A new messaging service aims to keep your secrets safe.

TigerText Inc., is a text sevice company that can send texts that vanish from both the sender and receiver's phone after a select period of time so they can't be copied or forwarded, has developed a niche following among celebrities trying to keep their lives private.


To use it, both the sender and receiver must have the app, which is available free for iPhones, Android and BlackBerry devices, among a variety of others.

How It WorksTigerText messages vanish from phones after a set time.

• User sends text, setting time period for 'expiration.'
• Text then moves across TigerText's network.
• Receiver triggers expiration process when message is opened (expires within 60 seconds to 30 days).
• TigerText server writes over message. No copies are stored.

It Pays to Look at Your Neighbors' Properties For Sale

Going to the open house of a home for sale down the block can be very valuable. By knowing the selling prices and how properties look inside, homeowners can become more educated about values in their neighborhood

Attending open houses is especially important if you plan to sell your home soon. But it's also a good idea even if you plan to stay in your home for a while. Eventually, these homes will become the competition, and it's smart to know how your home can stack up. Look at the upgrades your neighboors made, the outdoor, and the curb appeal. This way you an see where your advantage is and you can focus on that when you put your house on the market in the future.

There are other reasons to check out neighborhood open houses:

To prioritize home-improvement projects. Seeing what the neighbors have done can help you decide which projects to take on first. Also make sure improvements are in line with what's considered popular in the area. Avoid over-improving your home, because you will get get your investment back. Do what will get you the most return on your investment.

If you want to sell your home soon, open houses are a good way to interview agents. One of the reasons agents hold open houses is to meet prospective clients, so it's a good opportunity to assess whether you'd like to work with that agent.

If you're selling your home, you may want to attend open houses to collect information about the competition in the area.

How Long Do You Have to Wait to Purchase a Home After a Foreclosure or Short Sale

If you know someone who had to short sale their home, has lost their job, couldn't afford their mortgage, or decided that their mortgage was so far underwater that they stopped paying, then we have a solution for them.

No matter what type of short sale or foreclosure situation they may have, we may be able to save them the headache, and remove the short sale or foreclosure off their credit report completely and permanently in a judicial manner in about 4 to 6 months instead of waiting 3 to 4 years to qualify for a purchase and deal with for 3 to 4 years with the credit score repercussion of a short sale or foreclosure.
Call The Wealth Creation Team at 1-877 APPLYFREE

Housing Affordability at All Time High

The Housing Opportunity Index found that 74.6% of new and existing homes sold in the first quarter were affordable to families earning the national median income of $64,400. That's up from 73.9% in the fourth quarter of 2010, and it's the highest level recorded in the more than 20 years the index has been measured.

With interest rates remaining at historically low levels, today's report indicates that homeownership is within reach of more households than it has been for more than two decades.

Real Estate Market Big supply of Foreclosures at Steep Discount

There's a 3 year inventory of homes in foreclosure for sale, and that's not helping to maintain current home values. Las Vegas has so many foreclosures that 53% of all the homes sold in Nevada are in some stage of foreclosure, according to a report from RealtyTrac.

Foreclosures represent 45% of sales in California and Arizona, and 28% of all existing home sales during the first three months of 2011. Homes are selling at steep discounts, especially REOs, bank-owned homes that have been taken in foreclosure procedures.

The average REO cost on average about 35% less than comparable properties, according to RealtyTrac. But in some areas, the discounts were ever greater: In New York State, the discount for REOs was 53% during the first quarter. And it was nearly 50% in Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Also weighing on market prices are "short sales," homes where the selling price is less than what is owed by the borrowers. Short sale homes sold at an average 9% less than comparable properties.

Including both REOs and short sales, Ohio had the biggest discount of any state, at 41%.
There were 158,000 salels involving distressed properties nationwide during the first quarter, less than half the nearly 350,000 during the same period two years earlier.

Itwill take approximately 3 years to go through the inventory of 1.9 million distressed properties.

Memorial Day Recipes

Memorial Day is the day we join together as nation to remember all those who gave their lives defending our nation. It’s also a day that many families travel from far and wide to get together and enjoy good company and good food.
Southwest Cilantro Lime Mango Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients
MARINADE
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh lime zest
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound chicken breast tenderloins or strips

SALSA
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 small sweet onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and minced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

GRILLED VEGETABLES
1 sweet onion cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 red bell pepper, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

LIME MAYONNAISE
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

16 thick slices French bread
2 mangos - peeled, seeded, and sliced
8 slices Monterey Jack cheese

Proposal to Raise FHA Loan Down Payment From 3.5% to 5%

Republicans on the House Financial Services Committee have drafted a bill to raise the minimum down payment for Federal Housing Administration-backed loans to 5% as well as cut FHA loan limits in many markets. FHA-backed loans are a main source of mortgages for first-time home buyers.

Currently, home owners who take out FHA-backed loans are required to have a minimum down payment of 3.5%; the GOP bill seeks to raise that to 5 percent. The GOP says it wants to protect home owners against default and improve FHA’s finances.

The bill has not yet been introduced but remains in draft form. However, the draft legislation is expected to be discussed on Wednesday by the subcommittee.