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		Gary Bussard VP Mortgage Banker Pulaski Bank Home Lending Phone: (314) 993-6690 Cell (314) 283-0098 Kelly Deven- Client Services Advisor gbussard@pulaskibank.com www.4stlloans.com

February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012

Fiscal Cliff The Saga Continues With the first of the year having come and gone, the headlines are suddenly devoid of mentions of the fiscal cliff, which begs the question: what happened? For such an enormous issue with such a dramatic narrative, the resolution was somewhat anti-climactic. Keep Reading »    Creme Brulee A Dessert for the Perfect Romantic Evening By Kirk Leins With Valentine's Day just two weeks away, raise your hand if you've yet to plan a romantic evening for you and your Valentine. While I can't see who's actually raising their hand, I think it's safe to assume many folks are still plan-less. If you're one of them, take a deep breath and relax. I've got you covered. Keep Reading »    Top 10 Scams of 2012 The Better Business Bureau releases its annual list of the worst schemes that aimed to steal people's money or identity. By Cameron Huddleston, Kiplinger.com Each year the Better Business Bureau investigates thousands of scams, from new schemes that take advantage of current events to old ploys used time and again to bilk people. The BBB uses its data, along with reports from federal agencies and other sources, to compile an annual list of the top scams -- not necessarily the biggest as far as the number of people affected or amount of money stolen but rather the most egregious, says Carrie Hurt, president and CEO of the Council of Better Business Bureaus. Keep Reading »    Kick Your New Year's Resolutions into High Gear MyFitnessPal Can Help Are you feeling like some of your New Year's resolutions have already fallen to the wayside...or are you worried they will? Well worry no more. There's a great tool that can help you stay on track--and it's free! Keep Reading »    Got Apps? Great Apps for Tablet PCs If you received a new tablet as a gift during the holidays or bought one during the after-holiday sales, you're not alone. Now that you're past the initial excitement of your new tablet device, you may start to wonder exactly what else you can do with it. Keep Reading »    Being Number One A Success Message From a Legend On Sunday February 3, either the Baltimore Ravens or the San Francisco 49ers will lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy as winners of the biggest single sporting event in the world: the Super Bowl. The trophy is named in honor of a man who inspired a losing team to become an unstoppable winning franchise. Keep Reading »

3 Really Easy Ways To Deal With Bathroom Mold

1. Keep a mold-killing spray bottle under the sink

Fill a spray bottle with a few teaspoons of tea tree oil and water and spray onto moldy areas. Keep the bottle handy and spray the same areas after you take a bath or shower to keep the mold from returning. Tea tree oil has a strong scent which will dissipate in a day or two.

Hydrogen peroxide in your spray bottle will also work and smell less pungent, but requires that you scrub away the mold after leaving it on for about 10 minutes.

2. Reduce moisture

Try not to leave wet towels on the floor or hanging on the edge of the tub near mold-friendly surfaces like caulking or grout. Keep your bathroom ventilated —open a window or run (or install) a fan during and after you take a bath or shower.

3. Seal the deal

Grout is a haven for mold — you can seal tile grout once a year with a standard grout sealer from a home improvement store to make it waterproof, and thus mold-proof.

For more tips on keeping mold out of your bathroom, check out these resources:

• Kill mold naturally: 5 eco-friendly ideas (Mother Nature Network)


• Eliminate Mold From Your Bathroom (How Stuff Works on TLC)


• 3 Non-Toxic Ways to Clean Mold (The Maids)

 

 

How to tackle a big organization project : Stltoday

College Hunks St. Louis mentioned in the STL Today article!

How to tackle a big organization project : Stltoday

5 Real Estate Trends to Look for in 2013

5 Real Estate Trends to Look for in 2013

1)     Rates will continue to remain low

Rates should stay below 5% forthe year, and will probably continue to be below 4% for most consumers for most of the year.  However, consumers have seen the rate floor continue to drop, so will these rates be looked on as low enough?

2)     Demand for housing will continue to surge

2012 showed that a lack of inventory may be more of a challenge in some areas than a lack of demand.  Many other areas that were most devastated by the real estate meltdown have begun to show signs of improvement.

3)     Prices will continue to increase

Pricing is simply a mechanic of supply and demand, and demand for housing will remain strong in 2013.  Supply of homes in many areas has started to normalize with only a few areas (NY, NJ, CT, IL for example) still fighting large inventories of distressed properties. Expect appraisals to be an issue though as HVCC and the real estate meltdown have made appraisers and lenders wary of any price inflations, even ones natural for the market.

4)     Move-up sellers will return

With housing prices recovering and rates remaining low, many homeowners will realize that now may be their greatest opportunity to make the move to a lifestyle they always wanted.

5)     The consumer will continue to demand more from their Realtor and Mortgage Loan Officer

Consumers will continue to expect both the improbable and the impossible. Shorter escrow and closing cycles, low rates, and a problem free process just to name a few.  More than ever fates of MLOs and Realtors are entwined.

Last Week’s Mortgage Rates Recap

After a quiet holiday time period of steady mortgage rate improvements, last week proved our forecasts correct with a very quick spike in rates caused by the “solution” of the Fiscal Cliff dilemma and the stock market rally because of it.  Thursday was the worst day, with many lenders repricing mortgage rates multiple times through the day.  Many consumers saw not only rebate credit disappear, but actual rate increases of .125%-.250%.

This Week’s Mortgage Rates Forecast

Risks Favor: LOCKING

The stock market is still rallying from the aversion of the Fiscal Cliff, as well as news from the FOMC minutes.  Expect this week for mortgage rates to rallya bit from the rise we saw last week. Consumers will likely have an opportunity this week to lock in a great rate on the market retracement, and should take advantage of it.  The technical indicators are showing that it is evident we are not going to again see the lows that we saw in July of 2012 unless there is some kind of serious economic crisis.