Sarahiously Speaking

This year has been a hard year for all of us.  Theses are uncertain times.  The real estate market is down, the stock market is volatile, foreclosures are on the rise, unemployment is on the rise, and many people can barely afford to make ends meet.  And, for all of these reasons, I am giving even more to charity this year.  Have I had a blockbuster year that allows me to be so giving?  No.  Like many real estate agents, I have felt the recession.  So, why am I giving even more to charity this holiday season?  It’s because I know how much it means to have others give during the holidays. 

Many people are surprised to learn that I grew up very poor.  My mother raised me and my brothers and sister on $16,000 a year.  My first holiday memory is the winter of 1983.  My father had just left our family to pursue, well, to pursue not being in our family anymore.  Even though I was only 4 years old, I knew my mom was barely holding it together.  It was a very cold winter and we couldn’t afford oil for the furnace.  We went to every church service that was offered that year.  Even at churches we didn’t belong to, just to keep warm.  We went “shopping” alot because the stores were warm.  We never bought anything.  We all slept in the same bed to keep warm.  A few days before Christmas my mom sat us down and let us know that there was no money for Christmas.  She said that we shouldn’t be sad because their were other families much worse off than us and that Santa needed to visit those families this year; he would not be visiting us.  I remember crying that night, but not because I wouldn’t be getting anything from Santa, but because my mom wouldn’t be getting anything, and maybe a little because Santa was letting our family down.

On Christmas Eve my mom bundled us up to go to yet another Christmas service.  On our way home from the midnight service we stopped by a Christmas tree lot and picked out a free tree that had been tossed by the side of the road.  It had not found it’s Christmas tree destiny and would have been picked up by the garbage trucks in 2 days.  We decorated the tree at 1a.m. Christmas morning.  And then, we went to bed.  My mom woke up a few hours later and went outside.  What she found makes her cry to this day.  She found presents for her children.  Someone had dropped off presents for all of us on our side porch.  Santa had visited us after all. 

My mom let me know years later that the church we had visited on Christmas Eve found out what our family was going through.  They scrambled to collect presents for us.  I got a used Barbie’s Dream House that year.  It was pink and it was dirty, but it is the best present I have ever received.  Later Christmas morning a woman came by our house and told us to pack our bags, we would be staying at her house for the winter.  She was a member of the church that had given us the gifts.  She didn’t have the money to buy us presents, but she had a home that had heat, and she was more than willing to open it up to us.  My mom and her, Ann, are best friends to this day.  I owe who I am today to Ann, and my mom for taking the help. 

So, why am I giving even more to charity during a recession?  I am giving because there is a child out there that needs to believe there is a Santa and that things are going to get better.  It’s the season for giving and I will always give.  It’s not too late.  Many families are in need this year.  Please contact your local homeless shelter, Salvation Army, or other charitable organization and find out what you can do to keep the holiday spirit alive.  You have 3 more days to influence someone’s life.

Well, there’s good news and there’s bad news.  I’ll give you the good news first, it’s a buyer’s market… well, sort of.  What?  That wasn’t good news to everyone?  Okay, then, you’re gonna love the bad news.  It’s gonna be a buyer’s market for a while longer.  I say that it is ”sort of” a buyer’s market because banks are in control, not buyers.  Foreclosures are monopolizing the housing inventory, and will monopolize the inventory for a few more years.  This means that the banks that have had to repossess these homes are deciding who gets to purchase the houses.  Banks have gotten smarter over the last year when it comes to selling a foreclosure.  They will now price them very low, in hopes of getting multiple offers, and then start bidding wars between prospective purchasers.  I’ve actually seen foreclosure homes bid up $75,000 over list price!  So, although prices are low, interest rates are low, and more buyers can afford home ownership right now, it’s not quite a buyer’s market.  But don’t get me wrong, banks are not profitting off of these foreclosures!  They are still loosing money hand over fist.  Here’s the market breakdown: 

Fredericksburg City:

• 168 days on market - this is 63 days more than in November 2007
• Sellers received, on average, 84.74% of their list price when the home sold
• There is 15.56 months of inventory on the market
• 11 homes sold in November 2008 - this is 1 less than in November 2007
• The most popular price range was under $100,000 (6 homes sold for under $100,000) 
• The average sold price was $191,618, compared to $327,694 in November of 2007

Orange County

• 141 days on market - this is 28 days less than in November 2007
• Sellers received, on average, 88.02% of their list price when the home sold
• There is 21.3 months of inventory on the market
• 21 homes sold in November 2008 - this is 6 less than in November 2007
• The most popular price range was $200,000-$249,999
• The average sold price was $231,493, compared to $307,441 in November 2007

Spotsylvania County

• 120 days on market - this is 28 less than November 2007
• Sellers received, on average, 87.96% of their list price when the home sold
• There is 11.36 months inventory on the market
• 104 homes sold in November 2008 - this is 19 more than in November 2007
• The most popular price range was $200,000-$249,999
• The average sold price was $239,348, compared to $322,877 in November 2007

Stafford County

• 115 days on market - this is 23 less than November 2007
• Sellers received, on average, 88.13% of their list price when the home sold
• There is 9.13 months inventory on the market
• 117 homes sold in November 2008 - this is 28 more than in November 2007
• The most popular price range was $200,000-$249,999
• The average sold price was $240,598, compared to $348,270 in November 2007

Prince William County

• 107 days on market - this is 25 less than November 2007
• Sellers received, on average, 89.82% of their list price when the home sold
• There is 5.4 months inventory on the market
• 726 homes sold in November 2008 - this is 391 more than in November 2007!
• The most popular price range was $300,000-$399,999
• The average sold price was $221,504, compared to $350,589 in November 2007

What does this all mean for the non-delinquent seller trying to sell their home traditionally, i.e. no bank involvement?  It means you are going to be competing with foreclosures for some time to come.  You will have to be extremely marketable and priced very well!  Traditional sellers also better be prepared to pay a buyer’s closing costs.  Traditional Sellers need to keep in mind that they are not “giving their homes away” in this market.  If they are walking away from a closing table with a $1 they are fairing far better than most homeowners!  The only people “giving their house away” are short sale sellers and banks.  Those types of sellers are actually loosing money, going into the negative, on what is owed on the loan.  Traditional sellers may not like what this market will allow them to sell their home for, but that doesn’t mean they are “giving away” their home to a buyer.  One day, not anytime soon, traditional sellers will get to bask in the sun again and reap the rewards of little work for high equity.  But right now, our market has some more correcting to do.

It should be no surprise to anyone that this market is full of foreclosures.  (Briefly – A FORECLOSURE is a situation where a homeowner can not make their monthly mortgage payments and the bank seizes the home and sells it as a stipulation in the mortgage documents).  The question I get most is, “I can get a good deal in this market, right?”  Well… it depends on how you define “good deal.”  Most consumers are under the impression that they can get foreclosed homes for very little money.  This just isn’t the case in our area.  There are very few 100% loan programs for consumers.  This means the potential buyer must have a down payment in order to purchase a home.  The average sales price, in our area, is $253,063 (October 2008) that is a minimum down payment of $7592.  Closing costs can range from 3%-4% of the sales price, so that is another $8900, on average, that the buyer needs to buy a house, if the Seller does not agree to pay the buyer’s closing costs.  So, homeownership comes at a cost of $16,500, on average, in this area.   

So, what about those mortgage foreclosures where your monthly mortgage payment would only be $300!?!  Well, that house would have a sales price of about $20,000.  There aren’t many of those around here and if there were, I’d hate to see its condition!  Our local market does have foreclosures, and the foreclosures are in all price ranges.  But the “good deal” isn’t looking so good anymore.  And here’s why:

When foreclosures first started hitting our market place in late 2006 the market was still fairly strong.  The areas average sales price in September 2006 was $369,088.  Prices were still high and the average days on market were hovering around 3 months.  There were not very many foreclosure homes on the market yet, so the majority of the comparable sales being used by appraisers to establish market value were still traditional resale homes, listed at higher prices than foreclosures.  In the 2006 market, foreclosures were a great deal.  For example, in a Staffordneighborhood, in 2006, there was a foreclosure that sold for $50,000 less than its comparables in the same neighborhood.  Sounds like a good deal to me, even if the home did need some TLC.  Comparing this to the market in 2008, in one Stafford neighborhood there is only a $5000 difference between the foreclosed home’s list price and a traditional sale home’s list price (when the traditional sale home is priced within reason of what the market will bare). 

Why is this?  As more low priced foreclosures came on the market and competed with traditional resales, prices began to drop.  In order to remain competitive traditional Sellers had to make their home’s price more appealing than the foreclosure home’s price.  Traditional Sellers also had to make sure their home was in better condition than their foreclosure competition.  In return, banks started listing the foreclosed properties at lower prices.  And thus the vicious cycle began.  Foreclosures then became the predominant comparable that appraisers could use when establishing market value.  So, market values dropped.  And when the majority of homes that are selling are foreclosures, foreclosures start determining market value.  Appraisals on foreclosed properties are no longer coming back higher than contract price, which would have been instant equity for the buyer.  Some appraisals are coming back at even less than contract price causing the bank and the potential purchaser to renegotiate the sales price.  And to add injury to insult many of the foreclosed properties are in dire need of repair.  Many of them need much more than cosmetic work.  What ever break you are getting on the price is being made up for in the amount of money that will be spent getting the house the attention that it needs.  So where’s the deal?  The deal is that the potential purchaser can get a home for hundreds of thousands less than their neighbors paid just 2 years ago.  And if they stay in the home long enough and can tough out this market, they stand to make a nice profit if they sell during the next upswing.  So, the deal isn’t necessarily a deal in today’s market, but rather a deal compared to the market in 2006 and the potential market in the years to come. 

Fredericksburg City:

• 188 days on market - this is 46 days more than in October 2007
• Sellers received, on average, 84.26% of their list price when the home sold
• There is 10.18 months of inventory on the market
• 17 homes sold in October 2008 - this is 7 more than in October 2007
• The most popular price range was $200,000-$249,999
• The average sold price was $332,562, compared to $499,723 in October of 2007

Orange County

• 171 days on market - this is 26 days more than in October 2007
• Sellers received, on average, 85.24% of their list price when the home sold
• There is 17.88 months of inventory on the market
• 26 homes sold in October 2008 - this is10 less than in October 2007
• The most popular price range was $200,000-$249,999
• The average sold price was $212,148, compared to $259,683 in October 2007

Spotsylvania County

• 98 days on market - this is 35 less than October 2007
• Sellers received, on average, 91.47% of their list price when the home sold
• There is 9.26 months inventory on the market
• 130 homes sold in October 2008 - this is 16 more than in October 2007
• The most popular price range was $200,000-$249,999
• The average sold price was $253,837, compared to $316,219 in October 2007

Stafford County

• 126 days on market - this is 6 less than October 2007
• Sellers received, on average, 87.8% of their list price when the home sold
• There is 9.76 months inventory on the market
• 117 homes sold in October 2008 - this is 27 more than in October 2007
• The most popular price range was $300,000-$399,999
• The average sold price was $261,028, compared to $338,175 in October 2007

Prince William County

• 114 days on market - this is 14 less than October 2007
• Sellers received, on average, 90.31% of their list price when the home sold
• There is 5.02 months inventory on the market
• 841 homes sold in October 2008 - this is 514 more than in October 2007!
• The most popular price range was $300,000-$399,999
• The average sold price was $258,581, compared to $357,061 in October 2007

Overall the market was pretty brisk in October, although we did see the customary drop-off in activity that is typical with the fall market.  Interest rates remained fairly stable, although we did see some spikes in the mortgage market, through October which allowed buyers to maintain a higher level of confidence and decide to go ahead and purchase a home.  The average days on market are continuing to steadily decrease from last year.  Fredericksburg City is harder to track based on the dichotomy of the city, having the historic downtown area compared to the outskirts of the city.  Fredericksburg City also saw several high end homes sell last year as compared to the lower priced homes that have been popular this year.  Prince William County continues to be very active and is being fueled by the foreclosure market.  If interest rates remain at around 6% we will continue to see this trend. 

If you would like additional market information, or if you would like a zip code or neighborhood market analysis, please contact me at Sarah@BuyInFredericksburg.com.       

When I woke up this morning several questions ran through my mind.  Was last night all a dream?  Has America really come this far in my lifetime?   Can this country be brought back together by one man?  I took just a moment to ponder these questions and came to the understanding that this will all take time.  There are no answers right here, right now.  But what we do have right here and right now is a monumental American milestone.  An African-American man has been elected to the highest office in our country.  And not just any African-American man, but a man who has brought people to the polls with a message of hope and unity.  And not just any people, but people who have never felt that their vote could count or that their voice was worth hearing.  And these people did not necessarily vote for the winning candidate, but they voted.  This is very powerful.  In a time of insecurity and fear of the unknown, Americans embraced one of the most important gifts our forefathers bestowed on us, the gift of choice.  And whether or not you chose to cast your vote for President-Elect Obama, everyone should feel the magnitude of the country’s decision.  Americans decided to vote, they decided to wait in long lines, and they decided to believe in a system that is not always easy to believe in.  It is amazing to think that just 21 months ago many Americans said that this country was not ready to have an African-American President or a female President.  And today… we are seeing the impossible happen.   What a wonderful country we woke up in today. 

Will the road that lies before us be hard - yes.  Will we stumble and sometimes get off course - that’s part of life.  But do I see hope in people who have not had hope in the past? - incredibly, I do.  Do I see the ability in Americans to work together and make this a better nation? - I do.  I am honored to have lived during this historic election.  I am honored to have had the right to participate in this historic moment.  I am honored to be an American citizen.   

1. Discuss the route your Trick-or-Treaters will be following.  Make sure this established route is in areas your child is familiar with.  You can also have your children check in with you periodically throughout the night.  Establish a return time.  

2. Remind your children to only stop at houses and apartments that are well lit.  Be sure to remind them to NEVER enter a strangers home!

3. Tell your Trick-or-Treaters to never eat the candy they are collecting until you have inspected it!  To help ensure they won’t get hungry while out and about, feed them a nice dinner before they head out.

4. Review traffic and pedestrian safety tips!

5. Pin some sort of identification to the inside of your child’s clothing, just in case they get separated from their group.

6. Be sure that candles are away from children and costumes.  It is best to use a battery powered light to      illuminate your pumpkin.

7. Remove any tripping hazards from your yard or sidewalk. 

8. If you are going to be driving on Halloween, watch for small children darting into the street.  Drive Slowly! 

9. Only answer your front door during appropriate Trick-or-Treating hours.  Look out your peephole or window close to the front door to be sure that there are Trick-or-Treaters on the other side.  Turn your front porch light off once you are done accepting Trick-or-Treaters and do not answer the door for anyone after that time. 

September was actually a good month for closings in all counties that I service.  What was slower was the number of showings per listing and the number of houses going under contract.  I expect to see this reflected in the October sold statistics, since most contracts take 30 days to close. We have seen a new surge of buyers in the market the last two week with the passing of the Bailout Bill.  Loans are still out there and interest rates are still reasonable, but the mortgage market should get more challenging as we head into winter.  Here is a county break down of the market statistics for this area:

Fredericksburg City:

• 93 days on market - this 4 days less than in September 2007
• Sellers received, on average, 95.92% of their list price when the home sold
• There is 15.73 months of inventory on the market
• 11 homes sold in September 2008 - this is 2 less than in September 2007
• The most popular price range was $300,000-$349,900
• The average sold price was $224,678, compared to $282,845 in September of 2007 (3 homes sold for less than $100,000 this September)

Orange County

• 174 days on market - this is 29 days more than in September 2007
• Sellers received, on average, 89.24% of their list price when the home sold
• There is 16.4 months of inventory on the market
• 30 homes sold in September 2008 - this is 9 more than in September 2007
• The most popular price range was $250,000-$299,999
• The average sold price was $228,327, compared to $306,020 in September 2007

Spotsylvania County

• 123 days on market - this is two less than September 2007
• Sellers received, on average, 89.5% of their list price when the home sold
• There is 7.86 months inventory on the market
• 161 homes sold in September 2008 - this is 64 more than in September 2007
• The most popular price range was $200,000-$249,999
• The average sold price was $248,780, compared to $318,857 in September 2007

Stafford County

• 116 days on market - this is 19 less than September 2007
• Sellers received, on average, 90.48% of their list price when the home sold
• There is 7.95 months inventory on the market
• 149 homes sold in September 2008 - this is 63 more than in September 2007
• The most popular price range was $300,000-$399,999
• The average sold price was $274,365, compared to $397,342 in September 2007

Prince William County

• 107 days on market - this is 20 less than September 2007
• Sellers received, on average, 91.34% of their list price when the home sold
• There is 4.81 months inventory on the market
• 934 homes sold in September 2008 - this is 629 more than in September 2007!
• The most popular price range was $200,000-$249,999
• The average sold price was $230,999, compared to $370,506 in September 2007

On average homes are sitting on the market less time in September 2008 than they did in September 2007.  We have faster absorption rates than last year and more homes are selling.  Sellers are selling their homes for amounts closer to their list price, but they are selling their homes for an average of $93,564.20 less than what they were selling for last year.  A great deal of this disparity can be attributed to the foreclosure and short sale markets.  The most popular price ranges are consistantly the first-time home buyer price ranges. 

What does this mean for you if you are a buyer?  You can still get a good deal, but the deal is that homes are priced far less than they were a year ago and way cheaper than they were 2 years ago.  As a buyer you can still expect to make offers close to list price, especially if you are asking the Seller to pay your closing costs.  Many banks are actually pricing properties below market value in hopes of getting multiple offers and starting bidding wars.  (By the way, this tactic is working). 

What does this mean if you are a seller?  It is a PRICE driven market.  I cannot say that enough!  PRICE DRIVEN!  You are competing with foreclosures.  You need to make your home stand out from the foreclosures any way you can.  You need to maintain your home and keep records of repairs.  You need to make your home modern and buyer friendly.  Spend the extra money to declutter and stage your home.  And most inportantly, price your home well!  It is an awful feeling to chase the market.  Stay on top of the market by pricing it right the first time.      

For the last few months every time you turn on the tv or open the newspaper or get online, all you see is news of the Bailout Bill.  So, who exactly is getting bailed out?  Is it the bank that made the risky loan, knew they were making the risky loan, and are now surprised that the loan is in default?  Is Wall Street being bailed out and does Wall Street deserve to be bailed out?  Can’t Wall Street handle themselves?  Is it the executives of large companies with troubled assets being bailed out?  Is it the consumer who accepted a risky loan that is being bailed out?  Or, is it the average consumer who did not take on a risky loan, but has been dragged down by the credit crisis anyway, being bailed out?  Well, I think it’s a combination of all of the above. 

How Did We Get Here & Where Are We? 

Let’s take a look back at the mortgage market in the past few years.  We hear buzz words like sub-prime, ARM, interest only loans, short sale, and foreclosure; but what do they mean?  The sub-prime market began picking up speed around 2003.  This market allowed consumers with less than stellar credit to obtain financing for a home loan.  Many of the sub-prime consumers were sold risky loan products because they were higher risks for the banks.  Their interest rates were higher and many times they were pushed into loans that had adjustable interest rates.  The sub-prime consumer usually maxed out their loan amounts and their loan programs required little to no money down.  Adjustable Rate Mortgages were very popular during the height of the market.  For the most part, if a consumer took on an adjustable rate mortgage they started out with a lower interest rate than a conventional loan and could qualify for a larger loan amount.  However, the interest rate would adjust at set intervals, such as after 3 years, 5 years, or 7 years.  The interest rate would continue to adjust several times a year for the life of the loan.  Many of these ARM loans have seen their interest rates sore upwards of 13-18%.  Interest Only loans were also offered to the sub-prime consumer on a regular basis.  These loans require that the borrower only pay the interest due on the loan, not the principle.  The principle is due at the end of the loan period.  It is important that the home appreciate during the life of the loan.  That is the only way the consumer will be able to profit from the sale of the home.  If the home depreciates it becomes almost impossible for the borrower to sell the home and pay off the loan.  Short Sales are one result of borrowers not being able to sell their homes for what is owed on the loan.  Simply put, the bank agrees take less than what is owed on the loan and will still release the lien from the deed.  Foreclosure is the process of the bank taking the home into bank inventory from a defaulting borrower.  The loans we are seeing short sold and foreclosed on most often in this area are the sub-prime loans, the risky loans. 

The massive amount of loans being defaulted on combined with declining housing prices nationwide has helped lead to numerous bank failures and collapses.  These bank failures and collapses have led to chaos in the credit markets as banks are afraid to continue to lend money to each other.  This, in turn, makes banks less willing to extend credit to businesses, which trickles down to consumers.  If this continues, the cost of credit could skyrocket!  If more business are strapped for cash they are more likely to cut back on hiring and possibly reduce their current workforce.  Some believe that having the bailout will lessen the likelihood of bank failures and collapses, therefore reinstilling confidence in banks to lend, thus opening the credit markets back up to the average consumer. 

Bailout Bill

The core of the Bill has remained the same throughout the last few weeks and the failed attempt at passing it the first time.  The Bill gives the government the ability to buy up to $700 Billion in troubled assets, mainly mortgage related, from financial institutions.  These troubled assets are believed to be the catalyst for the lack of confidence in the credit markets.  But, there are several other provisions that affect the average consumer. 

1.  3 Important Tax Breaks - a.  The Bill extends a number of renewable energy tax breaks, including a reduction for the purchase of solar panels; b.  the Bill continues to allow individuals to deduct state and local sales tax on federal forms - this was set to expire; c.  there will be one more year of relief from the Alternative Minimum Tax.

2.  Insurance for Bank Deposits - The Bill temporarily increases the FDIC insurance cap from $100,000 to $250,000, as well as temporarily increasing the federal insurance for credit unions to $250,000. 

3.  Mitigating Foreclosures - The Bill encourages loan servicers to modify mortgages to include reducing principle and lowering interest rates.  The Bill also extends the temporary provisions that exempt defaulting borrowers from paying federal income taxes on the forgiven debt amount. 

So, Who Gets Bailed Out?

The biggest problem with any bailout plan is that some companies, and even some consumers, will be relieved of the consequences of their bad decisions.  However, not having some sort of bailout plan could hurt the average consumer much worse.  The big question remains - Does the Bailout Bill really address the real ecomomic problems facing the United States?  That is yet to be seen.  But as of now, it appears that everyone stands to benefit from the Bailout Bill at varying degrees.  The big companies that are holding troubled assets , and the industries that will benefit from the “sweeteners” included in the Bill, stand to benefit the most.  The consumer who is defaulting on their mortgage may benefit, however, the renegotiation of loans will take some time to come to fruition, if it happens at all.  The average consumer may benefit a little more if the credit markets are strengthened and credit costs are stabalized.  This would result in consumers being able to obtain loans to buy houses, cars, etc… and would help fuel the economy.  The housing market can only stabalize if potential buyers can obtain mortgage loans at reasonable interest rates.  Only time will tell if we have prevented financial disaster or just prolonged the inevitable.     

The 2008 Presidential Election will make history.  The United States will either have our first African-American President or first female Vice President.  Like the 2000 Presidential Election, every vote will count.  Virginia is already receiving recognition as a battleground state.  If you have not registered to vote yet, please click here.  You must have the documents postmarked at least 29 days before the General Election if you plan to vote.  Make your voice be heard.  Sign up to vote today!  

Tag… I’m it!  I’ve been tagged!  Yeah me!  Who would have thought that someone wanted to hear me talk about me any more?  But Lisa Sanderson does!  That spunky REATOR from the Poconos is good people!  So here are 6 things about me you could care less about! 

1.  I am terrified of Hobbits.  Yeah, those guys from The Lord of the Rings.  I know this is very silly to be scared of, but they creep me out!  I think it’s the extra large, furry feet.  I don’t like feet in general and when you have a little guy coming at me with disproportionate feet, I want to run in the opposite direction.  I would rank this fear above my fear of spiders, which is saying alot.  My husband wanted to watch The Lord of the Rings on tv once and I told him I thought I could handle it.  Turns out, I couldn’t.  I started crying 10 minutes into the movie.  We had to turn it off and go get ice cream.   Hobbits = 1 very scared Sarah!

2.  My favorite job of all time was working at I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt.  Man I loved that job.  I got to eat fat free and low fat frozen yogurt for free.  It rocked!  I also got to brighten people’s day on a regular occassion.  Alot of people who were dieting would come in once a week for their “treat.”  They were always so nice to me!  I know it had nothing to do with me and everything to do with me handing them delicious goodness, but it always made me smile.  We also had a coffee bar at ICBY.  I hate coffee, but loved making the drinks.  If I could do any job over again, it would be that one.  Yogurt Girl!

3.  I used to do pageants.  I can hear the gasps now!  Hello my name is Sarah and I am a former beauty queen.  Most people think you do pageants to be told how beautiful you are.  I didn’t exactly do them for that reason.  I was painfully shy as a child and needed help building confidence and a thicker skin.  My mom was dead set against letting me enter pageants so I raised the entrance fee money by myself for the first one.  I didn’t place, but my mom noticed that I was able to take the experience and learn something from it.  In just a few short years I became a confident, well spoken young woman who could handle constructive critism well.  I also learned that it’s okay to have an off day, you don’t always have to win; but you do need to always strive to be better than you were the day before.  Pageants taught me many valuable life lessons. 

4.  I love Tootsie Rolls!  I mean, I LOVE TOOTSIE ROLLS!  It’s my weakness.  When I was 8 years old my mom made the mistake of giving me 480 miniture tootsie rolls for my birthday.  Big mistake!  I ate them all in 48 hours!  Big mistake!  I do not recommend eating 480 tootsie rolls in 48 hours!  You will regret it!

5.  I have had to drive some pretty crappy cars in my life.  The first car I ever had was the “Little Red Truck That Could Except When It Couldn’t.”  I think it was my mother’s attempt to teach me humility.  It worked.  It was a Dodge Ram that two of my older brother’s had driven when they had turned 16 and they had managed to destroy a good portion of the car.  Fortunatley I didn’t have to drive it that long because it died.  Then I was given a 1986 Honda Accord Station Wagon.  When it rained the brakes wouldn’t work and I would have to pull up the emergency break and pray real hard that it would stop in time.  Yeah, real crappy cars make real good stories!     

6.  Last, but definitely not least, I hate tea!  I really hate tea!  It doesn’t matter if it’s hot tea, cold tea, therapeutic tea, unsweet tea, or sweet tea; I HATE tea!  I know your grandmother/ aunt/ uncle/ brother/ next door neighbor probably makes some real good tea, but I don’t like it.  If it’s tea, I don’t want any.  It’s not you, it’s me.  So, please don’t ask me if I want your tea, cause I don’t.  Thanks. 

Wow!  6 whole things you could care less about!  There it is, in black and white… and on the internet.  So now all my stalkers know that they can offer me a tootsie roll and I will follow them anywhere and my friends can dress up as Hobbits drinking tea and scare me to death.  Now it is my job to pick 6 more people who the world needs to know more about.  Who will be the lucky victims… I mean lucky ducks!  I pick:

The rules to play are …
   1. Link to the person who tagged you.
   2. Post the rules on the blog.
   3. Write six random things about yourself.
   4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
   5. Let each person know they have been tagged.
   6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Tag… You’re It!