If you are as confused about insurance as I was checkout this article from Bankrate.com.  It is excellent at explaining what insurances you don't need, the ones that really aren't much, if any, help to you but really help line the pockets of the insurance company.  I don't completely agree with the article on 1 type of insurance noted here: Flood insurance I believe is vital if you are in the 100 year flood plain.  My belief in this is the result of being in a lot of floods and seeing the devastation the Mississippi caused along the eastern border of Iowa this year. This article will help you get on a firmer footing with your insurance company, if they have you in one of the insurances noted in this article get them on the phone or better yet visit them in person, take this article, ask... 09/27/2008

Location of Property: 621 IOWA STREET, Storm Lake Iowa 50588 The described property will be offered for sale at public auction for cash only as follows: Date of Sale        12/02/2008     Time of Sale 10:00 AM       Place of Sale BUENA VISTA COUNTY SHERIFF OFFICE 411 EXPANSION BLVD                 STORM LAKE                    IA                                  Judgment Amount Accrued Costs         Costs                  Interest          Sheriff's Fee's $65,609.43                     PLUS                       $1,082.00                      $6,411.29                Pending Attorney Gregory Kreitner   126 WEST SECOND ST  MUSCATINE, IA 52761       09/24/2008

Want to learn more about our area; check out the Storm Lake Iowa Chamber of Commerce website.  It is a great starting place to learn about what this area has to offer, what's going on and how to get involved.  There are links to local businesses, events, organizations, the new destination park (king's Pointe), the water park, housing, government offices and officials, etc..........  Some of the most recent news in our area has included a large furniture and flooring company coming to town, the reinstatement of the land purchase option by the ethanol plant looking at the possibilities of building a plant between Alta (4 miles to the west) and Aurelia, the work on the AWAYSIS Project and the new condos.  There is also a rumor that there are 2 large companies looking at Storm Lake as a sit... 03/11/2008

Check out the mass of information on consumer home buying by Elizabeth Weintraub. I really like the newest article posted there http://homebuying.about.com/od/buyingahome/tp/072007LoseHome.htm Top 10 ways to lose your home.  I see these mistakes a lot, especially with first time home buyers.  There are a lot of good programs out there for outstanding financing for your first home.  Elizabeth also has great info on 1st time home buyers.  This is a scary time for many 1st time home buyers with all the gloom and doom portrayed by the media.  If you are thinking of buying your first home, get a great advocate on your side, one who can help you with every detail, including discussing different financing options and shopping your loan around.  If your Realtor can't do that, do you really have... 03/11/2008

Who cares you say, in the long run you will because this simple calculation will produce a ratio that combined with your FICO score will determine what your interest rate will be and even if you can get a mortgage.So how do you calculate your Debt to Income Ratio - Add all the following:1) Current Mortgage2)  Credit Card Payments - Minimum times at least 23) Home Equity Loan payment4) Student Loan Payments5) Furniture and other installment payments6) Alimony and child support payments7) All other monthly payments (orthodontics, karate lessons, etc)Got that Number? ______________________________ TOTAL Next add up all your monthly income,  Net not gross (the amount you get after all deductions have been taken out).1) Monthly pay2) Other annual income like rental property, side business - ... 01/25/2008

  As you can see I love photography, I am learning how to work with a new program that lets me do all kinds of things with photos.  The pictures above are: 2 local churches and 2 homes.  Next week I will have a new Picase Album with more winter pictures of the local area so check back.  We have some very unusual homes and buildings in our area. Stop by kick back, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the photography! 01/15/2008

Published on October 27 in the Storm Lake Times is an article by the local real estate brokers that details the awesome market we are experiencing here in Storm Lake and Alta Iowa. Check out the previous blog entries that give my view of this phenomenon. Interviewed are th Brokers from C21, Real Estate Specialists of Storm Lake and Re/Max - all agree the market is doing well as compared to the general national market.  Visit www.stormlake.com for the full article.  Let me know what you think of our market and how it has impacted you. 10/29/2007

In reading a lot of the national press and the posts on real estate blogs the real estate is suffering nationally.  Well, not here, we are located in north west Iowa and our market is still smokin hot even though this is the time of year that it usually slows down.  We do have really ugly winters here, blizzard alley and all that you know.  We are seeing an increase in foreclosures, especially in loans that are from out of the area.  Foreclosed houses that are listed with a Realtor do not stay on the market long, our remodeling industry is also very strong.  I am part of that industry and teach other how to become part of that industry to develop financial security. 10/10/2007