Did you know that Mr. Peanut has been around since 1916? Planters Peanuts actually held a contest to create a company logo which was won by a fourteen year-old schoolboy named Antonio Gentile. He won the contest with his drawing of a Peanut Man and an artist later added spats, a top hat, a monocle, and a cane to the drawing, and Mr. Peanut was born.
Over the years he has become a mascot that is synonymous with Suffolk, but it wasn’t until this last week, at 94 years old, that our Mr. Peanut was given a voice!
He’s even changed color. He is now brown, rather than yellow, and changed into a gray flannel suit. I can understand the change of clothes and the new look, but the accent doesn’t sound like he’s from around here!
So isn’t it strange that Mr. Peanut sounds somewhat like Sherlock Holmes? It’s all fair and good getting a celebrity to do the voice over, but I think it would be more fun for him to have a true Suffolkian accent – Don’t you? Shall we start an online campaign?
Last week I was picking up my wife from the Norfolk Airport and I saw a young family waiting in the same area I was. My first thought was that they were waiting for the arrival of a Grandparent, since I am now one twice, but what I observed was that it was a good bye to the father, who must have been a solider. The little boy, maybe 3 years old, just would not let go of his father and finally the mom had to pick him up and walk away. It was sad, it was real life, it was a reminder of how much our young service families sacrifice for us. We hear often that Freedom is Not Free, but we forget until we see what it means. God bless our troops and all those that serve, we owe them more than we will ever realize.
Bank of America stopped, and then restarted its foreclosure process because of possible bad paper work. As I understand it, each state has its own foreclosure proceedings that are set by law. The process it to protect both the loan holder and the person in default. They are governed by legal statutes and must be followed. Some states are much more lenient than others. Virginia has a process that must be followed to constitute the legal taking of a property.
Going back to the major problem of the banks and other lenders packaging loans and selling them as investments. When a portion is “toxic”, we get into paper work that may have not followed the loans as they should have. The “note” or the document that states the collateral for the loans/deeds of trust is the problem, because as the system sold all these loans, the original notes were copied and faxed or scanned, but the original note did not always get sent with the package.
The original note, as I understand it, is required to do a proper foreclosure. There were also other paper work that came from various services that may have had some problems.
Bottom line is that the owners were not making their payments and the loan holders had the right to foreclose, but all the paperwork was not correct in some cases or maybe in a lot of cases.
So what happens now? Some legal experts will weight in and some lawyers will try to see how they can make money off of it and eventually it will be sorted out. What you need to know is that any contract that you enter into to purchase a property should have the statement: “Title must be marketable and insurable to buyer’s satisfaction at their sole discretion” and make sure you get good legal advice.
I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice!! It is what we have been advised to do. There are some great buys on the market, want one? Call us.
I received a call on one of our commercial properties for rent and they wanted to know if they could just rent it for a family event. The young lady needed a place for a family gathering with 60+ people and she did not know Suffolk. We talked and I gave her a few suggestions. So for those of you who do not know, here they are:
Suffolk Cultural Arts Center (923-0003)
Cedar Point Club (238-2275)
Hilton Garden Inn (925-1300)
Elks Club (539-3811)
Nansemond River Golf Club (539-4356)
Planters Club-City Rec Dept (923-2000)
Or ask a local restaurant if they will have a private party for you:
Amici’s (923-5300), Primo 116 (923-0116), Bunny’s (538-2325), or the Plaid Turnip (923-9740) are a few of the local favorites.
I am sure this may not be a full list, but its a good start. What do you need to know about the local Suffolk area? E-mail me (harrycross@callcrossrealty.com) or call me (757-434-9084), I will find out for you.
Attention Military, Foreign Service and Intelligence Community
Its A Great Time To Buy A Home!
$8000 Tax Credit (for first time home buyers)
$6500 Tax Credit (for repeat home buyers)
Who Qualifies?
Members of the military and certain other federal employees serving outside the U.S. have an extra year to buy a primary residence home in the United States and qualify for the credit. The eligible taxpayer must enter into a buying contract by April 30, 2011 and the purchase must close by June 30, 2011.
It applies to any person (and, if married, the individuals spouse) who serves on qualified official extended duty service outside the US for at least 90 days during the period beginning after Dec. 31 2008 and ending before May 1, 2010.
Call for more information!
Robin Stallings
757-539-6600 or 757-621-9483
Southern Trust Mortgage, LLC is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Lender licensed in SC 288885/288857, MD 5104, DE 7342, GA 16579, WV-Broker MB-21645, AL MC-21137, DC MLB 2921. Southern Trust operates as a subsidiary of Middleburg Bank in VA, NC, PA (FDIC #6881) and WV-Lender.
I’ve been asked this question many times over the last few years. I feel there isn’t a definative answer and it certainly depends on individuals personal situations and goals. On the Today Show they summarised arguments on both sides as follows:
Reason to Rent
Easy In, Easy Out
Someone else will fix it
Poor Credit
Reasons to Buy
Record Low Mortgage rates
Option to live in a nice neighborhood (schools, family)
I agree with their statements but think there are a lot more that have to be applied to either side dependant on the individual’s situation. If this is something you are thinking about, come and speak to us here at Cross Realty today. As we offer both rental property and real estate professionals for buyers/sellers, we are able to help you weigh up your options and give you the tailored support you need.
Do you know what makes an agent successful? We do. Cross Realty welcomes queries from those who are interested in joining our award-winning team. Call Harry today at 757-434-9084 to schedule a confidential meeting.
Specializing in properties in South Hampton Roads, Virginia.
