| Iraq vet ensnared in mortgage mess
Ouch. This veteran is in financial trouble. I tell everyone I can to run, don't walk, away from any lender telling you to go with an ARM. Unforunately he's already in the boat that's taking on water. Being the success story in his family doesn't help either. I didn't hear of any significant consumer debt after he wisely dumped his expensive consumer items, so unless he can swing a fixed rate refinance with a lower payment I don't see a consolidation loan helping much. If it were a year or two ago I'd say sell the house, hopefully they're not upside down in it.Sounds like a second job is the way to get you over the hump. Rebuild that credit and refinance into something with managable payments or sell down to something more affordable. And yes Mr. Fleming, start now and never stop living within your means.I think the moral of the story for this story, is when the government gives out the ever bigger golden egg to convince young people to enlist, that they should invest that money and use it wisely instead of buying the new car or stereo, etc.
Developer backs clean air group
But some of its money comes from a source in east Pasco: the Iafrate family, better known locally as Angelo's Aggregate Materials. Angelo's wants to build a landfill that could potentially cover more than 1,000 acres just east of Dade City. Seemingly in lockstep, Clean Air Florida Now is urging the county to stop the expansion of its waste-to-energy trash incinerator. An expanded incinerator would potentially kill the proposed landfill's prospects. Last week, Clean Air Florida mailed fliers to all Pasco households and set up a Web site to emphasize its message. Jerry Kissel, director of Clean Air Florida, doesn't make much of a secret of his funding. But, just for fun, here's a hint: On the group's Web site, www.cleanairflorida.com, a right-click on the "properties" of its information brochure brings up a box that says: "Angelos-mailer8x11.jpg." "The Iafrates are one of the contributors to Clean Air Florida," Kissel said Monday.
No vacancy
The opportunity for gaining equity through home ownership made the choice to buy an appealing one for consumers with that option. But more and more people previously on the fringe of being able to afford a house may find themselves being steered toward rental. As insurance costs increase and interest rates rise, the cost of ownership is becoming less competitive. The dynamics of a population increase (one that is expected to continue in subsequent years provided a strong local economy) and the lessening affordability of ownership do nothing to help the supply shortfall. The result is a study in Economics 101—Baton Rouge has become a landlords' market. Rents are steadily rising, and potential renters will find it almost impossible to find any sort of incentives being offered to sign a lease.
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