Even if you refinanced last year you may be eligible for a no point refinance that will provide a substantial annual savings. Purchase activity has picked up dramatically and we are seeing bidding wars erupt, with much lower inventory available than in the past few years. From March to May the inventories shrunk rather dramatically. Some report that there is still “hidden inventory” the banks are holding, and others report that except for the extremely depressed market areas, there is no hidden inventory at all and a return to normal market sales.
What does this all mean? Prices have most likely bottomed out along with rates. Great time to buy if you have the stomach for it. Refinance if you can grab a no point no cost refinance and save enough to make the pain and suffering worth it, without substantially extending your loan term. Now for the fun part…
Cayman Islands
Steve and I had a fabulous ten day trip to the Caymans to scuba dive. We flew through Miami to Grand Cayman and hopped a puddle jumper to Little Cayman Island. The resort was perfect and we dove every day at the Bloody Bay Wall which is famous in diving journals as one of the best. www.littlecayman.com Didn’t see many sharks (only nurse sharks) but saw lots of turtles, fish of all types and sizes, and had generally great diving on the trip. My only complaint was not enough dancing… but what can I say, I never get enough dancing. The food was varied and tasty, the sun was always out, weather hovered in the 80’s most of the time and fun was had by all. Little Cayman is essentially a desert island ten miles long and one mile wide and inhabited by many iguanas with right of way on the roads. Most of the guests and staff were from Europe, Iceland, Australia, Indo, S. America, and the Eastern US. No Californians. It is a REMOTE place. ‘Nough said.
DALLAS
We quickly returned to the real world by attending events in Dallas for the annual Art Fair, and the Dallas Museum of Art Gala Ball. These Dallas folks know how to party, AND love their art. The Art Fair was pretty amazing. My favorite exhibit was a Cernuda Arte out of Florida, specializing in Cuban artists that were bright and colorful. I also loved an exhibit of photographs made up of littler photos of celebs. Hard to explain but highly evocative. They were all pretty crazy. For instance, a photo of Michael Jackson made up of little photos of Elizabeth Taylor. You’d have to see it to believe it.
I’m loving Dallas and even have an office to work in when I visit Steve (Yes I work when I’m there.) but I was a little disturbed recently when I finished reading The Big Rich, about the rise and fall of Texas oil families. It was an eye-opener for me, and a very interesting period in the history of our country…
Family Wedding and other news!
My nephew was married over Memorial Weekend in Fresno . The whole family was there, minus only a few since my eldest had to work and HE AND MARY GRACE ARE EXPECTING! I will be a grandmother in December and can’t wait! Kenny spent a month here to visit for the wedding. It was the first time I’d seen him since Drew’s wedding last September, and we had a great visit. He is back in Berlin now to complete his Master’s program there and he should be finished in September.
In the meantime my nephew John married his Paige in a beautiful outdoor garden setting on May 27th. Great fun was had by all, and congrats to the happy couple! This photo is of my daughter Katie, her boyfriend Paul, my niece Page, and my son Kenny.
That’s all for now…more to come soon! Hoping for a warm summer at the beach, and off to Santa Barbara to camp, with kayak and bikes for the weekend-- at our favorite spot in the El Capitan campground.
