I Was a Dentophobe and Grace Family Dental in Worcester, MA Saved My Smile!Dentophobia, or fear of dentists, is a common phobia among people of all ages. It is sometimes related to iatrophobia, or fear of doctors, as well as trypanophobia, or fear of needles. Dentophobia may be mild or severe, and can eventually lead to devastating consequences.When I was a kid I had braces like many others.  Unfortunately for me I was cursed with soft enamel from having lots of medication when I was a baby (yeah, I know, that explains alot).  The combination of the two meant that when my braces were removed chunks (whatever you picture when I say chunks, think BIGGER) of each of my teeth came off.  I had over 20 hours of restorative work done by our old school, this is all your fault for not brushing, ... 02/26/2011

365 Things to do in Worcester County - Shaolin Kung Fu in Worcester.    When I was a kid, my saturday afternoons were taken up by being glued to the TV, watching kung fu movies.  I was so inspired by watching the cool martial arts, that I joined the local Karate school and took lessons until I got to Brown belt.  I took Taek Wan Do and it was fantastic!  Even now I think back fondly and miss my experience. Well Worcester is offering many martial arts schools and one that caught my eye is Shaolin Kung Fu.  On Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, September 20, 2010 - September 20, 2011, Maury's Kung Fu Academy will be offering classes6:00 PM-8:00 P. Maurys Kung Fu Academy 1326 Main Street Worcester, MA 01603 Google Maps - MapQuest They teach a traditional Northern Shaolin Kung Fu sty... 02/25/2011

365 Things to do in Worcester County - African Art exhibit in Worcester.  Art of Africa: Objects from the Collection of Warren Robbins ar on Display now. Come see the collection of African art on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, January 27, 2011 - March 31, 2011 College of the Holy Cross: Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery 1 College Street Worcester, MA 01610-2395 Google Maps - MapQuest Hours: M - F 10 am - 5 pm; Saturdays 2 - 5 pm; closed Saturdays March 5 & 12 during spring break Art of Africa presents more than 60 objects including sculpture, textiles, beaded clothing and jewelry, which broadly represent the creativity and diversity of artistic expression of nearly 30 cultures of sub-Saharan Africa. The exhibition will illustrate the broader cultural con... 02/24/2011

Today Fannie Mae announced the start of the  Servicer Total Achievement and Rewards Program, also known as the STAR program. This new program is designed to rate and evaluate mortgage servicers' performance in supporting the housing recovery by helping homeowners avoid foreclosure. This will be implemented as a type of report card for mortgage servicers. The hope is that it will guide the servicers to focus on customer service and make sure they are doing everything possible help home owners. If these servicers do well they will receive incentives. Fannie Mae's scorecard gauges a servicer's effectiveness based on criteria in four areas:roll ratessolution delivery (how many homeowners were helped)workout effectiveness (how many workouts are sustainable)timeline managementThis seems like... 02/24/2011

Answering Questions from a Real Estate Seminar One Day at a Time As I continue to give a blogging recap of the seminar I was a part of I want to touch base on another question that the attendees to the meeting had. "I hear there are going to be some changes to FHA what does that mean to me as a first time home buyer?" This question was asked to me last week and I did my best to thoroughly answer it. As many of you may have heard, FHA like many other government agencies is running low on cash reserves. They are required to have a certain amount in reserve to cover potential losses. As you can imagine high unemployment and deflated home values have put pressure on these reserves and there is now a need to do something about it. The way FHA fill look to aid in these requirements is by char... 02/24/2011

365 things to do in Worcester County - get to know all sides of Worcester.  If you have been following my blog for any extent of time, you will know that Worcester County, especially Worcester has a lot of things to do.  In fact, that is the main reason I committed to writing a blog called 365 things to do  in Worcester County.   Today I want to focus on each individual side of Worcester - East, West, North, South.  Yes, just like people, the City of Worcester has many sides.  East Side Some may consider that the city's East Side is the heart and soul of its cultural diversity.  From the roots of  mill and factory workers, the people of East Side have created and devloped their home filled with great restaurants, unique festivals, and a true spirit of community.  Green Hill Park, Worces... 02/23/2011

The last city in my "What's in Worcester County" series, Worcester is the largest city in this county. Worcester is known as the "Heart of the Commonwealth" and is New England's second largest city. Worcester is known for the city's arts, fine dining, entertainment and diverse neighborhoods. Worcester is in the 01601, 01602, 01603, 01604, 01605, 01606, 01607, 01608, 01609, 01610, 01612, 01613, 01614, 01615, 01653, 01654 and 01655 zip code and 508 and 774 area code.Founded: 1722Population: 182,596Size: 38 sq. milesTax Rate: $15.15 per thousandSchools:http://www.city-data.com/school/Worcester-Massachusetts.htmlWebsite:www.ci.worcester.ma.usLooking to buy or sell a home in Worcester? Give me a call! 02/23/2011

365 Things to do in Worcester County - Join a local Worcester gym to get fit.  Ask any knowlegable person and they will tell you all the benefits of regular excersize.  My favorites are weight loss, muscle tone and clear skin.  I feel less tired when I eat right and excersize.  So to get you started on your 365 Things to do in Worcester County - Join a local Worcester gym to get fit, I'm bringing you a list of local gyms and their addresses.  If you take advantage of their offerings, please let me know and if you see result, let the world know.  Good luck: Amethyst Point Holistic Center 232 Chandler St 508-753-3975 Bally Total Fitness 535 Lincoln St 508-854-2100 bodyMATRIX 70 Winter St 774-280-0487 Community Yoga 51 Hamilton St 508-410-4076 Eazy Fitness 344 Chandler St 508-552-0020 Fami... 02/23/2011

365 Things to do in Worcester County - See Goya exhibit in Worcester Art Museum.    Francisco Goya, considered by some the father or modern Art, has come to Worcester County in the form of an exhibit at the Worcester Art museum.  From the onset of the nineteenth century until his death in 1828, Francisco Goya presented the subject of bullfighting in both paintings and prints. The Worcester Art Museum is fortunate to have complete sets of his two major print series on bullfighting, The Tauromaquia, which loosely documents the history of Spanish bullfighting, and his lithographic masterpiece, The Bulls of Bordeaux."The bullfight serves as a controversial symbol of Spanish national identity. Likewise, this exhibition showcases Goya's complicated, sometimes ambivalent relationship to the sp... 02/22/2011

Matt Polsky from the VA Mortgage Center, www.vamortgagecenter.com wrote this article for my blog to help our veterans through the VA Loan Process. Thank you Matt! Any further questions can be directed to Matt at mpolsky@vamortgagecenter.com.The 7 Basic Steps of the VA Loan Process Acquiring a home loan can seem like an overwhelming task to any prospective home buyer, but the VA Home Loan program offers an easy and streamlined process to get veterans and active duty service members in to their homes as quick as possible.  To help guide prospective borrowers through the Massachusetts VA Loan Process, a list of 7 basic steps have been provided below: Speak with a VA Loan Specialist A VA loan specialist will be able to answer any questions you have regarding a VA home loan.  They will be ab... 02/22/2011

This afternoon, I took a Webinar on "Discovering QR Codes" and I found it so fascinating! As an old dog, it's been difficult for me with some of this new technology but I have to adapt if I want to be always one up in this real estate business. Here are the steps I took to create my own code:1. Visit www.qrcode.kaywa.com and enter in your url. The code generator will show your code and you can save it as a JPG file.2. You can then order stickers of your code at www.stickerscan.com. I was able to order small code stickers for my business cards and weather proof stickers for my signs. All at $3.75!YOU CAN TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS!Have fun creating your own QR Code!   02/21/2011

Rate Outlook for the Week Starting February 21st It's going to be a huge week of economic data in store for this week. When we top that with the geopolitical market pressures in the Middle East right now it could be a wild ride for the stock markets and the interest rates. Tuesday 9AM Our beloved Case-Shiller Index: This tracks the monthly changes in real estate values across 20 US regions. We have been hit with some bad reports as of late and look for the trend to continue tomorrow. Let's cross our fingers and think positive no matter what 10AM Consumer confidence: By definition the Conference Board compiles a survey of consumer attitudes on present economic conditions and expectations of future conditions. This report has been strong as of late but may be running out of steam Wednesd... 02/21/2011

Answering the questions from a real estate seminare ond day at a time As I blogged about last week I was on a panel for a local real estate company as they hosted an industry news seminar. It was basically an open forum discussion focusing on the changes and challenges that correspond with today's market. I had a few request to give my point of view in regards to the questions that were asked so everyday this week I will discuss one of the questions.   How will the changes with Fannie and Freddie effect me buying a home? It's tough to say exactly at this point because Congress is going to throw it in a pork barrel and make a mess of it but here's what I think. There is going to be a shift to deleverage the banking system and the governments' involvement, in other words, Uncle Freddie an... 02/21/2011

Short Sale Frequently Asked Questions Worcester, MA (edit/delete) Welcome to Your Worcester County Massachusetts Short Sale  Site.  Your Site for Real Estate Help,  Answers & Action!         Frequently Asked Questions   What is a Short Sale?In the world of Real Estate, a short sale refers to the sale of real property for an amount less than the amount owed on the property. In the short sale scenario, the bank agrees to accept less than the full balance due on the debt, and usually ‘forgives' all or a large portion of the difference.   How will the Short Sale affect my credit?Short Sales are still a relatively new concept. Banks have the option of submitting the short sale to the credit bureau as "Paid in Full" or "Settled for less than full balance". As far as your credit score is conce... 02/21/2011

Just finished reading the first two chapters of "Surviving your Serengeti" by Stefan Swanepoel and I have to say that now, I just have the buy the book! Each book sale supports the African Wildlife Foundation as well!The book gives you 7 skills to master your business and life but first quizzes you on what animal type you are and how you can adapt to each situation.After taking the quiz, I discovered I am the giraffe of Serengeti and I surely can picture myself in this picture above overlooking the sunset! Some of the giraffe characteristics outlined in the book were: Positive Attitude Charm Elegance Grace Kindness  Putting others first and making them feel important Honor, respect and dignity Nurturing others without expecting recognition Take the quiz for yourself!http://www.serengeti... 02/21/2011

Happy Presidents' Day! Even though this was for JFK, I thought this "Happy Birthday" tune was appropriate for today. ENJOY! 02/21/2011

365 things to do in Worcester County - practice your opera singing in Worcester - Anyone who wants to improve their opera singing abilities, now has a venue.  The Aria Sing program is held in Worcester at Briarwood Community Center at 2:00 pm.  The dates that are left for this year are February 20, 2011, March 13, 2011, and April 17, 2011. The room conisist of a small, lit stage and a baby grand pianno.  No warm - up room is available so come ready to sing.  There is a nominal donation of $10.00 for the accompanis, Olga Rogach.  To sign up for singing slot, or for more information please email the Aria Sing coordinator, Karen Amlaw, at aria_sing@worcesteroperaworks.com.   Aria Sing "Aria Sing" is a program that enables professional singers and seriously studying amateurs get together ev... 02/20/2011

365 things to do in Worcester County - Enjoy Cape Town Phil at Mechanics Hall in Worcester.  Once again I'm inviting my readers to visit Mechanics Hall and this time to listen to the Cape Town Phil Harmonic.  The interesting part of this thing to do in Worcester Count, is that the soloist, Philippe Quint stars in an upcoming feature moview called Downtown Express.  Pillippe who plays the violin is in the movie with singer and song writer Nellie McKay.  The director, David Grubin is a multiple Peabody and Emmy award winning director.  The producer, Michael Hausman has movies like Gangs of New York, Amadeus (which is one of my very favourites), and Brokeback Mountain.  Here we have an interesting mix of Art imitating life.      DownTown Express is an authentic musical love story, chronicl... 02/20/2011

An alternative to the FHA 203k renovation loan for 2nd homes and investment properties I'm sure many of us are familiar with the FHA 203k renovation loan, a fantastic mortgage product for purchases and refinances but from what I'm hearing not many real estate professionals are aware of Fannie Mae's renovation loan product called the Fannie Mae HomeStyle loan. In this market there is a growing amount of people who are thinking about buying that "fixer upper", but they don't want it to be their primary home. Instead, they want to buy a "fixer upper" for a second home or investment property. So how can these clients get financing? I thought 203k loans where only for primary residences, you are correct, but Fannie Mae has a good alternative for your cliental.   Eligible Improvements There i... 02/19/2011

  365 Things to do in Worcester County - Volunteer on Tuesdays at Wachusett Meadow in Princeton.  Love nature and want to volunteer, but have no idea how to start?  Well, I have a solution for you.  Why not join Mass Audubon every and any Tuesday from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm Mass Audubon: Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary, 113 Goodnow Rd., Princeton, MA - FREE Learn about nature as you assist with a variety of property, maintenance, and ecological management projects such as gardening, buildings and grounds work, trail clearing, wildlife monitoring, and animal care. Independent, seasonal projects are also available. Projects are primarily outside, but some inside projects are sometimes needed. Ability to work without supervision required. Nature lovers appreciated. For ages 16 and older. ... 02/18/2011