6 Reasons Why It's Still a Good Time to Buy

The housing market is looking healthier. Here are six reasons why now is the time to jump into the market.

1. Uncle Sam is willing to help. First-time buyers (defined as anyone who hasn’t owned a home in the last three years) are entitled to a maximum $8,000 tax credit; interest rates are at record lows; and the Federal Reserve is doing its best to make mortgage loans available. (Sign up for a Webinar to learn more about the home buyer tax credit)

2. People have to live somewhere. About 800,000 new households are formed each year in this country, ensuring that the housing market will tighten, even if the economy doesn’t soar.

3. Borrowers leverage their investment. If you put $10,000 into the stock market and it earns 10 percent, you’ve earned $1,000. If you put $10,000 down on a home and its values increases 10 percent, you’ve made $10,000.

4. When prices come back up, you’ll have instant equity. In parts of the country where foreclosures have driven down prices, better times will mean the price of the home you buy will rise rapidly.

5. Mortgage costs stay the same. If you get a fixed-rate mortgage, the monthly payment stays the same – while everything else, including rent, goes upward.

6. You own it. There is something comforting in the notion that your home is your own. You can paint it any color you want, let the dog run in the back yard and hang a swing for the kids in the front.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, June Fletcher (03/27/2009)

Brian Lackey Putts to Success in the PGA Golf Community

Brian Lackey is the Head Teaching Professional at the Johnny Warren Golf Academy at The Club at Fairvue Plantation in Gallatin, TN. He had an idea for a golf aid that would help his students putt better. He never dreamed it would be used by golfers around the world. Brian Lackey

In the summer of 2007 Brian made the first prototype from a dowel rod. It worked exactly like he thought it would. He contacted a friend who worked with EyeLine Golf, the leader in putting training aids. “Doug (Ziegler) helped me get to a founder of EyeLine and developer of most of their products, Sam Froggatte.” “I remember the first conversation I had with Brian. I knew it was a good idea, and I knew it would work,” says Froggatte. “It took several months to create the actual product, but we had the final prototype ready by the PGA Merchandise Show in late January.”

The Pendulum Putting Rod, the product’s official name, started its world tour that week. It was introduced to the professional golf tours in the summer of 2008, and has broken all records. There were 112 Touring professionals who put the Putting Rod in their bag in the 2nd half of the year. “A great aid might have 15-20 players who use it. With 112 players, the Rod is the most widely accepted training aid in Tour history,” says Ken McDonald, the Tour representative for EyeLine Golf. “It has been amazing.”

In February Lackey was recognized as the Teacher of the Year (2008) in the Tennessee PGA Section. The success of the Putting Rod may have contributed to the accomplishment. “Honestly, I didn’t create the Putting Rod to get attention or make money. I just wanted my students to improve,” Lackey says. “We have seen product brochures in Japanese and Chinese – that is amazing! That is a long way from Gallatin, TN.

For more information on the Pendulum Putting Rod, please call Doug Ziegler from EyeLine Golf at 719/481-4915. To learn more about Lackey’s instruction at the Johnny Warren Golf Academy, please visit http://www.jwga.net/home.aspx.