Slash to Release Collaboration Album

This just in: Slash to release self titled album in April that includes collaborations with Ozzy and Lemmy Kilmister! Slash says he's been listening to Ozzy since he was 13!! So, it had to have been a killer experience sitting next to the "Prince of Darkness" and cranking out some tunes! Slash calls Lemmy "the embodiment of rock and roll" and further adds, "Before we went into the studio I got a call from his guys saying, 'OK, so we need potato chips and we need Jack Daniels, and it just reminded me of myself. And he came down with his bass and it was great."  Hmmm...I wonder what kind of chips Lemmy likes?

Other songs on the album will include Iggy Pop, Kid Rock, Adam Levine (hmmm, I'm curious what he'll end up doing).  Adam Levine is super mellow, I can't imagine him getting down and dirty with Slash, but we'll see.  I did actually check him out on Youtube last night covering Closer by NIN.  I suppose we'll see if he can rock. Slash also picked Fergie from The Black Eyed Peas.  He said, " I think people are gonna trip when they hear the stuff that Fergie is capable of doing. I really wanteed to do something with her so people could hear what her rock chops are like." Most excellent! I can't wait to check it out! I'm in!

For the full Rolling Stone article by Andy Greene You know what to do.

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Getting tired of your home office not being "cool" enough?

If you keep thinking that your home office is boring and isn't spherical enough for your taste, I would LOVE to present my latest find on the internet for you! This home office adds some aesthetics to your back yard that will have all your neighbors scratching their heads wondering if they should call agents Scully and Fox to your house for further investigation!

This pre-fab office requires your assembly but you can easily get it into your backyard by bringing all the pieces through your house into your backyard so you can place your awesome, circular home office anywhere you please! It comes complete with power outlets, data ports (YES, it does!), electric heat and lots of natural light coming through. from the roof. It really looks a whole lot roomier than what you think.... or maybe that's because it's pictured in all white with hardly anything in it but a laptop and an office chair.  It doesn't matter! It's STILL cool!!  Check it out!!

For more of the story and more spherically awesome pics, Click here

More Trouble Ahead For Commercial Loans/Properties

Oh, like this is really a shocker.  Seems like residential loans and properties weren't the only ones affected negatively in our most recent awesome possum market.  With small neighborhood banks going under, this is further affecting our economy and leaving oodles of commercial buildings vacant and close to 40% of their value because of inflated values when the loans were generated! Boo! Anyway, here's the article.

Daily Real Estate News  |   February 11, 2010  |    Share

More Commercial Failures Predicted 
Failed commercial loans could leave U.S. towns and cities with thousands of empty buildings and cause still more bank failures, the Congressional Oversight Panel predicted Thursday.

Commercial property values have declined more than 40 percent in the last three years, the report said.

Small banks are particularly hard hit by this situation because they do the most small-business lending. The report blamed the crisis on lending policies that valued properties based on inflated prices and said banks failed to consider the possibility of reduced consumer demand from a severe recession.

The report concluded that these looming failures could further weaken the financial system and inhibit the flow of credit.

Source: The Associated Press, Daniel Wagner (02/11/2010)

Looking for ONE more reason to sell?? Here's a few!

Daily Real Estate News  |   February 8, 2010  |    Share

4 Reasons to Sell Now 
Selling a property in this tough market can seem like a challenge. Here are four factors that actually make this a good time to post a For-Sale sign.

• Sell low and buy low. Because all property values are down, the loss on the property a home owner sells is really only a paper loss because the next property he buys also will be a bargain. If he buys smartly, when prices come back up in a few years, he’ll be in better shape.
• Down-payment help is widely available. While nothing-down loans have disappeared, it is easy to find down-payment assistance for lower-income and first-time home buyers. Programs vary all over the country, but one good way to find them is to search online for “down-payment assistance programs” and the name of your region.
• Your uncle has money to share. Besides the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit and the $6,500 move-up credit, there are an array of energy tax credits that can make home improvements pay off in cash.
• Good help is available. Really talented real estate practitioners, contractors, and designers are available and eager for business.

Source: McClatchy Tribune, Kate Forgach (02/07/2010)

Is Rush brewing up something new??

OOOH, Rush enthusiasts! It seems Rush has something in the works! To quote realrocknews,

"The kind of project Rush will be working on still seems to be very much up in the air. Peart talked last year about how the group may go off in a different direction this time, and do something that reflects the changes in the music industry we have seen in recent years. That approach may steer them towards the production of a smaller-than-normal collection of new material followed by a tour."

Whatever they have up their sleeve, I'm in!! I would definitely go check them out.... If they even come to Houston! Must research WHY a lot of bands pass up Houston! GRRRRR! And then if they DO come, they come during the week! Babysitters are expensive and you just can't enjoy it the same as if you would go on a weekend. I guess we can't have everything, right!?!!?

Read the full story

Is the foreclosure market going up or down? Inquiring minds want to know, right??

According to RISMEDIA, February 10, 2010

They had a bit of Q&A that answers what inquiring minds want to know.


Q: What’s the outlook for foreclosure activity in 2010?
A: It’s likely that we’ll set a new record in terms of overall foreclosure activity for the fourth consecutive year. Over 1.3 million U.S. households received a foreclosure notice in 2007; over 2.3 million received notices in 2008; and although the 2009 numbers haven’t been completely counted as this issue goes to press, there will be somewhere in the vicinity of 2.8 to 3 million households in foreclosure. We’re likely to see more than this in 2010, with the number of homeowners in foreclosure probably exceeding 3.5 million, before the trend begins to reverse itself sometime in 2011.

Other questions were were: Will we see a flood of REO's? And, will there be a surge in short sales? Short sales are DEFINITELY not short just FYI in case you didn't know. They are quite time consuming. Sometimes, the bank will accept the offer and then decide that they want to ask for a higher offer. By this time, you may have already invested at least 4 weeks just to even get a response!

I definitely have had my share of short sale experiences. I can't say they are fun, but I will definitely go to bat for my clients!