Going back to my Birthday!

On March 15th of this year I turned 30.  My sister and brother in-law through me a great party.  We played poker into the early morning hours.  and it was a lot of fun.  The next morning Rondal and Steve and I went and played at Travis Air Force Base Golf Course.  I had a great time and hit the ball very well for me.  I shot a 116 one of my better rounds (remember I am blind when you start to laugh).  I also got my first birdie.  It was a par 3 and I put the tee shot about 10 feet out.  I thought I hit the put to hard and missed it but it dropped right in.  I was pretty excited.  I think my friend Steve still won the round even though he has not played golf in like 9 months, JERK.  Oh well, we all had a good time and I liked the golf course a lot.

We Have Been Saved!

Watching the news this morning…………………….  Thank god for Obama and Biden!  I didn’t know we needed a “middle class task force” but appears that I was out of the loop and forgot that we had not moved fast enough towards “cradle to grave” protection.  The federal government is now moving at lightning speed toward unadulterated socialism.  Well, good luck folks!  Everything is now ok and your life is completely protected by the Federal government.  http://www.astrongmiddleclass.gov  I suggest you stop by their new website and let them know how happy you are with the $750 billion that was spent 3 months ago.  That huge success could only be topped by spending another $819 billion 2 days ago.  Bravo!  In the infinite wisdom of our elected officials we have locked in guaranteed inflation for the next 5 to 10 years and saddled out grandchildren and great grandchildren with over $25,000 for each current citizen of the united states.  As I said BRAVO!  What a wonderful thing we have just done!  By the way, when the government calls the biggest pork spending bill in the history of the world the “Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act” you should immediately know without even looking that it’s absolute bullshit.  The federal government does not invest in anything……………  It only confiscates and redistributes money as dictated by our elected officials.  If this pork bill makes it through the senate we will look back on this time and see government economic stupidity redefined from the 1930 Smoot-Hawley Act to this bill in front of us right now.  Can you say Boston Tea Party!  So, that’s my opinion.  If you agree please let me know and if not please explain which part of  econ 101 I missed!   

 

Good Deals

The market is full of good deals out there right now.  I have seen three nice 2 bed 2 bath condos in Orangevale for under 82,000.  Tow of them are under 70,000.  My only hold back is that I am not sure if they can do FHA loans, because I do not know what their level of home owners vs investors is to the ownership in the HOA.  But now would certainly be the time to look at buying something like this.  The mortgage payment including the HOA taxes and insurance would be less than 900 on any of them.  I have told several of my friends about these opportunities and many have shown interest.  I am looking for myself also however my wife is not excited about living in a condo.  Still I can’t help but think this is a great time to buy something and hold on to it for a few years until the market returns.  There has never been a 10 year down cycle in real estate in California, and we are in year 3 of the decline.  things would have to start picking up in the next few years in order for home values to exceed what they were in 2006 by the year 2016.  Just a little food for thought.  If you have any questions about buying an investment or first home, or next home, please feel freed to email me at nwesterman@avalar4homes.com

House Hunting

I took my best friend Steve out to look at some homes last week and then again this weekend with his Dad.  We have found to homes that meet his liking in the OV, and he is debating which one is better for him and his son.  I liked both homes.  One has a very large lot and is well done inside.  the other is a nice fit also, but it doesn”t have the wow factor of the larger lot home that has lots of upgrades.  The second of the homes is larger in square footage and has 4 bedrooms as to three.  Both are located in good spots and I think he would be happy with either.  The larger lot home as a lot of landscaping to do and maintain.  The other has a nice sized yard and would not require as much work.  It will be fun to help my friend get his first home.  I am excited for him and think he will enjoy making the home his own.  Plus he will have an extra bedroom for me.  In this real estate market their are great opportunities for first time buyers, and Steve has the chance to take advantage of this and build his wealth for the future.  I can see him living in either home for a long time and building equity for him and his family.  Of course I will be trying to get him to put in a pitching and putting green for us to play on.  Good luck bro!

Football is Over

Well I had a horrible football year.  The Cowboys lost out on the playoffs, so the year is over for me.  OH well, Better luck next year.  I did take third in our local eliminator pool.  I did not win the whole thing thanks to the Lions, Rams, and Chiefs.  One of my close friends won the pool and I hope she got her new Coach purse. with her winning.  That’s right a girl won. I hope everyone had a good Christmas.  Cyndi and I had a great time and a lot of fun.  When I get the chance I will put up some pictures but for now this will have to do.  Have a great New Year!

Christmas Wishes

I thonalought I would let you all know what I wish for for Christmas. 

Wish  #1 I want the Cowboys to make the playoffs.

Wish #2 I want to make sure the Family we have adopted here at Avalar get’s their Christmas and love it. 

Wish  #3 I wish for my wife Cyndi to like her Christmas presents this year and use them. (She always says she like them but then I never see them again)

Wish #4 I wish for a recovery in the economy next year and the Mortgage market to re-surge

Wish #5 I wish to win the lottery. 

Last but not least

Wish #6 I wish for all my Family and friends to have a bright and wonderful Christmas and enjoy and hon nor those they love.

Catching up

It has been a while sense I have been able to Blog.  I have been working at both the Real Estate office and with my Father on Right of Way things.  Working with my Dad has been great.  I have been learning a lot about Right of Way and data.  We have been updating the line sheets for one of his clients and it is not really exciting work but it is nice and consistent.  I have been splitting my time between my Dad’s office and the Avalar office.  Mortgage business has been slow and almost impossible.  So it is a good thing my Dad needed some help. 

Cyndi and I have been trying to figure out what we can get people for Christmas.  This year will be a late Christmas for us, so we are trying to be creative. 

The Christmas Fare in Folsom was last weekend and it was very busy for the street.  I don’t think there were too many people buying anything but they were out looking.  I feel bad for my friends on the street.  They are having a down year.  I know everyone is, but Christmas is when these shops make their money to get them through the year.  Mark Snyder at the house of Jade told me this has been their worst fall sense they opened 32 years ago.  Mark is a good friend and my partner in the Fantasy Football league with the Coaches.  On that subject we had a good year so far and finished first in the league record wise.  We are hoping for a win this weekend and a trip to our super bowl next week. 

Christmas is about giving, and this year is a time when many people are in need.  Avalar has joined the “Adopt a Family” program with the Twin Lakes Food Bank. We are looking forward to helping one family in Folsom enjoy their Christmas. 

I will try to get back to the blog more often thank you to those who read. 

 

Thanksgiving Was Great!

Cyndi and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We went to her mom Sue’s house as we normally do but this year we had a bit bigger crowed.  My momo and Step dad Rory were there as well as Cyndi”s uncle. Aunt and Cussin.  It was a perfect. The turkey’s came out great and everyone had a good time.  I was happy that the Cowboys win big over Seatle.  The best part of the day is typically when I call my Uncle Jack in Texas to talk Cowboys and find out how Aunt Joyce is doing, however this time I did not get a hold of him and just had to leave a mesage.  Oh well, if that is the only thing that goes wrong I guess you can say that is pretty good.

Trying something new

The real estate mortgage business has been slow.  I have been helping out the realtors in our offices manage their files for a little extra money; at least the real estate business in our office has been strong.  Real estate is going well and many buyers are taking advantage of the market.  Most however are dong FHA loans which we do not do in our company.  That has led me to look for other options to help my wife pay the bills.  Recently my Dad, Jerry Westerman, has been looking for ways for me to help him increase his business. 

My dad is a right of way consultant.  This means he does everything a company or government body needs in order to gain the easements needed for a project that crosses other properties.  Sometimes the business may have to buy the property and sometimes they just need permission to work on it.  I have been helping him the last two days with a pipeline that has been around for a long time to update the records of property owners and parcels that the line crosses.  This is so when the company needs to check the line or work on it they know who to contact.  It has been fun learning a new business and I am hopeful that I can find others ways to help my dad and maybe make it easier for him to take on larger projects.  In a lot of ways it is similar to real estate, after all we are looking at ownership and either acquiring the property or getting an easement/permission to cross it.  I am still active in the real estate field, but if I can make a little more money and learn a new trade while we are slow, I think it is the best thing to do.  It has been rather exciting the last two days.  I like to learn and new things always inspire me.  Thank Dad; I am looking forward to the opportunity. 

 

Thank You Veterans!!!

Tomorrow is Veterans Day and I would like to thank every man and woman who has served this great nation.  This email that is going around puts some things in prospective for those of you who don’t realize the sacrifice our troops make.  For those of you who do it will remind you.  Thank you to all of those who have served now and in the past because of you I can write this blog.

 

Your cell  phone is in your pocket. He  clutches the cross hanging on his

chain next to  his dog tags. You  talk trash about your ‘buddies’ that

aren’t with  you. He  knows he may not see some of his buddies  again. You

 walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty  girls. He  patrols the

streets, searching for insurgents and  terrorists. You  complain about how

hot it is He  wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his  helmet to

wipe his brow. You  go out to lunch, and complain because the  restaurant

got your order wrong. He  doesn’t get to eat today. Your  maid makes your

bed and washes your  clothes. He  wears the same things for weeks, but

makes sure  his weapons are clean.  You  go to the mall and get your hair

redone.  He  doesn’t have time to brush his teeth today.  You’re  angry

because your class ran 5 minutes  over. He’s  told he will be held over an

extra 2  months. You  call your girlfriend and set a date for  tonight. He

 waits for the mail to see if there is a letter  from home.  You  hug and

kiss your girlfriend, like you do  everyday. He  holds his letter close

and smells his love’s  perfume. You  roll your eyes as a baby cries. He

gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and  wonders if they’ll ever

meet.&nb sp;You  criticize your government, and say that war never  solves

anything. He  sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own  people

and remembers why he is fighting.  You  hear the jokes about the war, and

make fun of men  like him. He  hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the

 wounded. You  see only what the media wants you to see.  He  sees the

broken bodies lying around him.  You  are asked to go to the store by your

parents. You  don’t.  He  does exactly what he is told even if it puts his

 life in danger. You  stay at home and watch TV. He  takes whatever time

he is given to call, write  home, sleep, and eat. You  crawl into your

soft bed, with down pillows, and  get comfortable. He  tries to sleep but gets woken by mortars and  helicopters all night long.