brown

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Aiken museum hosting ’20s fashion show, tea

Aiken residents can take a trip back to the ’20s with a 1920s Fashion Show and Tea next week.

The tea is scheduled for 1 to 3 p.m. Friday at the Aiken County Historical Museum. The fashion show will feature vintage style ensembles such as riding habits, tea dresses, tennis and croquet whites, swim and golf costumes, evening gowns and a bridal gown, according to the museum’s assistant director, Mary White.

“The costumes will be ‘A Day in the Life of a Winter Colonist,’” White said. “Some of the clothes are being made, and some are from our own closets. We commissioned Steven Soforic, who did a sewing workshop here last year for the Society for Creative Anachronism; we commissioned him right after the workshop. We’ve been planning this for almost a year now.”

The museum’s docents will be providing the tea and a menu of finger sandwiches and sweets for the event.

This will be the museum’s first attempt at a fashion show and tea, and White said the staff hopes to attract the attention of members of the local women’s groups and civic organizations with it.

“This is our dry run, but we wanted to open it up to the public. The main reason we’re doing it is to give nonprofits and ladies’ groups an opportunity to put on their own teas and fashion shows to introduce them to the concept,” she said. “We have everything they need for one here except for the models and food.”

Admission to the 1920s Fashion Show and Tea is $15, payable at the door, which includes a year’s membership to the Friends of the Aiken County Historical Museum. The event is free to current Friends members, museum staff and docents. Seating is limited to 100, and advance sign-ups are required, according to White.

For more information or to sign up for the tea, call the Aiken County Historical Museum at 642-2015.

Contact Suzanne Stone at sstone@aikenstandard.com.

Website reunites lost pets with their owners.

A dog who had wandered off from his owners served as the impetus for Victoria Foulkes-Pyle to create a unique tool that will be a welcome resource for pet owners who are trying to reunite with their pets or for those who have found lost pets.

AikenPetsReunited.org is a new website that’s doing its part to help reunite pet owners with the members of their family who have lost their way. Foulkes-Pyle and Wes Funderberg, the City of Aiken’s web administrator, created the website, which is a free service.

Foulkes-Pyle had discussed the idea for the website with Aiken SPCA President Barbara Nelson and with the Aiken County Animal Shelter prior to creating the website, which is now available as a countywide resource.

“I found a dog while I was walking my dogs on a farm in Montmorenci,” said Foulkes-Pyle, who added that the dog has since been reunited with his owners in Windsor. “He had been running around, and I didn’t have any idea of how to put him back in touch with his owner. He had a collar on but there was no identification. He appeared to be lost and was a really nice looking dog. He came into the house without any problem or hesitation. I sent an e-mail out to a number of people that I knew, and they forwarded it out to a number of people they knew.”

Future plans call for the addition of a phone number as another way to help reunite lost pets with their owners for those people who don’t have access to the Internet.

Any pet that has been found can be listed on the website, said Foulkes-Pyle. Full story

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The Second Homes Market in 2008.

The purchase of a vacation home or a residential investment property is influenced by many factors that are often different than the motivations for the purchase of a primary residence. Especially
during a period of weak home sales and considerable uncertainty about the economy, it is important to gauge how the economic environment is affecting each segment.

To assess the state of the vacation and investment buyers market in 2008, NAR Research recently released its latest survey of home buyers specifically addressing the motivations of second-home buyers and characteristics of the vacation and investment property market.*
Primary Residence Buyers

In 2008, 70 percent of home buyers indicated that they purchased a home to use as their primary residence, an increase from 67 percent in 2007 and up significantly from 60 percent in 2005. Most often, buyers purchase a primary residence based on job relocation needs, formation of new households or changes in family circumstances necessitating a larger or smaller home or a home in a different location. These factors are present – perhaps to a larger or smaller degree – whether the economy is expanding or contracting. Consequently, sales of primary residences fell by 13.2 percent, somewhat less than the 16 percent decline in the combined sales of existing and new homes, overall.
Vacation Home Buyers

For the remaining 30 percent of home buyers, the motivation to purchase an investment property or vacation home is influenced by a variety of factors. In an environment of economic uncertainty, discretionary purchases such as vacation homes can be more easily delayed than the purchase of a primary residence as evident from the decline in the share of vacation home purchases to 9 percent in 2008 from 12 percent in 2007.

More details

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Mortgage relief money goes to six lenders.

$9.9 billion of eventual $75 billion program to help avoid foreclosure.

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration on Wednesday named the first six companies participating in a $75 billion program designed to help millions of struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure.

The administration said the companies — including some of the mortgage industry’s biggest players — will receive a maximum of $9.9 billion in incentive payments, which are designed to encourage mortgage companies to lower borrowers’ monthly bills. The government expects to finish arrangements with other companies in the coming months.

Chase Home Finance, part of JPMorgan Chase & Co., will receive up to $3.6 billion, the largest amount among the six companies.
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The other recipients are: Wells Fargo & Co., GMAC Mortgage Inc., Citigroup Inc.’s CitiMortgage unit, Select Portfolio Servicing and Saxon Mortgage Services Inc.

More Details.

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Housing Market Faces New Rules for Appraisals.

The housing industry is facing new national rules for real estate appraisals, which will ban mortgage brokers from ordering valuations and divert more business to third-party appraisal management companies.

Lenders seeking to sell their loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will have to adopt the home valuation code of conduct; but they have expressed some concern about the new standard, which takes effect on May 1.

Lenders can still focus on FHA financing, considering the agency has its own appraisal rules and does not plan to adopt the code of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.

Source: Realty Times, Kenneth R. Harney (04/20/09)

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Appraiser Checklist.

By Barbara Ballinger  | April 2009

Here are some of the factors that appraisers Joni L. Herndon of Real Property Analysts/Gulf Coast in Tampa, Fla., and John A. Hillas of Hulbert & Associates Inc. in Modesto, Calif., say they consider when determining value.

* Incentives and concessions. Most of today’s buyers expect to pay the lowest possible price and still get some extras. Sellers and home builders are offering money toward closing costs, remodeling and decorating, upgrades, and association dues. The price set initially may not be the final price once concessions are factored out. Appraisers care about that final number.

* Closing date. Forget what comparable neighborhood houses sold for a few months back. Appraisers want prices from the most recently closed transactions. “If a sale was more than 45 days ago, even 35, the price may be irrelevant,” Hillas says.
* Condition and curb appeal. Appraisers typically find several properties with similar interior and exterior features to determine value. When markets are healthy, blemishes matter less, but when markets soften, problems—a dated kitchen or barren lawn—can reduce prices and deter buyers. “The difference in value is not just the repair costs but the time and hassle to make them. It’s better for sellers to do work in advance,” Hillas says.

* Foreclosures. Appraisers technically shouldn’t consider neighborhood foreclosures when valuing a home, since foreclosures don’t meet the Appraisal Institute’s definition of a property reasonably exposed in a competitive market, says Herndon. “But when several neighborhood homes are abandoned, it’s hard not to caution sellers that this is a troubling trend and may affect home values,” she says.

* Changing demographics. If a house is in an up-and-coming area, the value can be expected to rise. A location that’s perceived as safe also may help attract the increasing number of single female buyers.

* Economic clouds. If there’s an oversupply of comparable homes for sale, or if the local job market is suffering, buyers may be hesitant to invest. Hillas advises setting prices aggressively from the get-go.

* Chemistry. It’s hard to account for those times when buyers fall in love with a house, despite a high price, poor condition, or tough economy. “Emotional attachment is a factor that can’t be predicted,” says Herndon. Hillas agrees, “It’s what makes it harder to appraise homes versus commercial buildings, where buyers care more about the bottom line.”

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Meet A Master Gardener May 2, 2009 at The Aiken Farmers Market.

The Aiken Master Gardeners will be available to answer your gardening questions from 8:00 A.M. until Noon at the Aiken Farmers Market Richland and Park St.
Master Gardener Plant Sale

The Annual Master Gardener Plant Sale will be held May 2, 2009 7:00 until Noon at the Aiken Farmers Market Richland and Park. This years raffle will be for a swing. We will be selling tickets for $5.00 each or 3 for $10.00. The drawing will be held at noon on May 2, 2009.

The Aiken Master Gardener Almanac is now available

the new and revised Master Gardener Almanac for Aiken and Vicinity is now available. It will be sold at the Aiken County Agriculture Building at 1550 Richland Avenue, East in suite 500 for $15.00. It will also be sold at the Farmers Market at Richland and Williamsburg Streets on the first Saturday of each month when the Master Gardeners are present. The new almanac has been completely revised and increased in size to 82 pages.

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Some homeowners see giving up as best option

In decision balancing stress and credit score, an Atlanta couple walks away.
Teresa Bondora and her family abandoned their two-story brick home in Atlanta rather than fall behind on their mortgage and $30,000 worth of home renovation debt.

The decision was tough for Bondora, a home-schooling curriculum developer raised to believe that preserving good credit and paying bills on-time were key adult responsibilities.

“I was willing to walk away and live with someone else while we get out of debt,” Bondora says. “I’m not worried about anything anymore.”
Bondora isn’t the only homeowner making an about-face in her approach to the stigma of foreclosure; if anything, homeowners like her see that efforts to prevent foreclosure may make them more financially vulnerable than succumbing to it and starting anew.

Despite new refinancing and loan modification programs made available under the Obama administration, mortgage experts say that many homeowners still face difficult choices in the short run. The latest options may not affect the market for a few more quarters, they say.

When the real estate market first showed signs of weakness in fall 2006 — right when the Bondoras listed their home for $170,000 — the family faced tough circumstances. They watched at least a dozen seemingly qualified buyers fail to secure financing, and as Bondora’s husband, a contractor, began to see work evaporate.  Full Story.

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When iris eyes are shining: On deck and ready to bloom in Aiken.

Now that the daffodils are gone, tulips and irises are on deck. Tulips are fine flowers, but they typically will not rebloom in these parts.

Irises, on the other hand, will hang around for years, surviving, as some of mine have survived, several moves as well as a variety of soil and light conditions. For the money, irises are certainly a better investment.

“Why haven’t my irises bloomed?” is, however, a question I’ve heard many times over the years, and I’ll have to admit that my old favorites, the Siberians, that have bloomed for years under the downstairs bedroom window, have finally ceased to bloom, having been choked out by the invading liriope that takes up more than its share of space around my garden.

Clemson tells us that poor flowering is normally due to one of four things: planting in excessive shade, using too much fertilizer, planting the rhizomes too deep or plants that have become too crowded and need dividing.

There are hundreds of species of iris that come in all colors and vary in size from the tiny woodland groundcovers like the dwarf crested iris to the large, frowsy bearded iris that crowned your grandmother’s garden and Japanese iris that stands 3 to 4 feet tall.

The iris most often grown in South Carolina falls into two groups: bearded and beardless. The bearded irises are identified by thick, bushy “beards” on each of the falls or lower petals of the blossoms. This group is subdivided into six groups, depending on the size.

“Like ducks in a pond,” I’ve heard tell is the correct way to plant bearded iris. That is, the rhizomes should be just below the surface of the soil. They must have well-drained soil and plenty of sun. It’s better to underfertilize than overfertilize bearded iris, and be careful not to let the fertilizer touch the rhizomes. The best time to plant them is July through September.

More Details

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Existing Home Sales Rise in February.

Existing-home sales increased in February, reversing losses in January. Even so, sales activity remains relatively soft, reflecting additional layoffs and buyers waiting for housing provisions in the economic stimulus package to take effect, according to the National Association of Realtors®.
Existing-home sales – including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – rose 5.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate1 of 4.72 million units in February from a pace of 4.49 million units in January, but are 4.6 percent below the 4.95 million-unit level in February 2008. Seasonal adjustment factors are more volatile in winter months, but sales rates over the past few months show dampened sales activity.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said first-time buyers accounted for half of all home sales last month, with activity concentrated in lower price ranges. “Because entry level buyers are shopping for bargains, distressed sales accounted for 40 to 45 percent of transactions in February,” he said. “Our analysis shows that distressed homes typically are selling for 20 percent less than the normal market price, and this naturally is drawing down the overall median price.”
The national median existing-home price2 for all housing types was $165,400 in February, down 15.5 percent from a year ago when the median was $195,800 and conditions were close to normal; the median is where half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less. “Given the downward distortion in price comparisons due to distressed sales, it’s important for owners to keep in mind that this doesn’t equate to a similar loss of value for traditional homes in good condition,” Yun explained.

Yun said a recovery in the West is much stronger than expected. “Strong sales gains in the West are led by California, where the median listing price is beginning to rise for the first time in three years,” he said.  More Details

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Mortgage rates fall, shy of record lows

30-year-fixed average at 4.82 percent, falling from 4.87 last week

Rates on 30-year mortgages dipped this week after rising a week earlier, and remain just above record lows.

Mortgage finance giant Freddie Mac said Thursday that average rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell to 4.82 percent this week, down from an average of 4.87 percent last week. Rates have been below 5 percent for five consecutive weeks.

The all-time low of 4.78 percent was recorded on the week of April 2. Freddie Mac’s survey dates back to 1971.

Low rates have sparked a surge in refinancing activity, with nearly 80 percent of new home loan applications coming from borrowers seeking to refinance. Freddie Mac’s sibling company, Fannie Mae, refinanced $77 billion in loans last month, nearly double February’s level and the best month for such activity since 2003, when the housing market was still surging.

Mortgage rates fell dramatically over the winter. They fell further after the Federal Reserve said last month it would buy $1.2 trillion in mortgage-backed securities and $300 billion in long-term government debt, which traditionally influences rates on 30-year home loans.

“The housing industry is starting to exhibit some positive signs,” Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac’s chief econmist, said in a statement but noted they were “scarce and too early to tell how permanent.”  More Details.

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Festival to look at gardens of Augusta.

Garden lovers from all over the CSRA will find a treasure trove this weekend at the historic Sacred Heart Cultural Center.

Located in downtown Augusta, the 18th annual Garden Festival will showcase classic Southern gardening beginning this evening at the Garden Preview Party starting at 7 p.m. The festival will continue Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Throughout the festival, exhibits, lectures, live entertainment and garden market vendors will be available, as well as tours of pristine private gardens throughout Augusta. Touring the private gardens, guests will be greeted by demonstrations and speakers.

“The Garden Festival is three days of landscape and floral exhibits, expert speakers, a market place, private gardens and more. This is an opportunity to learn and be inspired and purchase unique items,” said Kim Overstreet, event coordinator. “One of the most amazing things to me is the transformation of the grade hall into lush gardens.”

This year’s theme, A Green Occasion, focuses on the importance of sustaining natural resources and working harmoniously within the environment.

The Garden Festival serves as a fundraiser for Sacred Heart Cultural Center and its continued preservation as a cultural asset in Georgia.

One-day festival passes are available for $10 each, and three-day passes including the festival and gardens are $25. Tickets to the preview party are $60 a person and $100 a person. A Green Special package is available for $80 a person and $140 a couple and includes the festival, gardens and the preview party.

For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit www.SacredHeartGardenFestival.com or call (706) 826-4700.

Master in Equity Judicial Sale

Monday 4th May 09 at  11:00 AM
Located at the Judicial Center
109 Park Avenue, SE
Aiken, SC 29801

Click here for the Properties for sale in the Master In Equity Judicial Sale Listing

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Vote for your favorite dog art.

The Aiken Center for the Arts has unleashed the dogs in its newest exhibition called “Dogs Let Loose” and is hosting an opening reception on Thursday night.

“‘Dogs Let Loose’ is a new opportunity for area artists to respond to an ACA call for artists to create a piece of artwork of a dog or dogs as the main subject and work in a style that is nonrepresentational – or loose,” said Kristin Brown, executive director of the ACA.

“Twenty-four artists have let their creativity flow and have presented a piece in the exhibition. The exhibition is held in partnership with the Paws for Cancer Walk held on May 2.”

The public is invited to drop by and vote for the best in show.

All votes are $1, and at the end of the exhibition, a $100 award will be presented to the winners of the Loosest and Best Friend categories.

In addition to “Dogs Let Loose,” the galleries are adorned with the art of Bea Kuhlke, Leslie Alexander, Frank Lustig and St. Mary Help of Christians Catholic School students.

An opening reception for all the exhibits begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 641-9094.

Contact Rachel Johnson at rjohnson@aikenstandard.com.

Want to Go?

What? ACA Art Opening

When? Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m.

Where? Aiken Center for the Arts

Cost: Free

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Win free tickets to Lobster Race.

Win front row lodging for the 25th annual Lobster Race by simply signing up.

On Thursday from 8 to 10 p.m., a Lobster Race pre-party will be held at the Hotel Aiken.

The party is free and open to those ages 21 and up.

The first 100 people to arrive at the pre-party will receive a free Lobster Race ticket and everyone who attends can register to win prizes including a room at the Hotel Aiken on the night of the Lobster Race, VIP tickets to the Miller Finish line tent and Lobster Race T-shirts. HD 98.3 will hold a live remote broadcast from the pre-party.

“This is the first time we have held a pre-party,” said Kara Flanders, event coordinator. “It is to remind people the event is coming up, to show support for our sponsors and to have a good time.”

The annual Lobster Race will be held on Friday, May 1 in the heart of downtown Aiken. This year, 15 heats of lobsters are set to race; races one through eight start at 7 p.m., and the rest will follow at 8:30 p.m.
Full Story.

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Barred owl has been chosen as April Bird of Month.

The next time you are playing at Boyd Pond Park, stop a minute to think about the animals and birds playing there, too.

The park is home to much more than softball and soccer fields. It is home to all manner of wildlife, and the recreational area pays homage to its winged inhabitants with its “Bird of the Month” recognition.

April’s bird is the barred owl, also commonly known as the hoot owl.

Park Supervisor Vincent DiPietro said that with every site he’s supervised, he wants to bring into focus the natural and cultural resources to augment the experiences of park visitors.

But that hasn’t always been simple. The site he previously supervised was the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island, and it wasn’t easy to notice the fowls that made the park their home.

“Although this 210-acre property was formally an employee recreation area, it is much more. It is a living experiment, demonstrating its own life cycle in relation to the world around it,” DiPietro said.

So when thinking of how to highlight the “living experiment,” DiPietro took inspiration from his pet bird, a parrot named Leopold.

“Personally, I wasn’t always interested in (birds) until I became the owner of a 12-week-old parrot several years ago, which we named Leopold,” he said. “I soon realized just how intelligent, independent and influential these beautiful and interesting creatures are.”

The barred owl can be found in the Eastern United States and is primarily gray and brown with white touches. According to the Carolina Raptor Center, barred owls are loud and vocal birds with “Hoo-hoo-to-hoo-oo, hoo-hoo to wha-aa” vocalizations, which can often sound like, “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?”

Ron Brenneman, owner of Birds & Butterflies and a member of Aiken Outdoors, helped install barred owl nest boxes in Hitchcock Woods several years ago and continues to monitor them.

“We’ve had no success yet (in getting the owls to nest there),” he said. “But we’ve had some raccoons, various and sundry animals. All owls are neat animals.”

DiPietro encourages those interested in barred owls or bird watching in general to visit Boyd Pond Park, noting he has had the opportunity to see dozens of birds there.  Full story.

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Mead Hall School berry fest is Saturday.

Volunteers are keeping busy with cooking, baking, crafting, pricing and organizing as the 2009 Mead Hall Strawberry Festival approaches.

Festival organizers are working with Gurosik’s Berry Plantation in North Augusta and have collected loads of fresh berries, according to event co-chair and PTO President Lisa Toole.

“Bell Farms was doing it with us, but they lost everything, their whole crop, in the hailstorm last week; all their strawberries and their peaches,” Toole said.

“We just bought 20 gallons of strawberries,” said PTO treasurer and volunteer Denise Musick.

Added volunteer Janelle Janssen, “We use about 35 to 40 gallons total just for desserts, and for fresh strawberry sales we buy as many as we can get. Carloads. Last year was a hard year for strawberries because it was so cold that crops were down. We sold out of fresh strawberries.”

The PTO discovered last year that fresh strawberries were as big a draw for the festival as the bake sale of strawberry concoctions, according to Toole.

“We found people were calling us looking for more strawberries, and we hadn’t realized the demand was there,” she said. “This year, we’re thinking of doubling, or even tripling what we get for those sales.” Full Story.

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Buyers Say Foreclosure Deals Taking Too Long!

Banks are quickly accepting bids and writing contracts for foreclosed homes, but buyers are complaining that settlements are taking too long.

Real estate pros say purchasing a bank-owned property is different than dealing with a regular home owner, considering that banks have to check claims on the property and problems can arise at closing. Plus, in some states, banks also need court approval of the foreclosure.

Although banks are swamped by the record number of foreclosures, the bank-owned homes will have to be sold to help stabilize residential prices and boost the housing market.

Source: Washington Post, Dina ElBoghdady (04/13/09)

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Benefit to be held to help the Woods.

An equine fundraising benefit will feature a number of the world’s best polo players and will help a good cause.

For the third year, the 30-goal Aiken Equine Charities Cup will raise funds for the Hitchcock Woods Foundation.

The game is scheduled for May 2 at New Bridge Polo and Country Club at 3 p.m.

Proceeds from the game will help to maintain and operate the Hitchcock Woods.

Among the players who will be taking part in the game will be Julio Arellano, Tommy Biddle Jr., Glen Gilmore, Tiger Kneece, Owen Rinehart and Adam Snow.

Spectators will be able to witness the intense and fast action associated with the sport of polo.

The game will be held on New Bridge Polo and Country Club field No. 1.

In addition to seeing a 30-goal game and some of the best polo players in the world, spectators will have an opportunity to watch the Run for the Roses.

A Kentucky Derby Party organized by 302 Polo with the cooperation of New Bridge Polo and Country Club will be held at the New Bridge Clubhouse following the game. Full Story.

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Open Houses Are Still Worth It, Practitioners Say

Despite a changing market, many real estate professionals say open houses are still a good way to showcase a home.

Open houses work just as well as they did a few years ago when the market was very competitive, says Trudy Severa, an associate with Long & Foster in Reston, Va.

“Anything you can do helps,” says Severa. “It’s a numbers game, and there is no way to know the residual effects [that an open house can have].”

Some practitioners have had success joining forces with others to produce a group tour. For instance, seven different practitioners recently held a neighborhood open house in Washington, D.C., where participants could view eight listings ranging in price from $500,000 to more than $1 million.

An open house can be an opportunity to talk to potential buyers who are interested but who might be unsure about the uncertain market, says Mario Rubio, a practitioner with Rubio Real Estate in Annandale,Va. He suggests having a loan officer/mortgage banker on hand at the event to answer questions.

Source: The Washington Times, Cary Lee Dailey (04/10/2009)

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New Central Website to reunite Aikens Pets

www.AikenPetsReunited.ORG

This, we hope is the start of something. Ideally there would be a 3 digit number, like 411 you could call when you find a  dog or lose your cat. That, it seems is very hard to do. So we’re starting small. A website set up and run solely to reunited animals and their owners.

Last weekend whilst walking my 2 dogs on a 300 acres farm in Montmorenci, I found a beautiful German Shepard, tired, Hungary and Totally lost. The local convenience store is a hub for lost animals so we asked there and put up flyers. The SPAC and the county Pound were closed as were the vets. There was nothing else I could do…. Then I sent out an emails to all the people  I could think of about this dog.

Two days later, COPPER was reunited with his family, who lived on the other side of Windsor and had been frantically  putting up signs and looking  for him. He had a tag but had lost it, they did not use the local store so did not see my flyer but the power of the Internet came thru and he was able to go home to a very happy 12 yr girl who could finally stop crying.

This is the motivation behind this website, there are no fees, no cost to anyone, just a County wide notice board which hopefully will result in many more happy endings.

With the help of my partner, Wes Funderberg- City of Aiken Web Administrator( who help me set this up),  Barbara Nelson, President of Aiken SPCA  and all those at The Aiken County Animal shelter. We will have Daily list of lost and Found animals. There will also be an email address which anyone can use to sent their own lost or found. We would encourage people to sign up for our daily alerts and pass they on to other if they think they can help… Just like George Thomas did in the case of Copper!

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Columbia Kennel Club dog show continues

Hundreds of canines roam the Aiken Fairgrounds today as the Columbia Kennel Club 110th All-Breed Dog Show continues.

Today there are 599 dogs entered in the show with a two-day total of 613 dogs and 111 different breeds or varieties. The show gets under way today at 8 a.m. The show offers the opportunity for anyone interested to drop in and experience the excitement of attending a live dog show.

Vendors are set up throughout the fairgrounds with all things canine. There are four rings set up indoors for the smaller breeds and two rings outside for the larger breeds. This year is the first time the Columbia Kennel Club has held its show in Aiken.

“We love this site; we are so excited to get the fairgrounds,” said Katie Fleming, Columbia Kennel Club secretary and assistant show chair. “This is our first time in Aiken, and we want to make it permanent. We hold one show annually, and there just wasn’t a facility in Columbia to accommodate our needs. We fell in love with it here immediately. We want this to be our new home. There is plenty of room and lots of room to grow. We hope to build on it for next time.”

There is a full lineup of events scheduled for today starting in rings one, five and six at 8 a.m. with Manchester terriers (toy), American Staffordshire terriers, Chinese shar-pei, retrievers and schnauzers. Throughout the day, the dogs will compete for best in breed, best in show and best in group. The last competition of the day starts at 11 a.m.

“The public is welcome to come,” said Fleming.

The Columbia Kennel Club is open to newcomers and encourages public participation.

Contact Rachel Johnson at rjohnson@aikenstandard.com.

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Federal Housing Rescue Plan Launches.

The Obama Administration’s program to rescue distressed home owners got off the ground this week. The program was announced on Feb. 18, but it took several weeks to put the bureaucracy in place.

Six of the nation’s largest banks signed up to participate, the Treasury Department announced Wednesday. They are JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, GMAC Mortgage, Saxon Mortgage Services, and Select Portfolio Servicing.

Treasury says it is allocating $50 billion to the program. The Department of Housing and Urban Development will provide the rest.

The plan calls for loan servicers to reduce interest rates so a family’s monthly mortgage obligation is no more than 38 percent of its pre-tax income. Loan servicers also can reduce loan balances. After the loans are modified, the government then provides enough money to reduce payments to 31 percent of income.

Participating servicers get $1,000 a year for each modification and another $1,000 a year for three years if the borrower remains current. Servicers get an extra $500 if they do the modifications before the borrower falls behind in his payments—and the borrower gets $1,500. Also, homeowners get $1,000 a year for five years if they remain current on their payments. The money must be used to reduce their principal balances.

Source: CNN, Tami Luhby (04/16/2009)

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“You Get What You Pay For”

The Boston Globe Magazine has an interesting piece on appraisers. The article encourages consumers to closely monitor the appraisal process.

While this is not a horrible idea, there is a fine line between asking an appraiser to consider new information and pressuring that appraiser to reach a predetermined value.

The article also includes this section on the Home Valuation Code of Conduct.

Under the new guidelines, appraisal management companies (AMCs) will act as middlemen between mortgage companies and appraisers and hold greater influence over the entire process. “We think it’s going to hurt the quality,” says Peter Vadala, president of the Massachusetts Board of Real Estate Appraisers. “These AMCs put pressure on the appraisers to do two things: Do an appraisal cheap and do an appraisal quickly.”

The National Association of Mortgage Brokers filed a lawsuit against the Federal Housing Finance Agency in late February, arguing that proper contact among mortgage brokers, lenders, and appraisers helps ensure high-quality, cost-effective, efficient appraisals. Appraisal firms like Newton-based Lipof Real Estate Services make a similar case. “The essence of the [new code of conduct]     was doing good,” says company president Rick Lipof. “It was to take the pressure and intimidation off the appraisers.” But for appraisal management companies, he says, “the goal isn’t to find the most competent appraiser to make sure the value is right.  The companies look for the appraiser who can turn it around in a day for the cheapest price. What do you think you get for that? You get what you pay for.”

Lenders and consumers want appraisals that are fast, cheap and accurate. Appraisers can accomplish two of those qualities, but never three.
National Association of REALTORS®

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8 Ways to Spruce Up Your Listing’s Curb Appeal.

Staging a yard can give a home the all-important, buyer-pleasing curb appeal. Here are some suggestions that are both inexpensive and easy.

* Make it green. Balancing the pH level and feeding the lawn lots of nutrients will give it a lush and healthy look.
* Trim trees and shrubbery. Overgrown branches hide a home’s good looks.
* Mulch everything. Mulch gives flowerbeds visual appeal.
* Edge the beds. Edging makes everything look neat.
* Powerwash the siding, sidewalks and patios. Power washing gets rid of all the winter grunge.
* Plant annuals. Lots of geraniums, impatiens and petunias brighten up the look.
* Plant a garden. If the Obama’s can do it, so can everyone else.
* Hang a hammock. It suggests life is easy.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, June Fletcher (04/03/2009)

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Finding the Best Mortgage Deal Takes Work.

Home buyers who investigate mortgage options themselves as opposed to using a broker are likelier to get a better deal, according to a study for the Department of Housing and Urban Development published last year.

The study found that borrowers paid about $300 to $425 more in fees when they worked with a broker as opposed to working directly with a lender.

But comparison shopping can be tricky. Home buyers should try to devote a whole day to comparison shopping and include at least one credit union, a community bank, multiple national banks and an investment firms.

They should compare one type of loan at a time–for instance, a 30-year, fixed rate with no points. Their research should include a request for a guarantee that both the rate and the good-faith estimate will be exactly as initially presented. This standard could be difficult for a buyer to find, but it’s worth trying to find it, experts say.

Source: The New York Times, Ron Lieber (04/04/2009)

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Cancer walk will honor pets, too.

The 10th annual Paws for Cancer Walk to promote awareness that cancer is the number one killer of dogs and cats will be held at the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center on Saturday, May 2.

The walk begins at 10 a.m. with registration beginning at 9 a.m. The one-mile dog walk will pay tribute to those affected by cancer, including pets. All proceeds benefit The American Cancer Society

“In some way cancer has or will touch all of us within our lifetime. By taking part in Paws for Cancer, we as a community, have the opportunity to honor loved ones and help raise funds to continue the battle against cancer,” said founder Dr. Holly Woltz. “Come celebrate the people (and pets) who have fallen victims to this terrible disease. This year will be our notable 10th year in saluting those (human and pets) who have had cancer. It will be a special morning beginning with the walk, demonstrations, dog celebrity visits and more.”

Photographs for a memory board must be submitted by April 25. A $5 donation will be accepted. Photographs may be e-mailed to AikenPetVet@bellsouth.net or dropped off at Veterinary Services located at 1721 Whiskey Road.

Corporate sponsorships are available. Registration for the walk is $20 if registered by April 21 and $25 after the deadline and the morning of the walk. All dogs must be on leash.

For additional information, call 648-5489 BrendaPetVet@bellsouth.net.

The Aiken Center for the Arts is holding the “Dogs Let Loose” art exhibit in partnership with Paws for Cancer. The gallery opening is Thursday, April 23 from 6 to 8 p.m.
Glamour Pet Portrait Studio is holding a special portrait session on May 1 from noon until 6 p.m. with all proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society. Costumes are available as are group photos and portrait packages.

Contact Rachel Johnson at rjohnson@aikenstandard.com.

Want to Go?

What? Paws for Cancer

When? May 2 at 10 a.m.

Where? H. Odell Weeks Activities Center Track

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Classic to hold benefit luncheon.

It’s the hope of every show jumper to have a clean round to qualify for the jump off, and the same holds true for cancer survivors who have gone into remission. But sometimes obstacles can present a formidable challenge, and every effort is made not to have an unlucky rail.

Women Beyond Cancer is doing their part to make sure those who are fighting the battle against cancer will have a chance to overcome the obstacles they may be facing with the WBC Pri-Prix Luncheon under the tent at the Aiken Spring Classic, prior to the Highfields Event Center $25,000 Grand Prix on April 19 at 12:30 p.m. Women Beyond Cancer is a national 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, said Powers.

“It’s happening the same weekend that we’re having our retreat at Two Sisters Farm (in Windsor), it will be the first of three retreats this year,” said Chris Powers, Women Beyond Cancer chairwoman, who said there is no charge to attend a Women Beyond Cancer Retreat. “We’ve received a tremendous amount of support from the equestrian community. Everyone who’s involved with the organization does things on a volunteer basis and does so out of the goodness of their heart. We have a waiting list for those wanting to participate in the retreats. If there’s a financial hardship and someone wants to participate in the retreats, we’ll pay for their plane ticket. The retreats are for women with any kind of cancer.”

The luncheon will feature a live auction with Jeff Minton as the auctioneer and a silent auction, said Powers. Auction items include a course walk with DFG Stable’s Daniel Geitner prior to the Grand Prix, the Willcox Inn, Dr. John Haddon and Dr. Sarah Thompson have also been gracious in donating to the auction, she said.

The luncheon will be catered by the Willcox Inn’s Chef Miles. The event will also feature an informal modeling show featuring items from Equine Divine and Women’s Echoes. Hats are optional.

“The color purple is the color for all cancers,” said Powers.

There will be a sidesaddle demonstration featuring Betty Alexander of Aiken Ladies Aside.

The cost for the luncheon is $40 per person. For more information, visit the Women Beyond Cancer website at www.womenbeyondcancer.org, or call 646-0123.

Contact Ben Baugh at bbaugh@aikenstandard.com.

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Upcoming Events.

Museum hosting rug demonstration

The Aiken County Historical Museum will host a woven rag rug demonstration and tatter party on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. Participants will learn how to turn old clothing into beautiful woven rag rugs and placemats using the Museum’s vintage loom.

Refreshments will be served. This event is free to the public, but space is limited. Call the museum at 642-2015 for more information and to make a reservation.

The Aiken High FFA Plant Sale will be held at the Aiken High School Greenhouse from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday. For more information, call Meghan Wood at 641-2500.

The Masterworks Chorale of Aiken will present its spring concert at USC Aiken’s Etherredge Center Saturday at 8 p.m.

Joining the Chorale for the performance will be South Boundary, a 16-voice male ensemble from Aiken and Augusta.

The concert features the contrasting works of Randall Thompson’s “Frostiana,” (from the writings of the American poet Robert Frost), Johannes Brahms’ “Liebeslieder Waltzes,” and song settings of poems by the Scottish bard, Robert Burns.

Masterworks Chorale will perform the Brahms, and South Boundary will present the Burns selections. In addition to several mixed-voice pieces and some women-only pieces, “Frostiana” features a number of “men only” pieces that will combine the forces of the two local ensembles. Elana Pagal and Larry Miller will serve as the evening’s accompanists.

Tickets are available by phone or in person at the USCA box office.

For more information, call 641-3305.

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Aiken Garden Show coming up in May

Banksia, the Winter Colony home of the Aiken County Historical Museum, is once again home to The Aiken Garden Show, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9.

The keynote speaker Jenks Farmer and other local gardening experts will appear alongside landscape exhibitors and vendors, with demonstrations by local gardening organizations such as Camellia, Hydrangea, Rose, Orchid and Ikebana societies and daylily and bonsai growers. Tour the gardens of some of Aiken’s historic homes or take a guided afternoon walk through Hitchcock Woods or around Aiken’s Carolina Bay, while children enjoy garden-related craft activities, just in time for Mother’s Day.

Lunch is available from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For prices and ticket information, visit www.aikengardenshow.org, e-mail aikengardenshow@bellsouth.net or call 641-6777. Proceeds from this year’s show go to the Aiken Land Conservancy and the Aiken Garden Club Council.

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Website offers tips on gardening green, advice about using all-natural products.

How does a ‘green’ garden grow?

Whether you’re a gardening guru who has acres of perfectly landscaped greenery, or you’re short on space and potted petunias on the patio are your idea of gardening bliss, it’s possible to change your habits and really embrace a “green” thumb.

Gardening green involves using all-natural products and nixing those chemical-laden ones that are commonly relied upon. Here are some tips and techniques to have you seeing more green in the garden.

-Au natural: Think natural products and strategies for your landscape. One of the best ways to promote strong roots, stimulate growth, aerate the soil and encourage water retention is with the application of compost. Compost can easily be made from kitchen scraps, such as remnants of vegetables, egg shells and coffee grounds. In fact, this nutritional powerhouse is often referred to as “gardener’s gold.” Why send it to the landfill when you can create a small compost pile and turn leftover dinner into rich fertilizer?

-Don’t be bugged by bugs: There are many insects that are very beneficial to your landscape. Earthworms are shy fellows that do a great job of aerating the soil by burrowing through the ground. Butterflies and bees can pollenate flowers. Certain spiders and centipedes can eat harmful insects that may prey on your greenery.

-Use recycled products: Today, there’s a bevy of gardening materials made from recycled products. From rubber tires turned into mats and mulch to flower pots made from recycled plastic, you can embrace your eco-friendly sensibilities.

-Find an alternative to lawn: Did you know that an estimated 40 million acres of the 48 contiguous American states are covered in lawns? That pretty much makes grass the No. 1 irrigated “crop” of this country. Instead of spending countless hours mowing, edging and trimming your lawn, devote some grass space to other plants – even a vegetable garden. Then you get more bang from your gardening buck, including vegetables you can bring to the dinner table.

-Be water-responsible: Conserve water by harvesting rainwater to use for your lawn and garden. If you must haul out the hose, water in early morning when there’s less chance of the water evaporating in the hot sun before it quenches plants’ roots.

With a few easy strategies you can truly have a green garden in no time.

For more information and articles on shapping up your spring lawn and garden, visit the Aiken Standard’s Lawn & Garden section online at www.aikenstandard.com.

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Chiropractic is helpful, sometimes the only option for horses.

Chiropractic is helpful, sometimes the only option for horses.
WINDSOR — Equine chiropractic is often very beneficial to horses, and results from the modality are often seen immediately. Avoca Equine’s Dr. Keelin Redmond conducted an equine chiropractic demonstration Saturday at Equine Connection.

“Chiropractic can make a difference in a multitude of ways, particularly in performance horses,” said Redmond. “How’s a barrel horse going to turn a barrel if it can’t turn its neck? How’s a dressage horse going to get around through the back if it can’t flex its back? It’s wonderful in an obvious sense, and it’s wonderful for the subtle performance issues. Reigning horses that aren’t getting the same scores on their sliding stops, cutters who are letting a cow run off in one direction, jumpers with a little bit of a drift – that to me is where chiropractic really shines.”

The modality is also a therapeutic option to use with geriatric horses, said Redmond. Equine chiropractic relieves pain and helps get horses back to their normal routine.

Horses will experience a number of changes as they get older, many of them irreversible.

The skeletal system is often impacted, and older horses may experience a number of maladies that include arthritis and degeneration of tissues associated with joints. Full Story.

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Top Economists Say Recovery Has Begun!

Economic recovery is about making people feel more confident, says Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Economy.com.

Zandi evidenced increasing home sales and gains in the stock market are some promising signs that the worst is over and people will start spending again.

“We’re starting to see some pent-up demand for goods,” he says.

But Zandi warns that the situation is still fragile. “Confidence is a very fickle thing. It can go from abject pessimism that pervades now to a more balanced view of the world rather quickly.”

Robert Brusca of FAO Economics is predicting strong growth in the last half of the year and a quick recovery for the labor market. “You’ve lost 5 million jobs. It shouldn’t be hard to put 2.5 million jobs back on rather quickly after you hit bottom,” he said.

Joseph Carson, chief economist at AllianceBernstein, calls improving home sales, a rising stock market, and better-than-expected retail sales in February and March good signs of a turnaround. By the time President Obama’s stimulus package takes effect, the economy will be ready, he says.

“The stimulus has a much better chance of working if trends are already turning up than if it needs to halt a decline,” he said.

Source: CNNMoney, Chris Isidore (04/06/2009)

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Tread Carefully When Making a Low-Ball Offer.

These days, it’s easier to make a low-ball offer than it used to be, but still it’s important to be smart. Here are some things that a real estate practitioner and would-be buyer should consider when contemplating such an offer:

? Use foreclosures as comps carefully. Look realistically at the prices foreclosures in the neighborhood brought. Foreclosures aren’t good comps if the homes were stripped of appliances, pipes, HVAC, etc.
? Examine details of short sales critically. How many liens were there against low-selling short sales? If there were no secondary liens, the lender had considerable flexibility.
? Establish realistic time frames. Even in the best of circumstances, foreclosure takes a long time. Will the seller play the waiting game? How long have houses whose owners have equity stayed on the market? Is the buyer in a hurry?

If your buyer makes a low-ball offer, the bank probably won’t be in any rush to take it. They’ll likely just keep soliciting offers without coming back with a counter. Ultimately, the property is likely to sell for a higher price and, chances are, you and your buyer won’t know it until the deal is done.

Source: ThinkGlinck, Ilyce R. Glink (03/30/2009)

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Symphony coming to Aiken.

.
The Aiken Symphony Guild is bringing the Augusta Symphony Classic Concert to Aiken on April 17 at 8 p.m. at the USC Aiken Etherredge Center. The concert features a final Aiken performance by Donald Portnoy, music director and conductor of the Augusta Symphony.

Portnoy and friends violinist Vadim Gluzmin, soprano Carol Sparrow and tenor Randolph Locke will perform selections from Wagner, Bizet, Saint-Saens, Puccini and more. Featured selections include “Lohengrin: Prelude to Act III,” “Habanera,” “Duet,” “La fleur que tu m’avais jetee” from Carmen, “Vesti la Giubba” from Pagliacci and “O mio babbino caro” from Gianni Schicchi.

Tickets to the production are available by calling the Etherredge Center box office at 641-3305.
More Details…

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Flowers of the woods.

Ever wonder exactly what the beautiful bloom you see while you run, walk or ride through Hitchcock Woods might be?

Now the guessing game is over as one local resident’s passion for the woods has led to a pocket guide dedicated to the wildflowers of the woods.

“Trailside Wildflowers of the Hitchcock Woods” includes photographs and descriptions of more than 220 species found within Hitchcock Woods. Author and photographer Kenneth Perrine, Ph.D. compiled the material for the book over a period of many years. The research has been an ongoing project for Perrine’s curiosity and passion for nature.

“The book was conceived as an educational resource for use by those who know and love the woods, people who, like me, would like to know the identity of plants and flowers they see in the woods,” said Perrine. “This was envisioned as a community service, a tool for those who ride, run, and walk in the woods and who might like to know what they are seeing. I love the woods and the flowers.”

Organized by color, the 160 page book includes photographs as well as commentary including scientific and common names of genera and species, botanical families, blooming dates and location of shots. The idea for the book began in 1998 and once Perrine discovered he had collected more than 100 different species for his own enjoyment, he knew it was time to move forward with the book.

“My goal everywhere I go is to know what I am looking at; the photos came secondary as a tool for research,” said Perrine.

He visits the woods typically five days a week and often twice each day; the first time to run or walk and the second with his camera.

Perrine fell in love with Hitchcock Woods first as a runner in the 1980s. Full story.

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6 Reasons Why It’s Still a Good Time to Buy!

The housing market is looking healthier. Here are six reasons why now is the time to jump into the market.

1. Uncle Sam is willing to help. First-time buyers (defined as anyone who hasn’t owned a home in the last three years) are entitled to a maximum $8,000 tax credit; interest rates are at record lows; and the Federal Reserve is doing its best to make mortgage loans available. (Sign up for a Webinar to learn more about the home buyer tax credit)
2. People have to live somewhere. About 800,000 new households are formed each year in this country, ensuring that the housing market will tighten, even if the economy doesn’t soar.

3. Borrowers leverage their investment. If you put $10,000 into the stock market and it earns 10 percent, you’ve earned $1,000. If you put $10,000 down on a home and its values increases 10 percent, you’ve made $10,000.

4. When prices come back up, you’ll have instant equity. In parts of the country where foreclosures have driven down prices, better times will mean the price of the home you buy will rise rapidly.

5. Mortgage costs stay the same. If you get a fixed-rate mortgage, the monthly payment stays the same – while everything else, including rent, goes upward.

6. You own it. There is something comforting in the notion that your home is your own. You can paint it any color you want, let the dog run in the back yard and hang a swing for the kids in the front.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, June Fletcher (03/27/2009)

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Birds & Butterflies offers pair of events.

Local nature and garden store Birds & Butterflies has two upcoming seminars to help people get more out of the great outdoors this spring.

Paul Koehler, director of the Silver Bluff Audubon Center, will give a presentation on “Explore Audubon South Carolina” at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the shop located at 117 Laurens St. N.W.

Koehler will discuss the day-to-day activities at the Silver Bluff estuary and wildlife conservation site in Jackson and in Audubon’s other South Carolina conservation facility, Francis Beidler Forest, a 15,000-acre old growth swamp forest known for its stands of bald cypress trees in the Four Holes Swamp just north of Harleyville.

“We wanted to make people more aware of the places around here where they can go to see wildlife and exotic plants,” said Birds & Butterflies co-owner Ron Brenneman.

Admission to the presentation is free, but space is limited, so advance reservations are required.

The April entry in Birds & Butterflies’ 2009 Nature Series is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 21 at the garden shop. This month’s seminar will feature guest speaker Joanna Weitzel, executive director of Carolina Wildlife Care. Weitzel will describe the mission of the Columbia-area wildlife rehabilitation center. She has spoken at Birds & Butterflies before and usually brings a visitor or two from the Center’s patient population, Brenneman said.

“It’s the place many of the injured wild animals you hear about in this area are taken,” he said. “She’s going to tell us about the Center and what to do if you find an injured bird or animal because a lot of people sometimes unknowingly do the wrong thing.”

Admission to Weitzel’s presentation is free, though Brenneman said donations for Carolina Wildlife Center will be collected at the seminar. Space is limited, and advance reservations are required.

For more information about upcoming events, call Birds & Butterflies at 649-7999.

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New faces are on top at the Masters.

AUGUSTA — The winds of change whirled convincingly at the Masters on Friday.

Famed Masters champions Gary Player and Fuzzy Zoeller presumably played their final competitive rounds on a day where the wind – or the ghosts of Augusta National, depending on one’s perception – howled at Amen Corner and made its presence felt at the internationally known golf course.

Friday’s 36-hole leaderboard signified a changing of the guard – well, at least the norm, which was a fitting gesture in light of Player and Zoeller’s farewells. The top 10 players atop the leaderboard had never won at Augusta – a list topped by a pair of players with no major victories.

Texas native Chad Campbell and Kentucky-born Kenny Perry led the Masters at 9-under, followed by Angel Cabrera, alone in third place after he scored a pair of 4-under 68s in his first two rounds.

“Everything is a bonus now, it really is,” Perry said in light of his experience with the 2008 Ryder Cup team at Valhalla. “I’m just going through each and every day enjoying life a little bit.

“I think I can win,” he added. “You know, I’m not going out there very casually. … I’m burning inside, wanting to kick everybody’s butt.”
More Details.

Practitioners Get Tough in Current Market.

Chicago-area practitioners, like those in the South East, say they are increasingly likely to walk away from would-be sellers who insist on setting the price too high.

For instance, Michael Shenfeld, an associate at Koenig & Strey GMAC in Lincoln Park, refused a listing when he couldn’t persuade a potential client to list his condo $25,000 lower than others were selling because it was in poor condition.

“I walked away and said, ‘This is not the best use of my time or your time,’” he says.

Customers can be especially difficult to deal with if they are underwater on expensive properties, says Scott Foster, a practitioner at RE/MAX Exclusive Properties in Chicago. When he suggested a short sale to owners of a $500,000 apartment, “I was shown the door,” he said.

Source: Crain’s Chicago, Kevin Davis (03/23/2009)

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When your mortgage application is rejected.

Don’t be surprised if your friendly lender, the one who invites you to sit down and apply for a mortgage, ushers you politely out the door empty-handed after you’ve chatted a bit.

The sudden chill isn’t personal. The Mortgage Bankers Association, or MBA, in Washington, D.C., estimates that about half of all mortgage applicants are now being turned down. Though refinancing approvals remained static, the acceptance rate on mortgage applications suffered a 10 percentage-point drop, from 63 percent in the first half of 2007 to 53 percent in the first half of last year, according to mortgage data tracked semi-annually by the association. Since then, further tightening of credit standards means at least half of mortgage-seeking consumers can’t squeeze through to acceptance, says MBA spokeswoman Carolyn Kemp.  Full Story.

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Short Sales: 7 Legal Pitfalls.

In many areas, short sales are the biggest game in town. But you don¿t want to jump into this niche willy-nilly.
By Robert Freedman  | April 2009

In addition to educating yourself on the ins and outs of these complex deals, you also need a good picture of the legal risks that exist for you.

Misrepresenting tax consequences.

Although it’s true that the federal government passed a law in 2007 directing the IRS not to count mortgage debt forgiven by a lender as income, the provision is limited. It applies only to purchase money; it doesn’t apply to debt on a cash-out refinancing, and it doesn’t apply to second homes. There’s also a dollar limitation, albeit a generous one ($1 million for married couples filing separately, twice that for joint filers). “A lot of associates are telling people there are no tax consequences,” says Lance Churchill, a short sales specialist and trainer who operates in Boise, Idaho, and San Diego. “But it’s a limited law and you just need to be accurate about it.”
Misrepresenting how secondary debt is treated.

Practitioners might mistakenly tell sellers that all the house debt is forgiven once the primary lender approves a short sale. But that might not be the case, Churchill says. Holders of second deeds of trust don’t typically forgive the debt. More commonly, they accept a partial payment, like $2,000; and rather than write off the balance, they sell the balance to a collection agency for another few thousand dollars. In many states, these second loans are recourse, so sellers can be caught by surprise when the collection agency contacts them a year later seeking payment of the debt.

Acting on inappropriate lender requests for seller contributions.

It’s not uncommon for lenders to go after money that the sellers have in the bank or in a retirement account before they approve a short sale request. They’ll sometimes seek to put the onus on the real estate practitioner to get sellers to sign over a note for the amount they have in the bank as a condition of sale. But in states where mortgage debt is nonrecourse, lenders have no right to the money, and associates that suggest otherwise to the sellers might be later sued for negligence.

Breaching fiduciary duty.

Investors are increasingly executing what’s known as a “double close and flip,” a type of short-sale transaction that can leave practitioners exposed to irate sellers who say they got a raw deal. Here’s what typically happens: Investors insist on handling short-sale negotiations with the lender, freeing up their real estate practitioner to concentrate on finding a buyer. During the negotiations, the investors—often without the practitioner’s knowledge—talk the sellers into turning over the deed. Once the practitioner finds a buyer, the investors do a double closing, buying it themselves at a deep discount and then flipping it to the buyer at the listed price, making money on the spread. “The seller might feel he got less than he would have had the associate done his job and not handed over negotiations to the investor,” says Churchill.

Providing poor oversight of a loss mitigation company.

Companies that specialize in managing short sales promise to focus on the complicated details of the short sale, freeing up practitioners’ time to find buyers. But if you take a hands-off approach, you can be charged with negligence if a deal falls apart. “A lot of these companies are fly-by-night or have one person who’s overworked,” Churchill says. “Practitioners are coming back a month later to find no one’s even opened the file.”

Lacking the required license to undertake loss mitigation.

It often makes sense for practitioners to take a two-pronged approach with clients facing a difficult time paying their mortgage—first trying to help them accomplish a loan modification (for a fee), and then finding a buyer if a modification doesn’t work. But watch out. Depending on your state, you could need a specific license, sometimes called a credit repair license, to earn a fee for helping owners modify mortgage terms. Without having the right credentials, taking a fee for loan modification assistance could be a criminal offense.

Facilitating transactions not listed on the HUD-1 form.

It’s not uncommon for investors to offer incentives to sellers to move a deal forward, but lenders typically frown upon sellers who walk away with money when they’re supposedly taking a loss. Investors sometimes work around this limitation by offering to buy something from the sellers at an attractive price, such as a couch for $5,000. Associates who communicate these offers to sellers can get tied into charges of lender fraud because the deals may be deceptive.

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Online calendar connects horse community.

A new resource will help keep horsemen and equine enthusiasts up to date on when equestrian activities will be taking place in Aiken.

The concept to create ecalendaraiken.com, or the Equestrian Calendar of Aiken, was the idea of Nancy Bruen Smith and Ann Kinney. The two women thought the idea of an online event board listing the date and times of area equine events would be an outstanding way to keep everyone informed about scheduled events within the equestrian community.

“I’ve been marketing and selling advertising for a number of equestrian publications and organizations for the past four years in Aiken,” said Smith. “We realized that a calendar in print doesn’t work because of changes that can occur.”

The website will provide information on events that will be coming up in advance (in some cases within the next eight to 10 months), and will give show organizers and equestrians a better idea of when other shows have been scheduled. The e-calendar will be a useful resource and enable horsemen to get the word out about their shows, clinics or events, said Smith.

“We wanted to create something that’s very user-friendly,” said Smith.

The website will update scheduling changes and cancellations, said Kinney, who has a background in websites and web design.

“Anything that happens, if there are changes, will be done in real time,” said Kinney. “It’s another way for people to find out about what’s happening. We’ve arranged the website by discipline as well. On the home page, we have a general list that gives people an idea of what’s going on, but if you want to find out about a specific discipline, you can click on dressage and find out what’s going on this month.”

The e-calendar is a way for Smith and Kinney to give back to the equestrian world, so horse people can connect.

“People can put all of their information on the calendar for free,” said Smith. “We’re trying to structure it so everyone in the horse world can come together.”

Contact Ben Baugh at bbaugh@aikenstandard.com.

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When your mortgage application is rejected.

Bankrate.com updated 3:14 p.m. ET, Sun., March. 22, 2009 Don’t be surprised if your friendly lender, the one who invites you to sit down and apply for a mortgage, ushers you politely out the door empty-handed after you’ve chatted a bit. The sudden chill isn’t personal. The Mortgage Bankers Association, or MBA, in Washington, D.C., [...]

Big Gains in Pending Home Sales, Affordability.

Increases in pending home sales suggest a possible upswing in sales activity in coming months, according to the National Association of REALTORS.

The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in February, rose 2.1 percent to 82.1 from a reading of 80.4 in January, but is 1.4 percent below February 2008, when it was 83.3.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the market is continuing to underperform.

“Pending home sales have a way to go for there to be a meaningful increase, but recent increases in shopping activity are hopeful indicators that we’ll see additional sales gains,” he says. “More buyers are getting into the market to take advantage of stimulus incentives and much improved housing affordability conditions, but it will take a few months before we could see this turn up in measurable sales contract activity.”

Additionally, NAR’s Housing Affordability Index rose to a new high in February.

The Regional Breakdown
The PHSI picture varied across U.S. regions, with increases everywhere except the West:

1. Northeast: rose 10.6 percent to 63.9 in February but is 11.2 percent below a year ago.
2. Midwest: jumped 14.5 percent to 83.1 and is 3.4 percent higher than February 2008.
3. South: rose 4.4 percent to 85.8 in February but is 0.1 percent below a year ago.
4. West: fell 13.5 percent to 89.6 and is 1.7 percent below February 2008.

NAR President Charles McMillan says home buyers are in an excellent position.

“The drop in mortgage interest rates and home prices mean the buying power of a typical family has never been better,” he explains. “If you have a good job and long-term plans, it’s unlikely that you’ll find a much better time to buy a home. This is especially true for first-time buyers who can qualify for an $8,000 tax credit this year, have a great selection of homes to choose from, and are in a favorable negotiating position.”

Affordability Improves
NAR’s Housing Affordability Index rose 0.9 percentage points to a record high of 173.5 in February from an upwardly revised index of 172.6 in January, and is 36.3 percentage points higher than a year ago. The HAI shows the relationship between home prices, mortgage interest rates and family income is the most favorable since tracking began in 1970.

A median-income family, earning $59,700, could afford a home costing $285,600 in February with a 20 percent down payment, assuming 25 percent of gross income is devoted to mortgage principal and interest. Affordability conditions for first-time buyers with the same income and small down payments are roughly 80 percent of that amount. The affordable price is considerably higher the median existing single-family home price in February, which was only $164,600.

“Obviously, potential home buyers need to be managing their existing debt effectively,” McMillan says. “A REALTOR can counsel you on what you may be able to afford given your personal financial situation. In some cases, buyers who want to build their future through homeownership may need to start reducing their debt and improving their credit score before entering the housing market.”

Last year at this time, the typical family could afford a home costing $265,600, which is $20,000 less than the current affordable price.

“Homes in many areas are now selling for less than replacement construction costs — clearly, this is an abnormal situation that will change once inventory is drawn down and supply and demand come closer into balance,” McMillan says.

Yun expects housing inventories to rise through early summer from a normal seasonal pattern of more sellers appearing in the spring.

“But with the positive housing stimulus incentives now in place, we expect home sales to gain momentum in the second half of the year with first-time buyers absorbing a lot of the excess inventory,” he says. “Under these conditions, we should see price stabilization in most markets by the end of the year.”

Source: NAR (04/01/2009)

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Rental Properties to Lead Recovery, Experts Say

Housing experts predict that multi-family rental properties and apartments will recover fastest from the current downturn, followed by housing in cities that didn’t overbuild.

The market is likely to hit bottom in the next few months, says Bernard Markstein, senior economist and director of forecasting for the National Association of Home Builders.

“Next year will see slow but steady improvement, as home builders are controlling their inventory,” Markstein says.

Apartments and other multi-family residences will snap back quickly once businesses start hiring again, predicts Victor Calanog, director of research at Reis.

Baby boomers looking for retirement homes and first-time home buyers also will lead the way out of the decline, predicts Bill Singer, a securities attorney and trader who is a member of Forbes.com’s panel of financial gurus.

Source: Forbes.com, Madalina Iacob (03/18/2009)

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SPCA Barn tour! 11th April 09

Satisfy your curiosity as to what lies behind the wide, sturdy doors of local barns with the Aiken SPCA’s second Barn Tour.

Tickets are available now for the Saturday, April 11 event showcasing nine area barns, with all proceeds benefitting the homeless dogs and cats at the nonprofit rescue group’s shelter.

SPCA Events Coordinator Tracey Souci said this year’s tour is “fun and funky” featuring small to large and fancy to quaint barns representing many of the riding and training disciplines of the Aiken horse community.

“It’s a way to learn something and have fun,” she said. “Horse owners can get ideas for their own barns and for people who don’t own horses, they can get a peek into the private lives of horse people. What’s down that long drive? How did the people get here and what do they do with their horses?”

Attendees will be given a map and the description of each barn once they purchase their tickets. The tour is self-guided and will take place from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Barns may be toured in any order.

Tickets are $25 each or two for $45. They are available at Malia’s, Auto Tech, the Aiken SPCA or at the Aiken SPCA Thrift Store. Only the Aiken SPCA can take payment by credit card.

For more information, call 522-2203.

Some of the barns that will be featured are …

Marvin Slosman’s Ridge Runner Farm

“Marvin is a passionate polo player and patron. He describes his barn as functional for horses first, but also comfortable for people. Marvin and his Argentine polo players enjoy the tradition of socializing with opposing players around the Asado/Argentine BBQ. Meet Marvin’s buckskin mare, La Gata, the ‘Queen of the barn.’ Be sure to walk through the attractive adjoining barn apartment.”

Joann and Fred Rawn’s Black Pearl Friesian Farm

“Drive the curving driveway through paddocks and oak trees to this graceful barn built by Fred Rawn construction. See their four elegant black Friesian horses and two adorable mini horses. Walk through the owner’s lovely, roomy apartment above the barn to see the expansive views from the balconies.”

Front Gate Properties, We’re selling the BEST Real Estate in Aiken, SC.

Hydrogen fuel cell will power home!

At a time when more and more homes are being built with energy-efficiency in mind, a local developer announced Thursday, plans to take the concept one step further. Ron Monahan, creator of the The Ridge at Chukker Creek, said he plans to begin construction of a “net-zero,” home, to be powered by a combination of a hydrogen fuel cell and solar energy in May.

The idea behind net zero homes is making it so that homeowners do not have an electric bill. The homes typically have their own power supplies, such as solar power for electricity and geothermal for heating and cooling.

In February, Monahan and his architect, George Wyatt, revealed plans to build two to four net-zero homes in the eco-friendly development. Monahan said shortly after, he was “challenged,” by Aiken County Center for Hydrogen Research Director Fred Humes to use a hydrogen fuel cell to power one of the homes.

According to Watt, the way the process works is the house would draw electricity through a power grid which will be provided by Aiken Electric Cooperative. The home will also have the ability to feed power back to the electric company, earning a credit toward the energy used.

For the project, solar cells will line the roof and will run the electricity it captures through an electrolyzer which will separate the oxygen from hydrogen. The hydrogen is captured to run along the house with the solar power. Humes called the plans a “revolutionary process,” and said it was just one more step in making Aiken County the leader in hydrogen energy.
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Spadefoot toads come out to mate.. it’s Spring time!

Approximately this time every year, the expected turnout is in the thousands. Not patrons for the Masters Tournament, but rather sightings of the Eastern spadefoot toad.

The two are similar in that they can make lots of noise. The spadefoot toad’s call sounds like a grunt – short and low-pitched but heavily repeated.

Unlike the golf fans who travel from around the world to be here in April, the toads are indigenous to the CSRA. Most people just don’t know it.

“They’re not rare but most of the time we don’t see them,” Savannah River Ecology Laboratory Research Coordinator Brian Metts said Tuesday.

The spadefoot toad will spend most of the time buried in sandy or loose soil only to emerge during heavy rains during the warm months to breed. They appear suddenly and typically in large numbers. So when they come out, it can be a surprise.

Aiken resident Jack Lynes was greeted by the spadefoot’s distinct call while preparing his pool Friday.

“A few days before, it rained steadily, and we heard the frogs going nuts out there, calling,” Lynes said.

What Lynes heard, and subsequently saw, was many spadefoot toads emerging to breed following last week’s heavy rains.

The spadefoot toad is different from a “true” toad. It has a sickle-shaped spade on each hind foot for digging, is soft-bodied with smoother skin and has two yellowish lines that run down its backs. Spadefoot toads can be found along the East Coast, and there is lots of habitat for them to live and breed in Aiken and the CSRA.

On Friday at Rainbow Bay, a wetland the SREL studies, approximately 2,000 Spadefoot toads were seen – a stark contrast to typical observations.

“On a normal day, we would see zero,” Metts said.

While Lynes probably won’t see more spadefoot toads in his yard since they only come out once annually, that doesn’t mean there won’t be other sightings this year.

“That was a large reproductive bout for the season,” Metts said. “But other wetlands could see a large turnout.”

The spadefoot is philopatric, which means that like salmon, it will return to the wetland where it was born to reproduce. While the spadefoot toads that emerged last week likely returned to their underground dwellings, the offspring has yet to make its own journey.

“We expect to catch thousands of tadpoles when they leave,” Metts said, citing statistics. “In 2003, we caught 250 (adult) females and then caught 25,000 (tadpoles) as they departed.”

So the next time it rains, keep your eyes – and ears – open.

To hear the Eastern spadefoot toad’s unique call, visit www.uga.edu/srelherp/anurans/scahol.htm.

Front Gate Properties, We’re selling the BEST Real Estate in Aiken, SC.

Local photographer’s work will be on display at Racing Hall of Fame.

Her photography features a sense of healthy strength and telling details that charm the eye.

The artwork of Ginny Southworth will be on display at the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum from Thursday through April 26. A reception for Southworth will be held Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m., and the public is invited to attend.

Viewers of the exhibit will find that the images of Southworth’s photography will be observed with equal interest. She has been able to express the supreme power of her subjects through her artwork.

The award-winning photographer has had her photos published in The Blood-Horse, Thoroughbred Record, Associated Press, Sky Magazine, New York Times and Washington Post. A resident of Aiken, Southworth graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in photography from Syracuse University and has a Master of Fine Arts in photography from the University of South Carolina.

“The photographs are absolutely fantastic,” said Lisa Hall, City of Aiken Parks, Recreation and Tourism department and Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum programs supervisor. “The photographs are all new, and they’re amazing. Anyone who knows her work as the chief photographer at the Aiken Standard will appreciate this exhibit. The last time she had an exhibit at the Hall of Fame was 2003. We’re excited to have her back.”

For more information about the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum, call 642-7650 or visit www.aikenracinghalloffame.com.

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Simple Tips for Better Home Showings!

1. Remove clutter and clear off counters. Throw out stacks of newspapers and magazines and stow away most of your small decorative items. Put excess furniture in storage, and remove out-of-season clothing items that are cramping closet space. Don’t forget to clean out the garage, too.

2. Wash your windows and screens. This will help get more light into the interior of the home.

3. Keep everything extra clean.

Full Details….

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Celebrate Masters Week at ADDA’s Par-tee festivities.

In the spirit of Masters Week, the Aiken Downtown Development Association’s Downtown After Six event will include music, bargains and, of course, golf for an evening dubbed Par-Tee in Downtown Aiken.

Par-Tee will be held Thursday evening beginning at 6 p.m. Among the activities will be a chance for shoppers to receive extra discounts by sinking a hole-in-one at shops that have putting greens set up inside the store.

“Downtown Aiken is unique and visitors on opening day of the Masters will have the opportunity to show their own putting ability,” Carla Cloud, executive director of the ADDA said. “We will see just who is ‘boss of the moss’ in downtown Aiken.”

In addition to special events in participating stores, there will also be entertainment throughout downtown, according to Cloud. Performers include saxophonist Hyland Brooks, the Savannah River String Band, acoustic guitarist Philip Albenesius and Donnie Dowd on the harmonica.

“We have countless guests in Aiken who visit downtown during Masters Week and many of them are downtown during the evening hours for dinner and entertainment,” said Cloud. “This is an excellent opportunity for the guests and locals to join in the fun and relaxation downtown has to offer.”
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