Off and Running Real Estate

House made entirely from newspaper.

(Reuters) – Interest rates on U.S. 30-year mortgages tumbled on Wednesday near record lows on Wednesday, a day after the U.S. Federal Reserve pledged to keep short-term interest rates near zero at least through mid-2013.

One of the Fed’s goals with its latest move is to lower U.S. mortgage rates to spur the housing market that has yet to recover from the subprime mortgage mess and overbuilding from the housing boom, analysts said.

Another goal for the Fed to help the economy is to add more money into homeowners’ pockets by enabling them to refinance into lower-rate mortgages, they said.

“Refinancing could be sustained for a long period of time,” said Mona Marimow, senior vice president of marketing at Lendingtree.com (TREE.O), an online loan broker.

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Eugene Leaf Program – 2010 Collection Schedule – See Map and details below*
Round 1 Round 2
West/Central Eugene Nov. 8 to Nov. 17 Dec. 23 to Dec. 29
North Eugene Nov. 15 to Dec. 2 Dec. 27 to Jan. 6
Southeast Eugene Nov. 29 to Dec. 17 Jan. 5 to Jan. 12
Southwest Eugene Dec. 13 to Dec. 23 Jan. 10 to Jan 14

Please Note: unimproved streets are normally picked up during the second round of collection

* Schedule is subject to change based on weather conditions and other constraints. Please check the weekly online schedule or call the leaf program hotline at 541-682-5383 for current scheduling information.

For more details or to schedule a leaf delivery, visit the Eugene Leaf Program Site

Your fireplace, the most low-tech piece of equipment in your house, may seem like a simple load-and-light operation, but ignoring annual maintenance can impair its performance, leading to heated air (and dollars) blowing out the chimney, harmful smoke inside, and possibly even a chimney fire.
The average number of annual U.S. home fires caused by fireplace, chimney, and chimney connectors between 2003 and 2005 was 25,100, and the average costs for those fires was $126.1 million, based on the most recent statistics from the Chimney Safety Institute of America. That’s roughly $5,024 in damage per home. Annual chimney maintenance removes flammable creosote, the major cause of chimney fires, and identifies other performance problems.

Chimney maintenance and a fireplace inspection can make the difference between warm safety and drafty danger.

Is it worth the $125 to $225 fee, two-hour service call, and all that ash possibly blackening your carpet? Here’s what you need to know to decide.

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TEACHER ROLL CALL! Who’s ready for a great school year?

Let us know what you are looking forward to this year and we will send you a treat to help keep you going (A hint: it rhymes with clutch smothers toffee) until we run out. Click HERE to get to our facebook page and let us know.

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO FOR KIDS!