Jan 8, 2014 | Uncategorized
By Amy Tierce
In the pile of Beatles paraphernalia that our youngest son got for Christmas this year was a fascinating book describing the creation and recording of every single Beatles song. The book is about 700 pages!
We shared the book around the table and began to wonder how they knew how many 
‘takes’ to take with each recording.
Some songs took only one shot or “take” at recording and the song was DONE. The most number of takes we found was 117. Many recordings took multiple takes. Remember, these were the days of live recording, little editing capabilities, and the early development of ‘tracks’.
So how did the band know that they got it right with one take when they recorded “Hey Jude”, “Michelle” or “If I Needed Someone”? How did they know it was time to stop after 117 takes on “Sexy Sadie”? It took them 32 attempts to record “Octopuses Garden.” Did they feel that that last one was just right or did they just give up? What does perfection look like? Would take 13 on “Help” have been better – but they stopped at 12?
It made me think a lot about “takes” in and on the New Year. How many takes do we get, how often in life can we undo, rewind and re-do…. When are we satisfied with one take and ready to move on, when do you give up after 52 “Your Mother Should Know” or 70 “Happiness Is A Warm Gun”?
Thinking about how this applies to business, relationships, projects creative and otherwise, and life in general, here are my thoughts:
- Trust your gut and follow it
- If your gut is not speaking seek wise counsel for advice
- Then Trust your wise counsel
- know when you cannot make it better
- Know when to drop it all together
- BEST of all, know when you hit it on the first take and are ready to move on
We have multiple takes available to us, use them wisely or get stuck seeking perfection.
Happy New Year one and all!
Here’s to many “One Take” successes in 2014.
Amy Tierce
Regional Vice President
Fairway Independent Mortgage
(781) 719-4665
amyt@fairwaymc.com
www.fairwayindependentmc.com
Oct 11, 2013 | Uncategorized
By Bill Nickerson
The current shutdown of the Federal Government has left many homebuyers and real estate industry partners with many questions about how the shutdown
will impact their ability to do business. Merrimack Mortgage will continue to operate at full capacity during the shutdown; however, the shutdown creates some challenges for lenders. We hope you find this piece informative and that you will share it with staff and colleagues, as well as potential homebuyers and sellers.
FHA LOANS
FHA Single Family Housing – Government Shutdown FAQs
Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/contingency-plan
Q: How will this impact the housing market? A: Because we are able to endorse loans, we don’t expect the impact on the housing market to be significant, as long as the shutdown is brief. If the shutdown lasts and our commitment authority runs out, we do expect that potential homeowners will be impacted, as well as home sellers and the entire housing market. We could also see a decline in home sales during an extended shutdown period, reversing the trend toward a strengthening market that we’ve been experiencing.
Q: Will FHA have staff available to answer questions if there is a government shutdown? A: Limited FHA staff will be available to respond to questions, emails or other correspondence.
(more…)
Jan 11, 2013 | Uncategorized
The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 was created to protect homeowners who were foreclosing or short selling on principal residences and who had never refinanced by taking out a home equity line of credit. The Internal Revenue Service states that The Mortgage Debt Relief Act of 2007 allows taxpayers to exclude income from the discharge of debt on their principal residence. Debt reduced through mortgage restructuring, as well as mortgage debt forgiven in connection with a foreclosure, qualifies for the relief.
The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 was originally set to expire in December 2009. However, the Act was extended in October 2009 only three months before the act was scheduled to expire. Over the past few months the expiration date of December 31, 2012 has been a looming deadline for strategically defaulting homeowners. Much to the housing industry’s relief an extension of this Act was granted during congressional fiscal cliff negotiations providing tax relief until December 31, 2013.
Jun 26, 2012 | Uncategorized
I have had a lot of questions recently regarding the topic of marketable vs. insurable title. They are both terms of art, in that they are unique terms to the legal and title industry. They are not easily defined with comparable examples.
When a title is marketable it means that the chain of ownership (title) to a particular piece of property is clear and free from defects. And as such, it can be marketed for sale without additional effort by the seller or potential buyer.
In contrast an insurable title does, or may have a known defect or defects in the chain of title. However, with an insurable title, a title insurance company has agreed in advance to provide insurance against the defects ever affecting the ownership or value of the property.
If a property does not have a current, valid title insurance policy and there is a defect in the chain of title, then the defect must be cured or repaired before a seller can convey marketable title. If there is a current policy, rather than curing or fixing the defect, which can be very expensive and time consuming, the title insurance company may elect to insure against any problem the defect may cause in the future. That is, the insurance company agrees to fix the problem only when – and IF – it ever becomes an immediate problem. Some defects in title may never become a problem or threaten the value or ownership of the property. Title insurance companies, like any insurance companies are in the business of risk management, and whenever possible would rather defer the risk then to pay to address/correct it.
One of the biggest problems with insurable title is that a buyer of a property accepting insurable title (rather than marketable title) is taking a risk of their own. It’s not that the defects may ever threaten the value or ownership of the property, but that upon resale of the property the next buyer may not be as willing to accept the insurable title and may demand a marketable title.
Be sure that you know the type of title the seller intends to convey before you sign a purchase contract.
Read more from our e-newsletter here.
May 2, 2012 | Uncategorized
Last Friday, the Real Estate Bar Association of Massachusetts (REBA) filed an action in Suffolk Superior Court against a non-lawyer settlement service provider, National Loan Closers, Inc., and a number of Massachusetts lawyers who continue to perform “witness only” closings in violation of Real Estate Bar Ass’n for Massachusetts, Inc. v. National Real Estate Information Services, 459 Mass. 512, 946 N.E.2d 665 (2011). The filing followed a unanimous vote of the REBA’s Board of Directors.
“ ‘Witness only’ closings violate Massachusetts law prohibiting the unauthorized practice of law, place homebuyers and mortgage lenders at risk, erode the public’s confidence in the Commonwealth’s recording and registration system, and deprive the Massachusetts IOLTA Program of thousands of dollars of revenue,” said Chris Pitt, REBA’s President.
“Although most lenders, title companies, and title insurers now recognize that ‘witness only’ closings are not permitted in the Commonwealth, there are still some who persist,” said Tom Moriarty, Co-chair of the Committee on the Practice of Law by Non-Lawyers. “There is no justification for these unlawful practices to continue and title insurers, title companies and the attorneys who participate in ‘witness only’ closings should stop.”
For a copy of the complaint click here.
Jan 17, 2012 | Uncategorized
What is Social Media and how can it help you as a Realtor®?
On Thursday, February 9, 2012 our office will host an informative seminar on Social Media and how it can benefit your real estate business.
The seminar will be presented by Matt Ward of inConcert Web Solutions. Mr. Ward will help you
understand the value of Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and other social media and how it can build or break your business.
Read more about the seminar and register here. Seating is limitted to 45 of our Business Partners and guests. A lite lunch will be available at the conclusion of the presentation.
‘takes’ to take with each recording.