Brown Sugar Cake With Fresh Peaches

You might be wondering what this has to do with Real Estate?? Well really nothing except it doesnt take a gourmet kitchen to cook this. So moving along...I found this great cake while blog stalking a couple of weeks ago and finally decided to make it. WOW!! Is it GOOD!! I ate a small piece right after I made it and then had a piece the next day after it was refrigerated all night. I think I prefer it cold but it is all a matter of preference. TRY IT!! It is a great time of year to make it with Local peaches in season right now. Hope you enjoy!! Let me know...
Thanks to Makeandtakes.com for the recipe. Oh, and for the record, I used enough peaches to cover the whole cake on both layers and I also used my home-made peach jam I made last year.

Brown Sugar Cake with Fresh Peaches
by Lindsey Johnson

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup (12 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk

Frosting and filling:
2-3 ripe, but firm peaches, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup peach jam
Creamy Almond Frosting (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (For high altitude–375 degrees F.)

Grease and flour two 8″ or 9″ round baking pans* and line with parchment or waxed paper.

Whisk dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the shortening and sugar until very light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping the bowl down after each addition. Add the vanilla extract.

Starting and ending with the dry ingredients, add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk. Only beat until combined. Remove bowl from mixer base and scrape the sides and bottom with a large silicone or rubber spatula to make sure all the ingredients are completely incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly between the baking pans.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, checking after 30 minutes. The tops will be lightly golden and springy to the touch. (Insert a cake tester into the center–only a few moist crumbs should cling to the tester.)

Let cool for a few minutes in the pan, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Creamy Almond Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract, optional
about 2 Tbsp. heavy cream (or a few teaspoons milk)

Beat the butter at high speed with an electric mixer. Add 1 cup of the powdered sugar and the extracts (if using). Beat until light and fluffy. Add the remaining powdered sugar alternating with the cream (no more than 1-2 tsp. at a time), until you reach the desired texture. The frosting should be light and creamy.

Assembly:

Place one of the cooled cake layers on a serving platter. Spread half the frosting on the layer, arrange 2/3 of the sliced peaches over the frosting and spread 2/3 of the jam over the peaches. Top with second layer. Spread remaining frosting over the cake layer and top with the remaining peaches and jam.

Pumpkin Decorating Time

Pumpkins!! We all love them!! It is so fun to go to the pumpkin patch and pick out that perfect pumpkin to take home and carve. Some of you even grow your own. I have before but didnt have too great of success. Kind of like my garden this year but thats a whole other post. Pumpkins are not only for carving but can be used for decorating either inside or out. Check out these pictures for some great decorating ideas. Thanks to a great blog I was looking at who had these awesome iseas. Click on the link below for more pumpkin ideas. Thanks Centsational Girl!! The link:
http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2009/09/pumpkins-on-parade/#more-1426

How To Fight The Property Tax Assessor

Property taxes: How to beat 'emDo you feel like you are
Getting overcharged? Appeal your property tax bill the smart way.

Mortgage Rates
30 yr fixed mtg 5.27%
15 yr fixed mtg 4.72%
30 yr fixed jumbo mtg 6.13%
5/1 ARM 4.57%
5/1 jumbo ARM 4.92%

(Money Magazine) -- You know that your home's value has tanked. So why doesn't the blasted tax man?

Home prices fell 27% from the 2006 peak to the end of 2008, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Index, while the amount municipalities collected in property taxes rose 12% from 2006 to 2008.

There's a simple fix: Dispute your home's assessment -- and win. Simple, but not always easy. Municipalities are flooded with homeowners seeking tax reductions, and many towns are reluctant to deliver "because they can't find money anywhere else," says Leslie Sellers, president-elect of the Appraisal Institute.

That means your argument has to be airtight. Follow these steps to help the assessor see it your way.
Learn what you're up against

Each municipality's assessor reevaluates properties periodically, usually every one to three years. (Those who do so every five to 10 years often adjust assessments annually based on market factors.)

You can appeal your assessment in any year, as long as you do so within a certain amount of time after you get your tax bill -- typically within 30 to 90 days. Don't get a bill because you pay through mortgage escrow? Call town hall and ask for a copy.

In a few areas, your assessment must be off by a minimum percentage for you to make an appeal (in New Jersey, it's 15%). Call your assessor to see if such a limit applies.
Make like Nancy Drew

First, check the accuracy of your official property record, available online or in the assessor's office. Factual errors aren't uncommon. Prove that, say, your house has three bedrooms rather than four, and your tax can get lowered immediately.

Also gather info on comparable homes using real estate sites like Zillow.com or with the help of a realtor. I think Zillow rates properties a little high. Look for homes like yours within a mile of your address that sold within two months of the municipality's assessment date (usually Jan. 1) for less than your home's assessed value. (Forget about foreclosure sales -- most towns won't consider them.) If your home is older or smaller than the "comps" you found, adjust the price down; if you recently renovated, adjust up. Collect five solid comps -- more is overkill.

Next, informally discuss your findings with the assessor. He or she is probably inundated by angry homeowners, so stand out by being pleasant. "If you establish a rapport, it will be harder for him to tell you no," says Melinda Blackwell, a property tax attorney in Dallas. Can't get a meeting, or the meeting goes nowhere? Time for a formal appeal.
Test-drive a hearing

While some municipalities allow online appeals, most require in-person hearings, usually at the county level. File your appeal as quickly as possible so that you'll be at the front of an increasingly long line. (In Clark County, Nev., for example, 6,019 homeowners appealed their property taxes this year -- more than triple the number in 2006.) Can't get a date until after taxes are due? Pay up; you'll get a refund if you win.

While you're waiting, sit in on a hearing to see the format. When your turn comes, you don't need anyone to represent you. Just give board members a packet with copies of your tax statement, data on your five comps, and any additional evidence. For example, if you're arguing that your house's assessment should be lower than that of your neighbor's because yours has a leaky roof, include photos of both roofs and repair cost estimates.
If you lose ...

... and the annual amount you're being overcharged is at least a few thousand dollars, it may be worth it to make an appeal at the state level. In roughly half of states, you must do so through a state review board; in the rest, you file a complaint in state tax court.

You'll need a property tax attorney (or a property tax consultant if you're appearing before a board). To avoid hourly fees of $150 to $400, ask if your pro will take your case on contingency. Most demand half of your first year's tax savings. But remember: If you win, those savings should accrue for years to come.
If any of you have questions or need a little help just leave your information in the comment section or contact me directly.

The Flowers Are Blooming

It’s finally feeling like summer has arrived. I love summer, in fact I love all the seasons of Utah. We live in a beautiful State. With this beautiful season comes the beautiful blooms of all the flowers. My front porch is in full bloom and also are my favorite ORANGE flowers blooming in my yard. To some summer is just another season and just another time of season for the OTHER ORANGE flowers blooming around town. The OTHER ORANGE flowers grow like weeds and are sprouting up everywhere. Yes the ORANGE CONES are sprouting even in the middle of the road. Yes it is now road construction season in Utah too.

This year is like pretty much any other in most ways, but it seems a bit worse. We don’t have to worry about ice and snow hampering our way to work, but we do have to wait in a long line to squeeze through one lane. Which season is more frustrating? At least during road construction, we have a guide.

My Orange flowers wont last too long and hopefully either will the OTHER ORANGE flower. This won’t go on forever, of course. Sooner or later, the cold weather will return and the orange cones will wilt like any flower. Remember both will pass as the seasons change. But for now take your time and look at all the beautiful blooms all around us in this GREAT STATE OF UTAH!! Take time to smell the flowers.. the real ones and not the ORANGE CONES!!(In fact avoid the Orange Cone if you can, I believe they are in the POISON IVY family!!)

Making Money On Loan Modifications

There are many distressed home owners out there and by distressed I mean struggling to make mortgage payments. There are also a lot of struggling real estate agents trying to make their mortgage payments. I get at least one email a week outlining how I can get rich by helping home owners with loan modifications.

A loan modification, or loan mod as the spammers or scammers call them are when the borrower can renegotiate the payments with the lender. There isn't any need to pay for help with a loan modification because the borrowers can do it on their own or they can get help for free through a few non profits organizations. If any of you need the information or phone numbers for these, just let me know and I will send them to you. Remember it is FREE help.

As for real estate agents who want to get rich doing "loan mods" please make sure that the program you are getting involved with is legal in Utah, some of the for profit loan modification services are not legal. Different states have different laws and the mortgage and real estate industries are regulated at the local level.
Watch out for the following warning signs:

**Calls offering you buyback or lease-to-own options

**Offers to provide "Walk-Away" services

**Requests for your social security number

**Counseling that requires fees for services

**Offers for quick and easy fixes


From looking at my email I would say that the number of scams out there are at an all time high. Please be careful and if your real estate agent offers to help with a loan modification ask a lot of questions. Like I said I have information and phone numbers I can refer you to if you need help with your loan.

DUCKS LOVE THE RAIN

Well it seems like it has done nothing but RAIN, RAIN, RAIN for the last 2 weeks. I think the only person who enjoys all this rain is a DUCK. This happens to be a Mallard duck, your nature lesson for the day. At least someone is happy about the rain... if it keeps up I might wish I was a duck so I could just swim to go show houses!!

7 Maintenance Points for Spring...

When you fall in love with a house, it is so easy to overlook its bad points and the flaws in maintenance.

Still you have to be practical if you are making a major home purchase or if you just want to properly maintain your home.

Even if the house looks well maintained, you should give it this quick 7-point review.

1 Trees. Check them out. Dying trees and dead branches are an emergency waiting to happen. The first spring storm that comes around might give you some very serious damage. Look for bent branches, if you had a heavy snow storm in the winter. Look for tree roots peeking through the soil as it can suggest a shallow-rooted plant.

2 Pavement condition. To put it simply, cracks happen. Still, you should evaluate the pavement condition and ask yourself if it appears generally solid.

3 Gutters. They should be clean.

4 Air conditioner condenser. The first thing you think about when you look at a house is no doubt NOT the air conditioner condenser. But it is worth taking a look. The condenser should be free of debris, leaves and dirt.

5 Deck integrity. Look for areas of wood rot, chipping or raised fibers on the wood. Observe the overall strength and stability of the deck.

6 Garage door operation. Simply: Does the door open and close? That is not something you want to find out after you move in.

7 Downspouts. Look to see that rain is directed away from the foundation of the house.

You will know best how each of these points should be weighted. For example, you might expect a newer home to have a pristine driveway. Meanwhile, an older home packed with charm but might have a driveway with a crack or two. You'll have to decide how important each point is.