Big Lake and Princeton Chambers of Commerce will both be having their Business Expos on Saturday, March 6.

Princeton Chamber of Commerce Business Expo
Saturday, March 6, 2010
9a – 2p
Princeton High School
http://www.princetonmnchamber.org/
25th Annual Expo

Big Lake Chamber of Commerce Business Expo
Saturday, March 6, 2010
11a – 3p
Big Lake High School
http://www.biglakechamber.com/

Hope to see you there!

I went out for a drive early a couple days ago and saw one of the first signs of the coming Spring – a pair of Bald Eagles were sitting high in the trees, not too far from the Old School House.

Very Cool!

Thanks to Kathy for sending this in an email this morning:

Homeowner blues: 92,500 Minnesotans facing foreclosure

Star Tribune Friday, November 19, 2009

Economists say the recession is over, but tell that to the 92,500 Minnesota homeowners who are facing or are in foreclosure. The Mortgage Bankers Association announced Thursday that 6.98 percent of nearly 900,000 Minnesota mortgage holders, or about 62,000 Minnesotans, were behind on their payments in the third quarter. That’s a record high.

Nationwide, roughly 4.3 million, or 9.94 percent of all loans outstanding, have mortgages that are at least 30 days past due. That’s the highest since the association started tracking this data in 1972.

Loans in the process of foreclosure rose in the state and the nation from July through September of this year. Minnesota ranks 39th in the number of delinquencies but 15th in foreclosures started. States where speculation was rampant during the housing boom — Florida, California, Arizona and Nevada — led the nation in mortgage problems.

“They’re terrible numbers and they just keep getting worse,” said Scott Anderson, a senior economist for Wells Fargo.

Julie Gugan, executive director of the Minnesota Home Ownership Center, which provides housing counseling, is seeing demand for her organization’s services grow. The group counseled 12,000 individuals last year. They expect to serve 15,000 consumers by year-end and anticipate that demand to keep pace beyond June of 2010, when some of their federal funding is set to run out.

Of concern to the state’s housing experts is the shift from the bulk of troubled loans being the subprime variety to being prime loans — a sign the rising unemployment is crimping the ability of some homeowners to keep current on their loans. Prime loans are available to borrowers who can prove their income, have good credit histories and who have shown that they pay their bills consistently and on time.

The number of delinquent prime loans in Minnesota climbed 5.17 percent in the third quarter compared with the second quarter and the percentage of prime loans in foreclosure grew 2.41 percent. Nationally, prime delinquent loans rose 6.94 percent and foreclosures grew 3.2 percent. The association’s numbers aren’t seasonally adjusted.

“We’re talking about people who really, truly want to pay their bills on time and are having trouble,” said Tim Swierczek, president of the Minnesota Mortgage Association.

To Gugan, it’s a sign of the times. “It is a reflection of the economy that even people who perhaps were not victims of subprime lending or predatory lending are now being impacted by a lack of job or decrease of income,” she said.

Nationwide, the unemployment rate was 10.2 percent in October. In Minnesota, the number climbed slightly to a seasonally adjusted 7.6 percent that month. Wells Fargo’s Anderson is forecasting a national unemployment rate that could reach 11 percent before it peaks in the first or second quarter of 2010. And he doubts that the delinquency and foreclosure rates will reverse course until the unemployment rate declines.

The common practice during the housing boom of stretching to afford a home is another contributor to these higher numbers, experts say.

“People stretched to buy housing and took on more debt than they should have,” Anderson said. Swierzcek, who has a window into the financial stability of his mortgage clients with every loan or refinancing, said he thinks several little economic hits are adding up to cause big pain. For example, credit card companies have been increasing minimum payments for many customers. “You get these little changes across every credit card, and all of a sudden we’re talking about several hundred dollars a month. … Then their insurance goes up a little bit and the next thing you know, there just wasn’t enough room in their budgets,” he said.

He’s also heard of a small number of cases where homeowners who can afford to pay their loans are choosing not to because they paid far more for the home than it’s worth in today’s market. But on a positive note, he’s seeing clients being more cautious about how much debt they can handle.

Kathleen Dorso – Realtor, GRI
Super Real Estate Agent Mpls/St.Paul Twin Cities Business Magazine
www.kathydorso.com

Keller Williams Realty Integrity
17205 Yale Street N.W. Suite D
Elk River, MN 55330

Cell number 612-840-7063
Office number 763-633-7788 ext. 367
Fax Number 763-441-4699

Hi Everyone!

The holiday season is upon us and it’s time to start thinking about festivities. I have been putting together a new Christmas site called Christmas Ways.

As I am getting older, I find that the Norwegian and Swedish Christmas traditions of my family are becoming more important to me and I want to be able to share these things with my children and grandchildren. The website has been created to provide visitors information on all aspects of Christmas, including the following categories:

• Christmas Around the World
• Christmas Books
• Christmas Crafts
• Christmas Decorations
• Christmas Food
• Christmas Gifts
• Christmas Health
• Christmas Memories
• Christmas Music
• Christmas Nativities
• Christmas Parties
• Christmas Traditions
• Christmas Trees

Come take a look – it’s still in it’s beginning stages, but I am adding a few articles each day.

Please feel free to contact us with suggestions or if you would like to submit an idea or article to the new site.

You can find it at: http://www.christmasways.com

Merry Christmas!!

Well, it appears that everyone has gotten over their bouts with the Swine Flu.

Unfortunately, while I am improving, I am still frequently coughing and tired all of the time.

I am trying to complete my projects but I am behind in my Sherburne blogging.

I hope you all stay healthy!

Technorati Tags: coughing, swine flu, tired

I have the first of my four children home from school today:

• 102.7 temperature
• Headache
• Sore throat
• Chills
• Coughing
• Stuffy nose
• Achy muscles

Any guesses as to what she has? Classic influenza symptoms, wouldn’t you say?

I called the school to let them know. I also asked the nurse what the percentage of children out sick is. She told me that she wasn’t sure that she was allowed to give me that information and she forwarded me to the district nurse, who was not at her desk.

I would like to get an idea of how prevalent the disease is in the schools my children attend. I personally wish the school districts would post their numbers on their websites.

I would prefer that we were given more details about the local area and our current pandemic situation. The hospitals do not even test unless the patient is hospitalized, so we have know clue what the real numbers of affected people are. I know that there was a student in my son’s class who was hospitalized for Swine flu and another on the children’s bus that was.

Remember–cough in your sleeve and wash your hands!

I can’t wait to see which child is next.

Addendum:

Nadynne Dzuira, the District Nurse returned my call. She was very helpful in explaining the procedures the schools go by. She said that there are definitely H1N1 cases in our schools as well as in all of the surrounding areas, but they have been told by the epidemiologists that they do not recommend closing schools as a disease-preventing measure. Schools should function if they can, but close if there are too many students and faculty out sick.

The schools are asking parents to keep their children home until they have been symptom-free, not just fever-free, for at least 24 hours.

Technorati Tags: attendance, fever, influenza

One of our readers, Rhonda, found a little dog recently and she asked that I post this message in hopes of finding the rightful owner. The dog was almost hit by a car and was very scared, but came to Rhonda. I guess they do know who the animal lovers are!

If you have lost your dog or know some who has, please contact Rhonda. You will need to provide the following information:

• Describe the dog
• What color collar
• Male or female

Please contact Rhonda for more information at : rkh806@gmail.com

Technorati Tags: lost dog, Zimmerman area