Freddie Mac: 30-year mortgage rate falls to 5.03%

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Freddie Mac (FRE) said Thursday the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage average fell from the previous week to 5.03% with an average 0..7 point for the week ending March 12. In the previous period, the average was 5.15%, and the year-ago average was 6.13%. "New home sales fell 10.2% in January to the slowest pace since records began in January 1963 while pending existing home sales slowed by 7.7%, the weakest since the series began in January 2001. More recently the Federal Reserve noted in its March 4th regional economic report that residential real estate markets remained in the doldrums in most areas, with only scattered, very tentative signs of stabilization," said Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac chief economist, in a statement.

 government_affairs_tax_credit_chart_021308.pdf

I just did this. It only takes 5 minutes. Please do the same and send it to whoever you think might be impacted. I sent it to about 50 friends and business associates locally and throughout the country. Now is the time to press forward.   Wouldn't it be great if this was passed??? Wouldn't it be great if we helped? Please take a few minutes right now. Thanks.   How to Fix Housing Now!!   The National Assn of Homebuilders has representatives in Washington DC today pressing for passage of a bill, "Fix Housing First."  I'm behind it and encourage you to get behind it as well.  In a nutshell, the two key provisions are:   (1)  The federal government would offer a tax credit of between $10,000 and $22,000 (depending on locale) to anyone closing on the purchase of a home, new or resale, by December 31, 2009.  The credit would not have to be repaid, which is a major upgrade from a tax credit passed last summer; and   (2)  The government would provide a federally-subsidized 30-year fixed rate mortgage of 2.99 for all home purchases, new and resale, closing by June 30, 2009.  After that, the rate would be 3.99 for purchases closing by December 31, 2009.   Visit http://www.FixHousingFirst.com for full details and a direct link to your Senator and Representative.   Let's get housing fixed now!   Thanks--we appreciate you!  

We've all seen a similar email a while back, but now I'm going to print this out and keep it somewhere convenient. Dee   "I had a neighbor who had bought a new pickup. I got up very early one Sunday morning and saw that someone had spray painted red all around the sides of this beige truck for some unknown reason. I went over, woke him up, and told him the bad news. He was very upset and was trying to figure out what to do. Probably nothing until Monday morning, since nothing was open. Another neighbor came out and told him to get his WD-40 and clean it off.    It removed the unwanted paint beautifully and did not harm his paint job that was on the truck. I was impressed! WD-40 -- who knew?'   Water Displacement #40. The product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts. WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company. Its name comes from the project that was to find a 'water displacement' compound. They were successful with the fortieth formulation; thus WD-40. The Corvair Company bought it in bulk to protect their atlas missile parts.    Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you...'It is made from fish oil.' When you read the 'shower door' part, try it. It's the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door. If yours is plastic, it works just as well as glass. Then try it on your stovetop. It is now shines better than it has ever been before.     1) Protects silver from tarnishing.   2) Removes road tar and grime from cars.   3) Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.   4) Gives floors that 'just-waxed' sheen without making it slippery.   5) Keeps flies off cows!   6) Restores and cleans chalkboards.   7) Removes lipstick stains.   8) Loosens stubborn zippers.   9) Untangles jewelry chains.  10) Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.  11) Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.  12) Keeps ceramic/terra-cotta garden pots from oxidizing.  13) Removes tomato stains from clothing.  14) Keeps glass shower doors free of water-spots.  15) Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.  16) Keeps scissors working smoothly.  17) Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes.  18) It removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor! (Open some windows if you have a lot of marks!).  19) Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car. Removed quickly, with WD-40.  20) Gives children's play gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.  21) Lubricates gear shift on lawn mowers.  22) Rids kids' rocking chairs and swings of squeaky noises.  23) Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open.  24) Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.  25) Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.  26) Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.  27) Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans.  28) Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.  29) Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly.  30) Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.  31) Removes splattered grease on stove.  32) Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging.  33) Lubricates prosthetic limbs.  34) Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).  35) Removes all traces of duct tape.  36) Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain.  37) Florida's favorite use: 'cleans and removes Love Bugs from grills And bumpers.'  38) Protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.  39) WD-40 attracts fish.   Spray a LITTLE on live bait or lures and you will be  catching the big one in no time.  40) Fire ant bites. It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch.  41) WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag.  42) If you've washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and re-wash.... Presto! Lipstick is gone!  43) If you spray WD-40 on the distributor cap, it will displace the moisture and allow the car to start. Keep a can of WD-40 in your kitchen cabinet over the stove. It is good for oven burns or any other type of burn. It takes the burned feeling away and heals with NO scarring. Remember, the basic ingredient is FISH OIL"  

Subject: A Neat Tip

 Go to the kitchen and check this out for yourself.  Whoever looks at the end of your aluminum foil box?

      We all use aluminum foil, which is great stuff, but sometimes it can be a pain.  You know, like when you are in the middle of doing something and you try to pull some foil out and the roll comes out of the box.  Then you have to put the roll back in the box and start over.  Well, I would like to share this with you.  Yesterday I went to throw out an empty Reynolds foil box and for some reason I turned it and looked at the end of the box. And written on the end it said, "Press here to lock end." Right there on the end of the box is a tab to lock the roll in place. How long has this little locking tab been there?????
      I looked at a generic brand of aluminum foil and it had one too.  Then I looked at a box of Saran wrap and it had one too!   I cannot count the number of times the Saran wrap roll has jumped out when I was trying to cover something up.  I am sharing this in case you also did not know this.