In a move that’s been in the works for the past year, the state of North Carolina is making it more difficult to work in the mortgage industry. At a time when foreclosure rates have skyrocketed nationwide, these proposed changes really couldn’t have come at a better time.
One of the proposed additional requirements is that someone applying to become a loan officer must have a credit score of 600 or greater, and show no outstanding tax liens. While there remains quite a bit to be done before any of these added requirements can take effect, it does show the concern many law makers have over the high number of foreclosures.
For the complete story, visit the Charlotte Observer.
Filed under Carolina Real Estate, Charlotte NC by 
As I’ve mentioned several times before, my husband and I love good food. As a result, we’re always on the look out for great, undiscovered places to eat and while some of the spots aren’t totally undiscovered, if we haven’t been there yet, it’s still undiscovered in my book. 
Anyway, we happened upon one such place yesterday. Located along the near light-rail line in the up and coming area of Charlotte known as South End is this fantastic Greek restaurant called The Greek Isles.
As soon as you walk in it has a great atmosphere. A spacious, open dining room sits nestled in between an open bar space and an open kitchen, all of which gives the entire restauarant a very open, spacious feel. There are smatterings of Greek decor here and there, but what really makes this such a great place is the food.
The menu is filled with a variety of traditional Greek fare, from the Saganaki we had as an appetizer down to the roasted lamb and traditional vegetables my husband had. The menu also boasts traditional favorites such as gyro sandwiches, tzatziki, hummus, Greek salads, souvlaki, and desserts like baklava and loukoumades.
The prices were very reasonable as well. Overall, it was a fantastic experience and I’ve added it to my list of restaurants to visit again in the future.
The Greek Isles is located at 200 E. Bland St. near uptown Charlotte.
Filed under Charlotte NC, Fun Stuff, Life In the Carolinas, Out and About in the Carolinas by
One of Rock Hill’s own, Winthrop catering chef Lou Petrozza was featured on last night’s finale of the populer Fox TV Show ‘Hell’s Kitchen’. He’d made it past 14 other people and had just one more to go before winning the grand prize, a 1 year contract to be executive chef at Gordon Ramsey’s newest restaurant, London West Hollywood.
Unfortunately, he lost out to 25 year old culinary student Christina, and in my opinion, the right man didn’t win this one.
Petrozza was just as good a chef, had just as much control of his kitchen as did his counterpart, but what really set him apart was the fact that he’s just a nicer person.
Now, in Hell’s Kitchen one might argue that nice doesn’t have a place, but in reality, people want to work for and with people they like. Sure Gordon Ramsey has the potty mouth of all potty mouths and can be a sorely ol’ SOB, but I’m sure part of that is the act he puts on to drive TV ratings.
At the end of the day, yes, you must demand a certain quality, but I think Petrozza could have done that with class and dignity.
Oh well. As life’s proven time and again for many, many people, you can’t win ‘em all. But in this case, even though our own Rock Hill celebrity didn’t win this one, I think we did in the fact he gets to stick around here and doesn’t have to move out to the bright lights and fake tans of LA and Hollywood.
Lucky us.
Filed under Rants & Raves by
Compared to June of last year, the rate of foreclosures nationwide grew by 53%. It seems as though one out of every 501 homeowners found themselves in a financial situation they couldn’t get out of.
The combination of weak housing sales, fallinghome values, tighter lending criteria, and a slow US economy have left many homeowners in a situation where they can’t find a buyer for their home, own more than their home is worth, or simply can’t refinance into a more affordable loan.
While the news is a bit grim, lawmakers are working on providing some relief. Congress is working on legislation that would allow the Federal Housing Administration to provide cheaper home financing to distressed homeowners who would otherwise have a difficult time refinancing. The Bush administration also announced on Tuesday that it would soon be ready to implement an FHA expansion that lets borrowers who’ve fallen behind on their home payments get more affordable loans.
Needless to say, the financial picture isn’t getting any rosier. Fortunately for us in the Rock Hill SC and Fort Mill SC area, the housing market remains strong compared to other areas of the country. We’re still being impacted by the difficulties of other areas because of the inability of many to sell their current homes, but overall the real estate market here remains very active.
You can read a full account of this report HERE.
Filed under Interest Rates, Market Trends by
If you’ve been paying attention to the news at all then you know about the Federal Government stepping in to help out trouble mortgage giants Freddi Mac and Fannie Mae. Unfortunately, this is just another sign of the challenging economic times we live in. At least compared to the unprecedented prosperity we’ve enjoyed recently.
However, in spite of all the ‘doom and gloom’ news we read about on a daily basis, it doesn’t mean life as we know it is coming to an end. It just means it’s time for us to be a little wiser with the resources we do have.
Here’s a great clip I found on NBC’s website that talks about what we can do to not just survive, but THRIVE in the face of all this economic uncertainty:
And for all of us in the Rock Hill SC, Fort Mill SC areas, even though things are rough, we’re still enjoying a thriving real estate market in comparison other parts of the country. So, if you’re thinking about buying or selling your dream home in the Rock Hill or Fort Mill area, let me help you navigate the turbulent real estate waters!
Filed under Lessons Learned, Market Trends, Opinions, Videos by
