Freddie's Ramblings

Email Scams

2009-08-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

Well here we go again.

There seems to be a recent waive of email scammers trying to get my money. Since Sunday, I have been bombarded with about 10 email scams. Just for grins, I am going to list them all.

1. From Mr. Ikenna Pierre from Congo regarding an urgent business proposal in the amount of 18 million(Chump change Ike).

2. From SHELLEY THOMAS regarding the Nelson Mandela foundation Mandela Day lottery Promo Held this week (I completely forgot that Nellie called me last week and told me he had given me a complementary entry into the lotto!)

3. From Ms. John Eze regarding an ATM card being held by DHL for me. It has a balance of $1.5 million dollars on it. (I better hurry up and collect it since they are charging me a keeping fee if GASP! - $45 a day!)

4. From Mr.Marvin Cheung the Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of the Hang Seng Bank regarding a secured business proposal. (I'll have my people call your people ok?)

5. From MR. WILLIAM MORIS regarding a secret account that the late Michael Jackson had for his son Michael Jackson Junior to the tune of $150 million. If I help him, I get 40%, he gets 50%, & Jr gets 10%. (Let's hope Junior can live on a measly $15 million!)

6. From Dr Mohamed Oralo regarding contacting his secretary Rev Christian Williams to have $800k transferred to my account since the "Transaction" has been completed. (Orale! What transaction? It's tax free right?)

7. From Ms. Roseline Thomas regarding my ATM card from oceanic bank of benin republic of benin that has a balance of $950k. It got cancelled because my payment for $95 for insurance bounced! (So that's what the charge was that I didn't recognize! Did you know that about half the population of Benin live below the international poverty level of $1.25 per day? I think I will donate that $950k to their social services program. Hey what can I say? I am a REALLY nice guy!)

8. From Mona Valbrun saying I was selected from countless resumes to work for her company (an online retailer and product shipper) as an independent guarantee-manager (HUH?) at $4000 per month plus bonuses. (I wonder if I can telecommute? Wait a minute!! The web says the company is an industrial electrical cable supplier. What is going on here?)

I guess I deleted the other ones.

One was from the son of a finance minister (that had died is some war) from a small African country that needed help getting about $10 million (that his dad had embezzled) out of the country.

The other one I remember was from some older lady dying of cancer that also needed help in getting her money out of Iraq. Her hubby was some General that died last week in a car wreck. Supposedly she got my email address after rifling through her hubby's secret journals. (Shame on her! They were secret for a reason! Don't personally know the actual reason they were secret, but they were a secret nevertheless. She told me so in her email!)

Wow, I don't know which mailing list I'm on, but I want to opt-out! I guess I entered one too many surveys or something. Uughh!

Anyways, let this be a lesson to you. Just say no to email scammers!

Have multiple email accounts. You can get free ones just about anywhere (Yahoo, Hotmail, Live, Gmail, etc...) not to mention the ones you get from your internet provider. Use each email for different purposes such as online shopping, business use, or personal use. This makes it easier to keep track of who gave your email away when they shouldn't have. That way you can stop doing business with the guilty party.

Remember. If it sounds to good to be true.... IT IS! Be careful out there!

Does anybody who knows their way around the dockyards in New York City and want to go half & half on a smoking deal? Johann from South Africa just finished emailing me. He needs a partner go go to New York to claim some shipping containers containing diamonds. I don't want to get lost so I'm looking for a partner. I could even use my frequent flyer miles to pay for the tickets, the hotel stay, and the rental car. (I know, them's alot of frequent flyer miles. Anyways, I got a letter stating all I had to do was pay the taxes on 1 million frequent flyer miles and they would be transferred into my name. He siad it'd only be $569. 42. Cheaper than the airfare, hotel, & car rental for sure! So you want to go half on the $570? We'll use my miles for this trip so you'd still have 500,000 frequent flyer miles to use.) He said my - excuse me our cut would be $6.8 million. We split it fifty-fifty, so let's see that's $3.4 million each before taxes... So that should be about..... uh carry the 4..... and then.....

Cash for Cars Program

2009-08-07T13:57:00.000-07:00

THAT CLUNKER MAY BE WORTH MORE THAN YOU THINK...

If you have an old clunker sitting in your driveway and you're thinking about upgrading to a new vehicle, you'll definitely want to look into the Government's new Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save (CARS) Act of 2009...as you might be able to get some cash for that clunker! The CARS Act-also knows as "Cash for Clunkers"-was passed by Congress late last month and then signed into law by President Obama. Basically, the program is designed to get older, less fuel-efficient vehicles off the road by providing buyers with a trade-in voucher when they upgrade to a new, fuel-efficient vehicle. The program offers different voucher incentives depending on the type of vehicle you trade in, as well as the gas mileage of the new vehicle you drive off in. The voucher is good on either domestic or imported vehicles, and it can be applied towards either the purchase or the lease of a new vehicle.

Trading in a Car for a New Car?
If you're considering upgrading your car, here's a quick look at what you can expect:
IF you trade in an older carAND that car gets 18 mpg or less...AND you purchase or lease a new car that gets at least 22 mpg... You can qualify for a $3,500 voucher that is applied to the price of the new car. In addition, you can get an extra $1,000-for a total of $4,500-if you upgrade to a new car that gets 10 mpg better than the old car that you're trading in.

Want to Upgrade an SUV, Truck or Minivan?
If you're upgrading an SUV, truck or minivan, the numbers work out a little different:
IF you trade in an older SUV, pickup truck or minivan...AND that vehicle gets 18 mpg or less...AND you purchase or lease a new SUV, pickup or minivan that gets at least 2 mpg better gas mileage than the vehicle you're trading in...You can qualify for a $3,500 voucher that is applied to the price of the new SUV, truck or minivan. In addition, the voucher increases to $4,500 if the miles per gallon of the new truck or SUV is at least 5 mpg higher than the old one you're trading in.

What's the Catch?
There are a number of provisions that must be met in order to qualify for the incentive. First and foremost, the vehicle that you're trading in must have been built in the last 25 years-meaning, it's a 1984 model or newer. Second, it must only get 18 mpg or worse. Remember, the program is aimed at getting bad-mileage vehicles off the road. So, if your car gets 25 mpg, it's not the type of car this program is targeting. Additionally, the vehicle must be drivable, must be registered, and must have been insured for at least the past year. Essentially, you have to actually trade in a vehicle that you've been using, as opposed to a dead car that's been stored on blocks for a couple of years while you tried to figure out what to do with it.

Should You Take Advantage of CARS?
Basically, this program is designed to replace older, less fuel-efficient vehicles with new fuel efficient ones. If your vehicle is fuel efficient, you probably don't even qualify. Additionally, if your vehicle has a trade-in value that's greater than $3,500 or $4,500, the program doesn't make much sense for you. That's because the program requires your trade-in to be destroyed, since one goal of the program is to get older, gas-guzzlers off the road for good. That means, the dealership probably won't add-in much additional trade-in value. In fact, you'll probably only see a modest bump equal to the approximate scrap value of your vehicle. So, if you can get, say, $5,000 or more for your vehicle as a trade-in without the program, you're probably better off going that route.

Don't Wait Too Long to Act
The CARS program is supposed to run until November 1, 2009.UNLESS the funds that Congress set aside for the program run out before then, in which case, it's all over. So if you're considering this program, don't wait too long - contact a dealer about your trade in and which new vehicle you'd like to purchase or lease. The final rules and details of the program are expected to be released at the end of July. In the meantime, you may want to visit the government's official CARS website at http://www.cars.gov for more information-including a FAQ page-and to see if your vehicle qualifies for the program.

So you want to sell your house?

2009-08-04T16:44:00.000-07:00

So you want to sell your house but aren't sure if you can compete against all the short sales & bank owned properties in your neighborhood? Currently over half of the properties on the market are distressed sales. So it is no wonder that prices have seen such a drastic drop over the last couple of years. Experts believe that we are nearing the bottom of the market in some areas. Only time will tell.

Regardless of the market, here are some tips to help you get your home sold quickly...

Price the Home Correctly: It used to be location, location, location. In today's market however, it is all about the price. Sellers need to be realistic about today’s volatile market. It doesn't matter that your home might have every possible upgrade known to man, or an oversized lot, or a custom paint job. You are still competing against the short sales & bank owned homes in your neighborhood; some of which are trashed or don’t even have a kitchen! It doesn't matter what the neighbor's home next door (which is identical to yours) sold for 3 months ago. In this market, the last month’s sales are what are determining the current price for your home. Ask your REALTOR to show you ALL the recent sales activity in your neighborhood. Ask yourself if the price that the market says your home is worth is what you are willing to accept.

If you cannot afford to sell it for what the current market price is then you basically have two options. You can either stay in the home and continue to make your monthly mortgage payments while waiting for the market to improve, or wost case you may have to consider a short sale yourself. The bottom line is that you need to do what is right for your family and your pocketbook.

Market the Home Aggressively: Have your REALTOR take many, many, many photos of your home. Over 75% of all home buyers today start looking on line for their next home before their REALTOR even takes them out to see the homes in person. If your listing doesn't have many photos highlighting the features of your home, then many buyers will skip over your listing and won’t even bother looking at your home in person. Make sure your REALTOR uploads your home's listings on as many websites as possible with as many photos as possible. Ask for a virtual tour on your listing. Consider buying a personalized domain name with your home's address on it for marketing purposes. The website address can be linked to your listing page on the web, it can be placed on a sign rider on your property for drive by marketing, and it can be added to flyers and other marketing materials.

Keep the Home in Move in Ready Condition: Many foreclosed homes have typically been trashed by the previous owners. Most homes are in need of some repair or renovation after having been left vacant. Unfortunately not all lenders take the time to do a thorough cleaning of the home before they put it on the market. It can easily cost a buyer thousands of dollars and a lot of elbow grease to get a distressed home looking like they want it to.

Make Sure the Home has Good Curb Appeal: Make sure the landscaping looks good, the windows are clean, & the front of the house looks fresh. You want the buyers to stop and come in and take a look around. I cannot even remember the number of times I have pulled up curbside to a home on the market with my buyers and then have them tell me they have changed their minds and do not like the way the home looks afterall. First impressions are CRUCIAL.

Depending on your budget, you may want to replace the carpeting or paint the interior to spruce up the home in order to maxime the final sale price. Try looking at the home with an impartial critical eye. Imagine what positives & negatives a potential buyer may see as they walk throughout your home. Declutter your home to create the appearance of more space. When your home is on the market, buyers may stop by at any time - generally from 8 A.M. to 8 P.M. Make sure you make all the beds, tidy up all the rooms, and most importantly clean the kitchen everyday before leaving the home in the mornings.

Close Quickly: Offer a quick closing; most buyers are looking to close as quickly as possible. Distressed properties can take many months to reach a closing date (sometimes up to 3 months just to get an answer from the bank on your offer, then another month or so to close). Sellers should be prepared to offer a 30-day closing date to attract buyers who want to move quickly.

Qualify The Buyers First: Make sure that your buyer is pre-approved for the loan amount necessary to finance the purchase of your home. Do not accept any contracts from buyers that have not even taken the time to pre-qualify for a mortgage. You would just be wasting your time. review the LSR-Loan Status Report that they should have submitted with their offer. Review the Lender Pre-Qualification section at the bottom of the form. All 4 questions should be checked off with "Yes". The Lender's information should be legible and the loan officer should have signed & dated it.

So there you go. I hope this information was helpful. Please email me at freddieram@blueskyaz.com or call me at 623-330-9552 if you have any questions about buying or selling a home.