UCAN

Loan modification, deed in lieu, short sale, walk away, jingle mail, work-outs. You cannot turn on a TV, pick up a newspaper, or even walk down the street without hearing these terms. In this deluge of information it's becoming more and more difficult to know which services are legitimate, whether or not you should pay for these services, and what if anything is a fair price to pay for these services. Oh and did I mention there may be tax implications you have to consider.

So your behind or feel you will soon be behind in your mortgage payment, your interest rate has sharply risen, and you need to do something to ensure you can stay in your home. Even if in the long term you would prefer to sell your home and move on.

First off beware of scams. The California Department of Real Estate has a long list of individuals and companies served with "cease and desist" orders for engaging in improper loan modifications and/or foreclosure rescues.
As a general rule of thumb avoid anyone who wants you to sign over your property to them or pay upfront fees. It just isn't necessary. A good place to start is with HUD certified housing counselors. They either charge no or very low fees, have to be upfront about everything, and should be able to help you organize necessary documentation and explain the process. If any of these certified counselors are anything less than upfront let the Fraud Squad know so that the word may spread to other consumers.

If your thinking of getting help from an attorney, check and see if the attorney has been subject to any disciplinary actions and check with individuals and sources you trust to help you find out if the Attorney is someone you should be seeking help from. Then find out what the attorney's rates are for helping you with the loan modification and what work the attorney intends to perform for that rate. Since you can apply for a loan modification yourself think over whether having an attorney handling the issue is really in your interest at this point. There is no guarantee that even with the help of an attorney your loan will be modified, so find out upfront if the attorney will help with other pre-foreclosure options if the loan modification is not approved and what additional charges, if any, would apply.

Remember though no one cares more about your financial state than you and you can always try to get your own loan modification. The benefit of using a certified housing counselor or other service is the ability to have someone (hopefully with experience) help you go through the process and push through some of the delay tactics lenders might utilize. As much as you might want the problem to just go away and let someone else handle it you really should stay informed and make sure upfront that the person assisting you is going to keep you in the loop.

As for the process it will likely take months, not days, not weeks, but months. Despite this a lot of key decisions have to made (by you!) early on. Many of the decision you have to make depend on your circumstances and when you decide to pursue a loan modification. Are you only anticipating missing payments, but have so far kept your payments up? Are you behind on your mortgage payment but haven't been told by your lender that they are starting the foreclosure process? Have you received a notice of default? Have you received a notice of sale?

The answer to those questions will dictate not only the type of response you get from your lender, but the actions you need to take. For instance if you have already received a notice of sale then the first thing you need to do in discussing the modification is to get the lender to postpone the sale, and don't just accept the lenders word it will get done get it in writing, this is your house after all. The key here though is do not wait that long. You should start the process as soon as you that in your current situation you will not be able to keep up with the monthly payments.

If you have not fallen behind on your payments you may want to try refinancing your mortgage rather than modifying. Depending upon who your lender is you may qualify for refinancing even if you are underwater.

The next thing you need to be aware of is that you may not get a loan modification. Your lender will connect you with its loss mitigation department and may offer various options including forbearance, a repayment plan, a partial claim (depending on who owns the loan), or modification. There are different benefits and drawbacks to each option. Remember, your lender does not have to offer you anything and you do not have to accept any offer they make. If the offer from the lender does not seem fair to you or will not help you keep your home in the end, you can reject it. A lender may be willing to offer more than one resolution so do not feel that a situation is "take it or leave it."

If you ask for a loan modification and your lender is willing to consider it they will next request a myriad of financial documentation detailing income (paychecks, W-2s), monthly expenses, a statement of hardship, and anything else the lender may desire. Send these documents certified mail that way you can prove that your lender received the documents, the last thing you want to deal with is your lender constantly telling you to resend documents because they did not get them.

After receiving your document your lender will review those documents to determine if they will grant you a loan modification. If the lender agrees to grant you a loan modification do not just sign the document, rather read the document over carefully, find an attorney (preferably pro bono) to assist you if you are unclear on any of the terms. Remember it might have been unclear terms in the lending agreement that lead you to this point in the first place so make sure you are not just delaying the problem, but have actually been offered a real solution. Again do not assume that this is the only deal you will get and if it does not help it is not worth taking, but it is worth notifying government organizations and the Fraud Squad if lenders are not offering solutions that actually help consumers.

If you do not receive a loan modification and you know you will not be able to keep up with your mortgage payment then it might be time to turn to some of the home leaving options or prepare as best you can for the foreclosure process.

Miracles don't happen often enough in our world. But when I decided to start growing my own fish and food in his garage, then you know that there's some divine intervention because I don't fish and I've got a brown thumb that makes all leafy things tremble. So how did I become Farmer Michael? One word: AQUAPONICS.

I became intrigued with aquaponic home farming when I realized that he might be able to cut my water consumption by up to 90% and could harness the excess power generated by my photovoltaic array that is pumping out over 100kwhrs each month MORE than I use. OK, and I realized I could make some money, to boot. I've  never denied being opportunistic when it comes to making money rather thanspending it.

Aquaponics is an old concept but it is using some mid-level technology in pumps and timers. The cool thing about aquaponics is that it recreates a natural biosystem without the need for any added
fertilizers, chemicals, or pesticides. And some experts have estimated that they require only 10% of the water normally needed for regular farming. Michael is carefully measuring his usage so that he can
verify aquaponic advocates' claims.
As in nature, the plants and fish sort of scratch each others' backs. The scientific term is "symbiotic". In short, the plants keep the water clean and, in turn, the fish feed the plants. Well, sort of. Actually, the waste from the fish tanks is treated with natural bacteria that converts the waste, largely ammonia, into nitrates that are used as essential nutrients by the plants. In turn, the plant roots serve to filter out this waste, so that the fish poop doesn't despoil the fish tanks. Everything stays clean and well fed.

The only regular farming activity needed is feeding the fish and that's handled by an automatic fish feeder that feeds them twice daily. Only a small amount of water is needed periodically to replace water that gets evaporated over time. And because I built the system in my garage, there is even less evaporation and no pesticides required because catapillars, worms, meal bugs and other creepy crawlies don't like my garage.

The entire system is powered by the electricity generated by my photovoltaic system. So the sunlight powers the pumps and lights that grow the plants and keep the closed system water circulating. And if that isn't cool enough, I can contract with companies who will buy the fish and vegetables that he grows, pay him for whatever he doesn't use personally, and then sell it as organic, locally-produced product. No trucks importing the food from other states. No oil-based fertilizers or pesticides. The only non-solar energy required is the effort to harvest the fish and plants. (which he's not all that happy about, but is sated by the money he'll be making).

While it sounds complicated, it really wasn't. I contracted with Grow Foods, a local installer of aquaponics systems. None of the equipment is patented so anyone can do it. For about $2000, they shipped and assembled the system.

They also provided the tilapia and shrimp that will grow in the tanks. As for the plants, I chose to grow assorted lettuces, basil, tomatoes, peppers and french green beans. The high-nitrogen fertilizer generated through fish waste promotes especially lush foliage. And the special full-spectrum grow lights give all of the light that the plants need to thrive, while giving bugs nothing to live upon. 

Aside from plants and fish, the other major component of aquaponics is the water itself. That said, carefully monitoring the water's pH, which determines acidity, is of the upmost importance to ensure safe levels for the fish. Water quality testing equipment is very important to ensure that both fish and plants remain healthy. Michael also has to keep an eye on dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and chlorine. Within the first two weeks, the beneficial bacteria stabilize and little additional maintenance is needed thereafter.

The progress and details of my new aquaponic miracle garden will be charted and provided.   Click here for a more detailed description of the experiment. And, if you like video,  Click here for a three minute video about the installation.

In the meantime,  here's lot of information about this installation that might help you decide whether and how to create your own aquaponics miracle. 

Vendor:   John Choisser
Grow Foods, Inc.
17005 Castello Circle
San Diego, CA 92127
jchoisser@growfoodsinc.com
www.growfoodsinc.com
858-414-1007

To see the specs for my project,  click on the 4 X 4 specs attachment below. 

To see the owners manual (8-pages),  click on the 4 X 4 manual attachment below.

If you've got an outdoor pool that is just too expensive to maintain and you are thinking of getting rid of it,  THINK AGAIN.  It could turn out to be the perfect aquaponics site.   Just fill with fish and place growing pans over it for the plants.  Your old pool can become a serious money-maker!

Does your credit card company want to keep you as a customer?

You've had that credit card for years. It has a pretty good interest rate, and you have been paying above the minimum monthly amount owed as often as you could. Yet inexplicably the company raises your interest rate and lowers your credit limit to just above your balance. The company does not even bother to give you sufficient notice they lowered your limit and you risk facing penalties for exceeding that new limit, which not so coincidently is right above your outstanding balance.

So what should one do? After deciding whether you want to continue to do business with this company, the next step may be to complain to customer service about the change. If you have been a good customer, essentially holding up your end of the agreement you should call customer service and insist they lower your interest rate back down, and restore your credit limit. You have the power to cancel the card and take your business elsewhere and that is a strong negotiating tool.

Put the ball into the credit card company's court and say you should decide between keeping a good customer or losing a good customer. As consumers we have a choice of who we do business with and maybe it is high time some of those too big to fail companies felt a little push back from their customers so that maybe they will realize customers are too important to abuse.

It is not as if it is wrong to expect the company you do business with to adhere to the terms of its contract regardless of whether it reserves the right to change those terms at any time.

WATER USE: HOSE v. CARWASH

Home car washing is the sacred cow of water regulations. The agencies that regulate water use, from supply to storm drain, really don't like letting people wash their cars at home. Everything about it is wrong: too much water used (even with a cut-off nozzle, chances are good the car's spa day will use at least 110 gallons) and dump filth, petrochemical particles and dirty water into storm sewers, where they go straight into the watersheds.
Commercial car washes use an average of 35 gallons of water - equal to a 17-minute shower, when they wash your car. If they recycle, between 15 percent and 60 percent of that water is past its first use. In fact, almost all car washes use dirty water for the first dousing of the car as it moves down the line. http://www.carwash.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/Research/Consumer%20Study/Consumer%20Study%202005%20Key%20Findings.pdf
"You can recycle up to 40 percent of the water easily and inexpensively," says Yogi Mody, who owns the Body Beautiful chain of carwashes. ""With the 20 percent to 30 percent rate increases for water, recycling becomes more cost effective and we'll be looking to recycle more."
Those that don't recycle, treat their dirty water to remove all the road grit and soap before they put it into the sewer - not the storm drains. Both recycling and the treat-and-dump methods come down to storage tanks, where the dirt settles to the bottom.
Then it's filtered and either reused or dumped.
"Rinsing requires pure or near pure water," Mody says. "But our wheel blasters- the toughest and dirtiest job - use recycled water."
Recycling water is more expensive than the treat-and-dump method, and that puts the best practices car wash at an economic disadvantage. Randy Cressall, a board member for the Western Carwash Association, says he had a reclamation system installed at his Valencia-area carwashes for more than $100,000
The International Carwash Association has launched a Wate.r Saver certification program that will certify carwashes and give them advertising tools. But, right now, they don't have a list.

(We're working on getting a list for our readers.)

COIN OPS NOT REGULATED

Coin-operated car washes aren't regulated by the water or wastewater departments. But they don't appear to use much water - estimates run from 12 to 20 gallons for the 4-6 minutes that we scurry around the car trying to get the tough spots cleaned.
It isn't clear if the soapy water ends up in the storm drain or in the sewer, where it will be treated - but it's still much less water than home washing and Cressall says they're probably using soaps that are less harsh than the ones people who wash at home tend to use.

GAS STATION CARWASHES

Most aren't regulated beyond having a grease trap.  

DRY CLEANING THE CAR

There are plenty of water-less car washing solutions for home use - with varying degrees of green-ness and elbow grease. But be prepared to work. After squirting the stuff on the car, most products require two rubdowns with microfiber towels to rub out dirt and then finish the job.
The green-ness of the waterless wash products range from certified Green Logo products to petrochemical based stuff, so read the labels and pick your poison.
Freedom Waterless Car Wash products and NoWet Waterless Carwash, as well as World Klass and Dri-Guard'n Wash all get high marks from testers. (Google any of the brand names here and you'll get there quickly)

They aren't cheap - the least expensive is listed at $15.99 a bottle, though it's probably less at Walmart. A stack of microfiber towels - and the cost of washing them later - is part of the bargain.
Professional detailers have recommended a product called Poor Boy's World and they swear by many of the other waterless wash products. Mobile detailers we've talked to use a variety of approaches to cleaning from waterless spray-ons to water from the nearest tap.

But if you must wash at home, the best methods for saving water and beach life involve a hosing and a bucket - with plenty of elbow grease as well. Be sure you've got a nozzle that cuts off when you aren't using it - the average hose runs at about 11 gallons a minute.

Rocky, a pro detailer, describes his method on a Consumers Reports blog. http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2008/08/tips-for-the-do.html?resultPageIndex=1&resultIndex=1&searchTerm=car%20wash

He says:

ROCKY'S METHOD
The Green Car Wash (aka the holesbath).
Tools needed:
1- 5 gallon bucket with fresh water. (Rinse bucket)
1- 5 gallon bucket of fresh water with 1oz of soap.
4- microfiber cloths @ 16x16.
1- oz concentrated car wash soap, I only use Cherry bomb.
1- synthetic chamois.
1- 32oz dipping cup or empty coffee container for rinsing.

Preparation is the key. Use name brand car wash soap.

Starting with the roof, using 1 microfiber cloth, dip into oap bucket and wring out lightly. Using forward and backward
strokes, complete entire roof and front and back windows. Now mmediately dip your 32 oz container into the fresh rinse water bucket and rinse the entire roof and windows. Next use your synthetic chamois and dry those areas.

Proceed to the front hood and wash the entire area including the lights and bumpers. Again rinse and dry. Continue in this pattern around the rest of the vehicle. Now that same soap bucket is used to clean the tires and rims. Rinse and you're finished almost.

With 1 microfiber cloth dipped and wrung out tight, from the fresh water bucket and one dry microfiber cloth clean your windows.

Finishing Touches
Spray a microfiber cloth with Detailers spray wax, using the same pattern used to wash the vehicle. Apply to small areas and with a dry microfiber cloth wipe the spray wax off. Shazamm!
This process will give your baby a silky smooth finish with BLING.

And leave the dish soap - the car wash solution more than half of us reach for - in the house. Since it's formulated to strip off oils, it's bad for your car, bad for the storm drain and deadly for the critters at the other end. Your lawn might not like it either.

END