Abercrombie & Fitch

It's funny--today I had on an 'old school' striped tie that I bought years ago at Abercrombie & Fitch in St. Louis. I was on a trip with my parents and it turns out that location was a 'clearance center' of sorts and I bought 2 ties for about $5 including this one! Fast forward about a decade and A&F is definitely not the store it used to be! I remember visiting Atlanta when A&F took up 2 floors at Phipps Plaza. The first floor was mainly clothes, but the 2nd floor has a lot of cool 'stuff' like hunting and fishing gear, old books, and even random collectibles (I even remember seeing antique rifles if I remember correctly!). "Preppy" was still in and classically tailored (and styled) clothing was how their brand was positioned in the marketplace (along with the image of the 'gentleman traveller'). My how times have changed! Yes, I'm acting all of my 44 years of age today, but I do miss the classic chinos, books and 'toys' that you could find there. Now? You can still find chinos, but you'll find them worn by a topless model (yes, maybe even a topless female model, with 'parts' covered of course). It's also quite loud in there too and I doubt you'd know much of the music ; ) I can't fault their marketing prowess (and the clothes still seem to be well made) but it's clear that this old fart is no longer their target market! Oh well, I can still wear their ties... Happy Friday!

Do you disagree?

My first answer, YES. I disagree with this man's actions. Joe Stack crashed his plane into an office building and killed himself as well as innocent person. So do I agree with his actions? NO.

HOWEVER.... have you read his rant? Not all of it makes sense to me. Not all of it applies to me. However, he hits some solid, well-reasoned arguments. Again, I DO NOT CONDONE his actions. I must admit that I agree with many of his comments... Be honest: Read his rant. What do YOU think?

The end of "Left Lane Bandits"?

I like the fact that the Georgia Legislature is considering a fine on left-lane bandits. No, that's not what the legislators called it, it's my term (actually, a term stolen from Car & Driver). If you are driving under the speed limit in the left lane (a/k/a passing lane) you will be fined $75. I love it! As we all know, Atlantans are apt to speed; there are those who like to park in the left lane because it's their right, dammit, to impede traffic (usually in the name of 'safety'). Their logic is flawed, however, as people will STILL speed past and since the LLB is blocking the correct passing lane, the speeder will have to illegally pass on the right (and as they are already speeding, they may make this move dangerously). So spare me your righteous bleating that the speeder is breaking the law; the LLB is the one who is MORE dangerous! If you want to drive slowly, go for it--there are lanes on the right for your meandering pleasure. As for me, I like the European model where the left lane is empty unless/until you pass. You get in, you get out. That's my 2 cents anyway... Happy Thursday :)

Rotary and Shelterbox to the rescue in Haiti

People in Haiti are homeless and have nothing; no place to go, nowhere to live. That's where Shelterbox and Rotary International comes to the table to help! I am a 14 year member of Rotary International and I am proud that my club (The Rotary Club of North Fulton) was able to contribute 3 Shelterboxes (that's $3,000) to the cause. Watch this video from CNN to learn more about this worthy cause. There are many charities that are helping out in Haiti, with one of the main preferences (in my opinion) being the American Red Cross. You should also consider Shelterbox as it is likewise a worthy charity and in this disaster it is probably the most useful thing that can be done for the people of Haiti besides medical supplies or food/water.

By the way, Wayne Robinson is also a North Fulton businessman--if you need office furniture, check out Roswell Furniture Outlet on Alpharetta Highway in Roswell. Good products, fair prices and we know that the owner truly gives back to the community and world! Thanks for what you do, Wayne!

BoKnows?

I talked a bit about the new Good Faith Estimate and HUD-1 Settlement Statement for residential closings previously. Yes, it's official and any new loan 'started' in 2010 will have the new GFE and new HUD. Expect a lot of questions and confusion on this but as with anything new, 'this too shall pass'. What I want to talk about today is somewhat self-serving but very important for the future. Why is choosing an attorney important? For that matter, why is closing a loan with an attorney important? First off, it's not all about fees. Yes, I know how self-serving that statement is. When you look at a new GFE or HUD-1 you'll see all of our fees combined are almost $700 (without lender's title). I know one firm that will do all that for just shy of $300. They may be a great firm, but we never set out to build a high-volume closing firm. I've been there--the lobby full of people waiting to close, delays, tempers and it seems that customer service is tossed out the window. When we chose to open this firm in late 2008 we knew that's not what we wanted.
So our fees are about the same as most closing attorneys out there and we all have to quote the same title insurance rates as dictated by our title companies. If the playing field (e.g. 'fees') is level, more or less, why choose us? We are all veterans here. We can handle your first-time homebuyer's questions with ease (and patience!). We can handle "issues" at the closing table (we've all been there before) with tact and finesse (yes, even me!). For that matter, we don't let files 'lay around' until the day before closing so there really shouldn't be surprises on closing day. Come see us again and I know you'll be pleased. And remember not to think of us as 'just' an in-town firm--we can close all over metro ATL!
Final topic--why close with an attorney at all? This is less relevant for purchases but there are a lot of options out there for consumers. Many large national lenders use 'closing services' to close transactions and issue title insurance. Yes, I've closed loans in homes (even a Starbucks or two). However, there is a huge difference between us and these companies. We believe (as do most Georgia real estate attorneys) that a closing should be handled by the firm from start to finish. We run (and clean!) the title, close the loan, issue the title insurance and fund it through our IOLTA (trust account). This should be the bare minimum that a licensed Georgia attorney should do but some lenders insert themselves into the transaction. A witness-only attorney is just there to watch you sign documents--where are they when you have questions or issues after closing? An out of state 'title company' or 'escrow provider' won't help you clear up a messy title with open loan deeds--if you can even get someone on the phone or in the correct department! The bottom line? Even if you don't choose Harris Wagner Law Group, do yourself a favor and choose a licensed, LOCAL Georgia attorney to handle your transaction. You could even say the same thing about lenders and agents as well. Choose wisely as your home is the largest investment you own!

The Holiday Hangover

I guess I have to start off with a New Year's resolution: I promise to stay in touch more in 2010! As always, it's been a bit busy, but not so busy that I couldn't have said Hi and let you know how we're doing! This blog is a labor of love for me--I like to do more than provide info on boring legal topics unless it's new and/or useful; I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy the writing!
Christmas is over... Sad puppies under an empty tree, a big mess of pine needles left behind to clean up. But the email tagline of "Holiday Hangover" doesn't reference over-indulgence. It speaks to the first few weeks of the year and how you just can't get back into the swing of things after the holidays. It seemed as if time hit a standstill at some point in mid-December and early January was no different. But now people are starting to wake up; bills are coming due and activity is stirring. Hopefully we'll see more houses being bought and sold in 2010! Take care, Bo

A simple thank-you...

So what's up with the blooming onion pic? I place it here as a fond reminder of a great date night last night. Even better than that, it was a low-cost date night due to a thank-you gift received by my wife for all her work on a difficult closing. An agent friend was kind enough to give us a $50 gift card to Outback Steakhouse and noted we needed to enjoy some beef, a blooming onion, and a pitcher of margaritas after difficulties getting to the closing table. Well, I did have beef (Susie had Salmon) but we each had wine (quelle surprise, eh?) instead of margaritas--we felt 'duty-bound' to have the blooming onion, however and I had forgotten how yummy it was!

It was also fun to go to the movies (though the popcorn was a bit much after dinner) and enjoy a great new chick flick, "It's Complicated". I do admit I enjoy so-called chick flicks, but this one had some true "LOL" moments and I highly recommend it. (our last date night included "Up In The Air" with some other dude from Kentucky and it was great as well, though the ending was a bit of a surprise to us).

So yes, we're a cliché (dinner and a movie) but we had a great time! The closing was 'all in a day's work' but we truly appreciated the gesture. Get out there and enjoy yourself!