Why Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Should be Left Alone

I’ve been asked a lot lately how, as a Marine, I feel about the possible repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in effect for the military.

Last night, I attended an event hosted by Jay Riemersma, where I had the opportunity to discuss a number of current issues with Jay and with several other great people  interested in my take on the situation as a member of the Armed Services Community. Here is the summary of my thoughts on the matter.

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has never been more than a political game. Yes, there are gays in the military. Everyone knows this. No you are not allowed to flaunt your sexual preference in the face of everyone you work with. Do what you want to do in the privacy of your own home, but leave it there.

A common phrase we use when deciding what information to share is, “Need to know.” Quite frankly, whether you’re gay or not, I don’t need to know.

The military is not passing judgement on whether homosexuality is right or wrong. DADT is in place to prevent dissension and prejudice, and maintain unit cohesion. An issue such as this is an emotional hot button, and has the potential to cause a lot of strife among service members.

We have a rigid structure of discipline that allows us to be the single greatest fighting force in the world. We do not have time to let political games interfere with the performance of our duties. DADT was designed to prevent conflict among service members. As an NCO, it is my job to bring my Marines together, as a unit, and train them to operate as one. If we focus on our differences, we could never accomplish this.

So I would ask that everyone kindly leave your politics at the gate, we don’t have time for these shenanigans. We have two wars to fight, and need to remain ever vigilant against the threat of terrorism that our nation faces everyday. One would think that with all the nation’s ills at present, there would be more important things to worry about.

60 Minutes with Jay Riemersma

Today I had the honor of meeting Jay Riemersma, Republican candidate for Michigan’s 2nd Congressional District. Jay and I spent about an hour in my office, and covered a lot of ground.

My first impression of Jay, other than noticing that he is COLOSSAL, was that he was approachable, easy-going, and friendly. As we sat and talked, I felt at ease, and Jay was an attentive listener. It struck me that such a guy would be able to communicate with other Congressmen, and get results.

After giving Jay a brief background on myself, I turned the tables, and asked Jay to tell me about himself. Most of what he related you can read in his bio, but hearing him talk about his wife, Cara, and their three kids is quite a bit different from reading a web page. As a father and husband, I could tell he enjoyed talking about his family, and that we share a lot of the same family values. I’m confident Jay can be counted on to defend those values in Congress.

We talked about Jay’s football career at U of M and in the NFL. We even swapped football injury stories. We talked about the leadership values Jay learned throughout his football career, and the discipline it takes to be a professional athlete. We talked about how Jay could use those leadership skills and work ethic to get results in Washington.

We talked about work ethic and the importance of giving back to the community. We discussed the struggles people are facing today, and our hopes for getting the country back on track. Jay and I both agreed that businesses need less government interference and that raising taxes on businesses will not stimulate growth. We also agreed that the federal government should not be able to arbitrarily pick winners and losers in industry.

Since I had Jay in my office, I took the opportunity to feel him out about his stance on Veterans’ affairs. Since I am a currently serving Marine Reservist, and an Iraq Veteran, this issue has a lot of relevance to me, personally. Jay stated emphatically that he supports our troops, and is grateful for their service. He acknowledged a breakdown in the way support is given to troops in combat theaters, and at home. Jay supports a strong national defense, and would work to correct these problems when elected to Congress.

One statement Jay made appealed to me in particular. Jay stated that in order to effectively use the power of the office, one must first divest oneself of that power. I’m paraphrasing, but it’s worth noting that Jay recognizes that the power belongs to the people, and he would be the voice of the people. It’s obvious that some of our government officials now in office have forgotten this important detail.

In summary, Jay was as real as they get. I got the impression that Jay was sincere, capable, and eager to serve. Having had the opportunity to get to know Jay, even though for just an hour, I am encouraged and convinced that Jay is the best candidate to represent Michigan in Congress.

I’ll be posting more about Jay as we get closer to election time. In the meantime, I encourage you to visit his website and learn more about Jay Riemersma.

Why Am I Just Now Hearing About Jay Riemersma?

To those who know me, it should come as no surprise that I have a high opinion of my own personal situational awareness. I pride myself on knowing what’s going on, who’s doing what, and who they’re doing it with.

So how the heck did a guy like Jay Riemersma slip under my radar?

Jay is a Republican candidate for Michigan’s 2nd Congressional district. I learned of him via an email message I received this morning (ah yes! Grassroots FTW!). I headed over to his website, http://jayriemersma.com/ and started reading.

Photo courtesy of http://jayriemersma.com/

My first thought was, “Holy crap, I could save this, do a little copy pasta, and this website could be about me!”

• Pro-life.
• Supports the 2nd Amendment.
• Supports Sanctity of Marriage.
• Wants to Improve education.
• Favors Small Government.
• Opposes the Michigan Business Tax.
• Wants to Restore the Republican Party.
• Christian
• Supports a Strong National Defense (I can dig that!)

Where’s a polling booth when I need one?!?!

I’ve been working to get your support for Pete Hoekstra for Governor, and Goeff Hansen for State Senate.

Now I’m reaching out and asking you to support  Jay Riemersma for the Michigan Congress.

These are the kind of men we need in Lansing to get Michigan back on its feet.

Tim White’s 2009 Oceana Market Study Released

OK, it took some doing, but it’s done.

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks digging up and crunching numbers for my 2009 Oceana County real estate market study, and let me tell you, it’s been an “interesting” experience. One economy-sized bottle of Advil later, I am pleased to present my finished product.

I’ve posted it on my website. Just go to www.timwhitehomes.com and click on the “2009 Oceana Market Study” Button in the top navigation bar.

The report includes 2009 number of homes sold, average days on market, sale price versus list price stats, and more. I’ve compiled data for Oceana County as a whole, and also broken the numbers down into three sub-categories, or “Regions”. The regions are the Lakeshore, The US 31 Corridor, and Eastern Oceana County.

But hey, why am I explaining all this here? Get over to my home page and see it from there!

Tim White

Silver Lake Gets “A Round”

For those returning to Silver Lake this upcoming season, you’re in for a bit of a surprise on the drive in. Over the last couple of months, a roundabout has been completed to replace the bend where Craig’s Cruisers is located.

The roundabout is intended to solve some of the traffic congestion problems at this location. I’m sure it will take some getting used to, however.

New Roundabout in Silver Lake (Photo by Tim White)

For our seasonal visitors, all that white stuff is called “snow”. Hopefully it won’t be around too much longer.

How Do You Feel About the Proposed Wind Farm Project

Aegir Wind Farm Project Debate Heats Up

Over the last couple of months, the wind turbine tower project proposed for the waters of Lake Michigan off of Oceana and Mason Counties has generated a lot of debate and discourse. As Realtors, we have a vested interested to stay informed of this project, and the ramifications, good or bad, that it could have to our communities.

I recommend that all local community members familiarize themselves with the proposed projects, and do some research to understand the economic and environmental repercussions, good or bad,  that such a project could potentially have on West Michigan.

The wind turbine project is being proposed by Scandia Winds, LLC of Chanhassen, MN and its Norwegian partner, Havgul Clean Energy. Scandia Wind has dubbed the project “The Aegir Project”. They have developed an informative website for the project. To read more, visit http://www.scandiawind.com/Aegirproject.html

Suggested view of what a Wind Farm could look like.

Similiar projects are proposed in various parts of the country. To read about these projects, and see photos of other proposed projects, visit the ecopolitology blog at http://ecopolitology.org. The photo above is courtesy of ecopolitology.org.

The Industrial Wind Action Group has a site that demonstrates some of the local community members’ concern about the Aegir Project. You can view the page at http://www.windaction.org/news/25129

An article on MLive.com has generated many comments, both for and against the project. To read the article and comments go to http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2009/12/wind-farm_developers_face_hurd.html.

Legislation has been introduced to the Michigan State House of Representatives to issue a moratorium on permitting or leasing for offshore wind energy development. Rep. Geoff Hansen (R-Hart) introduced House Bill 5671 to legally prohibit development of a project until the state has had a chance to institute oversight measures. You can review this bill at http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(mptgzfaeef3jy1uojajhws55))/mileg.aspx?page=GetObject&objectname=2010-HB-5761

It is my intent to provide you with the tools to form your own educated opinion on this matter. If you would like to voice your opinion to your local representatives in Government, here are some links to some local Government Officials:

Rep. Geoff Hansen (R-Hart) http://www.gophouse.com/welcome.asp?District=100

State Rep. Dan Scripps (D-Leland) http://101.housedems.com/

State Senator Gerald Van Woerkom (R-Muskegon) http://www.senate.michigan.gov/gop/senators/vanwoerkom.asp?District=34

Governor Jennifer Granholm (D-Mich) http://www.michigan.gov/gov

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich)  http://stabenow.senate.gov/

U.S Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich) http://levin.senate.gov/

U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich) http://hoekstra.house.gov/

For tips on how to effectively communicate with your government representatives, visit http://www.congress.org/communicate

Get Creative and Sell More Homes

If you’re like me, you’re sick of hearing the phrase, “Think outside the box.” I’ve been outside the box for so long now, I can’t even see the dang box anymore!

I have had some success this year by utilizing some unorthodox means to get my real estate deals in Oceana County closed, however. The most prominent, by far, is not even original, just a resurgence of an old practice from the ’80’s. That’s right, the infamous LAND CONTRACT.

I have two pending sales right now that I wouldn’t have had I not been able to educate both buyer and seller as to the benefits of a land contract (or a purchase money mortgage, but that’s a whole ‘nother blog in and of itself).

In one of these deals, I represented the buyer, and the seller was not offering LC as one of the terms. My buyer had a three year old foreclosure, was working on repairing some credit divots, and financing wasn’t looking likely. My home buyer needed a home, though, so I got flexible. I took the time to prepare a package that would excite the seller, and convince him to entertain a land contract. This is the step that I think a lot of people are missing.

The package contained a credit report, a letter of explanation regarding the failings of the credit report, income verification (including length of employment), proof of funds for the down payment, our offer, and our earnest money deposit. Working with the seller’s agent, we presented the package, and the seller accepted our offer.

Now, I have had many calls from agents who will call on one of my listings and just ask, “Will the seller take a land contract?” In most cases, the answer would simply be, “No.” (Unless, of course, the seller and I had already agreed to that in the original listing contract.)

I have taken to getting in the practice of asking the agent to prepare a package like I described above. I then present the whole package to the seller, and have been pleasantly surprised when a few of them changed their stance and accepted a land contract offer.

I’m not suggesting that land contracts are the answer to everything. Obviously there are issues that come into play that must be addressed, such as “due-on-sale” clauses which are in most every mortgage agreement. The seller may also need the funds to move onto their next home. So no, LC’s are not for every situation.

I do firmly believe, however, that if you’re not educating your buyers and sellers on the possibilities of a land contracts and purchase money mortgages, you’re missing out on business, and I don’t know anyone in Michigan that can afford to do that these days.

Mortgage Rates Begin to Climb

After staying fairly consistent around 4.75% through late April and most of May, mortgage rates began a climb last week. Today they are a full percentage point higher than they were this time last month. This is not entirely unexpected, since noone believed we could maintain historic low interest rates forever.

So how does this affect the average home buyer?

Let’s assume you are borrowing $100,000, at a fixed rate, for 30 years.

If your rate were 4.75%, your monthly payment (principal & interest only) would be $521.65.

If your rate were 5.75%, your monthly payment (principal & interest only) would be $583.57.

With an interest rate difference of just 1%, you would pay an additional $61.92 per month.I don’t know about you, but I could use an extra 60 bucks a month. It might buy me a tank or two of gas at today’s prices.

But let’s look at the bigger picture: How much interest you will pay over the course of the 30 years.

At 4.75%, you will pay $87,794 in interest on your loan after 30 years. At 5.75%, you will pay $110,085 in interest. That’s a difference of $22,291!

I’m writing this with the hope of visually demonstrating to you how critical it is that you buy a home at the lowest interest rate possible. I know many people are holding out on buying a home, waiting for the best time to get the best deal. If interest rates continue to climb, you may have already missed the peak opportunity.

If you wait, and interest rates climb another percentage point to 6.75%, you stand to pay an additional $23,411 more in interest than if you bought today at 5.75%.

In addition to still being able to get a good interest rate, the first time home buyer tax credit is only available for 5 more months. Combine the $8000 from the tax credit with what you would save in interest, and you are looking at over $31,000 in savings. Do you have $31,000 to waste?

I’m not even going to start in on how low the home prices are today. I think you can see already that now is truly a great time to buy. If you would like more information on the benefits of buying a home today, please visit my website and contact me today for a personalize home buying plan that fits your individual needs.

Harborview Condos in Pentwater, MI

Welcome to Harborview Condos in beautiful downtown Pentwater, Michigan.

Harborview Condos in downtown Pentwater, MI

Relax, and make yourself at home in one of our luxurious condominiums overlooking scenic Pentwater Lake. Watch sailboats drift by on their way to the nearby channel as they head out to Lake Michigan. Do some crowd watching as the thousands of tourists walk the streets of downtown Pentwater. Grab your towel and head down to Charles Mears State Park for a swim in Lake Michigan. Or take an afternoon charter fishing trip at the marina and try your luck on “the big lake.”

There’s always something to do in Pentwater.

Whether you’re a regular visitor to Pentwater, or this is your first time, you owe it to yourself to stop in and check out Harborview Condos. Starting at just $299,000, you can’t afford to miss this opportunity to make Pentwater your summer destination.

Our website, www.pentwatercondos.com will be up soon. There you’ll be able to find out more about the condos,  Pentwater, and how you can own a piece of West Michigan Paradise. In the meantime,  call or email me to schedule a showing today!