Looking Out From the Garage

Do you REBC? #rebcATL

Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy (Diamond Dwellings Realty) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:09:24 -0400

As mentioned previously, rebarcampATL is ON. Atlanta will be hosting its first ever real estate bar camp. The event is coming up on October 1st... at a venue to be named soon. We have actually had to change venues in order to facilitate the demand. As soon as details are finalized, they will be announced...

Have you been to a rebarcamp event?

What did you think? What was the best thing about it? What would have made it better? What are you hoping to learn at the next rebarcamp event you attend?

Those are just a few of the questions that the organizing committee has to YOU. rebarcamps are 'attendee focused'. The participants determine the subjects and schedules. They create the content. They drive the discussion. We on the organizing committee want to help facilitate the best possible event... so we want YOUR feedback.

Are you coming?

#rebcATL will be in October 1st, 2010, starting at 9:00am and running until around 5:00pm. We are even working on a lunch sponsor to be able to provide free lunch for everyone (it could be you!).

Whether you are interested in attending, sponsoring or both, drop into the website, RSVP and we'll see you there!

rebcATL website

I'd love to hear from you...

And Another Thing...

Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy (Diamond Dwellings Realty) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:47:38 -0400

I just wrote a post a few minutes ago about 'The Bandwagon' and all of the folks climbing on-board to trash a book based on its title.

But there is something else that has been bugging me...

There is a disregard for DiYers that I see all too often. It comes from agents, inspectors and others. There is an assuption that if the home owner does ANY repair to their home, it will be sub-standard, not up to code, poorly executed and solely for the purpose of killing kittens and puppies.

I am a car hobbyist. I do a LOT of my own work, and I have spent a good deal of that time correcting the work of professionals. And of course there is the time I have spent arguing with technicians and service advosirs about exactly what needed to be repaired.

It isn't that I am perfect... it is that they aren't either. And there is something else... There are a LOT of bad professionals. There certainly are some great ones, but plenty that just don't give a turd for the quality of their work... do it fast, cheap, get paid and get out.

But the home owner often has another motivation... not doing it again. There is usually pride in their ownership, too. Of course, if they are selling the home, then maybe that doesn't play as large of a role. But I have seen a lot of home owners going to great lengths to make sure that the home they delivered exceeded the expectations of the buyers. Just as I have seen sellers of collector cars search out that last little part for the buyer... even though they didn't have to do it.

Mom always said something else... Don't Assume...

I'd love to hear from you...

Mom Always Said... Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover...

Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy (Diamond Dwellings Realty) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:15:52 -0400

Recently, there was a post about a book here on Active Rain. The book was about tips and tricks that pros use while remodeling and repairing homes. Honestly, I'm not crazy about the title...

But, reading through the comments, one might draw the conclusion that the book was purely evil.

How to Cheat at Home Repair

Like I said, not crazy about the title... But, the title doesn't tell the whole story. Here is a short except from the book:

Here’s another situation where a panic response will lead to misery and unnecessary expense: the times when you need to call in a professional to perform repairs around the house. At a minimum, you want to have on hand the names and contact information for a handyperson, a plumber, and an electrician—professionals whose backgrounds you’ve already checked. If you just flip open the telephone book and pick the first name that sounds professional—or the first company with an impressive display ad—you’re in deep trouble. Your odds of getting good work at a reasonable price that way are very low. When you do your research and find repair professionals that you’re comfortable with, it’s wise to treat them like family, pay them fairly, and pay them promptly. For more on hiring professional help, see chapter 13.

The section is called Build a Support Staff. That sure isn't bringing the evil. OK, there is a mention of 'nose oil' and duct tape. Of course duct tape is designed for ducts... not ducks, so there is actually a place for it in lasting home repairs. And nose oil is something that I employed on more than one occasion to rescue damaged negatives as both a photographer and photo store manager. Still not evil.

When you have to drive a lot of screws into wood, the friction from the screwdriver can leave your hand raw or even blistered. Making screws easier to drive is simple. Keep an old candle in your toolbox just for this purpose. When you have to drive a screw, rub the candle against its threads first, lubricating the metal. This makes the screw easier to turn and saves the hands a lot of pain. If you don't have a candle handy, soap will work well, too (but with greater potential to get messy). Or spritz the pilot hole for your screw with spray lubricant.

I have not read the whole book, and I am sure that there are things in the book that I will disagree with. I read the portion of the book available through Books.Google.com. I don't have the book, and I doubt I would run out to get it... but there are some good tips in it for those that might not be really experienced in home repair.

But that isn't the point...

The point is that it is easy to villainize the book because of its title... especially for those of us in the real estate business. It doesn't take an inspector to recognize some of the pure crap that most of us have witnessed... poorly done repairs, cover-ups and camouflage. But before sentencing the writer to the 7th level of Hell, it might be a good idea to actually do a little research.

I guess the part that bothered me was 'The Bandwagon' and the fact that EVERYBODY was on it, and nobody seemed willing to find out what they were talking about...

I'd love to hear from you...

Why sourcing gift funds is crucial

Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy (Diamond Dwellings Realty) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 23:15:03 -0400

Ken is one of the best mortgage guys in the area... We have worked together with several clients, and he makes the right things happen... the way they are supposed to happen.

Via Ken Cook, 678-439-8683:

Having the ability to use a down payment gift from a friend or family member is wonderful. In today's real estate and employment economy it is almost crucial in a small percentage of cases. During a time when many are selling below payoff and needing to bring the deficiency to the closing table they may be greatly decreasing their available cash to close. When this happens having a gift from an employer, family member or friend can mean the difference between getting that home and not getting the home.

Many will argue if a buyer does not have the down payment they do not deserve the home. Continue your argument and feel free to comment here but only if you include actual facts and data to evidence your contrarian view. Not having down payment does not automatically translate into future default - especially in today's economic climate.

Who can give a down payment gift?

Any direct relative such as a sibling, parent or child can give a gift without any further explanation as can an employer. Distant relatives and friends can only give gifts if they have a vested interest in the buyer making this purchase. The goal is to make sure no party with an interest in the sale of the property (builder, seller, agent) are providing the gift to the buyer.

The borrower must list the name, address, telephone number, relationship to the homebuyer, and the dollar amount of the gift on the loan application or in a gift letter for each cash gift received. If sufficient funds required for closing are not already verified in the borrower’s accounts, document the transfer of the gift funds to the homebuyer in accordance with instructions described in Handbook HUD 4155.1 REV-5

Often the most challenging aspect of the gift is having the donor understand they will be required to provide evidence of their ability to give which may include showing some private information to the underwriter. It is often a battle, especially with older generations who have been well steeped in protecting private data. However the HUD rules are as follow:

Documentation Requirements. The lender must document the gift funds by obtaining a gift letter, signed by the donor and borrower, that specifies the dollar amount of the gift, states that no repayment is required, shows the donor’s name, address, telephone number and states the nature of the donor’s relationship to the borrower. In addition, the lender must document the transfer of funds from the donor to the borrower, as follows:

1. If the gift funds are in the homebuyer's bank account, the lender must document the transfer of the funds from the donor to the homebuyer by obtaining a copy of the canceled check or other withdrawal document showing that the withdrawal is from the donor's account. The homebuyer's deposit slip and bank statement that shows the deposit is also required.

2. If the gift funds are to be provided at closing:

a. If the transfer of the gift funds is by certified check made on the donor's account, the lender must obtain a bank statement showing the withdrawal from the donor's account, as well as a copy of the certified check.

b. If the donor purchased a cashier's check, money order, official check, or any other type of bank check as a means of transferring the gift funds, the donor must provide a withdrawal document or canceled check for the amount of the gift, showing that the funds came from the donor's personal account. If the donor borrowed the gift funds and cannot provide documentation from the bank or other savings account, the donor must provide written evidence that those funds were borrowed from an acceptable source, i.e., not from a party to the transaction, including the lender. "Cash on hand" is not an acceptable source of the donor's gift funds.

Regardless of when the gift funds are made available to the homebuyer, the lender must be able to determine that the gift funds ultimately were not provided from an unacceptable source and were indeed the donor's own funds. When the transfer occurs at closing, the lender remains responsible for obtaining verification that the closing agent received funds from the donor for the amount of the purported gift and that those funds came from an acceptable source.

NOTE: FHA does not “approve” down payment assistance programs in the form of gifts administered by charitable organizations (i.e., nonprofits). Mortgage lenders are responsible for assuring that the gift to the homebuyer from the charitable organization meets the appropriate FHA requirements and the transfer of funds is properly documented. In addition, FHA does not allow nonprofit entities to provide gifts to homebuyers for the purpose of paying off installment loans, credit cards, collections, judgments, and similar debts.

Ken Cook - Community Outreach Leader Southeast Region (I make friends, that's my job :) - FHA, USDA, VA and Conventional Home Loans (678) 439-8683 NMLS ID 208452

My employer: AmericaHomeKey, Inc., 2300 Windy Ridge Parkway, 8th Floor North Tower - 840N, Atlanta, GA 30339. NMLS ID 102930. Georgia residential mortgage licensee 23191. Equal housing lender.

I'd love to hear from you...

53 Cool Concept Cars... Part XIV

Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy (Diamond Dwellings Realty) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 23:54:18 -0400

Image by prorallypix via Flickr

Trans-Am... For most people, they think of Pontiac Trans-Ams… Some think about the SCCA racing series. I think about both… but the cars I think about are the Trans-Am racing cars from the late 1960s and early 1970s. They were pure race cars, but they started life as production cars. Rather than being tube structures wrapped with a body that resembled a real car, they were real cars that were modified to be racers.

When one starts talking about muscle cars, the year 1969 pops up pretty frequently… but the era from 1968-1972 has to be one of the coolest for Trans-Am junkies. The street cars that came from that era were the stuff of dreams.

Ford competed with Boss 302 Mustangs… The 1969 street version was raw and didn’t like low-rpm cruising. But it rewarded the driver when it was pushed…
Image by prorallypix via Flickr

Chevy rolled out the Z28 Camaros as their weapon of choice. It had a unique 302 that was also kind of a temperamental beast. Overshadowed by the 350 and some of the larger motors, the 302 Chevy was a high revving racer… built to the 5 liter SCCA spec.
Chrysler brought out the Plymouth AAR Cudas and Dodge Challenger T/As
Of course, AMC had their Javelins and AMXs. Mercury did battle with the Cougars and Pontiac brought the Firebird into the fray.

Any muscle car fan has to respect that sort of line-up… The stars certainly aligned.

My Concept…

Several of the key players are back. Dodge has a Challenger. Cevy has a Camaro. Ford has never let the Mustang go away. So, why not build a trio of these retro-muscle beasts… And then race them.

Image via Wikipedia

I’m not talking about tube-frame race cars that are all but identical under the skin, with just a different engine and body template, but real production based racers with limited aftermarket parts. Limit them to normally aspirated 6.0L engines… no turbos or superchargers. Require that the engines be ‘stock’… and that the company has to sell 1000 of the model (Mustang, Camaro or Challenger) wit hthe same engine. Transmissions and other drivetrain parts have to be similar to stock… And the suspension would have to be ‘bolt-on’ changes only.

Interiors for the race cars could be stripped, fenders flared a little and the ride height would have to be within a couple of inches of stock.

The REAL concept cars would be the factory built racers that would be for sale at the dealerships…

And I think it is safe to say that the manufacturers could have a line for the 1000 cars. AND a line for the races. Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.

I'd love to hear from you...

53 Cool Concept Cars... Part XV

Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy (Diamond Dwellings Realty) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 23:51:41 -0400

Image via Wikipedia

I like a little minimalism… Back when I was a youngster, I had a few cars that were very bad at compromise. They were fast… but less than comfortable. I didn’t care… I wanted the performance. I drove my autocross car as a daily driver. Race on Sunday, Drive to Work on Monday. For a long time, my Jeep was a trail rig and it was what I had to drive home.

Back when Panoz was introducing their first car, the Panoz Roadster, I photographed the first one while doing an assignment for the SCCA. Loved it… cycle fenders and a big engine. The Lotus 7 has been a favorite of mine from the time I was a teenager. And when I caught on to the Ariel Atom, I was hooked. OK, not hooked enough to talk my wife into it… but I really want one.

And it is high time that a major manufacturer took one of their sport offerings and amped it up in a MASSIVE way. This would be a step beyond Dodge Viper or Chevy Corvette ZR1… and even more than the incredible Ford GT.

Image via Wikipedia

Since it looks like Dodge has axed the Viper program… and the Corvette ZR1 is already a world beating beast, Ford should be the company to make a move… kind of a GT, without all of the extra junk like a windshield, doors, bodywork.

Can you imagine a 600hp street-legal sports racer than weighs less than 2000lbs? The Ariel Atom, with a 2L 4 cylinder can go 0-60 in 2.7 seconds… It weighs in at 1100lbs, and develops 300hp in supercharged form.

A little steel, some carbon fiber, a touch of aluminum and some seriously sticky tires… it might be able to hit 0-60 times faster than superbikes. And 0-100, too. I don’t think that a properly sorted vehicle like this would have too many issues getting close to 2.2 seconds to 60 and 9 seconds to 100mph. And the braking would be incredible with some good technology and a complete lack of weight…

It would be really fun…

53 Cool Concept Cars… Part XIV (lanebailey.com)
53 Cool Concepts… Part XIII (lanebailey.com)
53 Cool Concepts, Part XII (lanebailey.com)

I'd love to hear from you...

Flashback… Rumble, Rumble…

Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy (Diamond Dwellings Realty) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 23:34:04 -0400

Image via Wikipedia

Last year I was in the midst of writing about some of the local businesses I try to frequent. One of those was Millennium Cycle Works. I dropped in one day (without my 4′ co-pilot) and talked for a minute with Ken, the owner. After a moment to gather his thoughts, I shot a video of him talking about his business. He is a great guy with a cool cycle dealership.

My wife still won’t let me talk her into me getting a bike… but I still have managed to get up there for a few things here and there. My 6 year old has some gloves made for riding a dirt bike. They are very similar to Mechanic’s Gloves… which are REALLY hard to find in sizes that small.

Here is a link to the original post and video.

I'd love to hear from you...

This is what I feared… Gwinnett Market Report – July, 2010

Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy (Diamond Dwellings Realty) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 22:57:03 -0400

Image by lane.bailey via Flickr

I have been kind of expecting this, but of course it will take a couple of months to confirm…

The Tax Credit did not kick the Gwinnett Market into gear…

Instead, its expiration killed sales. Looking over the last few months of sales we see that for 2010, sales were (compared to 2009):

January – down 10.9%
February – up 1.7%
March – up 10.1%
April – up 14.1%
May – up 17.3%
June – down 0.8%
July – down 26.2%

As we look over these numbers, there are a few things to keep in mind… To start with, the July numbers will likely get a little better. Although sales are supposed to be reported within 48 hours of closing, there are always stragglers that take a few weeks to make it into the reports. Contracts had to be written by April 30th, and sales here usually only take 30-45 days to close. That would be why sales were up in May, but not in June… those sales were likely closed. I didn’t see a lot of buyers playing chicken with the contract dates.

All isn’t doom and gloom… Inventories are down a bit from last year. This is helping to keep the absorption rates at a reasonable level. But they are still decelerating.

Look for specific reports over the next couple of weeks for Lilburn, Lawrenceville, Duluth, Suwanee, Sugar Hill, Buford and Norcross.

I'd love to hear from you...

53 Cool Concept Cars... Part XVIII

Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy (Diamond Dwellings Realty) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 22:48:22 -0400

Image by TeeMack Productions via Flickr

I’m surprised I didn’t get to this one sooner…

I have been a fan of surf music since I was a kid… I love the guitar riff and the drums. And, as a car guy, there are a LOT of great car songs from surf bands. So, if only for the cool music, it is time to build a cool surf wagon.

There aren’t that many late model cars that could be surf wagons. The Dodge Magnum comes to mind, as does the Subaru Outback. But I have to go classic here… I’m thinking a 1961 Chrysler Newport Wagon. The ‘hardtop’ version doesn’t have a ‘B’ pillar, the post between the front and rear doors. So, with the windows down, the space is open from the vent window all of the way to the back of the back door. And a 413 could fit in there…

Remember, surf wagons usually weren’t the coolest rides (then), they were what surfers could afford without getting a job. They had to have a lot of space (boards, friends, stuff). The cool came later.

Image by TeeMack Productions via Flickr

So, in order to make this a Cool Concept, we would need to bring it…

the previously mentioned 413ci engine with a push button automatic transmission…
several yards of chrome in the interior… like most of the dash (in this case, that just means stock)
air-bag the suspension to be able to drop it to the ground…
60s vintage mag wheels…
I’m kind of liking this tan and black… but teal and white might be cool, too…
maybe the door handles should be shaved…
gotta have a board rack on the roof, too.

And just to get you in the mood…

53 Cool Concepts… Part XIII (lanebailey.com)
53 Cool Concept Cars… Part XV (lanebailey.com)
53 Cool Concept Cars… Part XVII… (lanebailey.com)

I'd love to hear from you...

53 Cool Concept Cars... Part XVII

Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy (Diamond Dwellings Realty) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 22:45:52 -0400

Image by The Brain Toad via Flickr

I like strippers… That is going to make Google go nuts. But before you rapidly click away, hear me out for a moment.

Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the ‘Big 3′ used to produce a few cars that were heavy on the performance options and light on everything else. Sometimes they were hard to find, and at other times they were sitting on the dealer lots in big numbers… They were kind of like the ‘cop car’ versions of 2 door hardtops.

Dodge turned it into an art… There were Hemi Challengers and Coronets with rubber floor mats and no radio or AC.

I’d love to see some of those come back… and the PERFECT car to make a concept from would be a new Challenger SRT-8. This is what I would do…

Non-descript color. Those cars weren’t Sub Lime, Plum Loco or Hemi Orange… they were dark blue or maroon. I’d go with dark blue.
Dog Dish hubcaps on steel wheels. You know the look… think cop car. They are the little hub caps on the black steel wheel.
I might be willing to keep the A/C, but we could dump the power seats, power windows, power door locks and even the radio.
OK, I’m not too hip with vinyl seats… leather would be better, but that is because cloth would look wrong.
There would HAVE to be a shaker hood…
No chrome badges… and no badges at all on the sides. In fact, minimal brightwork inside and out.

It wouldn’t be the cheapest Challenger on the lot, but it would be the meanest…

I'd love to hear from you...

Occupational Hazard…

Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy (Diamond Dwellings Realty) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 22:54:25 -0400

There are a few occupational hazards we real estate agents face… moldy foreclosures, rotted floors that we can fall through, angry undisclosed dogs, getting locked out of a house on the back deck 40′ off the ground (don’t ask). But there is something even more dangerous…

Houses we really like… really, really like. Ones that we can afford…

As a real estate agent, I look at a lot of houses. Some of them are amazingly cool. But, I’m not dropping half a million bucks on a house. Those aren’t so dangerous… Not to say that I don’t love the media rooms, pubs on the terrace level and the 10 car garages… especially the 10 car garages… but those aren’t that dangerous, because they are out of MY operating range.

And then…

So, I was out checking out some new cool garage homes in Gwinnett County, and I ran across this one. I shot a few videos to use in ‘discussions’ with my wife. Seriously, I didn’t shoot these to show the world, just one person.

The problem is that we don’t want to change schools yet… So, unless this house is hanging out on the market in 8 months, the best I can hope for is to find it a good owner.

Not bad for about $160k…

I'd love to hear from you...

Wayback Wednesday… Don’t be Dumb Like a Bank

Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy (Diamond Dwellings Realty) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 22:40:18 -0400

Image via Wikipedia

A couple of years ago I wrote a post about a particular property. It was a foreclosure, and the bank acted stupidly. And I’m not saying that lightly. Had they accepted my client’s offer, they would have sold the property a year earlier and for $40k more than they eventually got.

It is an interesting read…

Now I see a lot of people making the same mistake from the other side of the fence…

I see buyers trying to deliver one last beating to the bank… often during the inspection phase… and losing a great deal over things that are trivial. I understand it. That doesn’t make it any better…

I had one client that was angry that the bank accepted his offer. He thought they would counter. I had warned him that they might accept of reject, but not counter. Some of the banks have a number. If you offer $1 over the number, they accept. If you offer $1 below, they reject. During the inspection period, this client made a LOT of demands. The bank rejected. No counter… no discussion.

Don’t make the same mistake the banks were making.

I'd love to hear from you...

I am "Blog Brawling" once again...

Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy (Diamond Dwellings Realty) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 23:36:25 -0400

And I need some help... Actually, I need LOTS of help.

I have entered the Carolina Real Estate Blog Brawl. It is being sponsored by my friends in Raliegh that sponsor rebarcamp - Raleigh. I was able to go up for their camp last year, which was a great event. And this year they bumped up the ante a bit with their Blog Brawl.

So... what I need from you... Votes. I just need your votes. It will only take a moment. Jump on over to the Carolina RE Blog Brawl post and check off the boxes next to my name. I am in Section 4, Group 1. The voting for this round closes on Saturday, August 14th at 5:00pm.

There are a lot of fine folks in the brawl. Take a moment to check out some of the great posts... If I make it past this round, it will be really tough. I have a lot of friends in the contest...

I'm curious what types of posts they will be looking for in future rounds...

By the way, the blog I am competing with is built on WordPress, currently running 3.0. The theme is from RocketTheme. It is kind of tweaked... and likely getting ready to change... It's just that time of the year.

Here is the link again... just in case you missed it.

Also, the two posts we are being judged on this week are hyper-local and humorish.

I'd love to hear from you...

53 Cool Concept Cars... Part XVI

Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy (Diamond Dwellings Realty) — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 22:54:06 -0400

Image via Wikipedia

Mil-Spec.

It is a simple grouping of letters... it means Military Specification. And it is one that many enthusiasts of different disciplines get excited about. Aviation hobbyists, off-roaders, campers and others love to have equipment that is 'Mil-Spec'.

What Mil-Spec generally means is 'reliable, tough and simple'. While there is a lot of military equipment that is very complicated and sophisticated, the components are generally quite proven, reliable and simple. And anything that is designed for use in a battle zone HAS to be tough.

When we think of Mil-Spec, we think of Jeeps, HMMVs and deuce and a half trucks. Black-out lights, covered toggle switches and waterproof electronics also come to mind.

Off-road enthusiasts LOVE military hardware. The entire hobby evolved from the Jeep, built for World War II. Reliable, tough and simple are perfectly exemplified in the original Jeeps. One of my favorite vehicles aside from the original Jeeps is the Kaiser-Jeep M-715. It was loosely based on the Jeep Gladiator pick-up trucks, but WAY tougher. It was rated at 5/4 tons or 1 1/4 tons. It came with very beefy running gear (Dana 60s front and rear, for those that are wondering).

Image via Wikipedia

Chrysler actually paid homage to the M-715 by making a custom show truck/concept based on the latest JK Wrangler platform that was influenced by the M-715 from the 1960s (they were only produced from 1967-1969).

I'd like to go the other way with one... start the build with a vintage M-715, finishing it out with modern running gear from a Dodge 3500 4x4, including a Cummins Turbo-Diesel. Back it up with the bullet-proof 6 speed manual from the same truck, and that would be the basis for a VERY tough, stout rig. The interior would be built out with a lot of touches from the current generation Wranglers... but everything would need to be highly water-resistant if not water-proof. After all, this is a truck with a removable roof. And since the roof does come off, one of the first additions would have to be a tough roll cage.

What I would avoid would be all of the candy stuff... seats, windows, 10 speaker stereo, etc. I might not mind air-conditioning... but that is because it gets SO hot here in the south... but it loses its affect when the roof is off. I also wouldn't mind a nice GPS NAV system... it would be in keeping with the 'Go Anywhere' attitude of the truck.

What do you think.

53 Cool Concept Cars... Part XV (lanebailey.com)
53 Cool Concept Cars... Part XIV (lanebailey.com)
53 Cool Concepts... Part XIII (lanebailey.com)
53 Cool Concepts, Part XII (lanebailey.com)
53 Cool Concept Cars... Part X (lanebailey.com)

I'd love to hear from you...

Arcado Cub Scout Round-up, August 12th

Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy (Diamond Dwellings Realty) — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 12:13:32 -0400

Image via Wikipedia

Arcado Elementary School will be hosting a 'Round-up' on Thursday, August 12th, for boys interested in joining Cub Scouts. The event will run from 6:30pm until 7:30pm.

Cub Scouting is a program for boys between 1st and 5th grade. Pack 551, the Arcado Elementary School Pack, has wonderful opportunities for boys to learn, socialize and gain experiences that they might otherwise not be able to have.

From the Boy Scouts of America website:

Activities are used to achieve the aims of Scouting—citizenship training, character development, and personal fitness. Many of the activities happen right in the den and pack. The most important are the weekly den meetings and the monthly pack meetings.
Apart from the fun and excitement of Cub Scout activities, the Cub Scout Promise, the Law of the Pack, and the Cub Scout sign, handshake, motto, and salute all teach good citizenship and contribute to a boy's sense of belonging.

Adult volunteers are also needed. Den Leaders and others to help directly and indirectly support Pack 551 and its Scouts can volunteer on Thursday. Training is provided by BSA.

Scouting is a very worthwhile activity for boys and their families. And Cub Scouting especially, is quite family friendly. Events are offered that not only allow parents, but also siblings to participate. Scouts can also earn credits to offset the costs associated with Scouting, including uniforms, trips and supplies.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Thinking of Scouting? (lanebailey.com)

I'd love to hear from you...

Looking Out From the Garage

Do you REBC? #rebcATL

And Another Thing...

Mom Always Said... Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover...

Why sourcing gift funds is crucial

53 Cool Concept Cars... Part XIV

53 Cool Concept Cars... Part XV

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Flashback… Rumble, Rumble…

This is what I feared… Gwinnett Market Report – July, 2010

53 Cool Concept Cars... Part XVIII

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53 Cool Concept Cars... Part XVII

Occupational Hazard…

Wayback Wednesday… Don’t be Dumb Like a Bank

I am "Blog Brawling" once again...

53 Cool Concept Cars... Part XVI

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Arcado Cub Scout Round-up, August 12th

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