Jakes for Council!

I’ve been waiting for the holidays to pass before I said much about this, but I have decided that I will put my name in the hat to run for Murfreesboro City Council this year! You might recall that I almost ran two years ago and I decided for various reasons that I wasn’t ready. Mainly, I had just found out that my first child was on the way and I was seriously contemplating changing professions. With that much change in my life I realized that I couldn’t give the job all that would be required. Well, the baby came as planned and I have had plenty of time to adjust to my wonderful new role as a father. I also did follow through on the change of professions.  I am thrilled that I took that leap of faith and pulled my real estate license out of retirement. I’ve been with Exit Realty now for 15 months and I absolutely love what I’m doing  for a living.

There are a number of reasons why I want to get involved with the City Council. The biggest draw for me is simply my love for this City. I have a deep rooted connection to Murfreesboro and I crave the opportunity to participate in the guidance of our leaders toward the continued success of Murfreesboro.

My work history includes being self-employed for the last 15 years and during most of that time I was involved with selling a product, managing a crew, and then building  that custom product. I know first-hand how easy it is for a business to go from profitable to not because of the slightest variables. This experience in the business arena is why I want to represent Murfreesboro to not only run our town with a responsible business model, but also to insure that we continue to be a desirable location for businesses looking to relocate.

I also feel like I have a good connection to the citizens of Murfreesboro. During all my years of living here and doing business here I have managed to meet and make friends with a varied cross-section of the population. For that reason I think I am very qualified to be a voice for the people who live and work in the City of Murfreesboro. My political opinions do not adhere to one party or the other. I am very opened minded to the opinions of others and it is always my goal to make choices based on educated research and facts instead of opinions and ego. This is another reason I feel I am a great candidate for the office of City Council.

I make myself available to my neighbors and my community and I try to do my part to contribute to the prosperity of our town. I ask for your support in this election so that I can take that contribution to the next level. It is my promise to you that I will always vote as a voice for the people of Murfreesboro. To occupy a seat  on the City Council is to embody that voice of the masses and it should never be swayed by personal opinion or political desires.

Vote for Bill Jakes on April 17th and you can be assured that you have voted for a candidate that wants to WORK  for you and represent your best interests as well as the City’s.

Buy local

Wow! I just saw the latest REALTOR television ad campaign tonight.

My first thought is what an emotional and saddening era it is and how this commercial must be very emotional for a lot of people to see right now. With the holidays approaching I always try to remind myself of the less fortunate and the struggling. This year there are more Americans than ever that fit that category.  Sure, from a percentage there have been worse times but if you think about how our population has grown it is safe to say that more individuals are suffering in America than ever before.

The greatest remedy that I can think of right now where you and I can really  make a difference is to BUY AMERICAN made goods. If you are fortunate enough to be shopping for gifts this year then PLEASE make a commitment to your country and your fellow man this year and attempt to buy American. Better yet, buy local! November 26th is  a nationally recognized day focused on this very idea.

I’ve managed to find some really great items locally this year. I started with the latest Country Gourmet Ornament. This year’s Ornament features the Confederate Monument in Downtown Murfreesboro with the courthouse in the background. They sell for around $25 and they are so very collectible. I was thrilled to find out that the other ones I have from previous years regularly fetch $100 or more! At that rate I’d say that’s a better return than most investments you can find these days!

Another great local memento that is selling like hot-cakes is the new limited edition plate for sale at The Write Impression for $45. There’s a nice article about it here in the Daily News Journal.

These are just two of my favorites this year and you can pick them up without ever stepping foot in a shopping mall (big + for me). Take a stroll downtown next week. The weather is supposed to be nice again. The square continues to grow in such a great way. There are so many great shops to visit from Sugaree’s, Trendy Pieces, to The Well Suited for clothing or Maple Street Grill, Marina’s, to 3 Brothers for a meal or Liquid Smoke, Aura Lounge, to Uncorked for a drink and this is just a sampling.  See a few more of the choices in this recent commercial for Downtown. I’m also unknowingly featured because I was backing my old red Ford pickup out from a spot in front of Holden’s during the first shot .

So if you want to do something this holiday season to assure that your gift also gives back to the community you can simply make the choice to go to the public square to do a little shopping. Almost anything you buy will benefit not only the recipient of your thoughtful gift, but also a local business and possibly a local artist. Then those people can create jobs. Those jobs create stability and encourage the dream of home ownership. Home ownership creates pride in our community and stability in our economy. That stability reduces so much suffering and the quality of life here in Murfreesboro can become even better!

And the cycle all starts with me and you!

A Cheap Body Shop, Literally!

So, as part of the reasoning for starting this blog, I always knew I wanted to pass along items of public interest and/or things that could help my friends and neighbors in Downtown Murfreesboro. Today I feel compelled to share some information about a local business that I found yesterday. A friend passed my name on to a fellow named Steve recently and he called me last week asking about hail damage. I did indeed get some hail damage during that last crazy storm but since I like to buy cars for cash and keep my monthly bills as low as possible I didn’t have the additional comprehensive insurance policy that covered hail damage. It’s one of those things that I sort of overlooked when I was thinking about all the money I could save. I went ahead and had an estimate at my favorite body shop and got the estimate back only to find out that if I wanted to get the work I would have to wait until February! So, this is when I decided to give ol’ Steve a call I was a little skeptical because I already knew that he’s from Arizona and he’s doing business here because of our hailstorm and the flood of claims in the area and it’s just in my nature to be a bit skeptical of travelling contractors. I guess Steve could see that written all over my face. So  he invited me into his shop yesterday and he did a demonstration on my truck to let me see his crew work their magic right in front of my own eyes. I’ve got to admit, I was blown away. I’d never seen the process before and I really didn’t know how it was done but these guys took their special little tools and snaked their way under my hood and through the holes in the sides of my doors and one after another they made the worst of my dents just disappear!  They only took about 7 or 8 of them out for me but this was just a demonstration to earn my trust.  I must admit, they achieved their goal.  So here I am writing this today just to pass along my praise for a contractor that I really do have faith in. Steve and his crew at “A Cheap Body Shop” want to offer an incentive to anyone who decides to use their service. They are willing to pay your deductible to earn your business. If your deductible is under $500 then they are willing to offer you some other incentive. The bottom line is that they’re willing to give you back around 20% just so they can get your business. They are listed with the Better Business Bureau and they can work with your insurance company. If you don’t have insurance they can work for cash. More importantly, if you want your car fixed sooner,  you wont need to wait until February or later to get it done.

Now let me be clear, I’m not working for these guys and I’m not receiving  any kickbacks. I’m just trying to pass on the good word for a person who has earned my trust. So if you’re interested in any of the things I’ve had to say give Steve a call. Visit his shop. Let him to prove to you that he can earn your business. I just wanted to help a guy out and possibly help a friend or neighbor in the process. What comes around goes around. I’ll post some information below here that he sent me about his incentives to see if you might be interested.  Tell him I suggested you call and make sure to ask about the deal he’s offering below. Have a happy hail-free day

From Steve,

“

As a local business, in an effort to help the community, and particularly the families and businesses of Murfreesboro, we want to make a special offer to all those who had a vehicle damaged by last month’s hailstorm. We can help in one of three ways.

The offers may not be combined, but the choice is yours.

1. 1.     WE WILL PAY YOUR DEDUCTIBLE

For those who have already received insurance estimates on their hail damage or are about to, we will not charge the deductible portion on the estimate. We will pay up to $500.00 on any insurance estimate over $2500.00. Which, in most cases, will mean no out-of-pocket expense to you. If you have gotten your estimate from another body shop, that is not a problem. Just bring the estimate to us at A Cheap Body Shop at 340 Westgate Blvd. and we will take care of arranging the switch.

1. 2.     WE WILL GIVE AWAY A FREE 32” FLAT SCREEN TV WITH DENT REPAIR

We also know that some of you may have little or no deductible.  For those of you, if you choose, we will give you a Brand New 32” Flat Screen Television with every hail repair job of $2500 or more when accompanied by the insurance paperwork.  It’s simple, when you pick up your repaired car, truck or SUV there will be a new TV in the back seat!

1. 3.     WE WILL GIVE YOU CASH BACK.

We also know that extra money to pay bills may also come in handy. So, if there is no deductible to pay, and you would rather have cash than a new TV, we will give $250 back as a rebate on any insurance job of $2500 or more when accompanied by your insurance paperwork. This can be used for personal expenses, bills or the upcoming Holidays.

We know that we are all in this together. That’s why we want to help the community through the hassles of the recent hailstorm. But the only way that we can make this happen is if you choose A Cheap Body Shop at 340 Westgate Blvd. in Murfreesboro to do your hail repair.  If you already have an estimate, bring it to us and we will take care of the rest. We understand dealing with big insurance companies can be difficult and sometimes confusing, so please allow us to help.

I am the owner of A Cheap Body Shop. My name is Steve. Please call me directly at 351-9222 to make an appointment or with any questions or concerns.

Please pass this information on to friends and neighbors you know to have been victims of the hailstorm”

Beware of the predators!

I received an interesting piece of mail a couple of days ago. It had a nice logo of an eagle on the return address. It seemed like it must be something from the federal government. With a little bit of concern as to what in the world it could be I opened the envelope rather carefully. The single page inside started out with some enticing words, “You qualify”. “Oh, okay”, I’m thinking as I read on. It turns out this piece of mail was to inform me that I apparently qualify for the new Federally mandated loan modification program. It had my loan amount of my mortgage stated along with my interest rate and a bunch of other information that made me think for just a second that this MUST be legitimate. But only for a few seconds! As much as I like to believe in a good and kind-hearted world I must admit there’s a quick skeptical part of me keeping it all in balance. I immediately went to the bottom of the page down past the number I needed to call and I found exactly what that skeptic in me assumed he would find. The fine print!

The reason I’m writing this is to warn any of you who might be caught off guard with this seemingly great news in the mail. I am thankful to be in the percentage of people who are current on their mortgage these days and I don’t take it for granted for a second but even I was enticed by the message in his letter. This letter was telling me that I could save nearly $400 a month and that it was all because of this new Federally mandated program. I assure you, this was not from the Federal Government but just some slick mortgage company predator!

Well back to the fine print my friends. Down there in those tiny words I saw the words that I always caution my clients away from, ” A.R.M.”, and “points”.  Now, there’s a time and a place for points and for some folks it can be worth the investment but in this day and age an A.R.M. is flat-out crazy talk. The reason this loan program was offering what they were is because it was a scam to bleed people of their savings.  Now I’m sure there was a lender on the other side who could definitely write this loan but I’m also sure it’s nothing that I’d want to touch. The reason they were going to be able to cut my mortgage rate was because they were going to charge points. That means I would need to buy down my rate on the front end. That rate that they were offering was going to be a 5 year A.R.M. (Adjustable Rate Mortgage) which means in 5 years it would go back up. So basically this awesome sounding offer was just a scam to lure unsuspecting people in need of some help to buy into a mortgage that would end up costing you more in the long run because after you figure in the up-front money and the fact that your rate is not locked after 5 years, you’d be better off staying right where you are and using what cash you might have towards your monthly note.  When you refinance a loan you start paying mostly interest and barely any principal again. It’s not until the 5 year mark that you start to actually plug away at your principal again.

I wish I still had the letter. It went into the trash within 10 minutes of it being opened. If I had it still I would share more specific info about where it came from. I just thought about it again tonight and it made me want to write a few words in hopes that I might save someone from falling into this trap. There are some seriously dangerous obstacles to avoid out there friends. Even allowing your credit score to be checked too often might ruin your chances of getting a refinance. So I want to offer you this. If you or anyone you know needs help with their existing mortgage please get in touch with me or visit my links page of my website to find the contact info for some of the local lending professionals.  The people that I recommend will be careful with your information and shoot straight with you. If they can’t help you they won’t waste your time and try to bleed you of your money.  Please feel free to call me first if you’re still unsure. I make no money from you refinancing a loan so I can give you completely unbiased information and I am happy to help my fellow man or woman.

If you want to find out more about the actual Federal Loan Modification program here is a good link to get you started with some real information about the latest program.

Murfreesboro in Historic Postcards

I’m thrilled to just learn that my book from 2006 has been added to the iTunes store so that it can now be enjoyed on iPad, iPhone, & iPod touch. I’m not quite sure how to direct link to iTunes but for now I’ll just add a screen capture so you can see what it looks like in the iTunes store. It sells for $12.99 and it makes a great addition to your eBook collection.

*Update* here’s the direct link to it on iTunes

The stigma of Crime in Downtown Murfreesboro

As a downtown Murfreesboro resident I’ve often heard people say to me “I wouldn’t want to live downtown because there’s so much crime.” . For a while I just assumed it must be true. There are definitely pockets of the downtown population that are poor or underprivileged and you’d expect a higher crime rate from this segment of the population. But now that I’ve lived here for more and more years I’ve started to question the reality of this perception. We definitely had a spike in crime about a year ago but I noticed that there were plenty of reports of crimes in the neighborhoods around the outskirts of town as well. Shortly after that spike and a couple of smash and grabs in our neighborhood we gathered together for a couple of meetings with the police department and we learned about a new mapping tool that the department was getting involved with so that the citizens can log in and see where things are happening most often. That site can be accessed here. I can honestly say that the more I visit this site and see the previous months crime data the more I’ve come to realize that downtown Murfreesboro doesn’t get hit any harder than any other part of town. Do keep in mind when you visit the site that it’s City data. The crime doesn’t actually stop at the city limits You can see the types of crimes based on little icons spread around the map.

I’m knocking on wood as I write this but so far in the seven years of living here I’ve yet to experience any type of crime at my home. If I had any complaint about downtown it would have to be traffic noise and the booming stereos that seem to go by on the hour. But when I factor in all the great attributes of the lifestyle offered here it’s easy to overlook a little noise occasionally. I get to walk to the square for free concerts throughout the summer as well as the Saturday Marketplace offered by the Main Street Murfreesboro organization. I can walk to dinner at one of the many restaurants on the square or do a little shopping or even take in a show at The Center for Arts or the Murfreesboro Little Theater. This is just a sampling of all the options available to people who live downtown and there’s no need to drive to any of it unless you just want to.

So the next time you hear someone say “I couldn’t live downtown. There’s just too much crime for me.” Please consider the opinion of someone who has lived here in harmony for quite a few years now. The facts don’t support downtown being any more dangerous than the rest of Murfreesboro.

It’s about time

So, I’ve been without a blog page for quite some time now. With all the activity I’ve had on FaceBook and Twitter over the last few years I just decided to lose the blog on my website  and just link into all those social media sites. Well, I’ve finally succumbed to the lure of the call of Word Press. Why Not?! I feel like I need to have a place for lots of words again. Not just these little tidbits and tweets. I’m gonna go ahead and spend the time and build me yet another site. I’ve just barely activated this account so I won’t get all wordy on you yet. I still need to figure out some bells and whistles before I get super opinionated about something but just you wait! I’m planning to get prolific on you soon enough Till then, wish me luck on learning yet another piece of the internet jungle.