So much to report, so little space...

Slow news month in August... I suppose Dave & Laurens anniversary and Woodward Dream Cruise 2010 is going to be the highlight. August 21 is the date (for both)... all the cool kids are going to be there. the photo above is a 1965 Dodge Dart I restored about 10 years ago (with a little help from friends). I miss hanging out on Woodward with it after I sold it, but the motorcycles allow us quicker access to parking near the Avenue.

Now lets talk about real estate, that way you'll get good information before I bore you to tears with the wedding and the surprise I promised you last month.

Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel and Bankers home loan have teamed up and introduced an interesting new program for "sidelined buyers". What is a sidelined buyer? A sidelined buyer is one that for any number of reasons can't participate in the purchase of a new home right now... but specifically those that may have been forced into selling a home in a short sale. There is a required waiting period before a short sale buyer can get another mortgage... therefore they are sidelined and can't take advantage of the great home deals and interest rates that are out there right now. Give me a call if you are that buyer, and I'll put you in touch with the right people at Bankers Home Loan to see if you qualify.

Interest rates are still unbelievable, and prices are still great. Give me a call to get pre-qualified for a mortgage if you want to jump into the fun pit.

Now for the events of the last couple weeks...

I'm not even sure which of the kids to start with... either one is going to blame the other for being a thunder stealer.

Jessy & Anthony got married July 30th in Chicago... what a great wedding they had. The kids planned the whole thing themselves down to every detail with little input from us for sure. All I can say is they have pretty unbelievable taste. Anthony surprised Jessy with a ride to the church in a 1969 Rolls Royce... I got to tag along with her & Kelly. I told Jessy & Kelly that i am a lucky guy to have been able to walk down the aisle with 2 of the most beautiful brides ever. I tried breaking my ankle 4 days before the wedding playing softball... thankfully it was just a bad sprain and I was able to walk her down the aisle and do the daddy daughter dance without a cast. I posted a couple pictures here, but if you have a facebook account, friend me and you can see a bunch more random shots from attendees. The legit pics won't be ready for a few weeks.

Dave junior was a groomsman & Lauren was the matron of honor... both gave great toasts at the reception. Bella was the flower girl, and enjoyed spending the day with Aunt Jessy getting her hair did and make-up like the big girls...

We welcome Anthony into the family, and can't wait to see them again when they get back from their honeymoon in Cabo. I hope they wait to have kids though until we settle down a little from her brothers big news... (nice intro to this months surprise)

Dave & Lauren are expecting again... we were happy and a little concerned at first because the newest addition is due Early February. His/her arrival will be just before Austins first birthday... Irish twins anyone? O.K. now for the big news... Laurens having actual twins... that's right Irish triplets. Whoah what a houseful that's going to be. G-Diddy times 4. I posted a scan of the latest ultrasound, wierd I know, but I asked her for it so I could verify for myself that it was in fact twins. Second opinions always help. Something told me I should have looked for a 5 bedroom house when they bought in October, but who knew...

Finally... the Troy Ligers sponsored by Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel (me) took second place with a 10-3-1 record in our innaugural softball season. We are hot and heavy in the middle of playoffs currently. Possibly 3 games this coming Monday night. Stay tuned, I'll post our trophies next month when they don't get overshadowed by weddings and grandkids.

Thanks again for your referrals. I am experiencing a very good 2010 so far. Through mid July, I already have sold twice the volume sold in the same period 2009. That is only possible with the help of family and friends that refer clients to me... I appreciate the help.

Thanks, and see you next month

Dave

Happy Independence Day.

Sorry to be so late with the blog, I know how you all sit around waiting for it every month. Hopefully you all had as much fun as we did hanging around with family and friends celebrating the nations birthday. While we were watching the fireworks in Clawson the other night, the question about where the fireworks tradition began came up... well by now you know if I don't know the answer to something, and can't make up a reasonably believable fabrication, I'll research it here. Wikipedia says this:

On July 3rd, John Adams had written to his wife Abigail:

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations (fireworks), from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.

Adams's prediction was off by two days. From the outset, Americans celebrated independence on July 4, the date shown on the much-publicized Declaration of Independence, rather than on July 2, the date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress.

In a remarkable coincidence, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the only signers of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as Presidents of the United States, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration.

Now you know the rest of the story :0)

Well this month, Kelly celebrates her birthday, it's not the big one, or even a big one, but I'm still struggling with what to get her after celebrating almost 30 of them with her... maybe something for my motorcycle :0).

The next couple weeks is a full list of Jessy to-do's. She is moving into her new condo this weekend, the bachelor bash is sneaking up, then the wedding at the end of the month. Seems like this year has zipped by.

Austin and Bella continue to be the best gift kids can give their dad... not being greedy or anything, but I can't wait for more grand kids :0).

On the real estate front:

I continue to roll with buyers. The feds extended the drop dead date for the first time home buyer credit from June 30th to the end of summer. The extension only applies to purchase agreements already written before April 30th. The extension allows a little cushion for banks to get approvals completed, and short sales negotiated.

Still a good time to buy though, prices are low, and there's a bunch of inventory... just make sure you're patient with your realtor, there's tons of stuff he/she needs to navigate through to get a deal done.

Thanks again for the referrals. They are appreciated. See you next month with wedding pictures.