From Home Again:

Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, in collaboration with the Financial Guidance Center (FGC), continues its series of Twitter Town Hall events, with the next occurring on April 21.

This event, an initiative of the Home Again: Nevada Homeowner Relief Program, will give Nevadans the opportunity to ask housing counselors questions related to new home ownership, credit restoration, loan modification, eligibility for down-payment assistance and other free resources available to Nevadans.

"The Home Again program, which is in its second year of operation, has already successfully assisted thousands of Nevada residents. However, consumers are still in need of resources, and we want to make sure they get the housing help they need," said Masto.

Monday, April 21, 2014 3:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m.

Next upcoming twitter town hall dates in the series include: Tuesday, May 6, 2014 1:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. Monday, May 19, 2014 3:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. Monday, June 2, 2014 3:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, June 17, 2014 1:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. Monday, June 30, 2014 3:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m.

Nevadans will have the opportunity to communicate live with counselors and ask housing questions via Twitter. Participants are asked to use the Twitter hashtag #AskHomeAgain when asking their questions. Twitter users can follow @HomeAgainNevada to receive updates on Home Again resources and events.

All Nevadans may contact Home Again by calling toll-free 1-855-HLP-4-NEV (1-855-457-4638) or by visiting HomeAgainNevada.gov.

Assistance is available in English and Spanish.

From Home Again

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Nevada Attorney General Announces April 21 Twitter Town Hall

Chicago Home Restoration
http://www.dexknows.com/business_profiles/chicago_home_restoration-b3186976 Welcome to Chicago Home Restoration! As a leading provider of fire, water, sewer ...

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Chicago Home Restoration - Video

By Suanne Huffman, correspondent

Wood planking, cornices, doors, windows, rafters, rusty radiators, clawfoot bathtubs. These items arent stocked on most store shelves.

At Salvage Barn in Iowa City, though, most of the inventory is at least 50 years old. Signs of wear and years is the rule, not the exception.

Beneath the peeling paint and rust or in some cases because of it theres inspiration, and not just for do-it-yourself types and contractors rehabbing older homes.

Perhaps fueled by Pinterest, the Salvage Barn, a warehouse specializing in historic architectural building materials operated by Friends of Historic Preservation, has seen more and more crafters digging through bins and rummaging through piles at the warehouse at the East Side Recycling Center, 2401 Scott Blvd., Iowa City.

Rusty, dusty or musty, they wanted it. Who can ignore bins heaped with items for 25 to 50 cents each?

They turned old windows into picture frames for graduation gifts, dresser drawers into flower planters, an old sink into a potting table and a table from siding and rafters.

With a little elbow grease, nothing is too old or damaged to turn into something beautiful, says Executive Director Alicia Trimble.

That mantra will be on display Saturday at the Salvage Barn and Friends of Historic Preservations first reuse-themed craft fair Craft Your Environment.

The event promotes the mission of the barn sustainable use of materials by showcasing the work of 30 artists and crafters from the region who reuse, repurpose and restore items that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

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Home feature: Craft time

Triangle Legacy Promo 27 (home restoration)
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OLEAN A spring tradition returns this weekend.

From Friday to Sunday, the Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting its annual Home and Garden Show inside the William O. Smith Recreation Center. Show hours are from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Attendees will have the opportunity to speak with area experts and learn about construction, decorating trends, accessories, cabinets, appliances and more from more than 70 vendors. Displays at the weekend-long event include patios, window replacement, siding, heating and air conditioning, pools, spas, furniture and computer technology, among others.

The show will feature many workshops and demonstrations aimed at giving attendees the upper hand in home care and maintenance.

Notably, Chris Zizza from the National Wood Flooring Association will give two presentations on how to install, restore and maintain hardwood floors. Shanna Miller-Clark, a representative of Millers Farm Market, also is scheduled to give two presentations on gardening and how to get children excited about gardening.

Bob Harris, a certified master gardener through the Penn State Cooperative extension, also will be on-hand to answer gardening-related matters.

Representatives from Home Depot are also slated to host workshops on deck restoration.

From noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, attendees are invited to sample and vote on the drinking water of area municipalities. The taste test is hosted by Cattaraugus County Health Department.

Outside the William O. Smith Center, 6V Sales and Service from Bradford, Pa., will have motorcycles and ATVs on display for eligible drivers to test.

The chamber will host a free raffle for several prizes, including the grand prize of a MasterBuilt Pro Dual Fuel Smoker, which retails for $179; the second prize of a portable fridge, which retails for $129; a third prize of two pendant lights, which retail for $96; and a fourth prize of a plug-in cooler for a car. Winners will be announced at 4 p.m. Sunday

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Olean's Home and Garden Show returns this weekend

Colombe and Marcelo have arguably the best backyard in Houston. The 9- and 5-year-old children, along with their parents, Matt Emal and Shannon Langrand, live on the 24th floor of One Park Place, the high-rise just across the street from Discovery Green.

"The expected route in Houston is that after you have kids you move to a cul-de-sac in the suburbs, but that just wasn't us," said Langrand.

The married couple, who own advertising and marketing agency Langrand & Co., didn't expect to become a family of urban dwellers. They bought a historic house in the Heights in 2002, but after 11 years and two kids, it wasn't fitting their needs.

"The second floor was built out from an attic space, and Colombe didn't like to be upstairs by herself, so she only slept in there. The only space downstairs was the living room, the dining room and the kitchen, so we all stayed in those three rooms all the time until it was time to go to sleep," said Emal.

As they planned an extensive renovation on their house, Langrand found herself craving a place with less maintenance and more amenities, the kind of experience she has in hotels when she travels for work. The couple decided to rent downtown while their house was under construction, a temporary adventure for themselves and the kids.

To their surprise, they liked their new apartment so much they decided to sell the house and stay.

"I grew up in a town of 400 people, and it reminds me of that because you see people every day that you say hello to - the guys downstairs, the people on the elevator," said Langrand.

Then there's the perks that come with posh high-rise living. The kids love to play in and around the pool, while Matt has joined groups of residents who watch football games on the giant screen in the building's media room and Shannon holds client meetings in the conference space. They also reserved the media room to throw Colombe a "Funny Face"-themed birthday party, complete with a movie screening and fashion show around the pool - and for the most recent Langrand & Co. holiday party, they transformed the party room into a 1970s Swiss ski chalet.

The two-bedroom apartment itself is just under 2,000 square feet, but an open floor plan includes several individual seating areas so that the family can share the space without feeling on top of each other.

Facing the kitchen and next to the kids' shared bedroom, the space intended as a study has been re-purposed into a media room, with a closet that has been converted into a computer and study nook for Colombe.

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Houston family bucks tradition to create artful, high-rise abode

Friday, April 11th, 2014 Issue 15, Volume 18.

The bad economy and the crash in the housing market has been a significant reason why millions of American families lost their home to either short sale or foreclosure. What was once considered to be a negative stigma that society looked down upon has now become so common that everyone knows someone who has gone through at least one of these events.

Many started to lose their homes back in 2007 with many more following through 2010 and beyond. Even today, there are many homes in jeopardy of being lost. What many people dont realize is that it is possible to buy another home, sooner rather than later.

The common belief has always been that it would take seven to ten years for the credit to clean itself up and put the borrower back in a position where a bank would be willing to loan them money for another home. This has all changed.

While it is technically possible for a borrower to qualify for a mortgage as soon as 12 months after either a bankruptcy, short sale or foreclosure, most borrowers will not qualify under the guidelines established by the FHA in their "Back to Work" program; especially once individual lenders complicate the process by imposing their own layers of qualifications.

These overlays make it near impossible for most borrowers to obtain a home loan in anything less than two years after their bankruptcy, short sale of foreclosure.

The key to obtaining a new mortgage is to start rebuilding credit as soon as possible. Many smart people going through bankruptcy for example will "reconfirm" several of their debts never missing a payment. Usually a reconfirmed debt will be for an auto loan, a student loan or even the current mortgage. Once the bankrupt has been discharged, it is imperative that not one single payment is ever late again. By maintaining an "on-time" history with your creditors, the mortgage underwriters will look more favorably upon your application any late payments and you are seriously risking a discretionary denial by the underwriter.

Credit accounts are rated by the credit bureaus by several aspects which not only include the payment history but the length of time the account has been open as well as the available credit. For example, an unsecured credit card with a $2,500 limit that has been open for five years may produce more points on the consumers FICO score than an account with a $5,000 limit that has Advertisement [ Casa Tiene Vista ] only been open less than a year. This will be especially true if the larger account reaches closer to the borrowing limit that the smaller one that never goes over half of the available credit limit.

The absolute minimum credit a bankrupt, foreclosed or short sale borrower will require is three accounts for 12 months without having any negative activity at all during this time frame. In order to reestablish credit quickly, many borrowers will apply for three different secure credit cards the day after their bankruptcy is discharged or their foreclosure/short sale is finalized and recorded with the County Recorders Office.

Borrowers should avoid at all costs applying for an unsecured credit card or other consumer debt until they have re-established their credit profile. Chances are greatly stacked against the borrower because inquiries will only bring down their credit score.

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Boomerang home buyers is it time to buy a new home?

Log Home Repair Virginia | Log Home Artisan, Inc.
Visit http://loghomeartisan.com/ for log home repairs in Virginia. Log Home Artisan, Inc. is a full service log home maintenance, restoration repair compan...

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April showers will soon taper off and the warmth of May is in sight. You can shake off winters chill, help raise money for a local charity and get a history lesson by taking a home or garden tour in your area.

Take note: Some of the tours listed below are on foot, while others involve driving. Check the organizers Web site for more information .

April

Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage: Prince Georges County This home and garden tour will raise funds for the Prince Georges County Historical Society and an effort to create signs for the historic sites of Upper Marlboro. April 26, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 410-821-6933. http://www.mhgp.org. $30 in advance, $35 the day of the tour.

Historic Garden Week: Old Town Alexandria Co-hosted by the Hunting Creek Garden Club and the Garden Club of Alexandria, this walking tour includes homes from the late 18th and early 19th centuries on South Lee and Duke Streets. April 26, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 804-644-7776. http://www.vagardenweek.org. $35 in advance, $40 the day of the tour.

Historic Garden Week: Clarke County-Winchester This tour features four homes in Millwood and White Post. It is co-hosted by the Winchester-Clarke Garden Club and the Little Garden Club of Winchester. April 26, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and April 27, 1-5 p.m. 804-644-7776. http://www.vagardenweek.org. $25 in advance, $30 the day of the tour.

Historic Garden Week: Middleburg and Upperville Of the five historic properties featured on this tour, two predate the Civil War. The tour is co-hosted by the Leesburg Garden Club and the Fauquier-Loudoun Garden Club. April 27, 1-5 p.m. and April 28, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 804-644-7776. http://www.vagardenweek.org. $35 in advance, $40 the day of the tour.

Historic Garden Week: Fairfax County-Historic Vienna Hosted by the Garden Club of Fairfax, this tour covers four homes and gardens in Viennas oldest neighborhood, Ayr Hill, and Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. April 29, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 804-644-7776. http://www.vagardenweek.org. $25 in advance, $30 the day of the tour.

Takoma Park House and Garden Tour Takoma Parks 41st annual tour, titled Spirit of Holly Avenue, will showcase homes between Eastern and Philadelphia avenues that reflect the evolution of Takoma Park from the 1880s through post-World War II. May 4, 1-5 pm. 240-393-6060. http://www.historictakoma.org. $18 in advance, $20 the day of the tour.

May

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Local home and garden tours

MANILA, PhilippinesNow, we are all home.

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle on Wednesday welcomed back thousands of parishioners and devotees and a host of special guests and VIPs to the storied Manila Cathedral, resplendent with its glimmering lights, shiny marbles and fresh paint, after two years of massive repair work and restoration.

In his homily at the concelebrated Holy Mass to mark the reopening of the cathedral, Tagle stressed that the basilica, which has been repeatedly destroyed by earthquake and fire in its colorful history spanning four centuries, continued to rise because of the peoples generosity and expertise.

Presidential family

We cannot reconstruct, rebuild and strengthen the church without generosity of the spirit, he told the guests, which included President Aquino and his sisters Kris Aquino, Ballsy Aquino-Cruz and Viel Aquino Dee, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and wife Loi Ejercito and Senate President Franklin Drilon.

Tagle also thanked those who lent their expertise in rebuilding and restoring the 16th-century cathedral and the nameless people whom he had encountered on the street, giving him their share of donation as small as P50 just to help in the reconstruction of the church.

The cathedral was closed to the public starting Feb. 7, 2012, to make way for the work that took more than two years. The cathedrals origin date back to the 16th century. The endeavor, the first to be made on the structure since 1958, cost roughly P120 million.

In an assessment made two years ago, cracks were noted on key sections of the basilica, which compromised its structural integrity. It also revealed that some of its columns and beams did not meet the standards set by the 2010 National Structural Code of the Philippines.

It just dawned on me that I took canonical possession of the Archdiocese of Manila on Dec. 12, 2011, and one of my first decisions as a new archbishop was to close my cathedral, he said, drawing laughter from the churchgoers.

To rise again and again

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Tagle: We are all home, in the house of our God