The King of Knots as Metaphor for Economics

A knot is a useful tool for many purpose, and is one of the oldest tools used by people. The king of knots, called the Bowline Knot, functions as a very useful rescue tool, a tool to anchor ships to posts, a tool for lifting object or people, a tool for hanging things, and so  many other purposes. I like to think of this knot as a metaphor to describe economic cycles, real estate, mortgage, market cycles.

Having been a boy scout as  youth, I studied knots, and had opportunities to practice, demonstate,  and use knots in my boy scout training, and outdoor activities.  I am so grateful for that opportunity. I have had occasions to demonstrate my scout knotting skills through the years especially in camping situations as I am an avid camper.  Now that I have a son, I get to help him learn the knots too, and their uses: square knot, two half hitches, taut line, clove hitch, sheet bend, and of course, the king of knots, the bowline, which is also, my favorite knot.

To create the bowline knot, you form a loop and hold it with your left hand. Then, you take the bottom end of the rope with your right hand, and take it around towards the back of the loop, and into the loop leaving through the front, and going around the standing top end of the rope, called the tree (for fun), and then, back into the loop from the front, or the cave (for fun). Next, we take the non standing rope end, the bottom end, and tighten it away from the standing end of the rope and pull it snugly. We now have a tightened loop, that stays in place, and does not slide. If it slides, it is not a bowline. If there is no loop, it is not a bowline.  The loop needs to be larger than a simple hole. If the ends of the rope are coming apart, then there is no proper knot, since the whole operation gets messed up. The ends may need to be whipped with string to keep the strands united, or the ends can be fused to keep the ends united. With knot tying, practice is the key to success.  With economic planning, practice, trial, error and more practice is the key to success.

Just like making a bowline knot, you must follow the correct instructions when managing economics, and finances. Use loops when appropriate, make sure the ends are secure, make sure the right end is going into the loop in the right direction, and make sure the length of the rope is adequate and the loop is of adequate size for the purpose of making the bowling knot in the first place. Good economics requires planning, and direction. When there is some trouble in the financial world, I think of someone incorrectly tying a knot, such as a bowline knot. There is a process of making a knot, such as what I described above for the bowline knot. It would be a good idea if politicians, so called experts, business leaders, and individuals, spend time practing making knots, and practice the correct process with regards to economics and finances, whether mortgage finances, or real estate finances.

Just like knot tying, financial planning needs to be:
1. Simple and not difficult.
2. Must not unravel, or come loose.
3. Must be useful, and practical for many specific purposes.

Kenneth Fach, REALTOR
Weichert, REALTORS-Anchor
1607 Village Square Blvd, Suite B103
Tallahassee, FL 32309
850-339-5753  Blog: http://KennethFach.wordpress.com

Each office is independently owned and operated.

 

This Tallahassee Real Estate Professional Is not Going to Make a Mess for You

I can tell you now, that I will not make the kind of mess you see here on the floor of a local store, here in Tallahassee, Florida.  My work is clean, professional, customer oriented, reviewed, and thought out with detail, and scrutiny.

When I look at messes made by other professionals, I am annoyed since there is no room for mess ups in a customer oriented perspective of doing business.

In my work as a Mortgage Consultant, and Real Estate Agent, I take in the best view of a situation, to benefit my customer, or client. No messes allowed. In the mortgage field, I look for for guaranteed rates and lender fees, with no surprises for my buyers. In my work in real estate, I provide all the information necessary for my customer, following the rule of doing good so that good is done to me. There is a perfectionist in me. I am proud of that.

Kenneth Fach, REALTOR
Weichert, REALTORS-Anchor
1607 Village Square Blvd, Suite B103
Tallahassee, FL 32309
Cell 850-339-5753   http://KennethFach.wordpress.com

Each office is independently owned and operated.

Tallahassee Area’s Newest Park

Today, I took my family to a new park in Leon County, beside Lake Jackson, one of largest lakes in the Tallahassee area. Jackson View Park has plenty of open green space, trees, walking paths, covered picnic tables, a childrens’ playground, and a boardwalk looking out at the area’s nature. Green is the most common color found in this region it seems. There are so many parks, nature, and evergreen trees in Tallahassee, Leon County, and surrounding land.

We heard the happy sounds of birds. It is so comfortable walking in a park, and listening to birds. I get that from my dad, and his dad, who were both avid bird watcher. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to identify that many birds, but I do want to pick up my dad’s old bird books, and learn how to identify them. I also want to learn how to identify their sounds.

Tallahassee Composters are Out and About

Yesterday morning, at Tallahassee Mall, in Tallahassee, Florida, it was a warm, and sunny. Hundreds of local residents patiently waited in line most of the morning waiting to purchase a $30 dollar Composter from the City of Tallahassee. I was one of the eager garden types waiting for my unit.

This is one of many activities that the City of Tallahassee, and Leon County are doing to make the community more green. Tallahassee, Florida is greening up. We already have an abundance of green spaces, new and established parks, trees everywhere, and which are protected by local ordinance. We have a solar powered gym in a city recreation center, the solid waste management facility is state of the art and an example of ideal recycling, we have solar panels on some government, as well as business structures, and private residences. There is even a school and a daycare with solar panels installed. Our water is about the best in the entire state of Florida, and our water district has received awards, and praise. We also have a great recycling system. Tallahassee is becomming green.

I drive through upscale and midscale neighborhoods, and see solar panels on some roofs.  A few years ago, I could not see solar panels anywhere. In a community surrounded by nature, and nature within, including deer, rabbits, fox, turtles, Tallahassee, Leon County, is a good place to be, and to live in.

Back to composting. My familiy and I, normally grow tomatoes and peppers in our backyard, beside little Lake Jackson, in the far northwest corner of Leon County, just outside of Tallahassee. We have been doing primitive composting, but now, with our new composter, we can follow the correct process to composting.

The four key steps to composing are, first, to chop the nitrogens materials, and the carbon materials. The carbons are the paper towels, used coffee grounds, coffee filters, leaves, to name a few examples, and the nitrogens are the vegetable matter. Second is to empty the waste into the composter. Third is to stir the nitrogen and carbon waste in the bin, and mix in well. Fouth, is to cover with leaves, pine needles or earth, and tighly secure the lid of the composter. Now, the composting unit is cooking.

Happy composting out there, in which ever yard or garden you may find yourself in.

Shopping for a Lender Before Buying Your Home

Some things are a given in buying a home in Tallahassee, and elsewhere. There are always going to be fees, fees, and more fees in a real estate transaction. However, we can minimize the fees significantly by shopping around when looking for a mortgage loan. When shopping for a lender, look for not just interest rates, and terms, but also look at lender fees.

There are three categories of fees that constitute a real estate closing in Tallahassee, and elsewhere:

1. Lender fees are the fees that a lender has control over. They can be presented as multiple fees, such as origination fees, administrative fees, transaction fees, processing fee, tax service fee, loan setup fee, funding fee, and others. There can also be one fee, covering all the fees, so when you are out comparing lenders, you can compare a total lender fee package with other lenders’ fees.

2. Third-party fees are fees that the lender does not control, however, may be able to negotiate the best deal on your behalf. These fees include appraisal, inspection, title, survey, and others.

3. Then, there are the prepaids, such as prepaid interest, and prepaid taxes.

Closing costs and Tallahassee real estate

Some things are a given in buying a home in Tallahassee, and elsewhere. There are always going to be fees, fees, and more fees in a real estate transaction.  However, we can minimize the fees significantly by shopping around when looking for a mortgage loan. When shopping for a lender, look for not just interest rates, and terms, but also look at lender fees.

There are three categories of fees that constitute a real estate closing in Tallahassee, and elsewhere:

1. Lender fees are the fees that a lender has control over. They can be presented as multiple fees, such as origination fees, administrative fees, transaction fees, processing fee, tax service fee, loan setup fee,   funding fee,  and others. There can also be one fee, covering all the fees, so when you are out comparing lenders, you can compare a total lender fee package with other lenders’ fees.

2. Third-party fees are fees that the lender does not control, however, may be able to negotiate the best deal on your behalf. These fees include appraisal, inspection, title, survey, and others.

3. Then, there are teh prepaids, such as prepaid interest, and prepaid taxes.

Tallahassee REALTOR Defines Ranch Styles Homes to Buyers

I hear so many people, even people in the real estate field, incorrectly stating what is a ranch style home. I want to make some clarifications, as the ranch style home is an American icon, and covers the land, from coast to coast.

Here in Tallahassee, Florida, and all throughout northwest Florida, there are many, many ranch style homes in all sizes.

A ranch style home must be rectangular shape, but can be a rectangle in U-shape form, a rectangle in L-Shape form, with an attached  garage or attached carport on one side. Size is irrelevant to ranch homes, as I have seen ranch style homes as small as 1000 square feet to spacious horizontal structures over 3000 square feet.

Ranch styles homes are focused on the horizontal, not the vertical, like other architectural types of homes, such as colonials, traditional, cape cods, and contemporaries. Ranch style homes are lower lying to the earth, and can harmoniously fit in well with the local environment, such as our Tallahassee, Florida environment with its many evergreen trees: the pines. 

Every ranch home must have either a low-pitch, gable roof, or a flat roof. This is where people sometimes make the big blunder. Drive through most any established neighborhood in Tallahassee, Florida, and you will see true ranch style homes. A home may be a ranch in every way, but the roof is not a low-pitch gable roof. With a ranch style home, the roof and the rectangular shape are the two fundamental characteristics. You can almost be certain that if the home’s roof is low-pitch gable, on a rectanglar body, the home is probably a ranch style home, especially in Tallahassee, and surrounding area.

Ranch style homes are not fancy, sophisticated, elegant on the outside. Rather, they are simple structures, and may or may not have a front porch, covered or uncovered. Ranches do have a back porch, patio or deck, which fits in with the tradition of ranches, in which family, and neighbors got together and grilled in the backyard, and lived in the yard more. I grew up in ranch homes, and can attest to that fact. We always congregated in the back yard, played badmitten, grilled burgers, and hot dogs, and overly used our lounge chairs. The backyard served an important role of getting together.

Now, for the indoors. My buyers say they want an open floor plan, but how many people realize that it was the ranch style home from the early 50’s that popularized the open floor plan. Ranch homes opened up the home for countless numbers of young Americans looking for their first home. Today, almost every home, with almost every architectural style, has an open floor plan, and that is an important feature for most everybody it seems. That kitchen, looking out onto the living room, or family room, and dining area, so entertaining is more comfortable, and people can feel more together. Also, an open floor plan usually allows for more light coming in, and people today expect a lot of light in their homes. Truly the homes of today, are even more open than many of the early ranch style homes.

Another fact about the interior of ranch homes is that there is a hallway with the bedrooms and baths starting from the foyer, and the foyer is the channel to the two segments of the home. Opposite of the hallways or at a 90 degree angle to it is the open floor living, entertaining and kitchen area, and sometimes the master bedroom and master bath are on the opposite end of the home from the other bedrooms, or in other cases, could also be down the same hallway starting from the foyer. There is order in ranch style homes, and you usually know where you are going.

Sometimes these homes have built-ins. Today, the built in entertainment center, book shelves, so forth, also come from the early ranch style home days.

Ranch homes often have a fireplace, often brick, or stone, but not always. Traditional ranch style homes used natural materials representing the local environment. Fitting in with nature has always been a theme for ranch style homes.

We owe so much to the ranch style home. I am so grateful I had the opportunity to have lived most of my life in this kind of dwelling. I will forever love ranch, and especially the era that surrounds the emergence and popularity of ranch, as I came from the baby boomer period.

Kenneth Fach, REALTOR
Weichert, REALTORS-Anchor
1607 Village Square Blvd, Suite B103
Tallahassee, FL 32309
Cell 850-339-5753 
Blog http://KennethFach.wordpress.com
Web  http://KennethFach.com

Each office is independently owned and operated.

Killearn Lakes Neighborhood Remains Popular for Single Family Home Buyers

Tallahassee and Leon County, Florida, offers a big variety of neighborhoods, in all price ranges and with various architectural styles. One of my favorites is Killearn Lakes Neighborhood in the north end of Leon County, with Lake Iamonia, one of the areas largest lakes, bordering the northern boundary of this community.

Killearn Lakes is a popular community with 2072 single family homes. Many of the homes are ranch style homes, in different forms, some traditional ranches, some more contemporary ranches. There are contemporary eclectic style homes, some traditionals, and some colonials. This neighborhood is too big to walk it in a short period of time. People are attracted to the neighborhood for the abundance of everygreen trees all over, nearby parks, quiet, but friendly streets, and affordable home prices. There are deer, fox, and an abundance of squirrels in the community. People are also attracted the elementary, middle, (both within the neighborhood) and the new high school, just outside the community. There is also an active boy scout troop that meets at a church in the community. There are several churches in Killearn Lakes.

As of today, 4/2/2008, there are  currently 81 homes for sale in this vast neighborhood, and the average price of a home on the market is, $274,224. Prices start at $169,900, and go up to $749,900, but the median price of the homes is, $252,500.

Recently, a new public sewer system was put put in for the lower part of Killearn Lakes and residents had a choice of connecting to public sewer, or staying with their septic tanks. To connect to public sewer costs about $10,000. Many residents selected not to connect. They can connect at any time, however, and new buyers will have that option.

If you want to know more about Killearn Lakes, just let me know. I will be happy to assist you with getting into your very own Killearn Lakes ranch or other home style.

Kenneth Fach, REALTOR
Weichert, REALTORS-Anchor
1607 Village Square Blvd., Suite B103
Tallahassee, FL 32309
Cell 850-339-5753  Blog:  http://KennethFach.wordpress.com

Each office is independently owned and operated.