|
November 2006 Newsletter
1. Real Estate Update - Why Aren't
home prices Crashing?
2. Interest Rates are Coming Down
(especially on 2nd Mortgages)
3. Stop
the Credit Bureaus from Selling Your Financial Information
4. 1st Installment of Property Taxes
are officially due on Nov. 1
5. Thanks for Voting us
Best Real Estate Firm 2006
6. Trigger Reports - Why you
get bombarded by strangers for loan offers and how to stop it!
7. Commercial Loans Now Available
- Wholesale Pricing Now Available in the Commercial Loan Market
8. Chemical in
Curry May Help Immune System Clear Alzheimer’s Disease
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.
Real Estate Update - Why Aren't
home prices Crashing?
by Sunil Sethi
Everyday the papers publish yet another study
about how home prices will decline this year. The last one I saw from Moody's
said they expected a 14% decline national, however for the bay area there
prediction was less than 0.2%. So if you buying something for $800,000 we're
talking $1600.
What I'm seeing in practical terms is that in communities with strong attraction
(schools, location, prestige) prices are stable. In communities that offer no
strong appeal you can negotiate a 1-2% discount (again if it sold for $800,000
last year expect $8-16K discount). The bay area has little room for new
development so demand will always exceed supply, which means stable prices,
except for when the economy tanks. Remember recessions produce desparate
sellers. Fortunately, our economy is going gang-busters.
For those of you still interested in buying investment property in the outlying
areas (Stockton, Merced, Yuba City, Bakersfield) I'd go in with the expection
this will be a 5-10 year investment. There's a lot of land in those area for
future development, which will make future appreciation a slower dog.
My Selling Advice - expect a longer sale cycle and be more accomdating to buyers
- realize price is determined by demand.
Buyer's - When you find a property you like, don't hesitate, this is the time to
buy. In the spring there will be more buyer's and the more desirable properties
will get more bids. Avoid the competition by buying now.
Latest Housing Stats:
Apple Appraisal Statistic s Page
Bay East Stats Page
back to top
2.
Interest Rates are Coming Down
(especially on 2nd Mortgages)
If you bought or refied in the last 12 months,
there's a good chance you can improve the rate on you 2nd mortgage and maybe
even your 1st. Give me a call and I can run your scenarios.
back to top
3.
Stop the Credit Bureaus from Selling Your Financial Information
Trigger Reports - why your phone
doesn't stop ringing
Would you like to stop getting phone calls for
mortgage refinancing? I just found out that Experian started selling "Trigger
reports".
Anytime anyone has a credit inquiry for a credit card, auto or home loan.
Experian will sell that person's credit info to anyone else willing to pay 30
cents/contact. Included in that report, is your name, credit scores and credit
history.
Some state senators are looking into blocking this practice. Individual you can
stop them from selling your financial information by registering yourself at the
National Do Not Call Registry
. Experian says they scrub against that database every 30 days before they
sell their contacts who've had inquiries on their credit.
Also if you want to stop firms from sending you credit card and insurance
requests in the mail here's the
National
Opt-Out Site
back to
top
4. 1st Installment Property Taxes are due
Your 1st Installment is due on Nov. 1 and will
be late if not received by Dec. 10. If you can't find you bill, go online and
get it at
http://www.sunilsethi.com/property_taxes.htm
There's no good excuse for not paying your tax
on time. New home buyer's don't forget about your supplemental bills.
back
to top
5.
Thanks for Voting us
Best Real Estate Firm 2006.
Thank you for taking the time to vote and
helping us win again the title for Best Real Estate Firm 2006 by readers of the
Argus.
back to top
6. Trigger Reports - Why you
get bombarded by strangers for loan offers and how to stop it!
The credit bureaus have a new revenue source. They are now selling your
personal credit information every time a pull on your credit occurs. Apply for a
new home loan and its guaranteed your phone will ring non-stop each evening with
offers to finance and refinance. If you don't want your personal info passed
along to anyone willing to pay 30 cents, register yourself at the
National Do Call Registry.
They say they scrub against this database every 30 days before selling your
info.
While your at it go and register at the
National OptOut Prescreen,
which stop all those credit card and insurance offers from being mailed to you.
back
to top
7.
Commercial Loans Now Available - Wholesale Pricing Now Available in the
Commercial Loan Market
Just like you can get a better deal getting
your residential loan from a wholesaler. Now banks have started wholesaling
commercial loans. Give me a call with your scenario and I'll let you know what's
the best rate available.
back to top
8.
 Chemical
in Curry May Help Immune System Clear Alzheimer’s Disease
Reservations in Indian Restaurants Spike 200% (just kidding)
By Rachel Champeau
Date: October 3, 2006
UCLA/VA Study Finds Chemical Found in Curry May Help Immune System Clear Amyloid
Plaques Found in Alzheimer’s Disease
UCLA/VA researchers found that curcumin — a chemical found in curry and turmeric
— may help the immune system clear the brain of amyloid beta, which form the
plaques found in Alzheimer's disease.
Published in the Oct. 9 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, the early
laboratory findings may lead to a new approach in treating Alzheimer's disease
by enhancing the natural function of the immune system using curcumin, known for
its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties.
Using blood samples from six Alzheimer's disease patients and three healthy
control patients, the researchers isolated cells called macrophages, which are
the immune system's PacMen that travel through the brain and body, gobbling up
waste products, including amyloid beta.
The team treated the macrophages with a drug derived from curcumin for 24 hours
in a cell culture and then introduced amyloid beta. Treated macrophages from
three out of six Alzheimer's disease patients showed improved uptake or
ingestion of the waste product compared to the patients' macrophages not treated
with curcumin. Macrophages from the healthy controls, which were already
effectively clearing amyloid beta, showed no change when curcumin was added.
"Curcumin improved ingestion of amyloid beta by immune cells in 50 percent of
patients with Alzheimer's disease. These initial findings demonstrate that
curcumin may help boost the immune system of specific Alzheimer's disease
patients," said Dr. Milan Fiala, study author and a researcher with the David
Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care
System. "We are hopeful that these positive results in a test tube may translate
to clinical use, but more studies need to be done before curcumin can be
recommended."
The patients ranged in age from 65 to 84. Fiala noted that the patients whose
immune cells responded were younger and had higher scores on a Mini-Mental State
Examination suggesting that curcumin may help those with less advanced dementia.
Some of the patients may have already had additional curcumin in their systems
due to participation in another UCLA study, which may have impacted findings.
"Our next step will be to identify the factors that helped these immune cells
respond," said Laura Zhang, a study author and a UCLA/VA research assistant in
Fiala's lab.
Fiala noted that the method researchers used to test the immune cell response of
macrophages may provide a novel way of evaluating the effectiveness of drugs in
clearing amyloid beta from the brain and may help to individualize Alzheimer's
disease treatment.
According to Fiala, macrophages are the soldiers of the innate immune system —
the part of the immune system which is present at birth. Curcumin may support
the body's natural immune fighting function in directly helping macrophages
clean away amyloid-beta. The treatment of macrophages with curcumin is radically
different from some of the vaccine approaches currently being studied.
The study was funded by the Alzheimer's Disease Association and private donors.
The curcumin derived drug was provided by the Sabinsa Corporation, a company
that manufacturers phytonutrients and specialty chemicals for nutritional,
pharmaceutical and food industries. Fiala participated in a speaking engagement
for Sabinsa.
Other study authors include: Michelle Mahanian, Justin Zaghi and Mark Rosenthal
from the Department of Medicine, Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare
System and David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; John Cashman of the Human
BioMolecular Research Institute, San Diego; James Sayre of the Department of
Biostatistics, UCLA School of Public Health; Araceli Espinosa of the UCLA
Department of Neurobiology; Vladimir Badmaev, Applied Pharmacology, Sabinsa
Corporation, New Jersey; Michael C. Graves, UCLA Department of Neurology; and
George Bernard, UCLA Department of Neurology and Division of Oral Biology and
Medicine, UCLA School of Dentistry.
back to top
 
Remember: FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS
BUY OPTIONS ARMS
| 
