Dec
20
Just don’t get rid of the lunch boxes
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First thought upon reading this article: Annie’s Cafe may join hotel
Developer Charlie Biederman plans to incorporate the beloved Annie’s Cafe restaurant into a hotel he intends to build at Colorado Boulevard and East Eighth Avenue.
Just don’t get rid of the lunch boxes!
If you’ve never been to Annie’s Cafe give it a go. They have the BEST breakfast in Denver when it comes to price, ambiance, and service.
Apr
30
Off the grid
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The past two weeks I spent visiting the Philippines. For most Americans, the Philippines isn’t a top tourist destination. For me, it was a chance to reconnect with my past.
It was an interesting trip. First and foremost, I was off the grid for over 15 days. No internet. No email. No voicemail. No mobile phone. Nothing.
It was great! Once you live off the grid you truly begin to realize that internet, email, voicemail or mobile phones aren’t necessities at all.
Ten days into my trip I had an opportunity to check email at an internet cafe. All my email accounts funnel into my gmail account and I was stunned at the amount of email I received. It’s taken several days for me to go through my inbox. I made a lot of observations during my trip and I’ll be blogging about it for the next couple of days.
Oct
13
General Tso is not Chinese
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General Tso’s Chicken, one of my favorite chinese dishes, is not a China creation. It was actually introduced to the world in New York City in 1974. As a kid, my family would dine at Chinese restauarants on Canal Street, the heart of Chinatown in New York City. As an adult, each time I’ve visited San Franscisco, I’ve always made a pit stop in Chinatown. I enjoy sampling the wide array of dim sum (appetizers) that Chinatown cafes have to offer.
However, when I think of China, the first image that comes to mind is the Tiananmen Square uprising in 1989. I still can’t believe that was 17 years ago.
China has changed during that time. They’ve become an economic colossus. I believe they’re number four in the world economy in terms of Gross Domestic Product. More and more American companies have opened offices in China. Last month, my friend Brad took a job specifically to work as a software developer in China. He and his wife are documenting their experience in his blog, aptly titled Brad Swanson’s blog. I probably won’t be making the trek to China any time soon but after reading Brad’s blog my perspective about China has changed.
Jul
28
Top Five Fridays - Denver coffee shops
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I love coffee. The smell. The taste. The caffeine. It’s my morning beverage of choice.
Recently, I stumbled across a blog called Mile High Buzz that’s devoted to the Denver coffee scene. I must say that i’ve visited many of the coffee shops that they mention.
So for this Friday’s version of Top Five, I decided to list my favorite coffee shops in Denver.
- Peaberry: Great coffee. So what if they sold some of their locations to Starbucks, the locations that they kept still has FREE WIFI.
- Diedrichs: they used to have a lot more locations but they still have one on 16th and Broadway.
- Tattered Cover: While Tattered Cover is a bookstore, they do have a little cafe that serves up a decent cup of joe.
- Common Grounds: In a sea of Starbucks in LODO lies Common Grounds on 18th and Blake.
- Starbucks at Safeway:Getting coffee at Starbucks is sometimes a necessary evil. When I do go to Starbucks, I prefer to go their Safeway locations where I get a free coffee after buying 7.
Jul
21
Oh Yeah! Youtube rules!
Filed Under humor, mortgage | Leave a Comment
FAVORITE VIDEO SITES
The top 10 online video sites, according to Hitwise, a technology research firm that ranks sites weekly:
- YouTube: youtube.com
- MySpace Videos: vids.myspace.com
- Yahoo! Video Search: video. yahoo.com
- MSN Video Search: video. msn.com
- Google Video Search: video.google.com
- AOL Video: video.aol.com
- iFilm: ifilm.com
- MetaCafe: metacafe.com
- Grouper: grouper.com
- GoFish: gofish.com
Jan
1
Preparing for your First Home / Mortgage
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There are some basic financial things you can do to get prepared for buying your first home. This will make it easier for you and your mortgage broker. Start to collect and organize documentation:
- You should start to save and organize your pay stubs. You will often need the past 30 days worth of stubs.
- Go through your old tax returns and sort out your W-2s or 1099 forms. You will need the past two years W-2s/1099 and may need the past years complete returns
- Organize and gather your old bank statements. You may need these to show money to cover down payment and closing costs (last 2 months). These may also be used in lieu of other income documentation (12 months)
- If you have other assets, 401(k), Mutual Funds, Stocks, Life Insurance, etc. you may also need the past 2 months statements from those accounts.
- Check your credit. If you haven’t checked it yet, now is a good time. You can get one for free once a year. If you are working with a mortgage broker they may be able to sit down with you and go over your credit report. Start to clean it up if you can. If you have charge offs, or collections that you can pay off, or have already paid off, make sure they are accurately reporting.
- Save or get copies of your canceled rent checks. Most banks have an online check viewer. Print out or get copies from your bank of your rent checks for the past 12 months.
- If you have any student loans that are still in deferment, contact them and get a letter of deferment.
If you have experienced a major legal event that affects your finances such as a divorce or bankruptcy - keep all documents in a orderly and safe manner. There is a very good chance that some or all of the documentation from these proceedings will be needed in order to get you approved for the best possible mortgage loan. Borrowers with incomplete or missing documentation often get less favorable terms on their mortgage than ones who have such documents.
Congratulations! We would be happy to assist you on your pursuit of the American Dream.
Start saving. Having savings can help with approval in many ways. Additional funds strengthen your ability to be approved. It helps to show that you have reserves. The savings can also be used for a down payment and closing costs. There are also several out of pocket expenses you should expect to have such as the Earnest Money and Appraisal and/or Inspections. Ways to start saving:
- Pay your self first: This is a common savings technique. Pay your self first means the first thing you do on payday is put some money aside for your savings. This is a fine line you need to walk, don’t jeopardize your credit by missing payments.
- Direct Deposit: if your employer allows you to have multiple direct deposit accounts set one up for your savings account. You will miss the money less if you never see it to begin with in your checking account.
- Clip Coupons: If you don’t now, start. Every little bit of savings can help.
- Cut back on non-essential activities: Home cooking is always cheaper than going out, rent a movie rather than go to the theater, the rental is cheaper and so it the popcorn if you microwave it your self.
- Bring a bag lunch to work. If you go out to lunch or to a cafeteria every day that money can add up quickly.
- Quit or cut back on your vices. Quit smoking, besides being a healthy decision it is a smart financial decision. Do you like playing the power ball or those little scratch off tickets, put that little enjoyment aside until after you have the home.
- Cut back on your current bills. Can you do with out the full cable package for a couple months until you are in the new home? Can you do something to lower your other utility bills, lower the heat or air conditioning, or cut back on electricity and water use?
Pack a first night survival kit. Use one of your moving boxes and pack if full of things you may need your first night. Set this box aside or better yet put it in your car before you even go to closing. Your Survival Kit:
- Tools: Phillips and flat head screw driver, flashlight, pliers or wrench, utility scissors, straight edge razors (simple small tool kits can be bought for cheap at dollar stores, Ikea, and other general home stores)
- Home Essentials: Paper Towels, paper plates, plastic cups, plastic utensils, napkins, toilet paper, light bulb(s)
- Linens: towel(s), sheets, pillows, washcloths.
- Toiletries: soap, shampoo, toothbrush, hairbrush, toothpaste
- Misc: favorite board game, inflatable bed (or pool raft), reading material, deck or cards, not pad, pen, pencil, all purpose cleaner and sponge.
- Complete change of clothes or at least a change of underwear (remember what your mother always told you)
When buying your first home, or any home, please keep in mind that you will not always get the keys to your new house until the mortgage has been recorded with the county and the funding of all money has taken place. Read your purchase agreements carefully because sometimes there may be a specific date or time given that you will receive the keys after the closing (example: the buyer will receive the keys to the property 3 days after closing).
It’s possible you might not need all of the information above because some programs call for different documentation. Your Mortgage Broker’s task of find a mortgage for you will be much easier with this documentation close at hand and could mean the difference of closing on time or not closing on time. The more efficient you are the faster your loan process will be.
Determine how much mortgage you can afford. Start by analyzing you monthly spending. You should collect your current monthly spending data to see what portion of your income goes to necessary living expenses and what you can cut down on. Stop taking on new debt and trim your non-essential spending. Buying a big-ticket item or a new car can only hamper your dream of homeownership. Determine how much of your income can be allocated towards housing expenses, then consult a mortgage professional or use the mortgage calculators on this or other websites to determine how much mortgage can you afford. Be realistic, when estimating housing expenses, in addition to monthly mortgage payments, do not neglect other inevitable expenses such as property tax, homeowner insurance, maintenance and the occasional home improvement costs.
Other sites: Loan Officer | Delinquency | What not to do after you apply for a Mortgage | Why is my credit bad | MIP | VA | Fixed-rate mortgage| Pay Option Arm Calculator