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Wow. This is a CRAZY time in our economy.

Wall Street, bank bailouts, Obama - not Bush, there’s a convicted felon running for senatorial reelection in Alaska, and then there’s Sarah Palin.

Regardless of all this, we’ve all got to have a place to call our own - a place to hang our hats and sleep at night.

With housing prices as crazy low as they are now, in most parts of the country, if you’ve got some money for a down payment and some decent credit, this could be a great time, possibly the best time in years, to buy a house.

What’s the old saying? BUY LOW - SELL HIGH! That’s what is always said. Well, now you can buy low. You can buy a house for a whole lot less than a year ago. Way less!

Or maybe you want to take some money out of your house to buy some stocks, many of which can and will fall into that “Buy Low - Sell High” framework. Many stock prices have tumbled and you really can buy low right now. So, it may be right to take some of your home equity and put it into the stock market. I’m not telling you to do so - it’s entirely your choice - but it may be the right time for you.

The mortgage business has slowed significantly in the last few months. There are, therefore, some great deals in home financing out there. Combine that with some very low prices on homes and this becomes a great time to buy!

Whether you’re looking for new home financing, or looking for a mortgage refinance on your existing home, or looking to consolidate debt, this may be the right time.

Firewood racks are great tool to help you get more mileage out of your firewood. By getting a durable rack, you increase the value by ensuring you have one for years to come. There are a few different ways of storing firewood.

These log holders are very effective at creating seasoned firewood. This is similar to a cover. They offer better protection from the rain and snow. This factor becomes even more of an issue in areas of the country where rain and snow are more the norm than the exception.

As mentioned before, these are often used in combination with firewood racks. A good firewood rack will not only allow you to neatly stack your stored logs, but it also promotes drying and cross ventilation. For example, a move to a new home or remodeling of your existing home may require you to move it.

Disposable cameras were an invention of Fuji and Kodak in the mid 1980s. They have since become an easy way for people to take pictures of memorable events, vacations, or the like without having to shell out a great deal of money for non-disposable cameras. Disposable cameras are also called “single-use” or “one-time” cameras. Photo labs often have boxes of them under the counter, waiting to be recycled.

In order to remove the roll of film from the disposable camera the housing must either be broken or a part of the housing must be removed after the removal of the cardboard covering. This has nothing to do with a camera. Disposable cameras are called disposable for a reason. Prices will quickly fall as vendors compete for market share.

Disposable digital cameras are cheaper than the regular digital camera. If you a professional photographer however your probably looking at Digital SLRs and if your just looking for a good Sony or Canon camera you should research the models and review them making sure you select the one that is right for you. For this reason if you take a couple pictures, you cannot go back and erase the first or second one.

One thing that a lot of people have found to be an invaluable tool in their everyday lives. At Karl’s cutlery shop the grinding and polishing machines were powered by a waterwheel which was powered by the Tobelbach brook. The Victorinox Rescue Tool is innovative and imaginative as you would expect a Swiss Army Knife to be.

You may think you’re getting a great deal on a Swiss Army product, when in reality you’re spending more money than you should on something that’s going to fall apart in a matter of months. This is just like a black swiss knife. In 1908 his company had to share the supply contract with Wenger.

Wherever you’re buying your Swiss Army product should be a registered Swiss Army dealer. If the price is “cheap” be cautious.

Would you be willing to bet $300 of your own money that your home is worth what you think it is? Unless you’re ultra-competitive and will bet on pretty much anything, my guess is your answer would be a resounding “No!”

When you go to buy a home, or refinance your existing home, that’s exactly what you’ll be doing in most cases. This is one of the lesser known and most common mortgage ripoffs that occur because people outside the industry don’t know better. Knowing this and other mortgage financing secrets can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Purchasing a home, unless you’re independently wealthy, involves borrowing the majority of the purchase price from a lender, typically a bank. Before the lender will give you the money, they’re going to want some assurance that the property you’re going to buy is worth at least that much money, and in most cases more. It’s unusual these days to find any lender that will give you 100% of the value of a property. It’s typically 15-20% now. A far cry from the wild and woolly days before the mortgage market crash!

So, let’s say you want to buy a house. You go out and find the perfect house. You and the seller haggle back and forth and settle on a price of $100,000, just to keep the math simple.

Now you go find a lender and ask them to give you a mortgage. They tell you “Okay, we’ll give you $80,000.” You’re okay with that, so you proceed with the mortgage application.

As part of the mortgage application process, the lender will require an appraisal of the property. The appraisal must be done by a certified professional appraiser. The lender isn’t going to take the owner’s word for it!

Typically, the lender schedules the appraiser’s visit. The appraiser calls the property owner and arranges to visit the property. You, the applicant, are required to pay for the appraisal before it can take place. In my area, this fee is generally around $300.

So, you’ve now paid $300 to have the property appraised. If the appraiser agrees that the property is worth at least $100,000, no problem. The application process moves forward.

What if the appraiser says the property is worth less than $100,000?

Ready…?

You don’t get the loan, and, worse, you don’t get your $300 back! You just bet $300 and lost!

Lenders have been doing this for years and it’s become accepted as a way of doing business. People simply suck it up, pay the $300 and hope for the best. In recent years when property values were rising rapidly, this was rarely a problem, unless the seller had ridiculous expectations and the buyer no clue about the real value of the property. Nowadays, however, property values are declining and it’s much less certain that the seller, however well intentioned, really knows the value of their property.

Some reputable mortgage brokers have adopted a policy of paying for the appraisal out of their own pockets. This puts the onus on them to do their homework and have a good knowledge of the current property values in their area. From their perspective, it eliminates the possibility that they would have to call a potential customer and tell them they just blew $300.

The buyer will pay the appraisal fee as part of the normal closing costs, so it’s not like they don’t have the obligation to pay it. With the broker paying the fee first, this eliminates the risk on the part of the buyer and is simply good customer service. Shop around for mortgage lenders and brokers and always ask them who pays the appraisal fee!

This is just one of today’s money secrets that can help you navigate the rubble of the mortgage industry without getting scammed!

Smart Systems