Community Magazine May 2012

Mortgage Matters Larry Aboudi, Senior Mortgage Consultant Why to Buy (and How). Deciding to purchase a home is a big step, but with interest rates near historic lows and lots of homes for sale, home ownership may be more attractive than ever. our first-Time home buyer’s kit and handbook offer these bits of advice for those who are considering buying a home: 1. Owning versus renting: When you add up the tax benefits of owning a home versus renting a home, it costs no more to be a homeowner than it does to rent, in many cases. With this in mind, why help finance your landlord’s financial goals when you can own your own home and, as your equity grows, increase your savings for the future, as well? 2. Does credit score affect my ability to secure a home loan? While your credit score does affect this process, with credit repair services, government loans, and other programs and strategies, homeownership can be a reality for anyone willing to put in the necessary time and effort. 3. Is there a difference between pre-qualified and pre-approved? There’s a world of difference. a pre-qualification is a statement based often on unverified financial data. a pre-approval, however, is a decision to loan, and carries a lot of weight with sellers. With a pre-approval, you are essentially a cash buyer, and not only do you know exactly how much you can afford, sellers will take your offer much more seriously knowing you are pre-approved. Picture It Morris Antebi, Photographer Common Sense Camera Care. unless you’re a heavy duty thrill seeker, the top camera damaging culprits are easily avoidable. 1. Never remove your memory card while the camera is on. 2. keep your (non-water proof) camera away from water and from excessively humid environments for extended periods. 3. Remove the batteries from your camera when it isn’t going to be used for extended periods. 4. always wear the wrist or neck strap connected to the camera while it is out of the case. accidental drops are the number one cause of damage, so this is probably the most important tip for keeping your camera working for many years. They are the trained professionals, experts in their fields and masters of their domains. Community magazine’s savants share their best tips on how you can make your life a bit simpler, more economical, and more efficient. Are you a savant in your field? Email your hints and advice to editor@communitym.com. Tech Know Morris Massry, Technology Partners Assoc. Future Tech: Google Project Glass augmented reality. That’s what Google’s secretive X labs have packed into a wearable display that projects icons and information into your line of sight. The visual display provides contextual information and lets you do just about anything a smartphone would, from texting and geo-social check-ins to turn-by- turn directions – all without lifting a finger. No word on when we will see it become a real product, but a working model was recently spotted on Google co-founder sergey brin . Installation and Password Free Video Chat. Meetings.io provides video conferencing, audio chat, instant messaging and notes, all without the hassle of program installation or usernames and passwords. simply press the button on their homepage, share the (ultra-short) url link provided with other participants, and voila – you’ve created a video conference call. Screen and file sharing abilities are also in the works, to make this site truly bookmark-worthy. Savant 44 Community magazine