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Monday, October 25, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Governor's Conference on Housing and Community Development
ATLANTIC CITY - Approximately 1,200 housing professionals, government officials, developers, lenders, nonprofits and consultants are gathered today at the Atlantic City Convention Center for the start of the 2010 Governor's Conference on Housing and Community Development being hosted by the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA).
Over the course of the next two days, conference participants will learn ways they can navigate today's turbulent economy and advance housing projects in communities throughout the state. Attendees can also get acquainted with programs available to help distressed homeowners avoid foreclosure, including the New Jersey Home Keeper program announced last week.
"The conference theme "Opening Doors" was picked for an important reason. Sometimes in downturns such as this it can seem as if doors to better times are shut and locked," said DCA Commissioner Lori Grifa. "But opportunities and assistance continue to exist even for people in the most challenging situations. Governor Christie's announcement last week of the New Jersey Home Keeper program is a prime example."
The New Jersey Home Keeper program, to be launched in January 2011, will be administered through the HMFA and is designed to assist unemployed and underemployed homeowners make their monthly mortgage payments for up to 24 months. New Jersey will receive $112 million in federal dollars through the Hardest Hit Fund, a federal foreclosure prevention initiative, for the new program.
The New Jersey Home Keeper program will provide a zero percent interest rate, deferred payment mortgage loans to unemployed and underemployed homeowners, who through no fault of their own, are financially unable to make their mortgage payments and are in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure. Loans will be capped at $48,000 per household and will not exceed 24 months.
The new program will be addressed today in one of the nearly 30 sessions available to conference participants. The conference will feature five workshop tracks, each of which will focus on different aspects of housing deals. The workshop session topics range from supportive housing, homelessness prevention and affordable housing design to energy efficient retrofits, tax credits, financing strategies and urban agriculture.
Attendees will also hear from world-renowned architect and designer and New Jersey native Michael Graves, FAIA, who is the luncheon keynote speaker. Since he founded his practice in 1964, Graves has designed more than 350 buildings worldwide, including the Walt Disney World Dolphin and Swan Hotels, as well as the award-winning Human Building in Louisville, Kentucky.
Conference highlights include:
Tuesday, September 28
Keynote Address Luncheon – 12:15 p.m.
DCA Commissioner Lori Grifa
Michael Graves, FAIA
Bus Tour of Atlantic City Community Development Projects – 2:30 p.m.
Participants will tour Atlantic City's innovative community development projects and learn how they are opening doors for a more sustainable future.
Wednesday, September 29
Excellence in Housing Awards Luncheon – 12:30 p.m.
The HMFA will honor eight organizations and one individual in recognition for their outstanding work in housing development.
The annual Governor's Conference on Housing and Community Development is sponsored by the Department of Community Affairs and the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, a DCA affiliate. For further information about the conference, please call (609) 278-7400, or log on to http://www.nj.gov/dca/hmfa/.
Over the course of the next two days, conference participants will learn ways they can navigate today's turbulent economy and advance housing projects in communities throughout the state. Attendees can also get acquainted with programs available to help distressed homeowners avoid foreclosure, including the New Jersey Home Keeper program announced last week.
"The conference theme "Opening Doors" was picked for an important reason. Sometimes in downturns such as this it can seem as if doors to better times are shut and locked," said DCA Commissioner Lori Grifa. "But opportunities and assistance continue to exist even for people in the most challenging situations. Governor Christie's announcement last week of the New Jersey Home Keeper program is a prime example."
The New Jersey Home Keeper program, to be launched in January 2011, will be administered through the HMFA and is designed to assist unemployed and underemployed homeowners make their monthly mortgage payments for up to 24 months. New Jersey will receive $112 million in federal dollars through the Hardest Hit Fund, a federal foreclosure prevention initiative, for the new program.
The New Jersey Home Keeper program will provide a zero percent interest rate, deferred payment mortgage loans to unemployed and underemployed homeowners, who through no fault of their own, are financially unable to make their mortgage payments and are in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure. Loans will be capped at $48,000 per household and will not exceed 24 months.
The new program will be addressed today in one of the nearly 30 sessions available to conference participants. The conference will feature five workshop tracks, each of which will focus on different aspects of housing deals. The workshop session topics range from supportive housing, homelessness prevention and affordable housing design to energy efficient retrofits, tax credits, financing strategies and urban agriculture.
Attendees will also hear from world-renowned architect and designer and New Jersey native Michael Graves, FAIA, who is the luncheon keynote speaker. Since he founded his practice in 1964, Graves has designed more than 350 buildings worldwide, including the Walt Disney World Dolphin and Swan Hotels, as well as the award-winning Human Building in Louisville, Kentucky.
Conference highlights include:
Tuesday, September 28
Keynote Address Luncheon – 12:15 p.m.
DCA Commissioner Lori Grifa
Michael Graves, FAIA
Bus Tour of Atlantic City Community Development Projects – 2:30 p.m.
Participants will tour Atlantic City's innovative community development projects and learn how they are opening doors for a more sustainable future.
Wednesday, September 29
Excellence in Housing Awards Luncheon – 12:30 p.m.
The HMFA will honor eight organizations and one individual in recognition for their outstanding work in housing development.
The annual Governor's Conference on Housing and Community Development is sponsored by the Department of Community Affairs and the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, a DCA affiliate. For further information about the conference, please call (609) 278-7400, or log on to http://www.nj.gov/dca/hmfa/.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
NEW JERSEY HOMEKEEPER PROGRAM
New Jersey's state Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency Website is at http://www.nj-hmfa.com/. Contained is the New Jersey Homekeeper Program which will provide zero interest deferred payment mortgage loans to homeowners who are unable to make payments, not due to their fault, and are near foreclosure. Loans will be capped at $48,000 per household. It is designed to assist unemployed, or the underemployed.
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Tuesday, October 12, 2010
MORTGAGE INTEREST RATES
Oct 7, 2010, Freddie Mac published interest rates for a 30 year fixed loan to 4.27 %. This is the lowest on records dating back to 1971. The Mortgage Bankers Association on Oct 6, 2010 published that applications for mortgages on home purchases rose to the highest level since May, 2010. Last week new standards including higher credit scores and down payments went into effect.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
NECK AND BACK INJURIES
FREQUENTLY, I AM ASKED TO REPRESENT PEOPLE WHO SUFFER INJURIES TO THEIR NECK AND BACK in car accidents. These injuries are unique in that they are difficult to completely diagnose initially and often worsen over time. To understand these injuries it is important to understand how our backs are constructed.
The spine is the structural support system for our head and upper body and it surrounds and protects the spinal cord. The spinal cord is the main nerve “Super Highway” from our brains to our various body parts. Many individual nerves “branch off” this “Super Highway” and run down to our individual body parts. This is why someone who suffers a neck injury with nerve impingement can feel pain, numbness and tingling in the hand and fingers even though they never suffered a hand injury. Picture a car accident that stops traffic at the “hand” exit ramp on the “Super Highway”. The effects of this car accident, no traffic, will ultimately be felt at the endpoint of the exit. The bones of the spine are called vertebrae. The bodies of the vertebrae are separated by discs. The role of the discs is to connect one vertebra to another while allowing for movement between them. Discs also contribute to the stability of the spine and provide shock absorbency. The easiest way to understand what a disc is and how it works is to picture a Zip Lock baggie filled with Jello. This Jello filled baggie is spongy and pliable and acts as a shock absorber between the bones of our spine (vertebrae). The vertebrae are at the front of the spine with bony components at the sides and back of the vertebrae that surround the spinal cord. The vertebrae have openings through the bone that allows the nerves exit the spinal column.
Our spine is divided into five segments. The neck, or cervical spine is the top portion; it is made up of 7 vertebrae. Below the cervical spine is the mid back or thoracic region, whose 12 vertebrae are attached to our ribs by cartilage. The low back or lumbar spine has 5 thick vertebrae. Below the lumbar spine is the sacrum, which lies between the two pelvic bones. It is actually one bone that was formed by the fusing of what initially were five. The lowermost segment is the coccyx, or tailbone.
Many have heard friends and/or relatives complain they have a “slipped disc”, technically, there is no such thing as a slipped disc. The more frequently used medical terms are “bulging disc” or “herniated disc”. Discs have a firm fibrocartilaginous outer shell (the Zip Lock baggie) and a softer, more gelatinous interior that contains a great deal of water, collagen and proteins (the Jello). Discs help to absorb the stress on the spine caused by everyday life such as moving, carrying, bending etc. In car accidents discs are most often injured in the neck and low back because this is the areas where there is the greatest movement and stress to the spine.
Sometimes due to the force of the impact and stress placed upon the spine the disc's outer shell (Zip Lock baggie) bulges out of its normal shape. This is called a “bulging disc”. This injury is less likely to produce significant nerve damage. This is because the baggie has not actually torn and so the inner gel (Jello) of the disc remains contained inside. As a result of suffering a bulging disc the immediate area may hurt because of irritation of pain receptors and other nerve endings, localized swelling and inflammation.
When the disc's outer shell (Zip Lock baggie) tears, or herniates, the inner gel (Jello) leaks out. Once the Jello is no longer contained in the baggie it can physically press on the nerve roots, where the nerves exit the spine, or on the spinal cord itself. This injury is called a “herniated disc”. Herniated discs can cause sensory symptoms such as numbness or tingling, as well as motor symptoms, or weakness. The type and degree of symptoms depends on which portion of the disc herniates and where or what the Jello is pressing on. Symptoms include neck pain, pain that radiating or travels from the injured disc down to another body part, and/or numbness or weakness into the arm or hand on the same side as the disc herniation. With a herniated disc pain is generally intensified with neck movement, especially leaning backward into an extended position. Turning from side to side can often further compress the nerve, increasing symptoms.
Over the years practicing here in Toms River and Ocean County I have observed many different types of treatment for neck and back injuries. This treatment includes but is not limited to; chiropractic manipulation, traditional physical therapy, oral pain and anti inflammatory medications, invasive pain management and unfortunately sometimes surgery. We are very fortunate to have many physicians specially trained and board certified to treat these injuries in the Ocean County area.
Monday, October 4, 2010
GMAC Mortgage Actions
Bloomberg News Published that GMAC Mortgage halted its evictions in 23 U.S. states under allegations of improper affidavits, associated with Foreclosure Actions of Real Estate Loans. The affidavits are alleged to be absent of personal knowledge of the loan file, and sometimes signed without a notary present.
New Jersey Law Division not bound by Municipal Court DWI Plea
The New Jersey Appellate Division decided this morning in State v. Enright, that the Law Division is not bound by an improperly granted order under State v. Laurick, 120 N.J. 1 (1990). The order in question provided that the defendant's previous municipal court DWI conviction could not be used for sentence enhancement purposes. However, the Law Division declined to follow the order based upon the fact that underlying relief should never have been granted in municipal court as the defendant was legally ineligible for relief under Laurick.
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