If you lose your job, HER Real Living (that's me) will pay your mortgage.

clipped from www.dispatch.com Real Living HER, the real-estate company based in Columbus, announced yesterday that it will cover some mortgage payments for clients who lose their jobs. The program is available to those who purchase a home through a Real Living agent and finance the home with Real Living Mortgage. The home must be purchased between June 1 and Aug. 31 and close before Sept. 30. If the buyer is laid off during the first year of ownership, Real Living will pay up to $1,500 a month on a mortgage for a maximum of six months. Buyers are covered for an additional year if the home they purchased was listed with a Real Living agent. Derrow said low interest rates and prices make this a great time to buy a home, but "given the economic uncertainties that exist, we felt … that we needed to provide our potential consumers the added confidence they need to take advantage of the market."

Friday, May 29, 2009, 2:23pm EDT

Real Living sets up protection plan

Business First of Columbus

Taking a page from auto manufacturers, Real Living HER has introduced a payment protection plan for home buyers.

Real Living HER, the Columbus region’s largest residential real estate company, announced Thursday that buyers who go into contract with a company agent between June 1 and Aug. 31 will be eligible for six months of mortgage payment protection if they lose their jobs.

Real Living HER is a division of Columbus-based Real Living Inc.

The mortgage payment protection is part of Real Living’s “Peace of Mind Plan,” which pays up to $1,500 per month of a buyer’s mortgage payment if the person involuntarily becomes unemployed during the first year after buying the home.

Eligibility requires buyers to use a Real Living HER agent, close on their home before Sept. 30 and finance the purchase through Real Living Mortgage, the company’s mortgage brokerage business.

Additionally, Real Living HER says it will extend the eligibility of its plan from one year to two if a buyer purchases a Real Living HER listed property.

The company is also offering the plan to homeowners who refinance through Real Living Mortgage.

“In today’s uncertain economy, Real Living HER is investing in programs like our Peace of Mind Plan to provide reassurance,” said Real Living CEO Harley Rouda Jr. in a released statement. “Our intention is to give home buyers added comfort, and help them achieve the American dream of homeownership.”

Real Living will offer plan details on its Web site, reallivingher.com, starting June 1.

ExxonMobil Says Yes to Gay Bias

The last of a dying breed!

clipped from www.advocate.com For the past decade a proposal to add sexual orientation and gender identity to ExxonMobil's official equal employment opportunity policy has been voted down by the oil company's shareholders. At the most recent vote more shareholders than ever voiced support for the protections -- but the proposal still failed. The Human Rights Campaign announced that 39.3% of shares voted in favor of the new policy this year, compared to 8.2% in 2000. Before merging with Exxon in 1999, Mobil included sexual orientation in its equal employment opportunity policy , but the wording was removed when ExxonMobil was formed. Since then, support for adding sexual orientation and gender identity to ExxonMobil's policy has grown, but not by enough to make it official policy. Meanwhile, 85% of Fortune 500 companies include sexual orientation in their nondiscrimination policies -- all Fortune 50 companies have it as part of their official policy -- and more than 35% include gender identity.

Annual Short North Neighborhood Yard Sale: Saturday, June 6th, 9am-3pm

clipped from www.victorianvillage.org Annual Short North Neighborhood Yard Sale Saturday June 6th - 9 am to 3 pm This year's yard sale will be even bigger and better than before.  The yard sale now includes all the neighborhoods of the Short North including Victorian Village, Harrison West, Italian Village, Dennison Place and The Circles. An exciting feature this year is the ability to register your sale online and have it appear in a listing and on a map that will be viewable by everyone.  This should really help promote your sale.  We will also arrange for pickup service by a local charity for any unsold items you wish to dispose of.  Last year there were over 150 registered sales in what has become the largest neighborhood yard sale in Columbus!  Please visit the link below to register your sale.  Registration Form

HRC's work in Ohio

In Ohio this past year, HRC has been particularly active with the business community, political events and faith based initiatives .

BUSINESS

One example in 2008 was the Corporate Equality Series Event in Columbus. In May 2008, the HRC Foundation, along with several sponsors including Nationwide, hosted a Corporate Equality Series event.

This half-day conference focused on GLBT issues in the workplace. Specifically, topics discussed included the business case for GLBT inclusion, the best practices for implementing domestic partner benefits, and workplace protections for the transgender community.

Donna James, the managing director of Lardon & Associates LLC was the keynote speaker. HRC Workplace Project Deputy Director Eric Bloem and Workplace Project Manager Samir Luther also presented.

HATE CRIMES AND ENDA

Some examples of the very strategic and collaborative work HRC has done this past year on the federal hate crimes legislation include:

•HRC members sent more than 15,000 letters and 800 constituent postcards to Ohio legislators in response to federal hate crimes legislation through local and national action alerts.

•HRC developed online campaign tools to generate contacts with senators about the federal hate crimes bill that were adopted and sent out by Equality Ohio.

•Conducted patch-through phone program to contact HRC members and supporters in two key Ohio congressional districts, resulting in more than 70 verified direct contacts between constituents and Members of Congress in support of the federal hate crimes bill.

•Sent informational update letters to HRC members and supporters living in the districts of key Republican Members of Congress who voted for the federal hate crimes bill, reaching more than 9,000 households in Ohio.

•HRC members sent more than 15,000 letters and 650 constituent postcards to Ohio legislators in response to federal ENDA legislation through local and national action alerts.

•Conducted extensive grassroots organizing in three key congressional districts in support of a fully-inclusive federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act. This work included retaining a high-level field organizing consultant to generate quantity and quality constituent contacts in support of ENDA in two of these three congressional districts.

2008 ELECTIONS

Some examples of the very strategic and collaborative work HRC did during the 2008 elections in Ohio include:

•Deployed six HRC staff members to Ohio, for periods ranging from one week to several months, to work on key state and federal election campaigns

•Conducted HRC Camp Equality trainings in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus, providing critical election campaign skills to more than 65 supporters of equality.

•Deployed two HRC Campaign College participants to work in Ohio for the final twelve weeks of the campaign.

•Established HRC Ohio Families PAC to raise funds for state-level election activities. Contributed more than $40,000 to state-level candidate campaigns and party committees in Ohio.

•Provided leading sponsorship for the Ohio Democratic Party 2008 State Convention.

•Mobilized HRC members and supporters throughout the state to volunteer for and vote for HRC endorsed candidates, with a series of special election-related e-newsletters and volunteer phone banks in Columbus and Cincinnati.

•Helped elect three new fair-minded Members of Congress, through these combined efforts, and a new fair-minded majority in the Ohio State House.

RELIGION AND FAITH

Some examples of the strategic and collaborative work HRC did recently with its religion and faith program include:

•Called to Be: An Affirming Dialogue with the Transgender Community: In Columbus, the Religion and Faith Program sponsored Rev. Malcolm Himschoot's participation as keynote speaker and preacher at this event, which reached more than 200 people in Central Ohio to raise awareness of transgender people, their contributions and concerns.

•Viewing Homosexuality Through The Eyes of Faith, a one-day symposium sponsored by the Toledo Cluster of Maumee Valley Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church, drew over 135 attendees at Christ Presbyterian Church in Toledo. Featured speakers included Dr. Jack Rogers, Professor of Theology Emeritus at San Francisco Theological Seminary and Moderator of the 213th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and Dr. David Myers, Professor of Psychology at Michigan's Hope College.

•Equality Ohio Prayer Breakfast in Columbus: Bishop Selders spoke to a group of nearly 100 people at a legislative prayer breakfast, co-sponsored with Equality Ohio. The purpose was to raise legislators awareness of LGBT issues, particularly the need for transgender inclusive employment protections, and to show them that clergy from all over Ohio support those protections.

Won't Back Down - help repeal Prop 8

clipped from www.hrcbackstory.org We Won’t Back Down May 26, 2009 1:46PM Michael Cole The California Supreme Court ruling brings bitter news: Proposition 8 will stand. While we take some solace that the loving couples who did marry in California will stay married, we are heartbroken. But we won’t back down.  Take a look at our new video we created in case this would be the reality we face and then join in the campaign to support marriage equality at www.WontBackDown.org. Also, read more about our work in California, including efforts already underway to help overturn Prop 8.

Restaurant Updates: Rosendale's, Thom's on Grandview, Handke's Cuisine, Bakery Gingham

Bakery Gingham, at 180 Thurman Ave. in German Village, has added all organic Hartzler Family Dairy ice cream to the product line, making cake and ice cream easier to come by. One easy combo: ice-cream sandwiches called Gingy Bars, which are halved brownies filled with ice cream ($3.50).

Thom's on Grandview Restaurant and Bar, at 1470 Grandview Ave., has closed to all dining except for private parties and events, owner Thom Coffman said.

clipped from www.dispatch.com Handke's Cuisine has opened a restaurant called encore in space above the subterranean Brewery District landmark to attract patrons with smaller appetites, less time or thinner wallets. On Friday, chef Richard Rosendale will complete the $40,000 split of his restaurant at 793 N. High St. into Rosendale's Modern Bistro, where customers have greater control over the meal, and Upstairs at Rosendale's, where the chef prevails. "We're still doing a lot of covers, mainly on weekends," Rosendale said. "But we've seen a shift in the economy and in consumers' interests. It isn't just that customers want to spend less, but the style of dining has changed to something a lot more social." And the menu is mostly new. Appetizers include baked potato poppers ($6.50), bison meatballs ($6.50) and white truffle popcorn ($5). Entrees include a bistro burger ($9), deep-dish pizza ($10) and roasted half chicken ($14).

52% of Central Ohioans Support Marriage Equality

Just getting around to posting this.

We still lose the state.

clipped from www.columbusdispatch.com As many polls have shown, those younger than 29 are more likely to support the legalization of gay marriage (49 percent, compared with 42 percent against). A majority (56 percent) in central Ohio also back the concept; all other areas oppose it. Democrats favor gay marriage, while independents and Republicans don't. Ohioans amended the state constitution in 2004 to define marriage as solely between one man and one woman. The telephone survey of 818 Ohio adults April 16 through 27 has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. The full poll can be seen at www.ipr.uc.edu/documents/op050809.pdf.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to Extend Benefits to Gay Partners

clipped from www.washingtonpost.com Draft Memo Outlines New Foreign Service Policies for All Unmarried Couples By Glenn Kessler Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, May 25, 2009 Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will soon announce that the partners of gay U.S. diplomats are eligible for many benefits currently denied them and allowed to spouses of heterosexual diplomats, according to lawmakers and others advocating the change. The Bush administration had resisted efforts to treat same-sex partners the same as spouses. Thus those partners were denied a wide array of benefits, such as paid travel to and from overseas posts, shipments of household effects, visas and diplomatic passports, emergency travel to visit ill or injured partners, and evacuation in case of a security emergency or medical necessity.

Free WiFi Available in Goodale Park..Thanks to Victorian Village Society

clipped from www.victorianvillage.org Free public WiFi access in now available in Goodale Park courtesy of Victorian Village Society and The Community Festival.  Access is available from 6 am to 10 pm seven days a week and is limited to 2 hours in any 24 hour period.  Please contact us at wifi@victorianvillage.org if you have any comments or suggestions about this service.

Breaking News: CA Supreme Court to issue prop 8 decision TUESDAY

clipped from www.hrcbackstory.org Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend because when it’s over the California Supreme Court will issue its ruling on Tuesday, May 26, at 10am pacific time on the constitutionality of Prop 8. To understand the legal issues at hand and the questions being decided by the court,  HRC’s Legal Director and Chief Legislative Counsel Lara Schwartz came up with this fantastic analogy: Voters can make minor changes to the California constitution through initiatives. Major changes require a longer process. It helps to think about this in terms of renovating your home. If you want to paint your house, you just go to the store and select a color, then paint. But if you want to add on to, structurally change, or even demolish your house, you need to get a permit, and typically the work gets done by a licensed professional. Why? Because when you’re dealing with the bearing walls and the structure, you need to take care with what you’re doing, or the whole thing can tumble down. And people can get hurt.

Update: $8,000 fast cash for first-time homebuyers

clipped from money.cnn.com HUD plans to tweak $8,000 tax credit rules so first-time homebuyers can get instant down-payment assistance. NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Home prices are cheap. Affordability is at a record high. And the market is littered with distressed properties looking for a buyer. But there is one big obstacle for many first-time house hunters looking to take advantage of the market: cash for down payments. The typical first-time buyer has only saved enough to cover 4% of the purchase price, according to the National Association of Realtors. As part of the stimulus package, Congress created a refundable first-time homebuyers tax credit in hopes of helping on-the-fence buyers to take the home-purchase plunge. But buyers couldn't collect the $8,000 credit until tax time, rather than at closing time - when it's needed.

Grandview Yard Update: Capitol Square takes a stake

clipped from columbus.bizjournals.com The developer of the Arena District has gained a significant partner in the redevelopment of the industrial core of Grandview Heights. Nationwide Realty Investors Ltd. said Capitol Square Ltd., the real estate investment arm of the Dispatch Printing Co., will take a 20 percent stake in Grandview Yard, the $600 million-plus commercial and residential complex slated for more than 80 acres between Goodale Boulevard and West Third Avenue. Capitol Square also plans to increase its stake in the Arena District from 10 percent to 20 percent. About $750 million has been invested in the area surrounding Nationwide Arena during the last 10 years. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. “We are thrilled to be expanding this highly successful partnership,” Nationwide Realty President Brian Ellis said in a news release. “Capitol Square has been a great partner in the Arena District and we look forward to carrying that strong relationship to Grandview Yard.”

Palm Pre phone available June 6 for $199* (See conditions)

clipped from www.palm.com The new Palm® Pre™ phone will be here June 6, starting at $199.99 on the Sprint network (after rebate and service agreement).1 People, events, information that matters. With Palm Pre, it´ll come to you. Forward this email to a friend, or send this link2: www.palm.com/us/emails/pre/so-close.html

City trying to speed up the $16.9 million project to rebuild High Street between Lane and Arcadia avenues.

"I can tell you what I lost last month ... $22,000 in business," Galipeau said, comparing April 2009 to April 2008. "We're getting killed."

The three-quarter-mile stretch of High Street links Ohio State University to Clintonville and is lined with mom-and-pop shops, restaurants and bars in the Old North Columbus neighborhood.

clipped from www.dispatch.com Reconstruction has left N. High Street a mess between Arcadia and Lane avenues. Some owners say their businesses are in the same shape. North Campus Video has weathered economic ups and downs for three decades. But recession or no recession, manager Jeff Galipeau says his current financial troubles are the result of what's going on right outside the door of his University District business. The city is trying to speed up the $16.9 million project to rebuild High Street between Lane and Arcadia avenues. The project, which started in June 2008, has blocked lanes on the west side of the street and reduced traffic to one lane in each direction. Ohio State University student Dusty Gray, 30, makes his way through a maze of construction equipment and traffic barriers along N. High Street. The city is trying to speed up the $16.9 million reconstruction project, which began in June last year.

Completely Refinished Home For Sale at 1090 Summit in Italian Village

3 Bedrooms, 2 Full Baths, 2,258 Square Feet.
Only $299,900
Many more pictures and more information here:

www.1090summit.terrypenrod.com

Youtube Virtual Tour.
(Best viewed after you have seen all of the pictures at the above link)





Click here to see the entire presentation:


A musical montage
(This is best viewed in the full screen mode.)

Ohio housing bubble called a myth by the Federal Reserve

Great article. Click on the link to read the entire story. My Broker is quoted in it.

clipped from www.dispatch.com Ohio's rise in foreclosures and slip in housing values can't be blamed on a housing bubble, says the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. Instead, Ohio's problems are rooted in long-term economic challenges coupled with easy credit, according to a report released yesterday. "It wasn't a housing boom in Ohio; it was a credit boom," said Emre Ergungor, a senior research economist with the Cleveland Fed. "The growth in credit still supported home prices, but of course we didn't get a boom by California or Florida standards." "It wasn't a housing boom in Ohio; it was a credit boom," said Emre Ergungor, a senior research economist with the Cleveland Fed. "The growth in credit still supported home prices, but of course we didn't get a boom by California or Florida standards." "Columbus is frankly very different from most Ohio cities. … We are continuing to grow, not at the pace we were a few years ago, but hopefully more when the economy recovers."