Read what the Marin Independent Journal wrote about Jennifer Li’s work.

Newly on display - Jennifer Li’s solar etchings in Color. Adding another dimension of beauty to her charmingly detailed pieces.

Sample of Jennifer’s Oil Paintings

Samples of Nicholas Oberling’s landscpes in oil:

The $790 billion stimulus package passed Congress and President Obama announced his plan today to use part of those funds, $75 billion to be exact, to match costs to lenders in reducing interest rates on modified mortgages. This provides an incentive to lenders to modify troubled loans rather than to foreclose. Bankruptcy law will change also, allowing judges to modify both mortgage balances and interest rates on principle residences in the future.

Timothy Geithner, our new Treasury Secretary, spoke last week outlining the ways he is approaching the problem of getting the real estate and credit markets back on track. He pledges new transparency on the way treasury money will be used and announced a new web site, www.financialstability.com, that will post all of the terms of agreements with banks who receive federal aid. The US Treasury and Federal Reserve will purchase toxic MBS from lenders, eventually reselling the assets to private investors again once the crisis clears.

The terms of further bank aid were outlined broadly last week as well; 1) banks must pass a financial “stress test” before they will be given any further liquid injections 2) an investment fund of $500 billion to start will be created to buy toxic assets (MBS), but which will also have a plan to attract investors to buy those assets from the fund so that there is no great loss to taxpayers and, 3) up to $1 trillion will be advanced to shore up consumer credit (auto loans, school loans, etc.) and to possibly supplement interest rates on these debts to enable modifications, lowering both interest rates and principle balances for consumers.

How will this affect you? We’re already seeing an increase in sales volume throughout the Bay Area as foreclosure inventory is snapped up. This helps to clear the excess inventory to stabilize the market. As this inventory gets cleared, prices should stabilize. Job losses will influence the speed of a housing recovery since property value trends follow availability of well paying jobs. The passing of the stimulus package, which gives money to states to fund infrastructure projects, schools, and other programs will be important to stem greater job losses locally. Low mortgage rates and the $8000 First Time Home Buyer tax credit, will help the real estate market rebound. Here in the Bay Area we are well positioned to make the most of a 2009 recovery.

Last year I was fortunate enough to meet Noah & Logan Miller. They are identical twin brothers who live in Marin and have written an incredible story about their father, an atypical Marinite, whose story had to be told.

 These incredibly talented young men wrote, directed and star in the film version of their story. The movie is called “Touching Home” and was premiered at the 2008 San Francisco International Film Festival. The film is wonderful - from the gorgeous photography to the heartfelt acting of Ed Harris, Lee Meriwether, Brad Dourif and the brothers - and leaves a lasting impression on the viewer.

 The film is slated for general release later this year and to kick it off the brothers have written the ‘story of the story’  about how they finagled the making of the film. Fascinating stories of how they attracted major film stars, award-winning editors & cinematographers to their project and how they were able to persuade  major film star Ed Harris to participate in their independent film. Filmed in Marin with lots of local sites this movie is a must-see.

The kickoff party for the book is sure to be a blast . It’ll happen at AT&T ball park in San Francisco on June 6, 2009 at 7PM.  Check out the website at http://www.inorintheway.com/

Pre-order the book and receive to two free passes to the part at the ballpark. Admission is free for children under 12. So, get the book, read the fascinating story and let’s have a blast at the park.

If you pre-order the book please reference MRG on your order. Feel free to contact me for additional information.

I had the occasion to interview a middle-aged couple who was thinking of selling their home here in Marin. They had contacted an associate of mine who works in Boise, Idaho. They drove to Boise and were shown a number of properties that were for sale.

Let me start at the beginning. The motivation of this couple was centered around the wife’s sprightly 94 year old mother, who has been living in an “old folks” home and was not enjoying the company. She is more vibrant than many of the elders at the home and she wants to get out, be involved and, God bless her, enjoy the remainder of her life. The couple’s home is a two-story home with no room on the ground floor suitable for the mother’s bedroom.

Boise seemed like the perfect solution. They had found a one-story home with two master bedroom suites that was perfect for their plans. While showing them property, my associate - who had recently moved from California to Idaho - asked if they had looked into their health insurance and whether or not they could get the same coverage in Idaho. The couple apparently never considered the insurance aspect.

They returned to California and called my business partner and I for a listing presentation. We had a great interview and things seemed ready to go. We’d list and sell their home and they’d make the move to Idaho with mom in tow. A new life!

Then they called the health insurance companies in California and Idaho. Sure enough, they would not get a transfer of coverage, would have to re-apply to Blue Cross of Idaho and, yes, pre-existing conditions would be excluded or coverage denied.

Did I mention that the husband had just had knee surgery for the second time due to an infection after the first surgery? That he needs to go through rehabilitation and that he would soon be facing shoulder surgery? Needless to say, their health coverage is extremely important and could not be jeopardized.

In a nutshell, an insurance company is dictating the lives of these three people. How many times have people not changed jobs because of this same issue, or lost their job and been unable to get or afford an individual health insurance policy? Unfortunately, this couple and mother now cannot make the move they so wanted.

It is simply disgraceful, and it’s certainly high time that we make our representatives confront this major issue on a meaningful level. We all have insurance stories like this one and in many cases much worse and more egregious. At a ground level, we should write to our representatives conveying these situations and demanding action. Don’t forget, our politicians get health insurance for life. It’s not an issue to them unless we make it one!