Anyways this is going to be lots of fun and we have a fantastic cast (other than myself . It’s being directed by Tyler Mueggenborg and performance dates have been set.

The Kingfisher Community Theater production of Lend Me A Tenor will be February 9, 10, 11 and 12. Reserved seating for each night (first 4 rows) will be $20. General Admission will be $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Tickets will go on sale soon.

Let me leave you with a little taste of whats to come. Here is a video I took of one of our rehearsals.

However it’s important you understand the home buying process in order to be a smart consumer. Every year hundreds of misinformed buyers especially fist-time purchasers and seniors become victims of predatory lending or loan fraud.

The following 11 tips will help you become a smart consumer:

1. Before you buy a home, attend a homeownership education course offered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-approved, non-profit counseling agencies.
2. Interview several real estate professionals (agents), and ask for and check references before you select one to help you buy or sell a home.
3. Get information about the prices of other homes in the neighborhood. Don’t be fooled into paying too much.
4. Hire a properly qualified and licensed home inspector to carefully inspect the property before you are obligated to buy. Determine whether you or the seller is going to be responsible for paying for the repairs. If you have to pay for the repairs, determine whether or not you can afford to make them.
5. Shop for a lender and compare costs. Be suspicious if anyone tries to steer you to just one lender.
6. Do NOT let anyone persuade you to make a false statement on your loan application, such as overstating your income, the source of your downpayment, failing to disclose the nature and amount of your debts, or even how long you have been employed. When you apply for a mortgage loan, every piece of information that you submit must be accurate and complete. Lying on a mortgage application is fraud and may result in criminal penalties.
7. Do NOT let anyone convince you to borrow more money than you know you can afford to repay. If you get behind on your payments, you risk losing your house and all of the money you put into your property.
8. Never sign a blank document or a document containing blanks. If information is inserted by someone else after you have signed, you may still be bound to the terms of the contract. Insert “N/A” (i.e., not applicable) or cross through any blanks.
9. Read everything carefully and ask questions. Do not sign anything that you don’t understand. Before signing, have your contract and loan agreement reviewed by an attorney skilled in real estate law, consult with a trusted real estate professional or ask for help from a housing counselor with a HUD-approved agency. If you cannot afford an attorney, take your documents to the HUD-approved housing counseling agency near you to find out if they will review the documents or can refer you to an attorney who will help you for free or at low cost.
10. Be suspicious when the cost of a home improvement goes up if you don’t accept the contractor’s financing.
11. Be honest about your intention to occupy the house. Stating that you plan to live there when, in fact, you are not (because you intend to rent the house to someone else or fix it up and resell it) violates federal law and is a crime.

What is Predatory Lending?

In communities across America, people are losing their homes and their investments because of predatory lenders, appraisers, mortgage brokers and home improvement contractors who:

• Sell properties for much more than they are worth using false appraisals.
• Encourage borrowers to lie about their income, expenses, or cash available for downpayments in order to get a loan.
• Knowingly lend more money than a borrower can afford to repay.
• Charge high interest rates to borrowers based on their race or national origin and not on their credit history.
• Charge fees for unnecessary or nonexistent products and services.
• Pressure borrowers to accept higher-risk loans such as balloon loans, interest only payments, and steep pre-payment penalties.
• Target vulnerable borrowers to cash-out refinances offers when they know borrowers are in need of cash due to medical, unemployment or debt problems.
• “Strip” homeowners’ equity from their homes by convincing them to refinance again and again when there is no benefit to the borrower.
• Use high pressure sales tactics to sell home improvements and then finance them at high interest rates.

What Tactics Do Predators Use?

• A lender or investor tells you that they are your only chance of getting a loan or owning a home. You should be able to take your time to shop around and compare prices and houses.
• The house you are buying costs a lot more than other homes in the neighborhood, but isn’t any bigger or better.
• You are asked to sign a sales contract or loan documents that are blank or that contain information which is not true.
• You are told that the Federal Housing Administration insurance protects you against property defects or loan fraud – it does not.
• The cost or loan terms at closing are not what you agreed to.
• You are told that refinancing can solve your credit or money problems.
• You are told that you can only get a good deal on a home improvement if you finance it with a particular lender.

We expect 2012 twelve to be a banner year for us as we come near our second year in service. You can expect a few more things from us also;

• More activity on our site and blog with the addition of other Central OK communities
• More videos and pictures related to real estate and living in Central OK,
• We’ll be holding some contests and giveaways soon,
• Lots more to come.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Ray Roman, Broker-Owner & Katie Grellner, Real Estate Consultant

When was the last time you bought “one size fits all” clothing? My guess is you didn’t and opted to purchase what was right for you.

I have determined that the cost of doing a real estate transaction contains both fixed and variable costs like every other business. The fixed costs are those activities that are generally performed regardless of the market value of the property. The variable costs are determined by the property: location, condition, price range and current market dynamics.

Katie Grellner and I have taken the necessary courses and tests to receive the ACRE certification. An Accredited Consultant in Real Estate has moved beyond being a salesperson and has gained the education to become a true real estate consultant.

My next article will go into what exactly is a real estate consultant and how consumers will now have a choice on how to pay for services. We offer a unique way to pay for real estate services that are designed to save buyers and sellers money and fairly compensate consultants all without sacrificing fiduciary responsibility and service quality.

This lovely 3-bedroom, 2-full-bath home is loaded with features. Located on a quiet street within walking distance of Gilmore Elementary it’s the perfect home for your family.

Priced at $174,500.00 this brick, ranch style home has 2,055 square feet  (as per tax assessor) of excellent living space.

Nice yard with storage building, two car garage with 3 storage closets and lots more space inside, including cedar closets, you’ll find space for all of your family’s needs.

VIEW A VIRTUAL TOUR

List of Features

• 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths with Central Air and Central Gas Heat
• Living room with parquet wood floors and built-in bookcases
• Family room/den with laminate floors and access to backyard. Great entertainment space
• Kitchen with laminate floors and open to living room
• Laundry room with laminate floors
• Comfortable well-designed window seat in family room/den
• Dining room with built-in hutch/buffet
• Cedar lined closets
• Wood-burning fireplace with gas ignition
• Marble window sills
• Security alarm system and smoke detectors
• Two car garage with 3 storage closets
• Basement storm shelter with new sump pump
• Outdoor storage building
• Corner lot on quiet street

This Kingfisher home for sale can be viewed by contacting Ray Roman (405-538-7168) or Katie Grellner (405-593-0661).

* 24-Hour showing notice is required by seller.

We have 8 local businessmen and City officials who have graciously volunteered their face and time in order to be smeared with whipped cream pies. This is a fundraiser for Kingfisher Creative and all money raised will go toward furthering the Arts in Kingfisher.

PIES ARE $1

Below is the schedule. We encourage everyone to link to this post or add it to your Facebook wall so that we may draw as large a crowd as possible.

10:30 AM – John Friesen – representing Heritage Pharmacy

11:00  AM – Terry Payne, representing the Chamber of Commerce

11:30 AM – Dustin Henry, City Council Member

12:00 Noon – Jeff Hyatt, representing Cimarron Electric

1:00 PM – Richard Reynolds, Kingfisher City Manager

1:30 PM – Ken Kadavy, representing Pioneer Telephone

2:00 PM – Wendell Primm, representing God’s Covenant Church

2:30 PM – John Gooden, representing Kingfisher Legacies

3:00 PM Ray Roman, representing Ray Roman Realty

Lenders will now pull your credit report at the beginning of your mortgage application and five days prior to closing to make sure you have not entered into a new debts. So the advice here is not get into any new debt until after you have closed on your home.

Here are some Do’s and Don’ts to keep you out of trouble:

• DO NOT apply for any new credit until after closing,
• DO NOT shop for new furniture, windows treatments, etc.,
• AVOID those Buy Now Pay Later deals,
• DO NOT use any lines of credit,
• DO NOT make any large purchases with your credit cards,
• DO NOT co-sign any loans,
• DO NOT buy a car or go car shopping as your credit report might be pulled by the dealer,
• DO MAKE payments on time on any debt you do have,
• DO KEEP a paper trail of deposits or any major activity on your bank accounts,

Should you have any questions always talk to your lender as they are usually the most qualified to help and answer your questions.

OKCMOA is located in OKC’s downtown art district and offers a broad range of exhibits and programs that include lectures, family events, classes, film screenings,and much more.

OKCMOA is also the home of one of the largest and most spectacular Chihuly glass collection in the country.

With 3 floors of exhibits including, the Special Exhibition on the ground floor, that is composed of national and international traveling exhibits. The second and third floor include permanent collections and small rotating exhibits as well as the museums own collection.

Here is video showing some of the 2010 exhibits and activity at the museum.

The museum also has a store, cafe, and  Cocktails on the Skyline, a roof terrace that is open May through October.

Visit the Oklahoma Museum of Art website for more information.

Brian made the point that even though he doesn’t specifically like the tree wells he is in favor of keeping them so that trees can be planted. He argued that our downtown is more beautiful and appealing when trees are present and that the inconvenience the tree wells present is minimal.

Carolyn made the point that with the tree wells in place street parking is reduced and it also makes it more difficult to parallel park. She does have a valid point but in my opinion parking on Highway 81 has always been difficult and somewhat dangerous.  I applaud Carolyn, Brian and all the others for keeping the discussion civil and to the point.

When it came time for the City Council to vote on whether to keep the tree wells or not the final decision was to keep the tree wells. I think the Council made the right decision to give the tree wells a chance.

Here is a photo of what a Chinese Pistache looks like on the fall. Our downtown is going to look great.