Columns

  You’ve travelled a long road and you’ve finally closed on your home, but your journey has just begun. While you’re making plans to decorate your house, renovate your kitchen or plant your garden, there are a few items I suggest you add to your to-do list. Start out my by making sure your important documents are protected. They should be kept inside of a fireproof safe or a safety deposit box. For example, a packet was given to you at your closing that includes all your mortgage documents. Before you put them away, you may want to contact the …

  August may be fast approaching, but there’s still time to fulfill your summer bucket list. For all current and former residents of Pullman and environs, that means marking your calendars for the 22nd Annual Pullman Reunion Picnic. Scheduled for noon on Saturday, Aug. 4, in Arcade Park, the event serves as an ideal opportunity to reminisce with family and friends and to reconnect with your family’s history. Due to Pullman’s admirable preservation efforts, the area has been largely unchanged since its original construction in the 1880s. Langley Avenue has always been home to many apartment buildings and has seen …

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day have come and gone, and many friends and family members posted photos honoring their parents, as did I. As a genealogist, I can tell from the photos people posted just how well they have preserved their photo collections. Some people have 20 clear sharp images of themselves with their father or mother over a range of years. Some people have one blurry old polaroid that could have used a flash bulb! Also, in recent weeks, a cousin of mine had a fire at their home that started at the neighbors. Fortunately, no one was injured. …

  When shopping for a mortgage, the Loan Estimate is going to be your shopping tool. It’s a treasure trove that reveals a wide range of costs and other valuable information. The Loan Estimate or LE replaced the Good Faith Estimate or GFE a few years ago when the Fed put into place some new rules. The GFE showed the rates and closing cost but did not show other important aspects the loan. The LE is a 3-page document that clearly and simply shows the following: Loan Amount Interest Rate Monthly Payment Type of loan and amortization If there are …

  Actress Lucia Mascino presented Francesca Comencini’s “Stories of Love that Cannot Belong to This World” at the 18th edition of the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Open Roads: New Italian Cinema. Adapted from Comencini’s book, the film offers an intimate look at how one woman deals with the end of a relationship. Although many would not have the same seemingly desperate reaction, it’s the delusional or even hopeful motivation for which she stayed that we can all understand on some level. The film follows Claudia (Lucia Mascino) and Flavio (Thomas Trabacchi), two very different people but deeply in love nonetheless. Their …

Someone asked me an innocuous question about how to find their grandfather on a passenger list. Eighteen hours later, I discovered that a LOT has changed. A few years ago, the only way to find a passenger list was via microfilm. These days, it’s easier but it’s harder! To find your ancestor’s passenger list, you need to know: Ancestor’s name in the old country Approximate age Port he arrived at in America (it’s not always New York!) Ship he came in on Date he arrived You can use the declaration of intention or petition for naturalization to get this information. …

  Beset by never-ending winter’s woes Plans thought of, yet once again discarded askance Alas, perchance I come upon hope To plan with permanence After suffering through a long drab winter, enduring an April and May that was more winter than spring, and playing catch-up through the month of June, we’ve finally arrived at midsummer. Though our summer may lack the drama of one of Shakespeare’s plays, it’s time for us to stake a claim and make this season our own. Let’s take a trip back to earlier summers in Roseland where “The Ave” (Michigan Avenue) was the center of …

  Congratulations on purchasing a home and no longer having to pay rent! Now the fun begins, though it won’t always be inexpensive. Regardless of the cost, here are some items to handle right off the bat to prevent problems down the road. Did your home inspector go into the attic? How is the insulation up there? Is it damaged or insufficient to meet your needs? If so, the Department of Energy has a wonderful guide on attic insulation. After you’ve checked out the guide, contact your accountant since occasionally there are government incentives to reinsulate your attic. While we’re …

  The Fed raised rates a quarter point in March bringing the prime rate up to 4.75 percent. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell stated that the economy is doing well and that the increase is in line with the Fed expectations. The Fed has stated that they are expecting to increase rates a total of three times this year, at .25 percent each time, and two times in 2019. The unemployment rate in March ticked up to 4.1 percent from 4.0 percent, which is still historically low. Meanwhile, wage inflation remained tame, allowing the Fed to stay the course with its …

  Many homes are under-marketed not as a result of insufficient advertising or lack of effort on the part of the broker. The main reason is the absence of additional details on the listing sheet, and those are missing mainly because the seller doesn’t think the buyer would be interested. Most listing sheets focus on the same standard items. What you fail to mention might just give your home a leg up over the one down the street. A lot of homeowners have “gone green” in recent years. Do you clean your home using only natural or hypoallergenic products? What …