Beautiful Condo in Sylvania School District!

Beautiful Condo in Sylvania School District
Posted by Heather Smith-LaPoint on September 15th, 2008
Beautiful Condo in Sylvania School Distirct Spectacular townhouse in Sylvania Township. Move-in ready! This end unit is surrounded by woods and offers 2 assigned parking spaces w/extra room. Updated kitchen included all new appliances, fresh paint and new carpet throughout. Private patio w/privacy fence, spacious basement, nice master w/bath.
Location: Toledo, OHSubdivision: PepperwoodPrice: $79,500MLS ID #: 46454102 beds, 1 baths, 1 half-baths930 Sq. Ft.Residential Property, CondominiumBuilt in 1981

Need somewhere to eat today?

This is a restaurant review from the Toledo Blade by Bill of Fare. I thought I would share it with you!

89 years of breakfast and lunches
In good times and bad, restaurants need to stay competitive in order to attract new customers and keep the regulars happy. That would include offering everything from coupon deals and free desserts to daily discounted specials. In greater Toledo's crowded dining environment, you do what you can to survive.
On the other hand, a very few restaurants have the savvy, or maybe it's just plain luck, to thrive for decades without any gimmicks at all. A case in point is the Coney Island in downtown Toledo, which has been serving up hot dogs and a variety of other modestly priced, stick-to-the-ribs food for an astonishing 89 years and counting.
The secret to the Coney Island's success isn't a secret at all: Since 1919, the eatery on North Superior Street, between Jackson Boulevard and Adams Street, has drawn many thousands of hungry Toledoans with its above-average chili dogs, served quickly and at a reasonable price, along with fair-to-middling breakfasts, soups, double burgers, chili mac, tuna melts, gyros, and excellent Greek salads every day but Sunday.
Its history, capsulized on the back of the small, crowded menu, is simple enough. Sofokles Constantine - Uncle Gus to all - came here from the island of Cyprus in 1918 and opened Atlantic Hot Dog on St. Clair Street with a cousin. They moved the restaurant to Superior Street the next year, renaming it the Coney Island.
Uncle Gus, a tall, spindly man well-known in the Greek community for sponsoring many Cypriots immigrating to Toledo, manned the hot dog grill until his death in 1985. His nephew, Frixos Stylianides, took over the place and has presided behind the counter ever since. In 1990, he oversaw the remodeling of the narrow eatery, which remains popular as a lunch-hour and carry-out destination.
Hot dogs, $1.50 each and topped with exceptionally good meat sauce, remain the restaurant's stock-in-trade, along with chili mac ($2.90 small/$3.60 large) and breakfasts all morning. But the double cheeseburger isn't bad as an alternative, and the price is right - $3.05.
We also doted on the Greek salad ($3.45 small/$3.95 large). Dripping with Greek dressing, it fills the plate with crisp lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, Salonika peppers, and a big slice of feta cheese on top. Also tasty was a $3.15 sausage and egg sandwich on wheat bread with cheese, as well as a gyro ($4.60) packed with meat, tomatoes, cucumber sauce, and feta.
If Mr. Stylianides decides to engage in a little hoopla next year as the Coney Island turns 90, it's a fair bet that customers from far and wide will want to drop by to toast him - with coffee, iced tea, milk shakes, hot chocolate, or even a foamy glass of beer, which is also on the menu.

Tips on Refinancing

Be specific about what loan you want. This makes it easier for a loan officer to find you the best rates.
Don’t rely on published rates. The rates you see in the news are probably the best rates that can be offered. They aren’t going to publish their worst rates.
Stay away from “no cost” refinancing. “No cost” normally means the closing costs are bundled in with your mortgage, meaning you are going to pay interest on them. It is in your best interest to just pay the closing costs yourself.
Make sure your new title is accurate. Ask your lender to review your file before it gets published.
Review the estimated closing costs carefully. If you don’t like what you see, call your lender immediately and don’t be afraid to ask for an explanation.
Take your time. Give yourself plenty of time to close. When rates are low, firms get swamped with business. Be patient and don’t expect the closing to happen too quickly.

Check out this Website!

Walkscore.com
Are you interested in knowing what the most walkable city in the country is? Walkable refers to the amount of businesses. Entertainment, restaurants, etc. that are within walking distance of a specific location. In this website, walkscore.com, you can type in an address and it will tell you your walkscore on a scale of worst to best. It will also bring up a list of different types of places, from restaurants to grocery stores to parks, and give you the exact distance from your location. It will also show you a map that gives the location of all these places in comparison to your location. This is a great website to check out if you are looking into buying a home. Simply type in the address and you will have a list of everything that is close to that home.

Check out the walkscore for Toledo, OH in general

Check out the walkscore for Maumee, OH

To look at any other city, simply type in the city name in the search box ant walkscore.com

Tips on Saving

I found this great article in the Toledo Blade and wanted to share it with you. It was published Sunday, July 27th and written by Ryan E. Smith.

No one denies that the economy today is putting the squeeze on consumers who find themselves trapped by rising fuel prices and the ailing housing market. While many grapple with the reality of having to cut back and find ways to make their dollars stretch further, there are some out there who remember even worse times.Senior citizens who lived through the desperation of the Depression and the rationing of World War II have plenty of ideas about how to get by when times get tough. Some of their practices were limited to the unique circumstances in which they grew up; others they still practice today. The Blade visited the J. Frank Troy Senior Center in the central city and Swan Creek Retirement Village in South Toledo to tap into the collective memory and wisdom of what some call the Greatest Generation.Inspired by those conversations, here are some suggestions.—Ryan E. Smith1. Plant a modern victory garden. — Ray Barker, 78, Bowling GreenDuring World War II, millions of Americans planted Victory Gardens in yards and other plots of land, accounting for up to 40 percent of nationally consumed vegetable produce. Now, as food prices rise, consumer plans to pursue vegetable and fruit gardening are up 7 percent over last year, according to a February study by the Garden Writers Association.
2. Buy used items or make your own.— Marjorie Hoskins, 80, West Toledo Consider just one example: A shirt at a local Goodwill Industries store usually sells for only $3, no matter if it’s new or used. Jeans are $5 and a suit costs just $10.Not surprisingly, national Goodwill store sales for the first four months of this year are up 6 percent compared to the same time last year, according to a spokesman.
3. Don’t eat out so much. Cook things from scratch, freeze some for later, and plan menus around leftovers. — Lois Grasser, 80, South Toledo Americans eat out a lot — 5.8 times per week on average, according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2008 industry forecast. That can add up to a lot, with annual spending on food away from home topping more than $1,000 per person.
4.Get rid of extra credit cards and don’t carry a balance. — Bill Cameron, 81, South ToledoThe average U.S. consumer carries four credit cards, and 14 percent of the population has more than 10, a survey released last year by Experian Consumer Direct showed. An expert there recommends paying on time each month and keeping the balance low compared to one’s credit limit.
5. Ride the bus and walk to nearby stores. — Rose N. McGee, 87, West ToledoA 2008 report by the American Automobile Association calculates that the annual cost (including gas, maintenance, insurance, depreciation, and other expenses) of owning a small sedan that’s driven 15,000 miles per year is $6,320. Compare that to $480 for 12 monthly passes to ride TARTA.6.Shop smarter; look for sales and use coupons. — Betsy Reynolds, 86, SouthToledoClipping coupons for 20 minutes can save consumers 20 percent on their weekly expenses, according to the Promotion Marketing Association Coupon Council. Last year, Americans saved $2.6 billion with coupons at supermarkets, convenience stores, drug stores, and more.
7. Write out a budget and stick to it. — Elmer Lotshaw, 84, Waterville TownshipMore than a third of Americans do not use budgets regularly,according to a 2007 financial IQ survey by Consumer Action and Capital One Financial Corporation.The two groups say that creating a realistic budget means establishing short- and long-term financial goals and capturing all household expenditures, including setting aside money for saving.8.Trade for goods and services. — Frank Florez, 85, West ToledoMr. Florez remembers a time in the 1930s when his family traded chickensfor gasoline. Now, Web sites like Craigslist.com and uSwapIt.com make it easier than ever for cash-strapped consumers who want to barter goods
9. Don’t buy what you can’t afford. — Louis Ravin, 96, South ToledoJust because you want something doesn’t mean you need it, especially if you don’t have the money. The good news is that examples abound of happy people who don’t have a big house, the newest iPhone, or a giant plasma TV.

Home Energy Saving Tips

Here are some helpful tips for saving energy in your home.

1. Try lowering the thermostat and dressing warmer. Just lowering the thermostat 1 or 2 degrees can make a change in your energy consumption.
2. Lower your thermostat at night and whenever you are not in the house. Also, try closing off and not heating rooms that you don’t use.
3. Make sure your refrigerator is set between 37 and 40 degrees F. Also, keep your refrigerator stocked because it is much easier to keep a stocked refrigerator cool than an empty one.
4. Try lowering the temperature on your electric water heater to 120 degrees F. Also, try turning it off when you are leaving for an extended amount of time.
5. Consider buying a new refrigerator if yours is over 10 years old. New refrigerators use much less energy than older refrigerators.
6. Try air drying your clothes instead of using a dryer. Also, wash with cold or warm water but rinse with cold water.
7. Only wash full loads of dishes and let them air dry.
8. Turn off computers, lights, and other electronic devices when you leave the house. This will make a big difference.
9. Try using a microwave or toaster oven to cook smaller items.
10. Try taking shorter showers and install a low-flow shower head.

Top Scams on Homeowners and How to Watch Out For Them

Homeowners are the targets of many scams. Here is a list of 10 homeowner scams:

1. Bogus Health and Fitness Claims
2. Misleading Prize Offers
3. Unscrupulous Moving Practices
4. Identity Theft
5. Unwanted Office Supplies or Bogus Directory Scams
6. Work at Home Scams/ Bogus Employment Services
7. Overpayment Schemes
8. Door-to-door Sales Schemes
9. Lottery and Sweepstakes Fraud
10. Unscrupulous Used Vehicles Sales Practices

Mortgage fraud can be the result of identity theft. Here are some helpful tips for avoiding identity theft:

1. Never leave receipts in random places such as bank machines, gas stations, or trashcans.
2. Always sign your credit cards. Never give your credit to someone else to use. Report lost cards immediately. Keep an eye on your monthly statements to see if anything shows up that shouldn’t.
3. Shred important documents, such as pre-approved credit card applications, bills, and credit card receipts.
4. Avoid keeping written record of any of your credit card information. This is an easy way for someone else to get a hold of them.
5. Never give others personal information, such as your social security or pin number, over the phone, unless you initiated the call.
6. Always get your mail immediately. Don’t leave it in the mailbox for long. Never leave mail lying around.